“After all,” he told himself, rejoicing, “she wasn’t to blame. King did it with that photograph. It’s no wonder she thought me untruthful. Will I call at eight this evening; will I please call at eight? Will I! It’s almost half past seven now. I’m afraid I never can wait for eight o’clock.”
It was Janet herself who let him in when he rang at the parsonage door.
“Mr. Locke—I mean Hazelton,” she said, “I want to offer you a humble apology. It was simply dreadful of me. Can you pardon me?”
He did not leave her long in doubt, and the pleasure of that Sunday meeting in the woods paled in comparison with the delight of the ensuing hour. Henry Cope had improved the first opportunity to tell her all that had taken place at the meeting in Bancroft.
“Oh,” she cried, when she thought of it, as they sat close together in the parlor, “I have a surprise for you. I told my father all about it, and he says he knows your father; that they were chums at college. Isn’t that a delightful coincidence. And father wants to meet you, and I think—I’m quite sure—he’ll form a better opinion of some baseball players. I’m going to make him let me attend every game here in Kingsbridge. He just can’t keep me away, that’s all.”
Little did she realize when she spoke that she was destined to witness Lefty’s struggles and success as a Major League pitcher afar from Kingsbridge and the “bush” where he had created such a sensation. The story of his first season in fast company is told in the next volume of this series, the title of which is, “Lefty o’ the Big League.”
In the course of their chat, he mentioned his sister, whom he affectionately called “Tid,” but, as she turned away at that moment, he failed to detect the strange look that flashed into Janet’s eyes. When he finally left, she accompanied him to the door to let him out. The shaded lamp in the hall was low and dim, and they stood there some moments, close together, speaking in subdued tones, save when—
After he was gone, she lingered by the door, listening to the sound of his footsteps until it died away on the silent street.
THE END
