IN A NEW FIELD.
"I wish so many of the Catalpa folks had not come in to see the game,
to-day," said Larry Boyne, discontentedly, on the morning of the first
of the championship series of games in Chicago, late in the following
October. "It is bad enough to feel like a cat in a strange garret as I
do here, without the feeling added of being watched by our friends from
home, who will be so awfully cut up if we do not win."
"But you are not afraid of our losing, are you, Larry? And I am sure
there is one young lady, at least, whose smiles will encourage you,"
said Hiram Porter, with a grin that was meant to be sly and also
cheery. "It is pretty generally understood among the boys (and as long
as we are alone together, there is no need of our being shamefaced
about it) that you and Miss Alice have come to an understanding, as the
saying is. You needn't say whether that is so or not, Larry, my boy.
But, if I were in your place, I would be glad to have those beautiful
and sympathetic eyes watching my play. It would make me put in my very
best licks, you may be sure of that."
Larry murmured something about there being a difference in people, and
turned the subject to the preparations to be made for the day's event.
The Catalpas had had only a little opportunity to make themselves
familiar with the Chicago base ball grounds. At the end of a game
played on the previous day, they had a little practice at pitching, and
had taken in the situation of the arena sufficiently to enable them to
be not entirely strangers to the place.
They found themselves inside of a complete enclosure, skirted by a
grand stand at one end and uncovered and open seats at the other. A
high board fence bounded the grassy lawn on which the Diamond Field was
laid, and the seats for spectators rose above this fence, so that the
players were securely left to their own devices while the game should
be in progress. A breeze from the lake, tempered by the October sun,
swept over the grounds, and was broken, when the wind arose, by the
screen formed by the board enclosure.
When the nine, with beating hearts and quickened pulses, entered the
grounds on the day so fraught with importance to them, they were a
little dumbfounded to see that an immense crowd of people, perhaps ten
thousand, all told, occupied the vast array of seats that lined the
amphitheater. A brass band blared and brayed in a tall stand set apart
for them, and the entrance of the Catalpa nine was the signal for a
burst of kindly applause that helped to reassure the lads composing
that now well-known club. Since the matches played in the river towns,
the nine had met some of the best-known clubs in the State, and in
Iowa. With varying success, but generally doing credit to their own
native place, the Catalpas had attracted attention by their uniformly
excellent play, their manly bearing, and by their steady habits.
They had made no enemies. So, when the young fellows, clad in their
blue and white uniform, came into the range of vision of the throngs
in the grand stand and boxes, a round of applause greeted them, and
one enthusiastic citizen from Catalpa, no less a person than the
deputy sheriff of Dean County, ventured to propose three cheers for
the Catalpa nine. The proposition fell very flat, and, covered with
confusion, the deputy sheriff sat down and mopped his manly brow.
As Hiram Porter threw up the penny for the toss, Larry's eye
involuntarily sought a curtained box to which his attention had been
directed, the day before, as he had inspected the grounds in company
with Miss Ida Boardman, Miss Alice Howell and two other ladies from
Catalpa. The party was under the guidance of Mr. Heaton. Albert was
never long in one place. He was too highly excited to be depended upon
as an escort for the young ladies, and he divided his time between his
old companions of the Catalpa nine and the pitcher of the Calumets,
Samuel Morse, an old school chum, who had helped signally in arranging
the present contest.
So, as Larry's glance lighted on the first box to the right of the
grand stand, it caught an answering smile from Miss Alice, and Albert
Heaton, who was momentarily fluttering about the box, waved his hand to
the favorite third base man of the Catalpas and said, under his breath,
"Sail in, old boy!"
"You don't imagine that Mr. Boyne heard that, do you, in all this
noise?" asked Alice, with rosy face and sparkling eyes.
"No, I don't suppose that Larry heard or saw anything but what he saw
and guessed at in that telegraphic look of yours, Miss Ally," replied
Albert, mockingly. "Larry, the dear boy, knows well enough what I would
be saying to him; and I hope he knows what you would be telegraphing
him by way of encouragement. Hurrah! Hiram has won the toss! He'll send
the Calumets to the bat, see if he don't."
