only seven miles."

The girl did not reply. She was weary and her fair face showed haggard
lines. Their progress became slower, although two or three times
policemen turned to watch them, as if to interfere.

The grandstand was close now. The steady roar of the huge crowd inside
pulsed and beat upon them. A bell rang.

"That's either game time or last fielding practice," screamed McCarthy.
"Hurry, please, hurry."

The car suddenly swung out of the line, sent a swarm of pedestrians
scurrying, and jarred to a stop at the entrance marked "Players."

"Betty," said McCarthy, as he started to lift her from the car----

"Hurry," she said, faint from weariness and the reaction. "You must
dress."

He ran stiffly toward the dressing room under the stand. Bill Tascott,
the umpire, was just starting toward the field.

"McCarthy!" he exclaimed at sight of the specter covered with mud and
with cut and bruised features.

"Bill, don't start the game yet," panted McCarthy beseechingly. "Wait
till I dress. Please tell Clancy I'm here."

"I'll tell him. I'll delay the game. Can you play?" said the umpire
rapidly.

"Yes--give me time to dress."

Jack, the trainer, quiet after his first outburst of surprise, was
preparing the hot shower and working like mad over the weary player and
when Clancy, summoned by a quiet word from the umpire, rushed into the
player's room, McCarthy was sighing luxuriously as the trainer soaked
his weary, cramped limbs with witch hazel.

"Hurry, Jack," ordered Clancy as he squeezed McCarthy's hands. "I knew
you'd come, Kohinoor."

"Am I in time?" asked the player. "Get my uniform out, please."

"Just in time. Good old Bill Tascott is delaying the game. You ought
to see him raising cain over his mask being lost. He hid it in our
bench and is accusing the Blues of stealing it. He won't start the
game until you are ready."

In five minutes they rushed him toward the little gate by which the
players enter the field from under the stands, just in time to hear
Bill Tascott announce:

"Batteries for to-day's game--Wiley and Kirkpatrick for the Blues;
Williams and Kennedy for the Bears." He glanced toward the group
emerging from under the stands and his voice rang with gladness as he
yelled, in louder tones:

"McCarthy will play third base."

CHAPTER XXXI

_The Plotters Foiled_

The gasp of astonishment with which the crowd greeted the announcement
that Williams would pi