“There I knew you would let us do it. That’s fine. It pleases me a lot to be able to help you, Thatcher. I guess I told you over the telephone that I am an old Pennington boy myself. I worked my way through the same as you were doing until—until that mess you got into sort of killed your chances of staying on for the rest of the term. I know all about it, Thatcher. Dr. Livingston told me and how he regretted the necessity of making you live up to the rules of the institution. Of course, you realize he really had no alternative. Rules and laws are rigid things, my boy. I hope you never have to feel the seriousness of them any more than you have already.”
He was silent for a moment after that and so was Jeff. Then, suddenly, he exclaimed:
“They tell me you are a baseball man, Thatcher. That’s fine. I used to pitch for Pennington in my day. I want you to go back there and make the team this year and I’ll be out to see you play often. That’s all, boy. Take care of yourself and write to me the same as you would to your father.”
CHAPTER XII
“ALL OUT FOR BASEBALL”
“Boss” Russell was waiting for Jeff when, a little later than his usual hour for reporting, he appeared in the editorial rooms of the Freeman. There was a smile on the usually grim face of the editor.
“Hello, my boy. Been waiting to see you. Want to congratulate you and thank you for last night’s work. We beat the town on both stories. The first editions of the Sun and the Call were out without a line of it and when we bloomed forth with the news about the wreck and Hammond and the bonds, they tumbled all over themselves to rewrite our stories to run in the second editions. It was great work and I’m ready to do almost anything within reason for you, Thatcher,—that is, if you want me to. Mr. Davidson called me up at my home this noon, however, and told me that he had a plan for you that sounds better than anything I can do for you. Have you been to see him yet?”
“You bet I have, Boss,” said Jeff, still jubilant over the result of his interview with the bank president.
“Good. Are you going to accept his proposition?” asked the editor.