Scott explained how he had pretended to ally himself with Frank's foes, and thus had heard the plots against the boy. He had sent Frank the warnings, and he had secured the aid of Plug Kirby to aid him in beating off Merriwell's ruffianly assailants. "I scarcely think you will be troubled any more by your enemies," declared Scott. "I had a session with them last night, after the failure of their attempt on you, and I sent the varmints scurrying for tall timber in a hurry. I told them that I was your friend, and not your enemy, and that I would come up as a witness against them if you saw fit to prosecute them. Then they begged me to keep still, and agreed to let up on you for good and all if I wouldn't chirp. I made the galoots no promises." For hours Frank and Scott sat and talked of Charles Merriwell, his health, his mine and his plans. And when the man departed, it was with a letter from Frank Merriwell to Charles Merriwell in his possession. The next evening Frank received a call which surprised him greatly. What it was the next chapter will tell. CHAPTER XXVIII. FRIENDS OR FOES. Thump--bang! thump--bang! "Open this door!" Thumpety--thump--bang! bang; bang! "Open this door, or I will dake it brown--I mean I will break it down!" Harry was excited. "Hold on a moment, can't you?" cried the laughing voice of Frank from within the room. Harry was pressing against the door with one hand, having rained the heavy blows upon it with the other hand, which was clinched in a most threatening manner. The door flew open with a suddenness that precipitated Rattleton into the room with a headlong rush and plunged him plump into the stomach of a young man who happened to be in the way. "Ugh!" "Wow!" Bump! bump!--both went down, clasped in each other's arms. Two other lads stood staring at the fallen ones. They were Frank Merriwell and Fred Flemming. Tom Thornton was the unfortunate who stood in the way of Rattleton's headlong rush. And Harry, quite unintentionally, had struck Thornton a smart blow with his clinched fist. At that moment it did look as if the excited lad had rushed into the room with the premeditated purpose of hitting Tom. "Here! here!--break away!" cried Merriwell, sharply. "Not much!" panted Tom, in excitement and anger. "Think I'm going to let him go, so he can hit me again?" "Catch hold, Flemming," ordered Frank--"catch hold of your friend, and we'll part them." He grasped Rattleton by the collar as he spoke, but Fred made no move to pull Thornton away. Seeing this, Merriwell obtained a firm hold on the collars of both Harry and Tom, and, with a surprising display of strength, wrenched them apart, yanked them to their feet, and held them at arm's length. "Steady, now!" he cried, as they seemed to betray a desire to get at each other. "Quit it!" "He struck me!" cried Thornton. "It was antirely excidental--no, entirely accidental," declared Harry, flourishing his arms. Tom dodged.