CHAPTER XXXVIII.
A CONFESSION.
Ere leaving the village Frank called on Bill Hunker, the constable.
"Mr. Hunker," he said, "I need your services this afternoon. I want youat the baseball ground, and you had better bring along five or six goodhusky assistants. Let them all have authority as deputies. Every manwill be paid regular wages for special service."
"Be you lookin' for trouble?" asked Hunker.
"No, I'm not looking for it," smiled Frank. "I'm determined that thereshall be no trouble. I have a premonition that we'll see an unusuallylarge crowd, and I'm confident the crowd will contain a rough element.It is my purpose to suppress any symptoms of disorder."
"All right," nodded Hunker; "I'll be there with the boys. You can dependon me."
Frank was right in believing the game would bring out an astonishingnumber of spectators. That afternoon all roads seemed to lead toBloomfield. With the opening of the gates an hour before the time forthe game to begin, a stream of spectators commenced pouring on FarnhamField. This stream grew steadily in volume.
Hunker and his companions, with their badges prominently displayed, wereon hand at the gates and held the impatient crowd in check. The ticketsellers and ticket takers were kept busy as bees.
The stand soon became packed to suffocation, while the temporary seatswhich had been erected overflowed before either team appeared on thefield. Frank had taken the precaution to have ropes stretched for thepurpose of holding the crowd back. It was well that he did so.
Thirty minutes before the hour set for the game two large touring carsbrought the Rovers onto the field. They were received with cheers. Aparty of Farnham Hall boys escorted them from the cars to the dressingrooms reserved for them.
In the meantime, Merriwell and his players were making ready for thecontest. When they were prepared to go out Frank called them around him.
"Boys," he said, as he looked them over, "it's going to be a hard game,and I hope every man is prepared to do his best. Before we go out I havea question to ask. You know there's a report that a wager has been madeon the result of this game. The Wellsburg _Herald_ made the statementthat some one of this team has wagered ten thousand dollars with CasperSilence. I've regarded the yarn as preposterous. At the same time, I'vedecided to ask you, one and all, frankly and fairly, if you knowanything about such a wager. Do you know anything about a wager of anysort? If there's any one present who knows, it's up to him to speak outhere and now."
A few moments of dead silence followed. Then Ephraim Gallup, pale andagitated, pushed Barney Mulloy aside and stepped forward.
"I guess, by gum, it's up to me, Frank," he said. "I don't blame yeoufor thinkin' yeou didn't have no friend here who was chump enough tomake such a bet. I'm the chump."
"Vot vos dot?" gasped Hans Dunnerwurst. "You don'd pelief me! Dit tenthousand dollars pet you, Ephie? Mine cootness cracious sakes alife! Youvos a spordt!"
"I'm a tarnal fool!" mumbled Gallup. "I know it."
"Then you did make a bet, Ephraim?" said Frank, unable to repress hisfeeling of dismay.
"Yes, I done it! I hope the whole blamed bunch will kick me! I ain'tgoin' to make no excuses, but when that critter, Silence, tried to rubit into me I gut so tarnal hot-headed that I right up and told him I'dgo him for any old figger. I didn't s'pose he'd make it so large. Yourtalk abaout betting has made me so all-fired disgusted with myself thatI jest want to jump off the earth."
"This is bad business--bad business," muttered Frank. "Give me all theparticulars, Gallup."
Ephraim did so.
When the Vermonter had finished, Merry drew a deep breath.
"You can't afford to lose that bet, Gallup," he said. "What are yougoing to do with the money if you win?"
"Do with it? Dad birn it, I'll burn it up!"
"That would be still more foolish. If you lose, you will be down to bedrock again."
"Yes, I'll be jest abaout the same as busted."
"Divvil a bit av it!" cried Barney Mulloy. "Gallup is me owld sideparthner. Av he loses, Oi'll divvy wid him."
"But he mustn't lose," said Frank. "Philanthropists in Wellsburg areendeavoring to raise money to found a hospital for consumptives. There'san ideal location some ten miles from Wellsburg. If you win, Gallup,would you donate your winnings to the hospital fund?"
"Yeou bet I will!" cried Ephraim eagerly. "I'll give 'em every cent ofit!"
