“They’re getting them all right,” said Iredell. “The papers are full of the names of players who have jumped or are going to jump.”
“You don’t mean players,” said Joe. “You mean traitors.”
The others winced a little at this.
“‘Traitors’ is a pretty hard word,” objected Curry.
“It’s the only word,” returned Joe stiffly.
“You can’t call a man a traitor who simply tries to better himself,” remarked Burkett defensively.
“Benedict Arnold tried to better himself,” returned Joe. “But it didn’t get him very far. The 141 fellows that jumped, in the old Brotherhood days, thought they were going to better themselves, but they simply got in bad with the public and nearly ruined the game. This new league will promise all sorts of things, but how do you know it will keep them? What faith can you put in men who try to induce other men to be crooked?”
“Well, you know, with most men business is business, as they put it.”
“I admit business is business. But so far as I am concerned, it is no business at all if it isn’t on the level,” answered Joe earnestly. “A great many men think they can do something that is shady and get away with it, and sometimes at first it looks as if they were right about it. But sooner or later they get tripped up and are exposed.”
“Well, everybody has got a right to make a living,” grumbled Curry.