Quite an audience assembled for that final game. Day fellows brought
their sisters and their chums, and now and then a father or a mother,
while a few boys from the village, unable to follow their high school
nine away on a trip, came up to cheer for the Day Team. And of course
the Doctor and Mrs. Merton were there; the Doctor enjoyed a game of
baseball or football as much as any one; and equally, of course, Miss
Nancy Merton was on hand. Yes, it was quite a fair-sized audience,
and it couldn’t have had a finer day to sit on the settees along the
base lines and watch eighteen eager and excited youths do battle
for baseball supremacy. The sun was warm, but a little west breeze
mitigated its ardor. The sky was cloudless, the world green and fresh
and the air as soft and gentle as a caress.
The Junior Four Trophy stood imposingly on its ebony base in the
middle of a table for all to see. It glistened bravely in the sunlight
and the Junior Four and the Honorary Member were very proud of it. More
than once Nan, who sat a few feet away, bent forward to read her name
engraved on the silver cup. Mr. Folsom, who was to umpire on bases,
thus lending quite an air of Big League importance to the contest, was
surreptitiously studying the rules behind first base. But he hadn’t
progressed very far when Mr. Crane called “Play ball!”
House took the field and Day went to bat. Out in right field, a
ridiculously small figure in that expanse of green sward, stood Kid,
thumping his fielder’s glove with a bare fist impatiently. On second
base Sam Perkins called encouragement and tried to make himself believe
that he felt at home there. Behind the bat was Steve Lovell, looking
not a little nervous. Waters pitched, for it had been decided to get
the jump on Day at the start, if such a thing was possible, and win
the game in the first few innings. Ben, although barred from playing,
was directing the team from the bench. Beside him sat Bert, a bit
downhearted at being out of it.
White, first man up for Day, started the excitement with the first
ball pitched. It was “in the groove,” and White banged it down to
Perkins, waist-high. Sam caught it, dropped it, snatched it up again
and pegged it to first. But the throw was short and the ball struck the
ground a yard in front of Pierce, and, although that youth succeeded
in stopping it, the runner was safe. Turner worked a neat sacrifice.
O’Connell tried to score White from second and sent a fly to Lanny in
center. Lanny caught it, but his throw in was weak and White went to
third. Then Briggs slammed a liner between Crandall and Cupples, scored
White and took second himself. Grimshaw hit two fouls, both of which
Steve Lovell tried for and missed, and then placed a neat base-hit in
short left. Spooner should have been an easy out at first, but Stanley
Pierce dropped the ball and the bases were full. Waters was plainly
worried, and when, a moment later, Lovell let a pitch get by him and
two runs came in, Waters went straight up in the air. Tucker was
passed and so was Sibley. Day’s coachers danced and shrieked and their
supporters kept up a constant din intended to add further to Waters’
discomfort. But, strange to say, just when Ben was wondering whether
perhaps it would not be best to take Waters out before the game was
lost beyond recovery, the pitcher settled down and struck out “Toots”
Morgan with three pitched balls!
It was House’s turn to applaud and they didn’t miss it. But with three
runs against them the outlook wasn’t particularly bright. Captain
Turner surprised House by sending Sibley in to pitch, Morgan going into
the field. Ben was tickled indeed and saw in imagination all sorts of
hits streaking over the landscape. But Sibley wasn’t as easy to-day.
In spite of the fact that the first two batters up hit him safely,
he managed to crawl out of an awkward situation without having a run
scored against him.
There was no scoring by either team in the second. Day got a man to
third, but he died there when Lovell raced into the crowd and pulled
down a foul. House had hopes when George Waters hit a two-bagger, but
there were already two men out and Lanny, who followed him at the
plate, couldn’t make good and was thrown out easily at first.
Day started the third inning by hitting a long fly into right field.