Albert was right. The home club were sent to the bat, and Thomas Walsh,
of the Black Hawks, took his place as umpire. This was the order in
which the two clubs were named and stationed on that eventful day:--
_Catalpas._
Larry Boyne, 3d B.
Samuel Morrison, L.F.
Neddie Ellis, C.F.
Charlie King, P.
Hart Stirling, 2d B.
John Brubaker, R.F.
Hiram Porter, 1st B. (Capt.)
Ben Burton, S.S.
Wm. Van Orman, C.
_Calumets._
Darius Ayres, 1st B. (Capt.)
Samuel Morse, P.
John Handy, 3d B.
Rob Peabody, R.F.
Thomas Shoff, C.F.
Glenn Otto, S.S.
James Kennedy, 2d B.
Charlie Webb, C.
James McWilliams, L.F.
The Catalpa boys thought there should have been breathless silence
in the enclosure as Hiram Porter, having carefully placed his men,
called to the umpire "play!" Play was accordingly called, but there
was silence, by no means, in the grounds. The clatter of late comers
reaching their seats, the buzz of conversation that yet arose from the
crowds in the amphitheater, and the cry of boys selling score-cards
disturbed the serenity of the ardent champions of the Catalpa Nine.
They wondered why people should talk when so momentous a game was
about opening. And Alice, with a feverish sigh of impatience, said to
Miss Ida that she should think that the Chicago people had very little
manners. Whereupon Miss Anstress, with great severity, said that the
spectators were not so much in love with the players that they cared
a pin whether either side won. This unkind remark was turned aside by
Mr. Heaton who said that there were not a few among the on-lookers who
had bet money in the gambling rooms outside and who did care very much
which side won the game.
All this talk was brought to an end when Darius Ayres, the captain of
the Calumets, stood up at the bat and made ready for the first play.
Darius was a tall and shapely young fellow, renowned for his long-field
hits, and a swift runner. He had an evil look in his eyes, as some of
the Catalpa visitors thought, and when he struck a straight ball, like
a cannon shot, to right field, there was a little shudder in one of the
private boxes. But John Brubaker, always alert, captured it on a hard
run. This put the Catalpas in good spirits at once. The game had opened
well for them. "Two good signs, Alice," said Ida Boardman. "Won the
toss and caught out the first man!"
John's clever catch did not pass unnoticed, for the numerous supporters
of the Catalpas raised a little cheer which was taken up and continued
around the enclosure as Sam Morse went to the bat for the home club.
But Samuel fared no better than his captain, and retired on a short
and easy fly to Ben Burton. The first half of the inning was ended by
John Handy, who hit a hot grounder to Larry Boyne at third base. Larry
mastered it in fine style and made a lightning throw to Hiram Porter on
first base. The eyes of the visitors and their friends fairly sparkled
as the Catalpas came in from the field. They had made a good beginning.
But no sooner had the nine reached the players' bench than Ben
Burton began to criticise the manner in which honest John Brubaker
had been rewarded for capturing what Ben was pleased to call "a
two-old-cat fly." Larry, politely requesting Burton to be civil,
picked up his bat and faced the pitching of the renowned Sam Morse.
He made two ineffectual plunges at the ball, and, while the catcher
of the Calumets was adjusting his mask so as to enable him to come up
closer to the player, Larry stole a glance at his comrades and was
mortified and annoyed to see a derisive smile on the blonde face of Ben
Burton, while the other seven occupants of the bench wore an uneasy
expression. Ben Burton was evidently making them uncomfortable. Larry
moistened his hands, and, carefully gauging one of Morse's favorite
in-shoots, hit the ball with all his might. The flying sphere went
swiftly into the left field and yielded the stalwart third base man of
the Catalpas two bases. Alice involuntarily clapped her hands, happily
unmindful of the sour looks of her observant aunt.
