ONE TROUBLE AFTER ANOTHER
"Ting-a-ling!"
The telephone bell in Jack's home was ringing just as the boy passed
through the hall on Thursday morning around ten. He had been busily
engaged in matters at home, and not gone out up to then. As he held his
ear to the receiver he caught the well-known voice of Toby Hopkins.
"That you, Jack?"
"No one else; and what's going on over at your house?" Jack replied. "I
thought for sure you'd have been across before now, if only to learn how
I came out with that Donohue trouble."
"Oh! I would have been starting you up at daybreak this morning, Jack,
only it happens that I learned the good news last night."
"How was that?" demanded the other; "did you walk over to their place to
ask Alec about it?"
"I went over to offer Mr. Donohue a job in the Cameron mill tending a
plane, only to have him tell me with a happy look in his eyes that he
had already taken a position as night watchman with the foundry and
rolling mill people, meaning Mr. Taft, your special friend and backer.
So I knew you had been busy as well as myself. But you can tell me all
about it, and what the Donohues said, when you join me inside of five
minutes; because I'm coming over in our tin-Lizzie to take you on a
little jaunt with me."
"But I don't believe I ought to go off just now," expostulated Jack;
"because I've got a number of things to see to; and besides, we must be
out to practice again this afternoon."
"Rats! you've got plenty of time for all that," snorted Toby, who
evidently would not take no for an answer when once his heart was set on
a thing. "And, besides, it happens that I'm heading for Harmony this
time, on some business for dad. We can come back by the road that
finally skirts the lake shore. I heard some of the fellows say they
meant to go swimming this morning, and we'll like as not come across
them in the act, perhaps have a dip ourselves for diversion. Say you'll
go, Jack?"
It was a very alluring programme for a boy who loved the open as much as
Jack did. His scruples vanished like the mist before the morning sun.
"All right, then, Toby," he went on to say; "I'll go with you, because
we can kill two birds with one stone. It happens that I'd like to have a
chat with Martin, the Harmony captain. There are several things we ought
to settle before we meet on the diamond Saturday afternoon. I'll be
ready for you when you come around with your antique chariot."
"It isn't good taste to look a gift-horse in the mouth, Jack; and you
ought to know that same flivver can show her heels to many a more
pretentious car when on the road. So-long, then. See you in five
minutes!"
Toby was as good as his word, and the car stopped before Jack's gate
with much honking of the claxon. Once they were off of course Toby
demanded that his companion relate his experiences of the preceding
afternoon, when he interviewed the affable manager of the big rolling
mills, and secured that offer of a good job for Mr. Donohue, calculated
to keep their wonderful wizard of a pitcher on the roll-call of the
Chester baseball team.
"Of course," said Jack, in conclusion, "when I got to Alec's place and
told them what good news I was fetching, they were all mighty well
pleased. I thought Alec would certainly have a fit, he danced around so.
And take it from me, Toby, that boy will show the Harmony players some
wonderful tricks from his box when they face him again, because he's
feeling simply immense. When a pitcher is in the pink of condition, he
can make the heaviest sluggers feed from his hand; and Alec certainly
has a bunch of shoots that run all the way from speed, curves, drops,
and several others that, for one, I never before heard of. Now tell me
about your offer of a job."
Toby laughed softly.
"Well, you see, Jack, I just knew what you'd be up to, and says I to
myself, it'd be a bully thing if I could beat Jack out for just once. So
I humped myself and ran around to see Joe Cameron, who happens to be a
distant relative of my mother, you remember. He wanted to help me, but
at first couldn't see any way where he could make use of a man like
Donohue, at least at living wages. But I pleaded so hard, that in the
end he remembered a certain place that was vacant. True, it only paid
fifteen a week, but he placed it at my disposal. And so after supper I
ran around to see if Donohue wouldn't consent to fill that job, through
the summer, or until a better one showed up. But I was tickled when Alec
told me about your stunt."
Chatting as they rode along, they were not long in reaching Harmony.
This town was somewhat larger than Chester, though the latter did more
business when it came to the matter of dollars and cents, on account of
the mills and factories along the lake and the river.
Toby soon transacted his errand, which was connected with a business
house. Then they made inquiries, and learned that Martin lived on the
outskirts of the town, actually on the road they meant to take going
home by another route.
"That must be his place yonder!" remarked Toby, presently.
"No doubt about it," laughed Jack, "for you can see that a baseball
crank lives in that big house with the extensive grounds. Listen to the
plunk of a ball landing in a glove, will you. Martin is having a little
private practice of a morning on his own account."
"Yes, I can see two fellows passing the ball across the lawn," admitted
Toby. "If all the other members of the Harmony team are just as hard at
work every hour of daylight, it's mighty evident they mean to be as fit
as a fiddle for that big game. They must feel that if they lose, all
their good work of the summer will go in the scrap heap."
