CHAPTER XXIX
A WILD CHASE
Not five minutes had elapsed before Hicksley was lying on the floor ofthe hall, holding his hand to his eyes and nose.
"Get up!" Bobby commanded.
Hicksley did nothing but grunt.
"Have you had enough?" asked Bobby.
"Enough," mumbled the bully, all the fight taken out of him.
He slunk away, while the boys, who had crowded out into the hall at thesound of combat and had viewed with rapture the defeat of the bully,gathered about Bobby, who, except for a bruise on his forehead, showedno sign of the battle.
"Bully for you, Bobby!" crowed Mouser.
"Scubbity-_yow_!" howled Fred in delight. "That was a peach of a scrap."
"He got all that was coming to him," exulted Sparrow.
"Hicksley couldn't lick a postage stamp!" exclaimed Skeets gleefully.
"He must have learned to fight by mail," grinned Shiner.
"A mighty good job you made of it, Bobby," commended Billy Bassett.
"I wasn't looking for trouble," explained Bobby, "but when he buttedinto me and knocked me down the stairs, I couldn't help pitching intohim."
For the rest of that day and evening little else was thought of orspoken of but the "trimming" that Bobby had given to the bully. Butapart from the satisfaction of having Hicksley get what he so richlydeserved, a still greater joy was in the hearts of all.
Bobby Blake was back again on the team!
"Now," cried Fred, expressing the hope and belief of all, "you'll seeRockledge begin to climb."
And Rockledge did climb with a vengeance.
The very next Saturday with Bobby in the box and pitching gilt-edgedball they walked all over Belden, not only beating their chief rival butdoing it to the score of seven to nothing. The whole team played behindtheir pitcher as though they were inspired with new life. And from thattime on, the Beldenites drew into their shell and did not do so muchcrowing when they met the Rockledge boys in the town.
But Bobby and his comrades knew that they still had a heavy task beforethem, if they were to win the pennant of the Monatook Lake League.
Belden had now won four games and lost two. Rockledge was even in gainsand losses, having won three and lost three. If there had been many moregames to play, Rockledge would have felt much more confident, for shewas now traveling faster than her rival. But the end of the season wascoming fearfully close, and there were only three more games to play.
"Belden is the one we've got to beat," declared Frank. "We've got theIndian sign, I think, on Somerset and Ridgefield."
As far as Ridgefield was concerned, this seemed true, for Rockledge wonthe game by four to two, his mates handing Bobby a lead in the firstinning that he was able to keep throughout the game. But as Belden alsowon on the same day from Somerset, though after a harder battle, theRockledge boys were still "trailing" the school across the lake.
The excitement now was reaching fever pitch, and it broke all bounds thefollowing Saturday, when Belden came a cropper with Ridgefield, being"nosed out" in the ninth by a sudden rally on the part of theiropponents, while Rockledge won handily from Somerset in a free battinggame by ten runs to six.
"Hurrah!" yelled Mouser, "we're tied with Belden now."
"Bobby has pulled us up in dandy shape," declared Frank. "You're awonder, Bobby, old scout."
"Just keep it up for one more game, Bobby," pleaded Sparrow.
"Scubbity-_yow_!" shouted Fred. "I'll bet old Belden is shaking in itsboots."
Somerset and Ridgefield had played good ball in spots, but now they wereout of the race. Belden and Rockledge had each won five and lost three,and the game that was to be played between them on the followingSaturday would wind up the season and decide which of the teams was towin the pennant of the Monatook Lake League.
It was almost impossible for the boys to keep their minds on theirlessons, but as there were only ten days remaining in the school termthis did not matter to the same degree as it would have done earlier inthe year.
But an incident occurred on the Monday following the game with Somersetthat gave a new slant to their thoughts, and for a few hours drove eventhoughts of the pennant from the minds of Bobby and his friends.
Shiner had been invited to go for an automobile ride by a friend of hisfamily, who was staying for a few days at Rockledge. He came rushinginto the dormitory with his eyes bulging.
"Say, fellows!" he gasped, "if you want to catch those tramps of yours,come along with me."
"What do you mean?" his chums asked in chorus, as they made a wild grabfor their hats.
"I've seen them," panted Shiner. "But come along and I'll tell you.Hustle!"
