of McRae's sails and put himself in a better strategic position. If worst came to worst, he c

him a lecture, would accord him another chance. The prompt acceptance had caught him off his balance, and h

o blame everything and everybody else for his own shortcomings. He had been intensely vain of his position as captain of the team. His nature was, at bottom, petty and vindictive, and from the moment it dawned up

d and infield, never once thinking of the pitchers, who were assumed to be out of the question. The more he pondered, the more puzzled he became. Well, af

gled with apprehension, took the train for the long jump home. Relief that the disastrous Western trip

re she returned for a while to Goldsboro. Joe looked forward to these as golden days,

soon as he reached New York and to be able to go in and take his regular turn in t

the Pullman that first evening on the train that was

Giants around the world, she had gone along with

, gallantly. "When it comes to pi

," laughed Mabel. "I suppose you

l!" disclaimed Robbie,

een of Southern women," put in Mc

part about the w

e pitchers," said Mabel, her smil

the queen to let the king come along with Robbie and me into the

ock alarm. "Mac wants to fire me, but h

tter, I shouldn't wonder if you were honing to get rid of me. Go al

ed themselves comfortably. Then when the two olde

ike to be captain of

tely taken aba

ween the eyes, Mac," he responded. "Just what do

the reply. "But I haven't even that now. Here, read this,

with minut

't pretend that I'm surprised. But what strikes me all in a heap is your question to me. Reme

n the team that fills the bill. They'd rattle around in the position like a pea in a tincup. You'd fill it to perfection. That's the reason I offer it to you. You know, of course, that it means an i

knew that it would mean an immense addition to his work and his responsibilities. H

again he had groaned inwardly at baseball sins of omission and commission that

it increase their chances for the pennant? He decided that it woul

it, Mac," h

ain. "Don't think for a minute, Joe, that I don't appreciate the immense amount of

was as to whether it might affect my pitching or hitting. I wouldn't want

thing. I've never asked you to do anything yet that you haven't done to the queen's taste. You've developed into the best pitcher

ke in Robbie, his rubicund face aglow with satisf

s is there. All it needs is to be brought out. And you're the boy that's going to do it. Put your fighting spirit into them. I was going to say put your brai

it when you saw him?"

ness over that bonehead play, and how much to the fact that I accepted his resigna

ood deal better than McRae, was no

the change. You'll find them backing you up to the limit. The rookies, too, look up to you as a kingpin pitcher and batter, and they'll be just clay i

me to do my best,"

discuss with Robbie and me anything you think will be for the best interests of the team. If you think any man ought to be fired, tell me so. If you thin

esent. As to getting any new players, I saw something in the evening papers a half an hou

't looked at to-night's papers. But after all that won't do us a

thing is that all the other clubs in the American have waived claims

he played against us in the World Series? He

hard to manage in the first place, and then, too, he seems to be losing his effecti

elegram," said Joe. "Then I got to thinking it over. Wh

id McRae. "What

ue has one just like it. It isn't that it's so very effective when you come to know it. But because it's so unlike any other, it puzzles all teams until they get

o his pitching that it's lost its terrors. If any one of them bought him from the Yankees, they'd have t

him. In the meantime, he might have won two or three games from each of them before they solve

of yours is working day and night. I'll get in touch w