around, he observed that the young man near at
hand and the young ladies on the veranda were all smiling and laughing
as if highly amused. Their suppressed merriment gave him a resentful
feeling, and suddenly his face flushed, while an expression of anger
came into his small eyes.

"You're purty smart, young man--purty smart," he said. "You think you
fooled me, don't ye? Well, you didn't. I happen to know how you done the
trick. You're a ventriloquist. The horse didn't talk. I was jest testing
you to see if you would try to soak me by selling the critter to me."

Bearover fibbed, for, although he had finally hit upon the truth, it
was an afterthought conjured up by the laughter of the spectators.

"Do yer mean to say the horse didn't spake?" demanded the Irishman. "I
heard it meself--I tell ye I heard it meself!"

"That's all right, McCann!" rasped the big man. "Perhaps you've never
seen a good ventriloquist do a turn, but I have. That horse can't talk
any more than a cow or a dog or any other dumb creature can."

"Vale," observed Hans Dunnerwurst, who stood Bear, with his hands thrust
deep into his trousers pocket, "it took it a long time to found you
oudt. Dot hoss peen a good 'rithmeticker uf he coot talk or not. Yah!"

"You've had your fun with me, Mr. Merriwell," said Bearover, ignoring
the Dutchman; "but I hope to have a little sport with you later. I've
driven over from Wellsburg this morning for the express purpose of
seeing you."

"What can I do for you, sir?" asked Merry.

"I understand you have a baseball team here."

"Do you mean my Farnham Hall team?"

"I don't know what you call it."

"Well, I have a ball team made up of youngsters. They are able to put up
quite a game."

"What sort of youngsters?"

"Boys--my pupils at the Hall."

"But I ain't referring to that kind of a team. I mean your regular
team--I mean the one you play on."

"Oh, that's different."

"You've got such a team here, ain't ye?"

"As you see, a lot of my friends are visiting here just now. I can't say
that we have a regular organized team."

"They told us in Wellsburg you had, and that's why I took the trouble to
come here. I'm manager of the Rovers, the strongest independent team of
this country. We're making a tour by automobile and playing the best
teams we can get up against. I have a big seven-seated car at Wellsburg,
and that machine, together with this one, carries my men from place to
place. We made arrange