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<p class='caption' style='margin: 0 auto; text-align:center;width: 330px;'>
IT WAS A HAMMER-AND-TONGS CONFLICT FROM START TO FINISH.<br />
<i>Baseball Joe Around the World</i>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<i>Page</i> 221<br />
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<div class='ce'>
<p style=' font-size:2.2em;'>Baseball Joe</p>
<p style=' font-size:2.2em; margin-bottom:0.5em;'>Around the World</p>
<p style=' margin-bottom:1em;'>OR</p>
<p style=' font-size:1.2em; margin-bottom:3em;'>Pitching on a Grand Tour</p>
<p style=' font-size:1.2em; margin-bottom:1.5em;'><i>By</i> LESTER CHADWICK</p>
<p style=' font-size:0.8em; margin-bottom:1em;'>AUTHOR OF</p>
<p style=' font-size:0.8em;'>&#8220;BASEBALL JOE OF THE SILVER STARS,&#8221; &#8220;BASEBALL</p>
<p style=' font-size:0.8em;'>JOE IN THE BIG LEAGUE,&#8221; &#8220;THE RIVAL PITCHERS,&#8221;</p>
<p style=' font-size:0.8em; margin-bottom:5em;'>&#8220;THE RIGHT-OARED VICTORS,&#8221; ETC.</p>
<p style=' margin-bottom:4em;'><i>ILLUSTRATED</i></p>
<p>NEW YORK</p>
<p style=' font-size:1.2em; margin-bottom:2em;'>CUPPLES &amp; LEON COMPANY</p>
</div>

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<table summary='poetry' style='margin:0 auto; '><tr><td>
<p  style=' font-size:1.2em; margin-bottom:0.2em;text-align: center;'>BOOKS BY LESTER CHADWICK</p>
<br />
<p  style='text-align: center;'>THE BASEBALL JOE SERIES</p>
<p  style=' font-size:0.8em; margin-bottom:0.7em;text-align: center;'>12mo. Cloth. Illustrated</p>
<br />
<p  style=' font-size:0.8em;margin: 0 0 0 0.0em;'>BASEBALL JOE OF THE SILVER STARS</p>
<p  style=' font-size:0.8em;margin: 0 0 0 0.0em;'>BASEBALL JOE ON THE SCHOOL NINE</p>
<p  style=' font-size:0.8em;margin: 0 0 0 0.0em;'>BASEBALL JOE AT YALE</p>
<p  style=' font-size:0.8em;margin: 0 0 0 0.0em;'>BASEBALL JOE IN THE CENTRAL LEAGUE</p>
<p  style=' font-size:0.8em;margin: 0 0 0 0.0em;'>BASEBALL JOE IN THE BIG LEAGUE</p>
<p  style=' font-size:0.8em;margin: 0 0 0 0.0em;'>BASEBALL JOE ON THE GIANTS</p>
<p  style=' font-size:0.8em;margin: 0 0 0 0.0em;'>BASEBALL JOE IN THE WORLD SERIES</p>
<p  style=' font-size:0.8em;margin: 0 0 0 0.0em;'>BASEBALL JOE AROUND THE WORLD</p>
<br />
<p  style=' font-size:1.2em; margin-top:1em;text-align: center;'>THE COLLEGE SPORTS SERIES</p>
<p  style=' font-size:0.8em; margin-bottom:0.7em;text-align: center;'>12 mo. Cloth. Illustrated</p>
<br />
<p  style=' font-size:0.8em;margin: 0 0 0 0.0em;'>THE RIVAL PITCHERS</p>
<p  style=' font-size:0.8em;margin: 0 0 0 0.0em;'>A QUARTERBACK&#8217;S PLUCK</p>
<p  style=' font-size:0.8em;margin: 0 0 0 0.0em;'>BATTING TO WIN</p>
<p  style=' font-size:0.8em;margin: 0 0 0 0.0em;'>THE WINNING TOUCHDOWN</p>
<p  style=' font-size:0.8em;margin: 0 0 0 0.0em;'>THE EIGHT-OARED VICTORS</p>
<br />
<p  style=' margin-bottom:2em;text-align: center;'>CUPPLES &amp; LEON COMPANY, New York</p>
</td></tr></table>

<div class='ce'>
<p>Copyright, 1918, by</p>
<p><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>Cupples &amp; Leon Company</span></p>
<div style='margin-top:1em'></div>
<p>Baseball Joe Around the World</p>
<div style='margin-top:1em'></div>
<p>Printed in U. S. A.</p>
</div>

<hr class='ppg-pb' />
<div class='ce'>
<p style=' font-size:1.4em; margin-bottom:1em;'>CONTENTS</p>
</div>

<table border='0' width='500' cellpadding='2' cellspacing='0' summary='Contents' style='margin:1em auto;'>
<tr>
  <td align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'><span style='font-size:small;'>CHAPTER</span></td>
  <td></td>
  <td align='right'><span style='font-size:small;'>PAGE</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>I</td>
  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>In Deadly Peril</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#I_IN_DEADLY_PERIL'>1</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>II</td>
  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>Quick As Lightning</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#II_QUICK_AS_LIGHTNING'>12</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>III</td>
  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>The Stranger&#8217;s Visit</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#III_THE_STRANGER_S_VISIT'>22</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>IV</td>
  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>The Top Of The Wave</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#IV_THE_TOP_OF_THE_WAVE'>32</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>V</td>
  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>Lucky Joe</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#V_LUCKY_JOE'>40</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>VI</td>
  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>Circling The Globe</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#VI_CIRCLING_THE_GLOBE'>49</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>VII</td>
  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>The Gathering Of The Clans</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#VII_THE_GATHERING_OF_THE_CLANS'>60</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>VIII</td>
  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>The Rival Teams</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#VIII_THE_RIVAL_TEAMS'>67</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>IX</td>
  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>The Under Dog</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#IX_THE_UNDER_DOG'>75</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>X</td>
  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>By A Hair</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#X_BY_A_HAIR'>84</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>XI</td>
  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>A Close Call</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#XI_A_CLOSE_CALL'>93</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>XII</td>
  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>A Dastardly Attack</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#XII_A_DASTARDLY_ATTACK'>103</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>XIII</td>
  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>Danger Signals</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#XIII_DANGER_SIGNALS'>112</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>XIV</td>
  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>A Weird Game</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#XIV_A_WEIRD_GAME'>119</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>XV</td>
  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>The Bewildered Umpire</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#XV_THE_BEWILDERED_UMPIRE'>128</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>XVI</td>
  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>Putting Them Over</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#XVI_PUTTING_THEM_OVER'>135</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>XVII</td>
  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>&#8220;Man Overboard&#8221;</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#XVII__MAN_OVERBOARD'>143</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>XVIII</td>
  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>One Strike And Out</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#XVIII_ONE_STRIKE_AND_OUT'>150</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>XIX</td>
  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>Braxton Joins The Party</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#XIX_BRAXTON_JOINS_THE_PARTY'>155</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>XX</td>
  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>In Mikado Land</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#XX_IN_MIKADO_LAND'>164</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>XXI</td>
  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>Running Amuck</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#XXI_RUNNING_AMUCK'>175</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>XXII</td>
  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>Taking A Chance</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#XXII_TAKING_A_CHANCE'>183</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>XXIII</td>
  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>An Embarrassed Rescuer</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#XXIII_AN_EMBARRASSED_RESCUER'>191</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>XXIV</td>
  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>The Blow Falls</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#XXIV_THE_BLOW_FALLS'>200</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>XXV</td>
  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>The Cobra In The Room</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#XXV_THE_COBRA_IN_THE_ROOM'>207</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>XXVI</td>
  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>In The Shadow Of The Pyramids</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#XXVI_IN_THE_SHADOW_OF_THE_PYRAMIDS'>213</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>XXVII</td>
  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>The Signed Contract</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#XXVII_THE_SIGNED_CONTRACT'>220</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>XXVIII</td>
  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>Whirlwind Pitching</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#XXVIII_WHIRLWIND_PITCHING'>227</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>XXIX</td>
  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>The Ruined Castle</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#XXIX_THE_RUINED_CASTLE'>234</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td valign='top' align='right' style='padding-right:1em;'>XXX</td>
  <td valign='top' align='left'><span style='font-variant: small-caps'>Brought To Book&mdash;Conclusion</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
  <td valign='bottom' align='right'><a href='#XXX_BROUGHT_TO_BOOK_CONCLUSION'>240</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
<hr class='ppg-pb' />
<div><span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_1' name='page_1'></a>1</span></div>
<div class='ce' style=' font-size:1.4em;'>
<p>BASEBALL JOE AROUND</p>
<p>THE WORLD</p>
</div>

<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
<a name='I_IN_DEADLY_PERIL' id='I_IN_DEADLY_PERIL'></a>
<h2>CHAPTER I</h2>
<h3>IN DEADLY PERIL</h3>
</div>

<p>&#8220;Great Scott! Look at this!&#8221;</p>
<p>Joe Matson, or &#8220;Baseball Joe,&#8221; as he was better
known throughout the country, sprang to his
feet and held out a New York paper with headlines
which took up a third of the page.</p>
<p>There were three other occupants of the room
in the cozy home at Riverside, where Joe had
come to rest up after his glorious victory in the
last game of the World&#8217;s Series, and they looked
up in surprise and some alarm.</p>
<p>&#8220;Land&#8217;s sakes!&#8221; exclaimed his mother, pausing
just as she was about to bite off a thread.
&#8220;You gave me such a start, Joe! What on earth
has happened?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;What&#8217;s got my little brother so excited?&#8221;
mocked his pretty sister, Clara.</p>
<p>&#8220;Has an earthquake destroyed the Polo
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_2' name='page_2'></a>2</span>
Grounds?&#8221; drawled Jim Barclay, Joe&#8217;s special
chum and fellow pitcher on the Giant team.</p>
<p>&#8220;Not so bad as that,&#8221; replied Joe, cooling down
a bit; &#8220;but it&#8217;s something that will make McRae
and the whole Polo Grounds outfit throw a fit
if it&#8217;s true.&#8221;</p>
<p>Jim snatched the paper from Joe&#8217;s hands, with
the familiarity born of long acquaintance, and as
his eyes fell on the headlines he gave a whistle of
surprise.</p>
<p>&#8220;&#8216;Third Major League a Certainty,&#8217;&#8221; he read.
&#8220;Gee whiz, Joe! I don&#8217;t wonder it upset you.
That&#8217;s news for fair.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Is that all?&#8221; pouted Clara, who had been having
a very interesting conversation with handsome
Jim Barclay, and did not relish being interrupted.</p>
<p>Mrs. Matson also looked relieved and resumed
her sewing.</p>
<p>&#8220;Is that all?&#8221; cried Joe, as he began to pace
the floor excitedly. &#8220;I tell you, Sis, it&#8217;s plenty.
If it&#8217;s true, it means the old Brotherhood days all
over again. It means a fight to disrupt the National
and the American Leagues. It means all
sorts of trickery and breaking of contracts. It
means distrust and suspicion between the members
of the different teams. It means&mdash;oh, well,
what doesn&#8217;t it mean? I&#8217;d rather lose a thousand
dollars than know that the news is true.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;But perhaps it isn&#8217;t true,&#8221; suggested Clara,
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_3' name='page_3'></a>3</span>
sobered a little by her brother&#8217;s earnestness.
&#8220;You can&#8217;t believe half the things you see in the
papers.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Will it hurt your position with the Giants,
Joe?&#8221; asked Mrs. Matson, her motherly instincts
taking alarm at anything that threatened her idolized
son.</p>
<p>Joe stopped beside his mother&#8217;s chair and
patted her head affectionately.</p>
<p>&#8220;Not for a long time if at all, Momsey,&#8221; he
replied reassuringly. &#8220;My contract with the
Giants has two years to run, and it&#8217;s as good as
gold, even if I didn&#8217;t throw a ball in all that time.
It wasn&#8217;t the money I was thinking about. As a
matter of fact, I could squeeze double the money
out of McRae, if I were mean enough to take
advantage of him. It&#8217;s the damage that will be
done to the game that&#8217;s bothering me.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Perhaps it won&#8217;t be as bad as you think,&#8221; ventured
his mother. &#8220;You know the old saying that
&#8216;the worst things that befall us are the things that
never happen.&#8217;&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s the way to look at it,&#8221; broke in Jim
heartily. &#8220;Let&#8217;s take a squint at the whole article
and see how much fire there is in all this smoke.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;And read it out loud,&#8221; said Clara. &#8220;I&#8217;m just
as much of a baseball fan as either of you two.
And Momsey is, too, after all the World&#8217;s Series
games she&#8217;s seen played.&#8221;
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_4' name='page_4'></a>4</span></p>
<p>It is to be feared that Mrs. Matson&#8217;s eyes had
been so riveted on Joe alone, in that memorable
Series when he had pitched his team to victory,
that she had not picked up many points about the
game in general. But anything that concerned her
darling boy concerned her as well, and she let her
sewing lie unheeded in her lap as Joe read the
story from beginning to end.</p>
<p>&#8220;Seems to be straight goods,&#8221; remarked Jim,
as Joe threw the paper aside.</p>
<p>&#8220;They&#8217;ve got the money all right,&#8221; rejoined
Joe. &#8220;They&#8217;ve got two or three millionaires who
are willing to take a chance and put up the coin.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;One of the names seems to be rather familiar,&#8221;
remarked Jim, with a sidewise look at
Joe. &#8220;Do you remember him?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I remember him,&#8221; replied Joe grimly, &#8220;but I&#8217;d
bet a dollar against a plugged nickel that he remembers
me better yet.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Who is it?&#8221; asked Clara with quickened interest.</p>
<p>&#8220;Beckworth Fleming,&#8221; replied Joe.</p>
<p>&#8220;Rather a pretty name,&#8221; remarked Mrs. Matson
absently.</p>
<p>&#8220;Prettier than he was when Joe got through
with him,&#8221; interposed Jim with a grin.</p>
<p>Mrs. Matson looked up, shocked.</p>
<p>&#8220;Oh, I hope Joe didn&#8217;t hurt him!&#8221; she exclaimed.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_5' name='page_5'></a>5</span></p>
<p>&#8220;Whatever Joe did was for the good of his
soul,&#8221; laughed Jim. &#8220;I can&#8217;t say as much for his
body.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s all right, Momsey,&#8221; smiled Joe. &#8220;He was
insolent to Mabel, and I had to give him a thrashing.
But that&#8217;s neither here nor there. He&#8217;s the
spoiled son of a very rich man, and he&#8217;s one of
the men behind this new league. &#8216;A fool and his
money are soon parted,&#8217; and he&#8217;ll probably be
wiser when he gets through with this than he is
now.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;But why shouldn&#8217;t they start a new league if
they want to?&#8221; asked Mrs. Matson. &#8220;I should
think they had a right to, if they wanted to do it.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Of course they have a right to,&#8221; agreed Joe.
&#8220;This is a free country, and any man has a right
to go into any legitimate business if he thinks
there&#8217;s money in it. Neither the National League
nor the American League have a mortgage on the
game. But the trouble is that there aren&#8217;t enough
good players to go round. All the really good
ones have been already gobbled up by the present
leagues. If the new league started in with unknown
players, it wouldn&#8217;t take in enough money
to pay the batboys. The consequence is that it
tries to get the players who are already under
contract by making them big offers, and that leads
to all sorts of dishonesty. You take a man who is
making three thousand a year and offer him six
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_6' name='page_6'></a>6</span>
if he&#8217;ll break his contract, and it&#8217;s a big temptation.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;They&#8217;ll be after you, Joe, sure as shooting,&#8221;
remarked Jim. &#8220;It would be a big feather in
their cap to start off with copping the greatest
pitcher in the game. They&#8217;d be willing to offer
you a fortune to get you. They figure that after
that start the other fellows they want will be
tumbling over themselves to get aboard.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Let them come,&#8221; declared Joe. &#8220;I&#8217;ll send
them off with a flea in their ear. They&#8217;ll find that
I&#8217;m no contract jumper.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m sure that you&#8217;d never do anything mean,&#8221;
said his mother, looking at him fondly.</p>
<p>&#8220;There isn&#8217;t a crooked bone in his head,&#8221;
laughed Clara, making a face at him as he threatened
her with his fist.</p>
<p>&#8220;The contract is enough,&#8221; said Joe; &#8220;but even
if I were a free agent, I wouldn&#8217;t go with the new
league and leave McRae in the hole. I feel that
I owe him a lot for the way he has treated me.
He took me from a second-string team and gave
me a chance to make good on the Giants. He
took a chance in offering me a three-year contract
in place of one. I&#8217;m getting four thousand, five
hundred a year, which is a good big sum whatever
way you look at it. And you remember how
promptly he came across with that thousand dollars
for winning twenty games last season.&#8221;
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_7' name='page_7'></a>7</span></p>
<p>&#8220;We remember that, don&#8217;t we, Momsey?&#8221; said
Clara, patting her mother&#8217;s hand.</p>
<p>&#8220;I should say we did,&#8221; replied Mrs. Matson,
while a suspicious moisture came into her eyes.
&#8220;Will we ever forget the day when we opened that
letter from the dear boy, and the thousand-dollar
bill fell out on the table? It gave us all the happiest
time we have had in all our lives.&#8221;</p>
<p>Jim, too, mentally blessed that big bill which
had brought the Matson family to witness the
World&#8217;s Series games and so had enabled him to
meet Joe&#8217;s charming sister. Perhaps that vivacious
young lady read what was passing in his
mind, for her eyes suddenly dropped as they met
Jim&#8217;s eloquent ones.</p>
<p>Joe flushed at this reference to his generosity,
and Clara was quick to cover her own slight confusion
by rallying her brother.</p>
<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s blushing!&#8221; she declared.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m not,&#8221; denied Joe stoutly, getting still
redder.</p>
<p>&#8220;You are so,&#8221; averred his sister in mock alarm.
&#8220;Stop it, Joe, before it gets to your hair. I don&#8217;t
want a red-headed brother.&#8221;</p>
<p>Joe made a dash at his tormentor, but she
eluded him and got into another room.</p>
<p>&#8220;Come along, Jim,&#8221; said Joe, picking up his
cap. &#8220;Let&#8217;s warm up a little. We want to keep
our salary wings in good condition, and maybe the
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_8' name='page_8'></a>8</span>
open air will help to get the bad taste of the new
league out of our mouths.&#8221;</p>
<p>They went into an open lot near by and had a
half-hour&#8217;s practice, pitching to each other at a
moderate pace, only now and then unlimbering
some of the fast balls that had been wont to stand
opposing batters &#8220;on their heads&#8221; in the exciting
games of the season just ended.</p>
<p>&#8220;How does the old soup bone feel?&#8221; inquired
Jim.</p>
<p>&#8220;Fine as silk,&#8221; replied Joe; &#8220;I was afraid I
might have strained it in that last game. But it
feels as strong now as it did at the beginning of
the season.&#8221;</p>
<p>They had supper a little earlier than usual that
night, for with the exception of Joe&#8217;s father, who
was busy on a new invention, they were all going
to a show that evening at the Riverside Opera
House. It promised to be an interesting entertainment,
for the names of several popular actors
appeared on the program. But what made it especially
attractive to Joe and his party was the
fact that Nick Altman, the famous pitcher of the
&#8220;White Sox&#8221; of Chicago, was on the bill for a
monologue. Although, being in the American
League, Joe and Jim had never played against
him, they knew him well by reputation and respected
him for his ability in their chosen profession.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_9' name='page_9'></a>9</span></p>
<p>&#8220;As a pitcher he sure is classy,&#8221; remarked Joe.
&#8220;They say that fast inshoot of his is a lulu. But
that doesn&#8217;t say that he&#8217;s any good on the stage.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s pulling in the coin all right,&#8221; replied Jim.
&#8220;They say that his contract calls for two hundred
dollars a week. He won&#8217;t have to eat snowballs
this winter.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Jim tells me that a vaudeville manager offered
you five hundred dollars a week the day
after you won the championship for the Giants,&#8221;
said Clara.</p>
<p>&#8220;So he did,&#8221; replied Joe, &#8220;but it would have
been a shame to take the money.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Such a shrinking violet,&#8221; teased his sister.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m sure he would make a very good actor,&#8221;
said his mother, who would have been equally
sure that he would make a good president of the
United States.</p>
<p>The night was fine, and the town Opera House
was crowded to its capacity. There was a buzz
and whispering as Joe and his party entered and
made their way to their reserved seats near the
center of the house, for Riverside regarded the
famous pitcher as one of its greatest assets. He
had given the quiet little village a fame that it
would never have had otherwise. In the words
of Sol Cramer, the hotel keeper and village oracle,
Joe had &#8220;put Riverside on the map.&#8221;</p>
<p>There were three or four sketches and vaudeville
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_10' name='page_10'></a>10</span>
turns before Altman, who, of course, was
the chief attraction as far as Joe and his folks
were concerned, came on the stage. He had a
clever skit in which baseball &#8220;gags&#8221; and &#8220;patter&#8221;
were the chief ingredients, and as he was a natural
humorist his act went &#8220;big&#8221; in the phrase of the
profession. Knowing that Joe lived in Riverside
and would probably be in the audience, Altman
adroitly introduced his name in one of his anecdotes,
and was rewarded by a storm of applause
which clearly showed how Joe stood in his home
town.</p>
<p>&#8220;You own this town, Joe,&#8221; laughed Jim, who
was seated between him and Clara&mdash;Jim could be
depended on these days never to be farther away
from Clara than he could help.</p>
<p>&#8220;Yes,&#8221; mocked Clara. &#8220;Any time he runs for
poundkeeper he&#8217;s sure to be elected.&#8221;</p>
<p>Joe was about to make some laughing retort,
when his quick eye caught sight of something that
made the flush fade from his face and his heart
lose a beat.</p>
<p>From the wing at the left of the stage <i>a tiny
wisp of smoke was stealing</i>.</p>
<p>Like lightning, his quick brain sensed the situation.
The house was old and would burn like
tinder. There were only the two exits&mdash;one on
each side of the hall. And the place was crowded&mdash;and
his mother was there&mdash;and Clara!
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_11' name='page_11'></a>11</span></p>
<p>His plan was formed in an instant. He must
reach a narrow corridor, by which, out of sight of
the audience, he could gain the back of the stage
and stamp out whatever it was that was making
that smoke.</p>
<p>He rose to slip out, but at that moment a big
bulk of a man sitting two seats ahead of him
jumped to his feet with a yell.</p>
<p>&#8220;Fire! Fire!&#8221; he shouted wildly. &#8220;The house
is on fire!&#8221;</p>
<hr class='major' />
<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
<a name='II_QUICK_AS_LIGHTNING' id='II_QUICK_AS_LIGHTNING'></a>
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_12' name='page_12'></a>12</span>
<h2>CHAPTER II</h2>
<h3>QUICK AS LIGHTNING</h3>
</div>

<p>For one awful instant the crowd sat as though
paralyzed.</p>
<p>But in that instant Joe acted.</p>
<p>With one powerful leap he reached the frenzied
shouter, his fist shot out, and the man went down
as though hit with an axe.</p>
<p>Up the aisle Joe went like a flash, cleared the
orchestra rail at a bound, and with one more
jump was on the stage.</p>
<p>The audience had risen now and was crowding
toward the aisles. Women screamed, some
fainted, and all the conditions were ripe for a
panic.</p>
<p>Above the hubbub, Joe&#8217;s voice rang out like a
trumpet.</p>
<p>&#8220;Keep your seats!&#8221; he shouted. &#8220;There&#8217;s no
danger. I tell you to keep your seats.&#8221;</p>
<p>The crowd halted uncertainly, fearfully,
and Joe took instant advantage of the hesitation.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_13' name='page_13'></a>13</span></p>
<p>&#8220;You know me,&#8221; he cried. &#8220;I tell you there&#8217;s
no danger. Haven&#8217;t you ever smelled cigar smoke
before?&#8221;</p>
<p>The suggestion was a happy one, and the crowd
began to quiet down, regaining their courage at
the sight of that indomitable figure on the
stage.</p>
<p>Jim had been only two jumps behind Joe in his
rush to the front, and while Joe was calming the
crowd Jim had rushed into the wing and dragged
down some draperies that had caught fire from a
gas jet. In a moment he had trampled them
underfoot and the danger was over.</p>
<p>The orchestra had seemed to keep its wits better
than the rest of the throng, and Joe signaled
to the leader to strike up a tune. The next instant
the musicians swung into a popular air, and
completely reassured, the people settled down
into their seats.</p>
<p>And while Joe stands there, exulting in his
triumph over the panic, it may be well for the sake
of those who have not read the preceding books
of this series to sketch something of his life and
adventures up to this time.</p>
<p>Joe&#8217;s first experience in the great game in which
he was to become so famous was gained on the
diamond of his own home town. He did so well
there that he soon became known in the towns
around as one of the best players in the county.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_14' name='page_14'></a>14</span>
He had many mishaps and difficulties, and how he
overcame them is told in the first volume of the
series, entitled, &#8220;Baseball Joe of the Silver Stars;
Or The Rivals of Riverside.&#8221;</p>
<p>A little later on, when playing on his school
nine, he had obstacles of a different character to
surmount. The bully of the school sought to
down him, but found that he had made a mistake
in picking out his victim. Joe&#8217;s natural skill and
constant practice enabled him to win laurels for
himself and his school on the diamond, and prepared
him for the larger field that awaited him
when later on he went to Yale.</p>
<p>As may be easily understood, with all the competition
he had to meet at the great University
his chance was long in coming to prove his class
in the pitching box. But the homely old saying
that &#8220;it is hard to keep a squirrel on the ground&#8221;
was never better exemplified than in his case.
There came a time when the Yale &#8220;Bulldog&#8221; was
hard beset by the Princeton &#8220;Tiger,&#8221; and Joe was
called on to twist the Tiger&#8217;s tail. How well he
did it and what glory he won for his Alma Mater
can be read in the third volume of the series,
entitled: &#8220;Baseball Joe at Yale; Or, Pitching for
the College Championship.&#8221;</p>
<p>But even at the top notch of his popularity, Joe
was restless at college. He was bright and keen
in his studies and had no difficulty in standing up
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_15' name='page_15'></a>15</span>
well in his classes. But all his instincts told him
that he was made for the out-of-door life.</p>
<p>His mother had hoped that Joe would enter
the ministry, but Joe, although he had the greatest
respect for that profession, did not feel that
his life work lay in that direction. He had been
so successful in athletic sports and took such pleasure
in them that he yielded to his natural bent and
decided to adopt professional baseball as his vocation.</p>
<p>His mother was sorely grieved at first, and the
more so as she felt that Joe was &#8220;stepping down&#8221;
in entering the professional ranks. But Joe was
able to show her that scores of college men were
doing the same thing that he planned to do, and
she had too good sense to press her opposition too
far.</p>
<p>The opening that Joe was looking for came
when he was offered a chance to play in the Pittston
team of the Central League. It was only a
minor league, but all the great players have been
developed in that way, and Joe determined to
make it a stepping stone to something higher.
How he speedily rose to leadership among the
twirlers of his league is told in the fourth volume
of the series, entitled: &#8220;Baseball Joe in the Central
League; Or, Making Good as a Professional
Pitcher.&#8221;</p>
<p>While Joe had been winning his spurs, the keen-eyed
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_16' name='page_16'></a>16</span>
scouts of the big leagues had not been idle.
The St. Louis team of the National League
drafted him into their ranks and took him away
from the &#8220;bushes.&#8221; Now he felt that he was
really on the highway to success. Almost from
the start he created a sensation, and it was his
pitching that brought his team into the first division.</p>
<p>A still wider field opened up before him when
after one year with St. Louis he was bought by
the New York Giants. This had been his ambition
from the start, but he had scarcely dared to
hope that his dream would come true. He promised
himself that he would &#8220;pitch his head off&#8221;
to justify the confidence that McRae, the Giants&#8217;
manager, had put in him. How he came through
an exciting season and in the final game won the
championship for his team can be seen in the
sixth volume of the series, entitled: &#8220;Baseball Joe
on the Giants; Or, Making Good as a Ball Twirler
in the Metropolis.&#8221;</p>
<p>Of course this brought him into the World&#8217;s
Series, in which that year the Boston Red Sox
were the Giants&#8217; opponents. It proved to be a
whirlwind series, whose result remained in doubt
until the last inning of the last game. Joe had
fearful odds to contend against since an accident
to Hughson, the Giants&#8217; standby, put the bulk of
the pitching burden on our hero&#8217;s shoulders.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_17' name='page_17'></a>17</span>
Unscrupulous enemies also sought by foul means to
keep him out of the Series, but Joe&#8217;s indomitable
will and magnificent pitching won out against all
odds, as told in the volume preceding this, entitled:
&#8220;Baseball Joe in the World Series; Or,
Pitching for the Championship.&#8221;</p>
<p>If ever a man had earned a rest it was Joe,
and, as we have seen, he was taking it now in his
home town. Jim Barclay, a fine young Princeton
man and second-string pitcher on the Giants, had
come with him, not so much, it is to be suspected,
because of his fondness for Joe, though that was
great, as to be near Clara, Joe&#8217;s charming sister,
who had been working all sorts of havoc with
poor Jim&#8217;s heart.</p>
<p>By the time the orchestra had finished the tune,
the panic had about subsided. But Joe was taking
no chances and he motioned for a repetition.
The leader obeyed, and at the end of this second
playing the danger was entirely over. The audience
was seated, with the exception of the man
whom Joe had knocked down, who slunk shame-facedly
out of the hall holding his hand on the
place where the blow had landed.</p>
<p>And now that the peril had passed, it was Joe
who was panic-stricken. Though brave as a lion
and quick as a panther in an emergency, he was
the most modest of men and hated to pose as a
hero. He was wondering what he should say or
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_18' name='page_18'></a>18</span>
do, when Altman solved the problem by coming
up to him with both hands extended. That gave
the audience its cue, and in a moment a tempest
of cheers swept the hall.</p>
<p>&#8220;What&#8217;s the matter with Matson?&#8221; someone
shouted in a stentorian voice.</p>
<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s all right!&#8221; came back in a roar.</p>
<p>&#8220;Who&#8217;s all right?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Matson! Joe Matson! Baseball Joe!&#8221;</p>
<p>Men crowded forward, and in a moment Joe
was surrounded by his friends and fellow townsmen,
most of whom had known him when he was
in knickerbockers and now were more proud of
him than they had ever been, even when he returned
to Riverside crowned with the laurels of
his last great season. Joe was mauled and
pounded until he was almost out of breath, and
it was a relief when at last he had made his way
back to his mother and sister.</p>
<p>They were both crying openly with joy and
pride, and the looks they turned on Joe were a
greater reward than all the plaudits of his
friends.</p>
<p>There was no going on with the performance
after that. The nerves of the audience were too
highly keyed by the great peril that had been escaped.
And they had a more dramatic scene to
remember and talk about than anything that could
be given them from the stage.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_19' name='page_19'></a>19</span></p>
<p>In the excitement, a great many of those present
had lost track of the friends or relatives that had
been with them, and from all sides came various
calls.</p>
<p>&#8220;Where is Frank?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Did you see what became of my sister Bessie?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Oh, Bill! I say, Bill! Where are you?&#8221;</p>
<p>Many of the scenes were most affecting.
Women would rush into each other&#8217;s arms, crying
with joy to find that the lost ones were
safe.</p>
<p>&#8220;I can tell you it&#8217;s a grand good thing that panic
was stopped so quickly,&#8221; remarked one man to another,
as he gazed admiringly at the hero of the
occasion.</p>
<p>As Joe and his folks were leaving, a tall, well-dressed
man stepped up to Joe and extended his
hand.</p>
<p>&#8220;Let me congratulate you, Mr. Matson,&#8221; he
said effusively. &#8220;That was a splendid thing you
did to-night. I never saw anything finer.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m afraid you exaggerate it,&#8221; deprecated
Joe.</p>
<p>&#8220;Not at all,&#8221; said the stranger. &#8220;By the way,
Mr. Matson, it&#8217;s a coincidence that I came to town
with the express purpose of seeing you on a business
matter. But I didn&#8217;t expect that my first
meeting with you would be under such exciting circumstances.&#8221;
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_20' name='page_20'></a>20</span></p>
<p>He took a card from his pocket and handed it
to Joe.</p>
<p>&#8220;My name, as you see, is Westland,&#8221; he continued.
&#8220;I&#8217;m stopping at the hotel, and I would
be glad to see you there or at any place that may
be convenient to you some time to-morrow.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Suppose you call at my home to-morrow morning,&#8221;
said Joe. &#8220;It&#8217;s only about five minutes&#8217; walk
from the hotel.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;You needn&#8217;t bother about giving me the directions,&#8221;
said Westland, with an ingratiating smile.
&#8220;Everybody in Riverside knows where Baseball
Joe lives. I&#8217;ll be around at eleven o&#8217;clock.&#8221;</p>
<p>He lifted his hat and departed, while Joe and
the others walked toward home.</p>
<p>&#8220;What do you suppose he wants of you, Joe?&#8221;
asked Clara, with lively curiosity.</p>
<p>&#8220;Oh, I don&#8217;t know,&#8221; answered her brother carelessly.
&#8220;Some reporter probably who wants to
get the sad story of my life.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;If it is, he&#8217;ll have something to write about
after to-night,&#8221; put in Jim. &#8220;Great Scott! Joe,
if that had happened in New York it would be
spread all over the front page of to-morrow&#8217;s
papers.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Oh, Joe, I&#8217;m so proud of you,&#8221; sighed his
mother happily.</p>
<p>&#8220;You&#8217;re a brother worth having!&#8221; exclaimed
Clara warmly.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_21' name='page_21'></a>21</span></p>
<p>Jim was on the point of saying that Joe was a
brother-in-law worth having, but checked himself
in time.</p>
<p>They had almost reached the house when Clara
began to laugh.</p>
<p>&#8220;What&#8217;s the joke?&#8221; inquired Jim.</p>
<p>But Clara only laughed the harder until they
became a little alarmed.</p>
<p>&#8220;No, I&#8217;m not hysterical,&#8221; she said, when she
could speak. &#8220;I only happened to remember what
tune it was the orchestra played. I suppose it was
the first thing the leader thought of, and he didn&#8217;t
have time to pick out another. Do you remember
what it was?&#8221;</p>
<p>They cudgeled their brains, but could not recall
it.</p>
<p>&#8220;What was it?&#8221; asked Jim.</p>
<p>&#8220;&#8216;There&#8217;ll Be a Hot Time in the Old Town
To-night!&#8217;&#8221;</p>
<hr class='major' />
<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
<a name='III_THE_STRANGER_S_VISIT' id='III_THE_STRANGER_S_VISIT'></a>
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_22' name='page_22'></a>22</span>
<h2>CHAPTER III</h2>
<h3>THE STRANGER&#8217;S VISIT</h3>
</div>

