Baseball Joe, Home Run King; or, The Greatest Pitcher and Batter on Record

t time Reggie had visited the Matson home, and all were fond

ickled to death to see you. What good wind blew you down this

t y'know, that I got fed up with it and when the guv'nor suggested that there was a bit of business I could attend to in Chicago I just blew the bally t

rs so as not to mar the creases in the legs, and beame

d been left in a seat adjoining the one in which Joe had in the meantime seated himself, and had practically accused Joe of taking it. As may be readily imagined, Joe was not the one to take lightly such an accusation, and Reggie had to apologize. It wa

affectation of English customs and manner of speech. But these, after all, were foibles, and at heart Reggie was "true blue." He w

e records of individual players and the history of the game at his tongue's end, and could rattle on for an hour on a stretch when he once got started on his favorite theme. He was a great admirer of Joe as a player, and intensely proud

bers of the Matson family liked him, both for Mabel's sake and his own. So

e looked from Joe to Jim. "I thought you were down in the training

ere trained fine enough, and might go stale if we worked out in practice any longer

ooking admiringly at their athletic forms. "Just now

er either," he added, as he glanced at Mabel,

boys," put in Mrs. Matson. "They'r

Grounds. But this beastly business in Chicago will make it necessary for me to go back there in a few

h he and Mrs. Matson hastened to assure the youn

rs. Matson excused herself on the plea that she wanted to see about Reggie's

flag again, old top?" asked Reggie, as he pulled down his cuffs and

and haven't had to exert themselves. Of course that doesn't mean very much in itself, as the bushers ought to be easy meat for us. But we've got practically the same team with which we won

n also ran," sa

cked herself in time. Not so quickly, however, that Jim failed

inst the Giants winning this year. Some one, he didn't know who, was putting up cash in great wads against them, and doing it with su

a little wiser and a good deal poorer when the season ends, or I miss my gu

e talking!

we had around the world. We had some mighty hot playing on that to

ng that happened in Chicago. I was going down State Street one afternoon, and a

n!" cri

n!" ech

t spoofing you. Braxton it was, as large as life. The bounder recognized me and started to speak, but I gave

replied Jim, as a significant g

ine as I've seen, too, for a long time. Built for speed, y'know. If he hadn't driven off too quickly, I'

ng ready to retire, and at last Reggie woke to the fact that he would have to make the first move. He looked a

g room. It was the last night the boys would have at home, and the two young couples had a lot to talk about. To Jim especially the time was very precious, for he had m

omised to be his wife. There was a stampede from the chairs, to the imminent danger of the coffee being upset, and Clara was hugged and kissed by Mabel and hugged and kissed and cried over by her mother, while Jim's hand was almost wrung off by Joe and Reggie in th

h could furnish to the other, for Jim had shamelessly abandoned them. Soon Reggie, too, had to chum with

one in to help Mrs. Matson to prepare lunch

rked Reggie, as he caught a glimpse of his siste

that lives," returned

egan Reggie, and then checked himself as t

sked Joe, with the quick

," replied Reggie, in some confusi

g Mabel, I've got a right to know what it is. I've noticed lately t

put him off, but Joe

e," he declared. "You've

ondered

ld know. The fact is that Mabel got a letter a little while ago telling her that it would be a sorry day f

undrel! The coward! Who signed that letter? What's his name? If I e

"There wasn't any name signed to it. The b

"Perhaps I can recognize it. Whe

ro. The poor girl had to confide in somebody, so she sent it to me. And e

Joe. "Perhaps that would give a

was postmarked Chicago. But that doesn't do us any

he beastliness of it! The cowardice of it! An anonymous letter! That such a villain should dare to to

bounder. Nobody ought to do anything with such a letter but tear it up and think no more about it. Some cowar

the open and try to make his bluff good. But it's Mabel I'm thinking about. You know a woman doesn't dismiss those things as a man would. She worries h

d. It would have been a bad day for the rascally writer of that anonymou