Kid had to travel back to reach it and then let it bounce out of that
famous glove of his. The error was good for three bases. A passed ball
let the runner score. But after that Waters again settled down and
there were no more hits in the inning. House failed to reach first
and, with the score four to nothing, the fourth inning began. Day went
out in order, and for House Cupples found Sibley for a bunt and beat
out the ball, going to second a minute later when Crandall trickled the
ball along the first base line and was tagged out by Sibley. Gardner
offered at two deliveries and then waited and got his base. Kid struck
out miserably, swinging at everything that came. Waters again got a hit
and Cupples raced in from second for the first tally. Lanny flied out
to shortstop.
The fifth inning was filled with errors on each side, but no runs were
scored. The sixth gave Day another tally when Grimshaw banged the ball
out for a home run. Then Waters struck out Spooner, made Tucker pop
a fly to Pierce and passed Sibley only to catch him napping a moment
later off first base. House went into the sixth with the score five
to nothing and Ben was gnawing his finger-nails on the bench. Perkins
leaned against the first delivery and the shortstop found it too hard
to handle. He went to second when Pierce flied out to left field. Then
Sibley let down and Lovell hit safely past third and Perkins scored
House’s second run. Cupples drew a pass. Crandall advanced the runners
but went out at first. Gardner was ordered to bother Sibley and try
for a pass. So he waved his bat back and forth and jumped around in
the box, while the House coachers yelled themselves hoarse back of
the bases. Two balls――one strike――three balls――two strikes――and then,
“Four balls; take your base,” said Mr. Crane. A shriek of triumph went
up from House. Turner ran over from first base and Sibley tossed the
ball down. “Toots” was already trotting in from left field. Turner was
taking no chances, it seemed.
Morgan stepped into the box with two out and three on bases.
Unfortunately for House, it was Kid’s turn at bat. Had there been any
one to take his place Ben would have pulled Kid out of the game then
and there, but there wasn’t, and so Kid was told to seem eager to hit
but to offer at nothing. Ben, knowing Morgan to be cold, trusted that
he would be unable to put three strikes over. But although Kid looked
anxiously for that secret signal that was to give him a hit he didn’t
see it. And a moment later he was trotting dejectedly out to the field,
disposed of with four pitched balls.
Day filled the bases in the seventh with one out, the out being Morgan.
Briggs banged the ball to Crandall and Crandall dropped it long enough
to let Day add her sixth run and for Briggs to reach first in safety.
Grimshaw went out on a long fly and another tally came over. Then, to
the immense relief of House, Spooner hit a liner to Waters, who knocked
it down and threw it to first for the third out.
But House was beaten. There could be no doubt of that. The score was 7
to 2 and only three innings remained for House. With Morgan pitching
his customary good game it was very doubtful whether House could score
once, to say nothing of five times! But Ben declared that it was
the lucky seventh and House supporters took up the cry and shouted
encouragingly as Waters tapped the plate with his bat. Morgan seemed a
little slower than usual to-day. Ben, watching intently from the bench,
was puzzled. Usually “Toots” sent in his deliveries almost as fast as
White could get the ball back to him. But this afternoon there was an
appreciable delay each time. “Toots” took longer for his “wind-up” and
when the ball left his hand it appeared to lack its usual snap. Ben
wondered whether it was possible that Morgan was a little off-color.
He called Lanny, who was waiting to bat, and whispered to him. Lanny
nodded doubtfully. At that instant there was a sharp _crack_ and Waters
was speeding to first. But the ball was only a long fly and the Day
Team’s center fielder got under it after a hard race and pulled it
down. Lanny was fooled twice on what “Toots” called his “fade-away” and
then slammed a hit past second baseman. Perkins went to bat and Lanny
immediately took what looked like a dangerous lead off first. Morgan
turned and watched him a second, threw the ball across half-heartedly
and then paid no more attention to the runner. On the second ball
Perkins swung, and Lanny sped to second. House howled gleefully. Then
a pop fly to third baseman turned Perkins away and made it two out.
