CHAPTER XXV
IN THE DEPTHS
The story had a ring of sincerity that was not without its appeal toJoe. Still, he knew that some of the most plausible stories are toldby the worst of crooks, and before accepting it fully he determined tomake some investigations on his own account.
"Dallas is a long way from here," he remarked, as he eyed the two menkeenly. "What makes you think the federal agents are looking for you?"
"Because we know some of the men that are in the Dallas branch,"replied Jackwell, "and on several occasions we've seen one or more ofthem at the Polo Grounds and at other fields on the circuit."
"That doesn't say they're looking for you," said Joe. "I suppose allof them take in a game when they get a chance. Besides," he went on,as another thought struck him, "if they really wanted you, it would beno trick to get you. Your names appear in the papers in the scores ofthe game every day. Every one that follows the game knows Jackwell andBowen."
"True enough," admitted Jackwell, a little shamefacedly. "But, as amatter of fact, we didn't go by our own names while in Dallas. Yousee we thought the rest of the baseball players would think that wewere kind of hard up to be working in the season when most of them areresting. I can see now that it was a foolish sort of feeling. But,as Ben said, actors and actresses don't go by their right names, andauthors use names that are not their own, and we had as much right todo it as they had."
"I suppose you had," admitted Joe. "Though in business I think it's amistake not to go under your own name. What names did you go by?"
"Dan was Miller and I was Thompson," put in Bowen, who up to now hadlet Jackwell do most of the talking. "So you see they don't knowJackwell and Bowen, but they might recognize our faces, just the same.I suppose they have descriptions of us, and that's the reason we hateto go on the field when we see they're around."
"And why you pull your caps down over your faces when you do go out,"added Joe. "Well, boys, I'm glad you've told me what's been botheringyou. Perhaps the very telling will take some of the load off your mind.For the present, I'm going to take your word for it that you didn'tknowingly do any wrong. But I tell you frankly that I'm going to havethe matter looked up, and if you haven't told me the truth, you'll haveto get off the team. McRae won't have any one on the Giants that isn'tas white as a hound's tooth, as far as character is concerned.
"But in the meantime, you've got to play ball. We can't let yourpersonal troubles interfere with the success of the Giants. There'sbeen many a time when I've had a load of trouble on my mind, but I'veplayed ball just the same. The chances are that you're magnifying thisthing, anyway. You don't really know that there are any warrants outfor you at all. You say you heard there were, but the chances are thatif there were they'd have nabbed you before you heard anything aboutthe warrants. Those government fellows don't hire a brass band to letyou know they're coming. Perhaps you're tormenting yourselves aboutsomething that never happened. And even if it did, the agents have lotsof bigger cases to look after, and they may have forgotten that you'realive. But whether they have or not, the thing that interests me justnow as captain of the Giants, is whether or not you fellows are goingto play the game. How about it?"
"I will, Mr. Matson," said Jackwell, with decision. "I'm going to putthis thing out of my mind and play the game for all it's worth."
"Count me in on that," declared Bowen, with emphasis.
"That's the stuff!" returned Joe. "Just remember that the cowarddies a thousand deaths while the brave man dies only once. Half thetroubles that worry us in life are those that never happen. Now forgeteverything but that you're ball-players, that as honest men you oweyour best services to the team, and that the Giants have got to win theflag this year. That's all for now."
The results of this heart-to-heart talk were not long in coming. BothJackwell and Bowen seemed to brace up wonderfully. The former tookin everything that came his way and made plays that seemed almostimpossible. Bowen ranged the outer garden in first-class style and putWheeler and Curry on their mettle to keep up with him.
The brace that they had taken was not long in communicating itself toother members of the team, and the Giants began to come out of theirslump. A stern chase is proverbially a long chase, and it proved so inthis case, for the Pirates and the Chicagos had made hay while the sunshone, and had piled up a commanding lead. But the case, though hard,was not yet desperate, and the Giants had not relinquished hope ofcoming out ultimately at the head of the heap.
As Joe had promised himself, he looked up the Dallas matter. He hadfully made up his mind that if the men had been guilty of crookednessthey would have to get off the team. He would miss their playingsorely, and would have all kinds of trouble in plugging up the holesthat would be left by their departure, but anything was better than ascandal that would damage the game. Of course, the ultimate decisionwould be made by McRae, but Joe knew his manager well enough to feelsure that he would be in accord with him in this matter.
Joe got in touch with a lawyer, who in turn communicated confidentiallywith a Dallas law firm, asking it to make inquiries in the oil-wellcase and find out whether there had been any warrants or indictmentsout for men named Miller and Thompson, and if so, to find out the exactcharges on which the instruments were based.
A week or so elapsed before a reply was received. Joe tore the letteropen eagerly and ran his eyes over the contents. Then he gave a shoutof exultation and brought his hand down on his knee with a resoundingslap.
"What's the matter?" asked Jim, looking up in some surprise. "Any oneleft you a million dollars?"
"Not exactly that," laughed Joe. "But I've just learned something thatmakes me feel mighty good, just the same."
His elation was caused by these words in the letter:
"In re Miller and Thompson, we beg to report that there were no warrants or indictments handed down for these men in the Bromley case. Investigation convinced officials that they had no guilty knowledge of the fraud. The only documents connected with them were subpoenas calling them as witnesses before the Grand Jury. Their testimony was not needed, however, as a true bill was found against Bromley, who is an international swindler with many aliases. He is believed to have fled to Mexico. A reward of five thousand dollars is offered for his capture."
"Maybe this won't be good news for Jackwell and Bowen," chuckled Joe,as he folded up the letter.
Baseball Joe, Captain of the Team; or, Bitter Struggles on the Diamond Page 25