CHAPTER XVI
THE GIANT TEAM
There was a mad scramble to gather their belongings together and bythe time they were going down the aisle of the car Mabel had recoveredsomething of her self possession.
"I'm going to steal this paper from you," she said, "and I just want totell you that it was one of the finest things I've ever heard or readabout. There isn't one man in a million that would have thought andacted so quickly and skillfully. So there now, Mr. Hero," she added in alighter tone, to conceal her real feeling.
Joe, whose head was in a whirl and who was not quite sure whether he wasin Goldsboro or Heaven or a blending of both, was about to reply when awell-known voice fell on his ears:
"Hello, Sis! Why, Joe Matson, by all that's lucky! What good wind blewyou into Goldsboro? Welcome to our city."
And the next minute Reggie had grasped his hand and was shaking it asthough he would wring it off.
Joe returned the greeting with equal cordiality.
"How are you, Reggie, old man!" he exclaimed. "I'm awfully glad tofind you at home. I was talking to Mabel about you and she wasn't surewhether you would be here or not. I'm certainly in luck meeting two ofthe best friends I have on the same day."
"It was a big surprise to me," said Mabel, "when Joe seemed to rise uplike a ghost out of the floor of the car."
"A pretty substantial ghost, I take it," laughed Reggie, as he took inthe stalwart frame and perfect condition of his friend.
"Joe's coming up to the house for dinner," went on Mabel.
"You just bet he is," declared Reggie. "He doesn't get out of myclutches as long as he stays in Goldsboro. Hope you can make us a goodvisit, Joe."
"About four hours or so," laughed Joe.
"Four hours only!" Reggie stared at him blankly. "What's the answer?"
"Joe's on his way to the training camp at Marlin Springs," explainedMabel. "The Giants pass through here this afternoon and Joe is going tojoin them when their train comes along."
"If so soon I'm to be done for, I wonder what I was begun for,"
quoted Joe, with a smile.
"It's too bad," declared Reggie with unaffected regret. "But since theminutes are so precious we'll make every one of them count. I've got mybuzz wagon outside. Give me your traps and bundle in, both of you."
Joe helped Mabel into the rear seat, holding her hand perhaps a weebit longer than necessary in doing so, and then settled down besideher, while Reggie grasped the wheel and threw in the clutch. Reggie'sjudgment in cars was good, however much it might go astray when itcame to finance, and he was a skilled driver, so that it was not longbefore they had left the business part of the town behind them and werethreading the more fashionable street that led to the Varley mansion.
"It's a splendid day for motoring!" exclaimed Mabel. "I wish we weregoing further."
"The end of the world wouldn't be too far, if you were alongside of me,"affirmed Joe, trying to look into her eyes.
But because she was afraid perhaps to let him see just then what waswritten there, she kept them averted, though a tell-tale flood of colorrioted from neck to brow.
They stopped before a large substantial house that bore every mark ofsolid prosperity. Reggie jumped out and threw open the door and Joehelped Mabel to alight. She ran lightly up the steps with a gay littlewave of her hand.
"I suppose Reggie will want you to go with him while he puts the carinto the garage," she said. "In the meantime, I'll prepare the folksinside for the great honor that has come upon them. It isn't often thatwe have a chance to entertain a hero."
Joe shook his finger at her menacingly, as with a laugh she entered thedoor that was opened by a servant.
"I suppose Mabel was referring to that scrap you had with Talham Tabbs,"said Reggie, as he guided the car to the garage in the rear of the house.
"Yes," replied Joe, "as luck would have it, one of the New York papersgot hold of that and played it up strong. Mabel happened to get hold ofit on the train and she's given it a good deal more importance than itis worth."
"She can't very well do that," protested Reggie warmly, "for it wasa good piece of work, don't you know. I'd have told her of it myselfbefore this, only I was afraid that she might get on to that wretchedmuddle of mine."
"How about that, by the way?" asked Joe, eagerly. "Tell me now whileyou have a chance. Have you found any clue to the fellow's whereabouts?"
"Not a thing," replied Reggie, gloomily. "I've been following up tipsever since I left Riverside and I'm no nearer to him now than I wasthen."
"It's too bad," consoled Joe. "It beats all how that fellow could havemade such a getaway. It wasn't half an hour after he had escaped beforewe were hot on his track. He didn't have any hat or overcoat, andeverybody was on the lookout for him. How on earth could he have managedit?"
"Search me," said Reggie, disgustedly. "That fellow is as slickas greased lightning. He proved that by the way he got hold of mysecurities. All madmen are said to be cunning, but I'll bet he couldgive cards and spades to the whole bunch and beat them out. I supposethere's nothing left for me but to make a clean breast of it to thegovernor. As it is, I'm only sending good money after bad, running roundthe country as I do."
