A DETERMINED FRONT.
Frank drove the ball out on a line and reached second base by sharp
running.
"Vale! vale! vale!" spluttered Dunnerwurst, as he danced round like a
huge fat toad. "Dot peen too pad! It vos an awful surprise dot der ball
dit not make a home run vor him!"
"Naow we're started, gol ding it!" shouted Gallup excitedly, as he
pranced out to coach. "Let's keep her a-goin', fellers!"
Ephraim was in a wildly excited condition. He felt himself tingling and
shaking all over. At one moment he was hot and burning, and the next
moment he was cold and shivering.
Buck Badger looked dangerous to Bender. The solid, stocky,
square-shouldered Westerner seemed like a man who would hit the ball a
terrible crack if he hit it at all.
In the stand, sitting amid the ladies of Merriwell's house party, was
Winnie Badger, whose eyes gleamed with pride as she watched her husband.
"I hope Buck will get a hit," she murmured. "He used to hit well."
"Oo, eet ees the strange game!" exclaimed Teresa Gallup. "What ees eet
Ephraim ees doing now? Does he have to hollaire so loud?"
"He's a coach," explained Elsie.
"A coach?" questioned Teresa. "Why, the coach ees sometheeng for a horse
to pull. Ees Ephraim sometheeng for a horse to pull?"
"He isn't just that sort of a coach," laughed Inza. "He's out there to
give Frank instructions about running bases."
"Oo!" murmured Teresa. "Does he know more about the way bases to run
than Frank knows?"
"Perhaps not," smiled Inza. "But you see the runner can't keep watch of
the ball and the players while he's running. He can't tell just what
every one is doing if he has to pay attention to himself. A coach can
tell him what to do."
Juanita Garcia had not spoken since the beginning of the game, but now
she ventured to ask:
"What ees eet Senyor Carkaire he play? He keep saying: 'One ball! One
strike! Two ball! Two strike!' but he do nothing else."
"He's the umpire. He is the judge who gives the decisions."
"Oo!" breathed Juanita. "He ees the judge! He ees the magistrate! Then
he must know everytheeng about the game. He must know more than every
one else. Eet ees splendeed! I am so proud of Senyor Carkaire!"
Suddenly Winnie Badger clapped her hands, uttered a cry of delight, and
started up.
Buck had hit the ball.
A moment later Winnie's joy turned to dismay, for, with a leap, O'Day
thrust out his gloved left hand and caught Badger's liner. It was the
third put-out, and Merry was left on second.
"That's playing ball!" roared the man with the broken nose. "Now get
after Frank Merriwell, and send him to the stable! Put the blanket on
him! Polish him off!"
The Rovers trotted in, while the home team took the field.
Casper Silence lighted a fresh cigarette as the players in yellow and
black settled down on the bench.
"Beyond question you faced the four leading batters of that team,
Bender," said the proprietor of the visitors. "You know now what
Merriwell and Badger can hit. If O'Day had not made a great catch,
Merriwell would have scored."
"Oh, I'll get onto their style of hitting, all right," nodded Bender.
"Neither of those chaps will touch me next time."
Bearover was speaking to McCann.
"We want to make some runs in this inning, Mike," he said. "If we can
roll up a few tallies, it ought to discourage the youngsters. It's not
easy to bluff them, but we may be able to get their tails down, and an
uphill game is a hard game for any team to play. Start us off, McCann."
The captain of the visitors walked out and hit the first ball pitched to
him, although it was fully six inches higher than his shoulders. The hit
was a sharp drive into the field, and Carson took it on the first bound
and promptly sent it to Badger, which held McCann at first.
Frank believed Mertez would try to bunt, and he kept the ball high.
Mertez fouled the first one, and a strike was called.
McCann was forced to return to first after getting a big start toward
second.
Merry fancied he saw a signal exchanged between the batter and the base
runner. Something told him McCann would try to steal.
Nevertheless, Frank appeared careless in permitting the captain of the
Rovers to get a lead off first. When he pitched, however, Merry whistled
the ball over high and wide so that it came into Bart's hands in such a
manner that Hodge was in perfect position to throw to second.
McCann was scooting down the line.
Bart threw to second.
Badger covered the sack, took the ball and tagged McCann as the runner
was sliding.
It was a close play, but Buck caught McCann as the latter's hand was
fully six inches from the bag.
"Out at second!" declared Carker.
There was a hush as the runner scrambled to his feet.
"What?" roared McCann, rushing at Carker and seizing him in a fury. "Did
you call me out, you chump? What do you mean?"
He swung Greg round roughly.
Frank promptly reached for the back of McCann's neck. His fingers closed
there, and he sent the fellow reeling to one side.
"Hold on, Carker," he said, as Greg started to speak. He realized it was
the umpire's intention to put McCann out of the game.
There were indications that the crowd of toughs contemplated rushing
onto the field.
Bill Hunker sprang in front of those men and roared:
"I'll put the irons on the first son of a gun who ducks under that
rope!"
That stopped them.
McCann was livid with fury. It seemed that he meant to spring at
Merriwell, who stood calmly facing him.
"Hold on, you!" said Frank, shaking a finger at the captain of the
Rovers. "I want to say just one word, and then you may come at me if you
feel like it. I kept the umpire from putting you out of the game. You
were out at second, and you know it. If you lift your hand against
Carker during the remainder of this game or make any insulting talk to
him, I'll back him up if he orders you off the field. Perhaps your team
can get along without you. Perhaps it will be better off without you.
Take the matter into consideration."
On the temporary bleachers a crowd of Farnham Hall lads, led by Dale
Sparkfair, gave a cheer for Merry.
As this cheer died away Uncle Eb Small rose in the stand, waved his
crooked cane, and shrilly cried:
"That's right, Frank--that's jest right! We're here to see a game of
baseball and not a fight! All the same, if them fellers start a row,
we'll back you up to the finish! We know you're a gentleman on the
baseball field and off it. You've gut the sympathy of every decent man
here."
"That's right! that's right!" came from all sides of the field.
Basil Bearover stepped out from the bench and called McCann's attention.
"Play ball, Mike," he said. "We can win, anyhow. Let the umpire alone."
Muttering to himself, the captain of the Rovers walked in from the
field.
Things simmered down at once. At last the visiting players and the
sympathizing crowd of thugs realized that the sentiment of the crowd
would not tolerate such conduct as McCann's. The Merries were not
frightened by it, and Frank had prepared to quell any outbreak of
ruffianism.
Toby Mertez tried hard for a hit, fouling the ball a number of times.
Finally he put up a high foul, which Hodge gathered in.
Grifford was regarded as one of the heaviest and surest hitters among
the visitors. Nevertheless, to his astonishment, he missed the first two
balls pitched by Frank, although both crossed the pan. Two wide ones
followed, and then Hodge called for the double shoot.
Merry threw his great curve for the first time that day, and again
Grifford missed.
"Three strikes--you're out!" rang forth Carker's decision.
The first inning was over.