“Hang it all!” exclaimed Joe, mentally. “I’ve just got to get that out of his mind! But how? Only by finding his watch or Mabel’s jewelry, and I suppose I might as well look for a needle in a haystack.”
Joe sat in the hotel corridor, looking over a newspaper, and waiting for some news of the Clevefield game, as many of his team were doing. An item caught the eye of the young pitcher that caused him to start. It was to the effect that the unfortunate Pop Dutton had been arrested for creating a scene at a ball park.
“Poor old man!” mused Joe. “I wish I could do something for him. I feel sort of responsible for him, since I saved his life. I wonder if he couldn’t be straightened up? I must have another talk with Gregory about him.”
A yell from some of the players gathered about the news ticker in the smoking room brought Joe to his feet.
“What is it?” he called to Charlie Hall.
“Washburg got three runs the first inning and Clevefield none!” was the answer. “It looks as if Washburg would have a walk-over. And you know what that means for us.”
“Yes, if we win to-morrow.”
“Win! Of course we’ll win, you old bone-head!” cried Charlie, clapping Joe affectionately on the back.
Further news from the game was eagerly awaited and when the last inning had been ticked off, and Washburg had won by a margin of three runs, the Pittston team was delighted.
Not at the downfall of fellow players, understand, but because it gave Pittston the coveted chance to be at the top of the first division.