{"product_id":"2940013652866","title":"THE CASH BOY","description":"CHAPTER I\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA REVELATION\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA group of boys was assembled in an open field to the west of the public\u003cbr\u003eschoolhouse in the town of Crawford. Most of them held hats in their\u003cbr\u003ehands, while two, stationed sixty feet distant from each other, were\u003cbr\u003e\"having catch.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTom Pinkerton, son of Deacon Pinkerton, had just returned from Brooklyn,\u003cbr\u003eand while there had witnessed a match game between two professional\u003cbr\u003eclubs. On his return he proposed that the boys of Crawford should\u003cbr\u003eestablish a club, to be known as the Excelsior Club of Crawford, to play\u003cbr\u003eamong themselves, and on suitable occasions to challenge clubs belonging\u003cbr\u003eto other villages. This proposal was received with instant approval.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I move that Tom Pinkerton address the meeting,\" said one boy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Second the motion,\" said another.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs there was no chairman, James Briggs was appointed to that position,\u003cbr\u003eand put the motion, which was unanimously carried.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTom Pinkerton, in his own estimation a personage of considerable\u003cbr\u003eimportance, came forward in a consequential manner, and commenced as\u003cbr\u003efollows:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Mr. Chairman and boys. You all know what has brought us together. We\u003cbr\u003ewant to start a club for playing baseball, like the big clubs they have\u003cbr\u003ein Brooklyn and New York.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"How shall we do it?\" asked Henry Scott.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"We must first appoint a captain of the club, who will have power to\u003cbr\u003eassign the members to their different positions. Of course you will want\u003cbr\u003eone that understands about these matters.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"He means himself,\" whispered Henry Scott, to his next neighbor; and\u003cbr\u003ehere he was right.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Is that all?\" asked Sam Pomeroy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"No; as there will be some expenses, there must be a treasurer to\u003cbr\u003ereceive and take care of the funds, and we shall need a secretary to\u003cbr\u003ekeep the records of the club, and write and answer challenges.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Boys,\" said the chairman, \"you have heard Tom Pinkerton's remarks.\u003cbr\u003eThose who are in favor of organizing a club on this plan will please\u003cbr\u003esignify it in the usual way.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAll the boys raised their hands, and it was declared a vote.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"You will bring in your votes for captain,\" said the chairman.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTom Pinkerton drew a little apart with a conscious look, as he supposed,\u003cbr\u003eof course, that no one but himself would be thought of as leader.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSlips of paper were passed around, and the boys began to prepare their\u003cbr\u003eballots. They were brought to the chairman in a hat, and he forthwith\u003cbr\u003etook them out and began to count them.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Boys,\" he announced, amid a universal stillness, \"there is one vote for\u003cbr\u003eSam Pomeroy, one for Eugene Morton, and the rest are for Frank Fowler,\u003cbr\u003ewho is elected.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere was a clapping of hands, in which Tom Pinkerton did not join.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrank Fowler, who is to be our hero, came forward a little, and spoke\u003cbr\u003emodestly as follows:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Boys, I thank you for electing me captain of the club. I am afraid I am\u003cbr\u003enot very well qualified for the place, but I will do as well as I can.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe speaker was a boy of fourteen. He was of medium height for his age,\u003cbr\u003estrong and sturdy in build, and with a frank prepossessing countenance,\u003cbr\u003eand an open, cordial manner, which made him a general favorite. It was\u003cbr\u003enot, however, to his popularity that he owed his election, but to the\u003cbr\u003efact that both at bat and in the field he excelled all the boys, and\u003cbr\u003etherefore was the best suited to take the lead.","brand":"SAP","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47152724312304,"sku":"2940013652866","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940013652866_p0.jpg?v=1763583887","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940013652866","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}