“Ger-ladly, old sport! I’ll bet you”――Jack’s eyes twinkled about the cases and shelves――“I’ll bet you one of those nice leather bat-cases, Frank. I’ve always wanted a bat-case. How much are they, Tom?” “A dollar and a quarter and two seventy-five.” “I mean the all-leather ones.” “Two seventy-five.” “That’s the idea. How does that strike you, Frank? Feel like spending that much to make me happy?” “Yes, but I don’t happen to want a bat-case, thanks. Think of something else.” “Then I’ll buy you a couple of pairs of lavender gloves to wear to the parties.” “Quit fooling and say something. What do I get if I win?” “What do you want that doesn’t cost more than the bat-bag?” “I don’t know. Leave it that I’m to pick out anything I like up to that amount, eh?” “Certainly. Gentlemen, you’ve heard the terms of the wager. If, at the end of the season, Frank has played in more games than I have he comes in here and goes the limit――up to two dollars and three-quarters. If, on the other hand――――” “Why do I have to buy the thing here?” asked Frank. “Because I want to see my friend Mr. Pollock make a little money. Tom ought to get something out of it, Frank.” “Oh, all right. I’ll find something I want, I guess.” “As I was saying when so rudely interrupted,” resumed Jack, “if, on the other hand, Frank plays in no more games than I do he comes across with one of those perfectly beautiful and useless bat-bags which Tom prices at two dollars and seventy-five cents and which you can get from the mail-order house for a dollar sixty-nine.” “You try it,” laughed Tom. “I don’t need to. The cost doesn’t interest me a bit. Well, that is the wager, gentlemen. May the best man win――so long as it’s me. Come on, Joey. So long, Tom. Bye, Frank. By the way, which way are you going from here?” “You wait around and find out, old chap.” “Won’t tell? Sorry. I wanted to stand on the corner and see you go by.” “What did you do that for?” remonstrated Joe when they were on the sidewalk again. “Do what? Make that bet? Oh, just for fun. Besides, I’m pretty sure to win it.” “I didn’t mean the bet, you chump. I meant why did you rag him like that? He thinks you meant that I’m the one who’s to beat him out at first.” “So you are,” answered Jack calmly. “As for why I did it, I did it because I couldn’t help it, Joey. Frank gives me a severe pain every time I meet him and I just can’t resist the temptation to have a little fun with him.” “He took it all right,” said Joe. “He’s good-natured, I guess.” “You guess again,” said Jack grimly. “He’s good-natured when he knows it would look silly to get mad, but he’s got a disposition like a――a――What is it that has a disposition?” “You!” laughed Joe. “You’ve got a nasty one at times.” “Meaning just now? Was I specially rude, Joey? Maybe I was a bit nasty. Well, never mind. You can’t really hurt Handsome Frank’s feelings. If you could he’d be black-and-blue by this time!”