e entered the room a glad smile came over his face.

"Hello, Charlie Hall!" he cried, at the sight of the shortstop of the
Pittston team, with whom Joe had been quite chummy during the league
season. "What good wind blows you here?"

"Oh, you know I'm a traveling salesman during the Winter, and I happened
to make this town to-day. Just thought I'd step up and see how you
were."

"Glad you did! It's a real pleasure to see you. Going back at the game
in the Spring, I expect; aren't you?"

"Sure. I wouldn't miss it for anything. But what's this I hear about
you?"

"I don't know. Nothing to my discredit, I hope," and Joe smiled.

"Far from it, old man. But there's a rumor among some of the old boys
that you're to be drafted to the Cardinals. How about it?"

"Well, Gregory told me as much, but it isn't all settled yet. Say,
Charlie, now you're here, I want to ask you something."

"Fire ahead."

"Do you know a fellow named Shalleg?"

Charlie Hall started.

"It's queer you should ask me that," he responded, slowly.

"Why?" Joe wanted to know.

"Because that's one of the reasons I stopped up to talk to you. I want
to warn you against Shalleg."

"Warn me! What do you mean?" and Joe thought of the threats the man had
made.

"Why, you know he's out of the Clevefield team; don't you?"

"No, I didn't know it," replied Joe. "But go on. I'll tell you something
pretty soon."

"Yes, he's been given his unconditional release," went on Charlie. "He
got to gambling, and doing other things no good ball player can expect
to do, and keep in the game, and he was let go. And I heard something
that made me come here to warn you, Joe. There may be nothing in it, but
Shalleg----"

There came a knock at the door of the parlor, and Joe held up a warning
hand.

"Wait a minute," he whispered.

CHAPTER VII

BASEBALL TALK

There was silence for a moment, following Joe's warning, and then the
voice of his mother was heard:

"Joe, you're wanted on the telephone."

"Oh, all right," he answered in a relieved tone. "I didn't want her to
hear about Shalleg," he added in a whisper to Charlie. "She and father
would worry, and, with his recent sickness, that wouldn't be a good
thing for him."

"I should say not," agreed the other ball player.

"I'll be right there, Mother," went on Joe, in louder tones and then he
went to the hall, where the telephone stood. It was only a message from
a local sporting goods dealer, sa