Sam Morrison next stood up before the redoubtable Morse, and hit an
easy grounder to Glenn Otto, at short stop, and Samuel was retired
at first base. His shot, however, advanced Larry to third base, and
Neddie Ellis took up the bat. But Neddie could not yet understand the
puzzling curves of the Calumet's pitcher, and, having wildly struck the
air three times, went out. This made two out for the Catalpas, with
Larry Boyne anxiously waiting on the third base. Not long did he wait,
however, for Charlie King, long of limb and keen of eye, came to the
bat with great expectations on the part of the sons of Catalpa. Charlie
thought favorably of the first ball pitched at him by Morse and he sent
it flying to the center field for one base, and allowed Larry to come
home amidst a little round of applause from the Catalpa section of the
spectators. During the cheer that greeted the successful play, Charlie
attempted to steal to second base but was thrown out by Billy Webb, and
the ardor of the spirits of Catalpa was consequently soon dampened.
The Calumets now went to work with a will at the beginning of their
second inning, and, after receiving some hints from Jamie Kennedy,
who assumed to know a little about the mysteries of King's curves,
Robert Peabody, the Calumet's right fielder, a Michigan University man
and a famous athlete, handled the bat and called for a low ball from
the pitcher of the Catalpas. This was delivered, but not where Rob
had asked for it, and he politely refused to strike at it, muttering
to Captain Darius, "I won't strike until I get one just knee-high."
Charlie King overheard this little byplay and continued to put the
ball in the vicinity of Peabody's shoulder until the umpire called
"six balls." It was now about time for King to give the Chicago player
a good ball, but Peabody could not be tempted to strike at it, after
being ordered by his captain to try and take his base on called balls.
The result was that tricky Charlie King delivered three balls in rapid
succession just where the dissatisfied right fielder of the Calumets
had requested them, and the umpire called, "One strike!" "Two strikes!"
"Three strikes!" "Striker out!"
The ashen stick was then taken up by Tom Shoff, who sent the ball in
the direction of Ben Burton at short stop, and who fumbled it, dropping
it several times as if it were a hot potato, allowing Tom to reach
first base in safety. Next, Glenn Otto hit a ball to Hiram Porter who
fielded it handsomely, putting out the striker but allowing Shoff to
go to second base. While Jamie Kennedy was at the bat, a passed ball
allowed Shoff to complete three quarters of his homeward journey.
With two out and a man on third base, Captain Porter naturally felt
alarmed. He cautioned his men to be cool and careful, "especially
cool," he added. After two strikes were called on Kennedy, he solved
one of Charlie King's in-shoots and, to the delight of the Chicago
on-lookers, sent the ball rolling in center field while Shoff sped
swiftly homewards; and the score stood 1 and 1. The Calumet's half of
the inning was ended by the retiring of Webb on a foul fly to "The
Lily," as Bill Van Orman was now universally called. The Catalpa
boys were not disheartened; they had confidence in each other, and
they went to work again with a determination to try and recover what
they had lost. In the second inning, however, they found themselves
unsuccessful. Hart Stirling was fielded out at first base by Jamie
Kennedy; John Brubaker, following him, met with the same fate, being
thrown out at first by Glenn Otto; and Hiram Porter ended the inning by
hitting a sky-scraper to James McWilliams at left field.
There was intense depression in the Catalpa section and among the
nine of that famous town; only the face of Larry Boyne still bore any
semblance of contentment. Larry smiled with his attempt to infuse a
little more hopefulness into the Catalpa bosom. And looking to the box
where Mr. Heaton's tall white hat towered conspicuously, he caught an
answering smile from the young lady who carried a blue parasol.
