the Shortstop (1992) (19 page)

"There's always something new and funny at a ball game," said th
e
judge, with his hearty laugh. " Now, Chase, let 's talk business. I've got
a
proposition to make to you. Have you planned anything for the Winter?"

" No."

"Is there any reason why you could not have your mother and brothe
r
come to live in Findlay ? "

" Why, I guess not."

" I'm glad to hear it. I've got a job for you, seventy-five a month to star
t
with. Meggs & Co. -you know my brother's big store, groceries, wholesal
e
and retail, hardware, oil-men's supplies, etc. I'm a member of the firm.

We are investing heavily in new oil-fields, branching out. You'll b
e
busy in the store and keeping time of the men.

You'll have a chance to learn things. This job will be ready for you soon. In the meantime you can hang around in the mornings and get on to your work. How does the idea strike you? "

" Thank you - why - it's simply bully. Only -does that mean I must give up baseball? " "Certainly not. It's a winter s work for you. You must stick to baseball till you've made some money. But I take it you won't loaf between seasons. I just thought I'd throw this in your way. We need a young man. And as I hinted, there might turn up something of future value to you."

" I accept - thank you very much." " Now here 's another idea. There's a cottage and a plot of ground, ten acres, I think, on Elm Street, just on the out skirts of town. It's a pretty place and for sale cheap. A little money on repairs would make it a nice home. There's an orchard, a grove of maples, and the river runs along the edge of it. This place would be a good investment at twice the price asked for it. I know. I am inter!ested in a real-estate deal with some men here. King's one, so 's Mayor Duff. We're going to develop a good bit of ground to the north of town. Prices will go up out that way. I can get this place on any terms you want. You can buy it for less than rent. You run out there the first thing to-morrow, and if you like the place, come to my office and we 'll close the deal. Now let's have a game of billiards."

Chase left the judge and went to his room with his mind too full of plans to permit of sleep till late in the night. He awakened early, and breakfast being entirely superfluous, he hurried north to Elm Street and thence to the outskirts of town.

There was no mistaking the cottage, because it was the only one. Chase felt it was altogether out of the question for him to own such a place. The cottage sat back from the road on a little hill. It was low, many-gabled, vine-covered, and had a porch all the way round. A giant maple shaded the western side. Chase went in. The first room was long
,
had a deep seat in a bay-window and an open fire place. He saw in fancy a fire blazing there on a winter's evening. There were a dining-room, and kitchen, and a cosey pantry. Upstairs were four bed-rooms. The west one, all bay windows and bright, would be for his mother; the adjoining one would be Will's, and a little room in the back, from which he saw the grove and the river, would be his.

Then he punched himself and said, " I'm dreaming again." He looked into the well in the backyard and straightway began singing "The Old Oaken Bucket." He flew through the orchard and ran into the grove of maples. The trees, the fence, the hill sloped down to the river. There was a little fall and a deep pool and a great mossy stone.

" I've got to hurry back to the judge's and be waked out of this," muttered Chase. "What would Mittie think? He'd say there'd never be any hope of my coming down after this ascension."

Chase started for town. He would run a little way, then check himself, only to break out into another dash. He got to judge Meggs's office before opening hours and sat down to wait. The time dragged. One moment he would call himself a fool and the next he remembered the judge's kindly eyes.

"Well, well, good-morning, Chase. The early bird catches the worm. Come in, come in. And how'd you like the cottage? "

Chase stuttered and broke out into unintelligible speech. Then he grew more confused and bewildered. He heard the kind voice and felt the kind hand on his shoulder. He remembered running breathlessly to the bank and drawing a sum of money. He signed his name to stamped papers. And then the judge was telling him that the property was his.

Chase finished this wonderful morning of mornings in his room. After a long time he got a logical idea of things. He had bought a property for eighteen hundred dollars, two hundred down and twenty each month until the debt wa
s
cancelled. The deeds were signed and stamped. And most strange and remarkable of all was to read the name of the former owner -Silas Meggs.

Chase spent another morning consulting carpenters, plasterer's, paper hangers; and the next he presented himself at the store of Meggs & Co. He was told to spend his time for the present in the different oil-fields, familiarizing himself with men, conditions, and machinery. And the senior member of the firm added significantly: "You need not mention your connection with us for a while yet. Just be looking round casually. But be sharp as a steel trap. You may learn things of interest to us."

Chase wondered what next would happen to him. There was certainly a thrill in the prospect before him. Such men as judge Meggs and his brother would not stoop to the employing of a spy, but they might well have use for a detective. Chase had heard strange stories from the oil-fields.

The oil-belt was a scene of great activity that Summer. Strikes, unprece!dented in the history of boring wells, had been made. All over the belt rose a forest of wooden derricks, with their ladders, and queer wheels, and enormous pump-handles ceaselessly working up and down. Pipes ran in all directions; huge tanks loomed up everywhere; puffs of smoke marked the pumping-engines sheltered in little huts; the ground was black and oily, and the smell of oil overpowering.

"Crude oil seventy cents a barrel!" ejaculated Chase, as he watched the great comical-looking handles bobbing up, some of them pumping a hundred barrels a day. "These oil-men get rich while they sleep!"

Chase found that as he was known in the factories and brick-yards, so was he known in the oil-fields. All gates opened to him. Every grimy workman found time to stop and have a word with him. The governor of Ohio could not have commanded the interest, to say nothing of the friendliness, accorded to the boy baseball player. It was not long before Chase appreciated his usefulness t
o
Meggs & Co. He had a pleasant word for every worker. "Hello! I 'm out looking over the oil-field. Say! That's interesting work of yours. Tell me about it."

