clancy and ballard were not successful in rounding up all the fellows merriwell had asked them to see. on such short notice, however, they did very well.
jerry spink, who was booked for left held, had gone to the tin cup ranch with an important letter for his father, who was part owner of the cattle outfit. he was expected back some time thursday, and the boys left word for him to report at the clubhouse by two-thirty thursday afternoon, if he got back in time.
benaway, picked for one of the reserves, was a clerk in the general store and post office. the proprietor of the store had sent him to a placer mine to collect a bill, and it was expected that he would return some time during the evening. a message was likewise left for him.
shaw was down with tonsillitis, and he set up a terrible wail of disappointment when he learned what was going on, and realized his inability to help out.
barzy blunt, mose handy, and lin reckless were all the fellows ballard and clancy could get together. spink and benaway would be on hand the following day, however, without fail.
the six lads, brimming over with enthusiasm because of the game scheduled with gold hill, reached the ophir clubhouse at about four-thirty. neither merry, nor any of those he had gone to see, had arrived.
“chip will be along before many minutes,” said clancy. “let’s get a couple of balls and begin limbering up on the diamond.”
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they were hard at it when the bradlaugh car halted at the clubhouse and unloaded mr. bradlaugh, his son, hannibal—who had been picked up on the way through town—jode lenning, and merriwell.
the party came onto the athletic field by a passage between the end of the clubhouse and the gymnasium. merriwell was first to come into view of those on the diamond.
“hoop-a-la!” shouted barzy blunt, waving his cap. “here’s chip with the rest of the bunch. you can bet a ripe persimmon he wouldn’t——”
the rest of the cowboy athlete’s remark did not appear. words suddenly froze on his lips. just behind merriwell was lenning, and for lenning, blunt had no use whatever.
“suffering cats!” muttered blunt, as soon as he could recover the power of speech. “say, ballard, why is that no-account juniper trailing chip?”
clancy and ballard had kept quiet about merry’s determination to work lenning into the nine. they had a feeling that their chum’s move was to prove distinctly unpopular, and they fought shy of mentioning it. the secret would soon be out, now, and clancy and ballard awaited the result with a good deal of trepidation.
blunt was a firm friend of merriwell’s, but when fate gave him blunt for a surname she indicated his character unerringly. he was blunt of speech and had a hot temper, and it was a habit of his to flash out his feelings in plain english, with small regard for consequences.
nor was the cowboy the only one on the diamond who had been jolted into silence by the sight of lenning. handy and reckless likewise manifested all the symptoms of severe frost.
clancy and ballard tried to save the situation by a little
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joshing and horseplay. it was a half-hearted attempt, however, and could not make a breach in the forbidding wall with which blunt, handy, and reckless had surrounded themselves.
merry was quick to sense the chill in the air, and he hurriedly seconded the efforts of clancy and ballard to put matters on a better footing. brad, on the ride out to the clubhouse, had had several minutes to accustom himself to the presence of lenning. loyally he rallied to merry’s support. brad’s father, also, did what he could to ease off the tension.
“hello, fellows!” frank called good-naturedly. “i wonder if you’re all as hungry to get after the horsehide as i am? this game with gold hill suits me right up to the handle. barzy, you look like a three-time winner. handy, you look as fit for the national game as you did for the gridiron, a few weeks ago. reckless, old chap, how’s tricks?”
in this breezy fashion, frank strove to smooth out the disagreeable twist in the situation. lenning was there by his persuasions, and he felt that the fault would be his if the lad was humiliated in any way.
“i think we owe a vote of thanks to colonel hawtrey and chip merriwell for this chance to clash with gold hill on the diamond,” piped brad. “we’ve got to work like the dickens, though, if we get in shape for the game between now and saturday.”
“you must all pull together, my lads,” put in the general manager significantly.
neither blunt, nor handy, nor reckless had a word to say. after their first cool scrutiny of lenning, they proceeded to ignore him.
“where’s the wonderful mexican backstop, chip?” queried clancy.
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“couldn’t get hold of him to-day,” frank answered, “but he’ll be along to-morrow. what about spink, benaway, and shaw, clan?”
clancy reported as to the three players merry had mentioned.
“that’s tough about shaw,” merry observed, “but, on the whole, we’re making out a good deal better than i expected. i can depend on you fellows, can i?” the question was aimed particularly at blunt, handy, and reckless.
“i reckon you can, chip,” drawled blunt, a gleam of temper playing in his sloe-black eyes. “how have you fixed the make-up of the team?”
“you’re down for second, barzy, and if they hit me too hard you’ll probably have to move up to the pitcher’s box.”