The score now stood even at even innings, and the faces of the Chicago
players wore a broad smile of complacency in place of the gloomy
look that had previously been their characteristic expression. Full
of confidence, James McWilliams picked out his favorite bat and
faced "Tricky Charlie," as they had already dubbed the pitcher of
the visitors. King was determined to retire this particular player,
as "Mac" had often expressed a desire to "take the conceit out of
that chap from Catalpa." Charlie did some of his fine work for the
occasion and his friend McWilliams threw down his bat in disgust, after
hearing the third strike called by the umpire; and Captain Darius
Ayres, with a look of vengeful determination, took the place vacated
by his club mate. He hit a sharp grounder between first and second
bases and reached the first bag. At this point of the game, the boys
from Catalpa had lost some of the hope that they had cherished at the
beginning of the contest; and they were not cheered in the least by a
sarcastic smile that adorned the face of their short stop, Ben Burton,
who appeared to be almost glad that the chances of his own club were
diminishing, instead of increasing.
Even from her distant point of vantage, Alice Howell, scanning Ben's
sour face through her field glass, saw with uneasiness that forbidding
look and said, in a tragic whisper to her companion, "Ida, if that
scamp could throw the game, I believe he is mean enough to do it."
Sam Morse made a base hit to the right field, and Ayres went safely
home to third base, while Morse stole to second base. With second and
third bases occupied and but one man out, the Catalpas did not feel in
jovial mood, and the deputy sheriff of Dean County looked around upon
the bright faces of the local spectators with the air of one who is
indignant at an outrage which he is powerless to abate.
The next man to the bat was John Handy, who had the reputation of being
"a slugger," and as he called out in a stern voice, "Give me a low
ball, and I'll knock it's cover off," some of the excitable players
quaked in their shoes; but Hiram Porter quieted his men by saying, in
a low tone of voice, "Keep cool, fellows! keep cool and we will double
them up yet!" Handy hit the ball, the first that was delivered him,
and it went like a rocket to Larry Boyne at third base. That young
gentleman was ready to receive it, and by making a difficult one-hand
catch, he succeeded in making a double play as Ayres had vacated third
base without once dreaming that Larry would be able to capture the ball.
Ben Burton came now to the bat for the Catalpas, in this inning; but
Ben had not established a very good reputation as a batsman, and his
speedy retiring on a foul ball excited no remark. "The Lily" took his
place at the bat and at once gave evidence of his prowess by hitting
the ball for two bases which he made with neatness and despatch. Larry
Boyne followed him and gently tipped the sphere for a single base-hit,
without ado, whereat "The Lily" slipped to third base. The spectators
eyed Sam Morrison as he swung his bat over his shoulder and strode
to the home plate. Sam was a stocky, well-built young fellow, with a
well-shaped head and shoulders, and a fine pair of very long arms.
He was anxious to do something to send up the score of the Catalpas,
but he sent up nothing but a small fly to Morse, and he was at once
succeeded by Neddie Ellis, the rather diminutive center fielder of the
Catalpa Nine. Neddie owed the club three base hits, as he thought, and
was falling behind in his batting record as the season had advanced. He
moistened his hands and, with the avowed intention of losing the ball,
he made a plunge, and, as Al Heaton from his perch remarked, "hit the
ball on the nose" and sent it flying over the center fielder's head.
After Larry and "The Lily" had cleared the home plate, Neddie tried
his best to make a home run. Tommy Shoff, however, handled the ball in
clever fashion, and by fielding it quickly, caught Neddie at the home
plate, ending the inning and making the score three to one in favor of
the Catalpas.
A murmur of applause, mingled with the little buzz which always
follows the close of an inning, like a sigh of relief, went around
as the Catalpas went to the field with light hearts. Two or three of
the baser sort of the gambling on-lookers jeered the visitors with
derisive remarks, but this indiscretion was speedily suppressed. "Fair
play for the visitors" was the watchword of the day. The Catalpa boys
disposed of their opponents at the opening of the fourth inning without
allowing them to send a man around the circuit. In fact, not a player
of the Calumet club reached first base in safety during this inning.
Rob Peabody secured first base on called balls, and was followed at
the bat by Shoff who hit a grounder to Hart Stirling, at second base,
and who delivered the ball in fine style to his captain on first base,
after making a neat pick-up. Glenn Otto managed, by great craftiness,
to send the ball outside of the diamond with tremendous force, but he
lifted it too high and he fell a victim to Sam Morrison's alertness in
the left field.
