“’Course that would settle it all beautifully,” agreed Thad, with a relieved look on his honest face; “but according to my mind it would be too good to come true.  That sly chap means to play the game to the limit.  As long as he isn’t half starved he’ll hang on there, and work upon the sympathy of those poor people.  The only sure way to get him dislodged would be to cut his rations short; though to do that you’d have to hurt Matilda and her sick husband.  But give me a little time, and I’ll fix him, that’s right, I will!”

If Brother Lu could only have seen and heard all this he might have been made a bit uneasy, under the conviction that his soft berth in his sister’s home was not going to prove such an easy snap as the conditions seemed to imply.  Hugh found himself wondering just how the fellow would take it.  Brother Lu was becoming something of a mystery to Hugh, and he was already making up his mind that it would afford him great pleasure to study the rogue still further, and see what that sly gleam or twinkle in his blue eyes really stood for.

“Come over tonight, Thad, and we’ll talk matters over again—–­baseball matters, I mean, of course,” Hugh called out as his chum started away.

“Just as you say, Hugh, though I was expecting that you’d favor me with a call.  There are a few little things that had ought to be straightened out before we hit that slugging nine over in Belleville.  I hope Alan Tyree keeps up his good work in the box.  Lately he’s seemed to be doing finely, and Mr. Saunders declares he could mow down a lot of heavy hitters in the college league.  Well, we’ll know more about a heap of things when Saturday night comes around.  See you later, then, Hugh!”

CHAPTER V

SCRANTON TACKLES BELLEVUE HIGH

There was quite a big crowd at Belleville when the time came for the game to start on Saturday afternoon.  Scranton had sent a hustling delegation of many hundreds of enthusiastic people, most of whom were young folks, deeply interested in the fortunes of their school team, led by Hugh Morgan.

The scene was a pretty one, for, it being a warm day, the girls were out in force, dressed in all the colors of the rainbow, and waving their school pennants with a patriotic fervor that did them full credit.

Then there were the groups of students belonging to each of the rival high schools, with some fellow to lead them in cheering; they promised to make it a day long to be remembered with their collective noise and hearty concerted shouting.

Already the two teams were in evidence, Scranton being at practice, with the use of the field for fifteen minutes.  Some were knocking out flies and fierce ground balls to the fielders; while the catcher varied the monotony of things by sending down speedy balls to second to catch an imaginary runner from first, after which Julius Hobson or Owen Dugdale would start the ball around the circuit like lightning before it reached the hand of the batter again.