ll you
dead!" he coughed. "At Eliot's request! Ha! ha! ha! If he only knew!
But of course he doesn't suspect, for I haven't given you away. Well,
this is a joke!"

"I'm in a hurry, so I'll hustle along."

"Wait a jiffy. I've just got here. Sort of went to pieces after
landing in this town, and they stowed me in bed, with a pill-slinger
looking at my tongue, taking my pulse and asking a lot of tiresome
questions. He even sounded my lungs, though I protested against it.
And then he told me I was to stay in bed, and left a lot of nasty
medicine for me to take. I stayed in bed as long as I could, knowing
this game was going on. Now that I'm here, how does it stand?"

"Your great pup-pitcher, Newbert, was batted out in the fifth inning."

"What's that? I don't believe it!"

"It's a fact."

"The score--what's the score?"

"It was four to three in Oakdale's favor at the end of the fifth."

"Rotten!" snarled Herbert, and a tempestuous burst of coughing shook
him frightfully.

When Phil started away the still coughing lad grasped his arm and
restrained him.

"You--you wait!" gasped Rackliff. "Wyndham must win this game--she
just must, that's all. Did you say Grant was hurt?"

"Yes."

"How much?"

"Enough to knock him out; he got two fingers busted by a liner hot from
the bub-bat."

"Good! Then I suppose that dub Hooker is pitching now?"

"Yes."

"Well, if I had any more money I'd be willing to bet the limit that
Wyndham gets to him, all right. He'll get his."

"Perhaps not. He fuf-finished the fifth in style."

"He'll get his," repeated Herbert positively. "Then you'll be run in.
That's why Eliot wants you. That will fix things beautifully. You
know what to do."

"Yes, I know what to do," said Phil slowly, "and I shall do it if I get
the chance."

"That's the talk! You can do it cleverly enough so no one will suspect
that you're throwing the game, and we'll win----"

"If I'm put in to pitch," said Springer, still uttering his words in
that slow and positive manner, "I shall do my level best to hold
Wyndham down and give Oakdale a chance to win the game."

"You--you'll what?" spluttered Rackliff incredulously. "Why, you're
joking! Your money, seven dollars which you gave me, is bet on
Wyndham. If Oakdale wins you lose the seven."

"If I could do anything to help Oakdale win, I'd do it, even if I stood
to lose seven hundred dollars by it," declared Phil.

CHAPTER XXX.