“That feller makes me think of a ward worker before a caucus,” he reflected. “Acts as if he wanted to get ’em all goin’ his way, and was handin’ out steerin’ directions.... And there’s that other youngster danglin’ after him, and wigglin’ as oneasy as uninvited company that’s heard the dinner bell ring and ain’t been asked to draw up and set in.”
The lad to whom Lon referred was Hagle, whose movements and bearing justified the comparison he had drawn. Hagle was behaving like a satellite of Zorn, bearing him company, following him about, now drawing close, now retiring, uneasily alert for word of command. Lon whistled softly.
“Talk about coach dogs runnin’ under a wagon or after it——” he said to himself. “Somehow that’s kind of a poor job for a human. And that feller ain’t gettin’ the fun out of it that a dog does; he ain’t happy.... Funny, all ’round, ain’t it?”
The truckman was yawning audibly. Lon gave him a glance.
“Goin’ to be able to tear off a few more minutes from your pressin’ engagements and stay here?” he inquired. “Can, eh? Then keep an eye on my car, will you? Guess I’ll try for a close-up on that bush leaguin’.”
“Huh! Nobody’ll steal your old machine!” grunted the other.
“Nobody has—yet,” said Lon drily. “Hate to give ’em a chance to form the habit. All right! Back in a minute or two, or mebbe nine or ten.”
Lon glanced at his watch as he strolled away; he could spare a quarter of an hour for the task in hand. He was grinning, a bit sheepishly.
“It’s in the blood and you can’t get it out—this taste for tryin’ to be a Shylock Holmes,” he reflected. “But there’s something queer a-doin’, or I’ve got to start in and learn boys all over again.... Now, let’s see—what we’ll see.”
Just then the batter sent up a long, high foul; a fielder and a baseman came charging among the spectators; there was a scurrying of men and boys to avoid ball and players, and when the confusion had subsided and the ball, uncaught, had been retrieved, Lon found himself neighbor to a cluster of youths with Zorn in the center of the ring.