CHAPTER XXVII
BAD NEWS
Joe was plainly nervous. Being called on so suddenly had its effect asdid the unexpected action of Sam in resigning because Joe had supplantedhim. But the young pitcher knew that he must pull himself together.
The game was slipping away from the Stars and the crowd of shouters thataccompanied the Blues would redouble their efforts to get Joe's "goat"as soon as he got in the box.
He had a foretaste of what they would do when he got up to bat in Sam'splace and struck out. It was no discredit to Joe, for the Blues had afine pitcher, still it added to his nervousness.
"If that's a sample of what your new pitcher can do we'll take a fewmore runs!" yelled a Blue sympathizer.
"Oh, he only did that for fun!" yelled Rodney.
"Yes," added Tom Davis. "He's saving his arm to strike you fellows out.Go to it, Joe! Don't let 'em rattle you."
The Stars took a brace, whether it was the knowledge that Joe was topitch or not, but they certainly braced, and in that inning got enoughruns to make the score six to eight in favor of the visiting team.
"Now, Joe, hold 'em down!" pleaded Darrell, "and we can do the rest, Ithink."
"I'll try," answered our hero.
It would be too much to expect Joe to do wonders, but he did very well.He only allowed two hits in the inning when he first pitched and onlyone run came in, chiefly through an error on the part of the thirdbaseman.
"I guess we've got their number now," exulted Darrell, when it came theturn of the Stars to bat. "Keep up the good work, boys. We've got 'emgoing."
The Stars managed to knock out two runs in their half of the thirdinning and that made the score eight to nine--one extra tally onlyagainst them.
And then began what was really a remarkable game for one played betweenamateur nines. For the next four innings neither side got a run. Talk ofa "pitchers' battle" began to be whispered, and for the credit of thevisitors be it said that they no longer tried to get Joe's "goat."
Both pitchers were on their mettle. Of course they were not perfect andprobably some deliveries that the umpire called strikes were balls, justas some that he designated as balls were good strikes. But it was all inthe game. Joe was doing good work. There were only a few scattered hitsoff him and these were easily taken care of by the in or out fielders.In this the Blues rather excelled, however, there being more errorscharged up against the home team than to them.
But the Stars had this in their favor; that, while there were a numberof good stick men among the visitors, they were not speedy base-runnersand thus a number of men were nabbed on the sacks, through playing offtoo far, or not connecting in time, who otherwise might have brought inruns.
"Oh, fellows, we've got to do something!" cried the captain at the closeof the usual lucky seventh, when no runs had been registered for eitherside. "Can't some of you pull off a run?"
But it was the Blue team who scored first, getting one run on a ball hitby the first man up. It was manifestly a foul, but the umpire called itfair and the man held his base. Then Joe's arm gave him a twinge and hewas hit for a three bagger by the next man up, scoring the playerpreceding him. But that was all.
With grimly tightened lips Joe faced his next opponent and after thatnot a man got to first, and the player on third dared not steal home, sokeenly was he watched.
With the score eight to ten against them the Stars came in moreconfidently than might have been expected. And when they had hammeredout two runs, tieing the score, there was wild enthusiasm.
"Here's where we walk away from them!" yelled Rodney, as the second runcame in, and with only one man out. But there came a slump and theopposing pitcher braced up, striking out two men in succession.
The ninth inning saw a single run tallied up for the visitors, and inthis connection Joe did some great work, pulling down a fly that waswell over his head and receiving a round of applause for his pluck, forit was a "hot" one.
The unexpected happened in the ending of the ninth, when the visitorswere one ahead. Seth Potter, never reckoned as a heavy hitter brought ina home run, and the score was once more a tie for no one else crossedhome plate.
"Ten innings!" was the cry and the spectators began "sitting up andtaking notice" as Rodney Burke said.
"Now, Joe, it's up to you to shut them out," advised the captain. Theyoung pitcher nodded and then he cut loose.
His arm was paining him very much for by a sudden twist he had wrenchedthe muscles injured in saving the lad from the trolley car. But Joewould not give up, and he struck out three men neatly, only one, thesecond up, getting any kind of a hit, and that only good for the initialbag.
"A goose egg!" yelled Rodney Burke. "Now one run will do the trick!"
"Snow 'em under!" cried Darrell.
And the Stars did, for they rapped out the necessary run amid a jubilantriot of cheers, making the final score twelve to eleven.
"Oh, I knew you could do it! I knew you could!" cried the captain,trying to embrace all his lads at once. They had won handily though atone time it looked like defeat.
"Good work, Joe," complimented Darrell. "You're the regular pitcher fromnow on."
"But if Sam reconsiders his resignation?"
"He can't," rejoined the manager. "He's out for good."
Joe could hardly wait to get home and tell the good news. He fairlyraced into the house, but he stopped short at the sight of his fatherand mother in the dining room. They were seated at the table and a lookof anxiety was on their faces.
"What's the matter?" gasped Joe, all his joy in the victory and his newposition leaving him as he looked at his parents. On the table betweenthem lay a number of papers.
"I've been served with a summons from the court," said Mr. Matsonslowly. "It's a move on the part of Benjamin and Holdney. The court hastaken my patent models and documents away from me, and I may loseeverything. It's hard, just as I was about to succeed--very hard."
"And you may lose everything, dad?" asked Joe huskily.
"Yes--everything son--I may have to start all over again. I'm out of theharvester works now."
For a moment one disappointing thought came to Joe. He would not be ableto go to a boarding school as he had hoped. Then the look of trouble onhis father's face drove all other thoughts from his mind.
"Don't you care, dad!" he exclaimed stepping close to him. "You can beatthose fellows yet. We whipped the Blues to-day, and I'm the regularpitcher for the Stars!"