A CONFESSION.
Ere leaving the village Frank called on Bill Hunker, the constable.
"Mr. Hunker," he said, "I need your services this afternoon. I want you
at the baseball ground, and you had better bring along five or six good
husky assistants. Let them all have authority as deputies. Every man
will be paid regular wages for special service."
"Be you lookin' for trouble?" asked Hunker.
"No, I'm not looking for it," smiled Frank. "I'm determined that there
shall be no trouble. I have a premonition that we'll see an unusually
large crowd, and I'm confident the crowd will contain a rough element.
It is my purpose to suppress any symptoms of disorder."
"All right," nodded Hunker; "I'll be there with the boys. You can depend
on me."
Frank was right in believing the game would bring out an astonishing
number of spectators. That afternoon all roads seemed to lead to
Bloomfield. With the opening of the gates an hour before the time for
the game to begin, a stream of spectators commenced pouring on Farnham
Field. This stream grew steadily in volume.
Hunker and his companions, with their badges prominently displayed, were
on hand at the gates and held the impatient crowd in check. The ticket
sellers and ticket takers were kept busy as bees.
The stand soon became packed to suffocation, while the temporary seats
which had been erected overflowed before either team appeared on the
field. Frank had taken the precaution to have ropes stretched for the
purpose of holding the crowd back. It was well that he did so.
Thirty minutes before the hour set for the game two large touring cars
brought the Rovers onto the field. They were received with cheers. A
party of Farnham Hall boys escorted them from the cars to the dressing
rooms reserved for them.
In the meantime, Merriwell and his players were making ready for the
contest. When they were prepared to go out Frank called them around him.
"Boys," he said, as he looked them over, "it's going to be a hard game,
and I hope every man is prepared to do his best. Before we go out I have
a question to ask. You know there's a report that a wager has been made
on the result of this game. The Wellsburg _Herald_ made the statement
that some one of this team has wagered ten thousand dollars with Casper
Silence. I've regarded the yarn as preposterous. At the same time, I've
decided to ask you, one and all, frankly and fairly, if you know
anything about such a wager. Do you know anything about a wager of any
sort? If there's any one present who knows, it's up to him to speak out
here and now."
A few moments of dead silence followed. Then Ephraim Gallup, pale and
agitated, pushed Barney Mulloy aside and stepped forward.
"I guess, by gum, it's up to me, Frank," he said. "I don't blame yeou
for thinkin' yeou didn't have no friend here who was chump enough to
make such a bet. I'm the chump."
"Vot vos dot?" gasped Hans Dunnerwurst. "You don'd pelief me! Dit ten
thousand dollars pet you, Ephie? Mine cootness cracious sakes alife! You
vos a spordt!"
"I'm a tarnal fool!" mumbled Gallup. "I know it."
"Then you did make a bet, Ephraim?" said Frank, unable to repress his
feeling of dismay.
"Yes, I done it! I hope the whole blamed bunch will kick me! I ain't
goin' to make no excuses, but when that critter, Silence, tried to rub
it into me I gut so tarnal hot-headed that I right up and told him I'd
go him for any old figger. I didn't s'pose he'd make it so large. Your
talk abaout betting has made me so all-fired disgusted with myself that
I jest want to jump off the earth."
"This is bad business--bad business," muttered Frank. "Give me all the
particulars, Gallup."
Ephraim did so.
When the Vermonter had finished, Merry drew a deep breath.
"You can't afford to lose that bet, Gallup," he said. "What are you
going to do with the money if you win?"
"Do with it? Dad birn it, I'll burn it up!"
"That would be still more foolish. If you lose, you will be down to bed
rock again."
"Yes, I'll be jest abaout the same as busted."
"Divvil a bit av it!" cried Barney Mulloy. "Gallup is me owld side
parthner. Av he loses, Oi'll divvy wid him."
"But he mustn't lose," said Frank. "Philanthropists in Wellsburg are
endeavoring to raise money to found a hospital for consumptives. There's
an ideal location some ten miles from Wellsburg. If you win, Gallup,
would you donate your winnings to the hospital fund?"
"Yeou bet I will!" cried Ephraim eagerly. "I'll give 'em every cent of
it!"
