Merriwell, Frank (Fictitious character) -- Juvenile fiction; Yale University -- Juvenile fiction
The seniors kept hold of the rope and walked several yards behind the
neophyte, telling him when to turn to the right or the left.
In this way Frank was made to pass close to moving wagons, and to go to
the very edge of embankments where if he had taken another step he would
have had an unpleasant fall.
For more than an hour he was kept moving about in this way, completely
baffling the efforts of the seniors to rattle him. He did everything
they told him promptly, and never a word escaped his lips.
He had made up his mind that come what would he would not get another
black mark. At last as he was crossing a street he was told to halt. He
did so, feeling under his feet at the moment the rail of a street car
track.
Then his "mentors," as his companions were called, gathered around him,
threw the loose end of the rope over his shoulders and told him to stay
where he was.
"Remember, neophyte," said one of them, slowly, "the command is to stand
still, no matter what happens."
Frank made no response, but it was evident that he understood them.
A moment later the mentors went away, where, or how far, Frank could
only guess.
It was late in the evening, and the street was very still, but somewhere
in the distance Frank could hear the rumbling of a car; it drew nearer
and nearer, and at length he could hear the buzzing of the trolley wire.
It seemed directly over his head.
"I see what this is," he thought; "they have put me between the double
tracks of the line so that I'll think that a car is going to run me
down.
"Of course, these fellows are not going to injure me, and so if I stand
perfectly still the car will pass close beside me. If I should move I
might get run over. I can imagine that some fellows might be completely
unnerved by this test."
The rumbling of the car became louder and louder; then there was a
single clang of a bell and it stopped a short distance away; some
passenger evidently was getting out. The bell rang again, and the car
started.
The motorman kept up a loud clanging of his footbell as he approached
Frank; the latter, remembering his instructions, stood perfectly still,
confident that the car would rush past him without touching him.
Suddenly, just as the car was upon him, Frank was pushed violently and
fell face forward in front of it!
CHAPTER XVIII.
FRANK WANTS MORE.
The car was going at full speed when Frank fell. On the instant the
motorman reversed the current and applied the brake hard, but although
the wheels immediately began to turn in the other direction, it was
impossible to check the advance of the car completely.
It slid for a few yards along the rails, sending up a shower of sparks,
and pushing Frank's body along ahead of it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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