CHAPTER XIX.
ON THE REAR PLATFORM.
A feeling of exultant satisfaction flashed over Merriwell, and hequickly stepped out onto the platform, closing the door behind him.
The woman turned and looked toward him.
The train was racing along, the track seeming to fly away from beneaththe last car.
It was a strange place for a woman to be, out there on the rearplatform, and Merry's first thought had been that it must be the womanhe sought, for had she not come out there to escape him? She had fanciedhe would look through the car, fail to find her, and decide that she wasnot on the train. It must be that she had seen Hodge come in, and hadrealized at once why he had entered the car. When he departed to carrythe information to Frank, the desperate woman had fled to the rearplatform.
Immediately on stepping out onto the platform, however, Frank decidedthat his reasoning was at fault.
It was a veiled woman, and she was in black, but it was not the woman hesought. It was not the woman who had caused his arrest in Denver!
Merry was disappointed.
The unknown looked at him, and said nothing. He looked at her andwondered. The veil was thick and baffling.
"Madam," he said, "this is a dangerous place."
She said nothing.
"You are liable to become dizzy out here and meet with an accident," hepursued. "If you should fall--well, you know what that would mean. It isremarkable that you should come out here."
"The air," she murmured, in a hoarse, husky voice. "The car wasstifling, and I needed the air. I felt ill in there."
"All the more reason why you should not come out here," declared Frank,solicitously. "You could have had a window opened, and that would havegiven you air."
"The window stuck."
"It must be some of them would open. If you will return, I'll endeavorto find you a seat by an open window."
"Very kind of you," she said, in the same peculiar, husky voice. "ThinkI'll stay out here. Don't mind me."
"Then I trust you will permit me to remain, and see that you do not meetwith any misfortune?"
"No. Go! Leave me! I had rather remain alone."
She seemed like a middle-aged lady. He observed that her clothes fittedher ill, and her hands were large and awkward. She attempted to hidethem.
All at once, with a suddenness that staggered him, the truth burst onFrank.
The woman was no woman at all! It was a man in disguise!
Merry literally gasped for a single instant, but he recovered at once.
Through his head flashed a thought:
"This must be some criminal who is seeking to escape justice!"
Immediately Frank resolved to remain on the platform at any hazard. Hewould talk to the disguised unknown.
"The motion of the train is rather trying to one who is not accustomedto it," he said. "Some people feel it quite as much as if they were on avessel. Car sickness and seasickness are practically the same thing."
She looked at him through the concealing veil, but did not speak.
"I have traveled considerable," he pursued, "but, fortunately, I havebeen troubled very little with sickness, either on sea or land."
"Will you be kind enough to leave me!" came from behind the veil, inaccents of mingled imploration and anger.
"I could not think of such a thing, madam!" he bowed, as gallantly aspossible. "It is my duty to remain and see that you come to no harm."
"I shall come to no harm. You are altogether too kind! Your kindness isoffensive!"
"I am very sorry you regard it thus, but I know my duty."
"If you knew half as much as you think, you would go."
"I beg your pardon; it is because I do know as much as I think that I donot go."
The unknown was losing patience.
"Go!" he commanded, and now his voice was masculine enough to betrayhim, if Frank had not dropped to the trick before.
"No," smiled Merry, really beginning to enjoy it, "not till you go inyourself, madam."
The train lurched round a curve, causing the disguised unknown to swingagainst the iron gate. Frank sprang forward, as if to catch and save theperson from going over, but his real object was to apparently make amistake and snatch off the veil.
The man seemed to understand all this, for he warded off Frank's clutch,crying:
"I shall call for aid! I shall seek protection!"
"It would not be the first time to-day that a veiled woman has done sucha thing," laughed Frank,
The disguised man stared at him again. Merry fairly itched to snatchaway the veil.
"If you are seeking air, madam," he suggested, "you had better removeyour veil. It must be very smothering, for it seems to be quite thick."
"You are far too anxious about me!" snapped the disguised man. "I wouldadvise you to mind your own business!"
This amused Merry still more. The situation was remarkably agreeable tohim.
"In some instances," he said, politely, "your advice would be worthtaking, but an insane person should be carefully watched, and that iswhy I am minding your business just now."
"An insane person?"
"Exactly."
"Do you mean that I am insane?"
"Well, I trust you will excuse me, but from your appearance and yourremarkable behavior, it seems to me that you should be closely guarded."
