CHAPTER XXVI.
PREPARATIONS FOR THE GREAT GAME.
When Joe did not come home at the hour expected nobody was greatly surprised, his folks thinking that he and Fred had been detained. But as it grew later and later Mrs. Westmore began to worry.
"What can be keeping Joe?" she said to Harry. "Did he say anything to you about coming home so late?"
"No, mother, he said he would be home about supper time, or directly afterwards."
Another half hour went by, and then Mr. Rush dropped in on the Westmore family.
"Thought I'd step over to see if Fred was here," he explained. "I told him to come straight home."
"He isn't here, Mr. Rush, and neither is Joe."
The Westmores were talking it over with their visitor when the doorbell rang and a farmer named Hiram Salter presented himself.
"Good evenin', Mrs. Westmore," said the farmer. "I found the store shut up, so I thought I'd come to the house. I've got a letter for you."
As he spoke he handed out a slip of yellow store paper folded in the form of a letter. On the slip was scrawled:
"We have been detained and won't be home until nearly noon to-morrow. It's all right, so don't worry.""J.""P. S.—Send Mr. R. word."
"We have been detained and won't be home until nearly noon to-morrow. It's all right, so don't worry."
"J."
"P. S.—Send Mr. R. word."
"That's a queer note," was Mr. Rush's comment. He turned to the farmer. "Where did you get it, Mr. Salter?"
"Got it from a feller who stopped my wagon when I was a-drivin' into town. He asked me to leave it here an' gave me ten cents. It was so dark I couldn't make out who he was."
"Oh, I guess it is all right," came from Mr. Westmore. "They are going to stop over with some of their boy friends."
The farmer went off, and presently the Westmores retired. But Harry was not satisfied, and it was a long time before he could go to sleep.
"Joe said he would be on hand the first thing to-morrow morning to put the club through its final practice," he reasoned. "He ought to be home to-night getting a sound sleep. He can't rest quite as well in a strange bed."
By nine o'clock on Saturday morning Harry had finished up his chores and he also did the work generally assigned to his brother. Every moment he looked for Joe, and when the clock struck his face took on a gloomy look.
"Hullo, there!" came from the fence, and the next instant Link leaped the pickets and walked across the garden. "All ready for the great game?"
"Yes, I am ready, but I don't know about Joe. Have you seen Fred this morning?"
"No, he isn't home."
"He and Joe went off yesterday. They were to come back in the evening, but sent word that they were going to stay over until nearly noon to-day. I don't like that much."
"Humph! neither do I. It will break up our practicing."
"Well, we've got to do the best we can."
By ten o'clock all of the members of the club but Fred and Joe were at the clubroom, and a little later they marched to their grounds. In the absence of Joe, Link, who was a fairly good pitcher, was put in the box, and the shortstop, Matt, was placed behind the bat.
Harry felt that he must do his best with the team, and he coached them all he could, and explained to them certain new signs he and his brother had been talking over. As each minute went by all of the players looked for Joe and Fred, and when the saw-mill whistle blew twelve o'clock and the practicing came to an end each looked at the others in a doubtful manner.
"I may be mistaken, but I think something has gone wrong somewhere," was Bart's comment. "I don't think Joe and Fred would stay away like this of their own accord."
"Neither do I," answered Matt. "Something serious has happened to delay them."
"My father said there was a fire last night up in the direction of Hollow Cove. He said it looked to him as if it was a barn. Maybe Joe and Fred went to the fire, or maybe it was at the place where they were stopping and they stayed to help."
The boys scattered for dinner, agreeing to meet at the clubroom at one o'clock or a little after. On the way home Harry ran into Si Voup, who grinned at him.
"Well, I suppose you are about ready to take your defeat this afternoon," said the captain of the Excelsiors.
"We'll take what comes," returned Harry. "Perhaps your club will be the one to lose."
"Rats! I'll bet you five dollars we win."
"I don't bet, Voup."