<p>Promptly the next morning at eleven, Westland
put in an appearance at the Matson home.
He was carefully groomed and everything about
him indicated money. He fairly exuded prosperity.</p>
<p>He greeted Joe with a cordiality that seemed
a trifle overdone, considering their brief acquaintance.</p>
<p>&#8220;By George, Mr. Matson,&#8221; he said, &#8220;this town
has fallen for you all right. The whole place is
buzzing with that affair of last night, and I don&#8217;t
wonder. If it hadn&#8217;t been for you, the coroner
and undertaker would be busy this morning.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Oh, I don&#8217;t know,&#8221; responded Joe. &#8220;If I
hadn&#8217;t got to it someone else would. It wasn&#8217;t
much of a blaze anyway, and ten to one it would
have gone out of itself.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Modest I see,&#8221; laughed Westland. &#8220;They
say that all great men are. But you can&#8217;t get anyone
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_23' name='page_23'></a>23</span>
in this town to take such a slighting view of
it as you do yourself.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;You said last night that you had a business
matter you wanted to see me about,&#8221; suggested
Joe, in order to change the subject.</p>
<p>&#8220;So I have,&#8221; replied Westland, &#8220;and I&#8217;ve traveled
over a thousand miles to talk to you personally
about it.&#8221;</p>
<p>He lighted a fresh cigar while Joe waited indifferently.
He had been interviewed so much in
the last year or two on all conceivable subjects
that his curiosity was scarcely awakened.</p>
<p>&#8220;Of course, Mr. Matson,&#8221; began Westland,
&#8220;you&#8217;ve heard of the new major league that has
just been organized and&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;</p>
<p>Joe&#8217;s bored feeling vanished and he was wide-awake
in an instant. So this was what the visit
meant! Jim&#8217;s prediction was coming true sooner
than he had expected.</p>
<p>&#8220;Pardon me, Mr. Westland,&#8221; he interrupted,
&#8220;but if this is about baseball, I have a friend visiting
me who is as much interested in the game as
I am. In fact, he&#8217;s a player himself. It&#8217;s Jim
Barclay of the Giants. You&#8217;ve heard of him, of
course. Hello there, Jim!&#8221; he called, as he threw
open the door into the adjoining room, where Jim
was watching a distracting dimple come and go
in Clara&#8217;s cheek as they chatted together.</p>
<p>&#8220;Really, Mr. Matson,&#8221; said Westland, visibly
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_24' name='page_24'></a>24</span>
flustered, &#8220;much as I would like to meet Mr. Barclay,
I would rather&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;</p>
<p>But just then Jim came strolling in, and Joe
hastened to introduce him. He had used the
stratagem in order to have a witness at hand. He
was determined that no false or twisted version
of the interview should be given out broadcast in
the interest of the new league.</p>
<p>Despite his annoyance, Westland was diplomat
enough to make the best of the situation,
and he acknowledged the introduction graciously.</p>
<p>&#8220;Mr. Westland called in connection with the
new league we were reading about yesterday,
Jim,&#8221; explained Joe, &#8220;and I knew that you would
be interested and so I called you in.&#8221;</p>
<p>Jim&#8217;s jaw set a trifle, but he only nodded and
Westland went on:</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m a business man, Mr. Matson, and so are
you. So I won&#8217;t beat around the bush, but come
straight to the point. You&#8217;re the greatest pitcher
in the country, and we want to secure your services
for the new league. We&#8217;ve got oceans of
money behind us, and we&#8217;re prepared to let you
name your own terms. We&#8217;ll give you anything
in reason&mdash;or out of reason for that matter&mdash;if
you&#8217;ll sign up with us.&#8221;</p>
<p>He delivered himself of this with the air of a
man sure of having his offer accepted. But if he
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_25' name='page_25'></a>25</span>
had expected Joe to gasp with astonishment and
delight, he was disappointed.</p>
<p>&#8220;Well,&#8221; said Joe quietly, after a moment&#8217;s
pause, &#8220;that&#8217;s certainly a very liberal proposition&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Oh, we&#8217;re no pikers,&#8221; put in Westland complacently.</p>
<p>&#8220;But there&#8217;s one little thing in the way,&#8221; Joe
went on; &#8220;and that is that I&#8217;m already signed up
with the Giants for the next two years.&#8221;</p>
<p>Westland saw that he was in for a tussle and
braced himself.</p>
<p>&#8220;Of course, of course,&#8221; he said, with the tolerant
smile of a man of the world. &#8220;I didn&#8217;t
think for a minute that McRae would let his kingpin
run around loose without being signed up.
But you know what baseball contracts are.
They&#8217;re so jug handled that no court would uphold
them for a minute. In fact, McRae wouldn&#8217;t
dare to bring it into court. He may threaten and
bluster, but that will be the end of it. That
ten-day clause alone would kill it with any
judge.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Even admitting that I could break my contract
with the Giants and get away with it,&#8221; said
Joe, leading him on, &#8220;what guarantee would you
have that I wouldn&#8217;t do the same thing with you
if I should want to?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;The guarantee of your own self-interest,&#8221;
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_26' name='page_26'></a>26</span>
replied Westland, flicking the ash from his cigar.
&#8220;We&#8217;d make it so much worth your while to stay
with us that there wouldn&#8217;t be any inducement to
go anywhere else.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;In other words,&#8221; said Joe, with a touch of
sarcasm, &#8220;if you once bought me you&#8217;d rely on
your money to see that I&#8217;d stay bought.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Now, now, Mr. Matson,&#8221; put in Westland
deprecatingly, &#8220;there&#8217;s no use putting it in so harsh
a way as that. This is simply business I&#8217;m talking
to you, and in this world every man has got to
look out for Number One. Now I don&#8217;t know
how much money McRae pays you, but I make a
guess that it&#8217;s about five thousand a year, a little
more or a little less. Now I&#8217;ll tell you what we&#8217;re
prepared to do. We&#8217;ll hand you twenty thousand
dollars the day you put your signature to a contract
with us. Then we&#8217;ll agree to pay you fifteen
thousand dollars a year for a three-years&#8217; term.
And to make the whole thing copper riveted, we&#8217;ll
put the whole amount in the bank now, subject to
your order as you go along. So that even if the
new league should break up, you could loaf for
three years and be sixty-five thousand dollars to
the good.&#8221;</p>
<p>With the air of one who had played his trump
card and felt sure of taking the trick, Westland
from out his pocket drew a fountain pen.</p>
<p>&#8220;Put up your pen, Mr. Westland,&#8221; said Joe
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_27' name='page_27'></a>27</span>
calmly, &#8220;unless you want to write to those who
sent you here that there&#8217;s nothing doing.&#8221;</p>
<p>Jim brought his fist down on the arm of his
chair with a bang.</p>
<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s the stuff, Joe!&#8221; he cried jubilantly.
&#8220;You knocked a home run that time.&#8221;</p>
<p>A look of blended astonishment and vexation
came into Westland&#8217;s eyes. He seemed to doubt
the evidence of his ears.</p>
<p>&#8220;Surely you&#8217;re joking, Mr. Matson,&#8221; he said.
&#8220;No man in his senses would turn down such an
offer as that.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I must be out of my senses then,&#8221; replied Joe,
&#8220;for that&#8217;s exactly what I&#8217;m doing.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Perhaps you think we&#8217;re bluffing,&#8221; said Westland,
&#8220;but money talks, and here is where it fairly
shouts.&#8221;</p>
<p>He drew from his pocket a roll of bills of large
denominations and laid it on the table.</p>
<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s the signing-up money,&#8221; he explained.
&#8220;They wanted me to bring a certified check, but
I insisted on the actual cash. Count it if you like
and take it to the bank if you doubt that it&#8217;s good.
There&#8217;s twenty thousand dollars in that roll, and
every cent of it&#8217;s yours if you put your name at
the bottom of this contract.&#8221;</p>
<p>He laid an official-looking document on the table
beside the bills, and leaned back in his chair, ostensibly
intent on the end of his cigar, but watching
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_28' name='page_28'></a>28</span>
Joe keenly from the corner of his eyes.</p>
<p>That pile of crisp yellowbacks was more money
than Joe had ever seen at one time in his life, except
through the bars of a cashier&#8217;s cage. And
all he had to do was to reach out, sign his name,
and the next minute thrust the bills into his pocket.
They meant independence. They meant security.
They meant the power and comfort and luxury
that money can give.</p>
<p>But they also meant treachery and dishonor,
and Joe never wavered for an instant.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a lot of money, Mr. Westland,&#8221; he agreed,
&#8220;but it isn&#8217;t enough.&#8221;</p>
<p>A look of relief came into Westland&#8217;s eyes.
Perhaps his task wasn&#8217;t hopeless after all.</p>
<p>&#8220;If that&#8217;s the case, perhaps we can raise the
figures a little,&#8221; he said eagerly, &#8220;although we
thought we were making a very liberal offer. But
as I said before, we&#8217;re no pikers, and we wouldn&#8217;t
let a few thousands stand between us. State your
terms.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;You don&#8217;t understand,&#8221; replied Joe. &#8220;What
I meant was that there isn&#8217;t money enough in
your whole crowd to make me go back on my word
and jump my contract.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Hot off the bat!&#8221; exclaimed Jim. &#8220;Gee, I
wish McRae and Robbie and the rest of the Giant
bunch could have heard this pow-wow.&#8221;</p>
<p>Westland evidently had all he could do to
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_29' name='page_29'></a>29</span>
contain himself. He had felt so serenely confident
in the power of his money that he had scarcely
allowed himself to think of failure. Yet here was
his money flouted as though it were counterfeit,
and he himself, instead of being greeted with
open arms, was being treated with scorn and contempt.</p>
<p>&#8220;Upon my word, Mr. Matson,&#8221; he said, with
an evident effort to keep cool, &#8220;you have a queer
way of meeting a legitimate business proposition.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s just the trouble,&#8221; retorted Joe. &#8220;It
isn&#8217;t legitimate and you know it. In the first place
you&#8217;re offering me a good deal more than I&#8217;m
worth.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Oh, I don&#8217;t know about that,&#8221; expostulated
Jim loyally. &#8220;There&#8217;s at least one man in the
league getting that much, and he never saw the
day when he was a better man than you are.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;More than I&#8217;m worth,&#8221; repeated Joe. &#8220;Still,
if that were all, and you were simply trying to
buy my baseball ability, it would be your own affair
if you were bidding too high. But you don&#8217;t
want to give me all this money because I&#8217;m a good
pitcher. It&#8217;s because you want to make me a good
liar. You think that every man has his price and
it&#8217;s only a matter of bidding to find out mine.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Now, now!&#8221; said Westland, spots of color
coming into his cheeks.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_30' name='page_30'></a>30</span></p>
<p>&#8220;And more than that,&#8221; went on Joe, not heeding
the interruption, &#8220;you want to make me a tool to
lead others to break their contracts, too. I&#8217;m to
be the bellwether of the flock. You figure that if
it&#8217;s once spread abroad that Matson has jumped
into the new league, it will start a stampede of
contract breakers. I tell you straight, Westland,
it&#8217;s dirty business. If you want to start a new
league, go ahead and do it in a decent way. Get
new players and develop them, or get star players
whose contracts have expired. Play the game, but
do it without marked cards or loaded dice.&#8221;</p>
<p>Westland saw that he had lost, and he threw
diplomacy to the winds.</p>
<p>&#8220;Keep your advice till it&#8217;s asked for!&#8221; he
snarled, snatching up the money and jamming it
viciously into his pocket. &#8220;I didn&#8217;t come to this
jay town to be lectured by a hick&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;What&#8217;s that?&#8221; cried Joe, springing to his feet.</p>
<p>Westland was so startled by the sudden motion
that he almost swallowed his cigar. Before Joe&#8217;s
sinewy figure he stepped back and mumbled an
apology. Then he reached for his hat, and without
another word stalked out of the house,
his features convulsed with anger and chagrin.</p>
<p>As he flung himself out of the gate, he almost
collided with a messenger boy bringing a telegram
to Joe.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_31' name='page_31'></a>31</span></p>
<p>The latter signed for it and tore it open hastily.
It was from the Giants&#8217; manager and read:</p>
<div class='blockquot'>
<p>&#8220;I hear the new league is coming after
you hotfoot. But I&#8217;m betting on you, Joe.</p>
<div class='ra'>
<p>&#8220;<span style='font-variant: small-caps'>McRae.</span>&#8221;</p>
</div>

</div>
<p>He handed it over to Jim who read it with a
smile.</p>
<p>&#8220;Betting on me, is he?&#8221; said Joe. &#8220;Well, Mac,
you win!&#8221;</p>
<hr class='major' />
<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
<a name='IV_THE_TOP_OF_THE_WAVE' id='IV_THE_TOP_OF_THE_WAVE'></a>
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_32' name='page_32'></a>32</span>
<h2>CHAPTER IV</h2>
<h3>THE TOP OF THE WAVE</h3>
</div>

<p>While they were still discussing the telegram,
Joe&#8217;s father came home to lunch from the harvester
works where he was employed. He seemed
ten years younger than he had before the trip to
the World&#8217;s Series, which he in his quiet way
had enjoyed quite as much as the rest of the
family.</p>
<p>He greeted the young men cordially.</p>
<p>&#8220;I met a man a little way down the street who
seemed to have come from here,&#8221; he said, as he
hung up his hat. &#8220;He had his hat jammed down
on his head, and was muttering to himself as
though he were sore about something.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;He was,&#8221; replied Jim with a grin. &#8220;He laid
twenty-five thousand dollars on the table, and he
was sore because Joe wouldn&#8217;t take it up.&#8221;</p>
<p>Mr. Matson looked bewildered, but his astonishment
was not as great as that of Clara, who at
that moment put her head in the door to announce
that lunch was ready.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_33' name='page_33'></a>33</span></p>
<p>&#8220;What are you millionaires talking about?&#8221; she
asked.</p>
<p>&#8220;What do millionaires usually talk about?&#8221; answered
Jim loftily. &#8220;Money&mdash;the long green&mdash;iron
men&mdash;filthy lucre&mdash;yellowbacks&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;If you don&#8217;t stop your nonsense you sha&#8217;n&#8217;t
have any lunch,&#8221; threatened Clara, &#8220;and that
means something, too, for mother has spread herself
in getting it up.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Take it all back,&#8221; said Jim promptly. &#8220;I&#8217;m
as sober as a judge. Lead me to this lunch, fair
maiden, and I&#8217;ll tell you nothing but the plain, unvarnished
truth. But even at that, I&#8217;m afraid
you&#8217;ll think I&#8217;m romancing.&#8221;</p>
<p>The merry group seated themselves at the
table, and Clara, all alive with curiosity, demanded
the fulfilment of Jim&#8217;s promise.</p>
<p>&#8220;Well,&#8221; said Jim, &#8220;the simple truth is that that
fellow who was here this morning offered
Joe sixty-five thousand dollars for three years&#8217;
work.&#8221;</p>
<p>Mrs. Matson almost dropped her knife and
fork in her amazement. Mr. Matson sat up with
a jerk, and Clara&#8217;s eyes opened to their widest
extent.</p>
<p>&#8220;Sixty-five thousand dollars!&#8221; gasped Joe&#8217;s
father.</p>
<p>&#8220;For three years&#8217; work!&#8221; exclaimed Mrs. Matson.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_34' name='page_34'></a>34</span></p>
<p>&#8220;Why,&#8221; stammered Clara, &#8220;that&#8217;s&mdash;that&#8217;s&mdash;let
me see&mdash;why, that&#8217;s more than twenty-one
thousand dollars a year.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s what,&#8221; replied Jim, keenly relishing the
sensation he was causing. &#8220;And it wasn&#8217;t stage
money either. He had brought twenty thousand
dollars with him in bills, and he laid it down on
the table as carelessly as though it was twenty
cents. And all that this modest youth, who sits
beside me and isn&#8217;t saying a word, had to do to get
that money was to put his name on a piece of
paper.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Joe,&#8221; exclaimed Clara, &#8220;do tell us what all
this means! Jim is just trying to tantalize us.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Stung!&#8221; grinned Jim. &#8220;That&#8217;s what comes
from mixing in family matters.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Why, it&#8217;s this way, Sis,&#8221; laughed Joe. &#8220;That
fellow traveled a thousand miles to call me a
hick. I wouldn&#8217;t stand for it and made him take
it back and then he got mad and skipped.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Momsey,&#8221; begged Clara in desperation, &#8220;can&#8217;t
you make these idiots tell us just what happened?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Them cruel woids!&#8221; ejaculated Jim mournfully.</p>
<p>&#8220;Do tell us, Joe!&#8221; entreated his mother. &#8220;I&#8217;m
just dying to know all about it.&#8221;</p>
<p>Teasing his mother was a very different thing
from teasing Clara, who was an adept at that art
herself, and Joe surrendered immediately.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_35' name='page_35'></a>35</span></p>
<p>They forgot to eat&mdash;all except Jim, who seldom
carried forgetfulness so far&mdash;while he told
them about Westland&#8217;s call and his proposition to
Joe to break his contract and jump to the new
league.</p>
<p>Sixty-five thousand dollars was a staggering
amount of money, a fortune, in fact, in that quiet
town, and yet there was not one of that little family
who didn&#8217;t rejoice that Joe had turned the offer
down.</p>
<p>&#8220;You did the right thing, Joe,&#8221; said his father
heartily; &#8220;and the fact that lots of people would
call you foolish doesn&#8217;t change things in the least.
A man who sells himself for a hundred thousand
dollars is just as contemptible as one who sells
himself for a dollar. I&#8217;m proud of you, my
boy.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I could have told beforehand just what Joe
would do,&#8221; said Mrs. Matson, wiping her eyes.</p>
<p>&#8220;You&#8217;re the darlingest brother ever!&#8221; exclaimed
Clara, coming round the table and giving him a
hug and a kiss.</p>
<p>The thought of Clara being a sister to him had
never appealed to Jim before, but just at that
moment it would have had its advantages.</p>
<p>For the rest of the meal all were engrossed in
talking of the great event of the morning&mdash;that
is, all but Joe, who kept casting surreptitious
glances at the clock.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_36' name='page_36'></a>36</span></p>
<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t get worried, Joe,&#8221; said his sister mischievously,
as she intercepted one of his glances.
&#8220;Mabel&#8217;s train doesn&#8217;t get in until half-past two,
and it isn&#8217;t one o&#8217;clock yet.&#8221;</p>
<p>Joe flushed a little and Jim laughed.</p>
<p>&#8220;Can you blame him?&#8221; he asked.</p>
<p>&#8220;Not a bit,&#8221; answered Clara. &#8220;Mabel&#8217;s a darling
and I&#8217;m crazy to get hold of her. After Joe,
though, of course,&#8221; she added.</p>
<p>Joe threw his napkin at her but missed.</p>
<p>&#8220;Sixty-five thousand dollars for a baseball
player who can&#8217;t throw any straighter than that,&#8221;
she mocked. &#8220;It&#8217;s a lucky thing for the new league
that you didn&#8217;t take their money.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Maybe I had better take their money after
all!&#8221; cried Joe tantalizingly.</p>
<p>At these words Clara threw up her hands in
mock horror.</p>
<p>&#8220;You just dare, Joe Matson, and I&#8217;ll disown
you!&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Ah-ha! And now I&#8217;m disowned and cast out
of my home!&#8221; exclaimed the young baseball
player tragically. &#8220;Woe is me!&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t believe any decent player would ever
have anything to say to you, Joe, if you did such
a mean thing as that,&#8221; went on Clara seriously.
And at this Joe nodded affirmatively.</p>
<p>An hour later, all three, chatting merrily, were
on their way to the train. But their progress was
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_37' name='page_37'></a>37</span>
slow, for at almost every turn they were stopped
by friends who wanted to shake hands with Joe
and congratulate him on his presence of mind
the night before.</p>
<p>&#8220;One of the penalties of having a famous
brother,&#8221; sighed Clara, when this had happened
for the twentieth time.</p>
<p>&#8220;You little hypocrite,&#8221; laughed Jim. &#8220;You
know that you&#8217;re just bursting with pride. You&#8217;re
tickled to death to be walking alongside of him.
Stop your sighing. Follow my example. I&#8217;m
tickled to death to be walking alongside of you
and you don&#8217;t hear <i>me</i> sighing. I feel more like
singing.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;For goodness&#8217; sake, don&#8217;t,&#8221; retorted Clara in
mock alarm. &#8220;Oh, dear, here&#8217;s another one!&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Were you addressing me when you said
&#8216;dear&#8217;?&#8221; asked Jim politely.</p>
<p>Clara flashed him an indignant glance, just as
Professor Enoch Crabbe, of the Riverside Academy,
stepped up and greeted Joe. He was earnest
in his congratulations, but his manner was
so stilted that they looked at each other with
an amused smile, as he stalked pompously
away.</p>
<p>&#8220;I wonder if he believes now that I can throw
a curve,&#8221; laughed Joe.</p>
<p>&#8220;He ought to ask some of the Red Sox who
whiffed away at them in the World Series,&#8221; said
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_38' name='page_38'></a>38</span>
Jim with a grin. &#8220;They didn&#8217;t have any doubt
about it.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Professor Crabbe had very serious doubts,&#8221;
explained Joe. &#8220;In fact, he said it was impossible.
Against all the laws of motion and all that
sort of thing. I had to rig up a couple of bamboo
rods in a line, and get Dick Talbot, a friend of
mine in the moving-picture business, to take a picture
of the ball as it curved around the rods, before
I could prove my point.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Did it convince him?&#8221; queried Jim.</p>
<p>&#8220;It stumped him, anyway,&#8221; replied Joe. &#8220;But
sometimes I have a sneaking notion that he thinks
yet that Dick and I played some kind of a bunco
game on him by doctoring the film.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Well, I hope that nobody else stops us,&#8221; remarked
Clara. &#8220;It seems to me that almost
everybody in Riverside is on the street this afternoon.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;It wouldn&#8217;t be such an awful mob at that,&#8221;
replied Jim. &#8220;But it&#8217;s a safe bet that one man at
least won&#8217;t stop Joe to shake hands with him.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Who is that?&#8221; asked Clara.</p>
<p>&#8220;The fellow who yelled &#8216;Fire&#8217; in the hall last
night,&#8221; answered Jim with a grin.</p>
<p>&#8220;I hope I didn&#8217;t hurt him,&#8221; observed Joe,
thoughtfully.</p>
<p>&#8220;Perish the thought,&#8221; replied Jim. &#8220;You just
caressed him. He was a big fellow, and he
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_39' name='page_39'></a>39</span>
probably sat down just to take a load off his feet.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m glad he wasn&#8217;t a Riverside man, anyway,&#8221;
remarked Joe, loyal to his home town. &#8220;I never
saw him before. Probably he came from some
place near by.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Oh, then, of course he won&#8217;t mind it,&#8221; chaffed
Jim.</p>
<p>&#8220;Of all the nonsense&mdash;&mdash;&#8221; Clara was beginning,
when her eye caught sight of a figure she
recognized on the station platform which they
had nearly reached.</p>
<p>She nudged her brother&#8217;s elbow.</p>
<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s the man you were talking to this
morning,&#8221; she said in a low voice.</p>
<p>&#8220;By George, so it is!&#8221; replied Joe, as he followed
her glance. &#8220;And he&#8217;s talking to Altman.
Trying to make him a convert.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;A renegade, you mean,&#8221; growled Jim.</p>
<hr class='major' />
<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
<a name='V_LUCKY_JOE' id='V_LUCKY_JOE'></a>
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_40' name='page_40'></a>40</span>
<h2>CHAPTER V</h2>
<h3>LUCKY JOE</h3>
</div>

<p>Westland saw the party coming, and with a
scowl turned his back upon them.</p>
<p>Altman, however, greeted Joe with a smile and,
excusing himself to Westland, went over to meet
him with extended hand.</p>
<p>&#8220;How are you, old scout?&#8221; he exclaimed.
&#8220;You sure batted .300 last night.&#8221;</p>
<p>Joe greeted him cordially, while Jim and Clara
strolled on toward the end of the platform. It
was astonishing what good company those two
were to each other, and how well they bore the
absence of anybody else from their conversation.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m feeling fine as silk,&#8221; was Joe&#8217;s response to
Altman&#8217;s question.</p>
<p>&#8220;Didn&#8217;t sprain your salary wing, or anything
like that?&#8221; grinned Altman. &#8220;You fetched that
fellow an awful hit in the jaw.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I hated to do it, but it was coming to him,&#8221;
laughed Joe.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_41' name='page_41'></a>41</span></p>
<p>&#8220;Well, if there are any doctors&#8217; bills, I guess
the Riverside people will be willing to take up a
collection to pay them,&#8221; replied Altman. &#8220;It&#8217;s
mighty lucky for the town that you happened to
be in the crowd last night.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I suppose you&#8217;re off to keep your next engagement,&#8221;
said Joe, to change the subject. &#8220;By
the way, Nick, that was a mighty nifty skit of
yours at the hall last night. It brought down the
house. It ought to pull big everywhere.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m glad you liked it,&#8221; replied Altman. &#8220;I&#8217;m
booked for twenty weeks and I&#8217;m drawing down
good money.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I suppose you&#8217;ll be with the White Sox next
year, as usual,&#8221; said Joe.</p>
<p>Altman hesitated.</p>
<p>&#8220;W-why, I suppose so,&#8221; he said slowly. &#8220;My
contract with them has another year to run. To
tell the truth, though, Joe, I&#8217;m somewhat unsettled.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Why,&#8221; said Joe, &#8220;you&#8217;re not going to give up
the game for the stage, are you?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Oh, nothing like that,&#8221; replied Altman. &#8220;I&#8217;d
rather play ball than eat, and I&#8217;ll stick to the game
as long as this old wing of mine can put them
over the plate. But whether I&#8217;ll be with the White
Sox or not is another question.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Some other team in the American league trying
to make a dicker for you?&#8221; asked Joe.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_42' name='page_42'></a>42</span></p>
<p>&#8220;Not that I&#8217;ve heard anything about,&#8221; responded
Altman. &#8220;But the American League isn&#8217;t
the whole cheese in baseball&mdash;nor the National
League, either, for that matter.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I see Westland has been talking to you,&#8221; said
Joe. &#8220;I don&#8217;t want to butt in, Nick, but don&#8217;t let
him put one over on you.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;The new league seems to have barrels of
money,&#8221; replied Altman, evading a direct answer.
&#8220;This fellow Westland seems aching to throw it
to the birds&mdash;he&#8217;s got a wad in his pocket that
would choke a horse.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Yes,&#8221; said Joe dryly, &#8220;I&#8217;ve seen that wad before.
But take a fool&#8217;s advice, Nick, and stick
to the old ship.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s all very well,&#8221; said Altman. &#8220;But a
man&#8217;s worth all that he will bring in any other
line of work&mdash;and why shouldn&#8217;t it be so in baseball?
Who is it that brings the money in at the
gate, anyway? We&#8217;re the ones that the public
come to see, but it&#8217;s the bosses that get all the
money.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Lay off on that &#8216;poor, down-trodden slave&#8217;
talk, Nick,&#8221; said Joe earnestly. &#8220;You know as
well as I do that there are mighty few fellows who
get as well paid for six months&#8217; work as we ball
players do. But, leave that out of the question
for a minute&mdash;don&#8217;t you suppose the backers of
this new league are just as eager to make money
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_43' name='page_43'></a>43</span>
out of us as anybody else? Do you think they&#8217;re
in the game for the sport of it? And don&#8217;t you
know that the coming of a new league just now is
likely to wreck the game? You know how it was
in the old Brotherhood days&mdash;they did the same
crooked work then that they&#8217;re trying to do now&mdash;bribing
men to jump their contracts by offers
of big money. The game got a blow then that it
took years to recover from, and there wasn&#8217;t a
single major league player that in the long run,
didn&#8217;t suffer from it. Play the game, Nick&mdash;and
let&#8217;s show these fellows that they can&#8217;t buy us as
they would so many cattle.&#8221;</p>
<p>Altman was visibly impressed, and Westland,
who had been watching proceedings out of the
corner of his eye, thought it time to intervene.
He strolled down toward them and without looking
at Joe, spoke directly to Altman.</p>
<p>&#8220;Train&#8217;s coming, Nick,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I just heard
the whistle. I&#8217;ll stay with you so that we can get
seats together in the smoker.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Well, good-bye, Joe!&#8221; said Altman. &#8220;I&#8217;m
glad to have seen you again, anyway, and I&#8217;ll
promise not to do anything hastily.&#8221;</p>
<p>And as Jim and Clara came hurrying up at
that moment, Joe had to be content with the hope
that, at least, he had put a spoke in Westland&#8217;s
wheel.</p>
<p>The train was in sight now, and all thoughts
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_44' name='page_44'></a>44</span>
of baseball were banished for the moment at the
thought of what that train was bringing to
him.</p>
<p>With a rush and a roar the train drew up at
the station. The colored porter jumped down the
steps of the parlor car to assist the descending
passengers.</p>
<p>Joe uttered an exclamation, and Clara gave a
little squeal of delight as two young people,
whom a family resemblance proclaimed to be
brother and sister, came hurriedly down the
steps.</p>
<p>In a moment they were the center of an eager
and tumultuous group.</p>
<p>&#8220;Mabel!&#8221; exclaimed Joe,&mdash;at least that was all
that they heard him say just then. What he said
to her later on is none of our business.</p>
<p>The girls hugged and kissed each other, much
to the aggravation of the masculine contingent,
while Reggie Varley extended his two
hands, which were grasped cordially by Joe
and Jim.</p>
<p>The romance which had culminated in the engagement
of Mabel Varley and Joe dated back
two years earlier. Joe had been in a southern
training camp, in spring practice with his team,
when one day he had been lucky enough to stop
a runaway horse which Mabel had been driving,
and thus saved her from imminent danger and
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_45' name='page_45'></a>45</span>
possible death. The acquaintance, so established,
rapidly deepened into friendship and then into
something stronger.</p>
<p>Mabel was a charming girl with lustrous brown
eyes, wonderful complexion and dimples that
came and went in a distracting fashion, and it
was no wonder that Joe before long was a helpless
but willing captive. She, on her part, developed
a sudden fondness for the great national
game to which she had hitherto been indifferent.</p>
<p>They had met many times during the season,
and with every meeting her witchery over Joe had
become more potent. He had stolen a glove from
her during one of his visits to Goldsboro, her home
town in the South, and during the exciting games
of the last World&#8217;s Series he had worn it close
to his heart when he had pitched his team to
victory.</p>
<p>And when he told her this on the night following
the famous game that had set the whole country
wild with excitement, and told her too, that
victory meant nothing, unless she shared it with
him, she had capitulated and promised to become
his wife.</p>
<p>Reggie, her brother, had formed Joe&#8217;s acquaintance
earlier than Mabel and in a less pleasant
way. He was a rather foppish young man
who cultivated a mustache that the girls called
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_46' name='page_46'></a>46</span>
&#8220;darling,&#8221; and affected what he fondly believed
to be an English accent.</p>
<p>In a railway station he had left his valise near
where Joe was sitting, and, on his return, found
that the valise had been opened and some valuable
jewelry stolen from it. He had rashly accused
Joe of the theft, and had narrowly escaped
a thrashing from that indignant young man, in
consequence.</p>
<p>The matter had been patched up at the time,
and afterward, when Joe learned that he was
Mabel&#8217;s brother, had been forgiven entirely. The
men were now on the most cordial of terms, for
Reggie, despite his peculiarities and though he
would never &#8220;set the river on fire&#8221; with his intellectual
ability, was by no means a bad fellow.</p>
<p>There was a merry hubbub of greetings and
exclamations while the men arranged for the
baggage and the girls asked each other twenty
questions at once and then the party paired off
for the walk to the Matson home&mdash;that is, Joe
and Mabel and Jim and Clara, formed the pairs,
while Reggie was, so to speak, a fifth wheel to
the coach!</p>
<p>Not that this bothered Reggie in the least. He
ambled along amiably, dividing his talk and attentions
impartially, serenely unconscious that each
pair was willing to bestow him upon the other.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_47' name='page_47'></a>47</span></p>
<p>&#8220;We ought to have a band playing &#8216;See, the
Conquering Hero Comes,&#8217;&#8221; remarked Jim to
Mabel, who was walking in front with Joe.</p>
<p>&#8220;I know he&#8217;s a hero,&#8221; said Mabel, her eyes
eloquent as she looked at Joe. &#8220;I can hardly pick
up the paper but what it calls him the hero of
the World&#8217;s Series.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t mean a baseball hero,&#8221; said Jim, &#8220;but
a real, honest-to-goodness hero&mdash;the life-saver
and all that kind of stuff, you know.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Yes,&#8221; joined in Clara, &#8220;you came a day too
late, Mabel. You ought to have seen Joe at the
Opera House last night. He was simply great.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;At the Opera House?&#8221; Mabel repeated, in
some bewilderment.</p>
<p>&#8220;Sure,&#8221; chaffed Jim. &#8220;Didn&#8217;t you know Joe&#8217;d
gone on the stage?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Yes,&#8221; said Clara, carrying out the mystification.
&#8220;He made a hit, too.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;There was at least one man in the audience
he made a hit with,&#8221; chuckled Jim.</p>
<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t let them fool you, Mabel,&#8221; said Joe,
tenderly. &#8220;There was just a little excitement at
the Opera House last night and Jim and I took a
hand in stopping it. They&#8217;re making an awful
lot of a very simple matter.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;You&#8217;ve no idea what a voice Joe has for
public speaking,&#8221; persisted the irrepressible Jim.
&#8220;Last night he was a howling success.&#8221;
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_48' name='page_48'></a>48</span></p>
<p>&#8220;Clara, dear, tell me all about it,&#8221; entreated
Mabel. &#8220;We girls are the only ones who can
talk sense.&#8221;</p>
<p>Thus appealed to, Clara told about the circumstances
of the night before, and, as may be imagined,
Joe did not suffer in the telling. If the
latter had needed any other reward for his exploit
he found it in Mabel&#8217;s eyes as she looked at him.</p>
<p>&#8220;I thought I knew all about you before,&#8221; she
said, in a half whisper, &#8220;but I&#8217;m learning all the
time!&#8221;</p>
<hr class='major' />
<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
<a name='VI_CIRCLING_THE_GLOBE' id='VI_CIRCLING_THE_GLOBE'></a>
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_49' name='page_49'></a>49</span>
<h2>CHAPTER VI</h2>
<h3>CIRCLING THE GLOBE</h3>
</div>

<p>When the party reached the Matson home,
motherly Mrs. Matson took Mabel into her
arms as she had long since taken her into her
heart. Then Clara took her up to her room to
refresh herself after the journey, while Jim
and Joe took care of Reggie and his belongings.</p>
<p>&#8220;Oh, I&#8217;m so glad that you&#8217;ve got here at last!&#8221;
exclaimed Clara, as she placed an affectionate hand
on Mabel&#8217;s shoulder.</p>
<p>&#8220;And you may be sure that I&#8217;m glad that I am
here,&#8221; was the happy response. &#8220;I declare, this
place almost feels like home to me.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Well, you know, we want it to feel like home
to you, Mabel,&#8221; answered Joe&#8217;s sister, and looked
so knowingly at the visitor that Mabel suddenly
began to blush.</p>
<p>In the meantime, Joe had taken Reggie to the
room which the young man was to occupy during
his stay. Joe carried both of the bags, which were
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_50' name='page_50'></a>50</span>
rather heavy, for the fashionable young man was
in the habit of taking a good share of his wardrobe
along whenever he left home.</p>
<p>&#8220;Some weight to one of these bags, Reggie,&#8221;
remarked Joe good-naturedly, as he deposited the
big Gladstone on the floor with a thud. &#8220;You must
have about three hundred and fifteen new neckties
in there.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Bah Jove, that&#8217;s a good joke, Joe, don&#8217;t you
know!&#8221; drawled Reggie. &#8220;But you&#8217;re wrong, my
boy; I haven&#8217;t more than ten neckties with me on
this trip.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Say, I&#8217;m glad to know you&#8217;ve got so many.
Maybe I&#8217;ll want to borrow one,&#8221; went on Joe,
continuing his joke.</p>
<p>&#8220;Of course you can have one of my neckties if
you want it, Joe,&#8221; returned the fashionable young
man quickly. &#8220;I&#8217;ve got a beautiful lavender one
that ought to just suit you. And then there is a
fancy striped one, red and green and gold, which
is the most stunning thing, don&#8217;t you know, you
ever saw. I purchased it at a fashionable shop
on Fifth Avenue the last time I was in New York.
If you wore that tie, Joe, you would certainly make
a hit.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Well, you see, I&#8217;m not so much of a hitter as
I am of a pitcher,&#8221; returned Joe; &#8220;so I guess I&#8217;d
better not rob you of that tie. Come to think of
it, I got several new ties myself last Christmas
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_51' name='page_51'></a>51</span>
and on my birthday. I think they&#8217;ll see me
through very nicely. But I&#8217;m much obliged just
the same. And now, Reggie, make yourself thoroughly
at home.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Oh, I&#8217;ll be sure to do that,&#8221; returned Mabel&#8217;s
brother. &#8220;You&#8217;re a fine fellow, Joe; and I often
wonder how it was I quarreled with you the first
time we met.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ll forget about that,&#8221; answered Joe
shortly.</p>
<p>Naturally the men returned to the living room
first, and while they were waiting impatiently for
the girls to rejoin them, Joe caught sight of a
letter resting against the clock on the mantelpiece.</p>
<p>He took it up and saw that it was addressed
to himself, and that it bore the postmark of
New York. He recognized the handwriting at
once.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s from McRae,&#8221; he said. &#8220;The second
message I&#8217;ve received from the old boy to-day,
counting the telegram this morning. Excuse me,
fellows, while I look it over.&#8221;</p>
<p>He tore it open hastily and read with glowing
interest and excitement.</p>
<p>&#8220;The World Tour&#8217;s a go!&#8221; he cried, handing
the letter over to Jim. &#8220;Mac&#8217;s got it all settled
at last. When we said good-bye to him in New
York it was all up in the air. But trust Mac to
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_52' name='page_52'></a>52</span>
hustle&mdash;he&#8217;s got enough promises to make up the
two teams and now he&#8217;s calling on us, Jim, to keep
our word and go with the party. We&#8217;re all to
meet in Chicago for the start on the nineteenth
of the month.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Gee!&#8221; exclaimed Jim. &#8220;That doesn&#8217;t give us
very much time. Let&#8217;s see,&#8221; as he snatched up a
newspaper and scanned the top line. &#8220;To-day&#8217;s
the sixteenth. We&#8217;ll have to get a wiggle on.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Bah Jove,&#8221; lisped Reggie. &#8220;It&#8217;s bally short
notice, don&#8217;t you know? How long will you fellows
be gone?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Just about six months,&#8221; said Joe, his face
lengthening as he reflected on what it meant to be
all that time away from Mabel.</p>
<p>&#8220;What&#8217;s all this pow-wow about?&#8221; came a
merry voice from the door, as the girls tripped
in, their arms about each other&#8217;s waist.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m glad we girls aren&#8217;t as talkative as you
men,&#8221; said Clara, mischievously.</p>
<p>&#8220;When we do talk we at least say something,&#8221;
added Mabel. &#8220;What is it, Joe?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m afraid it&#8217;s rather bad news in a way,&#8221;
said Joe. &#8220;I&#8217;ve just got a letter from McRae
in which he tells me that he&#8217;s completed all arrangements
for a baseball tour around the world.
You know, Mabel, that I spoke to you about it
just before we left New York. But it was only
a vague idea then and something of the kind is
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_53' name='page_53'></a>53</span>
talked about at the end of every baseball season.
Usually though, it only ends in talk, and the
teams make a barnstorming trip to San Francisco
or to Cuba. But this time it seems to have
gone through all right. And now Mac is calling
upon Jim and me to go along.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;My word!&#8221; broke in Reggie, &#8220;anyone would
think it was a bally funeral to hear you talk and
see your face. I should think you&#8217;d be no-end
pleased to have a chance to go.&#8221;</p>
<p>To tell the truth, neither Joe nor Jim seemed
elated at the prospect. Joe&#8217;s eyes sought Mabel,
while Jim&#8217;s rested on Clara, and neither one of
those young ladies was so obtuse as not to know
what the young men were thinking.</p>
<p>&#8220;When do you have to go?&#8221; asked Clara,
soberly.</p>
<p>&#8220;We have to be in Chicago by the nineteenth,&#8221;
answered Joe, &#8220;and we&#8217;ll have to leave here the
day before. To-day&#8217;s the sixteenth and you can
see for yourself how much time that gives us to
stay in Riverside.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;No rest for the wicked,&#8221; said Reggie, jocularly.
&#8220;&#8217;Pon honor, you boys have earned a rest
after the work you did against the Red Sox.&#8221;</p>
<p>Clara was very far from her vivacious self
as she thought of the coming separation, but Joe
was surprised and the least bit hurt to see how
lightly Mabel seemed to regard it.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_54' name='page_54'></a>54</span></p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s too bad, of course,&#8221; she said, cheerfully,
&#8220;but we&#8217;ll have to make the best of these two
days at least. It&#8217;s a pity, though, that it
wasn&#8217;t November nineteenth instead of October.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;We could have started a bit later if it were
only for the foreign trip,&#8221; explained Jim, &#8220;but
we&#8217;re going to play a series of exhibition games
between here and the Coast, and we&#8217;ve got to
take advantage of what good weather there is
left. If we can only get to the Rockies before
it&#8217;s too cold to play, we&#8217;ll be all right, because
in California they&#8217;re able to play all the year
round.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;My word!&#8221; exclaimed Reggie, &#8220;I don&#8217;t see
why they don&#8217;t cut out the exhibition games altogether.
I should think this country had had
baseball enough for one season.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Not when the Giants and an All-American
team are the players,&#8221; replied Joe. &#8220;The people
will come out in crowds&mdash;they&#8217;ll fairly beg us to
take their money.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;And it will be worth taking,&#8221; chimed in Jim.
&#8220;Do you know how much money the teams took
in before they reached the coast on their last
World&#8217;s Trip? Ninety-seven thousand dollars.
Count them, ladies and gentlemen&mdash;ninety-seven
thousand dollars in good American dollars!&#8221; he
added grandly.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_55' name='page_55'></a>55</span></p>
<p>&#8220;That sounds like a lot of money,&#8221; said Reggie,
thoughtfully.</p>
<p>&#8220;And they&#8217;ll need every cent of it too,&#8221; said
Joe. &#8220;It&#8217;s the only way a trip of that kind can
be carried on. The teams travel in first-class style,
have the finest quarters on the ship, and stay at
the best hotels. In the games abroad there won&#8217;t
be money enough taken in, probably, to cover expenses.
Then the money we&#8217;ve taken in from
the exhibition games will come in handy.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;How many men are going in the two teams?&#8221;
inquired Clara.</p>
<p>&#8220;I imagine each team will carry about fourteen
men,&#8221; replied Joe. &#8220;That will give them three
pitchers, two catchers, an extra infielder and outfielder,
beside the other members of the team.
That ought to be enough to allow for sickness
or accident.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;How much do you fellows expect to get out
of it for yourselves?&#8221; asked Reggie.</p>
<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s just a matter of guess work,&#8221; Joe replied.
&#8220;I understand that what is left after all
expenses are paid will be divided equally among
the players. On the last World&#8217;s Trip I think it
amounted to about a thousand dollars apiece.
But then again, it may not be a thousand cents.
All we really know is that we&#8217;ll have a chance to
see the world in first-class style without its actually
costing us a dollar.&#8221;
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_56' name='page_56'></a>56</span></p>
<p>&#8220;Oh, you lucky men!&#8221; said Clara, with a sigh.
&#8220;You can go trotting all over the world, while we
poor girls have to stay at home and look for an
occasional letter from your highnesses&mdash;that is,
if you deign to write to us at all.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll guarantee to keep the postman busy,&#8221; said
Jim, fervently.</p>
<p>&#8220;Same here,&#8221; said Joe, emphatically, as his eyes
met Mabel&#8217;s.</p>
<p>&#8220;Do you know just what route you&#8217;ll follow?&#8221;
Reggie asked.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our first stop will be at Hawaii,&#8221; replied Joe,
consulting his letter. &#8220;So that the first game we
play outside of the States will still be under the
American flag. We&#8217;ll see Old Glory again, too,
when we strike the Philippines. But that will
come a little later. After we leave Hawaii,
we won&#8217;t see dry land again until we get to
Japan.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I fancy we&#8217;ll get some good games there, too,&#8221;
broke in Jim. &#8220;Those little Japs have gone in
for the game with a vengeance. Do you remember
the time when their Waseda and Keio University
teams came over to this country? They gave
our Princeton and Yale fellows all they could do
to beat them.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Yes,&#8221; said Joe, &#8220;they&#8217;re nifty players when
it comes to fielding and they&#8217;re fleet as jack rabbits
on the bases&mdash;but they&#8217;re a little light at the
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_57' name='page_57'></a>57</span>
bat. When it comes to playing before their home
crowds they&#8217;ll be a pretty stiff proposition.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Do you take in China at all?&#8221; asked Reggie.</p>
<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ll probably stop at Shanghai and Hongkong,&#8221;
replied Joe. &#8220;I don&#8217;t imagine the Chinks
can scrape up any kind of a baseball team, but
there are big foreign colonies at both of those
places and they&#8217;ll turn out in force to see players
from the States. Then after touching at Manila,
we&#8217;ll go to Australia, taking in all the big towns
like Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. While of
course the Australians are crazy about cricket,
like all Englishmen, they&#8217;re keen for every kind
of athletic sport, and we&#8217;re sure of big crowds
there. After that we sail for Ceylon and from
there to Egypt.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;d like to see Egypt better than any other
place,&#8221; broke in Clara. &#8220;I&#8217;ve always been crazy
to go there.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s full of curiosities,&#8221; remarked Jim.
&#8220;There&#8217;s the Sphinx, for instance&mdash;a woman who
hasn&#8217;t said a word for five thousand years.&#8221;</p>
<p>Clara flashed a withering glance at him, under
which he wilted.</p>
<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t mix your Greek fable and your Egyptian
facts, Jim,&#8221; chuckled Joe.</p>
<p>&#8220;Huh?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Fact. Since this trip&#8217;s been in the wind, I&#8217;ve
been reading up. Those Egyptian sphinxes&mdash;those
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_58' name='page_58'></a>58</span>
that haven&#8217;t a ram&#8217;s or a hawk&#8217;s head&mdash;have
a man&#8217;s, not a woman&#8217;s, head.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s why they&#8217;ve been able to keep still so
long, then!&#8221; exclaimed Jim.</p>
<p>&#8220;You mean thing!&#8221; cried Mabel.</p>
<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t lay that up against me,&#8221; he begged,
penitently, &#8220;and I&#8217;ll send you back a little crocodile
from the Nile.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Oh, the horrid thing!&#8221; cried Clara with a
shudder.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m doing the best I can,&#8221; said Jim, plaintively.
&#8220;I can&#8217;t send you one of the pyramids.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s the last we&#8217;ll see of Africa,&#8221; went on
Joe. &#8220;After that, we set sail for Italy and land
at Naples. Then we work our way up through
Rome, Florence, Milan, Monte Carlo, Marseilles,
Paris and London. We&#8217;ll stay about a month in
Great Britain, visiting Glasgow, Edinburgh and
Dublin. Then we&#8217;ll make tracks for home, and
maybe we won&#8217;t be glad to get here!&#8221;</p>
<p>The vision conjured up by this array of famous
cities offered such scope for endless surmise and
speculation that they were surprised at the flight
of time when Mrs. Matson smilingly summoned
them to supper.</p>
<p>Of course, Joe sat beside Mabel and Jim beside
Clara. If, in the course of the evening meal,
Joe&#8217;s hand and Mabel&#8217;s met beneath the table,
it was purely by accident. Jim, on his side would
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_59' name='page_59'></a>59</span>
cheerfully have risked such an accident, but had
no such luck.</p>
<p>Joe was happy, supremely happy in the presence
by his side of the dearest girl in all the world.
Yet there was a queer little ache at his heart because
of the apparent indifference with which
Mabel had viewed their coming separation.</p>
<p>&#8220;You haven&#8217;t said once,&#8221; he said to her in a
low tone, with a touch of tender reproach, &#8220;that
you were sorry I was going.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Why should I,&#8221; answered Mabel, demurely,
&#8220;since I am going with you?&#8221;</p>
<hr class='major' />
<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
<a name='VII_THE_GATHERING_OF_THE_CLANS' id='VII_THE_GATHERING_OF_THE_CLANS'></a>
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_60' name='page_60'></a>60</span>
<h2>CHAPTER VII</h2>
<h3>THE GATHERING OF THE CLANS</h3>
</div>

