CHAPTER III
AN UPSET
"Here you are, Joe. Best team in the stable. I could have hired 'em outtwice over since you went; but I wouldn't do it. Other folks have gotthe scare, too, about friends on the stalled train," and the livery bosshanded Joe the reins of a pair of prancing horses, hitched to a light,but strong cutter.
"Thanks, Mr. Blasser," said Joe. "I'll take good care of 'em."
"And hold 'em in a bit at the start," advised the man. "They haven'tbeen out for a couple of days, and they're a bit frisky. But they'llcalm down after a while."
With a jingle of bells, and a scattering of the snow from their hoofs,the horses leaped forward when Joe gave them their heads, and down thewhitened street they trotted, on the way to Deep Rock Cut.
This was a place where the railroad went through a rocky defile, about amile long. It had been the scene of more than one wreck, for there wasa dangerous curve in it, and in the Winter it was a source of worry tothe railroad men, for the snow piled high in it when there was a stormof more than usual severity. In the Summer a nearby river sometimes roseabove its banks, and filled the cut with water, washing out the track.
Altogether Deep Rock Cut was a cause of much anxiety to the railroadmanagement, but it was not practical to run the line on either side ofit, so its use had been continued.
"And very likely it's living up to its reputation right now," mused Joe,as he drove down the main street, and then turned to another that wouldtake him out of the town, and to a highway that led near Deep Rock Cut."It sure must be living up to its reputation right now, though, ofcourse, the storm is to blame.
"Whew! It certainly does blow!" he commented, as he held the reins inone hand, and drew more closely about his throat the muffler he hadbrought with him. "Stand to it, ponies!" Joe called to the sturdysteeds. They had started off at a lively pace, but the snow soon slowedthem down. They started up again, however, at the sound of Joe's voice,and settled down into a steady pull that took them over the ground at agood pace.
Now that he was actually on the way to the rescue Joe allowed histhoughts to go back to the baseball letter that was in his pocket, nextto the one from Mabel.
"I wonder how they came to pick me out?" he mused, as he recalled thepossibility that he would go to St. Louis. "They must have had a scoutat some of the Central League games, though generally the news of thatis tipped off beforehand.
"That must have been the way of it, though," he went on, still communingwith himself. "I don't know that I played so extra well, except maybe atthe last, and then--then I just _had_ to--to make good. Well, I'm gladthey picked me out. Wonder if any other members of the Pittston team areslated to go? Can't be, though, or Gregory would have told me of it.
"And I wonder how much more salary I'll get? Of course I oughtn't tothink too much about money, for, after all, it's the game I like. But,then, I have to live, and, since I'm in organized baseball, I want to beat the top of the heap, the same as I would if I were a lawyer, or adoctor. That's it--the top of the heap--the New York Giants for mine--ifI can reach 'em," and he smiled quizzically.
"Yes, I guess lots of the fellows would give their eye teeth to have mychance. Of course, it isn't settled yet," Joe told himself, "but theremust have been a good foundation for it, or Gregory wouldn't have takenthe trouble to write to me about it."
Joe found the road to Deep Rock Cut fully as bad, in the matter ofsnowdrifts, as he had expected. It was rather slow going when he got tothe open country, where the wind had full sweep, and progress, even onthe part of the willing horses, was slower.
Joe picked out the best, and easiest, route possible, but that was notsaying much, and it was not until nearly three o'clock, and growingquite dark, that he came within sight of the cut. Then the storm was sothick that he could not see the stalled train.
"I'll have to leave the team as near to it as I can get, and walk in totell Reggie and Mabel that I've come for them," Joe decided.
The highway crossed the railroad track a short distance from the end ofthe cut nearest Riverside, and Joe, halting a moment to listen, and tomake sure no trains were approaching, drove over the rails.
"Though there isn't much danger, now, of a train getting through that,"he said to himself, as he saw the big drift of snow that blocked thecut. Behind that drift was the stalled train, he reflected, and then, ashe looked at the white mound, he realized that he had made a mistake.
"I can never get through that drift myself," he said. "I'll have todrive up to the other end of the cut, by which the engine and carsentered. Stupid of me not to have thought of that at first."
He turned his horses, and again sought the highway that led along thecut, parallel to it, and about a quarter of a mile distant. Joelistened, again hoping he could hear the whistle of the approachingrescue-train, for at the station he had been told one was being fittedout, and would carry a gang of snow shovelers. But the howl of the windwas all that came to his ears.
"This means another mile of travel," Joe thought, as he urged on thehorses. "It will be pitch dark by the time I get back to town with them.I hope Mabel doesn't take cold. It sure is bitter."
Joe found the going even harder as he kept on, but he would not give upnow.
"There's one consolation," he reasoned, "the wind will be at our backsgoing home. That will make it easier."
The road that crossed the track at the other end of Deep Rock Cut wasfarther from the beginning of the defile, and Joe, leaving the horses ina sheltering clump of trees, struggled down the track, the rails ofwhich were out of sight under the snow.
"I wonder if Mabel can walk back?" he said aloud. "If not I guess Reggieand I can carry her. It's pretty deep. I didn't get here any too soon."
Something dark loomed up before him, amid the wall of white, swirlingflakes.
"There's the train!" exclaimed Joe, in relief.
It was indeed the rear coach of the stalled passenger train, and, amoment later, Joe was climbing the snow-encumbered steps. It proved tobe the baggage car, and, as Joe entered, he surprised a number of menwho were smoking, and playing cards on an upturned trunk.
