“I’d be glad of the chance,” he managed to say.
“All right, I’ll keep you in mind. You see our regular centre fielder, Jed McGraw, is going to leave. His folks are moving out west and we’ll have to have some one in his place. I don’t know when he’s going, but it’s this week or next. I’d like to do something for you, to sort of pay you for what you did for me to-night, and——”
“Oh, I don’t want anything for this!” exclaimed Joe.
“I know you don’t, but it just happened so. I might not have known you except for this accident, and as I said we will need some one to fill in at centre field. Len Oswald is the regular substitute, but he doesn’t practice much, and he’s got a job over at Fordham so he can’t always be sure of getting off Saturday afternoons, which is when we mostly play. So I’ll put you down as sub now and perhaps as regular—it depends on Len.”
“Thanks!” Joe managed to say and he found himself hoping that Len would have to work every Saturday during the season.
“We need some one with experience,” went on Darrell, “and I’m glad I could give you the chance. Tom Davis was saying you got mixed up in the row the other day.”
“Yes. I seem to be getting the habit,” replied Joe with a laugh. “I had one with Sam Morton on this road a little while ago.”
“You don’t say so! How did it happen?”
Joe gave all the details.