TOMMY TASTES VICTORY
“Play ball!” called the umpire, a tall lad, a bit older than any of
the players. Tommy and Dan Danforth, the rival captains, had decided
that an older lad’s decisions would stand better than those given by
a small youth. “Play ball!”
“Now, Tommy, show ’em how you strike ’em out!” called Sammie Sandlass.
“Yes, nothing less than a whitewash!” added Teddy Bunker. It was all
in good-natured fun, and no one minded it.
“We’ll get all the runs we need this inning, and then we can take it
easy the rest of the game,” predicted Captain Dan.
“Yes, we’ll see what kind of a wooden arm Tommy has,” put in George
Squire.
“Come on! Play ball! Play ball!” advised the umpire.
Tommy sent in as swift a ball as he could, and he was quite delighted
when Pete Johnson, the first one of the Juniors at bat, missed it.
“I guess I can curve, after all, eh?” asked the pitcher.
[Illustration: _Tommy and His Mates Disagreed With the Decision of
the Umpire._]
“That was an accident. I’ll hit the next one,” declared Pete, and he
did, getting to first base. Patsie Cook made a foul and got out, and
Billy Newhouse ran for first, only to be put out there, as he had
not hit the ball far enough. But Dan Danforth brought in Pete from
third base, with the first run of the game, and the Roarers felt a
little downcast at the start their rivals made. However, that was all
the visitors scored in their half of the first inning.
“Now to see what we can do!” exclaimed Tommy, and to his delight his
side got two runs. Then there was a discussion about a boy being put
out at home. Tommy and his mates disagreed with the decision of the
umpire.
“Say, if you don’t give in, I’ll quit!” declared the boy who was
calling strikes and balls.
“Oh, well, we’ll give it, but he wasn’t out!” insisted Tommy.
“Oh, we’ll snow you under!” declared Dan, with a laugh.
From then on the home team played very poor ball, until in the eighth
inning the score was ten to six in favor of the visitors, when
Tommy’s nine came in for their half of that inning.
“Four to tie and five to win!” cried Tommy.
“We never can do it!” declared Teddy, sorrowfully.
“Yes, we can—we’ve just _got_ to!” exclaimed the young captain.
It looked, too, as if they might, for they got three runs without a
player being out.
“Oh, we’re going through without any trouble!” exulted Tommy. And
then his lads got tired and could not hit well, while the other boys
did some pretty fielding work.
“We must get that one run!” cried Tommy, but it was not to be, and
when the ninth inning opened the score was ten runs to nine in favor
of the visitors.
“And here is where we go out!” declared Dan, as his first player
stepped to the stone that marked home plate.
“I’ve just got to pitch for all I’m worth!” thought Tommy,
desperately. And he did. Somehow he managed to strike out the two
first boys in quick succession. Then the next one hit what was the
best ball of that day. He got to third base on it, and if he had been
a little quicker he would have gone home.
“Play for the batter,” advised Teddy, who was catching, and Tommy
nodded his head, to show that he understood. If they could get the
batter out, the run would not come in, and the Roarers would still
have a chance to win, as they had the last chance at bat.
“Three balls!” called the umpire, after there had been two strikes
named.
“If the next one is a ball, he’ll take his base,” reflected Tommy,
“and the next boy up is a heavy hitter. I’ve got to strike him out. I
_must_ do it!”
And he did. How it thrilled him to hear the umpire shout:
“Three strikes—batter out!” for the ball was safe in Teddy’s big mitt.
“Now to win!” cried Tommy, as his side came in.
There was a dispute on the part of the visitors, but the umpire held
to his decision.
The visitors worked hard to hold the lead they had, but the home team
was desperate.
“Fellows, you’ve never played better!” cried Tommy. “Go in now and
win!”
Sammie Sandlass was up first, and, though he never was a very good
hitter, he managed to knock what was only a two-bagger, but on which
he got to third, as the boy trying to catch the ball muffed it.
“Now a home run, and the game is ours!” cried Tommy, as Frank Bonder
came up. Frank was not usually very reliable, but this time he
surprised all his friends.
“Go on! Go on!”
“Home run!”
“Come on in, Sammie!”
Everybody was yelling as the ball sailed down the field after Frank
hit it. Oh, how he ran! Faster and faster, trying to beat the boy
after the ball!
Sammie was safe at home now, with the run that tied the score, and
Frank was coming. It was a close race, but Frank won.
“How’s that?” demanded the visiting catcher as he stood over Frank,
who was down in the dust.
“Safe!” said the umpire.
“Never!” yelled the team from Millton.