"Hello!" exclaimed one of them, in surprise at the sight of the ballplayer. "Where'd you come from? Is the rescue-train here?"
"Not yet," Joe answered. "I came to take a couple of friends into town."
"Say, I wish I had a friend like you!" cried the man, with a laugh. "Isure would like to get into town; but I don't dare start out and trampit--not with my rheumatism. How much room have you got in your airship?"
"I came in a cutter," responded Joe, with a smile.
"Say, you got some grit!" declared the man. "I like your nerve!"
"Oh, Joe's got plenty of nerve--of the right sort!" called a brakeman,and Joe, nodding at him, recognized a railroad acquaintance who hadbeen present at some of the town ball games.
"A couple of my friends are in one of the coaches, Mr. Wheatson,"explained Joe. "I'm going to drive back with them."
"Go ahead and look for 'em," invited the brakeman. "The train is yours,as far as I'm concerned. I guess we're tied up here all night."
"They're going to start out a rescue-train," Joe informed the men in thebaggage car, for the telegraph wires had gone down after the firstmessage, telling of the stalled train, had been sent.
"That's good news," replied one of the men. "Well, all we can do is tostay here, and play cards. It's nice and warm in here, anyhow."
"Yes, it will be until the coal for the engine gives out," spoke aplayer, who seemed to take a rather gloomy view of matters. "And whatare we going to do about supper? I'd like to know that!"
Joe wished he could have brought along enough food for all the strandedpassengers, but this was impossible. He went on through the train, andpresently came to where Mabel and her brother were seated in the parlorcar, looking gloomily out at the storm.
"Well!" exclaimed Joe, with a smile, as he stood just back of them. Theyboth turned with a flash, and a look of pleased surprise came
over thefaces of Reggie and his sister as they saw him.
"Joe Matson!" cried Reggie, jumping up, and holding out his hand. "Wherein the world did you come from? I didn't know you were on this train."
"I wasn't," laughed Joe. "I just boarded it, and I've come for you," headded, as he gave Mabel his hand.
"Oh, but I'm glad to see you!" she exclaimed. "Isn't this just perfectlyawful, to be snowed in like this! And they tell us there's no chance ofgetting out to-night."
"There is for you," remarked Joe, quietly.
"How?" asked Reggie, quickly. "Did they push the relief-train through?"
"I'm all the relief-train there is," announced Joe, and he told abouthaving the cutter in readiness.
"Say, that's fine of you!" cried Reggie. "Shall we go with him, Mabel?"
"Well, I rather guess so," she answered. "I couldn't stay here anotherhour."
"It won't be much fun traveling through the storm," Joe warned hisfriends. At this Reggie looked a bit doubtful, but his sister exclaimed:
"I don't mind it! I love a storm, anyhow, and I just can't bear sittingstill, and doing nothing. Besides, there isn't a thing to eat aboardthis train, for they took off the dining car right after lunch."
"I brought along a little something. It's in the cutter," Joe said. "Ididn't bring it in here for fear the famished passengers would mob mefor it," he added, with a smile. "Well, if you're willing to trustyourself with me, perhaps we'd better start," he went on. "It is gettingdarker all the while, and the snow is still falling."
"I'll be ready at once!" cried Mabel. "Reggie, get down the valises;will you, please? Can you take them?" she asked of Joe.
"Oh, yes--room for them in the cutter," he assured her.
The other passengers looked on curiously, and enviously, when they heardwhere Reggie and his sister were going. But, much as Joe would haveliked to take them all to a place of comfort, he could not. The threewent back to the baggage car, and, saying good-bye to the card-players,stepped out into the storm.
"I guess your brother and I had better carry you, Mabel," suggested Joe,as he saw the deep snow that led along the track to where he had leftthe cutter.
"Indeed you'll not--thank you!" she flashed back at him. "I have onstout shoes, and I don't mind the drifts." She proved it by stridingsturdily through them, and soon the three were at the cutter, thehorses whinnying impatiently to be gone.
"Have some hot coffee and a sandwich," invited Joe, as he got out thebasket, and served his guests.
"Say, you're all right!" cried Reggie. Mabel said nothing, but the lookshe gave Joe was reward enough.
The coffee in the vacuum bottle was warm and cheering, and soon, muchrefreshed from the little lunch, and bundled up well in the robes Joehad brought, Reggie and his sister were ready for the trip to town.
"Step along!" cried the young baseball player to the horses, and gladenough they were to do so. Out to the highway they went, and it was notuntil they were some distance away from the cut that Joe noticed howmuch worse the going was. The snow was considerably deeper, and haddrifted high in many more places.
"Think you can make it?" asked Reggie, anxiously.
"Well, I'm going to make a big try!" responded Joe. "I've got a goodteam here."
Half an hour later it was quite dark, but the white covering on theground showed where the road was faintly outlined. Joe let the horseshave their heads, and they seemed to know they were going toward theirstable, for they went along at a good pace.
"There's a bad drift!" exclaimed Joe as, ahead of him, he saw a bigmound of snow. He tried to guide the horses to one side, and must havegiven a stronger pull on the reins than he realized. For the steedsturned sharply, and, the next moment, the cutter suddenly turned over onits side, spilling into the snow the three occupants.
Baseball Joe in the Big League; or, A Young Pitcher's Hardest Struggles Page 3