At the time of making this promise the chief rascal had entertained no intention of forwarding the money. Thinking Grimes was badly frightened and would not dare return after going away, he had felt satisfied he would thus get rid of the fellow. Now here was Grimes back again and threatening to make further trouble. “I am a bad man to crowd!” Hammerswell snarled when he had finished thinking this matter over. “How infernally hot it is!” With this exclamation, he flung wide open one of the windows of his room, which had hitherto been but partly raised. This window opened onto the flat roof of the hotel veranda. Benton sat down near it, smoking a cigar and fanning himself with a fan he had picked up. “Little sleep for me to-night,” he growled. “Of course I know I’m not going to be beaten on all my bets to-morrow, still I’m nervous. I have the team to win both those games, with proper pitching. Yes, and I have the pitchers to win. They arrived in Rockford to-day. No one but myself knows of it. Slocum and Bretton are a pair to draw to. Slocum might be in the American League if he wished to play professional baseball, and he could command his own salary. Bretton has a record that makes him well known—too well known. I’ll run both these fellows in under fake names, in order not to let Fairhaven know what she’s up against. My team is onto both their pitchers. Even Merriwell can be batted at times, and the boys will go after him red-hot to-morrow. “No, it’s impossible that I should lose all my bets, and it’s quite likely I’ll win them all. If Rockford defeats Seaslope, Fairhaven must win both games in order to be tied for first place. It’s hardly possible Rockford will lose. Being at the head now, she’ll fight fiercely to keep that position. If she wins to-morrow and we take one of the two games from Fairhaven, I’ll win all my bets. In order for me to lose, Rockford must be defeated and Fairhaven must take both games from Maplewood. As far as that matter goes, there’s no reason why I shouldn’t roll into bed and sleep like a baby. Ah! but it’s impossible for me to sleep that way any more! The time is past when I can sleep straight through the night without my rest being broken. Ever since my encounter with Sullivan I’ve been troubled by bad dreams.