The next day, Lewis Morris rode over to Sugar Grove to expostulate with Larry. He had heard that the Heatons had offered Larry one thousand dollars and one-eighth of the gate-money. "Now," said he to Larry, "I cannot play with the nine, next season, neither can Al Heaton, and the chances are that Will Sprague will drop out, too. Charlie King does not need any pay or any income from the playing to induce him to go. So he will not want any gate-money. Geo. Buckner says he will go along as an extra man, and he will take neither salary nor gate-money. If we get Sam Morrison and Neddie Ellis, we shall have to pay them gate-money at least. But there will be, according to my figuring, only seven out of ten to draw on the gate-money, for Hiram Porter, I am sure, will decline to take anything for his services." Larry expressed his entire satisfaction with the terms offered him by Mr. Heaton, on behalf of the new club. He was willing to do what he could, short of any great sacrifice, to make up a strong nine. He would take less salary, or less of the income of the club, if that were necessary to induce the best men to join it. "That's very good of you, Larry, old boy," said Morris, heartily, "but you can't afford to waste your summer playing base ball for nothing. I want them to take Bill Van Orman from the Dean County boys. How do you think he would do?" "First-rate! First-rate!" cried Larry, with enthusiasm. "I do not think of another fellow on the river as good as he is as catcher, unless it is Al Heaton, and he is out of the question." "Unless it is Larry Boyne," said Morris, reproachfully. "You are a great sight better catcher than Bill Van Orman, and I should hope you would take that place if you were to go into the new Catalpa Nine." Larry protested that he had watched Van Orman's catching for two seasons, and had made up his mind that he was the best man in that position that could be got, now that Al Heaton was out of the field. Would Van Orman serve at all? "Oh, yes," replied Morris. "All of the Dean County boys are just wild to get into the new nine. They are willing to play for Catalpa, and they don't care whether they are in their own nine or in a new one. They drop all thoughts of rivalry, so far as the future is concerned." As Lewis Morris cantered back from his visit to Sugar Grove, he met Cyrus Ayres, driving homeward from town, his lumber-wagon making a great din as it rattled and rumbled over the rough, frozen road. The two young men exchanged greetings as they passed, and Cyrus call out to Lewis something which the noise of the wagon drowned; so, turning back, he said, "What was that you were saying about Bill Van Orman?"