“Wh—what!” gasped Dick, staring hard at the tramp. “Am I dreaming? Is it you?”
A second later Dick shouted to his companions.
“Come here, boys—come here! Take a look at our tramp! It’s Bart Hodge, or I’m daffy!”
“Thought you’d tumble to me long before this,” smiled Hodge, as he shook Dick’s hand. “It was Frank’s suggestion that I play this little trick. You can blame him. He sent me down here to see how you were getting along. Couldn’t come himself.”
“Well, I’m ashamed to be fooled in such a manner,” confessed Dick. “If I’d ever looked you over closely in daylight I would have recognized you for all of your rags and dirt. Hodge, you’re a dandy.”
Then the watching crowd was amazed to see Dick Merriwell hug the ragged catcher.
CHAPTER VIII
BRAD LEARNS THE TRUTH.
“What’s this—what’s this, boys?” cried Dick, as they were passing the office of the Rockford Star, on their way to the hotel. “Just look at that bulletin board. Maplewood defeated Seaslope! Take a look at the standing of the teams! Did you ever before see anything like that?”
No wonder the boys uttered exclamations of surprise and astonishment as they stood in front of the bulletin board, for by the record there it was seen that every team in the Trolley League was tied. The four clubs had played forty games each, and all had won twenty and lost twenty.