"

"I wish I did," snarled Williams, now growling mean from the effects of
drink. "Who's the woman?"

"She's someone whose name won't appear in this matter," replied the
politician reprovingly. "She's a relative of mine. I think he is in
love with her and she turned him down cold. Let's have another bottle
and break up the party."

"He was in love with her?" asked Williams eagerly, as a plan for
revenge flashed through his mind.

"I believe so," said Baldwin carelessly. "Family affair. Never heard
the details. Of course she couldn't marry a fellow of that class."

The three men emerged from the booth, Williams and Baldwin flushed and
unsteady from the drink, Edwards cold and revealing not a trace of the
wine.

"Williams, you'd better go out the front door," he said quietly. "It
wouldn't do for you to be seen around the lobby with us at this hour."

Fifteen minutes later Swanson and McCarthy, in their beds, heard
Williams enter the adjoining room unsteadily and hastily prepare for
bed.

CHAPTER XI

_McCarthy in Disgrace_

Events crowded upon each other rapidly the following day. The first
was a telephone call soon after breakfast that summoned Manager Clancy
to the Metropolis Cafe.

"Hello, Mac," said Clancy gladly. "How you hittin' em? Haven't seen
you in an age. How's tricks?"

"Pretty good, Bill. You're looking fine," replied McMahon, manager of
the cafe, who in his youth had played ball on the team with the now
famous Clancy. "I was worried about something I heard this morning and
thought I'd send for you. I couldn't come up."

"What is it? Let's have a drink--make mine grape juice."

"When I came down this morning Johnny, the night man, told me one of
your players was in here until after midnight last night," said the old
ball player.

"Which one?" demanded the manager angrily.

"He didn't know him, except that he was a ball player. He was a
sandy-haired fellow, rather slender and wiry looking."

"McCarthy--maybe," said the manager thoughtfully and worried. "I
didn't think that bird would do it. Something funny."

He had leaped at the identification.

"That isn't the worst of it, Bill," continued McMahon, "that fellow was
with Easy Ed Edwards and a big fat guy in a dress suit."

"What?" demanded Clancy, starting indignantly. "Sure of that?"

"Johnny knows Ed Edwards. They sat in the booth over there and had
four quarts of wine, and the player was pretty well lig