"That's good," nodded Frank. "Now, boys, we're going into this game towin it. If we ever played ball in our lives, we're going to play itto-day. I think and hope this experience will teach Gallup the folly ofbetting. I shall use all the skill I possess in the game, and I want youboys to back me up. We can't lose! We won't lose!"
Although his words were spoken in a quiet tone, they aroused somethingin every listener that stirred his blood and caused it to leap in hisveins.
"That's right! that's right!" they cried. "We'll win to-day!"
"Come on," said Merry, "we'll go out now."
As he marched onto the field, with his friends and comrades following athis heels, the great crowd rose and uttered a roar of welcome.
"Batting practice, fellows," said Frank. And they went at it at once.
Three minutes later the Rovers, in tigerish suits of yellow and black,trotted out from their dressing rooms.
Back of the ropes near first base a tough-looking crowd of Wellsburgansgreeted the professionals with a cheer.
"Eat 'em up, McCann!" howled a husky fellow with a broken nose. "Takesome of the conceit outer this Merriwell to-day! He's been crowing overWellsburg long enough!"
Merry glanced around and saw Hunker, with several of his assistants,gathering in the vicinity of this tough crowd.
"Bill is onto his job," muttered Frank. "If there's any disturbancethose fellows will make it."
The Rovers took the field for practice. They handled themselves likeprofessionals, and many of their clever catches or stops elicitedexclamations of wonderment and applause.
Casper Silence and Basil Bearover approached Frank.
"Where's your umpire, Merriwell?" demanded Bearover.
Merry looked round and motioned to Gregory Carker. Carker promptlystepped forward.
"Here he is," said Frank.
Bearover placed himself in front of Carker, at whom he glowered.
"See here, young man," he said, "we want no monkey business to-day. Ifyou don't give us what's coming to us, you'll get into trouble in shortorder. We know how to deal with crooked umpires."
"Evidently you do not know how to deal with gentlemen," said Greg."You'll get your due and not a whit more. Bullying and browbeating willnot give you an advantage."
"Oh, you're rather a stiff-necked young man, ain't ye?" growled the bigbear. "Let's understand the ground rules before we begin. How about awild throw into the crowd, Merriwell?"
"Perhaps we'd better make a rule that such a throw will give the baserunner the privilege of advancing one base and no more," suggestedFrank.
"That's satisfactory to us," nodded Bearover. "Do you think you can keepthe crowd off the outfields?"
"I have six officers here for the purpose of handling this crowd. Notonly will I see that the spectators do not intrude on the outfields, butI'll guarantee that those officers will suppress any riot ordisturbance. They have full authority to arrest any one who attempts tomake trouble here to-day."
Casper Silence yawned and lighted a cigarette.
"There won't be any disturbance unless you chaps try to steal thisgame," said Bearover.
"We don't have to steal games," returned Merry, quick as a flash. "Wecan win them."
Silence smiled scornfully as he breathed forth a whiff of smoke.
"That may have been your experience in the past," he observed, "butyou're up against a different proposition to-day, young man."
"Will you give your batting order to our scorer?" asked Bearover.
"You'll find our scorer sitting yonder," said Merry. "He'll give you t
hebatting order."
"One more point," suggested Silence. "You seem determined to have thingspretty much your own way here. I know it's customary for the home teamto take its choice of innings. In this case it's possible you may beable to concede a point and give us the choice."
"Why, certainly," replied Frank, with a smile. "You may choose."
"Then we'll let you bat first."
A few minutes later the Rovers came in, and Merry's team trotted ontothe field.
The scorers recorded the batting order of each team as follows:
MERRIES. ROVERS.
Mulloy, 3d b. McCann, ss.Hodge, c. Mertez, rf.Merriwell, p. Grifford, cf.Badger, 2d b. Holmes, 1st b.Diamond, ss. O'Day, 3d b.Browning, 1st b. Clover, 2d b.Gallup, cf. Roach, lf.Carson, lf. Bancroft, c.Dunnerwust, rf. Bender, p.
Practice was soon over, and Merry called his team in.
Again the Rovers trotted onto the field.
Greg Carker broke open a box and tossed out a snow-white ball. Bendercaught the ball with one hand and promptly proceeded to soil it byrubbing it on the grass outside the pitcher's box.
"Play ball!" called Carker clearly.