Mr. Toppan was the Mayor, and the boys stared in amazement.
“Why—why he wouldn’t do that, would he?” gasped Gordon. “Not just for a ball game?”
“Sure, he would, if the _Reporter_ got after him hard. Say, you see that Point fellow, whatever his name is, and let me know by day after to-morrow. And don’t put it off too long. Let’s strike while the iron’s hot. Folks want to see baseball now. In another three weeks it’ll be about out of season. Well, that’s all. Glad to have met you fellows.” Mr. Potter shook hands briskly. “We’ll give Clearfield a ball game she won’t forget! Good-night. I’ll see you again in a day or two.”
When he was gone the two boys looked at each other a moment and then began to laugh.
“Rather takes your breath away, doesn’t he?” gasped Gordon.
“I should say so! And of all crazy stunts——”
“Get out! It’s going to be a heap of fun! I’m for it—strong!”
“So I see. But maybe the Pointers won’t care to take part in such a silly affair.”
“Why not? Why, we’ll offer them twenty-five per cent. of the gate receipts and they’ll be dead anxious.”
“Pshaw! They don’t need any money. What would they do with it?”
“Do with it? Why—why, what would anyone do with it? Eat it, of course!”
“That’s what I’d like to know. What are _we_ going to do with it, for instance?”
“Oh, there’s a lot of things we can do with it, Dick. We might—might give it to charity or—or—oh, lots of things!”
“Well, we’re in for it, anyway. I’ll talk to Caspar to-morrow. I guess two weeks from next Saturday would be a good date. The trouble is they’ve got a lot of games arranged and they may not be able to play us.”
“You tell them what this Potter chap says and whoop it up, Dick. They can cancel a game if they want to.”
True to his word, Mr. Potter started the ball rolling the next morning. The _Reporter_ contained an announcement on the front page under a big head:
MAY PLAY OFF TIE CLEARFIELD AND RUTTER’S POINT BALL TEAMS NEGOTIATE FOR THIRD GAME—BITTER RIVALRY EXISTS
“Who has the better ball team, Clearfield or Rutter’s Point? That’s the question that is agitating both this community and the summer colony at the end of the trolley. And, if present plans carry, it is a question that will soon be settled definitely, and, we hope, to the satisfaction of Clearfield. Negotiations are to be opened to-day between representatives of the two teams looking to a third and deciding contest to be played on the High School field some time between now and the end of the month. Each nine has won one game and each nine claims to be a little better than the other. Over at the Point they are so certain that they have the champion bunch of players that they’re willing to do most anything to secure another game with Clearfield. At this end of the line there is an equally strong conviction to the effect that our own aggregation has more than a shade on the Point team. That’s the way it stands now, but the _Reporter_ hopes to be able to announce in another day or two that the managers and backers of the rival teams have met and agreed on a deciding game. In which case we predict that those who are fortunate enough to witness the final battle will see a struggle they won’t forget in a long time. Watch for developments!”
