they all gave Martin and his crowd full
credit for doing the right thing.

Jack was interested in watching Fred Badger, and listening to what he
had to say from time to time. Apparently Fred was as indignant as any of
them, and so far as Jack could tell there was not a particle of sham
about his fervent denunciation of the evil deed contemplated by those
strangers anxious to beat the Chester people, who wagered with them, out
of their money.

And yet what else could be expected of such men, accustomed to evil
ways, and earning their money at race-tracks and the like? What of a boy
who had the confidence of his mates on the team, conspiring to sell them
out for a bribe? Jack fairly writhed as he thought of it. Looking at
Fred's earnest face as he spoke he could not bring himself to fully
believe the other capable of attempting such a dastardly trick; and yet
Jack had his fears all the same.

CHAPTER XI

SITTING ON THE LID

The troubles and tribulations of the captain of a baseball team are
many, and ofttimes peculiar, as Jack was fast finding out. A load of
responsibility rests on his shoulders such as none of the other players
knows. He must watch every fellow, and notice the slightest
deterioration in his playing; be ready to chide, or give encouraging
words; and lie awake nights cudgeling his brains to discover a way of
getting better work out of certain delinquent members of the nine, or
else making way for a substitute who gives promise of being worth his
salt.

Jack was already having troubles enough, he thought, what with the petty
annoyances, his grave suspicions of Fred Badger's loyalty, and now this
prospect of foul play being attempted by those evil-disposed men from
the city, only bent on reaping a harvest of money from the outcome of
the game. There was more to come for the boy who was "sitting on the
lid," it turned out.

Donohue had been acting somewhat queerly during the last two days, Jack
noticed. True enough, he came to the practice games, and seemed to have
all of his old cunning in his arm when they had him pitch, striking out
men at pleasure; but he never smiled, would draw off to himself
frequently, and was seen to shake his head as though his thoughts could
not be any too pleasant.

What could be ailing the boy, Jack wondered? Surely after his wonderful
and even brilliant work in the box on the preceding Saturday, Alec was
not beginning to doubt his ability to turn back those sl