“What’s this you’re giving me?” he said. “You want to engage the ball park to-morrow? You’ve made arrangements to play Harrison’s Outlaws? Why, my boy, where’s your ball team?”
“I’ll have one to-morrow,” laughingly declared Dick.
“But I don’t understand where you’ll get it.”
“Leave it to me, Loring. If I can secure the field I’ll put a team against Harrison’s bunch.”
“Well, I think perhaps we can fix it about the park. When I entered into negotiations with Harrison, I had no idea the backers of my team would object, but in a way they’re a lot of old women, and they got cold feet. You see, they have an idea that these Outlaws would make us look like fourth raters, and they’ve figured it out that there wouldn’t be much of any profit in the game anyway if we got only one-third of the gate money and stood for all the expenses.
“Furthermore, it’s a fact that my players are pretty badly smashed up. We’ve had rotten hard luck this season. I really couldn’t blame Harrison for making a howl, though he barked it into me so hard that I had to get away in order to keep from punching him. You understand when the financial backers of my team got out from under me I had to find a loophole for myself. Never did such a thing before, and I hope I’ll never be forced into it again.”
“Well, if I get together a nine and play the Outlaws it will let you out all the more gracefully. Your backers ought to jump at this chance. They really ought to give us the use of the park without money and without price.”
“That’s right. Perhaps I can fix it that way. I’ll put it up to them good and stiff and let you know inside an hour. I’ll phone you at your hotel; I know where you’re stopping.”
“Thank you.”
“Still, as a special favor, would you mind telling me where you expect to get your players?”