Jamie Kennedy, who succeeded at the bat, also gave the ball a
tremendous whack, but he, too, lifted it too high, and Neddie Ellis,
in center field, captured it without serious difficulty. The Catalpa
club, in this inning, was obliged to be contented with a zero, and Ben
Burton's face was a puzzling study to Alice Howell and her friend Ida,
who scanned the unconscious Benjamin through their glass, as if his
tell-tale countenance were an indicator of the progress of the game.
This time, they could not make out whether the Catalpa short stop
was pleased by the ill fortune of his own club, or dismayed by the
advancing prospects of the Chicago boys. They gave up the riddle with
disgust.
There was yet no real occasion for dismay, although there was when
Charlie King began the work of going out by hitting a slow ball to
Darius Ayres at first base, and Hart Stirling followed his example
by a foul tip to Charlie Webb. John Brubaker, "Honest John," as he
was called, hit the ball with all his might and had covered half
the circuit before he realized that the sphere had gone outside of
the foul flags. He made a second attempt, however, and was retired
without hitting the ball, Sam Morse's out-curves being more intricate
than anything that he had yet encountered. Honest John's inglorious
withdrawal closed the inning.
The Calumets sent Webb first to the bat at the opening of the next
inning, but Charlie was not fortunate. He hit the ball several times,
and it went high in air, and escaped the vigilance of the Catalpas. But
Webb sent up one foul too many and the watchful and agile Larry Boyne
captured it, after a hard run. James McWilliams for the second time
faced Charlie King's pitching, and as he left his seat, said, "Boy's,
I'll eat clover for a week if I don't hit him safely this time." Mac
had fire in his eye, and his look and his remark did not escape the
attention of Charlie King, who, turning to his captain, slyly promised
to give the Chicago man an opportunity to make good his promise. King
kept his word, and, by cunning pitching, retired McWilliams on strikes
after six balls were charged against him.
Captain Darius Ayres hit safely to the left field, but it was too late,
as Sam Morse ruined all chances of the scoring of the Calumets by
sending a fly which was neatly caught by Hart Stirling at second base.
The Catalpas also failed to add any runs to their score in the fifth
inning. At this point, Sam Morse was pitching in admirable style and it
was with difficulty that the visitors could hit the ball at all. Morse
had a very effectual out-curve, and he had made good use of it during
the last two innings.
Captain Hiram Porter went to the bat with some of the confidence
that he had tried to inspire in the breasts of his comrades, but he
failed to accomplish his dearest desire, and went out on the strikes
successively called by the umpire. He was followed by Ben Burton, who
walked up to the batsman's position with a lazy and indifferent manner,
hit the ball in an off-hand fashion, and had the pleasure of seeing
it fielded by Glenn Otto, and was retired at first base. Here "The
Lily" made a desperate attempt to achieve a home run, and he probably
would have been successful if he had hit the ball far enough into the
out-field, judging from the manner in which he "sprinted" to first base
on a slow ball which was readily fielded by Jamie Kennedy.
"This is our lucky inning," said Captain Ayres to John Handy, as the
latter started to face the pitching of Charlie King in the sixth
inning. "Here, take my bat for luck," he added, "and see if you can't
use it to advantage." Handy accepted the offer of the captain's club
and used it with good effect. He called for a high ball, caught King
off his guard as he struck, and so secured a good hit on the very first
ball, and made first base. Rob Peabody followed and hit a liner to
Neddie Ellis who misjudged the distance, and the ball went over his
head and allowed Rob to make two bases, while Handy got safely home.
This put the figures three to two in favor of the Catalpas and seemed
to inspire the Calumets with new confidence, their captain remarking
with glee, "I told you this was our lucky inning."
Right here, however, Tommy Shoff went out on a fly to Larry Boyne, and
"The Lily" caught a sharp foul tip from the bat of Glenn Otto, which
left Peabody on second base and two men out. The prospects of the home
nine were not brightening.
