CHAPTER X

ON THE RIVER ROAD

“Hello! boys, what’s wrong here?”

Coach Willoughby looked first at Buster’s glowing and confused face, and then toward Frank’s smiling countenance.

Buster simply pointed to the envelope which had fallen to the floor. As the truth broke upon the mind of the other he laughed heartily.

“Out of their own mouths are the wicked conspirators condemned. See what a nice mess you’ve coaxed me into, George! Here I am apparently unmasked before this fine, mettlesome prize pitcher of yours.”

He turned to Frank, and assumed a little more serious look as he continued:

“My name is Willoughby, only that and nothing more. I am a Princeton graduate, and, as you have seen, I’ve been something of an all-around athlete in my day, too. Recently I have been doing some umpiring in a minor league, and as my wife doesn’t like the idea of seeing my name printed in such a connection I use the one of Pliny Evans Smith. That’s all there is to it boys, I assure you.”

“You’ve done wonders for our team this afternoon, sir, and if we only had the benefit of such advice oftener it would be greatly to our benefit,” declared Frank.

“Thank you for the compliment, my lad. My heart is always with the boys, and I believe I’d stop to witness a good game of ball even though it threatened to cost me a slice of my fortune. And Frank, once upon a time I _was_ a pitcher; even if I did go to the well once too often,” the visitor laughed.

“I wish you had shown me a few more tricks about pitching, Mr. Willoughby,” said Frank.

“Oh! I will, gladly,” said the ex-Princeton man, readily enough, “although most of the games I knew have been outlawed by time.”

Some of the girls were playing basket-ball upon the school green. The sight appealed to Coach Willoughby, and he expressed a wish to stop over a brief time to witness the conclusion of the fiercely-contested game.

Among the rest, Helen Allen and Minnie Cuthbert were doing pretty good work for the side they happened to be on.

The visitor applauded certain plays, and almost before any one knew it he was suggesting others that opened the eyes of the girls to the fact that they had an authority on sports with them.

So Buster was called upon to introduce his father’s friend, and for half an hour Coach Willoughby entered into a free lecture of advice connected with the fascinating exercise of basket-ball.

And when finally the lesson came to an end, Frank walked down the street with both the girls, nor did he turn in at his own gate, but continued on until Minnie had been safely escorted to her home.

He was conscious of the fact that Lef Seller saw him, for they met face to face; but Lef assumed a pleasant look and acted as though he was the last fellow in Columbia to think of bearing malice.

If Frank could have seen how he pounded the pillows about when once safe up in his own room at home, muttering wild threats as to what he would do sooner or later to the fellow who had cut him out of all the good things in life, he might not have whistled so cheerily as he hurried back home for supper.

It was the night before the big battle with Bellport on the home grounds of Columbia High. The whole town seethed with anticipation of what the following afternoon might bring forth. Hundreds of anxious eyes scanned the bright heavens, and tried to predict the weather that was to be meted out to them.

Even the girls were adding their prayers to the clerk of the weather so that he would grant them a fine day like the preceding Saturday had been. There was so very much at stake in connection with that game. If Columbia won, the championship pennant was theirs for the year; if she lost, then another game must be played to decide the matter, thus prolonging the agony a whole week!

There was to be no more practice in the morning, for Seymour believed his men were all in apple-pie condition, and that too much work might make them “go stale.”

Hence they would be allowed to do whatever they pleased during the morning, providing every one turned out at three sharp in the afternoon, for the game was to begin at three-thirty.

It was in the morning that Frank appeared at the house where Ralph boarded. The other saw him far down the street, and was out on the stoop by the time Frank arrived. He looked eagerly at the visitor, as though a hope had flashed into his mind that the other brought news.

“How are you feeling this morning, Ralph? How’s that arm? Hope you didn’t try it out too hard yesterday afternoon. There’s no telling, you know, and perhaps you might be called on to do your duty to old Columbia to-day.”

