CHAPTER VII
LAUGHED AT
"What's that in your pocket, Joe?"
"Which pocket?"
"Your coat. I declare, you've got something in both pockets," and Claraapproached her brother as if with the intention of making a personalinspection of two big bulges on either side of his coat. "What arethey?" she persisted, as Joe backed away. Brother and sister had justgotten up from the breakfast table, and were about to start to school.
"Oh, never mind!" exclaimed Joe hastily, as he looked for his cap. "Gotyour lessons, Clara?"
"Of course I have. But I'm curious to know what makes your pockets bulgeout so. Don't you know it will spoil your coat?"
"I don't care," and Joe made another hasty move to get out of reach ofClara's outstretched hand. But he was not successful, and, with a laugh,his sister caught hold of the bulging pocket on his left side.
"A ball!" she declared. "A baseball upon my word! Two of them! Oh, Joe,are you really going to play on the nine Saturday?"
"I don't know. Maybe I'll get a chance if Jed McGraw leaves in time. ButI'm taking a couple of old balls to practice throwing this afternoonwhen I come from school."
"You're starting in early," commented Clara. "I hope you don't sleepwith a baseball under your pillow the way we girls do with pieces ofwedding cake," and she laughed merrily.
"I'd be willing to sleep with a ball and a bat under my pillow if Ithought I'd get in the game by it," admitted Joe frankly. "But I'm nothoping too much. Well, I'm going. Good-bye momsey," and he stopped tokiss his mother before he hastened away to school. He looked at herclosely to discover whether there was any trace of worry, but she smiledat him.
"I may not be home early," he told her. "I'm going down to thefairgrounds."
"What for?" she asked quickly. "There isn't a show there, is there?"
"No, but I want to do a little baseball practicing, and that place iswell out of the way."
"Baseball practice on the fairgrounds. How----"
But she did not wait to finish her question for she exclaimed:
"My cake is burning in the oven. Good-bye, Joe!" and she ran to thekitchen.
"I wonder what Sam Morton will say?" Joe reflected as he walked along."I certainly hope his arm isn't lame, even if it was as much his faultas mine. I don't want him to tell the fellows I'm to blame for himlosing a game--if he should."
Fearing that the same thing might happen to him as when Clara laughed athim for having the two baseballs in his pockets, Joe slipped to his deskas soon as he reached the school, and hid the balls away back among hisbooks. The balls were two old ones he had used when on the Bentvillenine, and they were still in fair condition.
"I'm not going to let the fellows get on to the fact that I'mpracticing, until there's more of a chance for me than there is now,"thought our hero, as he went out on the school grounds to watch the ladsat play.
An impromptu game was going on, but Joe did not join. Darrell Blackneypassed him, and in answer to Joe's nod of greeting asked:
"Did you get home all right?"
"Oh, yes. How about you?"
"Fine. The bolt was all right. I haven't forgotten. I'll see McGrawto-day and find out when he's going to leave. Then if Oswald can't sayfor sure whether he'll be with us, you'll go in at centre field."
"Good!" exclaimed Joe, his eyes bright with anticipation.
As Darrell passed on, Joe saw Sam Morton approaching. At first he had anotion of turning away and avoiding what he felt would be an unpleasantscene. But Joe was nothing of a coward and he realized that, sooner orlater, he would have to meet the pitcher with whom he had had thecollision. So he stood his ground.
"How's your arm?" he asked pleasantly, as Sam approached.
"Hu! None the better for what you did to it."
"What _I_ did?" and Joe's voice took on a surprised tone. "Do you stillinsist it was my fault?"
"Pretty near," went on Sam, but Joe noticed that he was not quite sovindictive as before. "It isn't as stiff as I thought it would be,though."
"I hope you can pitch all right Saturday," went on Joe. He wanted verymuch to hint at the fact that he, too, might be in the game, but Sam wasnot a lad to invite confidences, especially after what had taken place.Joe liked comradeship. He liked the company of boys of his own age andhe was just "hungry" to talk baseball. But, aside from Tom Davis, asyet he had no chums with whom he could gossip about the great pastime.