"Don't give up yet, old man," cried Joe, clapping him heartily on theshoulder. "While there's life there's hope. The game isn't over till thelast man's out in the ninth inning. Buck up. You may be happy yet. Youcan tell your father any time, but there's no use doing it until youryear is up and you have to. If there's anything that I have learnedfrom baseball it is never to stop trying. Get up on your toes and playthe game."
"By George, old man, it's good to hear you talk that way!" cried Reggie,with a sudden accession of hope. "I get so moody and dopey mulling thething over to myself that I lose heart. But you're right. I'll pullmyself together and fight the thing out to a finish."
"That's the real stuff," approved Joe. "The man can't stay hiddenforever, and any day may see the end of the chase. I have a feeling thatyou're going to win out. But there's one thing I'd do, old fellow. TellMabel all about it. As you said yourself one time, she's a thoroughbred.She'll stick to you through thick and thin. She's worrying about younow because she knows there's something wrong with you and you won'ttell her what it is. If you talk it over with her, it will take a loadoff your mind and hers too. Besides, you'll have a better chance ofwinning. Two heads are better than one and what one doesn't think of theother will. She was asking me about it today. Of course, I didn't giveyou away, but I made up my mind then that I would ask you to tell herthe whole story. It'll clear the air, you'll both be happier, and yourchances will be vastly better."
"Old top, I think you're right," replied Reggie, who had a great respectfor Joe's judgment. "She and I have always been great pals and wethink the world of each other. I didn't want to put my burden on hershoulders, but, as you say, she will worry more if she doesn't know thanif she does. I'll tell her the whole thing before I sleep tonight."
"That's a go then," said Joe, and they shook hands on it.
Reggie led the way into the house, and Joe received a most cordialgreeting from Mr. and Mrs. Varley. He had met them before and they hadalways felt most warmly toward him since the day that he had rescuedMabel from being carried over a cliff by a runaway horse. All that theyhad seen and heard of him since had increased their favorable estimateof him. And Joe did all he could to deepen that impression, becausesome day he expected to ask these kindly people for one of their mostprecious possessions and he wanted the answer to be the right one.
The dinner was free from all formality, for despite their wealth, theVarley home life was as simple and unaffected as Joe's own home atRiverside. Mrs. Varley beamed upon him and told him what she thought ofhis rescuing the baby, while Mr. Varley was especially interested inJoe's contract and bonus, and his chance of getting into the World'sSeries. It is more than likely that the shrewd business man already sawwhat way the wind was blowing and guessed pretty well the nature ofthe
question that Joe hoped some day to ask him. Reggie was gayer thanhe had been for a long time, now that he had determined to share hissecret with his sister. And Mabel, winsome, sweet, bewitching, workedsuch havoc with her smiles and eyes and dimples that poor Joe was morehopelessly enslaved than ever.
Before he knew it the time had come for him to go. For just a minute hehad her alone while the rest were in another part of the room. She waslaughing and toying restlessly with a pair of gloves that rested on thetable near which they stood.
"I want the pay for that paper you took from me this morning," he said,assuming a stern air.
"How are you going to get it?" she bantered. "Perhaps I'm bankrupt."
"In that case, I'll take this glove and hold it as security," hereturned, suiting the action to the word.
She flushed adorably but made no protest, and Joe's fingers trembled ashe put the absurdly little glove in his breast pocket.
Just then a warning "honk, honk!" came from Reggie's car, drawn up atthe curb outside.
Joe, half in a daze, said goodby to his hosts, last of all to Mabel.There was no chance for more than a formal leave taking, but Joe'sheart again became unruly, for in her eyes he had seen once more thelook she had turned on him in the train.
The two young men made good time to the station, which they reached fiveminutes before the train from the north rolled in.
"Goodby, old top," said Reggie, as he shook his hand in parting. "I'm noend glad that I've had these few hours with you, don't you know. You'vemade a new man of me. I feel as though I'd taken a tonic, by Jove."
"I'll send you a bill," laughed Joe, as he returned Reggie's grip. "Begood to yourself, old man, until I see you again. And don't forget thatyou promised to tell Mabel."
"I'm game," replied Reggie, as he stepped back into his car.
Joe passed through the station and out on the platform. It was a longtrain, composed mostly of Pullmans. Joe knew that the New York Club hadtwo special cars chartered especially for their party, and he wonderedwhich they were. He called to a porter.
"Which cars are the Giants traveling on?" he asked.
Into the eyes of the porter came a deep respect. He was a "fan" himselfand he sized Joe up at once as a professional.
"Right over here, sah. This way, sah." And with a deep bow he seizedJoe's bag and led the way to the first of the two cars located near thecenter of the train.
Joe sprang up the steps and passed into the corridor of the car. A fewsteps further and he was in the car proper and surrounded by members ofthe Giant team.
Baseball Joe on the Giants; or, Making Good as a Ball Twirler in the Metropolis Page 16