“Well,” said Slade to me with a smile, “you deserve to be congratulated, for you played a strong game. We honestly thought we would win to-day, for we calculated on finding your nine weaker than usual. It was your game with the Dean men that made us feel so confident, and the results to-day took us pretty well by surprise. The fellows feel disappointed, of course, for it throws us entirely out of the race, but the game was fairly won, so there’s an end of it.”
“Our nine has greatly improved since the Dean game,” said Ray. “We have made several changes.”
“I should think so,” answered Bennett; “you played finely this afternoon, and I don’t think you have ever put a stronger nine on the field. I don’t feel ashamed of the defeat at all, for it was a mighty well fought game on both sides.”
“You gave us very generous treatment,” said Ray, “and we shall always remember it gratefully.”
“It was only a return of the courtesy we have always received at Belmont,” answered Slade. “We simply gave you a fair show. Everybody ought to have that. If we had received it at Berkeley, we might have been more successful. By the way, I suppose you have heard the news from Dean?”
“Yes,” said Ray. “It was only what I expected. Did you receive any word concerning Arnold?”
“No. What about him?”
“Our telegram stated he was unwell, and gave up pitching in the fourth inning.”
“It couldn’t be of any importance,” rejoined Slade, “for the message I received said nothing about it. Did he leave the field?”