early the following morning, as the lobstermen were rowing off to their traps, a little naphtha launch came down the channel, rounded crown point, and entered fairhaven harbor.
the boat contained two persons. one seemed to be a passenger, and he was recognized by brick mclane, who was rowing out of the harbor in his big dory.
“now i wonder what’s up?” muttered mclane. “that chap setting all quiet in the bo’t is one of them maplewood fellers. he’s the one who was captain of the maplewood team before old hammerswell got his new bunch together. lemme see, what’s his name? oh, yes, it’s arlington—chester arlington. seems ter me i heerd that he came down this way with merriwell and the boys over here on the island. yes, i did hear so. he came with them to maplewood, and, arter old hammerswell refused to accept the team, he deserted and stayed right here in maplewood. he’s a kind of a traitor, and dick and t’other fellers over here don’t think but precious little of him. what is he a-coming over here for at this hour? must be something in the wind. old hammerswell is hot to win the games to-day, and he’s as full of tricks as an egg is full of meat. mebbe he sent this chap here to play some sort of a trick. perhaps i ought to let my traps go to-day and turn back. somehow i kinder think dick ought ter know this arlington feller is on the island.”
the more mclane thought about this matter the more troubled he became. he visited some of his traps and took out a few lobsters, but wonderment over the surprising appearance of arlington finally led him to give up making the entire round, and he rowed back to fairhaven, sending the dory along with lusty strokes.
arriving at the wharf, brick covered his lobsters with some wet sacking and left them in his boat while he hurried through town and up to the central hotel.
in front of the hotel was a large oak tree, and as he approached mclane was surprised to see dick merriwell and chester arlington standing beneath that tree engaged in conversation.
“he don’t need no warning from me,” muttered the lobsterman as he turned back. “he knows all about it now. i might have pulled all my traps and saved myself some trouble.”
dick had been not a little surprised on walking into the office of the hotel after breakfast to find himself face to face with arlington, who was smoking a cigarette and lounging near the desk.
instantly on seeing merriwell, chester turned and stepped toward him.
“hello, dick,” he said. “i was waiting for you to finish breakfast.”
“waiting for me?” exclaimed dick, without seeking to repress his surprise. “what are you doing over here, arlington?”
chet glanced around.
“can’t talk here very well,” he said. “i wish you’d come outside. i want to tell you something.”
dick hesitated, for the thought of having anything to do with this chap, who had treated him in such a contemptible manner, was far from agreeable.
“better come,” urged chester. “you’ll be glad to know what i’m going to tell you. it’ll be a good thing for you.”
“what sort of a trick are you up to now?” demanded merriwell, piercing the other lad with his keen eyes.
“no trick at all,” protested chester. “why should you suppose that i’m always up to some sort of a trick?”
“why shouldn’t i suppose so? your record is enough to make anybody suppose such a thing.”
“oh, i don’t know. i presume there are fellows who have worse records.”
“in reform schools and penitentiaries,” said dick grimly.
arlington’s face flushed, and he seemed on the verge of a burst of anger, but this he succeeded in repressing.
“you’re pretty hard on me,” he muttered.
“no harder than you deserve. you must acknowledge that i have been easy with you in the past—far easier than any other fellow would have been. patience and forbearance ceased to be a virtue when you betrayed me in such a contemptible manner after coming down here with us.”
“but you don’t understand about that, merriwell. i came down here to play ball, as i have told you before. when you fellows got no chance in maplewood, i stayed there to get onto the maplewood team, not having an idea that you would come over here and get into the league.”
“after we had been treated in a most contemptible manner at maplewood, you took up with the man who treated us thus. you have played on his team, knowing all the time that he was up to every sort of crooked game and underhand trick to down your schoolmates. no, arlington, as long as i remember your behavior this summer, i can never again have the slightest confidence in you—i can’t even hope for your reformation.”
“well, won’t you come outside where i can tell you why i’m here this morning? i’m not going to beg you to come, but i think you’d better do so.”
“go ahead,” said dick. “i’ll hear what you have to say.”
he followed chester from the hotel, and they paused beneath the oak tree, where they were seen a few moments later by mclane.
“i have quit hammerswell,” said chester. “i have been through with him for some time, but i remained in maplewood for a particular reason. a few minutes ago you accused me of sticking by the maplewood team when i knew hammerswell was plotting and scheming to down fairhaven. he never told me much of anything about his plots. i was captain of the team. as long as he kept me in that position i stuck by him. after a while i began to find out some things about his plans and plots, and i was anxious to learn still more. that led me to stay there. i thought if i could get onto his secrets i could make him cough up some good money, and i’ll need money this fall if i return to fardale. mother used to furnish me with the cash, but she’s in a sanitarium now, and i’ll not be liable to get too much dough from the old man. that’s why i stuck in maplewood and did my best to find out things about hammerswell. i thought i might squeeze him a little while i had a chance.”
“in other words,” said dick, “you contemplated blackmailing him.”
