CHAPTER VII.
THE MAJOR'S SURPRISE.
Well in the lead of those who were hurrying to the scene of thedisaster was Chub McReady, his feelings about evenly divided betweenfear for Matt and anger because of the foul play that had caused theaccident. A little way behind Chub, in a rushing crowd of excitedhigh-school boys, came Welcome Perkins, his wooden peg traveling overthe ground as it had never done before. Susie was flying along notfar from Welcome, a look of wild alarm in her face. The major and thegovernor were pretty well in the rear.
Matt had picked himself out of the wreck, before any of the crowdreached the scene, and, with the assistance of the two other racers,was lifting Dace Perry and carrying him to the grassy paddock besidethe track. Matt's clothes were torn, and there was a rent in his rightsleeve through which flowed a trickle of blood.
"Is he killed? How badly is he hurt? What caused the smash?"
These and a dozen other questions were flung at Matt by the breathlesscrowd as Perry was laid down. Matt's face was white, but he did notseem to be very seriously injured. Kneeling beside Perry he laid a handon his breast.
"He's all right, I guess," said he, looking up as the major elbowed hisway to Perry's side. "He's stunned, major," he added; "I don't thinkit's any worse than that."
"Is there a doctor here?" called the major; "telephone for a doctor,somebody! See if he has any broken bones, Carter. Egad, Matt, you twofellows came together like a couple of railroad-trains. It's a wonderyou weren't both killed. What was that I heard just before your bicycleducked across in front of Perry's?"
"The tire blew up," answered Matt coolly.
"Something funny about that," put in Splinters, who was close to themajor. "Both tires are new. You didn't run over anything, did you,Matt?"
"Some one fired a pistol," cried Chub; "nobody ever heard a tire poplike that! It came from beyond the lower end of the grand stand.Somebody put a bullet through that tire!"
"Nonsense!" scoffed the major. "What are you talking about, McReady?Who'd do a dastardly thing like that? Besides, it would take a mightygood marksman to put a bullet into a tire moving as fast as that onewas."
"Look a-here," fumed Welcome Perkins, "I don't reckon there's a man inthe hull Territory that's heard as much shootin' as what I have. I'mtellin' ye a gun was fired, an' by the shade o' Gallopin' Dick, it wasfired at Matt there!"
"Clear out!" growled the major, "you're locoed. Who'd want to take ashot at Matt King? What do _you_ think about it, my lad?" and the majorturned to Matt.
Matt had dropped down and Susie was pushing back his torn sleeve.
"The tire went up, major," said Matt quietly; "that's all I know aboutit."
"See here," cried Susie, holding Matt's bare forearm for the major tosee, "Matt's hurt worse than Dace Perry."
"You're wrong, Susie," returned Matt hastily, "it's only a cut, and notmuch of a cut at that. Please tie my handkerchief around it, will you?"
Matt jerked a handkerchief out of his pocket with his left hand andSusie began tying it over the wound. While Perry was being pulled andprodded in a search for broken bones, he suddenly opened his eyes andsat up. There was a dazed look in his face, but he seemed to be allright.
"How d'ye feel, Dace?" inquired Tubbits Drake anxiously, bending downover Perry.
"I'm all right," replied Perry; "a little bit dizzy, that's all. Kingfouled me! Did you see him as we started down the stretch?"
"Listen to that!" snorted Chub fiercely. "Some of your gang played alow-down trick on Matt, Dace Perry, or he wouldn't have got in yourway."
"Tut, tut!" growled the major; "that's enough of that sort of talk. Itwas an accident, and nothing more. King would have been an easy winner,and there wasn't any cause for him to foul Perry. You boys are lucky toget out of the scrape as well as you did. How are the wheels?"
"Perry's is pretty badly smashed," reported some one who had taken alittle time to look at the two bicycles, "but Tuohy's will be all rightwith a little tinkering. There's a hole in the rear tire, and the trackis perfectly clean where the bicycles came together."
The significance of these words was not lost upon the crowd. MajorWoolford turned to Horton and Coggswell, two members of the club whowere making the race with Matt and Perry.
"You fellows were coming toward the lower end of the grand stand whenthe accident happened," said he; "did you see any one there?"
"We were 'tending to our knitting strictly," answered Coggswell, "andhad no time to look at the grand stand. But we both thought we heardthe report of a revolver."
"You didn't, though," declared the major. "That report was the tirewhen it let go. You'd better try another brand of tires, Tuohy."
As neither of the lads had been seriously injured it became necessarythat another trial be made in order to determine who was the betterman; and this time Matt started with grim determination in his eye,never once being headed, so that he wheeled across the line ten yardsahead of Dace.
This time there was no suspicious bursting of a tire, and at theconclusion the major spoke up:
"King's our man for the fight with Prescott; and if anything happensthat he doesn't show up, we'll use Perry. That will be all for to-day.Will you ride home with me, Jack?"
