"Well," said Merry, "we are going to see your game this afternoon. I suppose it will be pretty hot?"
"Hot! You bet! I expect Woods and Makune, of the disbanded Portlands, here by noon. We have Williamson, of the Lewistons, but he has been ill and is not in the best form. We"re going to do our best to take the lead again to-day. Woods is a dandy little pitcher and a fine fellow."
"But if we had you, Merriwell, we"d be all right," said McDornick. "Say, old man, won"t you pitch for us this afternoon? Makune will cover second, and we can put Woods anywhere. With you in the box, we can paralyze Rockland."
Frank shook his head.
"It"s no use," he said. "I can"t play with you."
"I hope the stories that fellow has been telling about you are not true," said Moslof, slowly.
"What stories?"
"Why, he"s been saying that Rockland had secured you sure--that you came down into Maine on purpose to pitch for Rockland. When I told him you had given me your word to pitch for Camden if you pitched at all, he laughed in my face, and said I was easily fooled. He swore that he knew for an absolute fact that you had signed with Rockland."
As Frank listened to this, he flushed and then turned pale. There came a dangerous fire into his eyes, and he laughed in a manner that was a danger signal for those who knew him best.
"Moslof," he said, "you must know these reports are lies. You must know I can"t sign a contract, as that would bar me from college baseball."
"I didn"t believe it," said the manager of the Camdens; "but there are plenty who did, and the men who are backing the club here are sore on me for letting you get away after helping you out of that sc.r.a.pe in Rockland. If Rockland got you now, I"d jump this town in a hurry."
"Don"t let that worry you a bit, old man. I said I would pitch for Camden if I pitched at all, and I rather think I am known as a man of my word."
Moslof seemed relieved.
"Oh, say!" exclaimed McDormick, impulsively, "just pitch this game for us this afternoon! We"ll sink the knife deep into Rockland!"
"I hate to refuse," said Frank; "but I must. What I want to know is, who this fellow is who has been telling that Rockland had me."
"Oh, he is a fly chap who is stopping at the Bay View--a summer boarder."
"What does he look like?"
"He"s a loud dresser--wears plaids, pink shirts, lots of rings, loud neckties, and so forth."
"What"s he look like in the face? How old is he?"
"He may be nineteen. His eyes are set near together, and he is freckled and foxy looking."
"He"s a sneak!" broke out McDornick, in his impulsive way. "I knew it the first time I saw him."
"Where is the Bay View?" asked Merriwell.
"Right there," answered Moslof, motioning toward a large building sitting back on the opposite side of the street.
"This fellow is stopping there?"
"Yes."
"What is his name?"
"Don"t know."
"Let"s go over. I want to see that gentleman. I hope we may find him around the hotel."
"If you"ll punch him, I"ll pay your fine!" said the hot-headed McDornick, as they crossed the street.
While they had been talking in front of the opera house, a small boy was standing near them, his hands clasped and an ecstatic look of happiness on his face, while his eyes were not taken off Frank Merriwell for a moment. When Frank had started to cross the street with the others, the boy heaved a sigh.
A gentleman who was pa.s.sing stopped and looked at the boy in surprise.
"Well, my little man," said the gentleman, "what is the trouble? You look as if you had seen a vision."
"I"ve jest seen somebody I never thought I"d see," said the boy. "Oh, I"d like to grow up and be famous like him! It must be fine to be famous."
"My boy," said the gentleman, encouragingly, "if you live you may be a great man some day."
"I can"t never be like the feller I"ve just seen."
"Why, who could this wonderful person have been? I didn"t know there was such a famous man stopping in Camden at present. Was it the governor of the State?"
"Naw! Somebody bigger"n him!"
"A United States Senator, perhaps?"
"Senators ain"t in it with this feller!"
"Really! You surprise and interest me. It could not have been the President of the United States?"
"Bigger feller than the Prince of Wales! Oh, if I could grow up to be like him!"
"Now I am astounded!" exclaimed the gentleman. "Who can this wonderful person be? Won"t you tell me his name?"
"His name is Frank Merriwell, and he is a lollypolooser! He"s the most wonderful feller living in the whole world."
"Frank Merriwell?" repeated the gentleman, in perplexity. "It"s strange I never heard of him. What has he ever done?"
"Done?" cried the boy, excitedly and enthusiastically. "What ain"t he done? He"s traveled round the world, shot panthers and Greasers in South America, gorillas in Africa, tigers in India, elephants in Ceylon, and bears and other critters out West in this country. Done? Why, he made a bicycle trip across the country from New York to San Francisco, and he licked everybody that tried to bother him on the way. Done? Mister, he goes to Yale College, and he is the greatest football player in the world! He pitches on the Yale nine, and he wiped up the earth with Harvard and Princeton this spring. Done? If there"s a thing that feller ain"t done an" can"t do, I want ter know it!"
The gentleman was gasping for breath.
"Really!" he said, "a most remarkable person! And you want to grow up and be like him?"
"If I thought I could--if I ever did, I"d die happy!"
"Strange I never heard of this person before. I don"t believe he is very well known."
"Now, don"t fool yourself, mister. He"s known by every boy in the United States! We"ve all heard of him, and all the boys down in this town would give anything to be like him. I tell you he is a bird!"