<p>If Mabel had counted on creating a sensation,
she succeeded beyond her wildest hopes.</p>
<p>For a moment, Joe thought that he must have
taken leave of his senses.</p>
<p>&#8220;What!&#8221; he cried, incredulously, half rising to
his feet.</p>
<p>This sudden ejaculation drew the attention of
all the others seated at the table.</p>
<p>&#8220;Land sakes, Joe!&#8221; expostulated his mother,
&#8220;you almost made me upset my tea cup. What&#8217;s
the matter?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Enough&#8217;s the matter,&#8221; responded Joe, jubilantly.
&#8220;That is, if Mabel really means what she
said just now.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;What was it you said, Mabel dear?&#8221; asked
Clara.</p>
<p>&#8220;Come, &#8217;fess up,&#8221; invited Jim.</p>
<p>&#8220;I guess I&#8217;ll let Reggie tell the rest of it,&#8221; said
Mabel, blushing under the battery of eyes turned
upon her.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_61' name='page_61'></a>61</span></p>
<p>&#8220;All right, Sis,&#8221; said Reggie, affably. &#8220;Bah
Jove, I give you credit for holding in as long
as you have. The fact is,&#8221; he continued, beaming
amiably upon all the party, &#8220;the governor
asked me to take a trip to Japan and China, and
Mabel put in to come along. I didn&#8217;t twig what
the little minx was up to, until she said we could
go on the same steamer that took the baseball
party. Lots of other women&mdash;wives of the
managers and players and so on&mdash;will go along,
I understand. So there&#8217;s the whole bally story
in a nutshell. Rippin&#8217; good idea I call it&mdash;what?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Glory hallelujah!&#8221; cried Joe, grasping
Mabel&#8217;s hand, openly this time.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s simply great!&#8221; cried Jim, enthusiastically.</p>
<p>&#8220;You darling, lucky girl!&#8221; exclaimed Clara,
while Mr. and Mrs. Matson smiled their pleasure.</p>
<p>&#8220;Had you up in the air for a minute, didn&#8217;t it,
old top?&#8221; grinned Reggie.</p>
<p>&#8220;I should say it did,&#8221; Joe admitted. &#8220;I thought
for a minute I was going crazy. Somebody pinch
me.&#8221;</p>
<p>Jim reached over and accommodated him.</p>
<p>&#8220;Ouch!&#8221; cried Joe, rubbing his arm. &#8220;You
needn&#8217;t be so literal.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s nothing I wouldn&#8217;t do for my friends,&#8221;
said Jim, piously.</p>
<p>Questions poured in thick and fast.</p>
<p>&#8220;How can you possibly get ready in time?&#8221;
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_62' name='page_62'></a>62</span>
asked Clara. &#8220;It&#8217;s the sixteenth now, and the
teams leave Chicago on the nineteenth.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Oh, we&#8217;re not going to make the trip across
the country,&#8221; explained Mabel, flushed with happiness.
&#8220;Reggie and I will join the party in San
Francisco or Seattle, or wherever they start from.
So that will give us nearly a month, and I&#8217;m going
to spend most of that right here&mdash;if you can
stand me that long.&#8221;</p>
<p>Clara came round the table and gave her an
impulsive hug.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;d be glad to have you stay here forever,&#8221;
said Mrs. Matson fervently.</p>
<p>Just here a thought struck Joe.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s the greatest thing ever that you&#8217;re going
as far as Japan,&#8221; he said. &#8220;But why can&#8217;t you
keep on with us and swing right around the
circle?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;You greedy boy!&#8221; murmured Mabel.</p>
<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve thought of that too,&#8221; explained Reggie.
&#8220;The governor promised Mabel a trip round the
world as soon as she got through with the finishing
school. She could have gone last year if
she had chosen, but she got so interested in baseball&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Reggie!&#8221; murmured Mabel, warningly.</p>
<p>&#8220;Well, anyway,&#8221; said Reggie a little lamely,
&#8220;she didn&#8217;t go, and so I put it up to the governor
that there was no reason she couldn&#8217;t go now.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_63' name='page_63'></a>63</span>
He saw it the same way&mdash;he&#8217;s a rippin&#8217; good sort,
the governor is&mdash;and he&#8217;s left it to us to make
the trip all the way round&mdash;that is, if I can get
through my business in Japan in time.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;If you don&#8217;t get through in time, there&#8217;ll be
murder done,&#8221; threatened Joe.</p>
<p>In the animated talk that ensued all took a
part. But toward the end of the meal, Joe noticed
that Jim was a little more subdued than was
usual with him, and that some of the sparkle and
vivacity had vanished from Clara&#8217;s eyes and
voice.</p>
<p>He glanced from one to the other and knew
the reason. He knew how deep the feeling was
growing between the two and realized what the
coming six-months&#8217; separation would mean to
them. A generous impulse came to him like a
flash.</p>
<p>&#8220;Listen folks,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Surprises seem to be
in fashion, so here&#8217;s another one. Clara&#8217;s going
along with us.&#8221;</p>
<p>Astonishment and delight held Clara speechless&mdash;then
she rose and flung her arms impulsively
about her brother&#8217;s neck, and for the second time
that day Jim would have been willing to let her
be a sister to him also.</p>
<p>Jim reached his brawny hand across the table.</p>
<p>&#8220;Put her there, Joe, old boy!&#8221; he said. &#8220;You&#8217;re
the finest fellow that ever wore shoe leather.&#8221;
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_64' name='page_64'></a>64</span></p>
<p>&#8220;Won&#8217;t it be just glorious!&#8221; exulted Mabel.</p>
<p>&#8220;There never was such a boy in all the world,&#8221;
murmured Joe&#8217;s mother.</p>
<p>&#8220;But, Joe dear, won&#8217;t it be too great an expense?&#8221;
suggested Clara. &#8220;You know it&#8217;s less
than a month since you sent us that thousand-dollar
bill that took us to the World&#8217;s Series.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s all right, Sis,&#8221; reassured Joe, patting
her hand. &#8220;Remember I cleared nearly four
thousand dollars extra in the World&#8217;s Series, and
this won&#8217;t put much of a dent in that. You just
go ahead and doll yourself up&mdash;and hang the
expense.&#8221;</p>
<p>And so it was settled, and it is safe to say that
a group of happier young people could not be
found anywhere than those who discussed excitedly,
until late into the night, the coming trip with
all its marvelous possibilities.</p>
<p>The next two days flew by all too rapidly. The
girls, of course, had plenty of time, but Joe and
Jim had a host of things to attend to and a very
limited time to do them in. But somehow, Joe
made time enough to say a lot of things to Mabel
that, to lovers at least, seem important, and Jim,
though not daring to go quite so far, looked and
said quite enough to deepen the roses in Clara&#8217;s
cheeks and the loveliness in her eyes.</p>
<p>It was hard to part when the time for parting
came, but this time there was no long six-months&#8217;
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_65' name='page_65'></a>65</span>
separation to be dreaded&mdash;that is, as far as the
young folks were concerned.</p>
<p>Mr. and Mrs. Matson had counted on having
their son with them throughout the fall and winter,
but they had been accustomed for so long to
merge their own happiness in that of their children
that they kept up bright faces while they said
good-bye, although Mrs. Matson&#8217;s smile was
tremulous.</p>
<p>A day and night of traveling and the ball players
reached Chicago, where, at the Blackstone,
they found McRae awaiting them&mdash;the same
old McRae, aggressive, pugnacious, masterful,
and yet with a glint of worry in his eyes that
had not been there at the close of the World&#8217;s
Series.</p>
<p>Robbie was there too, rotund and rubicund, but
not just the Robbie who had danced the tango
with McRae before the clubhouse on the occasion
of the great victory.</p>
<p>But if worry and anxiety had set their mark
upon the manager and trainer of the Giants, it
had not affected the players, who were lounging
about the corridor of the hotel.</p>
<p>A bunch of them, including Burkett and
Denton and good old Larry, gave the newcomers
a tumultuous welcome.</p>
<p>&#8220;Cheer, cheer, the gang&#8217;s all here!&#8221; cried
Larry.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_66' name='page_66'></a>66</span></p>
<p>McRae clasped Joe&#8217;s hand in a grip that almost
made him wince.</p>
<p>&#8220;So the new league hasn&#8217;t got you yet, Joe?&#8221;
he cried.</p>
<p>&#8220;No,&#8221; laughed Joe, returning his clasp; &#8220;and
it never will!&#8221;</p>
<hr class='major' />
<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
<a name='VIII_THE_RIVAL_TEAMS' id='VIII_THE_RIVAL_TEAMS'></a>
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_67' name='page_67'></a>67</span>
<h2>CHAPTER VIII</h2>
<h3>THE RIVAL TEAMS</h3>
</div>

<p>Robbie, who had come up just in time to hear
Joe&#8217;s last words, gave him a resounding thump
on the back.</p>
<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s the way to talk, Joe, old boy!&#8221; he
cried. &#8220;I&#8217;ve been telling Mac all along that no
matter who else weakens he could bet his last
dollar on you.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Not that I needed any bracing up,&#8221; declared
McRae. &#8220;I know a man when I see one, and I
count on you to the limit. I didn&#8217;t send that telegram
because I had any doubt, but I knew that
they&#8217;d make a break for you first of all and I
didn&#8217;t want you to be taken by surprise. By
the way, have any of them turned up yet?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;A chap named Westland came to see me the
very day I got your telegram,&#8221; replied Joe.</p>
<p>&#8220;And he came well heeled, too,&#8221; put in Jim.
&#8220;Money was fairly dripping from him. He just
ached to give it away. It was only up to Joe to
become a bloated plutocrat on the spot.&#8221;
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_68' name='page_68'></a>68</span></p>
<p>&#8220;Offered good money, did he?&#8221; asked McRae,
with quickened interest.</p>
<p>&#8220;Twenty thousand dollars right off the bat,&#8221;
replied Jim. &#8220;Fifteen thousand dollars a year for
a three-year contract. And as if that weren&#8217;t
enough, he offered to put the money in the bank
in advance and let Joe draw against it as he went
along.&#8221;</p>
<p>McRae and Robbie exchanged glances. Here
was proof that the new league meant business
right from the start. It was a competitor to be
dreaded and it was up to them to get their fighting
clothes on at once.</p>
<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s a whale of an offer,&#8221; ejaculated
Robbie.</p>
<p>&#8220;They&#8217;ve thrown their hat into the ring,&#8221; remarked
McRae. &#8220;From now on it&#8217;s a fight for
blood.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s no need of asking what Joe said to
that,&#8221; said Robbie.</p>
<p>&#8220;I wish you&#8217;d been behind the door to hear it,&#8221;
grinned Jim. &#8220;The way Joe lighted into him was
a sin and a shame. He fairly skinned him alive.
It looked at one time as if there would be a scrap
sure.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;It would have been a tremendous card for
them to get the star pitcher of the World&#8217;s
Series,&#8221; said McRae with a sigh of relief. &#8220;And
in these days, when so many rumors are flying
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_69' name='page_69'></a>69</span>
round it&#8217;s a comfort to know there&#8217;s one man, at
least, that money can&#8217;t buy. There isn&#8217;t a bit of
shoddy in you, Joe. You&#8217;re all wool and a yard
wide.&#8221;</p>
<p>At this moment, Hughson, the famous pitcher
who had been a tower of strength to the Giants
for ten years past, came strolling up, and Joe
and Jim fell upon him with a shout.</p>
<p>&#8220;How are you, Hughson, old man?&#8221; cried Joe.
&#8220;How&#8217;s that wing of yours getting along?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;All to the good,&#8221; replied Hughson. &#8220;I
stopped off for a day or two at Youngstown and
had it treated by Bonesetter Reese. I tell you,
that old chap&#8217;s a wonder. He tells me it will be
as good as ever when the season opens.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m mighty glad you&#8217;re going along with us
on this trip,&#8221; said Jim, heartily. &#8220;It wouldn&#8217;t
seem like the Giant team with you out of it.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m going through as far as the coast anyway,&#8221;
answered Hughson. &#8220;More for the fun
of being with the boys than anything else. But
I don&#8217;t think I&#8217;ll make the trip around the world.
I made a half promise some time ago to coach the
Yale team this coming spring, and they don&#8217;t seem
inclined to let me out of it. And I don&#8217;t know
if after all it may not be best to rest up this
winter and get in shape for next year.&#8221;</p>
<p>The three strolled on down the corridor, leaving
McRae and Robbie in earnest conversation.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_70' name='page_70'></a>70</span></p>
<p>&#8220;How many of the boys is Mac taking along?&#8221;
asked Joe.</p>
<p>&#8220;I think he figures on about fourteen men,&#8221;
replied Hughson. &#8220;That will give him three
pitchers, two catchers, an extra infielder and outfielder,
besides the seven other men in their regular
positions. That&#8217;ll allow for accident or
sickness and ought to be enough.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Just as I doped it out,&#8221; remarked Joe.</p>
<p>&#8220;On a pinch, McRae could play himself,&#8221;
laughed Jim. &#8220;No better player ever held down
the third bag than Mac when he was on the old
Orioles. The old boy could give the youngsters
points even now on winging them down
to first.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;For that matter, Robbie himself might go in
behind the bat,&#8221; grinned Joe. &#8220;No ball could get
by him without hitting him somewhere.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;It would be worth the price of admission to
see Robbie running down to first,&#8221; admitted Hughson,
with a smile.</p>
<p>&#8220;What kind of a team has Brennan got together
for the All-American?&#8221; asked Joe.</p>
<p>&#8220;Believe me; it&#8217;s a good one,&#8221; replied Hughson.
&#8220;He&#8217;s got a bunch of the sweetest hitters
that he could get from either league. They&#8217;re a
bunch of fence breakers, all right. When those
birds once get going, they&#8217;re apt to send any
pitcher to the shower. You&#8217;ll have all you want
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_71' name='page_71'></a>71</span>
to do, Joe, to keep them from straightening out
your curves.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t ask anything better,&#8221; replied Joe, with
a laugh. &#8220;I&#8217;d get soft if they were too easy. But
who are these ball killers? Let me know the
worst.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Well,&#8221; said Hughson, &#8220;there&#8217;s Wallie Schalk
behind the bat&mdash;you know how he can line them
out. Then there&#8217;s Miller at first, Ebers at second,
McBride at short and Chapman at third.
The outfielders will probably be Cooper and
Murray and Lange. For pitchers Brennan will
have Hamilton, Fraser and Ellis,&mdash;although
Ellis was troubled with the charley-horse toward
the end of the season, and Banks may take his
place.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a strong team,&#8221; commented Jim, &#8220;and
they can certainly make the ball scream when they
hit it. They&#8217;re a nifty lot of fielders, too. I
guess we&#8217;ll have our work cut out for us, all
right.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Both Mac and Brennan have got the right
idea,&#8221; said Hughson. &#8220;Too many of these barnstorming
trips have been made up of second
string men, and when people came to see the
teams play and didn&#8217;t find the real stars in the
line-up they naturally felt sore. But they&#8217;re going
to get the simon-pure article this time and the
games are to be for blood. Anyone that lays
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_72' name='page_72'></a>72</span>
down on his job is going to get fired. It&#8217;ll be
easy enough to pick up a good man to take his
place.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;What&#8217;s the scheme?&#8221; asked Joe. &#8220;Are we
two teams to play against each other all the
time, or are we to take on some of the local
nines?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t think that&#8217;s been fully worked out
yet,&#8221; replied Hughson. &#8220;I know we&#8217;re going to
play the Denver nine and some of the crack California
teams.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Easy meat,&#8221; commented Jim with a grin.</p>
<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t you believe it,&#8221; rejoined Hughson.
&#8220;Don&#8217;t you remember how the Waco team
trimmed us last spring? Those fellows will play
their heads off to beat us&mdash;and they&#8217;ll own the
town if they succeed. They figure that they&#8217;ll
catch us off our guard and get the Indian sign on
us before we wake up.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Yes. But do you think they can get the Indian
sign so easily?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;No, I don&#8217;t.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Of course, those minor teams will play their
very best, because it would be a feather in their
cap if they could take a game away from us.
They&#8217;ll probably look around and pick up the very
best players they can, even if they have to put up
some money for the purpose. Just the same, we
ought to be able to polish them off with these.&#8221;
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_73' name='page_73'></a>73</span></p>
<p>&#8220;Well, of course, we&#8217;ve got to expect to lose
some games. It would be a remarkable thing to
go around the world and win every game.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Yet it might be done,&#8221; broke in Jim.</p>
<p>&#8220;I suppose there&#8217;ll be quite a party going along
with the teams, just for the sake of the trip,&#8221;
observed Joe.</p>
<p>&#8220;You&#8217;ve said it,&#8221; replied Hughson. &#8220;At least
half of the men will have their wives along, and
then there&#8217;s a whole bunch of fans who have been
meaning to go round the world anyway who will
think this a good chance to mix baseball and globe
trotting. Altogether I shouldn&#8217;t wonder if there
would be about a hundred in the party. Some
of the fellows will have their sisters with them,
and you boys had better look out or you&#8217;ll lose
your hearts to them. But perhaps,&#8221; he added,
as he saw a look of quick intelligence pass between
the chums, &#8220;you&#8217;re already past praying
for.&#8221;</p>
<p>Neither one of them denied the soft impeachment.</p>
<p>&#8220;By the way,&#8221; said Hughson, changing the subject,
&#8220;while I think of it, Joe, I want to give you
a tip to be on your guard against &#8216;Bugs&#8217; Hartley.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Why, what&#8217;s he up to, now?&#8221; inquired Joe.</p>
<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t know,&#8221; Hughson replied. &#8220;But I do
know that he&#8217;s sore at you through and through.
He&#8217;s got the idea in that twisted brain of his that
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_74' name='page_74'></a>74</span>
you got him off the Giant team. I met him in
the street the other day&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Half drunk, I suppose,&#8221; interjected Jim.</p>
<p>&#8220;More than half,&#8221; replied Hughson. &#8220;He&#8217;s
got to be a regular panhandler&mdash;struck me for a
loan, and while I was getting it for him, he talked
in a rambling way of how he was going to get
even with you. Of course I shut him up, but I
couldn&#8217;t talk him out of his fixed idea. He&#8217;ll do
you a mischief if he ever gets the chance.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s tried it before,&#8221; said Joe. &#8220;He nearly
knocked me out when he doped my coffee. Poor
old &#8216;Bugs&#8217;&mdash;he&#8217;s his own worst enemy.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;But he&#8217;s your enemy too,&#8221; persisted Hughson.
&#8220;And don&#8217;t forget that a crazy man is a
dangerous man.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Thanks for the tip,&#8221; replied Joe. &#8220;But
&#8216;threatened men live long&#8217; and I guess I&#8217;m no
exception to the rule!&#8221;</p>
<hr class='major' />
<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
<a name='IX_THE_UNDER_DOG' id='IX_THE_UNDER_DOG'></a>
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_75' name='page_75'></a>75</span>
<h2>CHAPTER IX</h2>
<h3>THE UNDER DOG</h3>
</div>

<p>&#8220;Talking of angels!&#8221; exclaimed Jim, giving
Joe a sharp nudge in the ribs.</p>
<p>Joe looked up quickly and saw Hartley coming
down the corridor.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s &#8216;Bugs,&#8217; sure enough,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And, for
a wonder, he&#8217;s walking straight.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Guess he&#8217;s on his good behavior,&#8221; remarked
Hughson. &#8220;There&#8217;s a big meeting of the American
League here just now, winding up the affairs
of the league, now that the playing season is over.
Maybe Hartley thinks he has a chance to catch
on somewhere. Like everybody else that&#8217;s played
in the big leagues, he hates to go back to the
bushes. He&#8217;d be a find, too, if he&#8217;d only cut out
the booze&mdash;there&#8217;s lots of good baseball in him
yet.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s a natural player,&#8221; said Joe, generously.
&#8220;And one of the best pitchers I ever saw. You
know how Mac tried to hold on to him.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t think he has a Chinaman&#8217;s chance,
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_76' name='page_76'></a>76</span>
though, of staying in big league company,&#8221; observed
Jim. &#8220;After the way he tried to give
away our signals in that game at Boston, the
Nationals wouldn&#8217;t touch him with a ten-foot
pole, and I don&#8217;t think the American has any use
for him either. You might forgive him for being
a drunkard, but not for being a traitor.&#8221;</p>
<p>Hartley had caught sight of the group, and at
first seemed rather undecided whether to go on
or stop. The bitter feeling he had for Joe, however,
was too strong to resist, and he came over
to where they were. He paid no attention to
Jim, and gave a curt nod to Hughson and fixed a
malignant stare on Joe.</p>
<p>&#8220;All dolled up,&#8221; he said, with a sneer, as he
noted the quiet but handsome suit that Joe was
wearing. &#8220;I could have glad rags, too, if you
hadn&#8217;t bilked me out of four thousand dollars.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Cut out that talk, Bugs,&#8221; said Joe, though not
unkindly. &#8220;I never did you out of anything and
you know it.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Yes, you did,&#8221; snarled Hartley. &#8220;You got
me fired from the Giants and did me out of my
share of the World&#8217;s Series money.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;You did yourself out of it, Bugs,&#8221; said Joe,
patiently. &#8220;I did my best to have Mac hold on
to you. I never was anything but your friend.
Do you remember how Jim and I put you to bed
that night in St. Louis when you were drunk? We
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_77' name='page_77'></a>77</span>
took you up the back way so Mac wouldn&#8217;t get
next. Take a fool&#8217;s advice, Bugs&mdash;cut out the
liquor and play the game.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t want any advice from you!&#8221; sneered
Hartley. &#8220;And take it from me, I&#8217;ll get you
yet.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Beat it, Bugs!&#8221; Jim broke in sternly, &#8220;while
the going&#8217;s good. Roll your hoop now, or I&#8217;ll
help you.&#8221;</p>
<p>Hartley hesitated a moment, but took Jim&#8217;s
advice and with a muttered threat went on his
way.</p>
<p>&#8220;Mad as a March hare,&#8221; murmured Jim, as
they watched the retreating figure.</p>
<p>&#8220;Do a man a favor and he&#8217;ll never forgive
you,&#8221; quoted Joe.</p>
<p>&#8220;Where did he get his grouch against you?&#8221;
asked Hughson, curiously.</p>
<p>&#8220;Search me,&#8221; replied Joe. &#8220;I think it dates
from the time when he was batted out of the box
and Mac sent me in to take his place. I won the
game and Bugs has been sore at me ever since.
He figured that I tried to show him up.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I wonder how he got here?&#8221; mused Hughson.
&#8220;The last time I saw him was in New York, and
the money I lent him wasn&#8217;t enough to bring
him on.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Perhaps Mac gave him transportation,&#8221; suggested
Jim.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_78' name='page_78'></a>78</span></p>
<p>&#8220;Not on your life,&#8221; rejoined Hughson.
&#8220;Mac&#8217;s got a heart as big as a house, but he
hates a traitor. You see, though, Joe, I was
right in giving you the tip. Keep your eyes open,
old man.&#8221;</p>
<p>Joe was about to make a laughing reply, but
just at that moment Larry and Denton came
along with broad smiles of welcome on their faces,
and the unpleasant episode was forgotten.</p>
<p>It was a jolly party that left Chicago the next
morning for the trip around the world. The
managers had chartered a special train which was
made up wholly of Pullman sleepers, a dining
car and a smoker.</p>
<p>It was travel <i>de luxe</i>, and the sumptuous train
was to be their home for the full month that would
elapse before they reached the coast.</p>
<p>&#8220;Rather soft, eh, for the poor baseball slaves,&#8221;
grinned Jim, as he stretched out his long legs
luxuriously and gazed out of the window at the
flying telegraph poles.</p>
<p>&#8220;This is the life,&#8221; chanted Larry Barrett.</p>
<p>&#8220;Nothing to do till to-morrow,&#8221; chimed in
Denton. &#8220;And not much even then.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t you boys go patting yourselves on the
back,&#8221; smiled Robbie, looking more like a cherub
than ever, as he stopped beside their seats on his
way along the aisle. &#8220;These games, remember,
are to be the real thing&mdash;there&#8217;s going to be no
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_79' name='page_79'></a>79</span>
sloppy or careless work just because you&#8217;re not
playing for the championship. They&#8217;re going to
be fights from the time the gong rings till the last
man is out in the ninth inning.&#8221;</p>
<p>If Robbie wanted action, he got it, and the
first games had a snap and vim about them that
augured well for the success of the trip. It is
true that the players had not the stimulus that
comes from a fight for the pennant, but other motives
were not lacking.</p>
<p>There was one game which was a nip-and-tuck
affair from start to finish. At the end of the
fourth inning the score stood 1 to 1, and at the
end of the sixth inning the score had advanced so
that it stood 2 to 2.</p>
<p>&#8220;Say, we don&#8217;t seem to be getting anywhere in
this game,&#8221; remarked Jim to Joe.</p>
<p>&#8220;Oh, well, we&#8217;ve got three more innings to
play,&#8221; was the answer.</p>
<p>In the seventh inning a most remarkable happening
occurred. The All-Americans had three
men on bases with nobody out. It looked as if
they might score, but Joe took a sudden brace and
pitched the next man at the bat out in one-two-three
order.</p>
<p>The next man up knocked a pop fly, which Joe
gathered in with ease.</p>
<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s the way to do it, Joe!&#8221; sang out one of
his companions. &#8220;Now go for the third man!&#8221;
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_80' name='page_80'></a>80</span></p>
<p>The third fellow to the bat was a notable hitter,
and nearly every one thought he would lace out
at least a two-bagger, bringing in probably three
runs. Instead, however, he knocked two fouls,
and then sent a liner down to first base, which the
baseman caught with ease; and that ended the
chance for scoring.</p>
<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s pulling it out of the fire!&#8221; cried McRae.
The showing had been a good one, but what
made the inning so remarkable was the fact that
in one-two-three order the Giants got the bases
filled exactly as they had been filled before. Then,
more amazing still, the next man was pitched out,
the second man knocked a pop fly to the pitcher,
and it was Joe himself, coming to the bat, hit out a
liner to third base, which was gathered in by the
baseman, thus ending the Giants hope of scoring.</p>
<p>&#8220;Well, what do you know about that!&#8221; cried
Brennan. &#8220;The inning on each side was exactly
alike, with the exception that our third man out
flied to first base, while your man flied to third.&#8221;</p>
<p>But that ended the similarity both in batting and
in scoring, for in the eighth inning the Giants
added another run to their score, and held this
lead to the end, even though the All-Americans
fought desperately in the effort to tie the score.</p>
<p>&#8220;Oh, we had to win,&#8221; said one of the Giants.
&#8220;Too many of our folks looking at us to lose.&#8221;</p>
<p>Many members of the teams had their wives
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_81' name='page_81'></a>81</span>
or sisters with them, and defeat would have been
galling under the eyes of the fair spectators.</p>
<p>Then, too, the Giants had their reputation to
sustain as the Champions of the World. On the
other hand, the All-Americans were anxious to
show that even though they had not been in the
World&#8217;s Series, they ought to have been&mdash;and
it was a keen delight to them to make their adversaries
bite the dust.</p>
<p>Add to this the fact that there was a strong
spirit of rivalry, good-natured but intense, between
the scrappy McRae and the equally pugnacious
Brennan, whose team had been nosed out
by the Giants in that last desperate race down the
stretch for the pennant, and it is no wonder that
the crowds kept getting larger in every city they
played, that the gate receipts made the managers
chuckle, that the great city papers gave extended
reports of the games and that the baseball trip
around the world began to engross the attention
of every lover of sports in the country.</p>
<p>Joe had never been in finer fettle. His fast
balls went over the plate like bullets from a gatling
gun. His fadeaway was working to a charm.
He wound the ball near the batters&#8217; necks and
curved it out of reach of their bats with an ease
and precision that explained to the applauding
crowds why he was rated as the foremost pitcher
of the day.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_82' name='page_82'></a>82</span></p>
<p>Jim, too, showed the effect of his season&#8217;s work
and Joe&#8217;s helpful coaching, and between the two
they accounted for three of the games won by the
Giants before they reached Colorado. Two
other games had gone to the All-Americans in
slap-dash, ding-dong finishes, and it was an even
thing as to which team would have the most
games to its credit by the time they had reached
the Pacific coast.</p>
<p>The tension was relaxed somewhat when they
reached Denver, where, for the first time, instead
of fighting it out between themselves a team picked
from both nines was to play the local club.</p>
<p>&#8220;Here&#8217;s where we get a rest,&#8221; sighed Mylert,
the burly catcher of the Giant team.</p>
<p>&#8220;It will be no trick at all to wipe up the earth
with these bushers,&#8221; laughed Larry Barrett.</p>
<p>&#8220;What we&#8217;ll do to them will be a sin and a
shame,&#8221; agreed &#8220;Red&#8221; Curry, he of the flaming
mop, who was accustomed to play the &#8220;sun field&#8221;
at the Polo Grounds.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s almost a crime to show them up before
their home crowd,&#8221; chimed in Iredell, the Giant
shortstop.</p>
<p>But if the local club was in for a beating, they
showed no special trepidation as they came out
on the field for practice. If the haughty major
leaguers had expected their humble adversaries
to roll over and play dead in advance of the game
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_83' name='page_83'></a>83</span>
itself, they were certainly doomed to disappointment.</p>
<p>The home team went through its preliminary
work in a snappy, finished way that brought frequent
applause from the crowds that thronged the
stand.</p>
<p>Before the game, Brennan, of the Chicagos,
sauntered over to Thorpe, the local manager,
who chanced to be an old acquaintance.</p>
<p>&#8220;Got a dandy crowd here to-day, Bill,&#8221; he said.
&#8220;We ought to give them a run for their money.
Suppose I lend you one of our star pitchers, just
to make things more interesting.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Thank you, Roger,&#8221; Thorpe replied, with a
slow smile, &#8220;but I think we&#8217;re going to make it
interesting for you fellows, anyway.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Quit your kidding,&#8221; grinned Brennan, with a
facetious poke in the ribs, and strolled back to
the bench.</p>
<p>The gong rang, the field cleared, and the visiting
team came to the bat. Larry, who had finished
the season in a blaze of glory as the leading
batsman of the National League came up to the
plate, swinging three bats. He threw away two
of them, tapped his heels for luck and grinned
complacently at the Denver pitcher.</p>
<p>&#8220;Trot out the best you&#8217;ve got, kid,&#8221; he called,
&#8220;and if you can put it over the plate I&#8217;ll murder
it.&#8221;</p>
<hr class='major' />
<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
<a name='X_BY_A_HAIR' id='X_BY_A_HAIR'></a>
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_84' name='page_84'></a>84</span>
<h2>CHAPTER X</h2>
<h3>BY A HAIR</h3>
</div>