The major was trying bluffly to appear at his ease, but it was quiteclear that his mind was far from serene.
"My man is here with the horse and buggy, major," replied the governor,"and I've got some important business awaiting me at the office. Ithink you've picked a winner for the race with Prescott," and he gavethe major a significant look as he turned away.
Mike was coming up with the major's motor-car, and the proprietorreached out and took Matt by the arm.
"I want you to ride back with me, King," said he, and in another minuteMatt was in the tonneau with the major beside him.
"Get the wheel fixed up, Splinters," called Matt; "I'll stand thedamage."
"No, you won't, old chap," answered Splinters. "You've stood enoughdamage as it is."
"Home, Mike," said the major, and the car moved off across the trackand toward the wagon-road.
Matt waved his hand to Chub, Susie and Perkins; and members of the cluband some of the high-school boys stopped their heated discussion of thecause of the accident long enough to give a rousing cheer.
"What's your candid opinion, King?" asked the major when the car hadleft the park and was spinning along the highroad. "You're talking to afriend, understand, and I want to get to the bottom of this."
"I haven't any opinion, major," said Matt. "You know as much as I do."
"But did you hear the report of a revolver?"
"I thought I did."
The major muttered savagely. "Have you any enemy lawless enough to takethat way of doing you up?"
"I don't think I have. We'd better let the thing stand just as it is, Iguess. There was no great harm done, if you count out the damage to thewheels."
"By gad, I like your spirit! The thing has an ugly look, but for thegood of the club the less said about it the better. Sure your arm's allright?"
"It will be as good as ever in a few days."
They met a doctor who had been telephoned for and was hurrying to thepark. The major turned him back with the information that his serviceswere not needed.
For the rest of the distance to his home the major leaned back in hisseat and said nothing. When they reached a street which was close tothe place where he boarded, Matt wanted to get out, but the major shookhis head mysteriously, and they rode on. In due course the car haltedin front of the small building which served for a garage, and the majortold Mike to leave the car outside and to go in "and bring out theother machine."
"I've got something I want to show you, King," said Woolford, gettingout of the car, "and that's the reason I brought you here. If you'rethe kind of a lad I believe you are, the surprise I'm going to springon you will keep you in Phoenix for that race with Prescott."
The major's mysterious manner aroused Matt's curiosity; th
en, afew minutes later, his curiosity was eclipsed by astonishment andadmiration. Through the open door of the garage Mike was rolling a spannew motor-cycle!
Motors were Matt's hobby. Anything driven by a motor had alwaysappealed to him, but motor-cycles and motor-cars captured his fancybeyond anything and everything else in the motor line.
"Great hanky-pank!" he exclaimed, as the machine, glossy and bright inevery part, was brought to a stop between him and the major.
"Like the looks of her?" laughed the major.
"She's a fair daisy and no mistake!" cried Matt delightedly.
The mass of compact machinery would have been puzzling to a boy whoknew nothing about gasoline motor-cycles, but Matt's sparkling eyeswent over the beautiful model part by part.
"It's one of the latest make and not being generally sold, as yet,"explained the major, still smiling at the unfeigned pleasure the sightof the mechanical marvel was giving Matt. "Notice the twin cylinders?Seven horse-power, my boy. Think of that! Why, you could scoot awayfrom a streak of lightning on that bike. What do you think of her name,eh?"
On the gasoline-tank, back of the saddle, the word _Comet_ was letteredin gold.
"A good name for a racer," cried Matt, "and I'm Dutch if I ever sawanything to equal her. She's a jim-dandy, major."
"I reckon you know how to ride one of the things, eh? Jump on and tryher a whirl."
"May I?" returned Matt, as though he thought the major's invitation toogood to be true.
"Sure!" laughed the major jovially. "She's full of gasoline and all youhave to do is to turn it on and throw in the spark."
Matt mounted while Mike steadied the machine; for a few moments heworked the pedals and then, with a patter of sharp explosions, heturned on the power and was off up the road like a bird on the wing.
It was a short spin, but the joy of it was not to be described. Everypart of the superb mechanism worked to perfection. Matt tried it on theturns, tried it on a straightaway course, tried it in every conceivablemanner he could think of, and the machine answered promptly andsmoothly to his every touch. When he returned to the major and Mike,Matt's face was glowing with happiness and excitement.
"How does she run?" asked the major.
"It's the slickest thing on wheels!" returned Matt enthusiastically. "Inever saw anything finer."
"How would you like to own her?"
Matt had got down from the saddle and Mike was steadying the machine.The major's words staggered the lad.
"Own her?" cried Matt; "I?"
"Why not?" The major leaned toward him and dropped a hand on hisshoulder. "The _Comet_ goes to the winner of the bicycle-race. You canown her, King, if you want to!"