"Well, I trust you will excuse me, but from your appearance and your remarkable behavior, it seems to me that you should be closely guarded."

That seemed to make the unknown still more angry, but it was plain he found 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 by throwing 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 the ill-chosen attire you are wearing."

"What do you mean?"

"Why are you not dressed in the garments of your s.e.x?"

"Sir?"

"You are not a woman," declared Frank, coolly; "but a man in the garments of a woman. Your disguise is altogether too thin. It would not deceive anybody who looked you over closely. You are----"

Frank got no further. With a cry of anger, the disguised unknown sprang at him, grappled with him, panted in his ear:

"You are altogether too sharp, Frank Merriwell! This time you have overshot 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 he met the a.s.sault as quickly and stiffly as he could; but the disguised man seemed, of a truth, to have the strength of an insane person. In his quick move, the fellow had forced Frank back against the gate, and over this, 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 a moment. 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 rumbled the train.

Bart clutched Frank, gave the disguised man a shove, and----

Just how it happened, neither of them could tell afterward, but over the gate whirled the man, and down toward the seething torrent he shot!

Up from that falling figure came a wild cry of horror that was heard above the fumbling roar of the train on the trestle bridge.

Over and over the figure turned, the skirts fluttering, and then headlong it plunged into the white foam of the torrent, disappearing from view.

On the rear platform of the last car two white-faced, horrified young men had watched the terrible fall. They stared down at the swirling river, looking for the unfortunate wretch to reappear. Off the bridge flew the train, and no longer were they able to see the river.

"He's gone!" came hoa.r.s.ely 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 by some one within the car. There were excited faces at the gla.s.s in the door, 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 my friend struggling to hold her, but she was determined to fling herself over."

"Well, this is a fine piece of business!" came angrily from the trainman. "What ailed her?"