on that saturday evening there was a momentous discussion under way at the quarters of colonel gunn, principal of fardale academy.
it was here that coach trayne occupied a room, and in his room was seated ted crockett, the present captain of the fardale baseball team. the two were discussing the future destinies of the nine.
crockett was extremely popular among his teammates. coach trayne knew that his influence would go far toward the selection of a new captain, and had asked him over for a frank talk. he had certain information which was bound to startle captain crockett, and which would startle all fardale when it was made public. the coach did not intend that it should be made public for the present, however.
meanwhile, villum kess had seen crockett enter colonel gunn’s quarters, and the astute german lad guessed at once that a consultation was going on regarding the new captain of the nine. he started off hastily, and bumped into a dark figure.
“who’s that?” demanded the voice of lee chester.
[124]
“kess,” returned villum, panting.
“guess?” cried chester. “get out into the light, you dub!”
“kess!” shouted villum. “dot iss vot i——”
“oh, it’s you!” said lee chester, with a chuckle. “what’s your hurry?”
“vait! you hafe mein vind pumbed avay!”
villum hung on to chester’s arm for a moment, then straightened up.
“grogett hass yust gone into der house, yes, no,” he cried excitedly. “dey vos goin’ to elegtion a gaptain, jesty!”
“whew!” gasped chester. “looks like business, eh? think they’re going to make a choice to-night?”
“yah, aber ve moost hellup oud chip. i should faint fits oof dey bicked any one else. i bet you’ve moost get der poys togedder und root!”
“say, you’re not so far off, old scout!” exclaimed chester. “come along! we’ll settle randall’s hash right here!”
and the two disappeared in hot haste.
the captain and coach of the fardale nine were engaged in animated discussion, while villum kess and chester were getting to work. captain crockett was learning something that carried dismay to his heart, for the success of fardale was very dear to him, and it looked as though fardale’s hopes were going glimmering for that year.
[125]
“i’m afraid i have bad news for you, ted,” said coach trayne gravely. “i suppose you know that frank merriwell, senior, ran over from bloomfield last thursday?”
“yes, sir,” said the perplexed crockett. “i know he made a hurry visit, and i supposed that it had something to do with clancy’s jumping off for carsonville.”
“not altogether. he came over to make certain arrangements, and to let me know about something important that has just turned up. mr. merriwell gave me permission to use the information at my discretion. i suppose you will regard it as confidential if i pass it on to you, crockett?”
“why, certainly, sir!”
crockett sat up, his eyes beginning to bulge. he knew that something serious had come up, for it was seldom that coach trayne used his “business tone” when off duty.
“i hope that nothing really grave has happened, sir?”
“you can judge for yourself, ted. we’re likely to lose the services of chip merriwell for the rest of the season.”
“wh-a-a-t!”
crockett stared at the trainer as if he thought the latter’s senses had taken flight. lose chip merriwell, just when fardale was counting on sweeping all her foes before her! impossible!
[126]
“are you joking, mr. trayne?” he gasped.
“i’m sorry to say that i’m not,” returned the worried trainer. he sighed, for he, too, had had visions of what his team would do with merry in the box.
“no, it’s anything but a joke, crockett. i am not at liberty to say very much, and in fact i’m not aware of the definite reasons myself, but the fact remains that chip may leave school before long.”
“but why?” queried the astounded captain of the nine. “he’s not sick or anything, is he?”
“no. as i understand it, his father and uncle are going west, and intend to take chip with them. mr. merriwell did not go into details, but it’s easy to imagine that it must be something of importance to necessitate frank’s leaving school at this juncture. it’s going to be a hard blow to the team, for he was the mainstay.”
crockett nodded. he was absolutely unselfish, and realized fully that much of the school’s success in sports was due to frank merriwell, junior.
“that’ll be awful news to get out!” he murmured. “it’s going to jar things on the campus, all right!”
“well, don’t let it out for a while,” went on the coach. “i’ve told you about it because i wanted to ask you who you had in mind to fill your position when you leave. i’d like to have[127] the election held right after monday’s game, if possible.”
