"You're pretty strong with Captain Raferty, of the North Nineteenth Street police, aren't you?" "Yes--I've done him some favors." "Well, I want you to fix it with him that when I bring a prisoner in to-night some time he's to be locked downstairs and kept until you telephone to let him loose." "What are you going to do?" asked Baldwin, alarmed. "I'm going to do something myself," replied the gambler sharply. "I've tried a lot of you fellows and you've all fallen down. Now I'm going to get this McCarthy and put him out of the way." "You're taking an awful risk"---- "It's a sure thing the other way, and I'm desperate," the gambler cut him short. "When you get that fixed you catch the first train and follow the team. You get Clancy in the morning and force him to let Williams pitch one of the games down there. Wilcox is worked out now, and if we can make sure Williams will pitch one game, that will force Clancy to pitch Wilcox again, and he'll be beaten sure. With McCarthy out of the game, as he will be, the Bears haven't a chance. They're half a game ahead, but if they lose two out of three and the Panthers win one out of their remaining two games, the Panthers beat them out on percentage, and the Panthers ought to win both games." "You haven't cornered McCarthy yet?" asked the politician. "No," admitted Edwards. "He left the hotel nearly two hours ago and said he'd be back before ten o'clock. I have two men watching him, and they're to let me know where he is and what he is doing. I ought to have heard from them before now." The telephone rang at that instant. "This is it now," said Edwards in low tones. "Hello!" he said, taking up the receiver. "Yes--you, Jack? All right. You have? Where? All right. I'll join you as fast as I can get there. Don't let him reach the hotel if I'm late--you understand?" "What do you think of that?" he asked, turning to Baldwin. "Of all the gall--where do you think that fellow McCarthy was?" "I don't know." "No wonder Jack had such a hard time locating him. He was at your house." "I have a taxi waiting downstairs," said Edwards quickly. "Come on, I'll drop you at the police station. We'll bring in the prisoner before you've been there very long." "How are you going to get him?" inquired Baldwin, as the taxi dodged in and out among traffic. "I've got Big Jack, the fighter, trailing McCarthy," said the gambler, laughing mirthlessly. "He's sore on ball players since that scrap with Swanson and Kennedy the other night, and he'll welcome a chance to get his hands on one." "He won't hurt him, will he?" asked Baldwin nervously. "No, he won't hurt him," replied the gambler with scornful sarcasm. "Not a bit. He'll probably take him in his lap and sing him to sleep." "This is dangerous business," objected Baldwin nervously. "We might all get into trouble." "We're all in trouble now," snapped Edwards. "You leave the trouble end of it to me."