replied McCarthy in low
tones. "That's Barney Baldwin, the broker and politician, one of the
big men of this part of the country--and a crook."

"Whew," whistled Swanson. "Let's sneak. We can't hear anything--and
the water is getting deep."

CHAPTER IX

_Baldwin Gets into the Plot_

The events that led up to the midnight conference between Barney
Baldwin, Ed Edwards and Adonis Williams in the booth at the Metropolis
Hotel that night would have been of vast interest to several millions
of baseball enthusiasts had they known of them.

They started with the arrival of Easy Ed Edwards in the city of the
Travelers. He had run down to watch the game between the Bears and the
Travelers in rather a pleasant frame of mind. His plans for a huge
gambling coup seemed to be working out well, and, with the Panthers
holding a lead of a game and a half, with but eleven more games to be
played, he was adding to his line of wagers. The double defeat of the
Panthers and the easy victory of the Bears had placed a new aspect on
the league race, with the Bears again favorites. Edwards had left the
baseball park in the middle of the game in a frenzy of anger. It was
too late now for him to attempt to lay off his bets, and he stood to
lose more than $100,000 if his plans to have the Panthers win the
pennant from the Bears went astray. It was in this mood that he
returned to the hotel and commenced to make drastic plans. In the
lobby of the hotel he encountered Barney Baldwin.

"Hello, Barney," he said, shaking hands with the broker. "What brings
you down?"

"Hello, Ed," replied the big man cordially. "Let's have a drink. I've
been away a month out West visiting the family. Brought my niece on
East with me. Just got home and heard that things are going wrong, so
I ran over here last night to see what sort of cattle have been
breaking up my political fences while I've been gone. What brings you
over here?"

"Baseball--ran down to see the game to-day. Rotten game."

"Didn't know you were interested in baseball," said the politician.
"I'm pretty well satisfied with the situation--both my clubs up there
fighting for the lead, and I'm getting it coming and going."

"Both your clubs?" ejaculated the gambler. "I knew you had some stock
in some club. How much of the Bears and Panthers do you own?"

"Well, I can control both in a pinch. I don't pay much attention to
them. I let the fellows I hire as presidents of