Pierce, however, got a lift by reason of second baseman’s error, and
Lanny went to third and might have scored in the subsequent confusion.
But with Steve Lovell up a run still looked likely and House clamored
for it. The best Steve could do, however, was to get a pass to first.
And then, with the bases full, Cupples trickled an easy grounder to
third baseman and the latter had only to step back and tag the bag with
his foot for the final out of the inning.
Day added still another run to her swelling score in the first of the
eighth, a base hit, an error by Crandall and a wild pitch by Waters
contributing.
House was losing hope. Day had a lead of six runs now. Crandall went
out promptly, third baseman to first. Gardner drove a long screecher
into right field and only a hair-raising one-handed catch by Briggs
stopped him. Then, with two out, Kid again came to the sacrifice. Kid
had lost all hope of getting that hit by now. It seemed to be his part
to stand at the plate and let the opposing pitcher toy with him! But
he squared himself bravely enough, swung his bat knowingly and seemed
to dare Morgan to do his worst. It seemed that Morgan was going to
do it too, for his first ball was high and wide and his next one hit
the plate. The coachers, thinking he was faltering, began to dance
and shout. Kid waited for the next delivery, hoping that it would be
another ball. Perhaps, at least, he was to win the honor of reaching
first on a pass! But what was this? Why was “Toots” fingering his cap?
The catcher had given the signal. What――then Kid suddenly realized that
“Toots” had not forgotten his promise, after all, that he was going to
pitch a straight and easy one so that Kid might make a hit! Kid seized
the bat firmly, his heart thumping, and waited while Morgan lazily
wound up and then shot his hand forward. Straight and true came the
ball. Kid watched it breathlessly. Was it going to break? But no, there
was no “stuff” on that ball. It came right over the center of the
plate a foot above Kid’s knees, and Kid’s bat took it squarely on the
trade-mark.
_Bang!_
Kid dropped his bat and scurried for first. Over second baseman’s
head went the ball. Kid swung around first and headed for second. The
coachers were shouting unintelligible things to him as he ran. Out
between center field and right O’Connell and Briggs were racing. Kid
reached second and turned to look. What had happened? Two fielders
were scurrying along with their backs to him. From somewhere came the
insistent cry: “_Come on, Kid! Come on! Take third!_” Kid started
again, his small legs twinkling above the dust. Out in deep field
Briggs was throwing the ball to second baseman. At third Steve Lovell,
shouting and waving, sent Kid toward home. His heart was pounding
against his ribs like a sledge-hammer as he made for the plate where
White, with outstretched hands and anxious, puckered face, awaited the
ball. Somehow, without seeing, Kid knew that the ball was coming. He
was still a dozen feet away from the plate. Twenty voices were crying
to him to slide, but Kid didn’t hear them. He did slide, but he did it
instinctively. Kid struck the plate at the instant the ball landed in
the catcher’s mitten. And although White swung for him frantically, Kid
was safe. He had made a home run!
They picked him up from between White’s legs and thumped him on the
back and yelled hoarsely in triumph. Kid, rescuing his cap, grinned
toward where “Toots,” hands on hips and his face eloquent of surprise
and chagrin, was standing. Then in a voice that easily carried to
“Toots” Kid observed carelessly: “He isn’t hard to hit!”
After that it should have been all over, but to-day the unexpected
happened. “Toots,” still dazed, as it seemed, passed Waters in spite
of that youth’s attempt to hit, bounded the ball off Lanny’s knee and
then, with first and second bases occupied, let Perkins drive out a
clean-cut hit! Waters romped home, Lanny went to second and House
became frantic. How the coachers yelled! For that matter how every one
yelled! “Toots” was going fast. He was plainly in distress. Stanley
Pierce smashed out a two bagger, scoring Lanny and sending Perkins to
third. Lovell drew a pass, Cupples singled, Crandall doubled, Gardner
reached his base on an error by shortstop, and Kid came again to the
bat.