The boys rushed downstairs to find an automobile waiting. Beside Mr.Wharton, the owner, they recognized the constable.
"Tumble in," said Mr. Wharton, smiling, and a half dozen boys swarmedinto the automobile.
"You see," explained Shiner, "we passed three tramps about two milesfrom here, and I saw that two of them were the ones we saw the day wewere swimming. I told Mr. Wharton and we put on speed, picked up theconstable and hurried up for you, so that you could go along andidentify them."
Mr. Wharton had started the car the moment the boys were inside, and itwas skimming along like a bird. It went so fast that the boys had tohold on to their caps, and although they were all chattering with mightand main, the wind made it almost impossible for one to hear what theothers were saying.
In a very few minutes they saw three figures on the lonely country roadahead. The one in the center had a limp that was familiar.
The tramps heard the coming car, and at first stood aside to let itpass. But as it slowed up on approaching them, they took alarm, climbedover a fence and started across the fields toward a piece of woodland alittle way off.
Their pursuers leaped from the car and gave chase. The lithe limbs ofthe boys gave them an advantage over their heavier companions, and theywere soon on the heels of the tramps, who turned snarling and facedthem.
"Keep off or I'll club the life out of you," shouted one, whom theyrecognized as the man with the scar.
"No you won't," cried Bobby, defiantly.
"We want the things you stole from us," sang out Fred.
"Jail for yours!" Mouser shouted.
They circled round the men, thus holding them in check, and in anothermoment Mr. Wharton and the constable had come up and each grabbed one ofthe men by the collar. At the sight of the constable's star, the otherquickly wilted.
The officer slipped handcuffs on them all and pushed them into the ear,while the boys crowded in as best they could, two of them standing onthe running-board. In triumph, they went back to town and the men wereplaced in jail.
First they were searched, and, greatly to the boys' delight, pawntickets were found that accounted for all the articles that had beenstolen from them. The money of course was gone, but the boys caredlittle for that, as long as they were sure that they could get backtheir cherished personal possessions.
"We're some demon thief catchers, all right," chuckled Mouser.
"He would call me red-head, would he?" grinned Fred, referring to thescar-faced tramp.
"It means good luck for us, fellows," declared Bobby. "Now, I'm _sure_we're going to down Belden."
CHAPTER XXX
WINNING THE PENNANT--CONCLUSION
Belden had its own idea as to who was to be "downed," and almost thewhole school went to Rockledge with colors flying on the great day thatwas to decide who should carry off the flag of the Monatook Lake League.
As the teams had each played a game on the other's grounds, it had beenleft to the toss of a coin as to where the deciding game should takeplace, and Rockledge had won.
This was a good omen in itself, and the Rockledge boys were chock-fullof confidence, as they slipped into their baseball suits in thegymnasium before going on the f
ield.
"We've just _got_ to win to-day, Fred," remarked Bobby. "It would neverdo to lose with all our folks in the stand looking on."
"You bet we'll win," replied Fred emphatically. "If we don't, I'll huntup some hole, slip in and pull the hole in after me."
Mr. and Mrs. Blake had come down on this last day. Fred's father andmother were also present, accompanied by Betty. And to give the boys apleasant surprise they had brought Scat Monroe and Pat Moriarty alongwith them.
The weather had been a little threatening in the morning, but about noonit cleared beautifully. A great crowd was present, for all the townsnear Monatook Lake had become interested in the pennant fight, andpeople came in droves to see the deciding game.
Bobby and Fred went up in the stand for a little chat with their friendsand families before the game began.
"Oh, I'm so glad it's such a beautiful day!" exclaimed Betty gleefully."I was so afraid the rain would come down this morning."
"You wouldn't expect the rain to go up, would you?" asked her brotherairily.
"Smarty!" said Betty, and she made a little face at him.
"Fred had better behave himself or we'll say 'snowball' to him, won'twe, Betty?" laughed Bobby.
"I'm rooting for you boys to win to-day," remarked Pat, his freckledface wreathed with smiles.
"We're going to fight like the mischief to do it," returned Bobby.
"Put the whitewash brush on them," said Scat.
"Perhaps that's asking a little too much," grinned Fred. "We'll besatisfied with the big end of the score."
