He entered the booth, and closed the door. Those outside heard him shouting into the receiver a few minutes later: “What? What’s that? Say it over. Ain’t you got that wrong end to? Well, I swan to man! Good-by.” The minute he could push open the door and stick his head out, he cried: “The Bucks have gone up! The Boobs beat ’em four to two. We’re at the head of the league. Hooray!” CHAPTER XXXIX A TROUBLED MIND A person who has never had any experience with baseball in the bush can scarcely realize the effect upon Deering of the knowledge that the local team had jumped into the lead and stood more than a fair prospect, managed by Kennedy, of winning the championship. The place, which ordinarily seemed rather sleepy and lifeless, suddenly seethed. Almost everyone, save crabbed old men or cranks prejudiced against the game, talked baseball, praised Kennedy, and speculated concerning his new left-handed wonder, who had beaten the dangerous Buccaneers. On Saturday afternoon the crowd that came streaming out to the field gladdened the hearts of the team’s backers by the manner in which they forked over their quarters at the box office. A flow of silver poured in, and the Deers, who had once seemed likely to end the season several hundred dollars in debt, saw a prospect of coming out ahead in finances――a prospect which made everyone rejoice. Of course Lefty Locke was the hero of the day. Everyone stared at him. The girls whispered and giggled as they looked in his direction, and even young married women discreetly ventured to say that they considered him a very handsome man. There was something about his reserved bearing, the melancholy touch in his face, and the somber shadow in his eyes which seemed poetical and fascinating to those of the fair sex who observed him. In some manner, stories about him began to be whispered around. It was suggested that he had a broken heart, caused by some foolish girl, who had thrown him over for another man. Another story was that he was mourning for his sweetheart, who had died. The one humorous yarn of the lot was that he was a married man and the father of several children. But no matter what baseless speculation was circulated, each and every one of these stories simply made him seem all the more fascinating and attractive to the young women of Deering. But Lefty favored not one of them with more than a passing glance, and never in his eyes was there as much as a twinkling light. They had a chance to see Locke in action in the ninth inning, when, after pitching a great game to that point, Sullivan let down a little, and the Boobs, scampering over the sacks as they chose, threatened to snatch victory from defeat. Old Jack was watching every turn like a hawk, and promptly he pulled Sullivan from the mound, and sent out Locke, who had warmed up once before and once during the game, but was now cold.