"Oh, Joe, I'm so proud of you," sighed his mother happily. "You're a brother worth having!" exclaimed Clara warmly. Jim was on the point of saying that Joe was a brother-in-law worth having, but checked himself in time. They had almost reached the house when Clara began to laugh. "What's the joke?" inquired Jim. But Clara only laughed the harder until they became a little alarmed. "No, I'm not hysterical," she said, when she could speak. "I only happened to remember what tune it was the orchestra played. I suppose it was the first thing the leader thought of, and he didn't have time to pick out another. Do you remember what it was?" They cudgeled their brains, but could not recall it. "What was it?" asked Jim. "'There'll Be a Hot Time in the Old Town To-night!'" CHAPTER III THE STRANGER'S VISIT Promptly the next morning at eleven, Westland put in an appearance at the Matson home. He was carefully groomed and everything about him indicated money. He fairly exuded prosperity. He greeted Joe with a cordiality that seemed a trifle overdone, considering their brief acquaintance. "By George, Mr. Matson," he said, "this town has fallen for you all right. The whole place is buzzing with that affair of last night, and I don't wonder. If it hadn't been for you, the coroner and undertaker would be busy this morning." "Oh, I don't know," responded Joe. "If I hadn't got to it someone else would. It wasn't much of a blaze anyway, and ten to one it would have gone out of itself." "Modest I see," laughed Westland. "They say that all great men are. But you can't get anyone in this town to take such a slighting view of it as you do yourself." "You said last night that you had a business matter you wanted to see me about," suggested Joe, in order to change the subject. "So I have," replied Westland, "and I've traveled over a thousand miles to talk to you personally about it." He lighted a fresh cigar while Joe waited indifferently. He had been interviewed so much in the last year or two on all conceivable subjects that his curiosity was scarcely awakened. "Of course, Mr. Matson," began Westland, "you've heard of the new major league that has just been organized and----" Joe's bored feeling vanished and he was wide-awake in an instant. So this was what the visit meant! Jim's prediction was coming true sooner than he had expected. "Pardon me, Mr. Westland," he interrupted, "but if this is about baseball, I have a friend visiting me who is as much interested in the game as I am. In fact, he's a player himself. It's Jim Barclay of the Giants. You've heard of him, of course. Hello there, Jim!" he called, as he threw open the door into the adjoining room, where Jim was watching a distracting dimple come and go in Clara's cheek as they chatted together. "Really, Mr. Matson," said Westland, visibly flustered, "much as I would like to meet Mr. Barclay, I would rather----"