The score was tied at 8 to 8 and the bases were filled. House yelled
for another “homer.” Kid, outwardly calm and assured but inwardly
trembling, again faced “Toots.” “Toots” observed him puzzledly. The
first delivery was wild and White barely stopped it from getting by
him. Kid grinned and, raising one hand to his cap, wiggled his fingers!
Morgan looked and faltered. Two balls! White hurried down to talk it
over. They whispered together. White thumped “Toots” encouragingly
on the back. “Toots” nodded and braced his shoulders. But Kid saw
the look of distress that flitted across the pitcher’s face, and he
grinned cruelly. Again he wiggled his fingers, while the audience
shouted excitedly or held their breath in suspense. “Three balls!”
cried Mr. Crane. Bedlam was let loose then! Ben jumped from the bench
and executed a Highland fling and threw handfuls of grass in the air.
Behind first Perkins did a hand-spring. Turner ran over to “Toots” and
pleaded with him. “Toots” was seen to place a hand on the region of his
stomach and shake his head. “Play ball!” shrieked House. Turner talked
and talked and “Toots” nodded dispiritedly and faced his fate. The ball
sped forward, Kid let it pass and dropped his bat. But, “Strike one!”
cried Mr. Crane.
Kid viewed him reproachfully, and recovered his bat. “He can’t do it
again, Kid!” shouted Ben. But he did do it again, nevertheless, even
though the effort caused him a good deal of discomfort, as Kid could
see. Then it all depended on the next ball. “Toots” wound up slowly,
his face scowling with pain, and out went his arm. The ball started
well, but the break was wrong. Down and down it came. Kid stepped back
from the plate and the ball thumped into White’s mitt.
“Four balls,” said Mr. Crane. “Take your base!”
Amidst pandemonium Harold Cupples trotted home from third with House’s
ninth run! Kid went to first and the bases were still full. With Waters
at bat at least one more tally seemed possible, but Fortune came to the
aid of “Toots.” Waters swung at the first offering and the ball danced
up into the sunlight to settle in third baseman’s glove!
Heroically Day struggled to retrieve her lost lead. But George Waters
arose grandly to the occasion and was as firm as a rock. The first man
was struck out and the second went out at first. Then it was Morgan’s
turn at bat. But a substitute went in instead. This wasn’t finesse, but
necessity, for poor “Toots” was being half led and half carried to the
house where, for the next hour or so he was dosed with Jamaica ginger
and similar remedies. It was a most mysterious attack and the only two
persons who could have thrown light on it remained silent, “Toots”
himself because he was much too unhappy to explain and Kid because, so
far, Ben had forgotten all about the change from that five dollar bill!
And, besides, just at present, Kid was much too busy. That substitute
batter had insisted on prolonging the agony. With two strikes on him he
refused to acknowledge himself beaten. Anxious to bring the game to an
end, Waters put one over “in the groove.” _Whack!_ Out into right field
sped the ball, high and far. Around the bases raced the batsman. Day,
scenting victory at the eleventh hour, arose to their feet and shrieked
their triumph. But they were reckoning without their host. Far out in
the field a pair of small legs were streaking over the sod. A glance
over his shoulder, and Kid paused and wheeled. Up went his hands. What
was a catch like that to the fellow who had batted “Toots” Morgan for
a home run? Down came the ball, hesitantly at first, then with a rush.
Straining eyes watched as it thumped into Kid’s big glove. Then a roar
of joy went up from House. Kid had caught it! The game was over! House
had won!
[Illustration: “Straining eyes watched as it thumped into Kid’s big
glove.”]
Two minutes later, with Ben proudly bearing the Junior Four Trophy
and striding ahead, the victorious team marched back to the school,
cheering and shouting. And close at Ben’s elbow marched Kid, his hands
still tingling from the ball.
“_Io Triumphus!_” he chanted.