<p>The pitcher, a dark-skinned, rangy fellow,
wound up deliberately and shot the ball over. It
split the plate clean. Larry swung at it&mdash;and
missed it by two inches.</p>
<p>He looked mildly surprised, but set it down to
the luck of the game and squared himself for a
second attempt. This time he figured on a curve,
but the boxman out-guessed him with a slow one
that floated up to the plate as big as a balloon.</p>
<p>Larry almost broke his back in reaching for it,
but again fanned the air. The visiting players,
who had looked on rather languidly, straightened
up on the bench.</p>
<p>&#8220;Some class to that pitcher,&#8221; ejaculated Willis.</p>
<p>&#8220;It isn&#8217;t often that a bush leaguer makes a
monkey out of Larry,&#8221; replied Burkett.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve seen these minor league pitchers before,&#8221;
grinned &#8220;Red&#8221; Curry. &#8220;They start off like a
house afire, but about the fifth inning they begin
to crumple up.&#8221;
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_85' name='page_85'></a>85</span></p>
<p>The third ball pitched was a wide outcurve at
which Larry refused to bite. He fouled off the
next two and then swung savagely at a wicked
drop that got away from him.</p>
<p>&#8220;You&#8217;re out,&#8221; called the umpire as the ball
thudded into the catcher&#8217;s mitt, and Larry came
back a little sheepishly to his grinning comrades
on the bench.</p>
<p>&#8220;What&#8217;s the matter, Larry?&#8221; queried Iredell,
as he moved up to make room for him. &#8220;Off your
feed to-day?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;You&#8217;ll find out what the matter is when you
face that bird,&#8221; snorted Larry. &#8220;He&#8217;s the real
goods, and don&#8217;t you forget it.&#8221;</p>
<p>Denton, the second man in the batting order,
took a ball and a strike, and then dribbled an
easy roller to the box, which the swarthy pitcher
had no trouble in getting to first on time.</p>
<p>Burkett, who followed, had better luck and sent
a clean single between first and second. A shout
went up from the Giant bench, which became a
groan a moment later, when a snap throw by
the pitcher nailed Burkett three feet off the
bag.</p>
<p>The half inning had been smartly played and
the Giants took the field with a slightly greater
respect for their opponents.</p>
<p>Joe had pitched the day before, and it was up
to Fraser to take his turn in the box. He walked
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_86' name='page_86'></a>86</span>
out to his position with easy confidence. He was
one of the best pitchers in either league, and it
was he who had faced Joe in that last battle
royal of the World&#8217;s Series and had gone down
defeated, but not disgraced.</p>
<p>But to-day from the start, it was evident that
he was not himself. His speed was there and
the curves, but control was lacking.</p>
<p>&#8220;Wild as a hawk,&#8221; muttered McRae, as the
first Denver man trotted down to base on balls.</p>
<p>&#8220;Can&#8217;t seem to locate the plate at all,&#8221; grunted
Robbie.</p>
<p>&#8220;He&#8217;ll pull himself together all right,&#8221; remarked
Brennan, hopefully.</p>
<p>But the prophecy proved false, and the next
two men up waited him out and were also rewarded
with passes. The bases were full without
a hit having been made, and the crowds in
the stand were roaring like mad.</p>
<p>Brennan from the coaching lines at first waved
to Fraser and the latter, drawing off his glove,
walked disgustedly to the bench.</p>
<p>&#8220;What&#8217;s the matter with you to-day?&#8221; queried
McRae. &#8220;You seemed to think the plate was up
in the grandstand.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Couldn&#8217;t get the hang of it, somehow,&#8221;
Fraser excused himself. &#8220;Just my off day, I
guess.&#8221;</p>
<p>Hamilton succeeded him in the box, and from
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_87' name='page_87'></a>87</span>
the way he started out it seemed as though he
were going to redeem the poor work of his predecessor.
He struck out the first man on three
pitched balls, made the second send up a towering
foul that Mylert caught after a long run, and
the major leaguers began to breathe more
freely.</p>
<p>&#8220;Guess he&#8217;ll pull out of the hole all right,&#8221; remarked
Robbie.</p>
<p>But for the next batter, Hamilton, grown perhaps
a trifle too confident, put one over in the
groove, and the batter banged out a tremendous
three-bagger to right field. Curry made a gallant
try for it but could not quite reach.</p>
<p>Three runs came over the plate, while the
panting batsman slid to third. The crowd in the
stands went wild then, and Thorpe, the manager
of the local team, grinned in a mocking way at
Brennan.</p>
<p>&#8220;Is this interesting enough?&#8221; he drawled, referring
to Brennan&#8217;s patronizing offer to lend
him a player.</p>
<p>&#8220;Just a bit of luck,&#8221; growled Brennan. &#8220;A
few inches more and Curry would have got his
hooks on the ball. Beside, the game&#8217;s young yet.
We&#8217;ve got the class and that&#8217;s bound to tell.&#8221;</p>
<p>Hamilton, whose blood was up, put on more
steam, and the third player went out on an infield
fly. But the damage had been done, and those
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_88' name='page_88'></a>88</span>
three runs at the very start loomed up as a serious
handicap.</p>
<p>&#8220;Three big juicy ones,&#8221; mourned McRae.</p>
<p>&#8220;And all of them on passes,&#8221; groaned Robbie.
&#8220;Too bad we didn&#8217;t put Hamilton in right at the
start.&#8221;</p>
<p>Neither team scored in the second inning, and
the third also passed without result.</p>
<p>Hamilton was mowing down the opposing
batters with ease and grace. But the swarthy
flinger for the local club was not a bit behind
him. The heavy sluggers of the visiting teams
seemed as helpless before him as so many school-boys.</p>
<p>&#8220;That fellow won&#8217;t be in the minors long,&#8221;
commented Brennan. &#8220;I wonder some of my
scouts haven&#8217;t gone after him before this. Who
is he, anyway?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll tell you who he is,&#8221; broke in Robbie, suddenly.
&#8220;I knew I&#8217;d seen him before somewhere,
and I&#8217;ve been puzzling all this time to place him.
Now I&#8217;ve tumbled. It&#8217;s Alvarez, the crack pitcher
of Cuba.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Do you mean the fellow that stood the Athletics
on their heads when they made that winter
trip to Cuba a couple of years ago?&#8221; asked
McRae.</p>
<p>&#8220;The same one,&#8221; affirmed Robbie. &#8220;I happened
to be there at one of the games, and he
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_89' name='page_89'></a>89</span>
showed them up&mdash;hundred thousand dollar infield
and all. Connie was fairly dancing as he
saw his pets slaughtered. I tell you, that fellow&#8217;s
a wonder&mdash;he&#8217;d have been in a major league long
ago if it hadn&#8217;t been for his color. He may be
only a Cuban, and he says he is, but he&#8217;s so dark-skinned
that there&#8217;d be some prejudice against
him and that&#8217;s barred him out.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s what made Thorpe so confident,&#8221;
growled Brennan. &#8220;He&#8217;s worked in a &#8216;ringer&#8217; on
us. We ought to make a kick.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;That would put us in a nice light, wouldn&#8217;t
it?&#8221; replied McRae, stormily. &#8220;We&#8217;d like to see
it in the papers, that the major leagues played the
baby act because they couldn&#8217;t bat a bush pitcher.
Not on your life! Thorpe would be tickled to
death to have us make a squeal. We&#8217;ll simply
have to lick him.&#8221;</p>
<p>But if the promised licking was yet to come,
it was not in evidence in the next two innings.
Alvarez seemed as fresh as at the beginning, and
his arm worked with the force and precision of a
piston rod.</p>
<p>&#8220;What&#8217;s the matter with you fellows, anyway?&#8221;
raged McRae, when the end of the fifth
inning saw the score remain unchanged. &#8220;You
ought to be in the old ladies&#8217; home. It&#8217;s a joke
to call you ball players.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;It must be this Denver air,&#8221; ventured Willis.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_90' name='page_90'></a>90</span>
&#8220;It&#8217;s so high up here that a fellow finds it hard to
breathe. These Denver boobs are used to it and
we&#8217;re not.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Air! air!&#8221; snapped McRae. &#8220;I notice you&#8217;ve
got plenty of hot air. Go in and play the game,
you bunch of false alarms.&#8221;</p>
<p>Whether it was owing to his rasping tongue or
their own growing resentment at the impudence
of the minor leaguers, the All-Americans broke
the ice in the sixth.</p>
<p>Burkett lined out a beauty between left and
center that was good for two bases. Willis followed
with a towering sky scraper to right, which,
although it was caught after a long run, enabled
Burkett to get to third before the ball was returned.
Then Becker who had perished twice before
on feeble taps to the infield, whaled out a
home run to the intense jubilation of his mates.</p>
<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve got his number!&#8221; yelled Larry, doing
a jig on the coaching lines.</p>
<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s going up,&#8221; sang out &#8220;Red&#8221; Curry.</p>
<p>&#8220;I knew he couldn&#8217;t last,&#8221; taunted Iredell, as
he threw his cap in the air.</p>
<p>But Alvarez was not through, by any means.
Undaunted by that tremendous home run which
might have taken the heart out of any pitcher,
he braced himself, and the next two men went
out on fouls.</p>
<p>&#8220;I thought we had them on the run that time,&#8221;
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_91' name='page_91'></a>91</span>
observed McRae, &#8220;but he&#8217;s got the old comeback
right with him.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Never mind,&#8221; exulted Robbie. &#8220;We&#8217;re beginning
to find him now, and we&#8217;ve cut down that
big lead of theirs to one run. The boys will get
after him the next inning.&#8221;</p>
<p>But even the lucky seventh passed without
bringing any luck to the visitors, and although the
major leaguers got two men on bases in the
eighth, the inning ended with the score still three
to two in favor of the local club.</p>
<p>&#8220;Looks as though we were up against it,&#8221; said
Jim, anxiously, as the Giants went to bat for the
last time.</p>
<p>&#8220;It sure does,&#8221; responded Joe. &#8220;I&#8217;ll hate to
look at the papers to-morrow morning. The
whole country will have the laugh on us.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;The boys will want to keep away from McRae
if they lose,&#8221; said Jim. &#8220;He&#8217;ll be as peeved as a
bear with a sore head for the next three days or
so.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Now, Larry, show them where you live,&#8221;
sang out Curry, as the head of the Giant batting
order strode to the plate.</p>
<p>&#8220;Kill it,&#8221; entreated Willis. &#8220;Hit it on the
seam.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Send it a mile,&#8221; exhorted Becker.</p>
<p>It was not a mile that Larry sent it, but it
looked so to the left and center fielders who
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_92' name='page_92'></a>92</span>
chased it as it went on a line between the two.
A cleaner home run had probably never been
knocked out on the Denver grounds.</p>
<p>Larry came galloping in to be mauled and
pounded by his exulting mates, while McRae
brought down his hand on Robbie&#8217;s knee with a
force that made that worthy wince.</p>
<p>&#8220;That ties it up,&#8221; he cried. &#8220;Now, boys, for a
whirlwind finish!&#8221;</p>
<hr class='major' />
<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
<a name='XI_A_CLOSE_CALL' id='XI_A_CLOSE_CALL'></a>
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_93' name='page_93'></a>93</span>
<h2>CHAPTER XI</h2>
<h3>A CLOSE CALL</h3>
</div>

<p>The crowds in the stand, which had been uproarious
a few moments before, were quiet now.
The lead which the local club had held throughout
the game had vanished; the visitors had
played an uphill game worthy of their reputation,
and now they had at least an even chance.</p>
<p>Denton came to the bat, eager to emulate
Larry&#8217;s feat, but Alvarez was unsteady now&mdash;that
last home run had taken something out of him.
He found it hard to locate the plate, and Denton
trotted down to first on balls.</p>
<p>As no man was out and only one run was needed
to gain the lead, a sacrifice was the proper play,
and Burkett laid down a neat bunt in front of the
plate that carried Denton to second, although the
batter died at first.</p>
<p>Alvarez purposely passed Willis on the chance
of the next batter hitting into a double play,
which would have retired the side. Becker made
a mighty effort to bring his comrades in, but hit
under the ball, and it went high in the air and
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_94' name='page_94'></a>94</span>
was caught by Alvarez as it came down, without
the pitcher moving from his tracks.</p>
<p>With two out, there was no need of a double
play and the infielders, who had been playing close
in, resumed their usual positions. Iredell, the
next man up caught the ball square on the end
of his bat and sent it whistling between center
and third. The shortstop leaped up and knocked
the ball down, but it was going too fast for him
to hold.</p>
<p>Denton had left second at the crack of the bat,
and by the time the infielder regained the ball had
rounded third and was tearing like a racehorse
toward the plate. There was little time to get
set and the hurried throw home went over the
catcher&#8217;s head. Denton slid feet first over the
plate, scoring the run that put his team in the
lead.</p>
<p>Willis tried to make it good measure by coming
close behind him, but by this time the catcher
had recovered the ball and shot it back to Alvarez
who was guarding the plate. He nipped Willis
by three feet and the side was out.</p>
<p>But that one run in the lead looked as big as a
house at that stage in the game.</p>
<p>&#8220;All you&#8217;ve got to do now, Hamilton, old man,
is to hold them down in their half,&#8221; said Brennan.</p>
<p>&#8220;Cinch,&#8221; grinned Hamilton. &#8220;I&#8217;ll have them
eating out of my hand.&#8221;
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_95' name='page_95'></a>95</span></p>
<p>But the uncertainty that makes the national
game the most fascinating one in the world was
demonstrated when the Denver team came in to
do-or-die in their half of the ninth.</p>
<p>Hamilton fed the first batter a snaky curve,
which he lashed at savagely but vainly. The
next was a slow one and resulted in a chop to the
infield which Larry would have ordinarily gobbled
up without trouble. But the ball took an ugly
bound just as he was all set for it and went over
his head toward right. Before Curry could get
the ball the batter had reached second and the
stands were once more in an uproar.</p>
<p>The uproar increased when Hamilton, somewhat
shaken by the incident, gave the next batter
a base on balls, and the broad smiles which had
suffused the faces of Robbie and McRae began
to fade.</p>
<p>&#8220;Is Hamilton going up, do you think?&#8221; asked
the Giant manager, anxiously.</p>
<p>&#8220;Looks something like it,&#8221; replied Robbie,
&#8220;but he&#8217;ll probably brace. You see Denton&#8217;s
talking to him now, to give him a chance to rest
up a little.&#8221;</p>
<p>The third baseman had strolled over to Hamilton
on pretense of discussing some point of play,
but the crowd saw through the subterfuge, and
shouts of protest went up:</p>
<p>&#8220;Hire a hall!&#8221;
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_96' name='page_96'></a>96</span></p>
<p>&#8220;Write him a letter!&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Play ball!&#8221;</p>
<p>Not a bit flustered by the shouts, Denton took
his time, and after encouraging his team mate
sauntered slowly back to his position.</p>
<p>But Hamilton&#8217;s good right arm had lost its
cunning. His first ball was wild, and the batter,
seeing this, waited him out and was given a pass.
His comrades moved up and the bags were full,
with none out and the heaviest sluggers of the
team coming to the bat.</p>
<p>McRae and Brennan had been holding an earnest
conference, and now on a signal from them
Hamilton came in from the box.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s no use,&#8221; said McRae to Brennan, while
the crowd howled in derision. &#8220;We&#8217;ll have to
play our trump and put Matson in to hold them
down.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;But he hasn&#8217;t warmed up,&#8221; said Brennan dubiously.</p>
<p>&#8220;That makes no difference,&#8221; replied McRae.
&#8220;I&#8217;d rather put him in cold than anyone else
warm.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;All right; do as you please,&#8221; responded the
other manager.</p>
<p>McRae called over to where Joe was sitting.
The crack pitcher had been watching the progress
of the game with keen interest, although making
comparatively few comments. As McRae
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_97' name='page_97'></a>97</span>
approached Joe, the crowd howled louder than ever
at Hamilton.</p>
<p>&#8220;Why don&#8217;t you learn how to pitch?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Say, let us send one of the high-school boys
into the box for you!&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Too bad, old man, but I guess we&#8217;ve got your
goat all right!&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I guess you know what I want, Joe,&#8221; cried
McRae. &#8220;I want you to get in the box for us.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;All right, Mac,&#8221; was the young pitcher&#8217;s answer.</p>
<p>&#8220;And, Joe,&#8221; went on the other earnestly, &#8220;try
to think for the next five minutes that you&#8217;re pitching
for the pennant.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll do anything you say,&#8221; was Joe&#8217;s reply; and
then he drew on his glove and walked out upon the
ball field.</p>
<p>&#8220;Hello! what do you know about that?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Matson is going to pitch for them!&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I guess they&#8217;ve enough of that other dub!&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Oh, Hamilton isn&#8217;t a dub, by any means,&#8221; replied
one of the spectators sharply. &#8220;He&#8217;s a good
player, but a pitcher can&#8217;t always be at his
best.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;But just you wait and see how we do up Matson!&#8221;
cried a local sympathizer.</p>
<p>At a signal the next man to bat stepped away
from the plate, and Joe had the privilege of warming
up by sending three hot ones to the catcher.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_98' name='page_98'></a>98</span></p>
<p>&#8220;He&#8217;ll put &#8217;em over all right enough!&#8221; cried
one of his friends.</p>
<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s what he will!&#8221; returned another.</p>
<p>&#8220;Not much! He&#8217;ll be snowed under!&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;This is our winning day!&#8221;</p>
<p>So the cries continued until the umpire held up
his hand for silence.</p>
<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s going to make an announcement!&#8221; cried
a number of the spectators.</p>
<p>&#8220;Ladies and gentlemen,&#8221; roared the umpire, removing
his cap, &#8220;Matson now pitching for the
All-Americans.&#8221;</p>
<p>A howl went up from the stands, made up in
about equal parts of derision and applause. Derision
because the All-American team must, they
figured, be scared to death when they had to send
their greatest player into the game. Whether they
won or lost it was a great compliment to the
Denver team. The applause came from the
genuine sportsmen who knew the famous pitcher
by reputation and welcomed the chance to see him
in action.</p>
<p>The three men on the bases were dancing about
like dervishes in the hope of rattling the newcomer.
They did not know Joe.</p>
<p>Never cooler than when the strain was greatest
and the need most urgent, Joe bent down to pick
up the ball. As he did so, he touched it, apparently
accidentally, against his right heel.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_99' name='page_99'></a>99</span></p>
<p>It was a signal meant for Denton, the third
baseman, who was watching him like a hawk.</p>
<p>Joe took up his position in the box, took a
grip on the ball, but instead of delivering it to the
batter turned suddenly on his left heel, as though
to snap it down to first. The Denver player at
that bag, who had taken a lead of several feet,
made a frantic slide back to safety.</p>
<p>But the ball never got to first, for Joe had
swung himself all the way round and shot the
ball like a bullet to Denton at third. The local
player at third had been watching eagerly the
outcome of the supposed throw to first and was
caught completely unawares.</p>
<p>Down came Denton&#8217;s hand, clapping the ball
on his back, while the victim stood dazed as
though in a trance.</p>
<p>It was the prettiest kind of &#8220;inside work,&#8221; and
even the home crowd went into convulsions of
laughter as the trapped player came sheepishly
in from third to the bench.</p>
<p>McRae was beaming, and Robbie&#8217;s rubicund
face became several degrees redder under the
strain of his emotion.</p>
<p>&#8220;Say, is that boy class, John?&#8221; Robbie gurgled,
as soon as he could speak.</p>
<p>&#8220;Never saw a niftier thing on the ball field,&#8221;
responded McRae warmly. &#8220;When that boy
thinks, he runs rings around lightning.&#8221;
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_100' name='page_100'></a>100</span></p>
<p>&#8220;And he&#8217;s thinking all the time,&#8221; chimed in
Jim.</p>
<p>But the peril was not yet over. The man at
the most dangerous corner had been disposed of,
yet there was still a man on first and another on
second. A safe hit would tie the game at least,
and possibly win it.</p>
<p>Joe wound up deliberately and shot a high fast
one over the plate. It came so swiftly that the
batter did not offer at it, and looked aggrieved
when the umpire called it a strike.</p>
<p>The next was a crafty outcurve which went as
a ball. The batsman fouled off the next.</p>
<p>With two strikes on and only one ball called,
Joe was on &#8220;easy street&#8221; and could afford to
&#8220;waste a few.&#8221; Twice in succession he tempted
the batsman with balls that were wide of the
plate, but the batter was wary and refused
them.</p>
<p>Now the count was &#8220;two and three,&#8221; and the
crowd broke into a roar.</p>
<p>&#8220;Good eye, old man!&#8221; they shouted to the
batter.</p>
<p>&#8220;You&#8217;ve got him in a hole!&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;It only takes one to do it!&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s got to put it over!&#8221;</p>
<p>With all the force of his sinewy arm, Joe
&#8220;put it over.&#8221;</p>
<p>The batsman made a wicked drive at it and
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_101' name='page_101'></a>101</span>
sent it hurtling to the box about two feet over
Joe&#8217;s head.</p>
<p>Joe saw it coming, leaped into the air and
speared it with his gloved hand. The men on
bases had started to run, thinking it a sure hit.
Joe wheeled and sent the ball down to Burkett
at first.</p>
<p>&#8220;Look at that!&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Some speed, eh?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I should say so.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Matson has got them going!&#8221;</p>
<p>The man who had left the bag strove desperately
to get back, but he was too late. That
rattling double play had ended the game with the
All-American team a victor by a score of four to
three.</p>
<p>Joe&#8217;s fingers tingled as he pulled off the glove,
for that terrific drive had stung. The crowd had
been stunned for a moment by the suddenness
with which the game and their hopes of victory
had gone glimmering. But it had been a remarkable
play and the first silence was followed by a
round of sportsmanlike applause&mdash;though of
course it was nothing to what would have greeted
the victory of the home team.</p>
<p>&#8220;Fine work, Matson!&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Best I ever saw!&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;You&#8217;re the boy to do it.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Best pitcher in the world!&#8221;
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_102' name='page_102'></a>102</span></p>
<p>Joe found himself the center of a joyous crowd
when he reached his own bench. All were jubilant
that they had escaped the humiliation of being
whipped by a minor league team.</p>
<p>&#8220;You&#8217;ve brought home the bacon, Joe!&#8221; chortled
McRae.</p>
<p>&#8220;We all did,&#8221; replied Joe. &#8220;But we almost
dropped it on the way!&#8221; he added, with a grin.</p>
<hr class='major' />
<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
<a name='XII_A_DASTARDLY_ATTACK' id='XII_A_DASTARDLY_ATTACK'></a>
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_103' name='page_103'></a>103</span>
<h2>CHAPTER XII</h2>
<h3>A DASTARDLY ATTACK</h3>
</div>

<p>The tourists&#8217; train was scheduled to leave Denver
at eleven-thirty that night, so that there was
ample time after the game for a leisurely meal
and a few hours for recreation for any of the
party that felt so inclined.</p>
<p>Some went to the theater, others played cards,
while others sat about the lobby of the leading
hotel and discussed the exciting events of the
afternoon&#8217;s game.</p>
<p>As for Joe and Jim, their recreation took the
form of long letters to two charming young ladies
whose address, by coincidence, happened to be
Riverside. Both seemed to have much to write
about, for it was nearly ten o&#8217;clock before the
bulky letters were ready for mailing.</p>
<p>&#8220;Give them to me and I&#8217;ll take them down to
the hotel lobby and mail them,&#8221; said Jim, as they
rose from the writing table.</p>
<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t know,&#8221; replied Joe, as he looked at
his watch. &#8220;Perhaps the last collection for the
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_104' name='page_104'></a>104</span>
outgoing eastbound mail has already been made.
What do you say to going down to the post-office
itself and dropping them in there? Then they&#8217;ll
be sure to go.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;All right,&#8221; Jim acquiesced. &#8220;It&#8217;s a dandy
night anyway for a walk and I&#8217;d like to stretch
my legs a little. Come along.&#8221;</p>
<p>They went out into the brilliantly lighted
streets, which at that hour were still full of people,
and turned toward the post-office which was
about half a mile distant.</p>
<p>As they were passing a corner, Jim suddenly
clutched Joe&#8217;s arm.</p>
<p>&#8220;Did you see that fellow who went into that
saloon just now?&#8221; he asked, indicating a rather
pretentious café.</p>
<p>&#8220;No,&#8221; said Joe, dryly. &#8220;But it isn&#8217;t such an
unusual thing that I&#8217;d pay a nickel to see it.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Quit your fooling,&#8221; said Jim. &#8220;If that fellow
wasn&#8217;t Bugs Hartley, then my eyes are going back
on me.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;You&#8217;re dreaming,&#8221; Joe retorted. &#8220;What in
the world would Bugs be doing in Denver?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Panhandling, maybe,&#8221; returned Jim. &#8220;Drinking,
certainly. But it isn&#8217;t what he&#8217;s doing that
interests me. It&#8217;s the fact that he&#8217;s here.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Let&#8217;s take a look,&#8221; suggested Joe, impressed
by his friend&#8217;s earnestness.</p>
<p>They went up to the swinging door, pushed it
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_105' name='page_105'></a>105</span>
open and looked in. There were perhaps a dozen
men in the place, but Hartley was not among
them.</p>
<p>&#8220;Barking up the wrong tree, Jim,&#8221; chaffed Joe.</p>
<p>&#8220;Maybe,&#8221; agreed Jim a little perplexed, &#8220;but
if it wasn&#8217;t Bugs it was his double.&#8221;</p>
<p>They reached the post-office and after mailing
their letters turned back towards the hotel.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s taken us a little longer than I thought,&#8221;
remarked Jim, looking at his watch. &#8220;We won&#8217;t
have any more than time to get our traps together
and get down to the train.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;This looks like a short cut,&#8221; said Joe, indicating
a side street which though rather dark and
deserted cut into the main thoroughfare, as they
could see by the bright lights at the further end.
&#8220;We&#8217;ll save something by going this way.&#8221;</p>
<p>They had gone perhaps a couple of blocks when
they reached a part of the street which had no
dwelling houses on it. On one side was a factory,
dark and forbidding, and on the side where the
young men were walking was a high board fence
enclosing a coal yard.</p>
<p>&#8220;Wait a minute, Jim,&#8221; said Joe. &#8220;It feels as
though my shoe lace had come untied.&#8221;</p>
<p>He stooped down to fasten the lace, and just
as he did so, a jagged piece of rock came whizzing
past where his head had been a second before
and crashed against the fence.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_106' name='page_106'></a>106</span></p>
<p>Joe straightened up with a jerk.</p>
<p>&#8220;Who threw that?&#8221; he exclaimed.</p>
<p>Jim&#8217;s face was white at the peril his friend
had so narrowly escaped.</p>
<p>&#8220;Somebody who knew how to throw,&#8221; he cried,
&#8220;and I can make a guess at who it was. There
he is now!&#8221; he shouted, as he caught sight of a
dim figure slinking away in the darkness on the
further side of the factory.</p>
<p>They darted across the street in pursuit, but
when they turned the corner there was no one
to be seen. Several alleys branched off from the
street, up any one of which the fugitive might
have made his escape. Although they tried them
one after the other they could find no trace of the
rascal.</p>
<p>Baffled and chagrined, they made their way
back to the scene of the attack. Joe picked up the
piece of rock and weighed it in his hand.</p>
<p>&#8220;About half a pound,&#8221; he judged. &#8220;And look
at those rough edges! It would have been all
up with me, if it had landed.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Do you notice that that&#8217;s about the weight of
a baseball?&#8221; asked Jim significantly. &#8220;And it
went for your head as straight as a bullet. It
would have caught you square if you hadn&#8217;t
stooped just as you did. You can thank your
lucky stars that your shoelace came untied. That
fellow knew just how to throw, as I said before.&#8221;
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_107' name='page_107'></a>107</span></p>
<p>&#8220;You don&#8217;t mean,&#8221; replied Joe, &#8220;that
Bugs&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Just that,&#8221; affirmed Jim grimly. &#8220;Now maybe
you&#8217;ll believe me when I say that I saw him to-night.
That skunk thought that I had seen him,
and slipped into the saloon to get out of sight.
Probably he went out through a rear door and
has been following us ever since.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;But why&mdash;&mdash;&#8221; began Joe.</p>
<p>&#8220;Why?&#8221; repeated Jim. &#8220;Why does a crazy man
do crazy things? Just because he is crazy. He
doesn&#8217;t have to have a reason. If he thinks you&#8217;ve
injured him he&#8217;s just as bitter as though you really
had. Hughson&#8217;s tip was a good one, Joe. The
fellow&#8217;s deadly dangerous. It&#8217;s only luck that
he isn&#8217;t a murderer this minute.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s good for him I didn&#8217;t lay my hands on
him,&#8221; replied Joe. &#8220;I wouldn&#8217;t have hit him, because
I don&#8217;t think he&#8217;s responsible for what he
does. But I&#8217;d have had him put where he couldn&#8217;t
do any more mischief for a while.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;It gives me the creeps to think of what a close
call that was,&#8221; said Jim, as they walked along.</p>
<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t say anything about it to the boys,&#8221;
cautioned Joe. &#8220;The thing would get out, and
before we knew it the folks at home would have
heard of it. And they wouldn&#8217;t have an easy
minute for all the rest of the trip.&#8221;</p>
<p>They made quick time to the hotel, and as
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_108' name='page_108'></a>108</span>
most of their luggage had remained on the train,
they had only to gather a few things together in a
small hand bag and start out for the station.</p>
<p>Their special train had been standing on a side
track a few hundred yards east of the main platform.
They were picking their way toward it
across a network of tracks, when, just as they
rounded the corner of a freight car, they came
face to face with Hartley.</p>
<p>They almost dropped their handbags at the
unexpectedness of the meeting. But if they were
startled, Bugs was frightened and turned on his
heel to run. In an instant Joe had him by the
collar in a grip of iron, while Jim stood on the
alert to stop him should he break away.</p>
<p>&#8220;Let me go!&#8221; cried Hartley in stifled tones,
for Joe&#8217;s grip was almost choking him.</p>
<p>&#8220;Not until you tell me why you tried to murder
me to-night,&#8221; said Joe, grimly.</p>
<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t know what you&#8217;re talking about,&#8221;
snarled Bugs, trying to wrench himself loose from
Joe&#8217;s hold on his collar.</p>
<p>&#8220;You know well enough,&#8221; replied his captor.
&#8220;Own up.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;You might as well, Bugs,&#8221; put in Jim. &#8220;We&#8217;ve
got the goods on you.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;You fellows are crazy,&#8221; replied Bugs. &#8220;I&#8217;ve
never laid eyes on you since I saw you in Chicago.
And you can&#8217;t prove that I did either.&#8221;
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_109' name='page_109'></a>109</span></p>
<p>&#8220;You&#8217;re the only enemy I have in the world,&#8221;
declared Joe. &#8220;And the man who threw that rock
at me to-night was a practiced thrower. Besides,
you&#8217;re all in a sweat&mdash;that&#8217;s from running away
when we chased you.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Swell proof that is,&#8221; sneered Hartley. &#8220;Tell
that to a judge and see what good it will do
you.&#8221;</p>
<p>The point was well taken, and Joe and Jim
knew in their hearts that they had no legal proof,
although they were morally certain Bugs was
guilty. Besides, they had no time to have him
arrested, for their train was scheduled to start in
ten minutes.</p>
<p>&#8220;Now listen, Bugs,&#8221; said Joe, at the same time
shaking him so that his teeth rattled. &#8220;I know
perfectly well that you&#8217;re lying, and I&#8217;m giving
you warning for the last time. You&#8217;ve had it in
for me from the time you doped my coffee and
nearly put me out of the game altogether. Ever
since that you&#8217;ve bothered me, and to-night you&#8217;ve
tried to kill me. I tell you straight, I&#8217;ve had
enough of it. If I didn&#8217;t think that your brain
was twisted, I&#8217;d thrash you now within an inch
of your life. But I&#8217;m telling you now, and you
let it sink in, that the next time you try to do me,
I&#8217;m going to put you where the dogs won&#8217;t bite
you.&#8221;</p>
<p>He dug his knuckles into Bugs&#8217; neck and gave
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_110' name='page_110'></a>110</span>
him a fling that sent him several yards away. The
fellow kept his feet with an effort, and then with
a muttered threat slunk away into the darkness.</p>
<p>They watched him for a minute, and then
picked up their handbags and started toward the
train.</p>
<p>&#8220;Hope that&#8217;s the last we see of him,&#8221; remarked
Joe.</p>
<p>&#8220;So do I,&#8221; Jim replied. &#8220;But we felt that way
before and he&#8217;s turned up just the same. I won&#8217;t
feel easy till I know that he&#8217;s behind the bars.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s usually in front of the bars,&#8221; joked Joe.
&#8220;But I&#8217;m glad anyway that we had a chance to
throw a scare into him. He knows now that we&#8217;ll
be on our guard and perhaps even he will have
sense enough to let us alone.&#8221;</p>
<p>Jim consulted his watch.</p>
<p>&#8220;Great Scott!&#8221; he ejaculated.</p>
<p>&#8220;What&#8217;s the matter, Jim?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;We haven&#8217;t any time to spare if we want to
catch that train.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;All right, let&#8217;s run for it.&#8221;</p>
<p>As best they could, they began sprinting in the
direction of the railroad station, but their handbags
were somewhat heavy, and this impeded their
progress. Then, turning a corner, they suddenly
found themselves confronted by a long
sewer trench, lit up here and there by red lanterns.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_111' name='page_111'></a>111</span></p>
<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve got to get over that trench somehow!&#8221;
cried Joe.</p>
<p>&#8220;Can you jump it?&#8221; questioned Jim anxiously.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m going to try,&#8221; returned the crack pitcher.</p>
<p>He threw his handbag to the other side of the
sewer trench, and then, backing up a few steps,
ran forward and took the leap in good shape. His
chum followed him, but Jim might have slipped
back into the sewer trench had not Joe been watching,
and grabbed him by one hand.</p>
<p>&#8220;Gosh, that was a close shave!&#8221; panted Jim,
when he felt himself safe.</p>
<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t waste time thinking about it. We have
still a couple of blocks to go,&#8221; Joe returned, and
set off once more on the run, with Jim at his heels.</p>
<p>Soon they rounded another corner, and came in
sight of the railroad station. There stood their
train, and the conductor was signaling to start.</p>
<p>&#8220;Wait! Wait!&#8221; yelled Joe. But in the general
confusion around the railroad station nobody
seemed to notice him.</p>
<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve got to make that train&mdash;we&#8217;ve just got
to!&#8221; cried Joe, and dashed forward faster than
ever, with Jim beside him.</p>
<p>They scrambled up the steps just as a warning
whistle sounded; and a few moments later the
train drew out on its climb over the Rockies.</p>
<hr class='major' />
<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
<a name='XIII_DANGER_SIGNALS' id='XIII_DANGER_SIGNALS'></a>
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_112' name='page_112'></a>112</span>
<h2>CHAPTER XIII</h2>
<h3>DANGER SIGNALS</h3>
</div>

<p>The travelers were now in the most picturesque
part of their journey, and the magnificent views
that spread before them as they topped the ridges
of the continent and dropped down on the other
side into the land of flowers and eternal summer
were a source of unending interest and pleasure.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll tell you what, Joe,&#8221; remarked Jim: &#8220;I
never had an idea that this section of our country
was so truly grand.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;It certainly is magnificent scenery,&#8221; was Joe&#8217;s
answer. &#8220;Just look at those mountain tops, will
you? Some height there, believe me!&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Yes. And just see the depth of some of those
canyons, will you? Say! if a fellow ever fell over
into one of those, he&#8217;d never know what happened
to him.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve been watching this particular bit of scenery
for some time,&#8221; remarked Joe. &#8220;It somehow
had a familiar look to it, and now I know why.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;And why is it, Joe?&#8221;
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_113' name='page_113'></a>113</span></p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll tell you. Some time ago I saw a moving
picture with the scene laid in the Rocky Mountains,
and, unless I&#8217;m greatly mistaken, some of
the scenes were taken right in this locality.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Was that a photo-play called &#8216;The Girl From
Mountain Pass?&#8217;&#8221; questioned another player who
was present.</p>
<p>&#8220;It was.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Then you&#8217;re right, Matson; because I was
speaking about that film to the conductor of this
train, and he said that some of the pictures were
taken right around here. His train was used in one
of the scenes.&#8221;</p>
<p>This matter was talked over for several minutes,
but then the conversation changed; and, presently,
the chums went off to talk about other matters.</p>
<p>Joe and Jim were lounging in the rear of the
observation car, talking over the stirring events
of the night before, when McRae happened along
and dropped into a seat beside them.</p>
<p>&#8220;Some game that was yesterday, boys,&#8221; he remarked
genially. &#8220;Those Denver fellows were
curly bears, but we trimmed them just the same.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Yes,&#8221; grinned Jim. &#8220;But we weren&#8217;t comfortable
while we were doing it.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;They sure did worry us,&#8221; acquiesced Joe.
&#8220;They made us know at least that we&#8217;d been in a
fight.&#8221;
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_114' name='page_114'></a>114</span></p>
<p>&#8220;It was that ninth-inning work of yours that
pulled us through, Joe,&#8221; declared McRae. &#8220;That
stunt you pulled of whirling on your heel and
shooting it over to third was a pretty bit of inside
stuff. And there wasn&#8217;t anything slow either
about spearing that ball that Thompson hit.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;d have let the fielders take care of that,&#8221; admitted
Joe, &#8220;if there hadn&#8217;t been so much at stake.
My hand stung for an hour afterward. But I&#8217;d
have hated to let those fellows crow over us.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;That fellow, Alvarez, that Thorpe rang in on
us was a sure-enough pitcher,&#8221; observed McRae.
&#8220;I&#8217;d sign him up in a minute if it weren&#8217;t for that
dark skin of his. But it wouldn&#8217;t work. We had
a second baseman like that one time, and although
he was a rattling good player it nearly broke up
the team. It&#8217;s too bad that color should stand
in the way of a man&#8217;s advancement, but it can&#8217;t
be helped.</p>
<p>&#8220;By the way,&#8221; he continued, drawing a paper
from his pocket, &#8220;here&#8217;s something that may interest
you. It&#8217;s the official record of the National
League of the pitching averages for this season.
It made me feel good when I read it and you&#8217;ll
see the reason why.&#8221;</p>
<p>He handed them the paper, which they opened
eagerly to the sporting page.</p>
<p>Joe&#8217;s heart felt a thrill of satisfaction as he saw
that his name stood at the head of the list, and
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_115' name='page_115'></a>115</span>
Jim, too, was elated, as he noted that although
this was his first year in a major league his name
was among the first fifteen&mdash;a rare distinction for
a &#8220;rookie.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Some class to the Giants, eh?&#8221; grinned
McRae. &#8220;There&#8217;s sixty names in that list and
no single team has as many in the first twelve as
we have. That average of yours, Joe, of 1.53
earned runs per game is a hummer. Hughson is
close on your heels with 1.56. The Rube, you
see, is eighth in the list with 1.95, and Jim&#8217;s
eleventh with 2.09. I tell you, boys, that&#8217;s class,
and to cap it all we won the pennant.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Two pennants, you mean,&#8221; corrected Jim with
a smile.</p>
<p>&#8220;And neither one to be sneezed at,&#8221; grinned
Joe.</p>
<p>&#8220;We sure had a great season,&#8221; observed
McRae. &#8220;If we start next year with the same
team we ought to go through the league like a
prairie fire. I have every reason to think that
Hughson will be in tip-top shape when the season
opens, and if he is, there won&#8217;t be any pitching
staff that can hold a candle to ours.
But&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;</p>
<p>He paused uncertainly and looked at Joe as
though he wanted to speak to him privately. Jim
saw the look and took the hint.</p>
<p>&#8220;I guess I&#8217;ll go into the smoker and see what
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_116' name='page_116'></a>116</span>
the rest of the fellows are doing, if you&#8217;ll excuse
me,&#8221; he said, rising and strolling back.</p>
<p>McRae greeted his departure with evident satisfaction.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m glad to have a chance to talk to you alone,
Joe,&#8221; he said. &#8220;You&#8217;re my right bower and I can
talk to you more freely than to anyone else, except
Hughson. I don&#8217;t mind telling you that this
new league is worrying me a lot.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;What is it?&#8221; asked Joe with quick interest.
&#8220;Anything happened lately?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Plenty,&#8221; replied McRae. &#8220;I&#8217;ve kidded myself
with the idea that the thing was going to peter out
of its own accord. Every few seasons something
of the kind crops up, but it usually comes to nothing.
Usually the men who put up the coin get
scared when they see what a big proposition it is
they&#8217;ve tackled and back out. Sometimes, too,
they go about it in such a blundering way that it&#8217;s
bound to fail from the start.</p>
<p>&#8220;But this time it&#8217;s different. They&#8217;ve got barrels
of money behind them, and they&#8217;re spending
it like water. There&#8217;s one of them named Fleming,
whose father is a millionaire many times over,
and he seems to have money to burn. They certainly
are making big offers to star players all
over the country. You saw the way they came at
you, and they&#8217;re doing the same in other places.
There isn&#8217;t a paper that I pick up that doesn&#8217;t
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_117' name='page_117'></a>117</span>
give the name of some big player that they&#8217;re tampering
with. The last one I saw was Altman of
the Chicago White Sox. I guess though, that is a
wrong steer, for Altman has come out flat for his
old team and denies any intention of jumping his
contract.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Bully for Nick!&#8221; exclaimed Joe. &#8220;I guess I
helped to queer that deal. I saw Westland talking
to him, and he seemed to have him going, but
I put a few things straight to Nick and he seems
to have come to his senses before it&#8217;s too late.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s Munsey of the Cincinnatis, he&#8217;s left his
reservation,&#8221; continued McRae. &#8220;He&#8217;s the crack
shortstop of the country. They&#8217;ve got a line out,
too, for Wilson of the Bostons, and you know they
don&#8217;t make any better outfielders than he is. In
fact, they&#8217;re biting into the teams everywhere,
and none of them know where they&#8217;re at. If I&#8217;d
known they were going at it so seriously, and
hadn&#8217;t got so far in my preparations for this trip,
I think I wouldn&#8217;t have gone on this world&#8217;s tour.
It looks to me as though the major leagues would
be backed up against the wall and fighting for their
lives before this winter&#8217;s over.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;It may not be as bad as you think,&#8221; said Joe
consolingly. &#8220;Even if they get a lot of the stars,
there will be a great many left. And, besides, they
may have trouble in finding suitable grounds to
play on.&#8221;
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_118' name='page_118'></a>118</span></p>
<p>&#8220;But they will,&#8221; declared McRae. &#8220;They&#8217;ve
got the refusal of first-class locations in every big
city of the major league. I tell you, there&#8217;s brains
behind this new league and that&#8217;s what&#8217;s worrying
me. I don&#8217;t know whether it&#8217;s Fleming&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;No,&#8221; interrupted Joe, smiling contemptuously,
as he thought of the dissipated young fellow whom
he had thrashed so soundly. &#8220;It isn&#8217;t Fleming.
He&#8217;s got money enough, but there&#8217;s a vacuum
where his brains ought to be.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Then it&#8217;s his partners,&#8221; deduced McRae.
&#8220;And their brains with his money make a strong
combination.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Well,&#8221; comforted Joe, &#8220;there&#8217;s one good thing
about this trip, anyway. You&#8217;ve got the Giants
out of reach of their schemes.&#8221;</p>
<p>McRae looked around to see if anyone were
within earshot, and then leaned over toward Joe.</p>
<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t fool yourself,&#8221; he said earnestly. &#8220;I&#8217;m
afraid right now there are traitors in the camp!&#8221;</p>
<hr class='major' />
<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
<a name='XIV_A_WEIRD_GAME' id='XIV_A_WEIRD_GAME'></a>
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_119' name='page_119'></a>119</span>
<h2>CHAPTER XIV</h2>
<h3>A WEIRD GAME</h3>
</div>