Their parents smiled on them fondly and urged them to do their best towin for Rockledge, and the boys went down on the field with their heartsfull of determination.
But it was evident from the moment the first ball went over the platethat it would be no easy task for either side to win. Each team wasscrewed to the highest pitch and full of determination and enthusiasm.
Bobby started out like a winner. His arm had never felt better, and hewhipped the ball over the plate at a speed that delighted thespectators--always excepting the Belden rooters--but that made FrankDurrock a little anxious.
"Easy there, Bobby," he counseled from first base, when the first batterhad gone out on strikes. "The game's young yet, and you've a long way togo."
Bobby realized the wisdom of this, and made the next batter pop up aninfield fly to Mouser at second. Then he mixed in a slow one that seemedeasy enough to hit as it came floating up to the plate, but whichresulted in an easy roller to the box which Bobby had plenty of time tothrow to first.
"That's what you call a change of pace, old scout," congratulatedSparrow, as the nine came in from the field amid a general clapping ofhands at the promising beginning.
But Bobby was not to carry off the pitching honors of the game without astruggle. Larry Cronk, the Belden pitcher, was in splendid form, and hehad had the benefit of being coached by his brother, who was a studentat Yale and a member of the Varsity team. The result of this trainingwas shown in a new "hop" ball that Larry sprung on them for the firsttime. It came singing over the plate with a jump on it just before itreached the batter that at first puzzled the Rockledge boys completely.Two of them struck out and the third was an easy victim on a foul.
Now it was Belden's turn to howl. And howl they did.
"Bobby's got his work cut out for him to-day," remarked Sparrow toSkeets, as they went out into the field.
"That's just the time Bobby's at his best," returned Skeets confidently.
"Bobby's got that fadeaway of his when it comes to the pinch," addedMouser, "and I'll back that against Larry's hop any time."
Bobby was not daunted by this showing on the part of his opponent. Buthe knew that he must not slow down for a second. He must put brains inhis work as well as muscle, must study and outguess the batters and givethem just what they did not want.
So he worked with exceeding care, mixing up his curves and his fast andslow balls so skillfully that in the first four innings only two hitswere made off him, and one of them a scratch, and no one got as far assecond base. And in doing this he nursed his strength, so that he feltalmost as strong and fresh as at the beginning.
"Talk about a fox," chuckled Fred, "he isn't in it with Bobby."
Larry, too, had kept any one from denting the home plate, but he was soexultant over the success of his new delivery that he relied upon italmost entirely. And by and by the Rockledge boys began to find him moreeasily than they did at first. They had not yet made more than one cleanhit, but the bat was beginning to meet the ball more solidly and it wasonly a matter of a little time before they would be lining out basehits, unless Larry changed his style and mixed in his other curves.
"We'll straighten them out in the next inning, see if we don't,"remarked Spentz confidently.
And so they did. Spentz himself led off with a crashing three-bagger toright. Fred brought him home with a sizzling single and stole second onthe next ball pitched. Larry tightened up then, and although a cleversacrifice bunt put Fred on third, he was left there, as the next twobatters went out on strikes.
Belden's half had been scoreless, so that the end of the fifth inningfound Rockledge in the lead by one to none. And in such a close game asthis promised to be, that one run looked as big as a mountain.
But by the time Belden's sixth inning was over, the Rockledge rooterswere in a panic.
The trouble began when Frank Durrock, old reliable Frank, muffed an easyfly that ordinarily he would have "eaten up." Not only did he drop theball, but he let it get so far away from him that the batter took achance of making second. Frank, in his haste to catch him, threw theball over Mouser's head into left field, and before it could berecovered, the runner had made the circuit of the bases.
The error seemed to demoralize the whole team. Sparrow booted agrounder, and by the time he had got through fumbling, it was too lateto throw to first. Spentz, in right, dropped a high fly and then threwwildly to head off the runner, who was legging it for third. The ballwent ten feet over Sparrow's head and both boys scored, making the countthree to one in favor of the visitors. Rockledge had a bad case of"rattles."
Bobby walked down to first as though he wanted to talk to Frank, butreally to give his mates time to recover.
"Play ball!" shouted the Belden rooters.