“well,” replied crockett gloomily, “if you hadn’t told me this, i’d have said that chip himself was the man. he’d make a better job of it than i would, in fact. but since he’s going to drop out also, i’d say bob randall.”
“randall? yes, he’s a good man, ted. but if chip does leave, isn’t that the very reason why he ought to be elected?”
“huh! i don’t get you,” said crockett, his mind in a whirl.
“it’s like this,” smiled coach trayne: “frank has done a whole lot for the school, and for the baseball team. it’s not settled that he’s to leave, remember; but i think that whether he does or not, the school ought to avail itself of the chance to give him honors while it can.”
“you’re right,” assented captain crockett quickly. “yes, i get your angle now, sir. i suppose he’ll go in the box for us on monday? that’ll cinch the game, and it’ll throw everything his way when i mention to the boys that he ought to be captain.”
“i’m glad that such is your opinion,” said the coach, with a breath of relief. “i happen to know that randall is moving heaven and earth to get the election, and—— hello! what’s all this?”
from in front of the house had risen a sudden[128] burst of cheering. coach trayne went to the window and flung it open. instantly a renewed shout went up.
“merry for captain! whoop-ee!”
a crowd of students was gathered before the windows. they had been hastily marshaled by chester and others of merry’s adherents, and more were assembling at every moment. on the edge of the crowd, hidden by the darkness, stood bob randall. he was flushed and angry, but he knew better than to give way to his inclinations before this gathering.
“vot’s der matter mit randall?” shouted the voice of villum kess.
a chorus of groans answered, mingled with jeers and catcalls. the dark-haired lad in the shadow clenched his fists and muttered wrathfully, but he kept himself under control. a roar went up.
“chip merriwell! we want chip for captain!”
coach trayne slammed down the window and turned to crockett with a smile.
“hardly representative of the team, ted, but they show the trend of public sentiment. but if merry wins monday’s game, and is elected, what about randall?”
“that’s what i was thinking,” said crockett uneasily. “he’s a splendid chap, except for his[129] hot, southern temper, mr. trayne. he really believes that he’s as good as chip on the mound, and i must say that he’s the best we have after merry himself.”
“i understand you,” nodded the coach. “i think he’s a bit jealous of merry, and it’s quite certain that he is anxious to be elected himself. however, he’s a bit too quick to pick up grievances. i’d be afraid of him as captain. you understand, old chap, that i’m not trying to dictate?”
“of course, sir,” smiled the captain. “you’re dead right, just the same. he has the clear-headed ability to serve as captain, but he’s apt to lose it all in a quick flash of temper. a captain has to be a pretty cool sort—i guess the only qualification i had for the job was my coolness. by the way, have you heard from chip whether billy mac will return or not?”
“no word yet,” and the coach shook his head. “things look bad, crockett. with billy gone, clancy will have to catch merry on monday. who’ll go to first in his place i haven’t decided yet. after you go, the team will be badly disrupted, i’m afraid. when merry goes—well may——”
and he flung up his hands in hopeless despair. ted crockett stared gloomily at the window, and listened to a new burst of cheers that came from the campus.
[130]
as if in answer to these, there came a knock on the door. coach trayne answered it, and uttered a cry of satisfaction as he received a yellow envelope.
“a wire, crockett! let’s hope it’s from chip.” it was not from merry, however, but from owen clancy.
“read that, ted!” cried trayne, and handed the message to crockett. it was brief and very much to the point:
chip won great game in carsonville. billy mcquade returning to fardale with us. on deck bright and early monday morning.
“hurrah!” cried crockett jubilantly. “billy’s coming back! say, may i read this to the fellows, mr. trayne?”
the coach nodded a smiling assent. the news that the backstop was coming back to school after writing that he would not return, was a great relief to him.
crockett flung up the window and read out the message. it was greeted with a storm of frantic cheers. then he held up his hand for silence, and after a moment the crowd fell quiet.
“three cheers for captain chip!” he shouted.
another roar of cheers welled up through the night as the crowd acclaimed this good news. then the meeting slowly broke.
with bitter heart and darkening brow, bob[131] randall had heard the message read, and had heard the cheers that followed crockett’s shout. he slipped away across the campus and toward the barracks, a fierce anger welling up within him.