“that’s a joke,” and the grin that half formed itself about the cowboy’s lip’s led merry to think he was forgetting lenning. “you’re the best amateur twirler in these parts, and if you can’t handle the gold hillers there’ll be no use calling on me. i’m satisfied to hold down the second bag. you and this greaser from the mine will be the battery for ophir, eh?”
“probably. clancy’s at first, handy’s at third, and brad goes to short. ballard, spink, and lenning will be in the outfield.”
here handy proceeded to take part in the conversation. “lenning?” he echoed.
merry faced around and gave handy a square look.
“i said lenning would be in the outfield,” he remarked.
“oh!” handy grunted. that was all, but if ever a monosyllable shook its rattles and got ready to strike that one did.
the nature of lin reckless belied his name. he was
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canny, and just at that moment realized the value of holding himself in check. he had both balls, and he began juggling them with one hand, and whistling softly.
“i reckon i might as well tune up my bazoo and go on record right here, chip,” said blunt. “you ought to know, by now, that i never walk around a ten-acre lot in order to call a spade an agricultural implement. i’m not going to do it now. i’d hate myself for a month of blue moons if i ever played ball with a snake in the grass like jode lenning. instead of leaving reckless on the bench, you can put him in the outfield. lenning will have his hands full looking after that job you got for him, if i’m any prophet.”
it was a barbed shaft, and lenning squirmed when it struck him. his face went white on the instant.
frank’s face was almost as white as lenning’s. with a quick move he placed himself alongside the lad under discussion. before he could speak, handy broke in.
“blunt’s got it about right, chip,” said he. “i don’t want to hurt lenning’s feelings, or put you in any sort of hole, but i can’t see why you should expect us fellows to play ball with lenning.”
“i expect you to have some consideration for me,” said frank hotly, “even if you haven’t any for lenning. he’s here by my invitation. i have asked him, just as i asked you, to help make up the nine. if you don’t want a team, and don’t care for a game with gold hill, say so here and now, and we’ll declare it off.”
merriwell resented, with all the force of his nature, these flings at lenning. he felt that his anger was getting beyond control, and he was glad that mr. bradlaugh took a hand in the matter at that moment.
“you ought to know better than to talk that way, blunt,” said mr. bradlaugh sharply. “and you, too,
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handy. merriwell is getting the team together, and you ought to have enough confidence in him to approve of whatever he does.”
“whenever i’ve got anything on my mind,” answered blunt, “i try to get rid of it in plain english. now that i’ve had my say about lenning, i’ll drop in a few words for chip. you’re the clear quill, pard,” he went on to merry, “and i’d fight for you any day you can find in the almanac; but when it comes to associating with a crook and a schemer, i reckon i’ve got a right to pick and choose for myself.”
“sure you have,” approved handy.
reckless was still whistling and juggling the two balls. he seconded everything that blunt and handy were saying, but felt that some consideration was due merriwell in the matter, and declined to express himself.
“it’s a darned shame,” blurted out brad indignantly, “that you two chumps couldn’t have talked this over privately with chip instead of shooting off a big noise where it will do the most harm. you make me tired!” and he turned on his heel and walked off.
truth to tell, the helpless writhing of jode lenning was more than brad could endure. lenning himself suddenly turned and moved away in the direction from which he had come, his head bowed dejectedly.
“blunt,” said merriwell scathingly, “you and handy ought to be ashamed of yourselves. is it your style to jump on a fellow when he’s down? if i put into this plain english you’re harping about all i think of you two, it would be different from what you’ve said about lenning, but it would sound a whole lot worse. you might have had the common decency to keep still while lenning was around.”
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the vigor with which merry expressed himself rather startled blunt and handy. but frank was not yet done.
“look back a little in your own life, blunt,” said he meaningly. “i guess you will find something there that will help you to understand how you have made lenning feel.”
the cowboy fell back a step, with twin devils blazing in his eyes. merriwell’s words had probed a sore only recently healed, and for a second blunt felt all the old agonizing smart caused by the rough handling. then, as quickly, his rage passed.
“i reckon you got me there, chip,” said he. “i went a heap farther with lenning than i meant to, but that’s how i feel.”
frank did not answer. turning, he hurried after lenning, vanishing between the end of the clubhouse and the south wall of the gymnasium building.
“fine business, i must say,” growled ballard. “if this kind of a spirit lasts up till next saturday, i can see where we get off.”
“it won’t last,” said handy. “lenning’s out of it now, just as he ought to be, and everything is all right.”
but mr. bradlaugh shook his head forebodingly.
