. "If my clothes aren't here in
five minutes I'm going this way."

The nurse, thoroughly alarmed by the fury of the big man, ran from the
room, and, within five minutes she returned with another nurse to
support her.

"Where are my clothes?" he demanded in an awful voice.

"It's against orders," said the older nurse firmly. "You cannot leave
without permission from the doctor in charge."

For an instant it seemed as if Swanson would forget himself and become
violent. With an effort he controlled his anger and sank back upon the
pillows.

"All right," he said resignedly, "let me telephone to the boss and
explain."

"You are not going to quit, Silent?" demanded Kennedy, starting up in
bed. "I'll go myself"----

The quick wink that Swanson gave him stopped the catcher's angry
expostulation.

"That's a good boy!" said the nurse pleasantly. "There isn't any use
to fret. I'll bring you the telephone."

The telephone was brought, and, when the nurse left the room Swanson
called up the hotel at which they lived.

"That you, Joe?" he said rapidly. "This is Silent--yes, in hospital.
Send a taxi to the corner as fast as you can get it here. I'll be
watching."

He cut off the carriage clerk's curious questions by hanging up the
receiver.

"What are you going to do?" whispered Kennedy from his bed.

"I'm going out of here," said Swanson. He crept out of bed, and with
his face pressed against the window, watched the corner four floors
below until a taxicab stopped there and waited. Then, drawing a sheet
over his night gown, he opened the door cautiously.

The receiving clerk had a glimpse of a ferocious looking ghost, garbed
in a white sheet, and with face smeared with blood, racing down the
hallway, and before her screams could bring help, Swanson had run
limpingly across the street, leaped into the taxi and was shouting
orders to the driver to get him to the ball park.

CHAPTER XX

_Hidden Foes_

The disappearance and dramatic reappearance of Swanson and Kennedy, who
was released from the hospital after the game, was the sensation of the
country for twelve hours; then it was paled into insignificance by a
new sensation that caused a wave of indignation and an insistent demand
for proof from all parts of the country and left the Bears dazed by the
series of events that crowded upon them.

The second sensation was the printing of an article in one of the
foremost papers of their city in which