<p>Baseball Joe was startled and showed it
plainly.</p>
<p>&#8220;What do you mean?&#8221; he asked, as his mind
ran over the names of his team-mates.</p>
<p>&#8220;Just what I say,&#8221; replied McRae. &#8220;I tell
you, Joe, somebody&#8217;s getting in his fine work with
our boys and I know it.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Where&#8217;s your proof?&#8221; asked Joe. &#8220;I hate to
think that any of our fellows would welch on
their contracts.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;So do I,&#8221; returned McRae. &#8220;We&#8217;ve been like
one big family, and I&#8217;ve always tried to treat the
boys right. I&#8217;ve got a rough tongue, as everybody
knows, and in a hot game I&#8217;ve called them down
many a time when they&#8217;ve made bonehead plays.
But at the same time I&#8217;ve tried to be just, and I&#8217;ve
never given any of them the worst end of the
deal. They&#8217;ve been paid good money, and I&#8217;ve
carried them along sometimes when other managers
would have let them go.&#8221;
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_120' name='page_120'></a>120</span></p>
<p>&#8220;You&#8217;ve been white all right,&#8221; assented Joe
warmly. He recalled an occasion when a muff
by a luckless center-fielder had lost a World Series
and fifty thousand dollars for the team, and
yet McRae had &#8220;stood the gaff&#8221; and never said
a word, because he knew the man was trying to do
his best.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m telling this to you, Joe,&#8221; went on McRae,
&#8220;because I want you to help me out. You&#8217;ve
proved yourself true blue when you were put to
the test. I know you&#8217;ll do all you can to hold the
boys in the traces. They all like you and feel
that they owe you a lot because it was your pitching
that pulled us through the World&#8217;s Series.
Besides, they&#8217;ll be more impressed by what you
say than by the talk I&#8217;d give them. They figure
that I&#8217;m the manager and am only looking after
my own interests, and for that reason what I say
has less effect.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll stand by you, Mac,&#8221; returned Joe, &#8220;and
help you in any way I can. Who are the boys
that you think are trying to break loose?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;There are three of them,&#8221; replied McRae.
&#8220;Iredell, Curry and Burkett, and all three of them
are stars, as you know as well as I do.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;They&#8217;re cracks, every one of them,&#8221; agreed
Joe. &#8220;And they&#8217;re among the last men that I&#8217;d
suspect of doing anything of the kind. What
makes you think they&#8217;ve been approached?&#8221;
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_121' name='page_121'></a>121</span></p>
<p>&#8220;A lot of things,&#8221; replied McRae. &#8220;In the
first place, I have noticed that they are stiff and
offish in their manner when I speak to them.
Then, too, I&#8217;ve come across them several times
lately with their heads together, and when they
saw me coming they&#8217;d break apart and start talking
of something else, as if I had interrupted
them. Beside that, all three have struck me lately
for a raise in salary next season.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s nothing new for ball players,&#8221; said
Joe, with a smile.</p>
<p>&#8220;No,&#8221; admitted McRae, an answering smile relieving
the gravity of his face for the moment.
&#8220;And I stand ready of my own accord to give the
boys a substantial increase on last year&#8217;s pay because
of their winning the pennant. But what
these three asked for was beyond all reason, and
made me think there was a nigger in the woodpile.
They either had had a big offer from somebody
else and were using that as a club to hold
me up with, or else they were just trying to
give themselves a better excuse for jumping.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;How long do their contracts have to run?&#8221;
asked Joe.</p>
<p>&#8220;Iredell has one year more and Curry and
Burkett are signed up for two years yet,&#8221; replied
the Giants&#8217; manager. &#8220;Of course I could try to
hold them to their contracts, but you know as well
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_122' name='page_122'></a>122</span>
as I do that baseball contracts are more a matter
of honesty than of legal obligation. If a man is
straight, he&#8217;ll keep it, if he&#8217;s crooked, he&#8217;ll break
it. And you know what a hole it would leave in the
Giant team if those three men went over the fence.
There isn&#8217;t a heavier slugger in the team than
Burkett, except Larry. His batting average this
year was .332, and as a fielding first baseman he&#8217;s
the class of the league.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;You&#8217;re right there,&#8221; acquiesced Joe, as he recalled
the ease and precision with which Burkett
took them on either side and dug them out of the
dirt. &#8220;He&#8217;s saved a game for me many and many
a time.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;As for Iredell,&#8221; went on McRae, &#8220;he hasn&#8217;t
his equal in playing short and in covering second
as the pivot for a double play. And nobody has
played the infield as Curry does since I&#8217;ve been
manager of the team.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;It would certainly break the Giants all up to
lose the three of them,&#8221; agreed Joe. &#8220;But we
haven&#8217;t lost them yet. Remember that the game
isn&#8217;t over till the last man is out in the ninth inning.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I know that. You&#8217;ve helped me win two fights
this year, Joe, one for the championship of the
league and the other for the championship of the
world. Now I&#8217;m counting on you to help me win
a third, perhaps the hardest of them all.&#8221;
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_123' name='page_123'></a>123</span></p>
<p>&#8220;Put &#8217;er there, Mac,&#8221; said Joe, extending his
hand. &#8220;Shake&mdash;I&#8217;m with you till the cows come
home.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Of course, they&#8217;ll be willing to put up big
money, Joe. You know that already.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;It doesn&#8217;t make a particle of difference, Mac,
how much money they put up,&#8221; returned the crack
pitcher warmly. &#8220;There isn&#8217;t enough cash in the
U.&nbsp;S. treasury to tempt me.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I know that, Joe. And I only wish that I
could be as certain of the rest of the players.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Well, of course, I can&#8217;t speak for the others.
But you can be sure that I&#8217;ll use my influence on
the right side every time. Some of them may
weaken and break away, but I doubt very much
if they&#8217;ll be any of your main-stays. If I were
you, Mac, I wouldn&#8217;t let this worry me too much.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Yes, I know it&#8217;s getting on my nerves, Joe,
because, you see, it means so much to me. But
having you on my side has braced me up a good
deal,&#8221; went on the manager.</p>
<p>They shook hands warmly, and McRae, evidently
encouraged and braced by the talk with his
star pitcher, made his way back to his own immediate
party.</p>
<p>The teams were slated to play in Salt Lake City
and in Ogden. In both places they &#8220;cleaned up&#8221;
easily, and it was not until a few days later when
they reached the slope that they encountered
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_124' name='page_124'></a>124</span>
opposition that made them exert themselves to win.</p>
<p>At Bakersfield, with Jim in the box, the game
went to eleven innings before it was finally placed
to the credit of the Giants by a score of three to
two. The &#8217;Frisco team also put up a stiff fight for
eight innings, but were overwhelmed by a storm
of hits which rained from Giant bats in the ninth.</p>
<p>The game with Oakland was the last on the
schedule before the teams left for the Orient, and
an enormous crowd was in attendance.</p>
<p>Joe was in the box for the All-American team.
He was in fine form, and held the home team
down easily until the fifth inning, but the Oaklands
also, undaunted by the reputation of their
adversaries, and under the guidance of a manager
who had formerly been a famous first baseman
of the Chicago team, were also out to win if possible,
and with first-class pitching and supported
by errorless fielding, they held their redoubtable
opponents on even terms.</p>
<p>At the end of the fifth, neither team had scored,
although the Giants had threatened to do so on
two separate occasions. A singular condition developed
in the sixth. It was the Giants&#8217; turn at
bat and Curry had reached first on a clean single
to right. A neat sacrifice by Joe advanced him to
second. A minute later he stole third, sliding feet
first into the bag and narrowly escaping the ball
in the third baseman&#8217;s hand.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_125' name='page_125'></a>125</span></p>
<p>With only one out and Larry coming to the bat,
the prospects for a run were bright.</p>
<p>Larry let the first go by, but swung at the second,
which was coming straight to the plate. His
savage lunge caught the ball on the underside,
and it went soaring through the air to a tremendous
height.</p>
<p>Both the second and third baseman started for
the ball. It looked as though neither would be
able to reach it, and Curry ran half-way down the
line between third and home, awaiting the result.
If the ball were caught he figured that he would
easily have time to get back to third. If it were
dropped, he could make home and score.</p>
<p>The third baseman got under the descending
ball, but it was coming from such a height that it
was difficult to judge. It slipped through his fingers,
but instead of falling to the ground, went
plump into the pocket of his baseball shirt.</p>
<p>He tugged desperately to get it out, at the same
time running toward Curry, who danced about on
the line between third and home in an agony of
indecision. Was the ball caught or not? If it
were, he would have to return to third. If it
were not, he must make a break for home.</p>
<p>The teams were all shouting now, while the
crowd went into convulsions. The third baseman
reached Curry and grabbed him with one
hand, while with the other he frantically tried to
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_126' name='page_126'></a>126</span>
get the ball from his pocket and clap it on him.
But the ball stuck, and in the mixup both players
fell to the ground and rolled over and over.</p>
<p>Larry, in the meanwhile, was tearing round the
bases, but he himself wasn&#8217;t sure whether he was
really out or whether he ought to strike for home.
He reached third and pulled up there, still in the
throes of doubt. He could have easily gone on
past the struggling combatants, but in that case,
if Curry were finally declared not out, Larry
would also be out for having passed him and got
home first.</p>
<p>On the other hand, if Curry should finally escape
and get back to third, one of them would still
be out because he was occupying the bag to which
his comrade was entitled. He did not really know
whether he was running for exercise or to score
a run.</p>
<p>It was the funniest mixup that even the veteran
players had ever seen on a ball field, and as for
the crowd they were wild with joy.</p>
<p>The third baseman, finding that Curry was
about to get away from him and unable to get the
ball out of his pocket, finally threw his arms about
him and hugged him close in the wild hope that
some part of the protruding ball would touch his
prisoner&#8217;s person and thus put him out.</p>
<p>The sight of those burly gladiators, locked in
a fond embrace, threatened the sanity of the
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_127' name='page_127'></a>127</span>
onlookers, but the farce was ended when Curry finally
wriggled out from the anaconda grasp of
his opponent and took a chance for the plate.</p>
<p>Then there was a hot debate, as the umpire,
himself laughing until the tears ran down his face,
tried to solve the situation. Had Curry been
touched by the ball, or had he not? Had the ball
been caught or not?</p>
<p>Players on both sides tugged at him as they debated
the matter <i>pro</i> and <i>con</i>.</p>
<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t know what that umpire&#8217;s name is,&#8221;
grinned Jim to Joe, who was weak with laughter,
&#8220;but I know what it ought to be.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;What?&#8221; asked Joe.</p>
<p>&#8220;Solomon,&#8221; chuckled Jim.</p>
<hr class='major' />
<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
<a name='XV_THE_BEWILDERED_UMPIRE' id='XV_THE_BEWILDERED_UMPIRE'></a>
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_128' name='page_128'></a>128</span>
<h2>CHAPTER XV</h2>
<h3>THE BEWILDERED UMPIRE</h3>
</div>

<p>But whatever the umpire&#8217;s name might have
been, he only resembled Solomon in one respect.
He was inclined to compromise and cut the play
in two, giving one part to the major leaguers and
the other to the Oakland team.</p>
<p>He was not to blame for being bewildered, for
the baseball magnates who had framed the rules
had never contemplated the special case of a
player catching the ball in his pocket.</p>
<p>Between the opposing claims he pulled out his
book and scanned it carefully but with no result.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s easy enough,&#8221; rasped McRae. &#8220;He tried
to catch a ball and muffed it. It goes for a hit
and Curry scores.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Not on your life,&#8221; barked Everett, the manager
of the Oakland team. &#8220;He got the ball and it
never touched the ground.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Got it,&#8221; sneered McRae. &#8220;This is baseball,
not pool. He can&#8217;t pocket the ball.&#8221;
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_129' name='page_129'></a>129</span></p>
<p>There was a laugh at this, and Mackay, the
third baseman, looked a little sheepish. The
baited umpire suggested that the whole play be
called off and that Curry go back to third while
Larry resumed his place at the bat.</p>
<p>Larry set up a howl at this, as he saw his perfectly
good three-baser go glimmering.</p>
<p>&#8220;Oh, hire a hall,&#8221; snapped Everett. &#8220;Even if
the umpire decides against the catch it was only
an error and you ought to have been out anyway.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;You can&#8217;t crawl out of it that way,&#8221; said
McRae to the umpire. &#8220;A play is a play and
you&#8217;ve got to settle it one way or the other, even
if you settle it wrong.&#8221;</p>
<p>The umpire hesitated, wiped his brow and finally
decided that the ball was caught. That put
Larry out, and he retreated, growling, to the
bench, while Everett grinned his satisfaction.</p>
<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s all right, Ump,&#8221; said the latter. &#8220;But
how about Curry? Mackay put the ball on him
all right and that makes three out.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Say, what do you want, the earth?&#8221; queried
McRae. &#8220;He didn&#8217;t put the ball on him. He
didn&#8217;t have the ball to put. It was in his pocket
all the time.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Of course I put the ball on him,&#8221; declared
Mackay. &#8220;I must have. When I fell on him I
hit him everywhere at once.&#8221;
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_130' name='page_130'></a>130</span></p>
<p>The umpire finally decided that Mackay had
not put the ball on Curry, and the red-headed
right-fielder chuckled at the thought of the run he
had scored.</p>
<p>&#8220;That makes it horse and horse,&#8221; said the umpire.
&#8220;Get back to your places.&#8221;</p>
<p>If he thought he was at the end of his troubles
he was mistaken, for Everett suddenly cried
out:</p>
<p>&#8220;Look here. You said that Mackay caught that
ball, didn&#8217;t you?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s what I said,&#8221; snorted the umpire.</p>
<p>&#8220;Well, then,&#8221; crowed Everett triumphantly,
&#8220;why didn&#8217;t Curry go back to third and touch the
bag before he lit out for home? He has to do
that on a caught fly ball, hasn&#8217;t he?&#8221;</p>
<p>The umpire looked fairly stumped. Here was
something on which the rules were explicit. It
was certain that Curry should have returned to the
base and it was equally certain that he hadn&#8217;t.
Mackay had caught him half-way between third
and home.</p>
<p>But McRae was equal to the occasion.</p>
<p>&#8220;Suppose he did have to,&#8221; he cried. &#8220;You said
that Mackay hadn&#8217;t touched him and he&#82#8217;s free to
go back yet.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;And I&#8217;m free to touch him with the ball,&#8221;
Mackay came back at him.</p>
<p>&#8220;But the ball isn&#8217;t in play,&#8221; put in Robbie,
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_131' name='page_131'></a>131</span>
adding his mite to the general confusion. &#8220;You
called time when you came in to settle this.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Who wouldn&#8217;t be an umpire?&#8221; laughed Jim
to Joe, as he saw the look of despair on that
worried individual&#8217;s face.</p>
<p>&#8220;The most glorious mixup I ever saw on the
ball field,&#8221; answered Joe.</p>
<p>&#8220;&#8216;How happy he could be with either were
&#8217;tother dear charmer away,&#8217;&#8221; chuckled Jim, pointing
to the two pugnacious disputants on either side
of the umpire.</p>
<p>&#8220;Curry&#8217;s out&mdash;Curry isn&#8217;t out. Love me&mdash;love
me not,&#8221; responded Joe.</p>
<p>By this time the crowd had got over their laugh
and impatiently demanded action. The umpire
cut the Gordian knot by sending Curry back to
third, where he and Mackay chaffed each other
and the game went on.</p>
<p>It was not much of a game after that, however,
as the laughable incident had put all the players
in a more or less frivolous mood. It finally ended
in a score of six to three in favor of the All-Americans,
and the teams made a break for the showers.</p>
<p>&#8220;The last game we play on American soil for
many moons,&#8221; remarked Joe, as, having bathed
and dressed, the two young athletes strolled toward
their hotel.</p>
<p>&#8220;And every one of them a victory,&#8221; observed
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_132' name='page_132'></a>132</span>
Jim. &#8220;Not a single mark on the wrong side of
the ledger!&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;That game at Denver was the closest call we
had,&#8221; said Joe. &#8220;The trip so far has been a big
money-maker, too. McRae was telling me yesterday
that we&#8217;d already topped ninety-five thousand,
and there was ten thousand in that crowd to-day if
there was a penny.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I guess Mac won&#8217;t have any trouble in buying
steamship tickets,&#8221; laughed Jim. &#8220;By the way,
we haven&#8217;t had a look at the old boat yet. Let&#8217;s
go down to-morrow and inspect her.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Why not make it the day after to-morrow?&#8221;
suggested Joe. &#8220;The girls will be here by that
time and we&#8217;ll take them with us.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;That will suit me, Joe.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve been thinking of something, Jim,&#8221; went
on the crack pitcher, after a pause. &#8220;It won&#8217;t be
long now before we leave America. What do you
say if we do a little shopping, and buy some things
for ourselves and for the girls?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Say, that&#8217;s queer! I was thinking the same
thing.&#8221; Jim paused for a moment. &#8220;Won&#8217;t it be
fine to have the others with us again?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Yes; I&#8217;ll be very glad to see Mabel, and glad
to see Clara, too. I suppose you&#8217;ve been getting
letters pretty regularly, eh, Jim?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t believe I&#8217;ve been getting any more letters
than you have, Joe,&#8221; returned the other.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_133' name='page_133'></a>133</span></p>
<p>&#8220;Well, you&#8217;re welcome to them, Jim. I wish
you luck!&#8221; said Joe, and placed a hand on his
chum&#8217;s shoulder. For a moment they looked into
each other&#8217;s eyes, and each understood perfectly
what was passing in the other&#8217;s mind. But Jim
just then did not feel he could say too much.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll be glad to see Reggie again, too,&#8221; remarked
Joe, after a moment of silence. &#8220;He&#8217;s
something of a queer stick, but pretty good at
that.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Oh, he&#8217;s all right, Joe,&#8221; answered Jim. &#8220;As
he grows older and sees more of the seamy side
of life, he&#8217;ll get some of that nonsense knocked
out of him.&#8221;</p>
<p>They ate their supper that night with a sense of
relaxation to which they had long been strangers.
For the first time since they had gone to the training
camp at Texas in the spring, they were out of
harness. There had been the fierce, tense race for
the pennant that had strained them to the utmost.</p>
<p>Then, with only a few days intervening, had
come the still more exciting battle for the championship
of the world. They had won and won
gloriously, but even then they had not felt wholly
free, for the long trip across the continent which
they had just finished was then before them, and
although this struggle had been less close and important,
it had still kept them on edge and in
training.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_134' name='page_134'></a>134</span></p>
<p>But now their strenuous year had ended. Before
them lay a glorious trip around the world, a
voyage over summer seas, a pilgrimage through
lands of mystery and romance, the fulfillment of
cherished dreams, and with them were to go the
two charming girls who represented to them all
that was worth while in life and who even now
were hurrying toward them as fast as steam could
bring them.</p>
<p>&#8220;This is the end of a perfect day,&#8221; hummed
Jim, as he sat back and lighted a cigar.</p>
<p>&#8220;You&#8217;re wrong there, Jim,&#8221; replied Joe, with
a smile. &#8220;The perfect day will be to-morrow.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Right you are!&#8221;</p>
<p>Yet little did Baseball Joe and his chum dream
of the many adventures and perils which lay ahead
of them.</p>
<hr class='major' />
<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
<a name='XVI_PUTTING_THEM_OVER' id='XVI_PUTTING_THEM_OVER'></a>
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_135' name='page_135'></a>135</span>
<h2>CHAPTER XVI</h2>
<h3>PUTTING THEM OVER</h3>
</div>

<p>As the two baseball players sauntered down the
corridor after supper they chanced upon Iredell.
He was sitting at a reading table, intent upon a
letter which had attached to it what looked like
an official document of some kind.</p>
<p>It was a chance for which Joe had been looking,
and he gave Jim a sign to go on while he
himself dropped into a seat beside the famous
shortstop.</p>
<p>&#8220;How are you, Dell, old boy?&#8221; he said, genially.</p>
<p>&#8220;Able to sit up and take nourishment,&#8221; replied
the other, at the same time thrusting the document
into his pocket with what seemed like unnecessary
haste.</p>
<p>&#8220;Most of the boys are that way,&#8221; laughed Joe.
&#8220;There are just two things that every ball player
is ready to do, take nourishment and nag the umpire.&#8221;</p>
<p>Iredell laughed as he bit off the end of a cigar.</p>
<p>&#8220;That poor umpire got his this afternoon,&#8221; he
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_136' name='page_136'></a>136</span>
said. &#8220;With McRae on one side and Everett on
the other I thought he&#8217;d be pulled to pieces.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;He was sure up against a hard proposition,&#8221;
agreed Joe. &#8220;The next hardest was in a play that
happened when I was on the Pittston team. A
fellow poled out a hit that went down like a shot
between left and center. A lot of carriages were
parked at the end of the field and a big coach
dog ran after the ball, got it in his mouth and
skipped down among the carriages where the fielders
couldn&#8217;t get at him. It would have doubled
you up to have seen them coaxing the brute to be
a good dog and give the ball up. In the meantime,
the batter was tearing around the bases and
made home before the ball got back.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;And how did his Umps decide it?&#8221; asked Iredell,
with interest.</p>
<p>&#8220;He was flabbergasted for a while,&#8221; replied
Joe, &#8220;but he finally called it a two-base hit and let
it go at that.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;An umpire&#8217;s life is not a happy one,&#8221; laughed
Iredell. &#8220;He earns every dollar that he gets.
I suppose that&#8217;s what some of us fellows will be
doing, too, when we begin to go back.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;It will be a good while before you come to
that, Dell,&#8221; Joe replied. &#8220;You&#8217;ve played a rattling
game at short this year, and you&#8217;re a fixture
with the Giants.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t know about that,&#8221; said the shortstop
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_137' name='page_137'></a>137</span>
slowly. &#8220;Fixtures sometimes work loose, you
know.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;It won&#8217;t be so in this case,&#8221; said Joe, purposely
misunderstanding him. &#8220;McRae wouldn&#8217;t
let go of you.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Not if he could help it,&#8221; responded Iredell.</p>
<p>&#8220;Well, he doesn&#8217;t have to worry about that just
yet,&#8221; said Joe. &#8220;How long does your contract
have to run?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;A year yet,&#8221; replied Iredell. &#8220;But contracts,
you know, are like pie crust, they&#8217;re easily
broken.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;What do you mean by that?&#8221; demanded Joe
sharply.</p>
<p>&#8220;Oh, nothing, nothing at all,&#8221; said Iredell, a
little nervously, as though he had said more than
he intended. &#8220;But to tell the truth, Joe, I&#8217;m sore
on this whole question of contracts. It&#8217;s like a
yoke that galls me.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Oh, I don&#8217;t know,&#8221; responded Joe. &#8220;A good
many folks would like to be galled that way. A
good big salary, traveling on Pullmans, stopping
at the best hotels, posing for pictures, and having
six months of the year to ourselves. If that&#8217;s a
yoke, it&#8217;s lined with velvet.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;But it&#8217;s a yoke, just the same,&#8221; persisted Iredell
stubbornly. &#8220;Most men in business are free
to accept any offer that&#8217;s made to them. We
can&#8217;t. We may be offered twice as much as we&#8217;re
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_138' name='page_138'></a>138</span>
getting, but we have to stay where we are just
the same.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Well, that&#8217;s simply because it&#8217;s baseball,&#8221; argued
Joe. &#8220;You know just as well as I do that
that&#8217;s the only way the game can be carried on.
It wouldn&#8217;t last a month if players started jumping
from one team to another, or from one league
to another. The public would lose all interest in
it, and it&#8217;s the public that pays our salaries.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Pays our salaries!&#8221; snapped Iredell. &#8220;Puts
money in the hands of the owners, you mean.
They get the feast and we get the crumbs. What&#8217;s
our measly salary compared with what they get?
I was just reading in the paper that the Giants
cleaned up two hundred thousand dollars this
year, net profit, and yet it&#8217;s the players that bring
this money in at the gate.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Yes,&#8221; Joe admitted. &#8220;But they are the men
who put up the capital and take the chances. Suppose
they had lost two hundred thousand dollars
this year. We&#8217;d have had our salaries just the
same.&#8221;</p>
<p>Just then Burkett and Curry came along and
dropped into seats beside the pair.</p>
<p>&#8220;Hello, Red,&#8221; greeted Joe, at the same time
nodding to Burkett. &#8220;How are your ribs feeling,
after that bear hug you got this afternoon?&#8221;</p>
<p>Curry grinned.</p>
<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s all right,&#8221; he said. &#8220;But he never
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_139' name='page_139'></a>139</span>
touched me with the ball. And that umpire was a
boob not to give me the run.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;What were you fellows talking about so earnestly?&#8221;
asked Burkett, with some curiosity.</p>
<p>&#8220;Oh, jug-handled things like baseball contracts,&#8221;
responded Iredell.</p>
<p>&#8220;They&#8217;re the bunk all right,&#8221; declared Burkett,
emphatically.</p>
<p>&#8220;Bunk is right,&#8221; said Curry.</p>
<p>&#8220;What&#8217;s the use of quarreling with your bread
and butter?&#8221; asked Joe good-naturedly.</p>
<p>&#8220;What&#8217;s the use of bread and butter, if you can
have cake and ought to have it?&#8221; Iredell came
back at him.</p>
<p>&#8220;Cake is good,&#8221; agreed Joe, &#8220;but the point is
that if a man has agreed to take bread and butter,
it&#8217;s up to him to stand by his agreement. A man&#8217;s
word is the best thing he has, and if he is a man
he&#8217;ll hold to it.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;You seem to be taking a lot for granted, Joe,&#8221;
said Burkett, a little stiffly. &#8220;Who is talking of
breaking his word? We&#8217;ve got a right to talk
about our contracts, haven&#8217;t we, when we think
the owners are getting the best end of the
deal?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Sure thing,&#8221; said Joe genially. &#8220;It&#8217;s every
man&#8217;s privilege to kick, but the time to kick is before
one makes an agreement, not when kicking
won&#8217;t do any good.&#8221;
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_140' name='page_140'></a>140</span></p>
<p>&#8220;Maybe it can do some good,&#8221; said Curry significantly.</p>
<p>&#8220;How so?&#8221; asked Joe innocently. &#8220;No other
club in the American or National League would
take us if we broke away from the Giants.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;There are other leagues,&#8221; remarked Iredell.</p>
<p>&#8220;Surely. The minors,&#8221; replied Joe, again purposely
misunderstanding. &#8220;But who wants to be
a busher?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s the All-Star League that&#8217;s just forming,&#8221;
suggested Burkett, with a swift look at his
two companions.</p>
<p>&#8220;&#8216;All-Star,&#8217;&#8221; repeated Joe, a little contemptuously.
&#8220;That sounds good, but where are they
going to get the stars?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;They&#8217;re getting them all right,&#8221; said Iredell.
&#8220;The papers are full of the names of players who
have jumped or are going to jump.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;You don&#8217;t mean players,&#8221; said Joe. &#8220;You
mean traitors.&#8221;</p>
<p>The others winced a little at this.</p>
<p>&#8220;&#8216;Traitors&#8217; is a pretty hard word,&#8221; objected
Curry.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s the only word,&#8221; returned Joe stiffly.</p>
<p>&#8220;You can&#8217;t call a man a traitor who simply
tries to better himself,&#8221; remarked Burkett defensively.</p>
<p>&#8220;Benedict Arnold tried to better himself,&#8221; returned
Joe. &#8220;But it didn&#8217;t get him very far. The
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_141' name='page_141'></a>141</span>
fellows that jumped, in the old Brotherhood days,
thought they were going to better themselves, but
they simply got in bad with the public and nearly
ruined the game. This new league will promise
all sorts of things, but how do you know it will
keep them? What faith can you put in men who
try to induce other men to be crooked?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Well, you know, with most men business is
business, as they put it.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I admit business is business. But so far as I
am concerned, it is no business at all if it isn&#8217;t on
the level,&#8221; answered Joe earnestly. &#8220;A great
many men think they can do something that is
shady and get away with it, and sometimes at first
it looks as if they were right about it. But sooner
or later they get tripped up and are exposed.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Well, everybody has got a right to make a living,&#8221;
grumbled Curry.</p>
<p>&#8220;Sure he has&mdash;and I&#8217;m not denying it.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;And everybody has got a right to go into baseball
if he feels like investing his money that way.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Right again. But if he wants to make any
headway in the great national game, he has got to
play it on the level right from the start. If he
doesn&#8217;t do that, he may, for a certain length of
time, hoodwink the public. But, as I said before,
sooner or later he&#8217;ll be exposed; and you know as
well as I do that the public will not stand for any
underhand work in any line of sports. I&#8217;ve talked,
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_142' name='page_142'></a>142</span>
not alone to baseball men, but also to football
men, runners, skaters, and even prize fighters, and
they have all said exactly the same thing&mdash;that
the great majority of men want their sports kept
clean.&#8221;</p>
<p>There was no reply to this and Joe rose to his
feet.</p>
<p>&#8220;But what&#8217;s the use of talking?&#8221; he added.
&#8220;Let the new league do as it likes. There&#8217;s one
bully thing, anyway, that it won&#8217;t touch&mdash;our
Giants. Whatever it does to the other teams, we
will all stick together. We&#8217;ll stand by Robbie
and McRae till the last gun&#8217;s fired. So long, fellows,
see you later.&#8221;</p>
<p>He strode off down the corridor, leaving three
silent men to stare after his retreating figure
thoughtfully.</p>
<hr class='major' />
<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
<a name='XVII__MAN_OVERBOARD' id='XVII__MAN_OVERBOARD'></a>
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_143' name='page_143'></a>143</span>
<h2>CHAPTER XVII</h2>
<h3>&#8220;MAN OVERBOARD&#8221;</h3>
</div>

<p>Baseball Joe found Jim waiting for him near
the clerk&#8217;s desk.</p>
<p>&#8220;Been having quite a confab,&#8221; remarked the
latter.</p>
<p>&#8220;Yes,&#8221; replied Joe carelessly. &#8220;Burkett and
Red came along and we had a fanfest.&#8221;</p>
<p>The next day was the first of their real vacation,
and they spent the morning strolling about the
city and marveling at the quick recovery it had
made from the earthquake. They had a sumptuous
dinner on the veranda of the Cliff House,
where they had a full view of the famous harbor
and watched the seals sporting on the rocks.</p>
<p>The commerce of the port was in full swing,
and out through the Golden Gate passed great
fleets with their precious argosies bound for
the Orient, for immobile China, for restless and
awakened Japan, for the islands of the sea, for
the lands of the lotus and the palm, of minaret
and mosque and pagoda, for all the realms of
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_144' name='page_144'></a>144</span>
mystery and romance that lie beneath the Southern
Cross.</p>
<p>It would have been a wrench to tear themselves
away had it been any other day than this,
but to-day was the one to which they had looked
eagerly forward through all the month of exhibition
playing, since they had left the quiet home at
Riverside, and they kept looking at their watches
to see if it were not time to go to the train and
meet the girls.</p>
<p>They were at the station long before the appointed
time, and when at last the Overland Flyer
drew in they scanned each Pullman anxiously to
catch a sight of two charming faces.</p>
<p>They were not kept long in suspense, for down
the steps of the second car tripped Clara and
Mabel, looking more wonderfully alluring than
ever, although a month before neither Jim nor
Joe would have admitted that such a thing were
possible.</p>
<p>Reggie, too, was there, dressed &#8220;to the limit&#8221;
as usual, and with his supposed English accent
twice as pronounced as ever.</p>
<p>But Reggie for the moment did not count, compared
with the lovely charges whom he had
brought across the continent. Of course, the boys
felt grateful to him, but their eyes and their
thoughts were fastened on his two charming companions.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_145' name='page_145'></a>145</span></p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m awfully glad you&#8217;ve got here at last,&#8221; cried
Joe, as he rushed up to Mabel and caught her by
both hands. He would have liked very much to
have kissed her, but did not dare do it in such a
public place.</p>
<p>&#8220;Oh, what a grand trip we&#8217;ve had!&#8221; declared
Clara, as she shook hands first with Jim and then
with her brother. &#8220;I never had any idea our country
was so big and so magnificent.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s just what Joe and I were remarking on
our trip across the Rockies,&#8221; answered Jim. He
could not take his eyes from the face of his chum&#8217;s
sister. Clara looked the picture of health, showing
that the trip from her little home town had
done her a world of good.</p>
<p>But if Clara looked good, Mabel looked even
better&mdash;at least in the eyes of Joe. He could not
keep his gaze from her face. And she was certainly
just as glad to see him.</p>
<p>&#8220;Ye-es, it was quite a trip, don&#8217;t you know,&#8221;
remarked Reggie. &#8220;I met several bally good
chaps on the way, so the time passed quickly
enough. But I&#8217;m glad to be here, and hope that
before long we&#8217;ll be on shipboard.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Oh, I&#8217;m so excited to think that I&#8217;m going to
take a real ocean trip!&#8221; burst out Clara. &#8220;Just
to think of it&mdash;a girl like me going around the
world! I never dreamed I&#8217;d get that far.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;And just think of the many queer sights we&#8217;ll
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_146' name='page_146'></a>146</span>
see!&#8221; broke in Mabel. &#8220;And the queer people
we&#8217;ll meet!&#8221;</p>
<p>The girls were all on the <i>qui vive</i> with excitement
in their anticipation of the delightful trip
that lay before them, and there were no
pauses in their conversation on the way to the
hotel.</p>
<p>Here they were introduced to the other members
of the party, which by this time had increased
to large proportions, for beside the ladies
who had accompanied the players across the continent,
many others had followed the same plan
as Mabel and Clara and joined their friends in
San Francisco. Altogether, there were more than
a hundred of the tourists, of whom perhaps a
third were women.</p>
<p>All were out for a good time, and the atmosphere
of good will and jollity was infectious.
There was an utter absence of snobbery and affectation,
and the boys were delighted to see how
quickly the girls fell into the spirit of the gathering
and with their own fun and high spirits
added more than their quota to the general hilarity.</p>
<p>That night there was a big banquet given to the
tourists by the railroad officials who had had the
party in charge from the beginning and by some
of the leading citizens of San Francisco. It was
a jolly occasion, where for once in affairs of the
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_147' name='page_147'></a>147</span>
kind the &#8220;flowing bowl&#8221; was notable for its absence.
The stalwart, clear-eyed athletes who, with
their friends, were the guests of the occasion, had
no use for the cup that both cheers and inebriates.</p>
<p>A striking feature of the table decorations was
a cake weighing one hundred and twenty-five
pounds, on whose summit was a bat and ball, and
whose frosted slopes were accurate representations
of the Polo Grounds and the baseball park
at Chicago. It is needless to say how pronounced
a hit this made with the &#8220;fans&#8221; of both sexes. It
was a great send-off to the globe-encircling baseball
teams.</p>
<p>The next day, Joe and Jim took the girls down
to the pier to see the ship on which they were to
sail. It was a splendid craft of twenty thousand
tons and sumptuously fitted up. The girls exclaimed
at the beauty of her lines and the superb
decoration of the cabins and saloons.</p>
<p>&#8220;The <i>Empress of Japan</i>!&#8221; read Clara, as she
scanned the name on the steamer&#8217;s stern.</p>
<p>&#8220;Most fittingly named,&#8221; said Jim gallantly,
&#8220;since she carries two queens.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;What a pretty compliment,&#8221; said Clara, as
she flashed a radiant look at Jim.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m afraid,&#8221; said Mabel, &#8220;that Jim&#8217;s been
practising on some of the nice girls in the party.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Have I, Joe?&#8221; appealed the accused one.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_148' name='page_148'></a>148</span>
&#8220;Haven&#8217;t I been an anchorite, a senobite, an archimandrite&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Goodness, I thought you were bad,&#8221; laughed
Clara. &#8220;But now I know you&#8217;re worse.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Keep it up, old man, as long as the &#8216;ites&#8217; hold
out,&#8221; said Joe. &#8220;I guess there are plenty more in
the dictionary. But honest, girls, Jim hasn&#8217;t
looked twice at any girl since he came away from
Riverside.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve looked more than twice at one girl since
yesterday,&#8221; Jim was beginning, but Clara, flushing
rosily, thought it was high time to change the
subject.</p>
<p>The next day, with all the party safely on
board, the ship weighed anchor, threaded its way
through the crowded commerce of the bay and
then, dropping its tug, turned its prow definitely
toward the east and breasted the billows of the
Pacific.</p>
<p>&#8220;The last we&#8217;ll see of Old Glory for many
months,&#8221; remarked Joe, as, standing at the rail,
they watched the Stars and Stripes floating out
from the flag-pole on the top of the government
station.</p>
<p>&#8220;Not so long as that,&#8221; corrected Jim. &#8220;We
will still be on the soil of God&#8217;s country when we
reach Hawaii seven days from now.&#8221;</p>
<p>The first two days of the voyage passed delightfully.
The girls proved good sailors, and
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_149' name='page_149'></a>149</span>
had the laugh on many of the so-called stronger
sex, who were conspicuous by their absence from
the table during that period.</p>
<p>On the afternoon of the third day out, Joe and
Mabel were pacing the deck with Jim and Clara
at a discreet distance behind them. It was astonishing
how willing each pair was not to intrude
upon the other.</p>
<p>Suddenly there was a tumult of excited exclamations
near the stern of the vessel, and then
above it rose a shout that is never heard at sea
without a chill of terror.</p>
<p>&#8220;Man overboard!&#8221;</p>
<hr class='major' />
<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
<a name='XVIII_ONE_STRIKE_AND_OUT' id='XVIII_ONE_STRIKE_AND_OUT'></a>
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_150' name='page_150'></a>150</span>
<h2>CHAPTER XVIII</h2>
<h3>ONE STRIKE AND OUT</h3>
</div>

