AFTER THE GAME--CONCLUSION.
The excitement was intense, and in a twinkling Harry was surrounded and
hoisted on the shoulders of his fellow-players.
"Hurrah for Harry Westmore!" was the cry.
"That run wasn't fair!" growled Boardman. "He had no right to knock me
over."
"It was your duty to keep out of the way," said the umpire. "I saw what
you did. It was a mean piece of business."
Nearly everybody who had witnessed the game agreed with the umpire.
The Lakeports were congratulated on their victory, which made them the
champions of the town. As soon as they could do so, the Excelsiors left
the ground and hurried to their clubroom.
The feeling among the rival players was very bitter. Nearly everybody
blamed Voup and Boardman for the defeat. In return, the pitcher and the
catcher blamed the others; and the upshot of the matter was that the
Excelsiors disbanded.
As may be anticipated, Si was in trouble in more ways than one. He had
borrowed money from Sidney Yates and from others, and this cash was all
gone. Boardman was in the same fix, and the little they got out of the
club receipts was only a drop in the bucket when it came to liquidating
their debts.
On the Monday evening following the game, the Lakeports celebrated
their victory in a becoming style. The clubroom was illuminated, and
they had a garden party for their friends on Mr. Darrow's lawn, and the
festivities were kept up until almost midnight.
During the week Mr. Rush took steps to have Si Voup and Boardman
punished for what they had done to Joe and Fred. On hearing of this,
Si Voup ran away and went on a visit to an uncle who lived in Boston.
Boardman was found at his home, and broke down utterly when confronted.
"It wasn't my fault," he whined. "Si Voup put me up to it--Si and a
young fellow named Dan Marcy."
"Marcy again!" mused Mr. Rush, and became more interested than ever. By
coaxing and threatening he made Boardman tell his whole story, and then
learned that Dan Marcy was stopping at a road-house to the east of the
lake, at a place called Thompson's Corners.
"Did you ever hear that this Marcy took the sloop _Sprite_?" asked Mr.
Rush.
"He never said so out-and-out," answered Boardman, "but I guess he did
take the boat."
This was all Mr. Rush wanted to know, and he lost no time in calling
on Mr. Shale and on Mr. Westmore. That afternoon the three men took a
carriage and drove over to Thompson's Corners and to the road-house the
catcher of the Excelsiors had mentioned.
As luck would have it, they found Dan Marcy on the porch of the house,
half asleep in a chair. The fellow wanted to run away, but Mr. Shale
collared him before he could do so.
"Not so fast, Marcy," said he, sternly.
"Wot do yer want?" growled the former bully of Lakeport.
"We want you," said Mr. Rush. "A fine job you have been putting up on
my son and on Joe Westmore."
"Say, has them fellers been blabbin' on me?" ejaculated Marcy, angrily.
The loss of all his money on the ball game had put him in a bitter
frame of mind.
"I want you for stealing my sloop," came from Mr. Shale. "You needn't
deny that you took the craft, for it will do you no good."
"I ain't denyin' nuthin," came from the bully. "Go on. You've got me,
now do your worst. You can't git no money out o' me, for I ain't got
none."
The landlord of the road-house had come out to listen to the talk.
"Who is going to pay me?" he demanded. "This chap owes me three dollars
and a half for board."
"I don't know where you are going to get the money, Mr. Fells,"
answered Mr. Westmore.
As it was an extra warm day Dan Marcy was in his shirt sleeves, having
left his coat and vest in his room.
"I'll see what he has upstairs," said Mr. Fells.
"Hi! let my clothes alone!" ejaculated Dan Marcy, in alarm. "Don't you
touch a thing!"
But the landlord would not listen, and presently came below with the
coat and vest in his hands.
"Four cents, two buttons, and a badge," said he, with a contemptuous
snort. "They won't pay me."
He held up his find as he spoke. Mr. Westmore glanced at the badge.
"Hullo! the badge that was stolen from my store the time my money was
taken!" he cried.
"Is that true?" questioned Mr. Shale.
"Yes--I'd know that badge out of a thousand. See, it has my initials on
it."
"Then it must have been Dan Marcy who took your money."
"I remember he was in Lakeport at or about that time," said Mr. Rush.
In vain Dan Marcy tried to deny the evidence of his guilt. Nobody
would listen to him, and in the end he was made a close prisoner and
driven off to the Lakeport lock-up. Here he tried to put the whole
blame for carrying Joe and Fred off on Si Voup and Boardman, but nobody
gave him any credit.
"He is a bad egg," said more than one. "He should have been locked up
long ago." And in the end Dan Marcy was tried for his crimes and sent
to prison for several years. Si Voup and Boardman escaped with severe
reprimands and both promised to turn over a new leaf.
The victory over the Excelsiors gave the Lakeports an excellent
reputation throughout the whole State, and they received challenges to
play in many cities and towns. Harry took a really fine photograph of
the club in uniform, and this was reproduced in several newspapers,
much to the club members' gratification. All told during that season
they played twenty-eight games, of which they won nineteen. Link
pitched at four of the games, all of which were won.
"This has been the best summer in my life!" declared Fred, when the
season was at an end. "I can tell you what, boys, there is no sport on
earth like baseball."
"Well, I like boating pretty well," said another boy. "I think it is
about time we organized a boat club."
"Hurrah! let us do it!" was the cry; and how the boys went to work,
and what races they had, will be told in another volume, to be called,
"The Boat Club Boys of Lakeport; or, The Water Champions." Boating is
a clean, healthy sport, and my young readers can rest assured that the
boys of Lakeport enjoyed it greatly.
THE END.
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