“What’s the use?” grunted Toleman. “Never anything works right. Fellows, Merriwell is too much for us. He has too much luck or too much something. We’ll never do him any harm by striking at him direct.”
“You may be right about that, Bill,” acknowledged Lynch. “I’ve begun to think so myself. It’s queer how some chaps seem to have a guardian angel, or a genius, or something that always takes care of them. All winter we’ve been saying Merriwell wouldn’t make much of a reputation at baseball with the kind of team he’d have behind him this spring. Now he’s attracting any amount of attention. Why, Billings—the great Billings—has written it that Merriwell might coach the pitchers of the varsity. Think of that—a freshman coach for the varsity pitchers! But no one seems to realize the fact that Merriwell himself would be rotten if he didn’t have a catcher behind the bat who knows him and all his peculiarities. Only for Buckhart, Merriwell wouldn’t be such a star on the slab. Where’s there another freshman who could go behind the bat and handle Merriwell’s pitching? Where’s there another chap who could handle the combination ball or any of Merriwell’s queer kinks and shoots? Of course, a professional catcher, a big-league man, would be all right for it; but I’m talking about the freshman ball players to be found at Yale to-day. Don’t think I’m in love with Buckhart—he’s the fellow I dislike most next to Merriwell himself. I’m simply stating the truth. Without Buckhart, Merriwell would be an ordinary dub of a pitcher that any one could hit.”
“I think there’s something in that, Mike,” nodded Ditson.
“I think so, too,” said Toleman promptly.
“Well, can’t you see what I’m driving at?” inquired Lynch.
“Not yet,” was the answer.
“Take Buckhart away from the team, and what will happen to Merriwell? He’ll get his bumps, won’t he?”
“Very likely,” nodded Duncan.
“Sure he will,” persisted Mike. “If he tries to use those effective balls of his, the catcher will fumble them. There’ll be passed balls galore. Every man on the field faces the catcher. Let the catcher go to pieces, and it’s up in a balloon for the rest of the bunch. Now, look here, Umpty-ten Yale plays Umpty-ten Brown at Providence next Saturday. Those Brown fellows can bat. If anything should happen to Brad Buckhart to prevent him from catching in that game, Brown would have a cinch. I know of lots of Yale money that is just begging for a chance to back Umpty-ten. Fix it so Merriwell will lose his catcher, and we fellows can line our pockets just as sure as fate.”
“How are you going to fix it?” inquired Ditson.