Frank Merriwell's Athletes Part 18

CHAPTER IX-A DISCUSSION ABOUT GIRLS

Diamond could not resist Ephraim's heartiness, and his face cleared despite himself. The Yankee boy was so good-natured and ready to meet him more than half-way that he was conscience-stricken.

"I am a fool!" he muttered; "and I'm the only one to blame. It is in my nature, and I don't seem to be able to help it."

"It's all right now, old fellow!" laughed Frank, as he pa.s.sed an arm around Jack's shoulders in a most friendly way. "I hardly thought you would go back on me and spoil my scheme."

Having watched all this, Rattleton edged a bit nearer Bruce Browning, who was stretched flat on his back, and had seemed to take no more than a slight interest in what was going on.

"Isn't it strange how much Merry will stand from Jack?" said Harry, cautiously. "Diamond has been growling and kicking and making things as unpleasant as possible for some time, and yet I swear Frank seems to think more of him than ever before. The more I know Frank Merriwell the less I know him!"

Browning grunted.

"You're not the only one; there are others," he said.

"Say, fellows," called Hodge, "there goes a party of pretty girls into the surf."

"Begorra!" exclaimed Barney. "It's nivver a bit ye'll miss seein' them at all, at all."

"Dot peen so," nodded Hans. "Partly alvays seen all der britty girls dere vas, you pet my poots!"

Four girl bathers had come down to the beach, without seeing the little party of lads lolling beneath the wide-spreading tree. There were four of them, and they all were dressed in tasty and modest bathing suits.

"One of them is Inza Burrage," said Frank, whose eyes never failed to recognize the girl he admired so much.

"And the one standing with her near the edge of the water is the young lady to whom she introduced us last night, Frank."

"Miss Random."

"Yes."

"She is a charming girl."

"That's right," agreed Hodge, his admiration showing in his eyes; "but I don't suppose you think her quite as charming as Inza?"

"Oh, I don't know! There is a great difference between them. Miss Random is more quiet and less bubbling and full of spirits. She has blue eyes that are soft as the California skies, and she is very gentle and ladylike. Although Inza has developed into a young lady, she still has many of her girlish ways. She is quick and impulsive, easy to take offense and ready to forgive. It is hard to compare two girls who are so dissimilar."

"Of course I know which one you admire most," said Bart, with something like the ghost of a smile on his dark face; "and I am quite willing that you should. There is something about Effie Random's blue eyes and subdued manner that captivates me."

"Here! here! here!" cried Frank, laughingly. "Is it possible you are falling in love again, Hodge? Be careful! You know what sort of sc.r.a.pes your love affairs get you into."

Bart flushed.

"Don't worry about me," he said, sharply. "I don't propose to make a fool of myself again. I have done that enough. I'll not get so much stuck on any girl that she'll be able to make me do anything dishonorable."

"I don't believe you will again, old man. I think you have learned your lesson, and learned it well."

Browning had slowly rolled over on his side, so he could watch the girl bathers without lifting his head to do so.

"I don't know," he said, slowly, in his peculiar lazy manner. "I was not introduced to Miss Random, but I have seen her in her street dress, and now I see her in bathing costume. I don't know; I don't know."

"Don't know what?" asked Rattleton.

"Don't know but she could tempt me to do almost anything. She is out of sight!"

"There is one thing she could not induce you to do."

"Name it."

"Hurry."

"Well, she could induce me to try, and that's a great deal."

"Begorra! it's nayther av you chaps nade worry about her," put in Barney. "It's nivver a bit she'll throuble her purty head over yez.

She's lookin' fer bigger fish, me b'ys."

"I suppose you know all about it?" grunted Bruce, sarcastically.

"Ah, Oi know a thing ur two," returned the Irish lad, serenely, quite unruffled by Browning's manner. "Santa Barbara has a distinguished visitor, av ye'll plaze remimber, an' all th' girruls are afther castin'

shape's-oies at him."

"Do you mean Lord Stanford?"

"Av course."

"It is not possible Miss Random has been attracted by that whiskey-drinking wreck of the English peerage!"

"Whoy not?"

"Miss Burrage is friendly with Miss Random, and she would tell her all about Lord Stanford."

"She has thot, but it's quare fools some av th' American girruls do be whin they see a furriner wid some sort av a toitle. It's crazy they git intirely, an' divvil a bit do they look at th' man at all, at all. It's th' toitle they're thinkin' av. They're riddy to take any koind av an old thing, av it has a toitle hung to it."

"I don't believe Effie Random is that sort of a girl," warmly declared Hodge. "She seems to have more sense than that."

"It's not always their since ye can measure by th' looks av their face, me b'y."

"I think you are insinuating things about Miss Random without having the least reason for doing so, and I don't like it," came warmly from Bart's lips.

"Oll roight, me laddybuck," nodded Barney. "It's nivver another worrud will Oi say at all, at all."

"I am sure Barney did not mean any harm," smiled Frank. "It's a mistake to take too seriously anything he says."

The Irish boy opened his lips, as if to say something, but quickly closed them again.

"Why is Stanford hanging around here so long, anyway?" asked Jack, who had grown interested in the conversation. "After we took Inza away from him, the fellow seemed to throw up the sponge, and I thought he would get out in a hurry."

"That's right, but he seems very much fascinated with Santa Barbara and the young ladies here."