Next to the bat came Jamie Kennedy, who tried his best to make a short
right field hit that should send his colleague safely home, as Peabody
was a good base runner and needed only "half a chance" to make a home
run. Jamie hit the ball in the right direction, but his blow was a
trifle too hard and the ball was cleverly caught by John Brubaker at
right field, and this left the game still three to two in favor of the
Catalpas. The latter did not, however, feel safe with so small a lead,
and they thought it prudent to send several more men around the circuit
of the bases, if possible. Larry Boyne was the first man to the bat for
the Catalpas in the sixth inning, and he secured his base on called
balls, but fell before Charlie Webb's throwing, while trying to steal
to the second bag. Sam Morrison struck out, and Neddie Ellis ended the
inning by sending up a sky-scraper which was nicely nipped, just in the
nick of time, apparently, by Rob Peabody.
In the seventh inning, both clubs failed to score. Webb hit a ball
in the direction of Ben Burton who made an overthrow to first base.
McWilliams followed and hit a short one to Hart Stirling at second
base, who, with the aid of Hiram Porter, made a very pretty double
play. Darius Ayres secured his base on called balls, stole to second
base, but was left there, as Sam Morse retired on strikes. Not one of
the Catalpa players reached first base. Charlie King and Hart Stirling
both went out on flies, the former to Tom Shoff and the latter to Glenn
Otto. John Brubaker failed to hit the ball and was consequently called
out on strikes.
"The Calumets have everything to gain and nothing to lose," remarked
Mr. Heaton, sagely, as he regarded the field from the box from which
the little party of interested Catalpans overlooked the beautiful scene
below. The yellow sun, now declining westward, tinted the woodwork of
the stands and enclosures with a golden hue, and a breeze from the lake
flaunted the many-colored flags that adorned the structure. The yellow
light only intensified the brilliant greenness of the lawn, on which
the Diamond Field was laid, and the brilliant costumes of the players
were tricked out with a new and strange luster as the sunshine rained
down through veiling mists. But the absorbed spectators, as well as
the intensely engrossed players in the field below, had no eyes for
the picture. Every eye was fixed on John Handy, as he went to the bat
for the Calumets. It was felt that they would take desperate chances.
On the next few plays might turn the issue of the game. Silence as
complete as if there was not a soul in the vast enclosure reigned as
Handy took his place at the bat.
He placed the ball safely in the center field and was followed by
Peabody who also gained a single hit, sending the ball into the left
field. The next ball was hit to Ben Burton by Shoff. Ben was unable
to handle the ball properly, and Hart Stirling came to his rescue and
as Ben dropped it out of his hands, Stirling picked it up and sent it
to first base in time to head off Shoff. At this point in the game,
only one man was out and the second and third bases were occupied. A
trifling error would tie the game. A single base hit would give the
Calumets the lead. The attention with which the play was now regarded
from the seats was something almost painful in its tenseness.
Glenn Otto stood before Charlie King's pitching with a look of
resolution and defiance. He had been ordered not to strike at a ball
until it was put where he asked for it, and to take the chances of the
catcher of the Catalpas having a passed ball charged to him. In this
little scheme there was one error. King very well knew the purpose of
his opponent, and he managed his own points so well that, before Otto
could realize what was about to happen, King had him out on strikes.
Jamie Kennedy was the next man to fall before the destructive tactics
now followed by the Catalpas. Jamie hit a sharp ball to Larry Boyne,
who, with characteristic skill, retired him at first base. This clever
bit of play took a load from the hearts of the Catalpas, and, in the
excitement of the moment, Deputy Sheriff Wheeler ejaculated "Gosh all
hemlock!" whereupon everybody in that region laughed, as if glad of a
pretext to slacken their attention from the play for an instant.
