manner.

"Pretty good, Bill. Team all right?" asked the president. "I heard
two of the boys got mixed up in a barroom scrap."

"I was just warning them about that," said Clancy. "These are the two
(he pointed to Kennedy and Swanson). I was warning them that a lot of
tough mugs in this burg are likely to get excited over baseball these
days and ball players ought to stick close to the hotel."

"Glad they're not much hurt," said Bannard easily, looking at the
battered athletes. "How is the pitching staff? By the way, who is
working to-day?"

"It's Williams's turn," said Clancy steadily. "Why?"

"Why, that's what I came to see about," replied the president frankly.
"That friend of mine--the one I spoke to you about the other day--wants
to see him pitch. I'm starting West at noon and I told him I'd ask you
as a favor. He was pretty sore because you didn't put him in the other
time I asked you."

"All right. Always glad to oblige when possible," said Clancy grimly.

"Why didn't you ask who his friend is?" inquired Swanson when Bannard
departed.

"Bonehead, fool, slow thinker," said Clancy. "I ought to bench myself
for not thinking of it. I'll find out the first time I see him."

The players laughed nervously and departed from the room. Scarcely had
McCarthy and Swanson reached their quarters when the telephone girl
called to tell McCarthy an important call had been coming in for half
an hour.

"Very well, connect me," said McCarthy.

He recognized Helen Baldwin's voice, and it shook with emotion, as she
made certain she was talking to him.

"Oh, Larry," she said, "I must see you! I must--to-night, if possible!
Please come!"

"What is the matter, Helen?" he asked anxiously. "It's impossible to
come to-night--and after the last"----

"I know, I know, Larry," she said rapidly. "Please, please forget all
that. I didn't understand! I didn't know! I've found out something
that showed me how bad and wicked I have been. I didn't mean to bring
harm to you"----

"Uncle came home," she said. "He'd been drinking. He made terrible
threats against you."

"I'll be up to-night," said McCarthy.

"Better look out--it's a trap," warned Swanson, who had heard McCarthy
promise to call that night.

"There's something wrong up there," replied McCarthy. "I'm going to
Baldwin's house to-night."

They went downstairs talking in low tones. On the parlor floor Betty
Tabor was sitting reading. She had