orize and he was jeered at. In the end,
philosophically, he dragged out all the money he had with him and bet
it--eleven dollars. It was covered instantly, amid raucous laughter. And
on the way back to Batesville, he reflected unhappily that he was going
to make eleven dollars out of knowing what was going to happen in the
ninth inning of that ball game, but probably at the cost of losing
Rosie.

* * * * *

He tried to call his other self that night again. There was no more
answer than before. He unhooked the gadget and restored normal service
to himself. He rang Rosie's house. She answered the phone.

"Rosie," Sam asked yearningly, "are you still mad at me?"

"I never was mad at you," said Rose, gulping. "I'm mad at whoever was
talking to you on the phone and knows all our private secrets. And I'm
mad at you if you told him."

"But I didn't have to tell him! He's me! All he has to do is just
remember! I tried to call him last night and again this morning," he
added bitterly, "and he don't answer. Maybe he's gone off somewheres.
I'm thinking it might be a--a kind of illusion, maybe."

"You told me there'd be an elopement last night," retorted Rosie, her
voice wobbling, "and there was. Joe Hunt and the Widow Backus. Just like
you said!"

"It--it could've been a coincidence," suggested Sam, not too hopefully.

"I'm--w-waiting to see if Dunnsville beats Bradensburg seven to five
tomorrow, tied to the ninth, with George Peeby hitting a homer then with
Fred Holmes on second base. If--if that happens, I'll--I'll die!"

"Why?" asked Sam.

"Because it'll mean that I can't m-marry you ever, because somebody
else'd be looking over your shoulder--and we wouldn't ever be by
ourselves all our lives--night or day!"

She hung up, weeping, and Sam swore slowly and steadily and with venom
while he worked to hook up his device again--which did not make a
private conversation on a party line, but allowed a man to talk to
himself ten days away from where he was. And then Sam rang, and rang,
and rang. But he got no answer.

The following day, in the big fourth of July game, Dunnsville beat
Bradensburg seven to five. It was tied to the ninth. Then George Peeby
hit a homer, with Fred Holmes on second base. Sam collected his
winnings, but grimly, without joy.

He stayed home that night, worrying, and every so often trying to call
himself up on the device he had invented and been told--by himself--