But the riveted intentness of the spectators was at once resumed as the
boys of Catalpa went to the bat in the eighth inning, and succeeded in
placing another run to their credit. Hiram Porter hit to Kennedy at
second base, and was retired at first base. Ben Burton followed his
example and "The Lily" finally secured the home run which he had been
looking for ever since he had left Catalpa. "The Lily" had many strong
points, but base-running was not one of them. He had two strikes called
on the first two balls pitched, and then made ready for the third, and,
as the ball curved in, he stepped backwards a few inches and hit it
with all his might, which was a great deal, for "The Lily" was a man
of brawn and muscle. The ball flew over the center fielder's head like
a rifle-shot and Bill covered the entire circuit with ease, winning an
irrepressible and resounding burst of applause from the multitudes that
crowded the amphitheater.
"Splendid, Bill! perfectly splendid!" cried Alice Howell, wholly
oblivious of the fact that there were other people than herself in
the circle about her. Mr. Heaton looked around with admiration at
the impulsive girl, while the dignified maiden aunt glanced into the
next box to see if anybody had caught the words of her erratic ward
and niece. While this little byplay went on, Alice's eyes were fixed
on Larry Boyne who ended the eighth inning by sending a fly ball to
McWilliams and so going out.
The score now stood four to two in favor of the Catalpas. To his
infinite chagrin, Captain Ayres saw defeat staring him in the face.
Hastily calling his men about him, he held a hurried consultation, as
they came in from the field. He said,
"Boys, we must take all the chances this time. They lead us two runs,
and, in order at least to tie them, you must trust to errors, and,
above all things, do not hug the bases."
Captain Darius was right in this particular, and the men obeyed his
instructions to the letter in regard to hugging the bases; but it
was impossible for them to show any sign of insubordination, as not
a man went beyond the first base. Every member of the Calumet club
was retired as fast as he went to the bat. Charlie Webb gayly faced
"tricky Charlie," and hit the first ball pitched. It went sailing out
of the Diamond and into the hands of Sam Morrison. The second victim
was McWilliams who failed to take down the pride of King, as he had
promised himself that he would; and Charlie felt prouder than ever as
he sent his formidable antagonist to the players' bench, put out on
strikes.
Darius Ayres made several ineffectual attempts to hit the sphere,
and at last struck the ball fairly, but Larry Boyne was prepared for
its coming his way. Running backwards, with his eye fixed on the
little black speck that dropped out of the clouds with lightning-like
swiftness, Larry moved over the turf without seeming to move. Ida
Boardman so far forgot herself as to cry out, at this critical
juncture, "Catch it! catch it!" The sphere fell into Larry's
hardened hand with a resounding thud, and with a fervent "Heaven bless
you!" the young lady sunk back into her seat, while a prodigious cheer,
frightening to flight the sparrows that twittered on the edges of the
structure, and faintly heard far out by sailors on the lake, proclaimed
the contest ended with a famous victory for the Catalpa Nine.
[Illustration: "IDA BOARDMAN SO FAR FORGOT HERSELF AS TO CRY OUT AT
THIS CRITICAL JUNCTURE: 'CATCH IT! CATCH IT!'"--Page 136.]
The band broke forth into a pæan of triumph, and while the majority of
the spectators began to shuffle out with eager haste, a few, other than
the delighted visitors from Catalpa, remained to gaze with undisguised
admiration on the stalwart and handsome young fellows who had so
unexpectedly won the day.
The two captains, as the game was concluded, advanced towards each
other with outstretched hands.
"Your men are capital players," said Hiram Porter, a glow suffusing his
cheek, "and I consider it a great honor to have defeated them."
"Aye, aye," said Captain Ayres, not without a wince. "It is a little
hard for our boys to be defeated after playing a game without errors;
but your victory was due to lucky batting, and it does not signify
that your men are the better players. We will try and turn the tables
to-morrow."
The visitors gave three cheers and a tiger for their opponents, and
then retired from the field. It would be useless to attempt to describe
the thrill and the suppressed exultation with which they read on the
bulletin boards of the city newspaper offices, as they went to their
lodgings, the following score:--
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Calumets 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0=2.
Catalpas 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0=4.
_Runs earned_--Calumets, 0; Catalpas, 4.
_Base hits_-- " 5, " 6.
_Errors_-- " 0, " 3.
_Umpire_, Mr. Thomas Walsh.
_Time of game, two and a half hours._