Throughout five innings the southpaw succeeded in restraining Wiley, and during that portion of the game the Viennas found Jones for nine singles and two doubles, acc.u.mulating four runs. Only for bad judgment on the paths they might have secured twice as many tallies. In the same period the local pitcher, using a little d.i.n.ky slow curve, held the visitors to one score. The mute seemed to be trying hard enough, but he could not keep his opponents from hitting.

With the opening of the sixth, Wiley broke the leash of restraint.

"I've got to get out and get under," he declared. "You can't expect me to sit still and watch my barkentine go upon the rocks. Here's where we start something. Get into 'em, Schepps! Begin doing things! We'll back you up, for in onion there is strength."

Schepps led off with a hit, and immediately the Wind Jammers, encouraged by Wiley, leaped out from the bench, dancing wildly and tossing the bats into the air. Locke smiled as he watched them. He had seen Big League teams do the same thing in an effort to drive away the jinx and break a streak of bad luck. But although Lefty smiled, he was not wholly happy.

"If Jones is a quince," he thought, "I've wasted my time trying to brace up our pitching staff. Even Mit Skullen will have the laugh on me."

His anxiety had led him to come straight from New York to Vienna, without stopping at Fernandon. He had sent a message to Janet telling her that he would be home the following day.

The Wind Jammers kept after the local twirler, and succeeded in pounding two men round to the registry station. Then Wiley did some wigwagging to Jones, and the gloomy mute nodded a.s.surance. After which he walked out and fanned three batters in a row.

"You see, Lefty!" exulted the Marine Marvel. "That's what he needs.

Give him proper encouragement, and he's there with the damsons."

"Temperamental or yellow, which?" speculated the southpaw. "Either sort of a pitcher is worthless in pinches."

The visitors failed to continue their hitting streak in the seventh.

Whether or not Jones was disheartened by this, he let down in the last half of the inning, and Vienna added another score, Wiley's warnings having no impression upon them. Nor did the mute show any remarkable form in the remainder of the game, which terminated with the score six to four in favor of the locals.

"The old jinx is still with us," lamented the dejected manager of the Wind Jammers. "Wouldn't it congeal your pedal extremities!"

"It is enough to give one cold feet," admitted Locke. "But with Jones doing any real pitching to-day four tallies would have been sufficient for you."

Picking up his overcoat and traveling bag, he started to follow the well-satisfied crowd from the field. As he approached the gate, Mit Skullen stood up on the bleachers and singled him out. Mit's face wore a leering grin.

"You're welcome to that lemon, Locke!" he cried. "I wouldn't take him now for a gift. You've got stung good and proper."

Lefty walked on without replying.

CHAPTER XXIII

ALL WRONG

When Locke reached Fernandon, he found, as he expected, a furious message from Weegman awaiting him. In it he was savagely reprimanded, and warned under no circ.u.mstances to make any further deals without consulting Collier's private secretary. He was also commanded to report at the office of the Blue Stockings baseball club without unnecessary delay.

Lefty merely smiled over this, but he did not smile over a long telegram from Franklin Parlmee, stating that he had not seen Virginia Collier nor heard anything further from her. Parlmee averred that he could not believe Virginia was in New York; he expressed the conviction that Locke had not seen her in the limousine with Bailey Weegman, but had been deceived by a resemblance. But if she were not in New York, where was she? And why had he received no word from her?

Janet watched Lefty frowning and biting his lip over Parlmee's message.

Her own face showed the anxiety she felt.

"What do you think?" she asked. "It doesn't seem possible that Virginia could have been with that man, as you thought. You must have been mistaken."

He shook his head. "I'm positive, Janet. I would be willing to wager anything that I made no mistake."

"Then what does it mean? I can't imagine Virginia being in New York without letting Frank know."

"It's got me guessing," Locke admitted. "There's a snarl that needs to be untangled."

She grabbed his arm. "You don't suppose--"

"What?" he asked, as she hesitated.

"You don't suppose anything terrible could have happened to Virginia?

Perhaps that villain has carried her off--shut her up somewhere! Perhaps she is helpless in his power this minute. He may be trying to force her into marrying him."

Lefty laughed. "That sounds too much like a dime novel, my dear.

Scoundrel though he is, Weegman would scarcely have the nerve to try anything like that with the daughter of Charles Collier. That's not the answer."

"But something's wrong," insisted Janet.

"No doubt about that," her husband replied. "A lot of things seem to be wrong. Somebody is dealing the cards under the table."

"I know," said Janet, "that Virginia didn't care for Mr. Weegman, and the more her father sought to influence her the less she thought of him.

She was proud of Franklin because he had proved his business ability, and she thought Mr. Collier would give in soon. But I can't understand why she stopped writing to me. She hasn't written since arriving on this side."

"We're not getting anywhere by speculating like this," said Lefty.

"Can you be ready to go North with me to-morrow?"

"You are going back so soon?"

"Just as soon as we can start. I'm thinking I ought to have remained there. I only came South at all in order to make sure of Mysterious Jones, and now it looks as though I wasted both time and money by doing so. Perhaps I would have been better off if Skullen had succeeded in getting Jones away from me."

"But the cottage--our lease runs another full month."

"It can't be helped. We'll have to pay the rental and give it up."

"And your arm--you thought another month down here might give you time to work it back into condition."

"I've got plenty to worry about besides my arm. I've been told plainly that I've been picked to be the goat by a set of scoundrels who are trying to put over a dirty piece of work, and, if I fool them, I'll have to do it with my head, not my arm. I'm going to stake everything on my ability to put the kibosh on their crooked game, and to stand any chance of succeeding I must be on the field of battle. So we must leave Fernandon to-morrow, my dear."

To accomplish this necessitated no small amount of hustling, but Janet did her part. With the a.s.sistance of her maid and a colored man, the work was speedily done. There were tears in Janet's eyes when she looked back at the deserted little cottage, as they drove away in a carriage to catch the train.

"It has been pleasant here," she said. "I'll never forget it. We were so quiet and so happy. Now, somehow, I have a feeling that there's nothing but trouble ahead of us. You've taken a big contract, Phil."

"Are you afraid?" he asked.

She looked up at him and smiled proudly. "Not a bit. You are not the sort of man who fails. I know you'll win out."

His cheeks glowed and a light leaped into his eyes. "After hearing you say that, I couldn't fail, Janet, dear," he said quietly but earnestly.

"It's going to be some fight, but let it come--I'm ready."

The journey northward was uneventful. Locke had wired both Kennedy and Parlmee when he would arrive in New York, asking them to meet him at the Great Eastern. He did not stop off at the home town of the Blue Stockings, choosing to disregard for the present Weegman's imperative order for him to report at once at the office of the club. By mail he had formally notified the secretary of the club of the trade with Frazer and the purchase of Mysterious Jones, directing that checks be sent immediately to the manager of the Wolves and to Cap'n Wiley. He had done this as a matter of formality, but he felt sure that Weegman would interfere and hold up the payments, even though they could, sooner or later, be legally enforced. Delay matters as he might, the rascal could not bring about the repudiation of business deals entered into by the properly authorized manager of the team. Locke hoped to have the situation well in hand before he should find it necessary to beard the lion in all his fury. The showdown must come before long, but ere that time the southpaw hoped to fill his hand on the draw.