“Whew! that means a fight, with stones flying, and some broken heads,” Bluff remarked. “I’ve always wanted to see what a riot looked like.”
“You come right along with me,” observed Frank, as he hooked his arm in that of his impulsive chum. “It’s not our funeral, yet; but it might be, if you thought to stand around when a riot is going on. Here they come now, and we’ll have to run for the boat yet. They seem to be chasing some men, too!”
“Say, Frank, look at that boy running with the crowd!” cried Bluff, excitedly. “There, he’s down now, and I guess a stone must have hit him, No, he’s on his feet again, and making this way as fast as he can sprint, with the mob howling after him. Doesn’t he remind you of Ossie Fredericks; but, of course, it couldn’t be him! Yes, as sure as I’m talking, I do believe it is; and he’s going to get his medicine from that crazy crowd of longshoremen, if something don’t happen to save him!”
Frank seldom acted from impulse. Still, he had a habit of thinking quickly in an emergency, and seldom wasted time.
“We must try and save him, Bluff!” he exclaimed, as he watched the approaching boy, who was staggering at times, and seemed to be very much frightened.
How the son of the St Paul millionaire chanced to get mixed up in a street riot, was the deepest kind of a mystery; but there was certainly no time for trying to solve it now.
“Sure we ought to, Frank!” came the ready response from impulsive Bluff.
True, he had every reason possible for disliking Oswald; but the dreadful condition of the other appealed to Bluff, who was even willing to take chances himself, in order to be of assistance to a fellow human being in trouble.
“This way, Ossie!” shouted Frank, seeing that the bewildered boy was about to turn aside, and try to escape by flanking the crowd; which must have only resulted in another shower of stones, and further injury to him.
Hearing his name spoken, the boy turned in their direction. Hope had apparently once more taken root in his soul. In that minute when in distress, he forgot all the reason he thought he had for hating Frank Langdon, and only looked toward him as a boy from the same college, who was offering him assistance.
He staggered a little as he reached them.