Five Thousand an Hour: How Johnny Gamble Won the Heiress
who had come into this box because of a huge admiration for Polly and an almost extravagant respect for Constance, and who had heartily wished himself out of it during the last two or three innings, now happily discovered a familiar face only a few rows back of him. "By George, Johnny, there's Courtney now!" he announced. 

 Gamble looked with keen interest. 

 "Do you mean that gentleman with the ruddy face and the white beard?" he inquired. 

 "That's the old pirate," asserted the colonel. 

 "Why, that's the man you wanted to introduce me to at the race-track in Baltimore Saturday." 

 "Bless my heart, so I did!" he remembered. "I thought it might relieve him to tell his troubles to you. It isn't too late yet. Come on up and I'll introduce you—that is, unless you want to watch this game." 

 "I'm pleased to pass up this game till somebody makes an error," Johnny willingly decided. "If they'll hand out a base on balls and a safe bunt and hit a batter, so as to get three men on bases with two out, and then muft a high fly out against the fence, and boot the ball all over the field while four of the Reds gallop home—I'll stay and help lynch the umpire; otherwise not. Show me to your friend Courtney." He turned to take courteous leave of the others and his eyes met the friendly glance of Constance. 

 "Let's catch Mr. Courtney at the end of the game," he suggested to the colonel; and then, turning directly to Constance, he added with a laugh: "I think I'll play hooky. I don't want to break up the party." 

 "If you think you see an opportunity for that million, the official scorer insists upon saying good-by," she laughed in return, and held out her hand. 

 Johnny shook the hand with both pleasure and reluctance, and obediently left. 

 "I'm offering my pet vanity parasol against a sliver of chewing-gum on Johnny," Polly confided to Loring. "I could see it in his eye that Mr. Courtney will be invited to help him make that million." 

 "Somebody ought to warn Courtney," Gresham commented sarcastically. 

 "Why warn him?" demanded Loring. "I'll guarantee that any proposition Johnny makes him will be legitimate." 

 "No doubt," agreed Gresham. "A great many 
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