That seemed to make the unknown still more angry, but it was plain hefound difficulty in commanding words to express himself.
"You're a fool!" he finally snapped.
"Thank you!" smiled Frank.
"You're an idiot!"
"Thank you again."
"You are the one who is crazy!"
"Still more thanks."
"How have I acted to make you fancy me demented?"
"You are out here, and you may be contemplating self-destruction bythrowing yourself from this train."
"Don't worry about that. I am contemplating nothing of the sort."
"But there are other evidences of your insanity."
"Oh, there are?"
"Yes."
As the disguised unknown did not speak, Merry went on:
"The strongest evidence of your unbalanced state of mind is theill-chosen attire you are wearing."
"What do you mean?"
"Why are you not dressed in the garments of your sex?"
"Sir?"
"You are not a woman," declared Frank, coolly; "but a man in thegarments of a woman. Your disguise is altogether too thin. It would notdeceive anybody who looked you over closely. You are----"
Frank got no further. With a cry of anger, the disguised unknown sprangat him, grappled with him, panted in his ear:
"You are altogether too sharp, Frank Merriwell! This time you haveovershot yourself! This ends you!"
Then he tried to fling Merry from the swiftly moving train.
Frank instantly realized that it was to be a struggle for life, and hemet the assault as quickly and stiffly as he could; but the disguisedman seemed, of a truth, to have the strength of an insane person. In hisquick move, the fellow had forced Frank back against the gate, and overthis, he tried to lift and hurl him.
"No you don't!" came from Merry's lips.
"Curse you!" panted the fellow. "I will do it!"
"Yes, you will--I don't think!"
In the desperate struggle, both seemed to hang over the gate for amoment. Then Frank slid back, securing a firm grip, and felt safe.
Just then, however, the door of the car flew open, and out sprang Hodge.Bart saw what was happening in a moment, and he leaped to Merry's aid.
Out on a high trestle that spanned a roaring, torrent-like river rumbledthe train.
Bart clutched Frank, gave the disguised man a shove, and----
Just how it happened, neither of them could tell afterward, but over thegate whirled the man, and down toward the seething torrent he shot!
Up from that falling figure came a wild cry of horror that was heardabo
ve the fumbling roar of the train on the trestle bridge.
Over and over the figure turned, the skirts fluttering, and thenheadlong it plunged into the white foam of the torrent, disappearingfrom view.
On the rear platform of the last car two white-faced, horrified youngmen had watched the terrible fall. They stared down at the swirlingriver, looking for the unfortunate wretch to reappear. Off the bridgeflew the train, and no longer were they able to see the river.
"He's gone!" came hoarsely from Bart.
"Then you saw--you knew it was a man?" cried Frank.
"Yes, I saw his trousers beneath the skirts as I came out the door."
"This is terrible!" muttered Frank.
"He was trying to throw you over?"
"Yes; attempted to take me off my guard and hurl me from the train."
"Then the wretch has met a just fate," declared Bart.
But now it seemed that the struggle on the platform had been noticed bysome one within the car. There were excited faces at the glass in thedoor, and a trainman came out, demanding:
"What is all this? Why are you out here? They tell me a woman came out.Where is she?"
With unusual readiness, Bart quickly answered:
"She's gone--jumped from the train."
"Jumped?"
"Yes. We both tried to save her. Just as I reached the door I saw myfriend struggling to hold her, but she was determined to fling herselfover."
"Well, this is a fine piece of business!" came angrily from thetrainman. "What ailed her?"
"She must have been insane," asserted Bart. "She attacked my friendhere, and then tried to jump off. He could not hold her. I did not gethold of her in time."
"What was he doing out here?"
"Watching her. You will admit it was rather queer for a woman to comeout here on the platform and stand. He thought so, and so he came out towatch her."
"Well, you can both come in off this platform!" growled the trainman, inanything but a civil manner.
They did so. The passengers swarmed round them when they entered thecar, literally flinging questions at them.
"Who was the woman?"
"What ailed her?"
"Why did she go out there?"
"What did she do?"
"Tell us about it!"
Again Bart made the explanation, and then there arose a babel.
"I noticed her," declared one. "I saw she looked queer."
"I noticed her," asserted another. "I saw she acted queer."
"I saw her when she went out," put in a third, "and I thought it was acrazy thing to do."