"That's good," nodded Frank. "Now, boys, we're going into this game to
win it. If we ever played ball in our lives, we're going to play it
to-day. I think and hope this experience will teach Gallup the folly of
betting. I shall use all the skill I possess in the game, and I want you
boys to back me up. We can't lose! We won't lose!"
Although his words were spoken in a quiet tone, they aroused something
in every listener that stirred his blood and caused it to leap in his
veins.
"That's right! that's right!" they cried. "We'll win to-day!"
"Come on," said Merry, "we'll go out now."
As he marched onto the field, with his friends and comrades following at
his heels, the great crowd rose and uttered a roar of welcome.
"Batting practice, fellows," said Frank. And they went at it at once.
Three minutes later the Rovers, in tigerish suits of yellow and black,
trotted out from their dressing rooms.
Back of the ropes near first base a tough-looking crowd of Wellsburgans
greeted the professionals with a cheer.
"Eat 'em up, McCann!" howled a husky fellow with a broken nose. "Take
some of the conceit outer this Merriwell to-day! He's been crowing over
Wellsburg long enough!"
Merry glanced around and saw Hunker, with several of his assistants,
gathering in the vicinity of this tough crowd.
"Bill is onto his job," muttered Frank. "If there's any disturbance
those fellows will make it."
The Rovers took the field for practice. They handled themselves like
professionals, and many of their clever catches or stops elicited
exclamations of wonderment and applause.
Casper Silence and Basil Bearover approached Frank.
"Where's your umpire, Merriwell?" demanded Bearover.
Merry looked round and motioned to Gregory Carker. Carker promptly
stepped forward.
"Here he is," said Frank.
Bearover placed himself in front of Carker, at whom he glowered.
"See here, young man," he said, "we want no monkey business to-day. If
you don't give us what's coming to us, you'll get into trouble in short
order. We know how to deal with crooked umpires."
"Evidently you do not know how to deal with gentlemen," said Greg.
"You'll get your due and not a whit more. Bullying and browbeating will
not give you an advantage."
"Oh, you're rather a stiff-necked young man, ain't ye?" growled the big
bear. "Let's understand the ground rules before we begin. How about a
wild throw into the crowd, Merriwell?"
"Perhaps we'd better make a rule that such a throw will give the base
runner the privilege of advancing one base and no more," suggested
Frank.
"That's satisfactory to us," nodded Bearover. "Do you think you can keep
the crowd off the outfields?"
"I have six officers here for the purpose of handling this crowd. Not
only will I see that the spectators do not intrude on the outfields, but
I'll guarantee that those officers will suppress any riot or
disturbance. They have full authority to arrest any one who attempts to
make trouble here to-day."
Casper Silence yawned and lighted a cigarette.
"There won't be any disturbance unless you chaps try to steal this
game," said Bearover.
"We don't have to steal games," returned Merry, quick as a flash. "We
can win them."
Silence smiled scornfully as he breathed forth a whiff of smoke.
"That may have been your experience in the past," he observed, "but
you're up against a different proposition to-day, young man."
"Will you give your batting order to our scorer?" asked Bearover.
"You'll find our scorer sitting yonder," said Merry. "He'll give you the
batting order."
"One more point," suggested Silence. "You seem determined to have things
pretty much your own way here. I know it's customary for the home team
to take its choice of innings. In this case it's possible you may be
able to concede a point and give us the choice."
"Why, certainly," replied Frank, with a smile. "You may choose."
"Then we'll let you bat first."
A few minutes later the Rovers came in, and Merry's team trotted onto
the field.
The scorers recorded the batting order of each team as follows:
MERRIES. ROVERS.
Mulloy, 3d b. McCann, ss.
Hodge, c. Mertez, rf.
Merriwell, p. Grifford, cf.
Badger, 2d b. Holmes, 1st b.
Diamond, ss. O'Day, 3d b.
Browning, 1st b. Clover, 2d b.
Gallup, cf. Roach, lf.
Carson, lf. Bancroft, c.
Dunnerwust, rf. Bender, p.
Practice was soon over, and Merry called his team in.
Again the Rovers trotted onto the field.
Greg Carker broke open a box and tossed out a snow-white ball. Bender
caught the ball with one hand and promptly proceeded to soil it by
rubbing it on the grass outside the pitcher's box.
"Play ball!" called Carker clearly.