“No it ain’t odd,” contradicted the big chap. “He knowed better than to be here. You made some sort of arrangement with him to play a game of baseball in this town, didn’t ye?”
“Yes.”
“Well, fergit it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Fergit it. You’ll be wastin’ a whole lot of time if you stop here, an’ you’ll put yourselves to a heap of inconvenience. You won’t play no baseball with Gaddis’ team, so you’d better hop right back onter the train and continue your ride.”
Merry now surveyed the speaker from his head to his feet.
“I happen to have a contract with Mr. Gaddis,” he said. “How is it that you have so much authority? Who are you?”
“I’m Mat Madison, and I happen to know what I’m talkin’ about. Joe Gaddis has changed his mind about playin’ baseball with you. He ain’t goin’ to play baseball no more this season.”
“Did he send you here to tell me this?” demanded Frank, his eyes beginning to gleam with an ominous light.
“No, he didn’t send me; I come myself.”