Then a grimy face would break into a smile. " Howdy, Chase. I were jest thinkin' about the team. Close race, ain't it? But we'll put it all over Co!lumbus next week. I'll be there Saturday an' hope you knock the socks off one. Work, this 's rotten work I'm on here. Don't need to be done at all." And the baseball fan would tell the baseball player details of work that a superintendent could not have dragged from him. Every engineer and prospector and driller cared to rest and talk to Chase. The boy was bright and pleasant; but the magic halo of a ball-player's fame was the secret of his reception. So it was that he learned things, and surprised the senior member, and won an approving word from the judge.

Chase did not visit the same part of the oil-fields twice. The wide belt ex!tended a hundred miles toward Lim
a
and beyond; it would have required months to go over it all. On
e
morning he went out to see a new well, called "The Geyser," just struck
,
and reported to be the biggest well in the fields. He found a scene o
f
great excitement. Embankments had been thrown up three feet al
l
around the well to catch the jet of oil.

There was a lake of oil three feet deep; in some places it broke over th
e
embankment. With more than his usual luck he met an Irishman wh
o
had come to him during one of the games and tried to give him part of
a
wager he had won on Findlay.

"Hello, Pat. Somebody's struck a dandy, eh?"

" Shure it's the ould man hisself. Coom round, let me show you. H
e
blowed the bloomin' derrick a mile, but we got him under control now."

"Who are the owners? "

"Dean & Pitman Co.," replied Pat.

Chase pricked up his ears. He knew that this Dean was Marjory's father.

He had learned the firm was in a ba
d
financial strait, having repeatedly backed unproductive ventures. Whe
n
he saw the lake of oil he had a warm glow of pleasure; he was glad fo
r
Marjory's sake.

"What's the flow? Must be a regular river."

"Flow? He'll flow a hundred thousand barrels a day fer a while, an' the
t
without a pump."

"Whew!" exclaimed Chase.

" It's to bad, to bad ! Sich a grand well ! "said Pat.

"But he'll niver last."

" Why not?" Pat winked mysteriously, but offered no explanation. Chas
e
left him and talked with the other men. He found that the land on whic
h
the well had been struck belonged to Findlay farmers, and a lease of i
t
had been sought by one of the greatest oil companies in the world.

Chase's next move was to find out from the farmers thereabouts if ther
e
was any unleased land adjoining. There was one plot of ground, hilly
,
rocky, unpractical for boring, that stood close to the field of " Th
e
Geyser," and which had just been leased by a large company.

Chas
e
strolled over the field and to his great surprise was ordered off. Then a man evidently in authority recognized Chase and countermanded the order, giving as excuse some trifling remark about thieves. Chase did not believe the man. He sauntered round, as if he were killing time, talked baseball with the men, and remained only a short while.

But once out of sight he started to run, and he never stopped till he reached the trolley-line. He boarded a car, rode into town, leaped off, and again began running. At the office of Dean & Pitman a boy said Mr. Pitman was out of town and Mr. Dean at lunch. Then Chase once again took to his heels.

Breathlessly he dashed upon the porch and knocked on the door of the Dean house. Marjory opened it and uttered a cry at sight of Chase. " Where's --- your - father?" he demanded.

Marjory turned white and began to tremble. The blue eyes widened. " P-papa - is - is at lunch. Oh - Chase!"

"Tell him I want to see him quick - quick!" His sharp voice rang clearly through the house. A chair scraped and hurried steps preceded the appearance of Mr. Dean, a little weather-beaten man, of mild aspect.

"What's this?"

"Mr. Dean, I've been out to the oilwell. The field next to yours has been leased by the Monarch Co. They are drilling day and night, and they know they can't strike oil there. It 's a plot to ruin `The Geyser.' They'll sink a thousand pounds of dynamite, explode it, and forever ruin your well. Come on. You haven't much time. They're nearly ready. I saw everything. It's a cold fact. But you can hold them up. We'll get Wilson, the expert, and an officer, and stop the work. Come on ! Come on !"

Chapter
XV

THE GREAT GAME

ON the third day of the last series between Columbus and Findlay, the percentage of games won favored the former team by several points. If Columbus won the deciding game, which was the last on their schedule, they would win the pennant. If Findlay won, the percentage would go to a tie; but having three more games with the tail-end Mansfield team they were practically sure of capturing the flag.

The excitement in and about Findlay was intense. Stores and shops and fields closed before noon that Saturday. The pride of Findlay rose in arms. Class was forgotten in loyalty to the common cause.

The Pastime Ball Park opened at one o'clock and closed at two-thirty packed to its utmost capacity. Hundreds of people were left clamoring outside. The grandstand made a brave picture.

Quality was out in force today. The mass of white and blue of the ladies, and their bright moving fans and soft murmuring laughter lent the scene that last charm which made it softly gay. Out on the bleachers and in the roped off side-lines was a dense, hilarious, coatless, and vestless mob. Peanuts flew like hail in a storm. From one end of the grounds to the other passed a long ripple of unrestrained happiness. The sky shone blue, the field gleamed green, the hour of play was at hand. The practice of both teams received more applause than average games; and the batting order, at last posted on the huge black-board, elicited an extra roar.

FINDLAY
COLUMBUS
.

Winters
.
3B
Welch
.
LF
.

Thatcher
.
CF
Kelly
.
.
SS
.