In Bentville he was looked up to as one of the nine, and, though theteam was not as good a one as was the Silver Stars, still it was a team,and Joe was one of the principal players. Coming to a strange town, andbeing distinctly out of the game, made him feel like a "cat in a strangegarret," as he said afterward.
But with a grim tightening of his lips he made up his mind not to giveway to gloomy thoughts, and he determined that he would be on the townteam and one of the best players.
As the warning bell rang, Tom Davis came hurrying across the schoolcampus.
"I called for you!" he shouted to Joe who, with a crowd of other lads,was going in the building, "but you'd gone."
"Thanks," replied Joe, grateful for the friendly spirit shown. "I'llwait next time." He liked Tom, and was glad to have him for a chum.
Joe thought lessons would never be finished that day, but the classeswere finally dismissed and then, without waiting for Tom, though hethought this might be construed as rather unfriendly, our hero hastenedoff in the direction of the fairgrounds. There was a high wooden fencearound this plot, and it gave Joe just the chance he wanted, for he wasgoing to practice pitching, and he didn't want any witnesses.
"I wish I had half a dozen balls," he murmured as he went in through oneof the gates which was unlocked. "I wouldn't have to chase back andforth so often. But two will do for a while."
He laid his books down on the grass, took out the horsehide spheres and,measuring a distance from the fence about equal to the space from thepitcher's box to home plate, he began to pitch the balls.
With dull thuds the balls struck the fence, one after the other, andfell to the ground. Joe picked them up, took his place again in theimaginary box, and repeated the performance.
His arm, that was a bit stiff at first, from lack of practice sincecoming to Riverside, gradually became limber. He knew that his speed,too, was increasing. He could not judge of his curves, and, truth totell he did not have very good ones as yet, for he had only recentlylearned the knack. But he had the right ideas and a veteran professionalpitcher, who was a friend of one of the Bentville nine's members, hadshowed Joe the proper manner to hold and deliver the ball.
"I wish I had some one back there to give me a line on myself," thoughtJoe, as he pitched away, a solitary figure on the grounds. "I don't knowwhether I'm getting them over the plate, or a mile beyond," for he hadlaid down a flat stone to serve as "home."
"Anyhow this will improve my speed," he reasoned, "and speed is needednow-a-days as much as curves."
Time and again he pitched his two horsehides, ran to pick them up asthey dropped at the foot of the fence, and then he raced back to his"box" to repeat the performance. He was rather tiring of it, and his armwas beginning to feel numb in spite of his enthusiasm, when he heardsome one laughing. The sound came from behind him, and, turning quickly,Joe saw Sam Morton standing leaning up against his wheel, andcontemplating him with mirth showing on his face.
"Well, well!" exclaimed Sam. "This is pretty good. What are you tryingto do, Matson, knock the fence down? If you are, why don't you take ahammer or some stones instead of baseballs? This is rich! Ha! Ha!"
For a moment Joe was tempted to make an angry answer, for the hot bloodof shame mounted to his cheeks. Then he said quietly, and with as muchgood-nature as he could summon on the spur of the moment:
"I'm practicing, that's all. I came here as I didn't want to lose theballs, and the fence makes a good backstop."
"Practicing, eh? What for?" and once more Sam laughed in an insultingmanner.
"
To improve my pitching. There may be a chance to get on the team, Iunderstand."
"What team; the Silver Stars?"
Sam's voice had a harsh note in it.
"Yes." And Joe nodded.
"So you're practicing pitching, eh? And you hope to get on our nine.Well let me tell you one thing, Matson; you won't pitch on the SilverStars as long as I'm on deck, and I intend to remain for quite a whileyet. Pitching practice, eh? Ho! That's pretty good! What you'd betterpractice is running bases. We may let you run for some of the fellows,if you're real good. Or how would you like to carry the bats or be thewater boy? I understand there's a vacancy there. Pitcher! Ha! Ha!" andSam doubled up in mirth. Joe's face flushed, but he said nothing.