WEAVING THE WEB
Robson took the telephone and called a number. In a few seconds he
heard the familiar voice of the veteran baseball man over the wire,
and he explained that he and the manager wanted his advice. Hughson
promised to join the council as soon as possible, and it was not
fifteen minutes later that he was shown up to the room.
“What’s going on here, anyway?” he asked, when he had exchanged
greetings with the little group. “You all look as serious as the
mourners at a funeral.”
“It may end in a funeral for some one,” said McRae pessimistically.
“Sit down, Hughson, and I’ll give you the facts in as few words as
possible.”
The manager sketched a brief outline of the happenings of the last
few days and the project that they were considering for that evening.
Hughson listened attentively, throwing in a terse question here and
there, and when McRae finished he sat silent awhile, digesting the
information that had been given him. McRae had not told him which plan
he himself favored, so that the veteran baseball man could make his own
decision.
“I think that if we can keep this matter to ourselves, it will be a
better thing for the game,” he said, at length. “If it gets out that
McCarney and Hupft have been in league with the gamblers and have been
trying to throw games, the fans will suspect every one of you, and if
you should lose the pennant, you’d never make them believe in a hundred
years that you hadn’t done it purposely. It seems to me, though, that
it will be a difficult thing for us to get into Davendorp’s without
being recognized and arousing suspicion.”
“We’ll have to chance that,” said McRae. “If some of us are recognized,
the gang will just think that we’re crooks too, and in the plot. But
Robson thinks that we should have more men than the team can furnish,
and we are up against it to know who to get.”
“That shouldn’t be so hard,” said Hughson. “There are plenty of fans
who think as highly of the game as we do, and want its good name
preserved. There ought to be plenty of volunteers for a job like this.
I have one or two friends who would go into it at the drop of a hat, if
I asked them to.”
“I could muster a few myself,” said McRae. “Probably the rest of us
could too, for that matter.”
“There are five of us here,” said Hughson. “Suppose each of us gets
hold of two men that he knows can be relied upon, and explains the
situation to them. If we can each get two, that will make ten extra
men, and with all the fellows on the team, it will be enough, I should
say. I don’t think any of them will try to back out.”
“That plan sounds all right to me,” said McRae, and looked questioningly
at the others.
As it appealed to them in the same way, there was no further argument
on that score, and after a little more discussion they had planned out
the matter in every detail. Each of them was to get two volunteers, and
bring them to McRae’s rooms as soon as possible. Meanwhile, the manager
was to get hold of the players by telephone or messenger, arranging for
them to meet him at a designated spot.
They had to act quickly, for already the late summer dusk was closing
in, and there was much to do in a short time. Of course, there was a
chance that the rascals, frightened off by the escape of Jim and Joe,
would not meet at all, but this was not very likely. They would have
no reason to suspect that their trysting place was known, and in view
of the mishaps of the day, might be even more desirous than before of
getting together and concocting schemes for the future. Anyway, this
was a chance that the Giants had to take, and even if the conspirators
did not meet, the ball players would be out nothing but their time and
trouble.
Joe and Jim, of course, had hosts of friends and admirers, but they
considered some time before picking out those that they intended to
enlist in the cause of clean baseball. Finally they made their choice,
and were fortunate in getting the consent of all of them without
hesitation. They were young fellows, enthusiastic followers of the
game, and hailed the chance of aiding it and at the same time entering
into what promised to be an exciting adventure.
Joe and Jim hired a taxicab, and in company with their friends rushed
back to McRae’s hotel. They had not taken long, but Hughson was there
before them, with two stalwart citizens who looked as though they could
give a good account of themselves in a scrimmage. Robson and McRae had
experienced no difficulty in getting their recruits, and the latter
had also found time to get in touch with most of his players on the
telephone.
Such a summons naturally came as a big surprise to all of them, but
they obeyed the call without hesitation and were all gathered at a
northern entrance to Central Park when the manager arrived with Joe,
Jim, Robson, Hughson, and their ten volunteers. Fortunately, they had
all evaded reporters so far, and to the best of their knowledge no hint
of their enterprise had leaked out.
“Shure, an’ phwat’s the big idea, boss?” inquired Larry. “Is ut a ball
game by moonlight you’re plannin’?”
“No, nothing like that,” said McRae. “This is more serious,” and he was
starting to explain the situation when the team caught sight of Jim.
Every man tried to shake hands with him and question him at once, and
it was a wonder that some policeman was not attracted by the noise.
“I’ll tell you all about it, boys, some time when we’re not so rushed,”
laughed Jim. “I’m here, and ready for anything, even if my hands are
a little sore. But never mind me now, just listen to what the boss is
trying to tell us.”
They quieted down at this, and McRae told them briefly how matters
stood and what he wanted them to do.
“But there’s nothing compulsory about this, you know,” he finished.
“Any man that doesn’t feel like going is at liberty to say so, and it
won’t make any difference with me.”
He looked inquiringly at the team, but there was not one who did not
seem eager to undertake the adventure. McRae then proceeded to outline
their plan of campaign.
“We’ll drift into Davendorp’s place in twos and threes,” he said.
“After we get there we’ll have to make our plans as we go along. But
everybody keep his eyes and ears open, and I’ll pass the word around
when it comes time for action. If any of you are recognized, as you’re
practically certain to be, just say you dropped in to shoot a little
pool, or some excuse that will sound plausible.
“And one more thing. Before we start, I want every man here to pledge
absolute secrecy about this business. We’re doing this to avoid a
black mark against organized baseball, but if just one of us gets to
whispering about it, all our trouble will be wasted.”
All promised silence, and then they broke up into small groups and
headed for Davendorp’s Sporting Parlors.