“i don’t like the way you put it!” exclaimed chester shortly. “i’ve found out all the things i want to know, but little good they’ll do me. hammerswell is busted. if he should be defeated in both games here on the island to-day he wouldn’t have enough money to take him out of the county. he’s bet all the money he could rake and scrape on the result of the games to-day. he’s going to spring a surprise on you in the shape of new pitchers. you want to be ready for them. i know the kind of luck you have, merriwell, and i have felt lately that you would land on top. the more i thought about it the firmer became my convictions that you couldn’t be defeated. to-night hammerswell will be strapped, and, therefore, my knowledge of his crookedness will be useless in the way of twisting money out of him.”
dick was listening quietly, his dark eyes watching arlington with a steady stare that made chester uneasy.
“go on,” urged merriwell.
“last night,” said arlington, “i learned something about hammerswell that made me decide right away that he ought to be sent to the jug. bad as i knew him to be before that, i never fancied he had committed murder.”
“murder!” breathed dick, lifting his eyebrows.
“just that,” nodded chet, “and nothing else. i was lying on the grass in front of the hotel last night, smoking a cigarette and thinking. pretty soon a man came sneaking up, dodging from one clump of shrubbery to another. his movements interested me, and i watched him. he didn’t observe me, and i took care he should not. i followed him, and saw him hide behind the shrubbery until benton hammerswell, smoking a cigar, approached the spot. then the man i had followed stepped out and spoke to hammerswell. it was luke grimes, the assistant engineer of the lady may, a chap i fancy you have good cause to remember, merriwell.”
“i should say so!” nodded dick, “but i thought detectives had chased grimes as far as the canadian border and then lost track of him.”
“so they did, i presume. he has been up to montreal, but is back again. hammerswell promised to send him money, which he would receive in montreal. the money was not sent, and grimes came back to demand it. i was within ten feet of them last night as they sat on the rustic seat and talked the thing over. what i heard made my blood run cold. grimes has a hold on hammerswell, and he attempted to put on the screws. you know hop sullivan was paid by hammerswell to hold up the trolley car between rockford and maplewood one day and run off your new pitcher, owen bold. sullivan was captured, but escaped. it seems that he demanded money from hammerswell, and they met by appointment one night on high bluff, near rapid river. hammerswell pushed sullivan into the river, and sullivan was drowned. grimes saw the act, and, therefore, he has hammerswell in the hollow of his hand. i found all this out last night as i listened.”
“are you speaking the truth, arlington?” demanded dick.
“why should i lie to you?” asked chester. “it would do me no good. of course, i am speaking the truth. grimes received no money from hammerswell because hammerswell had none to give. but grimes swore he would be on this island to-night when the ball games were finished, ready to collect from hammerswell. i decided to let you know about this. you think i’m a pretty cheap dog, merriwell; but you can see i’m giving you an opportunity to crush this man hammerswell, who has tried so many times to crush you. if you can succeed in having grimes captured, you will be able to compel hammerswell to face a murder charge. and he will be convicted, too.”
in spite of the fact that chester arlington was speaking the truth, his manner seemed uncertain, and merriwell could not help doubting him. through it all dick was wondering what new trick it was that his enemies were seeking to play on him.
chester saw the expression of doubt on merriwell’s face, and in exasperation he cried:
“you think i’m lying to you now! you don’t take any stock in me, do you?”
“i confess that i do not,” was the answer. “knowing how natural it is for you to lie and deceive, i can’t believe you, arlington. what your reason can be in coming to me like this i can’t understand, but i fancy you have some hidden object.”
“all right!” snarled chester angrily. “fancy what you please! i don’t care a rap! i’ve given you your opportunity to get revenge on benton hammerswell, and now you may do anything you choose.”
having said this, chester coolly lighted a fresh cigarette, after which he turned and walked away.
at the first store he reached he made inquiry for the town officials, and was given directions for finding mayor cobb.
cyrus cobb was at home when arlington appeared, and he listened with great incredulity to the boy’s story of benton hammerswell’s crime.
“you dreamed it, young man—you dreamed it!” exclaimed cobb. “why, such things do not happen around here! i have seen boys like you before. i’ve seen boys who tried to kick up excitement by telling wild and improbable yarns.”
instantly arlington’s rage flamed up.
“i have seen old fools like you before!” he snarled. “they call you the mayor of this little one-horse town, do they? well, you look it! you’re a great man for the place!”
at first cobb had been astounded, but now his face flushed, and he shook his finger at chet.
“you insulting young rascal!” he exclaimed. “how dare you use such language to me?”
“bah!” said the boy, shrugging his shoulders. “who’s afraid of you? i played on the maplewood baseball team, and i know benton hammerswell. i told you the truth about him.”
“yes, yes,” said mr. cobb, “you did play on that ball team—that’s right! you’re not on it now, are ye?”
“no.”
“yes, yes; mad with hammerswell, i take it? sore because he threw you off the team? want to make trouble for him, i see. that’s your game, boy! that’s your reason for coming to me and telling me such preposterous yarns! look here, you young reprobate, you had better take yourself out of fairhaven as quick as you can! we don’t want such chaps on the island!”
“oh, i’ll get off your old island!” snarled chester. “certainly there are more chumps to the square yard on this island than i ever beheld before, and you’re the king of them all. good morning!”
although the village mayor felt like rushing after the insulting chap and giving him a good caning, he contented himself in glaring at chet’s back until he disappeared.