<p>The two young baseball players and the girls
joined the throng that was racing toward the
stern.</p>
<p>A number of people were pointing wildly over
the port side at a small object some distance behind
the ship.</p>
<p>They followed the pointing fingers and saw
the head of a man who was swimming desperately
toward the receding ship.</p>
<p>The steamer, which had been taking advantage
of the favorable weather and had been ploughing
ahead under full steam, found it hard to stop,
although orders had been given at once to shut off
steam.</p>
<p>It was maddening to the onlookers to see the
distance increase between the giant ship and that
bobbing, lonely speck far out in the waste of
waters.</p>
<p>With all the celerity possible the great steamer
swung round in a circle and bore down upon the
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_151' name='page_151'></a>151</span>
struggling swimmer, while at the same time preparations
were made to lower a boat as soon as they
should be near enough.</p>
<p>&#8220;They&#8217;re going to save him!&#8221; cried Mabel,
half-sobbing in her excitement. &#8220;Oh, Joe, they&#8217;re
going to save him after all!&#8221;</p>
<p>It seemed as though there were no doubt of
this now, for the man was evidently a strong swimmer
and seemed to be maintaining himself without
great effort, and it was certain that within the
next few minutes the boat, already filled with oarsmen
and swaying at the davits, ready to be lowered,
would reach him.</p>
<p>Suddenly Clara, with a stifled scream, clutched
at Jim&#8217;s arm.</p>
<p>&#8220;Oh, Jim!&#8221; she cried, &#8220;what is that? Look,
look&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;</p>
<p>Jim looked and turned pale under his tan.</p>
<p>&#8220;Great heavens!&#8221; he cried. &#8220;It&#8217;s a shark!&#8221;</p>
<p>The cry was taken up by scores.</p>
<p>&#8220;A shark! A shark!&#8221;</p>
<p>There, cleaving the water and coming toward
the swimmer like an arrow at its mark, was a
great black dorsal fin which bespoke the presence
of the pirate of the seas.</p>
<p>The steamer had lessened speed in order to
lower its boat, but the momentum under which it
was carried it within twenty yards of the castaway.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_152' name='page_152'></a>152</span></p>
<p>Almost instantly the ship&#8217;s boat struck the
water, and the sinewy backs of the sailors bent
almost double as they drove it toward the swimmer.</p>
<p>From the crowded deck they could see his face
now, pale and dripping, but lighted with a gleam
of hope as he saw the boat approaching. But the
horrified onlookers saw something else, that ominous,
awful fin, that came rushing on like a relentless
fate toward its intended prey.</p>
<p>Some of the women were sobbing, others almost
fainting, while the men, pale and
with gritted teeth, groaned at their helplessness.</p>
<p>It was a question now of which would reach the
luckless man first, the boat or the shark. The
boat was nearer and the men were rowing like
demons, but the shark was swifter, coming on like
an express train.</p>
<p>There must have been something in those faces
high above him that warned the man of some impending
peril. He cast a swift look behind him,
and then in frantic terror redoubled his efforts to
reach the boat.</p>
<p>&#8220;Oh, Joe, they&#8217;ll be too late! They&#8217;ll never
reach him in time!&#8221; sobbed Mabel. &#8220;Oh, can&#8217;t
we do anything to help him?&#8221;</p>
<p>Joe, as frantic as she, looked wildly about him.
His eyes fell on a heavy piece of iron, left on the
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_153' name='page_153'></a>153</span>
deck by some seaman who had been repairing the
windlass. Like a flash he grabbed it.</p>
<p>It seemed as though the swimmer were doomed,
and a gasp of horror went up from the spectators
as they saw that the boat would be too
late.</p>
<p>For now the fin had disappeared, and they saw
a hideous shape take form as the monster came
into plain sight, a foot beneath the surface, and
turned over upon its back to seize its prey.</p>
<p>Then Joe took a chance&mdash;a long chance, a desperate
chance, an almost hopeless chance&mdash;and
yet, a chance.</p>
<p>With all the force of his powerful arm he sent
the jagged piece of iron hurtling at the fiendish
open jaws.</p>
<p>And the chance became a certainty.</p>
<p>The missile crashed into the monster&#8217;s nose, its
most sensitive point. The brute was so near the
surface that the thin sheet of water was no protection.</p>
<p>The effect was startling. There was a tremendous
plunging and leaping that lashed the
waters into foam, and then the crippled monster
sank slowly into the ocean depths.</p>
<p>The next instant the ship&#8217;s boat had reached the
castaway, and strong arms pulled him aboard,
where he sank panting and exhausted across a
thwart.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_154' name='page_154'></a>154</span></p>
<p>It had all happened with the speed of light.
There was a moment of stunned surprise, a gasp
from the crowd, and then a roar went up that
swelled into a deafening thunder of applause.</p>
<p>Joe had reversed the baseball rule of &#8220;three
strikes and out.&#8221; This time it was just one strike&mdash;and
the shark was out!</p>
<hr class='major' />
<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
<a name='XIX_BRAXTON_JOINS_THE_PARTY' id='XIX_BRAXTON_JOINS_THE_PARTY'></a>
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_155' name='page_155'></a>155</span>
<h2>CHAPTER XIX</h2>
<h3>BRAXTON JOINS THE PARTY</h3>
</div>

<p>The passengers crowded around Joe in wild
delight and exhilaration, reaching for his hand,
pounding him on the back, vociferous in their
praise and congratulations, until he was almost
ready to pray to be rescued from his friends.</p>
<p>Mabel, starry-eyed, slipped a hand within his
arm and the pressure was eloquent. Jim almost
wrenched his arm from the shoulder, and Clara
hugged her brother openly.</p>
<p>Naturally, Joe&#8217;s great feat appealed especially
to the baseball players of the party. They felt
that he had honored the craft to which they belonged.
He had justified his reputation as the
star pitcher of the country, and they felt that they
shared in the reflected glory.</p>
<p>&#8220;Great Scott, Joe!&#8221; beamed Larry. &#8220;You put
it all over his sharklet that time.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Straight over the plate!&#8221; chuckled Burkett.</p>
<p>&#8220;Against the rules, though,&#8221; grinned Denton.
&#8220;You know that the &#8216;bean ball&#8217; is barred.&#8221;
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_156' name='page_156'></a>156</span></p>
<p>The rescued man had now been brought on
board. He had been too excited and confused to
understand how he had been snatched from the
jaws of death&mdash;and such a death!</p>
<p>He proved to be a member of the crew, a Lascar,
whose knowledge of the English language
was limited, and whose ignorance of the great
national game was fathomless.</p>
<p>But when he had recovered and had learned
the name of his rescuer, he sought Joe out and
thanked him in accents that were none the less sincere
because broken and imperfect, and from that
time on throughout the trip he was almost doglike
in his devotion.</p>
<p>A few days more and the ship reached Hawaii,
that far-flung outpost of Uncle Sam&#8217;s dominions,
which breaks the long ocean journey between
America and Japan.</p>
<p>The hearts of the tourists leaped as the ship
drew near the harbor and they caught sight
of the Stars and Stripes, floating proudly in the
breeze.</p>
<p>&#8220;I never knew how I loved that flag before,&#8221;
cried Mabel enthusiastically.</p>
<p>&#8220;The most beautiful flag that floats,&#8221; chimed in
Clara.</p>
<p>&#8220;The flag that stands for liberty everywhere,&#8221;
remarked Jim.</p>
<p>&#8220;Yes,&#8221; was Joe&#8217;s tribute. &#8220;The flag that when
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_157' name='page_157'></a>157</span>
it has gone up anywhere has never been pulled
down.&#8221;</p>
<p>As the ship drew near the shore the beauty of
the island paradise brought exclamations of delight
from the passengers who thronged the steamer&#8217;s
rails.</p>
<p>The harbor was a scene of busy life and animation.
The instant the ship dropped anchor she
was surrounded by native boats, paddled by Hawaiian
youngsters, who indulged in exhibitions of
diving and swimming that were a revelation of
skill.</p>
<p>&#8220;They&#8217;ve got it all over the fishes when it comes
to swimming,&#8221; remarked Jim with a grin. &#8220;Cough
up all your spare coin, Joe, and see these little beggars
dive for it.&#8221;</p>
<p>They tossed coin after coin into the transparent
waters and swiftly as each piece sank, the young
swimmer was swifter. Every one was caught before
it reached bottom, and came up clutched in
some dusky hand or shining between ivory
teeth.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll be bankrupt if this keeps up long,&#8221; laughed
Joe.</p>
<p>&#8220;Yes,&#8221; said Jim. &#8220;You&#8217;ll wish you&#8217;d joined the
All-Star League and copped that twenty thousand.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;How do they ever do it?&#8221; marveled Clara.</p>
<p>&#8220;In the blood I suppose,&#8221; replied Joe. &#8220;Their
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_158' name='page_158'></a>158</span>
folks throw them into the water when they&#8217;re
babies, and like puppies, they have to swim or
drown.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;They&#8217;re more at home in the water than they
are on land,&#8221; remarked Jim. &#8220;Those fellows will
swim out in the ocean and stay there all day
long.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I should think they&#8217;d be afraid of sharks,&#8221;
remarked Mabel, with a shudder, as she thought
of the recent incident in which that hideous brute
had figured.</p>
<p>&#8220;Sharks are easy meat for them,&#8221; replied Jim.
&#8220;You ought to pity the sharks instead of wasting
it on these fellows. Give them a knife, and the
shark hasn&#8217;t a Chinaman&#8217;s chance.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Not even a knife,&#8221; chimed in Joe. &#8220;A stick
sharpened at both ends is enough.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;A stick?&#8221; exclaimed Mabel, wonderingly.</p>
<p>&#8220;Sure thing,&#8221; replied Joe. &#8220;They simply wait
until the shark turns over to grab them and then
thrust it right into the open jaws. You&#8217;ve no idea
how effective that can be.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a case of misplaced confidence,&#8221; laughed
Jim. &#8220;The poor trustful shark lets his jaws come
together with a snap, or rather he thinks he does,
and instead of a nice juicy human, those guileless
jaws of his close on the two ends of the pointed
stick and stay there. He can&#8217;t close his mouth
and he drowns.&#8221;
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_159' name='page_159'></a>159</span></p>
<p>&#8220;Poor thing,&#8221; murmured Clara involuntarily,
while the boys put up a shout. &#8220;I don&#8217;t care,&#8221; she
added, flushing. &#8220;I&#8217;m always sorry for the underdog&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s why she&#8217;s taken such a fancy to you,
Jim, old man,&#8221; laughed Joe.</p>
<p>&#8220;Well, as long as pity is akin to&mdash;&mdash;&#8221; began
Joe, when Mabel, tired with laughing, interrupted
him:</p>
<p>&#8220;But suppose the stick should break,&#8221; she said.</p>
<p>&#8220;Then there would be just one less native,&#8221; answered
Jim, solemnly. &#8220;By the way, Joe,&#8221; he
added, &#8220;speaking of sharks&mdash;what&#8217;s the difference
between a dog and a shark?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Give it up,&#8221; replied Joe promptly.</p>
<p>&#8220;Because,&#8221; chuckled Jim, &#8220;a dog&#8217;s bark is
worse than his bite, but a shark&#8217;s bite is&mdash;is&mdash;worse
than his&mdash;er&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Go ahead,&#8221; said Joe bitterly, while the girls
giggled. &#8220;Perpetrate it. What shark has a
bark?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;A dog-faced shark,&#8221; crowed Jim triumphantly.</p>
<p>&#8220;Of all the idiots,&#8221; lisped Reggie, joining them
at the rail. &#8220;&#8217;Pon honor, you know, I never heard
such bally nonsense.&#8221;</p>
<p>The gibe that followed this remark was cut
short by the approach of the lighter on which the
passengers were to be carried to the shore.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_160' name='page_160'></a>160</span></p>
<p>They were to spend two days in Hawaii while
the steamer discharged its cargo, but they would
have gladly made it two weeks or two months.</p>
<p>Only one game was played, and that was between
the Giant and the All-American teams.
There was no native talent which was quite strong
enough to stand a chance against the seasoned
veterans, although Hawaii boasts of many ball
teams.</p>
<p>There was a big crowd present, made up chiefly
of government officials and representatives of foreign
commercial houses from all over the world
who had established branches on the island.</p>
<p>The contests between the two teams had been
waxing hotter and hotter, despite the fact that
there was nothing at stake except the pleasure of
winning.</p>
<p>But this was enough for these high-strung athletes,
to whom the cry &#8220;play ball&#8221; was like a bugle
call. The fight was close from start to finish, and
resulted in a victory for the All-Americans by a
score of three to two.</p>
<p>&#8220;That makes it &#8216;even Stephen,&#8217;&#8221; chortled Brennan
to his friend and rival, McRae. &#8220;We&#8217;ve won
just as many games as you have, now.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s hoss and hoss,&#8221; admitted McRae. &#8220;But
just wait; what we&#8217;ll do to you fellows before we
get to the end of the trip will be a crime.&#8221;</p>
<p>The time that still remained before the steamer
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_161' name='page_161'></a>161</span>
resumed its journey was one of unalloyed delight.
The scenery was wonderful and the weather superb.</p>
<p>Jim and Joe hired a touring car and with Joe
at the wheel&mdash;it is unnecessary to state who sat
beside him&mdash;they visited all the most picturesque
and romantic spots in that glorious bit of Nature&#8217;s
handiwork.</p>
<p>&#8220;Do you remember our last ride in an automobile,
Mabel?&#8221; asked Joe with a smile, as she
snuggled into the seat beside him.</p>
<p>&#8220;Indeed I do,&#8221; replied Mabel. &#8220;It was the
day that horrid Fleming carried me off and you
chased us.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I caught you all right, anyway,&#8221; Joe replied.</p>
<p>&#8220;Yes,&#8221; said Mabel saucily. &#8220;Only to spend all
your spare moments afterward in regretting it.&#8221;</p>
<p>Joe&#8217;s reproachful denial both in words and
looks was eloquent.</p>
<p>They visited the famous volcano with its crater
Kilaeua, and watched in awe and wonder the great
sea of flame that surged hideously and writhed
like a chain of fiery serpents.</p>
<p>They saw the famous battlefield where Kamehameha,
&#8220;the Napoleon of the Pacific,&#8221; had won
the great victory that made him undisputed ruler
of the island. They saw the steep precipice where
the three thousand Aohu, fighting to the last gasp,
had made their final stand, and had at last been
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_162' name='page_162'></a>162</span>
driven over the cliff to the death awaiting them
below.</p>
<p>It was with a feeling of genuine regret that they
finally bade farewell to the enchanting island and
again took ship to pursue their journey.</p>
<p>A large number of new passengers had come
on board at Honolulu, and among them was a
man who soon attached himself to the baseball
party. He was tall and distinguished in appearance,
smooth and plausible in his conversation,
and seemed to be thoroughly versed in the great
national game.</p>
<p>His ingratiating manners soon made him a favorite
with the women of the party also, and he
spared no pains to deepen this impression.</p>
<p>Reggie liked him immensely, largely, no doubt,
owing to the hints that Braxton, which was the
stranger&#8217;s name, had dropped of having aristocratic
connections. He had traveled widely, and
the names of distinguished personages fell from
his lips with ease and familiarity.</p>
<p>&#8220;How do you like the new fan, Joe?&#8221; Jim
asked, a day or two later.</p>
<p>&#8220;I can&#8217;t say that I&#8217;m stuck on him much,&#8221; responded
Joe. &#8220;He seems to be pretty well up
in baseball dope, and that in itself I suppose ought
to be a recommendation, to a ball player especially,
but somehow or other, he doesn&#8217;t hit me
very hard.&#8221;
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_163' name='page_163'></a>163</span></p>
<p>&#8220;I think he&#8217;s very handsome,&#8221; remarked Mabel,
with a mischievous glance at Joe, and that young
man&#8217;s instinctive dislike of the newcomer became
immediately more pronounced.</p>
<p>&#8220;He seems very friendly and pleasant,&#8221; put in
Clara. &#8220;Why don&#8217;t you like him, Joe?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;How can I tell?&#8221; replied her brother. &#8220;I
simply know I don&#8217;t.&#8221;</p>
<hr class='major' />
<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
<a name='XX_IN_MIKADO_LAND' id='XX_IN_MIKADO_LAND'></a>
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_164' name='page_164'></a>164</span>
<h2>CHAPTER XX</h2>
<h3>IN MIKADO LAND</h3>
</div>

<p>But if Braxton sensed the slight feeling of
antipathy which Joe felt for him, he gave no sign
of it, and Joe himself, who wanted to be strictly
just, took pains to conceal it.</p>
<p>Braxton had a fund of anecdotes that made
him good company, and the friendship that
Reggie felt for him made him often a member
of Joe&#8217;s party.</p>
<p>&#8220;Fine fellow, that Mr. Matson of yours,&#8221; he
remarked one afternoon, when he and Reggie
and Mabel were sitting together under an awning,
which the growing heat of every day, as the
vessel made its way deeper into the tropics, made
very grateful for its shade and coolness.</p>
<p>&#8220;Indeed he is,&#8221; remarked Mabel, warmly, to
whom praise of Joe was always sweet.</p>
<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s a ripper, don&#8217;t you know,&#8221; agreed
Reggie.</p>
<p>&#8220;Not only as a man but as a player,&#8221; continued
Braxton. &#8220;Hughson used to be king pin
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_165' name='page_165'></a>165</span>
once, but I think it can be fairly said that Matson
has taken his place as the star pitcher of America.
Hughson&#8217;s arm will probably never be entirely
well again.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Joe thinks that Hughson is a prince,&#8221; remarked
Mabel. &#8220;He says he stands head and
shoulders above everybody else.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;He used to,&#8221; admitted Braxton. &#8220;For ten
years there was nobody to be compared with him.
But now it&#8217;s Matson&#8217;s turn to wear the crown.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Have you ever seen Joe pitch?&#8221; asked Mabel.</p>
<p>&#8220;I should say I have,&#8221; replied Braxton. &#8220;And
it&#8217;s always been a treat to see the way he did his
work. I saw him at the Polo Grounds when in
that last, heartbreaking game he won the championship
for the Giants. And I saw him, too, in
that last game of the World&#8217;s Series, when it
seemed as though only a miracle could save the
day. That triple play was the most wonderful
thing I ever beheld. The way he nailed that
ball and shot it over to Denton was a thing the
fans will talk over for many years to come.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Wasn&#8217;t it great?&#8221; cried Mabel, enthusiastically,
at the same time privately resolving to
tell all this to Joe and show him how unjust he
was in feeling the way he did toward this generous
admirer.</p>
<p>&#8220;The fact is,&#8221; continued Braxton, &#8220;that Matson&#8217;s
in a class by himself. He&#8217;s the big cog in
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_166' name='page_166'></a>166</span>
the Giant machinery. It&#8217;s a pity they don&#8217;t appreciate
him more.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Why, they do appreciate him!&#8221; cried Mabel,
her eyes opening wide with wonder. &#8220;Mr. McRae
thinks nothing&#8217;s too good for him.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Nothing&#8217;s too good except money,&#8221; suggested
Braxton.</p>
<p>&#8220;They give him plenty of that, too,&#8221; put in
Mabel, loyally.</p>
<p>&#8220;He gets a ripping salary, don&#8217;t you know,&#8221;
put in Reggie. &#8220;And he almost doubled it in this
last World&#8217;s Series.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;A man&#8217;s worth what he can get,&#8221; returned
Braxton. &#8220;Now, of course, I don&#8217;t know and
perhaps it might be an impertinence for me even
to guess what his salary is, but I should say that
it isn&#8217;t a bit more than ten thousand a year.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Oh, it isn&#8217;t anything like that,&#8221; said Reggie,
a little chop fallen.</p>
<p>Braxton raised his eyebrows in apparent surprise.</p>
<p>&#8220;I didn&#8217;t think the Giants were so niggardly,&#8221;
he remarked, with a touch of contempt. &#8220;It&#8217;s
simply robbery for them to hold his services at
such a figure. Mr. Matson could demand vastly
more than that.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Where?&#8221; asked Reggie. &#8220;He&#8217;s under contract
with the Giants and they wouldn&#8217;t let him
go to any other club.&#8221;
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_167' name='page_167'></a>167</span></p>
<p>&#8220;Why doesn&#8217;t he go without asking leave?&#8221;
asked Braxton.</p>
<p>&#8220;But no other club in the big leagues would
take him if he broke his contract with the Giants,&#8221;
said Mabel, a little bewildered.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve heard there was a new league forming,&#8221;
said Braxton, carelessly. &#8220;Let&#8217;s see, what is it
they call it? The All-Star League. There would
be no trouble with Matson&#8217;s getting an engagement
with them. They&#8217;d welcome him with open
arms.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;They&#8217;ve already tried to get him,&#8221; cried
Mabel, proudly.</p>
<p>&#8220;Is that so? I suppose they made him a pretty
good offer. I&#8217;ve heard they&#8217;re doing things on a
big scale.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;It was a wonderful offer,&#8221; said Mabel.</p>
<p>&#8220;It certainly was, &#8217;pon honor,&#8221; chimed in
Reggie.</p>
<p>&#8220;Would it be indiscreet to ask the amount?&#8221;
said Braxton.</p>
<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t think there&#8217;s any bally secret &#8217;bout it,&#8221;
complied Reggie. &#8220;They offered him twenty
thousand dollars to sign a contract and fifteen
thousand dollars a year for a three years&#8217; term.
Many a bank or railroad president doesn&#8217;t get
that much, don&#8217;t you know.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;And Matson refused it?&#8221; asked Braxton, incredulously.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_168' name='page_168'></a>168</span></p>
<p>&#8220;How could he help it?&#8221; replied Mabel. &#8220;His
contract with the Giants has two years yet to
run.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;My dear young lady,&#8221; said Braxton, &#8220;don&#8217;t
you know that a baseball contract isn&#8217;t as binding
as the ordinary kind? In the first place, it&#8217;s
one-sided, and that itself makes it worthless.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;In what way is it so one-sided?&#8221; asked
Mabel.</p>
<p>&#8220;Well, just to take one instance,&#8221; replied
Braxton. &#8220;A baseball club may engage a man for
a year and yet if it gets tired of its bargain, it
can let him go on ten days&#8217; notice. That doesn&#8217;t
seem fair, does it?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;No-o, it doesn&#8217;t,&#8221; admitted Mabel slowly.</p>
<p>&#8220;It would be all right,&#8221; continued Braxton, &#8220;if
the player also could leave his club by giving ten
days&#8217; notice. But he can&#8217;t. That&#8217;s what makes
it unfair. The club can do to the player what
the player can&#8217;t do to the club. So the supposed
contract is only a bit of paper. It&#8217;s no contract
at all.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Not in the legal sense, perhaps,&#8221; said Reggie,
dubiously.</p>
<p>&#8220;Well, if not in the legal sense, then in no sense
at all,&#8221; persisted Braxton. &#8220;The law is supposed
to be based on justice, isn&#8217;t it, and to do what is
right?</p>
<p>&#8220;Of course,&#8221; he went on, &#8220;it&#8217;s none of my
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_169' name='page_169'></a>169</span>
business; but if I were in Mr. Matson&#8217;s place, I
shouldn&#8217;t hesitate a moment in going where my
services were in the most demand.&#8221;</p>
<p>Mabel felt there was sophistry somewhere in
the argument, but could hardly point out where
it was.</p>
<p>&#8220;I wouldn&#8217;t like to be quoted in this matter,
of course,&#8221; said Braxton, suavely. &#8220;And it might
be just as well not to mention to Mr. Matson that
I have spoken about it. He might think I was
trying to pry into his affairs.&#8221;</p>
<p>As Joe and Jim came up just then from the
engine-room of the ship which they had been inspecting,
the subject, of course, was dropped, and
after a while Braxton strode away with a self-satisfied
smile on his lips.</p>
<p>The travelers were now in the heart of the
typhoon region but luckily for them it was the
winter season when such storms are least frequent
and although they met a half gale that for two
days kept them in their cabins, they were favored
on the whole by fair weather and at the appointed
time dropped anchor in the harbor of Yokohama.</p>
<p>Now they were on the very threshold of the
Oriental world of whose wonders they had heard
and dreamed, and all were on tiptoe with curiosity
and interest.</p>
<p>The sights and scenes were as strange almost
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_170' name='page_170'></a>170</span>
as though they were on another planet. Everything
was new to their young blood and unjaded
senses in this &#8220;Land of the Rising Sun.&#8221;</p>
<p>The great city itself, teeming with commerce
and busy life, had countless places of interest, but
far more enchanting were the trips they took in
the jinrikishas drawn by tireless coolies which
carried them to the little dreaming, rustic towns
with their tiny houses, their quaint pagodas, their
charming gardens and their unhurried life, so different
from the feverish, restless tumult of western
lands.</p>
<p>&#8220;Really, this seems to be a different world from
ours,&#8221; was Clara&#8217;s comment.</p>
<p>&#8220;It certainly is vastly different from anything
we have in America,&#8221; replied Mabel.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s interesting&mdash;I&#8217;ll admit that,&#8221; said Joe.
&#8220;Just the same, I like things the way we have them
much better.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;To me these people&mdash;or at least a large part of
them&mdash;seem to lead a dreamlike existence,&#8221; was
Jim&#8217;s comment. &#8220;They don&#8217;t seem to belong to
the hurry and bustle of life such as we know it.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;And yet there is noise enough, goodness
knows!&#8221; answered Clara.</p>
<p>&#8220;I think I really prefer the good old U. S. A.,
don&#8217;t you know,&#8221; drawled Reggie. &#8220;There may
be society here, but really it&#8217;s so different from
ours that I shouldn&#8217;t like to take part in it.&#8221;
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_171' name='page_171'></a>171</span></p>
<p>&#8220;Yes, there is plenty of noise, but, at the same
time, there is a good deal of calm and quiet,&#8221; said
Joe.</p>
<p>But the calm and quiet that seemed to be prevailing
features of Japanese life were wholly absent
from the ball games where the visiting teams
met the nines of Keio and Waseda Universities.</p>
<p>The Giants were to play the first named team,
while later on the All-Americans were slated to
tackle the Waseda men.</p>
<p>In the first game the contrast was laughable
between the sturdy Giant players and their diminutive
opponents.</p>
<p>&#8220;What are we playing against?&#8221; laughed
Larry to Denton. &#8220;A bunch of kids?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;It would take two of them to make a mouthful,&#8221;
grinned Denton.</p>
<p>&#8220;I feel almost ashamed of myself,&#8221; chimed
in Burkett. &#8220;We ought to tackle fellows of our
own size.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;You don&#8217;t find many of that kind in Japan,&#8221;
said Joe. &#8220;But don&#8217;t you hold these fellows too
cheap. They may have a surprise in store for
us.&#8221;</p>
<p>The snap and vim that the Japs put into their
practice before the game seemed to add point to
his prophecy. They shot the ball around the
bases with a speed and precision that would have
done credit to seasoned veterans and made
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_172' name='page_172'></a>172</span>
McRae, who watched them keenly, give his men a
word of caution.</p>
<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t get too gay, boys,&#8221; he warned.</p>
<p>The game that followed was &#8220;for blood.&#8221; The
universities had poured out their crowds to a
man to cheer their players on to victory.</p>
<p>And for the first five innings the scales hung
in the balance. The Keio pitcher had a world of
speed and a tantalizing drop, and only two safe
hits were made off him. Behind him his team
mates fielded like demons. No ball seemed too
hard for them to get, and even when a Giant got
to first base he found it difficult to advance
against the accurate throwing to second of the
Jap catcher.</p>
<p>At the bat the home players were less fortunate.
They hit the ball often enough but they
couldn&#8217;t &#8220;lean against it&#8221; with the power of their
sturdier rivals.</p>
<p>They were skillful bunters, however, and had
the Giant players &#8220;standing on their heads&#8221; in
trying to field the balls that the clever Jap players
laid deftly in front of the plate.</p>
<p>By these tactics they scored a run in the sixth
inning, against which the Giants had only a string
of goose eggs.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s like a bear against a wildcat,&#8221; muttered
Robbie to McRae, as the little Jap scurried over
the plate.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_173' name='page_173'></a>173</span></p>
<p>&#8220;And it looks as if the wildcat might win,&#8221;
grunted the Giant manager, not at all pleased at
the possibility.</p>
<p>&#8220;Not a bit of it,&#8221; denied Robbie sturdily. &#8220;A
good big man is better than a good little man any
time.&#8221;</p>
<p>And his faith was justified when, in the seventh
inning, the Giants, stung by the taunts of their
manager, really woke up and got into action. A
perfect storm of hits broke from their bats and
had the Japanese players running after the ball
until their tongues hung out.</p>
<p>Five runs came in and it was &#8220;all over but the
shouting.&#8221; There was not much shouting, however,
for the home crowd had seen its dream of
victory shattered.</p>
<p>But though the Giants won handily in the end
by a score of six to two, it had been a red-hot
game, and had taken some of the conceit out of
the major leaguers. It was a tip, too, to the
All-Americans, who, when they played the Waseda
team a little later, went in with determination to
win the game from the start and trimmed their
opponents handsomely.</p>
<p>&#8220;Those Japs are the goods all right,&#8221; conceded
McRae, when at last they were ready to
embark for Hongkong.</p>
<p>&#8220;You&#8217;re right they are,&#8221; agreed Robbie.</p>
<p>&#8220;We call ourselves the world&#8217;s champions,&#8221;
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_174' name='page_174'></a>174</span>
grinned Jim. &#8220;But, after all, we&#8217;re only champions
of the United States. The time may come
when there will be a real World&#8217;s Series and then
the pennant will mean something more than it
does now.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;It would be some big jump between the
games,&#8221; said Joe.</p>
<p>&#8220;Lots of queer things happen,&#8221; said Larry
sagely. &#8220;The time yet may come when the umpire
will take off his hat, bow to the crowd and
say&mdash;</p>
<p>&#8220;&#8216;Ladies and gentlemen: the batteries for to-day&#8217;s
game are Matsuda and Nagawiki for the
All-Japans, Matson and Mylert for the All-Americans.&#8217;&#8221;</p>
<hr class='major' />
<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
<a name='XXI_RUNNING_AMUCK' id='XXI_RUNNING_AMUCK'></a>
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_175' name='page_175'></a>175</span>
<h2>CHAPTER XXI</h2>
<h3>RUNNING AMUCK</h3>
</div>

<p>If Japan had been a revelation to the tourists,
China was a still greater one. For Japan, however
much she clung to the dreamy life of former
times, had at last awakened and was fast adapting
herself to modern, civilized conditions.</p>
<p>If Japan was still half dreaming, China was
sound asleep. This, of course, was not true of
the foreign quarter, where the great English government
buildings and commercial houses might
have been those of Paris or London.</p>
<p>But just behind this lay the real China, looking
probably the same as three hundred thousand
years ago. The little streets, so narrow in places
that the houses almost touched and a carriage
could not pass! That strange medley of sounds
and smells and noises! Here a tinker mending
his pans on the sidewalk! There a dentist, pulling
a tooth in the open street, jugglers performing
their tricks, snake charmers exhibiting their
slimy pets.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_176' name='page_176'></a>176</span></p>
<p>There was a bewildering jumble of trades, occupations
and amusements, so utterly different
from what the tourists had ever before seen that
it held their curiosity unabated and their interest
stimulated to its highest pitch during the period
of their stay.</p>
<p>&#8220;Everything is so topsy turvy!&#8221; exclaimed
Mabel, as she threaded the noisome streets, clinging
close to Joe&#8217;s arm. &#8220;I feel like Alice in Wonderland.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s not surprising that things should be upside
down when we&#8217;re in the Antipodes,&#8221; laughed
Joe.</p>
<p>&#8220;If we saw men walking on their heads it would
seem natural out here,&#8221; said Jim. &#8220;All that a
Chinaman wants to know is what other people
do, then he does something different.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Sure thing,&#8221; said Joe. &#8220;See those fellows
across the street. They&#8217;re evidently old friends
and each one is shaking hands with himself.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;You can&#8217;t dope out anything here,&#8221; said Jim.
&#8220;When an American&#8217;s puzzled he scratches his
head&mdash;the Chinaman scratches his foot. We
wear black for mourning, they wear white. We
pay the doctor when we&#8217;re sick&mdash;&mdash;&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;If the doctor&#8217;s lucky,&#8221; interrupted Joe.</p>
<p>&#8220;They pay him only while they&#8217;re well. They
figure that it&#8217;s to his interest then to keep them
well. We think what few brains we have are
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_177' name='page_177'></a>177</span>
in our head. The Chinaman thinks they&#8217;re in the
stomach. Whenever he gets off what he thinks
is a good thing he pats his stomach in approval.
We put a guest of honor on our right, the Chinaman
puts him on his left.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Anything else?&#8221; asked Clara laughingly.</p>
<p>&#8220;Lots of things,&#8221; replied Joe. &#8220;And we&#8217;ll
probably find them out before we go away.&#8221;</p>
<p>As they passed a corner they saw a man standing
there, rigged out in a queer fashion. About
him was what seemed to be a tree box, from which
only his head protruded.</p>
<p>&#8220;Why is he going around that way?&#8221; asked
Mabel, curiously.</p>
<p>&#8220;You wouldn&#8217;t care to know that,&#8221; said Joe,
hurrying her along, but Mabel was not to be disposed
of in so cavalier a fashion.</p>
<p>&#8220;But I do want to know,&#8221; she persisted.</p>
<p>&#8220;Might as well tell her,&#8221; said Jim, &#8220;and let
her suffer.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Well,&#8221; said Joe, reluctantly, &#8220;that fellow&#8217;s
being executed.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;What do you mean?&#8221; exclaimed Mabel, in
horror.</p>
<p>&#8220;Just that,&#8221; replied Joe. &#8220;That thing that
looked like a tree box is what they call a cangue.
They put him in there so that he&#8217;s standing on
thin slabs of wood that just enable him to keep
his head above that narrow opening around his
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_178' name='page_178'></a>178</span>
neck. Every little while they take one of the
slabs of wood from underneath him; then he has
to stand on tiptoe. By and by his feet can&#8217;t
touch the slabs at all, and then he chokes to
death.&#8221;</p>
<p>The girls shuddered and Mabel regretted her
ill-timed curiosity.</p>
<p>&#8220;What a hideous thing!&#8221; exclaimed Clara.</p>
<p>&#8220;And what cruel people!&#8221; added Mabel.</p>
<p>&#8220;One of the most cruel on God&#8217;s earth,&#8221; replied
Jim. &#8220;You see in all this crowd there is
nobody looking at that fellow with pity. They
don&#8217;t seem to have the slightest tincture of it.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Let&#8217;s go back to our hotel,&#8221; pleaded Mabel.
&#8220;I&#8217;ve seen all I want to for to-day.&#8221;</p>
<p>The games at Hong Kong were interesting and
largely attended. There was one rattling contest
between the major leaguers that after an eleventh-inning
fight was won by the Giants.</p>
<p>A few days later a second game was played in
which a picked team from the visitors opposed a
nine of husky &#8220;Jackies&#8221; selected from the United
States battleships that lay in the harbor.</p>
<p>To make the game more even, the Giants
loaned them a catcher and second baseman, and
a contest ensued that was full of fun and excitement.</p>
<p>Of course, the Jackies were full of naval slang,
and sometimes their talk was utterly unintelligible
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_179' name='page_179'></a>179</span>
to the landsmen. At the end of the third inning
the Giants had three runs to their credit, while the
boys from the navy had nothing.</p>
<p>&#8220;Say there, Longneck, we&#8217;ve got to get some
runs,&#8221; howled one Jackie to his mate. &#8220;Give &#8217;em
a shot from a twelve-inch gun!&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Aye! aye! Give it &#8217;em.&#8221;</p>
<p>In the next inning the Jackies took a brace, and,
as a consequence, got two runs. Immediately they
and their friends began to cheer wildly.</p>
<p>&#8220;Down with the pirates!&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Let&#8217;s feed &#8217;em to the sharks!&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;A double portion of plum duff for every man
on our side who makes a run!&#8221; cried one enthusiastic
sailor boy.</p>
<p>Several of the Jackies were quite good when it
came to batting the ball, but hardly any of them
could do any efficient running, for the reason that
they got but scant practice while on shipboard.
The way that some of them wabbled around the
bases was truly amusing, and set the crowd to
laughing loudly.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our men don&#8217;t like this running,&#8221; declared one
sailor, who sat watching the contest. &#8220;If, instead
of running around those bases, you fellows had to
climb a mast, you&#8217;d see who would come out
ahead.&#8221;</p>
<p>The Jackies managed to get two more runs, due
almost entirely to the lax playing of the Giants.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_180' name='page_180'></a>180</span>
This, however, was as far as they were able to go,
and, when the game came to an end, the score
stood 12 to 5 in favor of the Giants.</p>
<p>A visit to Shanghai followed, where only one
game was played, and this by a rally in the last
inning went to the All-Americans, thus keeping
the total score of won and lost even between the
rival teams.</p>
<p>They spent a few more days in sightseeing, and
then set sail for the Philippines, glad at the prospect
of soon being once more under the flag of
their own country.</p>
<p>&#8220;Look at those queer little boats!&#8221; exclaimed
Mabel, as they stood at the rail while the ship
was weighing anchor and looked at the native
sampans with their bright colors and lateen sails
as they darted to and fro like so many gaudy
butterflies.</p>
<p>&#8220;What are those things they have on each side
of the bow?&#8221; asked Clara. &#8220;They look like
eyes.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s what they are,&#8221; replied Jim, seriously.</p>
<p>Clara looked at him to see if he were joking.</p>
<p>&#8220;Honest to goodness, cross my heart, hope to
die,&#8221; returned Jim.</p>
<p>&#8220;But why do they put eyes there?&#8221; asked Clara,
mystified.</p>
<p>&#8220;So that the boat can see where it&#8217;s going,&#8221;
replied Jim.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_181' name='page_181'></a>181</span></p>
<p>&#8220;Well,&#8221; said Mabel, with a gasp, &#8220;whatever
else I take away from this country, I&#8217;ll have a
choice collection of nightmares.&#8221;</p>
<p>The steamer made splendid weather of the
trip to the Philippines, and in a few days they
were steaming into Manila bay. Their hearts
swelled with pride as they recalled the splendid
achievement of Admiral Dewey, when, with his
battle fleet, scorning mines and torpedoes, like
Farragut at Mobile, he had signaled for &#8220;full
speed ahead.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;That fellow was the real stuff,&#8221; remarked
Jim.</p>
<p>&#8220;As good as they make them,&#8221; agreed Joe.
&#8220;And foxy, too. Remember how he kept that
cable cut because he didn&#8217;t want the folks at
Washington to queer his game. He had his work
cut out and he wasn&#8217;t going to be interfered
with.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Something like Nelson, when his chief ran up
the signal to withdraw,&#8221; suggested Denton. &#8220;He
looked at it with that blind eye of his and said he
couldn&#8217;t see it.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Dewey was a good deal like Nelson,&#8221; said
Joe. &#8220;Do you remember how he trod on the
corns of that German admiral who tried to butt
in?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Do I?&#8221; said Jim. &#8220;You bet I do.&#8221;</p>
<p>The party met with a warm welcome when they
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_182' name='page_182'></a>182</span>
went ashore at Manila. American officers and
men from the garrison thronged the dock to meet
the veterans of the diamond, whose coming had
been widely heralded.</p>
<p>Many of them knew the players personally and
all knew them by reputation.</p>
<p>The baseball teams went to their hotel and
after they were comfortably settled in their new
quarters, the two chums accompanied by the girls
went out for a stroll. But they had not gone
far before they were startled by excited shouts
a little way ahead of them and saw groups of
people scattering right and left in wild panic and
confusion.</p>
<p>Down the street came a savage figure, running
with the speed of a hare, and holding in
either hand a knife with which he slashed savagely
right and left at all that stood in his way.</p>
<p>His eyes were flaming with demoniacal fury,
foam stood out upon his lips, and from those lips
issued a wailing cry that ended in a shriek:</p>
<p>&#8220;Amuck! Amuck!&#8221;</p>
<hr class='major' />
<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
<a name='XXII_TAKING_A_CHANCE' id='XXII_TAKING_A_CHANCE'></a>
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_183' name='page_183'></a>183</span>
<h2>CHAPTER XXII</h2>
<h3>TAKING A CHANCE</h3>
</div>

