Page:Lefty o' the Bush.djvu/166

 "There, there! You see—you see, you were mistaken, Bent. I knew—I knew you must be! I knew it could not be true. I was sure Lefty—he—Mr. Locke wouldn't do a thing like that. I'm so glad!"

But, although surprised by the man's nerve, Benton King was not jostled from the perch of belief on which he had settled. He had thought that the fellow, fairly cornered, would not dare to make a point-blank denial. It seemed, however, that Locke had elected to play the hand out, even with the leading trumps against him. He turned and smiled into the blue eyes of the rejoicing girl.

"And I am glad to know you felt so sure I wouldn't do a thing like that. I trust your confidence in me may never waver."

"For real, pure bluff," thought Bent King, "that's the limit! But it's a losing game. He's fouled himself now for fair."

Getting his breath, he spoke aloud:

"It's strange I should make such a mistake, Mr. Locke—very strange. Of course, I know that many college players go in for summer ball on the quiet. Just to satisfy my own curiosity, I've sent for some information concerning Paul Hazelton, who made a record by pitching and winning two of Princeton's big games recently. Of course, as