Ralph looked at his friend, and his eyes began to show anxiety.

“Oh! I hope you’re not going to say something has happened to knock you out, and this such an important game, too?” he exclaimed.

“Now I should have known that you’d jump to such a conclusion, and it was silly of me to put it that way. No, there’s not the slightest thing the matter with me that I know of, Ralph. My arm feels just fine, and I think I’m fit to pitch the game of my life; but as they say, you can’t most always sometimes tell. Perhaps they may knock me out of the box to-day,” laughed Frank.

“I don’t believe it can be done,” declared Ralph. “Why, there were only three clean hits made off you last week; and from the way you put them in yesterday, I firmly believe you’re ten per cent stronger now than you were a week ago.”

“But they may have gauged my delivery then, and be on to most of my little tricks, you see. Besides, I heard that during the week they have had that Clifford pitcher, Gus Hartigan, tossing them up every p. m., and our boys say that he is a ringer for a certain Frank Allen in his style of delivery.”

Ralph looked surprised at hearing this. Nevertheless he would not confess that he entertained the least doubt about the ability of the boy he admired to make the heavy batters of Bellport “look small.”

“I only hope nothing happens to make me break into that game. I’m afraid that I’m too green as yet to go up against such seasoned veterans as those fellows,” he observed, with a shake of the head to emphasize his fears.

“You’re too modest, old fellow, by half. Don’t you call our regular nine just as well seasoned, and didn’t you hold us down to five hits yesterday, and one of those a base scratch? I’d just like to see those hustling batters from the smoky town breaking their backs trying to get up against that fine healthy ball you throw, that’s all,” and Frank felt of the muscle in the arm of his comrade, at the same time raising his eyes as if in wonder.

“But you didn’t come here to tell me just that, Frank?” continued Ralph! “there’s something more, isn’t there?”

“Why, yes, to tell the truth, I wanted to have a quiet little chat with you.”

“All right. Will you come up to my room?” eagerly asked Ralph.

“I hate to stay indoors this beautiful June morning. Get your cap and let’s walk out along the river road. We can be alone there, and at the same time enjoy what both of us love--Nature.”

“All right, Frank. Wait up just a minute, will you?”

In a short time they had left the confines of the town behind them, and found themselves under the trees along a favorite drive that followed the course of the picturesque Harrapin river.

The spring rains had come rather late, and the water was unusually high for the time of year. It was boiling along at quite a merry pace, gurgling, and in some places creating quite a furore.

“Now, what was it you wanted to tell me, Frank?” asked Ralph, when they had been walking briskly along for a mile or so, with Frank so busied in his thoughts that he had apparently quite forgotten the real reason for their morning exercise.

“Why, to be sure. Excuse me for seeming to neglect it so, old fellow. Truth is, I was bothering my head over a personal matter, and wondering what influence that fellow Lef Seller could bring to bear that would ever induce Minnie to go out riding with him; for I saw them start off as I was on the way to your house.”

Frank possibly turned a bit red as he spoke; but then every one knew just how much he thought of Minnie; and it had stabbed him to the quick to see her seated in that fine vehicle of the Sellers, with the grinning Lef at her side.

Cudgel his brain as he would, Frank could remember no cause he had given her for treating him this way. They had parted on the preceding evening with a laugh, and Minnie had seemed just as much pleased to be in his society as ever. And yet she had bowed to him rather frigidly, he thought, as he met them; while Lef could not for the life of him restrain that contemptuous grin.

Ralph understood. They must have driven up the river road, then. That, in a measure, would explain just why Frank chose to walk that way. Upon the freshman’s face a look of real sympathy gathered; but he was too wise to attempt to express it in words.

“I can see the tricky hand of that Lef Seller somewhere back of this thing, and you can bet he’s said something or other to set her against you, Frank,” he did manage to remark.

“I wonder if he would dare, knowing that I can break him if I choose,” muttered Frank, as he mechanically put his hand into his inner coat pocket.

