A boy appeared at Frank's door, and handed over a sealed envelope, which he explained he had received from a man with a heavy beard. He said he had been paid a quarter of a dollar to deliver it. Frank tore it open and read: "You will be invited to go to the theatre to-night. Do not go. Your enemies will be on the watch for you." "Oh. I knew it was coming!" cried Frank, scornfully. "It is a flimsy trick! It actually disgusts me!" Harry was out, and Merriwell was alone. Later Harry came in, accompanied by Diamond, Browning, Griswold and Creighton. "I say, old man," cried Charlie Creighton, addressing Frank, "we have something on for to-night, and we want you to take a hand." "You may take a few rotten eggs or decayed vegetables with that hand, if you like," grinned Griswold. Frank remembered the second warning. Of the party Creighton was the only fellow he did not know very well, and, if there was an enemy among them, Creighton must be the man. Frank resolved to show no suspicion. "What's up?" he asked. "To-night," cried Griswold, dramatically, "the curtain will go up on one of the greatest tragedies ever enacted on any stage--nit!" "Hush!" whispered Creighton, mysteriously. "Whisper it softly. 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' is in town, with two _Little Evas_, two _Marks_, three real Siberian bloodhounds, bred in New Jersey, and a jackass." "The jackass is the manager of the company," grinned Griswold. "I presume you have heard of that immortal play, 'Uncle Tom's Cabin,' Mr. Merriwell?" questioned Creighton. "Methinks I have," assured Frank. "'Methinks' is good," nodded Creighton. "It has a fat sound." "Eh?" grunted Browning, who already had deposited his corpulent body on the couch. "Did anybody speak to me?" "Ah, Mr. Browning," said Creighton, "I think you said as we were coming along that you have had the pleasure of seeing 'Uncle Tom's Cabin'?" "Yes, I said so." "Then permit me to inquire if you have ever seen 'Ten Nights in a Barroom'?" "No," grunted Bruce; "but I have seen ten barrooms in a night." "Here, hold up!" cried Griswold, promptly. "That belongs to me, and I have used it on everybody I could hit with it." "Never mind," murmured Browning. "It is a good thing, so we'll have to move it along." "Seriously," said Diamond, "there is a crummy 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' company at a cheap theatre in town, and Creighton has purchased a box. He wants us to go along." "That's the idea," acknowledged Charlie. "All the fellows are onto it, and there will be two or three hundred Yale boys there. We won't do a thing to the hamfatters!" Frank smiled. He saw that it would be an opportunity for any amount of sport he was sure, and the mere thought of it made him eager to go. But he remembered the warning. It was most remarkable that the invitation to the theatre had followed so closely after the receipt of the note from the unknown. "Of course you'll go, old fellow?" cried Creighton, who saw that Merriwell was hesitating.