"I'm glad to know they feel so anxious," chuckled Jack. "It shows how we
made them respect our team that last time, when they had their full
line-up on deck. We are due for a thrilling game, and don't you forget
it, Toby."
When the two boys who were passing the ball so swiftly discovered the
stopping flivver, and recognized their morning callers, they hurried out
through the gate to shake hands with Jack and Toby. Martin's companion
proved to be Hutchings, the efficient first baseman and hard hitter of
the locals.
They chatted for some time, Jack making such, inquiries as he had in
mind, and being given all the information at the disposal of the other
pair.
"About that letter of mine," Captain Martin finally remarked, when the
visitors were preparing to depart; "it was a nasty subject to handle,
and I hardly knew how to go about it; so finally decided to hit straight
out, and tell you what we suspected was going on over here. I was glad
to hear from Bailey that you boys took it in just the same spirit it was
sent."
"We were in a humor to give you and your fellows a hearty cheer," Jack
told him; "we all agreed that it was a genuine pleasure to run up
against such a fine bunch of honorable ball players; and believe me, if
we can't carry off that game for Chester, we'll not begrudge your crowd
for taking it, because we know it will have been fairly won."
It was in this friendly spirit that the rival captains shook hands and
parted. Each leader would fight tooth and nail to capture the impending
game, using all legitimate means to further his ends; but there would be
no hard feelings between the opposing players. Harmony's fine act had
rendered this a certainty.
Jack had said nothing about the narrow escape Chester had from a real
catastrophe in the loss of their wonderful young pitcher. He thought it
best not to mention matters that concerned only Chester folks; although
feeling positive that Martin would congratulate him on his success in
keeping Alec; for the game would lose much of its interest if only a
second-string pitcher officiated in the box for either side when they
anticipated showing their best goods.
"He's all wool, and a yard wide, that Martin," asserted Toby, after they
had turned their faces toward home again, and were booming along the
road that presently would take them close to the shore of Lake
Constance.
"There's no doubt about his being a good fellow," agreed Jack; "and it's
certainly a real pleasure to go up against such a crowd. For one, I've
underestimated the Harmony boys. We've heard a lot about their noisy
ways and hustle, but, after all, I think most of it's on the surface,
and deeper down they're just as much gentlemen as you'd find anywhere.
Most games of rivalry are won through aggressiveness, and plenty of
fellows cultivate that mode of playing. It doesn't follow that such
chaps are boors, or clowns, or brawlers off the field. We could stand a
little more of that sort of thing ourselves, to tell you the truth,
Toby--standing on our toes, and keeping wide awake every second of the
time play is on."
"Right you are, Jack, and after this I'm going to whoop it up a lot
more'n I've ever done before. You'll see some _hopping_ to beat the
band, too. I've managed to cover a good deal of territory up to now but,
say, I aspire to do still better. I'm rubbing snake oil on my joints
right along so as to make 'em more supple. Why, I'd _bathe_ in it
if I thought that would make me better able to do my part toward
corraling that great game for Chester."
"There, I had a first glimpse of Lake Constance," remarked Jack. "The
trees have closed the vista again, so you can't catch it; but I suppose
we'll soon come to a place where we'll have the water on our left, and
the road even runs along close to the edge. I remember skating up about
this far last February, soon after I arrived in Chester; and the lake
was then a solid sheet of smooth ice."
"Queer how cold the water stays all summer," mused Toby. "There are
times when I've seen boys shivering in July and August while bathing.
It's fed by springs, they say, though Paradise River also empties into
the lake. There, now you can see away across to the other shore, Jack.
Isn't it a bully sheet of water, though?"
"What dandy times we can have next winter iceboating, skating, playing
hockey, and everything like that," suggested Jack, delightedly, as his
eyes feasted on the immense body of fresh water, with its surface just
rippled in the soft summer breeze.
"We'll soon come to where the boys said they meant to go in swimming
this morning," added Toby. "It's a perfect day, too, even if the sun
does feel hot. Just such a day as this when I got that nasty little
cramp in the cold water of the lake, and might have had a serious time
only for Big Bob Jeffries taking me on his back and carrying me like a
baby to the shore."
"Listen!" exclaimed Jack just then, "what's all that yell going on ahead
of us? The boys must be cutting up capers; and yet it strikes me there's
a note of fear in their shouts. Turn on the juice, Toby, and eat up the
road! Something terrible may be happening, you know. Things keep
following each other these days like sheep going over a fence after
their leader!"
Toby made the flivver fairly bound along, such was his eagerness to
arrive at the scene of all the excitement. Twenty seconds later he gave
a loud cry.
"Look, Jack, there's some one floundering out there, and throwing up his
arms. It's our Joel Jackman, I do believe! and great Caesar! he's got a
cramp and is drowning!"