NED NOON MAKES AN OFFER.
What Danny had said to Frank set the latter to thinking. Up to that
time he had not been aware that any of his friends were kicking because
of his being chummy with Hodge.
Had Merriwell been a sophomore and Hodge a freshman the situation would
have been altered materially, for sophomores and freshmen are natural
enemies, and it is regarded as a crime for a soph to be chummy with a
fresh.
On the other hand, there is more or less friendliness between juniors
and freshmen. Juniors do everything they can to encourage freshmen in
their struggle against the sophomores, even going so far as to marshal
them for their rushes and give them points to be observed in their
struggles with the sophomores.
It is true that there seldom seems to be any further bond of sympathy
between freshmen and juniors than the dislike of both for sophomores.
The discomfiture and downfall of the freshmen arouses nothing like pity
on the part of the juniors; more often it causes the latter to openly
express contempt.
At first, the apparent friendliness of the juniors leads the
unsophisticated freshmen to think the third year men really like them,
and have sympathy for them; but it does not take long for the freshies
to discover their mistake--it does not take long for them to find out
they are a thing quite apart from the juniors in every conceivable
manner except their mutual dislike for sophomores.
Still, it sometimes happens that a junior and a freshman may become
chums, while such friendliness between a freshman and a sophomore
would be regarded as a disgrace to the latter.
Frank had an independent way; he did not seem to care for traditions or
precedent. He had shown that all along, but never so strongly as since
becoming a junior. Almost his first act was to show friendliness toward
a freshman bully, after conquering the latter in a fair struggle. This
brought forth a howl from those who believed the only proper thing for
him to do was to treat the bully with scorn and contempt after downing
him.
But Frank kept calmly on his way, doing what he believed was right,
regardless of anything that was said.
And now that Hodge was in college, he had chosen to accept Bart as a
chum. If his former friends did not like it, he could not help it. He
knew Bart Hodge’s nature, and he knew Hodge would need to be steadied
by the hand of a friend after entering college, else he would be
certain to fall under evil influences and go wrong.
Frank had used his influence to get Bart on the ’varsity nine because
he believed Hodge a better backstop than any of the candidates for the
position.
Yale’s catcher of the two preceding years had graduated and gone West,
which left the position vacant.
Good pitchers are absolutely necessary on a good ball team, but the
work of a good pitcher can be ruined by a poor catcher. The pitcher
shines as the bright, particular star, but it is the work of the man
behind the bat, almost as much as the pitcher’s own skill, that makes
him shine.
A good catcher steadies and encourages a pitcher at all times, and
particularly at such moments as the game is hanging in the balance so
that a safe hit or a fumble may win it or lose it. At such a time, if
the pitcher has perfect confidence in his catcher, he stands a good
show of doing his level best; but if he lacks confidence, he may think
the game is lost anyway, and fail to exert himself to his utmost.
Frank had first pitched to Bart on the old Fardale Academy nine, at
which time the Fardale battery was a wonder and a terror to the ball
teams of the surrounding country. Fardale had never lost a game with
Merriwell and Hodge as the battery.
On the sporting trip across the continent, Frank found occasion to
pitch to Bart again, and he discovered that Hodge had lost none of his
cunning. Merriwell’s “Yale Combine” played against the regular Fort
Worth professionals, Fort Worth having the famous “Dad” Morse in the
box, and beat them by the remarkable score of two to one.
In this game the throwing and batting of Hodge was a feature, and
Frank Merriwell was delighted to find Hodge in old-time form. On the
following day, Merriwell and Hodge had acted as battery for Fort Worth,
the Texans easily defeating the Little Rocks, who were the leaders of
the Southern League.
Frank had the Fort Worth papers containing records of the games, and
he had placed them before the baseball committee and the captain of
the ’varsity nine, calling attention to the fact that in the two games
Hodge had not had a passed ball, had not made an error, had obtained
seven assists, six hits and two scores. A record to be proud of,
considering the fact that he was in company that was considered very
fast.
But Hodge was a freshman, which counted against him in the eyes of the
committee. The other candidates for the position were a sophomore, a
junior and a senior. It was acknowledged that the senior had slight
show of getting on. It was not his first attempt to get under the bat.
He had played an outfield position one year, and had been substitute
catcher one year, but this counted against him, if anything, for he
had never done anything particularly brilliant.
