“True enough,” admitted Jackwell, a little shamefacedly. “But, as a matter of fact, we didn’t go by our own names while in Dallas. You see we thought the rest of the baseball players would think that we were kind of hard up to be working in the season when most of them are resting. I can see now that it was a foolish sort of feeling. But, as Ben said, actors and actresses don’t go by their right names, and authors use names that are not their own, and we had as much right to do it as they had.” “I suppose you had,” admitted Joe. “Though in business I think it’s a mistake not to go under your own name. What names did you go by?” “Dan was Miller and I was Thompson,” put in Bowen, who up to now had let Jackwell do most of the talking. “So you see they don’t know Jackwell and Bowen, but they might recognize our faces, just the same. I suppose they have descriptions of us, and that’s the reason we hate to go on the field when we see they’re around.” “And why you pull your caps down over your faces when you do go out,” added Joe. “Well, boys, I’m glad you’ve told me what’s been bothering you. Perhaps the very telling will take some of the load off your mind. For the present, I’m going to take your word for it that you didn’t knowingly do any wrong. But I tell you frankly that I’m going to have the matter looked up, and if you haven’t told me the truth, you’ll have to get off the team. McRae won’t have any one on the Giants that isn’t as white as a hound’s tooth, as far as character is concerned. “But in the meantime, you’ve got to play ball. We can’t let your personal troubles interfere with the success of the Giants. There’s been many a time when I’ve had a load of trouble on my mind, but I’ve played ball just the same. The chances are that you’re magnifying this thing, anyway. You don’t really know that there are any warrants out for you at all. You say you heard there were, but the chances are that if there were they’d have nabbed you before you heard anything about the warrants. Those government fellows don’t hire a brass band to let you know they’re coming. Perhaps you’re tormenting yourselves about something that never happened. And even if it did, the agents have lots of bigger cases to look after, and they may have forgotten that you’re alive. But whether they have or not, the thing that interests me just now as captain of the Giants, is whether or not you fellows are going to play the game. How about it?” “I will, Mr. Matson,” said Jackwell, with decision. “I’m going to put this thing out of my mind and play the game for all it’s worth.” “Count me in on that,” declared Bowen, with emphasis.