"You're afraid you'll lose," sneered the captain of the rival club.
"No, I am not. But I don't bet, and that is all there is to it," and with this remark Harry walked off.
"Won't he be worried when the time comes to open the game," muttered Si Voup to himself.
Voup and Boardman had returned to Lakeport in high feather over the success of their plot against Joe and Fred. Marcy was also in town, but keeping shady. Each of the three was putting up his money on the Excelsiors, confident that, with Joe and Fred out of the game, the Lakeports could not possibly win.
Both the Rush family and the Westmore family were much disturbed over the prolonged absence of the two youths, and after dinner Mr. Rush said he would drive up to Hollow Cove to see what had become of them.
"If you find them bring them back just as quickly as you can, Mr. Rush," said Harry. "We need them on the baseball team."
"I suppose you do, Harry. I will do my best."
"If they don't show up I don't know what we are going to do."
"Haven't you enough players?"
"Oh, yes, but Fred is our best catcher and Joe our best pitcher. With them out of the game we won't stand near as good a chance of winning."
Promptly on time the members of the Lakeport Club assembled at the room. The first question asked by each was concerning Joe and Fred.
"This is the worst blow yet!" cried Bart. "If they don't show up what in the world are we to do?"
"All we can do is to put Link in as pitcher and Matt as catcher, and then rearrange the rest of the players," answered Harry.
"I'll do my best," said Link. "But I must say I thought Joe would be here to do the twirling for us."
"So will I do my best," added Matt. "But you all know Fred is the best catcher in Lakeport."
"If I knowed where to look fer 'em, I'd go after 'em red-hot," came from Teddy Dugan.
"Maybe we'd all go after them," said Walter.
It was not long after this that a number of friends came up to the clubroom. When it was announced that Joe and Fred were missing many looked glum.
"And to think that I just bet Boardman two dollars that the Lakeports would win," said one of the visitors.
"Boardman and Voup are betting all around," said another visitor. "I never knew they had so much money. And somebody said Dan Marcy was around and that he was betting on the Excelsiors, too."
"Do they know that Joe and Fred are missing?" asked Walter.
"I don't know, but they will know it as soon as we appear on the ball field."
The various players consulted their watches every few minutes and it was plainly to be seen that some of them were nervous. All had depended upon Joe and Fred to pitch and catch.
"Let us go back of the shop and practice," said Link to Matt, and they went down and Link did his best to get his arm into proper shape for the great game.
"This, in one way, is a chance for us," observed Matt.
"True, Matt, but I'd rather see Joe on deck—not but what I am willing enough to pitch. I shouldn't care if it was some other game than the one for the championship of our town."
"That's the way I look at it, too."
At last it got so late that Harry called the club together. All were in their uniforms, and Harry directed that the suits belonging to Fred and Joe be taken to the little dressing-room under the grand stand at the grounds.
"They may show up at the last minute," said he, "and if they do they won't have time to come up here and dress."
The game for the championship of Lakeport had been widely advertised and the ball grounds were already beginning to fill up when the club arrived there. The grand stand was packed.
"Gracious, what a crowd!" murmured Bart, as he looked around. "I never saw so many people in Lakeport in my life!"
"And to think Joe and Fred are not here," groaned Frank. "It's enough to make one sick at heart."
The absence of the regular pitcher and catcher of the Lakeports was quickly noticed by scores of spectators and various were the comments in consequence.
"Where is Joe Westmore? I thought he was going to pitch."
"And Fred Rush was going to catch. I don't see either of them."
"Link Darrow is practicing with the ball, and Matt Roscoe is catching for him."
"Well, Link is pretty good, but not as good as Joe."
"You're right there, and they want the best battery they've got to-day, or they'll lose."
Swiftly the minutes flew by and still no Joe and no Fred. Harry held his watch in his hand almost constantly.
"It's no use!" he groaned at last. "We have got to start up the game without them!"