Then he began to feel more hastily, a look of concern coming over his face. By the time he had covered every pocket in his garments he smiled grimly.

“Well, a fellow has to get up bright and early in the morning to keep ahead of that cunning old fox!” he said, bitterly.

“What’s the matter, Frank?” demanded his companion, who had been surveying his actions with wonder written all over his face.

“I had something that seems to have taken wings and flown away, that’s all.”

“But you act as though it concerned Lef,” Ralph kept on.

“It did, though I don’t doubt that he’s burned the paper before now. Just how it was taken bewilders me. I was out last night, yes, and in a bunch of fellows at the class meeting. You know we’re getting up something of a surprise on the seniors, in the shape of the annual supper and dance which the juniors give to the graduating class. Lef was there, but he avoided me all night. The only fellow I could suspect would be that sneak, Asa Barnes, who seemed to want to be unusually confidential with me. And doubtless he swiped the paper at some time when I wasn’t paying much attention; for I’ve been told that he can play all the sleight of hand tricks of a magician.”

“Paper--you keep saying that, and I don’t understand?” expostulated Ralph.

“No more you do, Ralph. And I’m going to tell you now, only it’s to be a dead secret between us.”

“I’ll never repeat a word of it without your permission,” remarked Ralph; at the same time thinking how strange it was that his companion kept pushing this matter forward ahead of the affair that concerned him, Ralph, so deeply.

“You remember Professor Parke telling about the anonymous note he received?”

“Why, of course; and is that the paper you mean? What were you keeping it for, and why should Lef want to get hold of it?” asked Ralph, quickly.

“Oh! you’re a little too rapid. Listen. On that paper was a little blur. I made it out to be the mark of some one’s left thumb, and the professor agreed with me.”

“What! did that have anything to do with what you were telling us Thursday afternoon in the gym about finger prints, and all that stuff?” flashed the astonished freshman.

“Everything to do with it, since that was only a little dodge of mine to get Lef Seller to make a plain impression of his left thumb. And, Ralph, it corresponded exactly with the mark on the paper!”

“Well, I declare, you do wonderful things, Frank! I never heard of anything quite so clever as that. Did you accuse him of it when he went in the lunch room?”

“Yes. Of course he denied it first. Then I told him how I knew. He knocked the tray that carried the imprint of his hands, on the floor, and defied me; but I simply stated that he could be made to show the print of his thumb at any time by the Head!”

“Good! What did he do then?” continued the eager Ralph.

“Knuckled down and pleaded with me not to give him away. Promised to turn over a new leaf and all that,” said Frank, shrugging his shoulders.

“But you surely didn’t believe him?”

“No, but you see I couldn’t find it in me to tell on him, as it would mean his being expelled. But Lef knew that he was in my power just so long as I held that paper with the thumb-print on it.”

“I see. And, slippery customer that he is, he hired that other scamp to steal it out of your pocket. That was an easy thing for Asa to do, if all they say about his palming is true. Then it’s gone, as you say!” dolefully remarked Ralph.

“It seems so. And that accounts for his perky airs this morning. He was laughing at me, partly because he felt he could snap his finger in my face, and then because Minnie had gone riding with him. Oh! well, I’m not going to bother my head about Lef Seller and his evil fortunes. If Minnie--but the least said about that the soonest mended, I guess,” and Frank closed his lips resolutely.

“Then perhaps you won’t mind going back to my affairs again, eh?” insinuated the freshman.

“I declare I must ask you to forgive me again, Ralph, for being so neglectful of your interests. I only wanted to see you to say that father has heard from Uncle Jim, and that he writes he is coming up here to Columbia and will see you personally. Uncle Jim also says that----”

But what the New York lawyer wrote was fated not to reach the ears of the party so deeply interested, just then at any rate. A scream smote the air, coming from some point around the nearest bend of the river road, and accompanying this the boys heard a wild voice, and the confused trample of a horse’s hoofs!