<p>There was a scream from the frightened girls
and a gasp from the young men as they saw
this messenger of death bearing down upon
them.</p>
<p>They knew at a glance what had happened.
A Malay, yielding to the insidious mental malady
that seems peculiar to his race, had suddenly gone
mad and started out to kill. That he himself
would inevitably be killed did not deter him for a
moment. He wanted to die, but he wanted at
the same time to take as many with him as possible.</p>
<p>He had made his offering to the infernal gods,
had blackened his teeth and anointed his head
with cocoa oil, and had started out to slay.</p>
<p>With his eyes blazing, his head rolling from
side to side like a mad dog, and with that blood-chilling
cry coming from his foam-flecked lips, he
was like a figure from a nightmare.</p>
<p>For a moment the Americans stood rooted to
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_184' name='page_184'></a>184</span>
the spot. That instant past, Baseball Joe, as
usual, took the lead.</p>
<p>&#8220;Look after the girls, Jim!&#8221; he cried, and
started full tilt toward the awful figure that came
plunging down the street.</p>
<p>Mabel and Clara screamed to him to stop, but
he only quickened his pace, running like a deer,
as though bent on suicide. The Malay saw him
coming, and for a second hesitated. He had seen
everyone else scurry from him in fear. What did
this man mean by coming to meet him?</p>
<p>It was just this instant of indecision upon which
Joe had counted, and like a flash he seized it.</p>
<p>When within twenty feet of the Malay, Joe
launched himself into the air, and came down flat
on the hard dirt road, as he had done many a time
before when sliding to base.</p>
<p>The Malay, confused by the unlooked-for action,
slashed down at him. Had Joe gone straight
toward him, the knife would have been buried in
him. But here again his quickness and the tactics
of the ballfield came into play.</p>
<p>Instead of going straight toward his antagonist,
his slide had been a &#8220;fall away.&#8221;</p>
<p>Many a time when sliding to second he had
thrown himself this way out of the reach of the
ball, while his extended hand just clutched the
bag.</p>
<p>So now, his sinewy arm caught the Malay by
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_185' name='page_185'></a>185</span>
the leg, while his body swung round to the right.
Down went the Malay with a crash, his blood-stained
knives clattering on the ground and the
next instant Joe was on his back.</p>
<p>His hands closed upon the man&#8217;s throat with
an iron grip.</p>
<p>But there was no more fight left in the would-be
murderer. The fall had jarred and partially
stunned him. In an instant Jim had joined Joe,
other men came rushing up; and the danger was
over.</p>
<p>The crazed man was secured with ropes and
carried away, while Joe, perspiring, panting and
covered with dust, received the enthusiastic congratulations
of the rapidly gathering crowd.</p>
<p>&#8220;Pluckiest thing I ever saw in my life!&#8221; exclaimed
the colonel of the army command, who
had witnessed the exploit.</p>
<p>&#8220;That fall-away slide of yours was great,
Joe!&#8221; cried Larry Barrett, who had come up.
&#8220;I never saw a niftier one on the ballfield.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;You made the bag all right!&#8221; grinned Denton.</p>
<p>&#8220;He never touched you!&#8221; chuckled Burkett.</p>
<p>&#8220;If he had it would have been some touch,&#8221; declared
McRae, as he picked up one murderous-looking
knife and passed it round for inspection.</p>
<p>It was a wicked weapon, nearly a foot in
length, with a handle so contrived as to get all
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_186' name='page_186'></a>186</span>
the weight behind the stroke and a wavy blade
capable of inflicting a fearful wound.</p>
<p>&#8220;Has a bowie knife skinned a mile!&#8221; ejaculated
Curry, expressing the general sentiment.</p>
<p>Joe hated to pose as a hero but it was some
time before the crowd would let him get away
and rejoin the girls who were waiting for him.</p>
<p>All the plaudits of the throng were tame compared
with what he read in the eyes of Mabel and
his sister.</p>
<p>The baseball teams stayed nearly a week in
Manila, making short excursions in the suburbs as
far as it could be done with safety. Two games
were played, one between the Giants and All-Americans,
which resulted in favor of the latter,
and another between the Giants and a picked nine
from the army post.</p>
<p>Many of Uncle Sam&#8217;s army boys had been fine
amateur players and a few had come from professional
teams, so that they were able to put up
a gallant fight, although they were, of course, no
match for the champions of the world.</p>
<p>&#8220;But they certainly put up a fine game,&#8221; was
Joe&#8217;s comment. &#8220;They had two pitchers who had
some good stuff in &#8217;em.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s just what I was thinking,&#8221; returned
Jim.</p>
<p>&#8220;One of those pitchers used to play ball on a
professional team from Los Angeles,&#8221; said
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_187' name='page_187'></a>187</span>
McRae, who was standing near. &#8220;I understand he
had quite a record.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I wonder what made him give up pitching and
join the army,&#8221; remarked Jim curiously.</p>
<p>&#8220;Oh, I suppose it was the love of adventure,&#8221;
answered the manager.</p>
<p>&#8220;That might be it,&#8221; said Joe. &#8220;Some fellows
get tired of doing the same thing, and when they
have a chance to leave home and see strange
places, they grab it.&#8221;</p>
<p>While warming up prior to this last game, Joe&#8217;s
attention was attracted by a muscular Chinaman,
who was standing in the crowd that fringed the
diamond, interestedly watching the players at
practice. He recognized him as a famous wrestler
who had taken part in a bout at a performance
the night before and who had thrown his
opponents with ease.</p>
<p>&#8220;Some muscles on that fellow,&#8221; Joe remarked
to Jim.</p>
<p>&#8220;Biggest Chink I ever saw,&#8221; replied Jim, &#8220;and
not a bit of it is fat either. He&#8217;d make a dandy
highbinder. You saw what he did to the Terrible
Turk in that match last night. He just
played with him. And the Turk was no slouch
either.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Look at those arms,&#8221; joined in Larry, gazing
with admiration at the swelling biceps of the
wrestler. &#8220;What a slugger he&#8217;d make if he knew
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_188' name='page_188'></a>188</span>
how to play ball. He&#8217;d break all the fences in
the league.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;He sure would kill the ball if he ever caught
it on the end of his bat,&#8221; declared Red Curry.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve half a mind to give him a chance,&#8221;
laughed Joe.</p>
<p>&#8220;Go ahead,&#8221; grinned Larry. &#8220;I&#8217;d like to see
him break his back reaching for one of your
curves.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;He might land on it at that,&#8221; replied Joe.
&#8220;A wrestler has to have an eye like a hawk.&#8221;</p>
<p>He beckoned to the wrestler, who came toward
him at once with a smile on his keen but good-natured
face.</p>
<p>&#8220;Want to hit the ball?&#8221; asked Joe, piecing out
his question by going through the motions of
swinging a bat that he picked up.</p>
<p>The wrestler &#8220;caught on&#8221; at once, and the
smile on his face broadened into a grin as he
nodded his head understandingly.</p>
<p>&#8220;Me tly,&#8221; he said in the &#8220;pidgin English&#8221; he
had picked up in his travels, and reached out his
hand for the bat.</p>
<p>&#8220;Have a heart, Joe,&#8221; laughed Larry. &#8220;Don&#8217;t
show the poor gink up before the crowd. At any
rate let me show him how it&#8217;s done.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;All right,&#8221; responded Joe. &#8220;You lead off and
he can follow.&#8221;</p>
<p>Larry took up his position at the plate and
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_189' name='page_189'></a>189</span>
motioned to the wrestler to watch him. The latter
nodded and followed every motion.</p>
<p>Joe put over a swift high one that Larry swung
at and missed. He &#8220;bit&#8221; again at an outcurve
with no better result.</p>
<p>&#8220;Look out, Larry,&#8221; chaffed Jim, &#8220;or it&#8217;s you
that will be shown up instead of the Chink.&#8221;</p>
<p>A little nettled, Larry caught the next one full
and square and it sailed far out into right field.</p>
<p>&#8220;There,&#8221; he said complacently, as he handed
the bat to the wrestler, &#8220;that&#8217;s the way it&#8217;s done.&#8221;</p>
<p>The latter went awkwardly to the plate and a
laugh ran through the crowd at the unusual sight.</p>
<p>Joe lobbed one over and the Chinaman swung
listlessly a foot below the ball.</p>
<p>&#8220;Easy money,&#8221; laughed Denton.</p>
<p>&#8220;Where&#8217;s that good eye you said this fellow
had?&#8221; sang out Willis.</p>
<p>The second ball floated up to the plate as big
as a balloon, and again the wrestler whiffed, coming
nowhere near the sphere.</p>
<p>But as Joe wound up for the third ball, the
listlessness vanished from the Chinaman. A
glint came into his eyes and every muscle was
tense.</p>
<p>The ball sped toward the plate. The wrestler
caught it fair &#8220;on the seam&#8221; with all his powerful
body behind the blow.</p>
<p>The ball soared high and far over center field,
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_190' name='page_190'></a>190</span>
looking as though it were never going to stop. In
a regular game it would have been the easiest of
home runs.</p>
<p>The wrestler sauntered away from the plate
with the same bland smile on his yellow face
while the crowd cheered him. He had turned the
tables, and the laugh was on Joe and his fellow
players.</p>
<p>&#8220;But why,&#8221; asked Jim, after the game had resulted
in a victory for the visitors by a one-sided
score, and he was walking back with Joe to the
hotel, &#8220;did he make such a miserable flunk at the
first two balls? Was he kidding us?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Not at all,&#8221; grinned Joe. &#8220;It&#8217;s because the
Chinamen are the greatest imitators on earth.
He saw that Larry missed the first two and so
he did the same. He thought it was part of the
game!&#8221;</p>
<hr class='major' />
<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
<a name='XXIII_AN_EMBARRASSED_RESCUER' id='XXIII_AN_EMBARRASSED_RESCUER'></a>
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_191' name='page_191'></a>191</span>
<h2>CHAPTER XXIII</h2>
<h3>AN EMBARRASSED RESCUER</h3>
</div>

<p>On the long trip to Australia the tourists encountered
the most severe storm of the journey.
In fact, it was almost equal to the dreaded
typhoon, and there were times when, despite the
staunchness of the vessel, the faces of the captain
and the officers were lined with anxiety.</p>
<p>After two days and nights, however, of peril,
the storm blew itself out and the rest of the journey
was made over serene seas and under cloudless
skies.</p>
<p>One night after the girls had retired, Joe and
Jim, together with McRae and Braxton, were
sitting in the smoking room. The conversation
had been of the kind that always prevails when
baseball &#8220;fans&#8221; get together.</p>
<p>After a while Jim accompanied McRae to the
latter&#8217;s cabin to discuss some details of Jim&#8217;s contract
for the coming season, leaving Joe and
Braxton as the sole occupants of the room.</p>
<p>Joe had never been able to overcome the
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_192' name='page_192'></a>192</span>
instinctive antipathy that he had felt toward Braxton
from the first, but he had kept this under restraint,
and Braxton himself, though he might
have suspected this feeling, was always suave and
urbane.</p>
<p>There was no denying that he was good company
and always interesting. In an apparently
accidental way, Braxton, who had been scribbling
aimlessly upon some pieces of paper that lay on
the table, led the talk toward the subject of handwriting.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a gift to write a good hand,&#8221; he remarked.
&#8220;It&#8217;s got to be born in you. Some men
can do it naturally, others can&#8217;t. I&#8217;m one of the
fellows that can&#8217;t. I&#8217;ll bet Horace Greeley himself
never wrote a worse hand than I do.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve heard that he was a weird writer,&#8221; smiled
Joe.</p>
<p>&#8220;The worst ever,&#8221; rejoined Braxton. &#8220;I&#8217;ve
heard that he wrote to his foreman once, ordering
him to discharge a printer who had set up a
bad copy. The printer hated to lose his job and
an idea struck him. He got hold of the letter
discharging him and took it to Greeley, who
didn&#8217;t know him by sight, and told him it was a
letter of recommendation from his last employer.
Greeley tried to read it, but couldn&#8217;t, so he said
he guessed it was all right and told him he was
engaged.&#8221;
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_193' name='page_193'></a>193</span></p>
<p>Joe laughed, and Braxton tossed over to him
a sheet of paper on which he had written his
name.</p>
<p>&#8220;Greeley has nothing on me,&#8221; he said. &#8220;If you
didn&#8217;t know my name was Braxton, I&#8217;ll bet you
wouldn&#8217;t recognize these hen tracks.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;You&#8217;re right,&#8221; said Joe. &#8220;I&#8217;m no dabster myself
at writing and I can sympathize with you.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;It couldn&#8217;t be as bad as this,&#8221; challenged
Braxton, slipping a pen over to Joe, together with
a fresh piece of paper.</p>
<p>&#8220;No,&#8221; said Joe, as he took up the pen, &#8220;I
guess at least you could make mine out.&#8221;</p>
<p>He scribbled his name and Braxton picked up
the paper with a laugh.</p>
<p>&#8220;I win,&#8221; he said. &#8220;You&#8217;re bad, but I&#8217;m worse.
You see I am proud even of my defects.&#8221;</p>
<p>He dropped the subject then and talked of
other things until Joe, stifling a yawn, excused
himself and went to his cabin.</p>
<p>The reception of the party in Australia went
far beyond their expectations. That remote continent
has always been noted for its sporting spirit
and although of course the English blood made
cricket their favorite game, the crowds were
quick to detect and appreciate the merits of the
great American pastime.</p>
<p>As a rule they would not concede that the batting
was any better than that shown by their own
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_194' name='page_194'></a>194</span>
cricketers, but there was no question as to the
superiority of the fielding.</p>
<p>The lightning throws, the double plays, the
marvelous catches in the outfield and the speed
shown on the bases were freely admitted to be
far and away beyond that shown by their elevens.
And the crowds grew larger and larger as the
visiting teams made their triumphal progress
through the great cities of Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide
and Melbourne.</p>
<p>Inspired by their reception and put upon their
mettle by the great outpouring of spectators, the
teams themselves played like demons. One
might almost have thought that they were fighting
for the pennant.</p>
<p>They were so evenly matched that first one and
then the other was on top, and by the time they
reached Melbourne the Giants were only one
game in the lead of the total that had been played
since the trip began.</p>
<p>Melbourne itself with its romantic history and
magic growth proved very attractive. But Joe
was destined to remember it for very different
reasons.</p>
<p>While walking with Jim one day outside the
town near the Yarra Yarra river, they were startled
by hearing a cry for help, and racing toward
the sound they saw a young girl struggling in the
water.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_195' name='page_195'></a>195</span></p>
<p>Trained by their vocation to act quickly, they
threw off their coats, plunging into the water
almost at the same instant. They swam fiercely,
lashed on by that frantic wail, sounding fainter
each time it was repeated.</p>
<p>The race for a life was almost neck and neck
until Joe, showing his tremendous reserve
strength, shot ahead at the very end, grasping the
struggling figure as it was sinking for the last
time.</p>
<p>Jim helped, and together they brought the rescued
girl&mdash;the long dank black hair testified to
her sex&mdash;back to shore, where a group of the
native blacks, attracted by the cries, had gathered
to welcome them.</p>
<p>Dripping and exhausted, the two heroes of the
occasion staggered up the bank while willing
hands relieved them of their burden.</p>
<p>&#8220;Let&#8217;s beat it,&#8221; whispered Jim, as the crowd of
natives closed around the unconscious object of
their heroism, &#8220;while the going&#8217;s good. If that
girl ever finds out that you rescued her she&#8217;ll
want to attach herself to you for life. That
seems to be the fool custom of these parts.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;She&#8217;d find it pretty hard work,&#8221; said Joe, with
a wry smile. &#8220;Besides, we don&#8217;t even know that
the girl&#8217;s alive. It would be pretty heartless to
clear out without learning.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Oh, all right,&#8221; said Jim, uneasily. &#8220;But
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_196' name='page_196'></a>196</span>
remember, if there are any consequences you&#8217;ve got
to take &#8217;em.&#8221;</p>
<p>At that moment the crowd opened and the boys
saw a remarkably good-looking black girl standing
dizzily and supported by another native who
might have been her father.</p>
<p>She looked dazedly from one to the other of
the young men and Jim promptly &#8220;stepped out
from under.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s him,&#8221; said Jim, neglecting grammar in
his eagerness to shift the burden of credit to Joe&#8217;s
broad shoulders. &#8220;He did it all.&#8221;</p>
<p>The girl walked unsteadily up to Joe and
said, submissively: &#8220;My life is yours! Me your
slave!&#8221;</p>
<p>Joe started, stared, and gulped, then turned to
Jim to make sure he was awake, and not a victim
of some bad dream. But Jim had suddenly acquired
a peculiar form of hysteria, and with a
choking sound turned his back upon his friend.</p>
<p>&#8220;N-no,&#8221; stuttered Joe, gently pushing the girl
away, &#8220;no want.&#8221;</p>
<p>Another explosion from Jim did not serve to
improve Joe&#8217;s state of mind. His face was fiery
red, and his voice husky.</p>
<p>&#8220;Me slave!&#8221; persisted the girl stubbornly.</p>
<p>Then Joe turned and fled, manfully fighting a
desire to shout with laughter one moment, and
groan with dismay the next.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_197' name='page_197'></a>197</span></p>
<p>Two very much subdued baseball players crept
in at the side door of the hotel, and scurried
along the corridor toward their rooms, hoping
ardently to meet no one on the way. It was with
a sigh of relief that they slipped inside, locked
the door, and repaired the ravages that the waters
of the Yarra Yarra had made upon their clothing.</p>
<p>A few moments later, with self respect considerably
improved, they sauntered down to the
writing room, where they found the two girls
looking more distractingly pretty than ever, engaged
in folding the last of their letters.</p>
<p>&#8220;Oh, back so soon?&#8221; queried Mabel, looking
up.</p>
<p>&#8220;Goodness, how the time has flown,&#8221; said
Clara. &#8220;It seems as though you had just gone.
Have you another stamp, Mabel dear? I have
used mine all up.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Say, you&#8217;re complimentary,&#8221; remarked Jim,
dryly. &#8220;It&#8217;s great to be missed like that.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Well, we&#8217;ll miss something more if we don&#8217;t
get a move on,&#8221; said Joe, practically. &#8220;How
about some lunch, girls?&#8221;</p>
<p>After luncheon the quartette sauntered out for
a walk up Elizabeth street to the post-office. The
boys were just congratulating themselves that
their uncomfortable, though piquant, experience
of the morning was a thing definitely of the past,
when it happened!
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_198' name='page_198'></a>198</span></p>
<p>Joe felt a touch on his arm, and, looking down,
saw, to his horror, the black girl.</p>
<p>&#8220;Me yours!&#8221; she cried, eagerly.</p>
<p>Joe muttered savagely beneath his breath, and
held the girl off at arm&#8217;s length, his misery increasing
as, with a quick side glance, he saw the
growing indignation in Mabel&#8217;s eyes.</p>
<p>&#8220;Me yours!&#8221; repeated the girl, with the maddening
monotony of a phonograph.</p>
<p>But just then, when Joe was at his wit&#8217;s end,
help came from an unexpected quarter. A big
black man, glowering threateningly, elbowed his
way through the curious group that had gathered
about them, grasped the girl by the arm, and
dragged her away. There was no mistaking the
jealousy that prompted the action. Joe drew a
deep sigh of deliverance, while Jim was crimson
with suppressed laughter.</p>
<p>Mabel was the only one, except Joe himself,
who could not see the joke. There were two pink
spots in her cheeks, her eyes were very bright,
her head was held high, and poor Joe had some
explaining to do before the party left Australia,
which they did soon after, and started on their
journey to Ceylon.</p>
<p>They reached Colombo in Ceylon, the island
of spices, the richest gem in the Indian ocean, and
disembarked late one afternoon. At the hotel in
the English quarter, while the women of the party
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_199' name='page_199'></a>199</span>
went to their rooms to refresh themselves and
dress for dinner, the men, after a hasty toilet,
went into the lobby of the hotel where, as always,
their first thought was to get hold of the papers
from home.</p>
<p>Joe&#8217;s eyes fell on a New York paper and he
snatched it up eagerly and turned to the sporting
page for the latest news of the diamond. He
gave a startled exclamation as he saw the bold
headline that stretched across the top of the page:</p>
<p>&#8220;<i>Joe Matson, the Pitching King, Signs with
the All-Star League!</i>&#8221;</p>
<hr class='major' />
<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
<a name='XXIV_THE_BLOW_FALLS' id='XXIV_THE_BLOW_FALLS'></a>
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_200' name='page_200'></a>200</span>
<h2>CHAPTER XXIV</h2>
<h3>THE BLOW FALLS</h3>
</div>

<p>Baseball Joe&#8217;s first sensation was one of unutterable
surprise, followed a moment later by
fierce indignation.</p>
<p>&#8220;What&#8217;s the matter, Joe?&#8221; asked Jim, coming
up behind him.</p>
<p>&#8220;Matter enough!&#8221; growled Joe, thrusting the
offending paper under his comrade&#8217;s nose. &#8220;Look
at this!&#8221;</p>
<p>Jim looked and gave a long whistle of surprise.</p>
<p>&#8220;What does it mean?&#8221; he ejaculated, as his
eyes went from the headlines to the story, which
covered the greater part of the page.</p>
<p>&#8220;Mean?&#8221; snorted Joe. &#8220;It means a stab in
the back. It means that those skunks are trying
to do by lying what they couldn&#8217;t do by bribery.
It means that while we&#8217;re thousands of miles
away they are trying to gull the public and get
other ball players to jump their contracts by a
barefaced lie like this. I wish I had hold of the
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_201' name='page_201'></a>201</span>
fellow who&#8217;s doing this&mdash;I&#8217;d make him sweat
for it!&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Of course it&#8217;s a lie,&#8221; assented Jim, &#8220;and a lie
out of whole cloth. But what beats me is why
they should do it? It&#8217;s bound to be a boomerang.&#8221;</p>
<p>They sat down side by side and read the paper
together, and the more they read the more bewildered
they became.</p>
<p>For the story was circumstantial. It went into
minute details. It embraced interviews with the
backers of the new league, who confirmed it without
hesitation. One of the paragraphs read as
follows:</p>
<div class='blockquot'>
<p>&#8220;Nothing in years has created such a sensation
in the world of sport as the news just made public
that Matson, the star pitcher of the Giants, had
jumped the fold and landed in the All-Star
League. It was known that overtures were made
to this great pitcher at the end of his last season,
when his magnificent work created a record in the
National League that will probably never be surpassed.
It was understood, however, that these
offers, though coupled with a tremendous bonus
and salary, had been definitely rejected. For
that reason the news that he has reconsidered
and jumped to the All-Stars comes like a thunderbolt
from a clear sky. The major leaguers are
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_202' name='page_202'></a>202</span>
in consternation, while the new league naturally
is jubilant at this acquisition to their ranks.
Matson is a popular idol among his fellow players
and it is believed that many stars who have
been wavering in their allegiance to the old
leagues will follow his example.&#8221;</p>
</div>
<p>The rest of the page was devoted to a recital
of Joe&#8217;s achievements in pitching the Giants to
the Championship of the National League and,
later, to the Championship of the World.</p>
<p>The two friends stared at each other in amazement
and rage, and just then McRae and Robbie,
together with a group of other players, came
hurrying up, holding other papers which, though
in different words, told substantially the same
story.</p>
<p>There was a babel of excited questions and
exclamations, and Joe felt a sharp pang go
through him, as for the first time in his experience
with the manager of the Giants, he saw in
McRae&#8217;s eyes a shadow of distrust.</p>
<p>&#8220;Isn&#8217;t this the limit?&#8221; asked McRae, as he
crushed the paper in his hand, threw it to
the floor and trampled on it in disgust and
anger.</p>
<p>&#8220;It sure is,&#8221; replied Joe. &#8220;I&#8217;ve had lies told
about me before but never one that touched me
on the raw like this.&#8221;
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_203' name='page_203'></a>203</span></p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a burning outrage,&#8221; cried Denton indignantly.</p>
<p>&#8220;What they expect to make out of it is beyond
me,&#8221; declared Robbie. &#8220;They ought to know
that they can&#8217;t get away with it.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;But in the meantime it will have done its
work,&#8221; Willis pointed out. &#8220;What if it is contradicted
later on? By that time they&#8217;ll have a
dozen stars signed and they should worry. As
long as it&#8217;s believed that Joe has jumped, it&#8217;s just
as good for them as though he had.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s the worst of it,&#8221; agreed Joe bitterly.
&#8220;Of course I&#8217;ll send a cable contradicting it, but
the lie has got a head start and a lot of damage
has been done. What do you suppose my friends
in America are thinking about me just now?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t worry about that, Joe,&#8221; comforted Jim.
&#8220;Your real friends won&#8217;t believe it, and for the
rest it doesn&#8217;t matter. Nobody that really
knows you believes you would jump your contract.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Whoever got that story up was foxy, though,&#8221;
commented Mylert, the burly catcher of the
Giants. &#8220;There are no &#8216;ifs or ands&#8217; about it
like most phony stories where the fellow&#8217;s trying
to hedge in case someone comes back at him. It
sounds like straight goods. It&#8217;s the most truthful
looking lie I ever saw.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;But it&#8217;s a lie just the same!&#8221; cried Joe
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_204' name='page_204'></a>204</span>
desperately. &#8220;All you fellows know I wouldn&#8217;t
throw the Giants down, don&#8217;t you?&#8221; he asked, as
his eyes swept the circle of fellow players who
were gathered around him.</p>
<p>There was a murmur of assent, but it was not
as hearty as Joe could have wished. If there was
not distrust, there was at least bewilderment, for
the story bore all the earmarks of truth.</p>
<p>&#8220;You know it, don&#8217;t you, Mac?&#8221; repeated Joe,
this time addressing directly the Giant leader.</p>
<p>For a fraction of a second McRae hesitated.
Then he threw doubt to the winds and gripped
Joe&#8217;s hand with a heartiness that warmed the
latter&#8217;s heart.</p>
<p>&#8220;Of course, I know it, Joe!&#8221; he exclaimed
emphatically. &#8220;I don&#8217;t deny that for a moment
the paper had me going. But in my heart I
know it&#8217;s a lie. So just send your cable and then
let&#8217;s forget it. Those fellows are just making a
rope to hang themselves with. We&#8217;ll make it
warm for them when we get back to the
States.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;You ought to sue the papers for libel,&#8221;
growled Robbie.</p>
<p>&#8220;There won&#8217;t be any suing,&#8221; said Joe heatedly.
&#8220;Just let me have five minutes alone with
the fellow that started this and that&#8217;s all I&#8217;ll
ask.&#8221;</p>
<p>He hurried down with Jim to the cable office
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_205' name='page_205'></a>205</span>
and a few minutes later this message buzzed its
way across the seas:</p>
<div class='blockquot'>
<p>&#8220;Report that I have signed with the All-Star
League absolutely false. Will give a thousand
dollars to charity if anyone can produce contract.</p>
<div class='ra'>
<p>&#8220;<span style='font-variant: small-caps'>Joseph Matson</span>.&#8221;</p>
</div>

</div>
<p>&#8220;That ought to hold them for a while,&#8221; commented
Jim.</p>
<p>&#8220;It ought,&#8221; said Joe gloomily. &#8220;But you know
the old saying that &#8216;a lie will go round the world
while truth is getting its boots on.&#8217;&#8221;</p>
<p>Still he felt better, and by the time he got back
to the hotel and met the girls, he had so far regained
his usual poise that he could tell them all
about it with some measure of self-control.</p>
<p>&#8220;Why, Joe! how could they dare do such a
thing as that?&#8221; exclaimed Mabel, her eyes flashing
fire.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s about the meanest thing I ever heard of!&#8221;
cried his sister.</p>
<p>&#8220;They ought to be sued for libel, don&#8217;t you
know,&#8221; broke in Reggie. &#8220;If you sued them, Joe,
you might get quite heavy damages.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a pity you can&#8217;t put somebody in jail for
it,&#8221; was Mabel&#8217;s further comment.</p>
<p>&#8220;Yes, that&#8217;s what ought to happen!&#8221; cried
Clara.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_206' name='page_206'></a>206</span></p>
<p>Both of the girls were wild with indignation. Although
Mabel at one time, influenced by the arguments
of Braxton that Joe was not really bound
by a one-sided contract, had spoken to him about
it in a guarded way, Joe had shown her so clearly
his moral obligation that he had convinced her
absolutely. And now she was angry clear through
at the blow in the dark that had been launched
against him.</p>
<p>&#8220;Who could have done such a contemptible
thing?&#8221; she cried.</p>
<p>&#8220;It must have been that horrid Westland!&#8221; exclaimed
Clara.</p>
<p>&#8220;Maybe,&#8221; agreed her brother. &#8220;I rather hope
it was.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Why?&#8221; asked Jim curiously.</p>
<p>&#8220;Because,&#8221; gritted Joe through his teeth, &#8220;he&#8217;s
a big fellow and I won&#8217;t be ashamed to hit him.&#8221;</p>
<hr class='major' />
<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
<a name='XXV_THE_COBRA_IN_THE_ROOM' id='XXV_THE_COBRA_IN_THE_ROOM'></a>
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_207' name='page_207'></a>207</span>
<h2>CHAPTER XXV</h2>
<h3>THE COBRA IN THE ROOM</h3>
</div>

<p>Ceylon was a land of wonders to the tourists.
Here they were in the very heart of the Orient.
Rare flowers and strange plants grew in glorious
profusion, the air was odorous with a thousand
scents, and it was hard for them to realize that
at that very moment America might be suffering
from zero weather or swept by blizzards.
Here life moved along serenely and dreamily,
lulled by the sound of birds and drone of
locusts, wrapped in the warm folds of eternal
summer.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s an earthly Eden!&#8221; murmured Clara, as
she and Jim walked along one of the main streets
of Colombo, followed at a little distance by Joe
and Mabel.</p>
<p>&#8220;Yes,&#8221; replied Jim with a laugh, &#8220;and not even
the snake is missing.&#8221;</p>
<p>He pointed to a group of natives and Europeans
on the other side of the street who were
gathered about a snake charmer.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_208' name='page_208'></a>208</span></p>
<p>&#8220;Ugh, the horrid things!&#8221; exclaimed Clara with
a shudder.</p>
<p>&#8220;Let&#8217;s go over and take a look,&#8221; suggested
Jim.</p>
<p>Clara demurred at first and so did Mabel.
They were used to seeing snakes behind a network
of wire and glass, and they did not relish
the idea of standing within a few feet of the
crawling serpents in the open street. But curiosity,
added to the urgings of the young men, finally
conquered, and they joined the throng on the other
side.</p>
<p>The performer, an old man with bronzed face,
was squatting on his haunches playing a weird
tune on a reedy instrument resembling a flute. Before
him was upreared a monstrous specimen of
the deadly cobra species, swaying gently to and
fro and keeping time to the music. Its malignant
eyes looking out from the broad head whose markings
resembled a pair of spectacles had lost something
of their fiery sparkle, and a slight haze
spread over them, as though the creature were
under a spell.</p>
<p>The music continued and two other snakes
crawled out as if in response to a call and joined
their companion in his swaying, rhythmic dance.
Then the tune changed, the snakes uncoiled, and
the performer took them up without the slightest
fear and put them back in the basket.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_209' name='page_209'></a>209</span></p>
<p>&#8220;Suppose they should bite him!&#8221; exclaimed
Mabel.</p>
<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s had their fangs drawn already,&#8221; returned
Joe. &#8220;The old rascal&#8217;s taking no chances.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;They say that a man lasts about half an hour
after one of those fellows nips him,&#8221; observed
Jim. &#8220;Somebody was telling me that over twenty
thousand natives are bitten by them every year.&#8221;</p>
<p>A little further down the street, another fakir
was giving an exhibition. He placed a small native
boy in a basket that was a tight fit and put
down the basket cover. Then after making mysterious
signs and muttering invocations, the fakir
drew a long sword and plunged it through the
basket from end to end. A scream of pain came
from within, and when the sword was withdrawn
it was red. Again and again this was repeated
until the screams died away. Then the fakir lifted
up the cover and the boy sprang out safe and
sound, and, showing his white teeth in a smile,
went around collecting coins from the bystanders.</p>
<p>They wandered further among the bazaars,
making purchases of curios as presents for the
folks at home and adding to their personal stock
of mementos. Jim secured among other things a
cane made of a rare Indian wood, which while
light was exceedingly strong and so pliable that it
could be bent almost double like a Damascus
blade.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_210' name='page_210'></a>210</span></p>
<p>But through all the chaff and fun of the day Joe
was unhappy and restless. What he had read in
the paper from home about himself poisoned
everything for him.</p>
<p>He had always tried to be perfectly straight and
honorable in all his business relations. His word
had ever been as good as his bond. Now, at one
stroke, he saw his reputation damaged perhaps
beyond mending. All over the United States he
had been pictured as a contract-breaker. He
could see the incredulity of his friends turning
gradually to contempt. He fancied he could hear
them saying:</p>
<p>&#8220;So Joe has fallen for that game, has he?
Well, they say that every man has his price. No
doubt Joe&#8217;s price was high, but they found out
what it was and bought him.&#8221;</p>
<p>Of course he had denied it, but he knew how
people smiled when they read denials. And
months must pass before he could get back to
America and try to hunt out the author or authors
of the story.</p>
<p>He tried to hide his mood under a cover of
light talk and banter, but the others felt it and
sympathized with him, though all refrained
from mentioning what each of them was thinking.</p>
<p>All through the day his gloom persisted, and
when night came and he had retired to the room
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_211' name='page_211'></a>211</span>
that he and Jim occupied together he felt that it
would be impossible for him to sleep.</p>
<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s no use talking,&#8221; said Jim with a yawn,
as he set his cane so that it rested against the footboard
and threw off his coat preparing to undress,
&#8220;sight-seeing&#8217;s the most tiring work there is. I
feel more done up to-night than if I had been
pitching in a hard game.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m tired too,&#8221; agreed Joe, &#8220;but I don&#8217;t feel
the least bit like sleep.&#8221;</p>
<p>Jim was asleep almost as soon as his head
touched the pillow. But Joe tossed about restlessly
for what seemed to him to be hours. The
night was very warm and all the windows were
open to get what breath of air might be stirring.</p>
<p>A broad veranda ran all around the building,
not more than two feet below the windows, and
from the ground to the veranda rose a luxuriant
tangle of vines and flowers.</p>
<p>The moon was at the full and its light flooded a
part of the room, leaving the rest in deep shadow.</p>
<p>Joe at last dropped off into a doze from which
he woke with a start.</p>
<p>He had heard nothing, but he had an uneasy
consciousness that something was wrong.</p>
<p>He glanced over at Jim who was peacefully
sleeping. Then he raised himself on his elbow
and his glance swept the room.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_212' name='page_212'></a>212</span></p>
<p>Nothing seemed amiss in the lighted part, but
in a darkened corner the shadow seemed to be
heavier than usual. It was as though it were
piled in a mass instead of being evenly distributed.</p>
<p>Then to Joe&#8217;s consternation <i>the shadow moved</i>,
reached the edge of moonlight, rose higher and
higher with a sickening swaying motion. From
a hideous head two sparks of fire glowed balefully
and Joe knew that he was in the presence of
a giant cobra!</p>
<hr class='major' />
<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
<a name='XXVI_IN_THE_SHADOW_OF_THE_PYRAMIDS' id='XXVI_IN_THE_SHADOW_OF_THE_PYRAMIDS'></a>
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_213' name='page_213'></a>213</span>
<h2>CHAPTER XXVI</h2>
<h3>IN THE SHADOW OF THE PYRAMIDS</h3>
</div>

