[CHAPTER XXII]
SECOND BASE SLOAN
The succeeding quarter-hour was always strangely confused and indistinct in Wayne’s memory. Damascus was warming up on the diamond and Herring’s brilliant thatch showed above the corner of the stand as the boy’s gaze swept hurriedly toward the field ere he turned in at the dressing-room door. Doubtless others of the pitching staff were out there with “Red,” but most of the players were still standing around the office when Wayne entered. For the moment none saw.
“This is what comes of keeping your salary list down!” Manager Milburn was declaring heatedly. “Lose two men and you’re shot to pieces! How does he expect me to win games with only enough players to cover the field? We have a right to twenty-two and he gives me nineteen! LaCroix, you take first. You’ll have to play third, Jones, and Dan will play second. Hold on! You catch Nye, don’t you? That won’t do then. I’d better take second myself. Hustle out now, fellows. We’ve just got to do the best we can and——”
“Here’s your man now, Steve!” exclaimed someone, and Wayne, pausing doubtfully inside the doorway, embarrassedly found himself the target of all eyes. But it was for an instant only. The next thing he knew Steve Milburn had him by the arm and was dragging him forward.
“Where have you been?” he was demanding irately. “I told that nigger boy of yours to send you out! Jimmy, hustle a uniform! Someone find me a contract form in the closet! Yellow box on the shelf!” He turned to Wayne. “Now, Sloan, you wanted a try-out and you’re going to get it,” he said grimly. “Jimmy’ll give you a uniform. Pile into it and—can you play third? Where have you played?”
“Second, sir.”
“Take it then! That lets me out!”
“I can’t find any forms here, Boss,” sung out Briggs from the closet.
“Never mind! This’ll do!” The manager dropped into the chair by the littered table, opened a drawer and pulled out a pad of paper and wrote hurriedly for a moment. And as he wrote he stabbed at Wayne with short sentences. “You got your chance! Show what you know, youngster! Make good and I’ll treat you white! Cap here will give you the dope. Do as he tells you. Now sign your name here. Witness this, Cap.”