n in
what might be considered an underhand manner. Often, when rival
organizations in the baseball world are at war, the various managers,
and scouts, go to great lengths, and secretly, to get some player they
consider valuable.

"Maybe some rival club is after Rad and doesn't want its plans known,"
mused Joe. "That must be it. They know he and I are chums, and they come
to me first. Well, I sure do want to help Rad, but I don't want to see
him leave the Cardinals. I guess I'll take a chance and go down there.
I'll leave word at the desk that I'll meet Rad at the theatre. That
will be the best. I can telephone back to the hotel, after I go to this
address, and find out if Rad has been back here. I'll go."

Stuffing the queer note into his pocket, Joe started off, catching a car
that would take him near the address given. Before leaving, he arranged
with the hotel clerk to tell Rad that he would meet him at the theatre.

It was a rather dark, and quite lonesome, street in which Joe found
himself after leaving the street car. On either side were tall buildings
that shut out much of the light by day, while at night they made the
place a veritable canyon of gloom. There were big warehouses and
factories with, here and there, a smaller building, and some ramshackle
dwellings that had withstood the encroachment of business.

Some of these latter had fallen into decay, and others were being used
as miserable homes by those who could afford no better. In one or two,
saloons held forth, the light from their swinging doors making yellow
patches on the dark pavement.

"I wouldn't like to have to live down here," mused Joe, as he picked his
way along, looking, as best he could, for the number given in the note.
"It's a queer place to appoint a meeting, but I suppose the baseball
fellows don't want to be spied on. I'll be glad when I'm through."

Joe walked on a little farther. The neighborhood seemed to become more
deserted and lonesome. From afar off came the distant hum and roar of
the city, but all around Joe was silence, broken, now and then, by the
sound of ribald laughter from the occasional saloons.

"Ah, here's the place!" exclaimed Joe, as he stood in front of one of
the few dwellings in the midst of the factories. "It looks gloomy
enough. I wonder who can be waiting to see me here about Rad? Well,
there's a light, anyhow."

As Joe approached the steps of the old house he saw, at one side of the
door, a board on w