“Sure he’s safe!” insisted Tommy. “Anyhow, if he isn’t, it’s only one
out; the game is tied, and we have two more chances.”
“He’s safe,” declared the umpire, and the visitors had to allow it.
That made the score eleven to ten in favor of the home team. Tommy’s
nine had won the victory which he most desired. It was great!
“All right, I guess you win,” admitted Dan, after a discussion.
“Well, Tommy, you defeated us. You’ve got a fine team and a good
diamond.”
“Well, we worked hard for it,” said Tommy. “We’ll play you again next
year. We’re champions now! Hurrah!”
“Are you going to have the same nine?” asked Dan.
“Yes, or one like it, and, say, I’m going to have a lot of fun this
fall and winter,” he went on. “There are a fine crowd of boys in this
town.”
“There sure are,” agreed Dan. And those of you who are interested in
the future fortunes of Tommy may read of what he did that fall in
the book to follow this, to be called “Tommy Tiptop and His Football
Eleven; or, A Great Victory and How It Was Won.” And after the
football season Tommy continued to be active, as he always was. I am
going to tell you what he did after the eleven was disbanded, in the
third book of the series, to be called “Tommy Tiptop and His Winter
Sports; or, Jolly Times on the Ice and in Camp.”
Over the diamond thronged the boys of the two teams, cheering each
other, laughing and shouting. Of course Dan’s team felt badly at
losing the game, but they were glad Tommy had won, for they were
quite proud of him.
“Well played, youngsters!” exclaimed Mr. Fillmore, who with his
friend, the hardware man, was at the game. “Well played! It was worth
seeing!”
Tommy Tiptop felt very proud and happy.
“Oh, but you are so dirty!” exclaimed his mother, who with Nellie,
and some of her daughter’s girl friends, had come to the contest. “So
dirty and hot!”
“That doesn’t matter, mother. We won! We won!” cried Tommy.
And now, as he is marching across the diamond with his friends, old
and new, in their baseball suits, cheering and laughing, we will take
leave of Tommy Tiptop.
THE END
THE TRIPPERTROTS SERIES
By HOWARD R. GARIS
Author of the famous “BEDTIME STORIES”
These stories have been told over the telephone nightly to thousands
of children. The urgent demand has led us to publish them in book
form for the first time.
Get acquainted with the Trippertrots, you will not regret it. Read
how they ran away and how they got back, the wonderful things they
saw and the wonderful things they did. They will grip you and hold
you interested and amazed to the very end.
THE THREE LITTLE TRIPPERTROTS
How They Ran Away and How They Got Back Again
THE THREE LITTLE TRIPPERTROTS ON THEIR TRAVELS
The Wonderful Things They Saw and the Wonderful Things They Did
Both volumes uniformly bound in cloth with beautiful colored picture
on cover. 8vo size, 160 pages, 12 full-page illustrations, four of
them in color. _Price 60 Cents Each._
_For Sale at all book stores or sent postpaid upon receipt of price
by the publishers._
GRAHAM & MATLACK
251 West 19th Street New York
UP AND DOING SERIES
By FREDERICK GORDON
The doings of real, live boys between the ages of 9 and 12.
THE YOUNG CRUSOES OF PINE ISLAND
Or, The Wreck of the Puff
Here is a story full of thrills about three boys that lived on the
edge of a large lake. They have plenty of fun fishing, swimming and
sailing, etc., and one day while sailing their boat, “The Puff,”
she capsized and drifted to an island in the lake where they play
Robinson Crusoe until rescued.
SAMMY BROWN’S TREASURE HUNT
Or, Lost in the Mountains
The great desire of Sammy Brown and his chums to find a treasure
leads them into many adventures, gets them lost and finally discloses
the treasure—but not the one for which they were searching.
Adventure-loving boys should not miss this great story.
BOB BOUNCER’S SCHOOLDAYS
Or, The Doings of a Real, Live, Everyday Boy
Primary and Grammar School life affords boys plenty of fun, and Bob
Bouncer’s schooldays are “brim full” of just such fun, adventures and
some rivalries.
Bob Bouncer was a boy with red blood in his veins, and you should
read this story of his doings.
Quarto, cloth, 128 pages. Eight full-page illustrations and beautiful
colored picture on cover. _Price 40 Cents per Volume._
_For Sale at all book stores or sent postpaid upon receipt of price
by the publishers._
GRAHAM & MATLACK
251 West 19th Street New York
Transcriber’s Notes
pg 64 Changed: asked Tommy of Saliie
to: asked Tommy of Sallie