The other two men, however, Ned Noon, the junior, and Roger Stone, the
sophomore, stood a fair chance of making the team. It was whispered
about that Noon had some sort of “pull” with the committee, and he
was almost sure to catch on, for all that it was thought Capt. Hardy
favored Stone.
Hodge was called “Merriwell’s candidate,” and, for all of Frank’s
popularity, for all of the fact that he was looked on as the mainstay
of the nine that season, it was agreed that Bart did not have much show
of making the nine.
Frank, however, persisted in his attempt to get Bart on. Up to the time
of his talk with Griswold he had not suspected the feeling that existed
in relation to Hodge. Now he saw it all, and he realized that Bart was
in double danger.
“He has injured a policeman, and, should it become known, some of his
enemies might hold it over him. I must have a talk with him.”
Frank started for Farnham Hall without delay.
Just outside the wide doorway, before putting his foot on the steps, he
paused, brought to a sudden halt by the sound of voices within.
“Noon!” he thought.
Then he heard another voice.
“And Hodge!” he added.
The rivals were standing just within the doorway, talking earnestly.
Frank could see the back of Bart’s coat.
The first words that reached his ears caused Frank to stop thus
suddenly.
“I tell you that you are in for it, Hodge. You knocked the cop out, and
it will go hard with you if the job is fastened upon you.”
“Well, I can’t help it if it does,” said Bart, and there was a sullen
sound in his voice. “I didn’t mean to hurt the little runt, but it was
my confounded quick temper that caused me to fling him up against the
post.”
“You made a fool of yourself,” declared Noon, with a sneering
inflection.
“Well, I don’t need to have you come and tell me of it!” cried Bart,
angrily.
“If it is known that you did the job, you stand a good show of being
dropped from Yale with a dull thud.”
Not a sound from Hodge.
Merriwell was no eavesdropper, and he started to ascend the steps; but
he dropped back and stood still, brought to a stop by Noon’s next words.
“I am the only fellow of our crowd who saw you fling the cop up against
the post. The others were too busy attending to the ‘townies.’ If I
keep still, you stand a good chance of escaping; but, if I tell, you
are a goner. That makes it plain enough that I can wind you up in a
moment if I want to.”
Frank would have given something to be able to see the expression on
Bart’s face when those words were spoken, but he could not do so.
Breathlessly he awaited Hodge’s retort.
“So that is your game, is it?” grated the voice of Merry’s Fardale
chum. “Well, I swear, I did not think it of you, and I haven’t liked
you, either!”
“You are shooting off too soon,” hastily said Noon. “I didn’t say I had
any game at all, but I wanted you to understand just where you stood.
You can do me a favor. Of course, I would not be mean enough to go back
on a fellow who did me a favor. Instead of that, I would protect him,
if necessary, by swearing one of the ‘townies’ knocked out the cop.”
“I do not ask that much of my friends, much less of you!” flashed
Hodge. “If you want to blow on me, go ahead. All I can say is, that
I’ll punch the face off you if you do!”
“You wouldn’t get the chance,” declared Noon. “You’d be pulled for
assaulting an officer in performance of his duty, and it would go hard
with you.”
Again Hodge was silent.
Once more Merriwell was on the point of ascending the steps, when Noon
began again:
“There is no reason why we should be enemies, Hodge. We should be
friends----”
“Not by a long distance!” exclaimed Bart, contempt in his voice. “I
know you now too well for that, Ned Noon! We can’t be friends.”
“Oh, have it as you like; but you’ll find it for your good not to make
an enemy of me.”
Hodge uttered a scornful exclamation.
“Oh, you needn’t turn up your nose!” cried Noon; “for you’ll have to
pull it down again. I see I’ve got to talk straight to you. You make
me tired! For a freshman you put on too many airs. What I want to say
is this: If it wasn’t for Merriwell’s influence, you would not have a
ghost of a show to get on the nine. As it is, you do not stand much
chance, but----”
“But you are worried,” sneered Bart. “That is remarkable.”
“You do not stand much chance,” Noon repeated; “but I shall stand a
better show if you retire, for the only man against me who is at all
dangerous will be Stone. It is easy enough for you to get out. You can
tell Merriwell that you have decided not to play, anyhow. That will
settle it, if you stick to it. If you do that, I’m ready to swear that
I saw one of the ‘townies’ flop the little cop up against the post.”