"Without doubt the woman was insane," declared a pompous fat man.
"She must have been instantly killed."
"She jumped into the river."
"Then, she was drowned."
"Who knows her?"
"She was all alone."
Frank had been thinking swiftly all the while. He regretted that Barthad been so hasty in making his explanation, and now he resolved to tellas near the truth as possible without contradicting Hodge.
"Gentlemen and ladies," he said, "I have every reason for believing thatthe person was a man."
Then there were cries of astonishment and incredulity.
"A man?"
"Impossible!"
"Never!"
"Ridiculous!"
But an elderly lady, who wore gold-bowed spectacles, calmly said:
"The young gentleman is correct, I am quite sure. The person in questionsat directly in front of me, and I discovered there was something wrong.I felt almost certain it was a man before he got up and went out on theplatform."
Then there was excitement in the car. A perfect torrent of questions waspoured on Frank.
Merry explained that he had thought it rather remarkable that a womanshould be standing all alone on the rear platform, and, after going outand speaking to the person, he became convinced that it was a man indisguise. Then he told how the man, on being accused, had attacked himfuriously, and finally had seemed to fling himself over the iron gate.
It was a great sensation, but no one accused either Merry or Bart ofthrowing the unknown over, not a little to Frank's relief.
At last, they got away and went forward into the car where the companywas gathered. Havener and Gallup had been holding the double seat, andFrank and Bart sat down there.
"Well, I fancy you failed to find the lady you were looking for," saidHavener. "But what's the matter? You look as if something has happened."
"Something has," said Frank, grimly.
"Gol-darned ef I don't b'lieve it!" exclaimed Ephraim. "Both yeou an'Hodge show it. Tell us abaout it."
Frank did so in a very few words, astonishing both Ephraim and the stagemanager.
"Waal," said the Vermonter, "the gal who tackled yeou in Denver warn'tno man."
"Not much," said Frank, "and it is remarkable that Hodge should havemistaken a man for such a woman as I described."
"Didn't," said Bart.
"But you have acknowledged that you believed this was a man."
"Yes, but this man was not the veiled woman I saw."
"Wasn't?"
"Not much!"
"By Jove!" exclaimed Frank. "The mystery deepens!"
"Did you mistake this person for the veiled woman I meant?"
"Sure thing."
"And did not find another?"
"Not a sign of one. I do not believe there is another on the train."
"Well, this is a mystery!" confessed Hodge. "I saw nothing of the one Imeant when I went to look for you."
"It must be you saw no one but that man in the first place."
Bart shook his head, flushing somewhat.
"Do you think I would take that man for a woman with a perfect figure,such as you described? What in the world do you fancy is the matter withmy eyes?"
"By gum!" drawled Gallup. "This air business is gittin' too thick ferme. I don't like so much mystery a bit."
"If that man was not the one you meant, Hodge," said Merry, "then themysterious woman is still on this train."
"That's so," nodded Bart.
"Find her," urged Frank. "I want to get my eyes on her more than ever.Surely you should be able to find her."
"I'll do it!" cried Bart, jumping up.
Away he went.
Frank remained with Havener and Gallup, talking over the exciting andthrilling adventure and the mystery of it all till Hodge returned. At aglance Merry saw that his college friend had not been successful.
"Well," he said, "did you find her?"
"No," confessed Bart, looking crestfallen. "I went through the entiretrain, and I looked every passenger over. The woman I meant is not onthis train."
"Then, it must be that your woman was the man who met his death in theriver. There is no other explanation of her disappearance. You must giveup now, Hodge."
But Hodge would not give up, although he could offer no explanation, andthe mystery remained unsolved.
There were numerous stops between Denver and Puelbo, and it wasnightfall before the train brought them to their destination. The sunhad dropped behind the distant Rockies, and the soft shades of a perfectspring evening were gathering when they drew up at the station inPuelbo.
Lights were beginning to twinkle in windows, and the streets werelighted. "Props" had gone to look after the baggage, and the company wasgathered on the platform. Cabmen were seeking to attract fares.
Of a sudden, a cry broke from the lips of Bart Hodge:
"There she is!"
All were startled by his sudden cry. They saw him start from the others,pointing toward a woman who was speaking to a cabman. That woman hadleft the train and crossed the platform, and she was dressed in blackand heavily veiled.
Frank saw her--recognized her.
"By heavens! it is the woman," he exclaimed.