<p>Joe&#8217;s blood chilled with horror and his heart
seemed for a moment to stop beating.</p>
<p>He did not dare to move and scarcely to
breathe. He might have been a statue, so rigid
was his attitude. He knew that the least movement
would provoke an attack on the part of the
deadly reptile.</p>
<p>On the other hand, if he kept perfectly quiet,
there was the chance of the snake gliding away
through the window, which had evidently been its
means of entering the room.</p>
<p>Whether the serpent saw him or not, Joe could
not tell. The head swayed for a minute or two,
while the glowing eyes seemed to take in every
corner of the room. Then the coils unwound and
with a slithering sound the snake began to crawl
across the floor.</p>
<p>But instead of seeking the window it was gliding
towards the bed!</p>
<p>If he had had a revolver Joe would have had
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_214' name='page_214'></a>214</span>
a chance, for at such close range he could scarcely
have missed. Even a knife to hurl, though only
a forlorn hope, might have pinned the snake to
the floor. But he was utterly without a weapon
of any kind.</p>
<p>Suddenly he remembered the cane that his chum
had leaned against the footboard a few hours
earlier.</p>
<p>He reached down stealthily and his hand closed
upon it.</p>
<p>He did not dare to wake Jim for fear that the
latter might leap from the bed and perhaps land
squarely on the gliding death that was somewhere
in the room. He had lost sight of it, but he could
still hear the dragging body and it seemed to be
now under the bed. At any instant that awful
head might rise on either side prepared to
strike.</p>
<p>Gripping the cane until his fingers seemed to
dig into it, Joe had a moment of awful suspense.</p>
<p>The gliding sound had ceased. Then from the
side nearest Jim a hideous head uprose within a
foot of the sleeping man&#8217;s face.</p>
<p>Like a flash the tough cane hissed through the
air with all Joe&#8217;s muscle back of it. It caught
the reptile full in the neck and sent it half way
across the room where it lay writhing.</p>
<p>In an instant Joe had leaped to the floor,
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_215' name='page_215'></a>215</span>
raining blows upon the head and floundering coils,
until at last the reptile straightened out and lay
still.</p>
<p>&#8220;What&#8217;s the matter?&#8221; cried Jim, awakened by
the tumult and jumping out of bed.</p>
<p>He turned pale as he saw the snake stretched
out on the floor and Joe who, now that the awful
strain was over, was leaning against the wall as
limp as a rag.</p>
<p>Jim turned on the light and they viewed the
monster, standing at a respectful distance from
the head.</p>
<p>&#8220;He seems dead enough, but you can never be
sure of a snake,&#8221; said Joe, after in a few hurried
words he had told of his experience. &#8220;Suppose,
Jim, you get that Malay&#8217;s knife out of my trunk
and we&#8217;ll make certain.&#8221;</p>
<p>Jim brought the kriss, which Joe had kept as a
memento of his struggle with the maniac, and with
one stroke severed the cobra&#8217;s head from his
body.</p>
<p>&#8220;That knife never did a better bit of work,&#8221; he
commented as he washed it off. &#8220;Now let&#8217;s get
this thing out of the window and clear up the
mess.&#8221;</p>
<p>They got through the repugnant work as soon
as possible and then made a careful search of
the room.</p>
<p>&#8220;That fellow may have had a mate,&#8221; remarked
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_216' name='page_216'></a>216</span>
Joe, &#8220;and one experience of this kind is enough
for a lifetime. I&#8217;ve always felt a little doubtful
about those stories of people whose hair turned
gray in a single night, but it&#8217;s easy enough to
believe it now.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ll close the window too,&#8221; said Jim, suiting
the action to the word and letting the upper sash
down only for an inch or two. &#8220;That&#8217;s the way
that fellow must have crawled in. It&#8217;s pretty hot
in here but I&#8217;d rather die of heat than snake bites.&#8221;</p>
<p>They went back to bed but not to sleep, for
they were too thoroughly wrought up by their narrow
escape.</p>
<p>&#8220;You must have hit that fellow an awful crack,&#8221;
said Jim. &#8220;You sure batted .300 in the Ceylon
League.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Broke his neck, I guess,&#8221; responded Joe. &#8220;It&#8217;s
lucky it wasn&#8217;t a missed strike for I wouldn&#8217;t have
had time for another one.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t let&#8217;s say anything to the girls about it,&#8221;
suggested Jim. &#8220;Not until we get away from
India anyway. They&#8217;d be seeing snakes all the
rest of the time we&#8217;re here.&#8221;</p>
<p>It was lucky that neither of them was slated
to pitch the next day, for they would scarcely have
been in condition after their night&#8217;s experience. A
game had been arranged between the visiting
teams at a date three days later. By that time
Joe was in his usual superb form and easily carried
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_217' name='page_217'></a>217</span>
off the victory for his team. This put the Giants
&#8220;on velvet,&#8221; for they now had a clear lead of two
over the All-Americans.</p>
<p>But the satisfaction that this would have usually
given Joe was lacking now. Victory had ceased
to be sweet since the receipt of that newspaper
from home.</p>
<p>Perhaps it was because of his sensitive condition
that he thought he detected a subtle change in the
conduct of his team mates towards him. While
perfectly friendly in their relations with him, they
did not &#8220;let themselves go&#8221; when in his presence,
as formerly. There was no boisterous clapping
on the back, no jolly sparring or wrestling. There
seemed to be a little holding in, a feeling of reserve,
a something in the back of their minds that
they did not care for him to see.</p>
<p>This joyous freemasonry of sport had always
been especially pleasant to Joe and for that reason
he felt its absence the more keenly.</p>
<p>But what exasperated him most was that if the
old standbys of the club were a trifle cool, Iredell,
Curry and Burkett went to the other extreme and
were more cordial than ever before. It was as
though they were welcoming a newcomer to their
ranks. They knew that they were under suspicion
of planning to jump their contracts in the
spring, and the apparent evidence that so renowned
a player as Joe was planning to do the
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_218' name='page_218'></a>218</span>
same thing made them hail him as a reinforcement.</p>
<p>Where formerly they had often ceased talking
when he approached them and made him feel that
he was an intruder, they now greeted him warmly,
although they did not yet feel quite sure enough
to broach the subject of their own accord.</p>
<p>&#8220;All little pals together,&#8221; hummed Iredell significantly
on one occasion with a sidelong glance
at Joe.</p>
<p>&#8220;Just what do you mean by that?&#8221; asked Joe
sharply.</p>
<p>&#8220;Just what I say,&#8221; replied Iredell innocently.
&#8220;What is there wrong about that? Aren&#8217;t we
Giants pals to each other?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Of course we are, as long as we stay Giants,&#8221;
replied Joe. &#8220;But that wasn&#8217;t what you meant,
Dell, and you know it.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Now, don&#8217;t get red-headed, Joe,&#8221; put in Curry
soothingly. &#8220;You must have got out of bed on
the wrong side this morning. Dell didn&#8217;t mean
any harm.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Tell me one thing,&#8221; said Joe. &#8220;Do any of
you fellows believe for one minute that story in
the paper?&#8221;</p>
<p>He looked from one to the other, but none
of them looked him straight in the eye.</p>
<p>&#8220;You know that I&#8217;ve denied it,&#8221; went on Joe,
as they kept silent, &#8220;and if after that you still
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_219' name='page_219'></a>219</span>
believe the story it&#8217;s the same as saying that I lie.
And no one can call me a liar and get away with
it.&#8221;</p>
<p>He stalked away leaving them dumbfounded.</p>
<p>&#8220;Do you think he really has jumped his contract?&#8221;
asked Burkett.</p>
<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t know,&#8221; replied Iredell dubiously.</p>
<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s got me guessing,&#8221; muttered Curry.</p>
<p>And the trio were still guessing when several
weeks later the party reached Egyptian soil, prepared
to play the most modern of games before
the most ancient of monuments&mdash;baseball in the
very shadow of the Pyramids!</p>
<hr class='major' />
<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
<a name='XXVII_THE_SIGNED_CONTRACT' id='XXVII_THE_SIGNED_CONTRACT'></a>
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_220' name='page_220'></a>220</span>
<h2>CHAPTER XXVII</h2>
<h3>THE SIGNED CONTRACT</h3>
</div>

<p>&#8220;If old Pharaoh could only see us now!&#8221; chortled
Jim, as the teams lined up for their first
game.</p>
<p>&#8220;He&#8217;d probably throw a fit,&#8221; grinned Denton.</p>
<p>&#8220;Not a bit of it,&#8221; said Joe. &#8220;He&#8217;d probably
be up in the grandstand, eating peanuts and singing
out once in a while to &#8216;kill the umpire.&#8217;&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;And he&#8217;d do it too,&#8221; laughed Jim. &#8220;I&#8217;ll bet
an umpire in those days would have had a hard
job to get life insurance. It would have been
good dope to get a tip before the game as to just
what team Pharaoh wanted to win.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I think you men are awfully irreverent,&#8221; reproved
Mabel, who, with Clara, was seated in the
first row in the stand right behind the players&#8217;
bench and had overheard the conversation.</p>
<p>&#8220;Not at all,&#8221; laughed Jim. &#8220;It&#8217;s a big compliment
to Pharaoh to suggest that he would have
been a baseball fan if he hadn&#8217;t been born too
soon. It puts him on a level with the President of
the United States.&#8221;
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_221' name='page_221'></a>221</span></p>
<p>The teams were playing on the cricket field used
by the English residents, and not far off the Pyramids
reared their stately heads toward the sky.
It was a strange conjunction of the past and the
present, and all were more or less impressed
by it.</p>
<p>&#8220;Well, I must confess that in my wildest dreams
of seasons gone by, I never supposed that I would
be pitching here in Egypt in the shadow of the
pyramids,&#8221; remarked Joe.</p>
<p>&#8220;It certainly takes a fellow back to ancient
days,&#8221; put in Jim. &#8220;Just imagine playing before
a crowd of those old Egyptians!&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Well, they had fun in their day just as well as
we have,&#8221; said McRae. &#8220;Just the same, they
didn&#8217;t know how good baseball is.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;They didn&#8217;t even know anything about yelling
to kill the umpire when a wrong decision was
given,&#8221; remarked Joe, with a grin, and at this
there was a general laugh.</p>
<p>There was a big outpouring of Europeans and
visiting Americans, and under the inspiration of
their interest and applause both teams played brilliantly.
It was a hammer-and-tongs contest from
start to finish, and resulted in the first tie of the
trip, neither team being able to score, although the
game went to eleven innings.</p>
<p>&#8220;Still two ahead,&#8221; McRae said to Brennan, as
they left the grounds after the game.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_222' name='page_222'></a>222</span></p>
<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re gunning for you,&#8221; retorted Brennan
good-naturedly, &#8220;and we&#8217;ll get you yet. You&#8217;ve
had all the breaks so far, but our turn has got to
come.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Tell that to the King of Denmark,&#8221; laughed
McRae. &#8220;We&#8217;ve got your number, old man.&#8221;</p>
<p>The party &#8220;did&#8221; Egypt thoroughly, visiting
Cairo, Thebes and Memphis, climbing the Pyramids,
sailing on the Nile, viewing the temples of
Karnak and Philae, the statue of Memnon, and
countless other places of interest in this cradle of
the world&#8217;s civilization. And it was a tired but
happy crowd that finally assembled at Alexandria
to take ship for Naples, their first stopping place
on the continent of Europe.</p>
<p>Braxton was no longer with the party, having
left it at Ceylon, and others had dropped away
here and there. But in the main the members
were the same as at the beginning. Their health
had been excellent, and only a few things had
occurred to mar the pleasure of the trip.</p>
<p>The discomfort that Joe had felt had largely
worn away with the passing of time. Every day
was bringing him nearer the time when with the
opening of the season he would actually appear
on the diamond wearing a Giant uniform, and thus
effectually dispose of the slander that had troubled
him.</p>
<p>There had just been time enough to receive
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_223' name='page_223'></a>223</span>
some of the earliest papers from America that
had been published after the receipt of his denial.
That denial had evidently produced a great effect,
coupled as it was with the offer to give a thousand
dollars to charity if the new league could
produce any contract signed by him. &#8220;Money
talks,&#8221; and the paper intimated that the All-Star
League had the next move and that it would be
&#8220;in bad&#8221; with the public if it failed to make its
statements good.</p>
<p>&#8220;They&#8217;ll have a hot time doing it,&#8221; grinned
Joe.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m wondering how they&#8217;ll dodge it,&#8221; remarked
Jim.</p>
<p>&#8220;By getting out a new lie to bolster up the old
one probably,&#8221; conjectured Joe.</p>
<p>The latest papers from America had come on
board just as the steamer left Alexandria, and
in the hurry of getting aboard and settling down
in their new quarters it was after supper that night
before Joe hurried to the smoking room to have a
look at them.</p>
<p>&#8220;Got a thousand dollars handy, Joe?&#8221; inquired
Denton, as Joe came near him.</p>
<p>&#8220;Because, if you have, the All-Star League
wants it,&#8221; added Larry.</p>
<p>&#8220;What do you mean?&#8221; asked Joe, all the old
discomfort and apprehension coming back to
him.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_224' name='page_224'></a>224</span></p>
<p>&#8220;Read this,&#8221; replied Larry, handing him a paper
opened at the sporting page.</p>
<p>Joe read:</p>
<div class='blockquot'>
<p>&#8220;All-Star League Calls Matson&#8217;s Bluff. Produces
Signed Contract. Facsimile of Contract
Shown Below.&#8221;</p>
</div>
<p>And staring right out at him was the photographic
reproduction of a regulation baseball contract
and at the bottom was written the name:
&#8220;Joseph Matson.&#8221;</p>
<p>Joe stared at it as though he were in a dream.
Here was the old blow at his reputation, this
time with redoubled force. Here was what
claimed to be the actual contract. But it was not
the body of the contract that held his attention.
The thing that made him rage, that gave him a
sense of furious helplessness, that put his brain in
a whirl, was this:</p>
<p><i>He knew that that was his signature!</i></p>
<p>No matter how it came there, it was his. A
man&#8217;s name can seldom be so skilfully forged that
it can deceive the man himself. It may get by
the cashier of the bank, but when it is referred
back to the man who is supposed to have written
it, that man knows instinctively whether he ever
wrote it. Perhaps he cannot tell why he knows it,
but he knows it just the same.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_225' name='page_225'></a>225</span></p>
<p>So Joe <i>knew</i> that it was his signature that was
photographed on that contract. But he also knew
another thing just as certainly.</p>
<p><i>He had never signed that contract!</i></p>
<p>Both things contradictory. Yet both things
true.</p>
<p>Larry and Denton were watching him closely.
Joe looked up and met their eyes. They were
two of his oldest and warmest friends on the
Giant team and had always been ready to back
him through thick and thin. Confidence still was
in their gaze, but with it was mixed bewilderment
almost equal to Joe&#8217;s own.</p>
<p>Before anything further could be said, McRae
and Robbie joined the group.</p>
<p>&#8220;Well, Joe, there&#8217;s the contract,&#8221; said McRae.</p>
<p>&#8220;It seems to be a contract all right,&#8221; replied
Joe. &#8220;I haven&#8217;t had time to read what it says,
but that doesn&#8217;t matter anyway. The only important
thing is that I never signed that contract.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;That seems to be a pretty good imitation of
your signature at the bottom there,&#8221; chimed in
Robbie.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s even better than that,&#8221; said Joe, taking the
bull by the horns. &#8220;It isn&#8217;t even an imitation. It&#8217;s
my own signature.&#8221;</p>
<p>Both Robbie and McRae looked at him as if
they thought he was crazy.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_226' name='page_226'></a>226</span></p>
<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t get you, Matson,&#8221; said McRae, a little
sternly. &#8220;And it seems to me it&#8217;s hardly a time for
joking. There&#8217;s the contract. You say you didn&#8217;t
sign it, and yet you admit that the name at the bottom
is your own signature. How do you explain
it?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t pretend to explain it,&#8221; replied Joe.
&#8220;There&#8217;s crooked work somewhere that I&#8217;ve got
to ferret out. Somehow or other my name, written
by me, has gotten on the bottom of that contract.
But I never put it there. Some rascal has, and
when I find him, as I will, may Heaven have mercy
on him, for I won&#8217;t!&#8221;</p>
<hr class='major' />
<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
<a name='XXVIII_WHIRLWIND_PITCHING' id='XXVIII_WHIRLWIND_PITCHING'></a>
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_227' name='page_227'></a>227</span>
<h2>CHAPTER XXVIII</h2>
<h3>WHIRLWIND PITCHING</h3>
</div>

<p>&#8220;A fellow who would do a thing like that is
taking long chances,&#8221; said McRae doubtfully.</p>
<p>&#8220;And how could he do it?&#8221; put in Robbie.
&#8220;The name would have to be cut from one
piece of paper and pasted on another, wouldn&#8217;t
it?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Even admitting that they might get your
name from a check or letter, I don&#8217;t see how a
thing like that could stand inspection for a minute,&#8221;
chimed in Willis. &#8220;Even if it were so well
done that an eye couldn&#8217;t detect it, a microscope
would give it away.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;And you can bet that the reporters who hunted
up this thing haven&#8217;t overlooked any bets,&#8221; said
Brennan. &#8220;They knew that the signature was the
nub of the whole thing and if there was anything
phony about the paper they&#8217;d have got next at
once.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a horrible mixup!&#8221; cried Joe, who felt that
he was being enmeshed in a net of circumstantial
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_228' name='page_228'></a>228</span>
evidence which he might find it impossible to break.
&#8220;Let me read the story first from end to end.
Then, perhaps, I&#8217;ll find some clue that will solve
the mystery.&#8221;</p>
<p>He plunged at once into the reading, but the
more he read the worse the matter looked.</p>
<p>He found that a nation-wide interest had been
excited by his denial and his challenge. The officers
of the All-Star League had been besieged by
reporters, who had made it clear to them that
they must prove their statement that Matson had
signed with them or else stand convicted before
the American public, on whose favor they depended
for support in the coming season, of being
slanderers and liars.</p>
<p>Mr. Beckworth Fleming, the president of the
All-Star League, had shown a little hesitation in
responding to these demands. This, perhaps, was
natural enough, since no business organization
cares to have the terms of its contracts blazoned
forth to the world, perhaps to the benefit of its
rivals. Still, under all the circumstances, Mr.
Fleming had finally decided to permit a photographic
copy to be made of the contract in order
to establish the good faith of the new league.
This had been done and facsimiles had been sent
to all the leading newspapers of the United
States.</p>
<p>There was no question that the contract was
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_229' name='page_229'></a>229</span>
genuine. It had been submitted to bank cashiers
who were familiar with Mr. Matson&#8217;s writing,
and they had pronounced it his signature beyond
the shadow of a doubt. The paper had been examined
under powerful glasses and found to be
a single piece. Everything was in proper form,
and it was clearly up to Mr. Matson to explain
what seemed to be explainable only in one way,
namely, that he had signed the contract.</p>
<p>There were many worthy charities that could
find a good use for the thousand dollars that the
great pitcher had so rashly offered.</p>
<p>This was the gist of the story in all the papers.
There were various suggested explanations. One
paper hinted that men had been known to sign
papers when they had dined and wined too
well.</p>
<p>Another thought that the denial was purely a
&#8220;diplomatic&#8221; one. Others ventured the hypothesis
that the whole thing was an advertising dodge,
designed to set the country agog with excitement
and stimulate big audiences for the coming season.</p>
<p>But underneath all the suppositions one thing
seemed to be unquestioned by the papers, and that
was that Joe had signed a contract to play with
the All-Star League and had left the Giants in
the lurch.</p>
<p>Joe felt as though the ground were slipping
from beneath his feet. He was perfectly
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_230' name='page_230'></a>230</span>
innocent, and yet he already stood convicted in the
public mind of having done a thing that he loathed
and abhorred. And the worst of it was that he
had not the slightest clue to the scoundrel or
scoundrels who had brought this thing about.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s beyond me, Mac,&#8221; he said at last in despair,
as he looked up and saw the Giants&#8217; manager&#8217;s
eyes fixed upon him as though they would
read into his soul. &#8220;They seem to have a strangle
hold on me. And yet as black as things look I
tell you straight, Mac, that you know every bit
as much about this as I do.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s all right, Joe,&#8221; returned McRae. &#8220;I&#8217;ll
admit I&#8217;m flabbergasted. Who wouldn&#8217;t be?
There&#8217;s a plot here somewhere, and the fox that
planned it has been mighty cunning in covering
up his tracks. But there never yet was a lie that
didn&#8217;t have a weak point somewhere, and soon or
late we&#8217;ll find it.&#8221;</p>
<p>Mabel and Clara, as well as Jim, were beside
themselves with anger at the dastardly trick.
They racked their brains to find the explanation,
but every time they came up against a blank wall.</p>
<p>&#8220;I certainly can&#8217;t understand it, Joe,&#8221; said
Mabel, for at least the tenth time.</p>
<p>&#8220;Well, I can&#8217;t understand it myself, Mabel,&#8221; he
replied.</p>
<p>&#8220;Are you sure you didn&#8217;t sign that contract,
thinking it was something else&mdash;an order for
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_231' name='page_231'></a>231</span>
something, or something like that?&#8221; questioned
Clara.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m not in the habit of signing anything without
knowing what it is,&#8221; said the crack pitcher.
&#8220;If any of those fellows had brought such a thing
to me to sign, I would have handed it back and
given the fellow a piece of my mind. No, there is
something else in all this, though what it is I
haven&#8217;t the faintest idea.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s too bad we&#8217;re so far away from those fellows
just at present,&#8221; put in Jim. &#8220;If we were
close by we might interview them, and find out
some of the details that are as yet missing. And
then maybe somebody would get a broken head,&#8221;
he added vigorously.</p>
<p>&#8220;Oh, Jim! would you break anybody&#8217;s head?&#8221;
burst out Clara in horror.</p>
<p>&#8220;I sure would if he was trying to put Joe in
such a hole as this!&#8221; returned the young man
promptly. &#8220;Maybe you don&#8217;t understand what a
black eye this is calculated to give your brother.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Oh, yes, I can understand that well enough,&#8221;
sighed Joe&#8217;s sister.</p>
<p>&#8220;I think it&#8217;s the meanest thing that ever could
possibly happen!&#8221; burst out Mabel. &#8220;And I don&#8217;t
wonder that Jim is angry enough to break somebody&#8217;s
head for it,&#8221; and she looked lovingly at
Joe.</p>
<p>&#8220;Oh, I suppose it will come out all right in the
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_232' name='page_232'></a>232</span>
end,&#8221; answered Joe. But he said this merely to
ease Mabel&#8217;s mind. Secretly he was afraid that
he was in for some real trouble.</p>
<p>It was early spring when they landed in Naples,
but the winter had been prolonged more than
usual and it was too cold to play. At Monte
Carlo and Nice, however, they were able to get
in two games, both of which were won by the
All-Americans. This put the teams again on an
equality as to games won and lost, and revived the
hopes of the All-Americans that they might still
come out ahead in the series.</p>
<p>They made but a short stay in Paris, and the
weather was so inclement that games were out of
the question. But it would have taken more than
bad weather to prevent the shopping and sightseeing
that all had been looking forward eagerly
to in the great French capital, and they enjoyed
their visit to the full.</p>
<p>In London they met with the greatest welcome
of their trip. They played at Lord&#8217;s Oval, the
most famous grounds in the United Kingdom, and
before an audience that included the most distinguished
people in the realm, including the king
himself.</p>
<p>The American colony, too, was there almost to
a man, and the United States ambassador lent his
presence to the occasion.</p>
<p>It was the most distinguished audience,
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_233' name='page_233'></a>233</span>
probably, that had ever witnessed a baseball game.</p>
<p>And here it was that Joe did the most brilliant
pitching of the trip. His tireless arm mowed
down his opponents inning after inning. They
came to the bat only to go back to the bench. His
mastery of the ball seemed almost uncanny, and
as inning after inning passed without a hit being
made, it began to look as though he were in for
that dream of all pitchers&mdash;a no-hit game.</p>
<p>Brennan, the Chicago manager, fidgeted restlessly
on the bench and glowered as his pets were
slaughtered. He tried all the tactics known to
clever managers, but in vain. It was simply a day
when Baseball Joe was not to be denied.</p>
<p>His comrades, too, gave him brilliant support
and nothing got away from them, so that when
finally the last man up in the ninth inning in the
All-American team lifted a towering skyscraper
that Joe caught without stirring from his tracks,
a pandemonium of cheers forced him to remove
his cap and bow to the applauding crowds again
and again.</p>
<p>Not a man had scored, not a man had been
passed, not a man had reached first, not a man
had hit safe. Joe had won the most notable
game in his whole career!</p>
<hr class='major' />
<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
<a name='XXIX_THE_RUINED_CASTLE' id='XXIX_THE_RUINED_CASTLE'></a>
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_234' name='page_234'></a>234</span>
<h2>CHAPTER XXIX</h2>
<h3>THE RUINED CASTLE</h3>
</div>

<p>With London as their center the teams made
flying trips to Edinburg, Glasgow and Dublin. In
all three places they received a royal welcome, for
the fame of that great game in London had
spread throughout the nation and all were eager
to see the hero of that occasion.</p>
<p>Under other circumstances Joe would have been
jubilant, for he was at the very height of his reputation,
the girl he loved was with him, as well as
his only sister and his closest friend, but ever in
his thoughts like the spectre at the feast was that
matter of the signed contract&mdash;the abominable
thing that smirched his reputation and branded
him to the world as false to his word and
bond.</p>
<p>Again and again he sought to find the key to
the mystery. It seemed like some monstrous jugglery,
something akin to the fakir&#8217;s tricks that he
had witnessed at Colombo where the impossible
had seemed so clearly possible.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_235' name='page_235'></a>235</span></p>
<p>Try as he would he could find no explanation
of the puzzle and his friends were equally powerless
to suggest a solution.</p>
<p>The game at Dublin, which commenced auspiciously
for the Giants, was turned into a rout by
a rally of the All-Americans in the ninth. A rain
of bingles came from their bats and they won
easily with six runs to spare.</p>
<p>&#8220;Got it in the neck that time, old man,&#8221; said
Joe to Jim, after the game. &#8220;But we can&#8217;t always
win. What do you say to getting a buzz wagon
and taking a little spin out into the country? The
girls will be getting ready for that reception at
the Viceroy&#8217;s castle, and they&#8217;ll be too busy dolling
up to care what becomes of us.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Good idea,&#8221; said Jim, and the two friends
made their way to a public garage, secured a good
car together with a driver, and whirled away into
the open country.</p>
<p>They had made perhaps twenty miles through
the beautiful Irish scenery when Joe called Jim&#8217;s
attention to a cloud bank forming in the west.</p>
<p>&#8220;Better skip back, old man,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We&#8217;re
due for a wetting if we don&#8217;t.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Plenty of time yet,&#8221; objected Jim. &#8220;Those
look to me just like wind clouds. Let&#8217;s see a little
bit more of Ireland.&#8221;</p>
<p>They went on perhaps five miles further and
then Jim found that his confidence was misplaced.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_236' name='page_236'></a>236</span>
The clouds grew blacker, an ominous muttering
was heard in the sky and a jagged flash of lightning
presaged the coming storm.</p>
<p>&#8220;You see I was right,&#8221; said Joe. &#8220;In this open
car we&#8217;ll be drenched to the skin. Turn around,
Mike,&#8221; he said to the driver, &#8220;and let&#8217;s see how
fast this old boat of yours can travel in getting
back to Dublin. Throw her into high and give
her all you&#8217;ve got.&#8221;</p>
<p>The driver obeyed and the car fairly purred as
it sped back toward the city. But fast as it was,
the storm was faster. Great raindrops pattered
down, and they looked anxiously about for shelter.</p>
<p>&#8220;What&#8217;s that place up there, Mike?&#8221; asked
Jim, pointing to a rambling stone structure on an
elevation perhaps a hundred yards from the
road.</p>
<p>&#8220;&#8217;Tis the castle o&#8217; the last o&#8217; the O&#8217;Brian&#8217;s,
hivin rist his sowl,&#8221; replied Mike. &#8220;But they do
be sayin&#8217; the place is hanted, an&#8217; &#8217;tis a brave man
that would be shteppin&#8217; inside the dhure.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m a brave man, then,&#8221; cried Jim. &#8220;For I&#8217;ll
face a dozen ghosts before I would this storm.
Turn in, Mike, and we&#8217;ll wait there till the rain
is over.&#8221;</p>
<p>With a muttered protest Mike did as directed,
and a moment later the young men stepped jauntily
through the ruined portal, while Mike, shocked
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_237' name='page_237'></a>237</span>
at their temerity, crossed himself and, throwing
an oilskin over his head, crouched low in his seat,
preferring the discomfort of the open to the unknown
terrors that might lurk beyond the doorway
of the ruined castle.</p>
<p>The friends had scarcely stepped inside before
the rain came down in torrents.</p>
<p>&#8220;Lucky we got here just as we did,&#8221; remarked
Joe, as they leaned up against the masonry of the
ruined hall and looked out at the cloudburst.</p>
<p>&#8220;It surely was,&#8221; agreed Jim. &#8220;I wish we had
a little more light. It&#8217;s as dark as Egypt in
here.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve got my pocket flashlight with me,&#8221; said
Joe, reaching toward his hip pocket. &#8220;But listen,
what&#8217;s that?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I didn&#8217;t hear anything,&#8221; returned Jim, a little
nervously, it must be admitted.</p>
<p>The two ball players kept perfectly still for
a minute and heard what seemed to be the murmur
of voices a room or two away.</p>
<p>&#8220;Can it be that the last of the O&#8217;Brians is
rambling about the castle?&#8221; whispered Jim, with
a feeble attempt at raillery.</p>
<p>&#8220;More likely some travelers stormbound like
ourselves,&#8221; returned Joe practically. &#8220;Let&#8217;s take
a squint at them.&#8221;</p>
<p>They tiptoed their way through the hall to a
room opening on the right. The door, half
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_238' name='page_238'></a>238</span>
broken from its hinges, was standing open, and
in the darkness they saw the tips of two lighted
cigars.</p>
<p>As this was not at all ghostly and they did not
care to intrude, they were about to retire as softly
as they had come, when Joe was startled by hearing
his own name. Jim&#8217;s hand shot out and
clenched his friend&#8217;s arm, and they stood there
like statues.</p>
<p>&#8220;That was a slick trick you put over on Matson,&#8221;
said a voice which Joe recognized instantly
as belonging to Beckworth Fleming. He had
heard that voice before when he had made its
owner kneel in the dirt of the road and beg
Mabel&#8217;s pardon for his insolence.</p>
<p>&#8220;I think myself it was rather clever,&#8221; drawled
another familiar voice, that of Braxton. &#8220;He fell
for it like a lamb.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s a pretty keen chap usually, too,&#8221; remarked
Fleming. &#8220;How is it you caught him
napping?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I picked out just the right time,&#8221; said Braxton
complacently. &#8220;And I don&#8217;t deny that luck
helped me a little. If McRae and Barclay hadn&#8217;t
gone away just the time they did, it might not have
worked. But I got him talking about handwriting,
and the first thing you know he&#8217;d scribbled his
name on the blank sheet. I took good care that
only the bottom of the sheet was where he could
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_239' name='page_239'></a>239</span>
reach it. Then I slipped the paper into my pocket,
sent it to you to have the contract printed above
the signature, and you know the rest.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Easy meat,&#8221; chuckled Fleming.</p>
<p>&#8220;Too easy,&#8221; chortled Braxton. &#8220;It makes me
laugh every time I think of it.&#8221;</p>
<p>Joe stepped into the room, followed by Jim.</p>
<p>&#8220;I do a little laughing myself sometimes,&#8221; Joe
said coldly. &#8220;And this is one of the times!&#8221;</p>
<hr class='major' />
<div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 1em'>
<a name='XXX_BROUGHT_TO_BOOK_CONCLUSION' id='XXX_BROUGHT_TO_BOOK_CONCLUSION'></a>
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_240' name='page_240'></a>240</span>
<h2>CHAPTER XXX</h2>
<h3>BROUGHT TO BOOK&mdash;CONCLUSION</h3>
</div>

<p>There was a gasp of dismay and astonishment,
as the conspirators jumped to their feet from the
windowsill upon which they had been sitting.</p>
<p>At the same instant Joe drew the flashlight
from his pocket and illumined their startled faces.</p>
<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t move!&#8221; he commanded. &#8220;Jim, you
keep them covered.&#8221;</p>
<p>Jim took up his station in the doorway, and in
the insufficient light the rascals could not see
whether he had a weapon or not.</p>
<p>&#8220;What do you mean by this?&#8221; blustered Fleming,
in a voice that he tried to make brave, but
that quavered despite himself.</p>
<p>&#8220;It means,&#8221; said Joe grimly, &#8220;that one of you
men is in for the licking of his life. Don&#8217;t tremble
so, Fleming,&#8221; he added contemptuously. &#8220;I&#8217;ve
already thrashed you once and I don&#8217;t care to
soil my hands with you again. But I&#8217;ve been aching
for months to get my fingers on the man that
made me out a liar and a contract-breaker. I
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_241' name='page_241'></a>241</span>
have him now,&#8221; he added, with a steely glance at
Braxton.</p>
<p>&#8220;Here, Jim,&#8221; he continued, stepping back, &#8220;take
this flash. I&#8217;ve got some work to do.&#8221;</p>
<p>With a quick wrench he tore off his coat.</p>
<p>&#8220;You&#8217;d better be careful,&#8221; said Braxton&mdash;no
longer the suave and polished trickster, but pale
as chalk and trembling like a leaf. &#8220;This is
assault and battery, and you&#8217;ll answer to the
law.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Put up your hands,&#8221; said Joe curtly. &#8220;You&#8217;re
as big a man as I am, but you&#8217;ve got to prove
which is the better one. And you, Jim, keep your
eye on Fleming and stand by to see fair play.&#8221;</p>
<p>Even a rat will fight when cornered and Braxton,
seeing no alternative, threw off his coat and
made a desperate rush at Joe. Joe met him with
a clip to the jaw that shook him from head to
foot. Then he sailed in and gave the scoundrel
what he had promised&mdash;the thrashing of his
life.</p>
<p>Braxton tried foul tactics, butted and kicked
and tried to gouge and bite, but Joe&#8217;s powerful
arms worked like windmills, his fists ripping savagely
into Braxton&#8217;s face and chest. All the pent-up
indignation and humiliation of the last few
weeks found vent in those mighty blows, and soon,
too soon to suit Joe, the man lay on the floor,
whining and half-sobbing with shame and pain.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_242' name='page_242'></a>242</span></p>
<p>&#8220;Get up, you cur!&#8221; said Joe, as he pulled on his
coat. &#8220;I&#8217;m not through with you yet.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;You&#8217;re not going to hit him again, are you?&#8221;
asked Fleming, while Braxton staggered painfully
to his feet.</p>
<p>&#8220;No,&#8221; said Joe. &#8220;I guess he&#8217;s had enough.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;You said it!&#8221; cried Jim admiringly. &#8220;If ever
a man was trimmed to the queen&#8217;s taste he&#8217;s that
man.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;But I&#8217;m going to nail, right now, the lies you
fellows have been spreading,&#8221; continued Joe, eyes
alight with the thought of his coming vindication.
&#8220;You&#8217;ve got to sign a written confession of the
part you&#8217;ve played in this dirty business.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;We w-will, w-when we get back to town,&#8221;
stammered Fleming.</p>
<p>&#8220;No, you won&#8217;t,&#8221; cried Joe. &#8220;You&#8217;ll do it
right here and now.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;B-but we haven&#8217;t any writing materials,&#8221; suggested
Braxton, through his swollen lips.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve got paper and a fountain pen!&#8221; exclaimed
Jim eagerly. &#8220;This light is rather dim, but probably
Mike has got the automobile lamps going by
this time and that&#8217;ll be light enough.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Come along!&#8221; cried Joe sternly, and his crest-fallen
opponents knew him too well by this time
to resist.</p>
<p>They went out into the open and found that
the rain had almost stopped. As Jim had prophesied,
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_243' name='page_243'></a>243</span>
the automobile lamps were gleaming through
the dusk. Like every Irishman, Mike dearly
loved a scrap, and his eyes lighted with a mixture
of eagerness and regret as he looked at Braxton
and realized what he had been missing.</p>
<p>&#8220;Begorra!&#8221; he cried in his rich brogue, &#8220;&#8217;tis a
lovely shindy ye&#8217;ve been after havin&#8217;.&#8221;</p>
<p>With the paper resting on his knee and Jim&#8217;s
fountain pen in his hand, Joe wrote out the story
of the trickery and fraud that had been practiced
in getting his signature. When he had covered
every important point, he held out the pen to
Braxton.</p>
<p>The latter hesitated, and Joe&#8217;s fist clenched till
the knuckles were white. Braxton knew what that
fist was capable of and hesitated no longer. He
wrote his name under the confession and Fleming
followed suit. Then Jim affixed his name as a
witness, and Michael O&#8217;Halloran happily added
his.</p>
<p>&#8220;Now,&#8221; said Jim, as he folded the precious
paper and stowed it safely in his pocket, &#8220;you fellows
clear out. I suppose that&#8217;s your car that we
saw standing a little way down the road. I don&#8217;t
think either of you will care to mix in my affairs
again.&#8221;</p>
<p>They moved away with an assumption of
bravado they were far from feeling and were lost
in the darkness.
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_244' name='page_244'></a>244</span></p>
<p>&#8220;And now, Mike,&#8221; said Joe with a jubilant ring
in his voice, as they leaped into the car, &#8220;let her
go. Drive to Dublin as if the ghost of the last
of the O&#8217;Brians were at your back!&#8221;</p>
<p>And Mike did.</p>
<p>The two baseball players found the girls impatiently
awaiting them, and wondering rather
petulantly what had become of them. Joe seized
Mabel in his arms and whirled her about the room
like a dancing dervish, paying no heed to her
laughing protests.</p>
<p>Jim would have liked to do the same to Joe&#8217;s
sister, but did not quite dare to&mdash;yet.</p>
<p>&#8220;Are you boys crazy?&#8221; demanded Mabel, as
soon as she could get her breath.</p>
<p>&#8220;Yes,&#8221; said Joe promptly. &#8220;You&#8217;ll be, too,
when you see this.&#8221;</p>
<p>He flourished the paper before their faces and
in disjointed sentences, frequently broken by interruptions,
told them of all that had happened
since they had left them after the
game.</p>
<p>No need of telling how they felt when the boys
had finished. There was no happier party that
night in all Ireland.</p>
<p>Then, leaving the delighted girls for a few minutes,
the boys hunted up McRae. They found him
glum and anxious, talking earnestly with Robbie
in the lobby of the hotel. One glance at the young
<span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_245' name='page_245'></a>245</span>
men&#8217;s faces made the pair jump wonderingly to
their feet.</p>
<p>&#8220;For the love of Pete, let&#8217;s have it, Joe!&#8221; cried
McRae. &#8220;What&#8217;s happened?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Plenty!&#8221; exulted Joe. &#8220;We&#8217;ve put the All-Star
League out of business!&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;What!&#8221; cried McRae, as he snatched the
paper that Joe held out to him and devoured its
contents, while Robbie peered eagerly over his
shoulder.</p>
<p>Then, as they realized what it meant, they set
up a wild whoop which made the other members
of the team, scattered about the lobby, come running,
followed a scene of mad hilarity, during
which no one seemed to know what he said or did.</p>
<p>That night the cable carried the news to New
York, and from there to every city in the United
States. It sounded the death knell of the All-Star
League, and it went to pieces like a house of
cards. The American public will stand for much,
but for nothing so gross and contemptible as that
had been.</p>
<p>The trip wound up in a blaze of glory with the
Giants just one game to the good in the hot series
of games that had been played. They had a swift
and joyous journey home, and when they separated
on the dock in New York, McRae&#8217;s hearty
grip of Baseball Joe&#8217;s hand fairly made the latter
wince.</p>
<div><span class='pagenum pncolor'><a id='page_246' name='page_246'></a>246</span></div>
<p>&#8220;Good-bye, old man,&#8221; he said. &#8220;You&#8217;ve stood
by me like a brick. You&#8217;ll be on hand when the
bell rings.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Joe will hear other bells before that,&#8221; grinned
Jim, as he looked at Mabel, who flushed rosily.</p>
<p>&#8220;What&#8217;s that?&#8221; asked McRae with a twinkle
in his eye.</p>
<p>&#8220;Wedding bells,&#8221; replied Jim.</p>
<div class='ce'>
<p>THE END</p>
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