“I’ll find out. If you don’t want Gus, though——”
“Sure, Gus will do. Let’s make it as funny as we can, eh?”
And Billy went off chuckling, leaving Jonesie apparently silent with indignation.
At noon he sought out Gus Peasley. Gus was an Upper Middler and so, in a way, might be considered impartial. “Ever umpire a ball game, Gus?” asked Jonesie.
Gus shook his head. “I was kicked by a mule once, though,” he said with apparent irrelevancy.
“You’re the fellow we want, then,” said Jonesie with deep conviction, “to umpire the game on Thursday.”
“Say, are you really going to play the School Team?” asked the other eagerly. “Why didn’t you give me a show, Jonesie?”
“I agreed to play only lower-classers, Gus. But Billy and I both want you to umpire.”
“Shucks, I never umpired a game in my life! I’d look fine, wouldn’t I?”