Bobby took his time in returning, and even when he was back in the boxfound a shoe lace that needed tying. Not until he was fully ready did hestraighten up.
He put on all speed now and disposed of the next batters in order, twoon high fouls and one on strikes. He did not want to let any balls gofar out, in the present nervous conditions of his mates.
As for them, they were full of rage and self-reproach.
"Three runs without a single hit!" groaned Frank.
"Never mind, fellows!" cried Bobby cheerily. "Go right in now and getthem back again. Knock the cover off the ball."
But this was more easily said than done. Once in that inning and againin the seventh and eighth, they got men on the bases, but they could notbring them in. In the eighth inning a rattling double play broughtgroans from the Rockledge rooters, as they saw a promising rally nippedin the bud.
Bobby had been mowing the Belden boys down almost as fast as they cameto the plate. He had brought out his fadeaway now and mixed it in sowell with the others that the batters never had a chance. His mates hadrecovered their nerve and were backing him up splendidly. Neverthelessthe fact still faced them that their rivals were two runs ahead.
In the ninth inning, after disposing of Belden, Rockledge went in to door die. Yells of encouragement came from their partisans as they madetheir last stand.
"Go to it, boys!"
"You can beat them yet!"
"Never say die!"
"Rockledge! Rockledge! Rockledge!"
But the shouts turned to groans, when Willis, who was playing centerfield in place of Bronson, put up a skyscraper which Cronk gobbled upwithout moving in his tracks. Barry sent a ho
t grounder to short whichwas fielded cleverly and sent to first ahead of the batter. There was amovement in the stand, as the spectators got ready to leave.
But they stopped short when Spentz sent a screaming hit to center for aclean single. Frank followed with a grasser between short and secondthat gave him first and sent Spentz to third. Larry faltered and gaveFred his base on balls. The bases were full when Bobby came to the bat.
Larry eyed him narrowly and wound a fast one about his neck, at whichBobby refused to bite. The next was right in the groove, and Bobbycaught it square on the end of his bat and sent it whistling over thehead of the first baseman. It rolled clear to the right field fence, andbefore it could be recovered, the Rockledge runners had gone round thebases like so many jack rabbits, and had jumped on the home plate, whileBobby pulled up at second.
The game was over, the game was won and the Rockledge boys were thechampions of the Monatook Lake League!
Bobby's comrades rushed upon him, mauling and pounding him; the shoutingcrowd swooped out from the stand and surrounded him.
"Champions!" "Champions!" "Champions!" they yelled, until their throatswere husky and their lungs were sore.
It was a long time before Bobby could get through the crowd to where hisvisitors awaited him. There Betty cried one minute and laughed the next,in her happy excitement. Mrs. Blake's eyes, too, were moist as shehugged her boy, and Mr. Blake cleared his throat as he put his hand onBobby and told him he was proud of him.
Fred, too, came in for his share of well-earned praise and the boys werehappy beyond words. And Scat and Pat were almost as delighted as thoughthey had won the game themselves.
Finally, when matters were somewhat quieted down, some one asked theboys about their plans for the summer vacation. How full that summerproved to be of stirring and exciting adventure will be told in the nextvolume of this series.
But just now all their thoughts were of the present. Their school termwas over. There had been some unpleasant features, but in the main theirexperiences had been happy ones.
"We did it, Bobby!" exclaimed Fred joyfully, for perhaps the twentiethtime.
"We got there," agreed Bobby; "but it was a mighty hard fight."
"That's what makes it all the more worth winning," Fred declared.
"Yes," said Bobby, "I guess the things that come easy aren't worth much.That's what makes us feel so good about being champions. For therewasn't anything easy about winning the pennant of the Monatook LakeLeague."
THE END
------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE BOBBY BLAKE SERIES BY FRANK A. WARNER
BOOKS FOR BOYS FROM EIGHT TO TWELVE YEARS OLD
"Bobby Blake at Rockledge School" book cover]
True stories of life at a modern American boarding school. Bobby attendsthis institution of learning with his particular chum and the boys haveno end of good times. The tales of outdoor life, especially the excitingtimes they have when engaged in sports against rival schools, arewritten in a manner so true, so realistic, that the reader, too, isbound to share with these boys their thrills and pleasures.
1 BOBBY BLAKE AT ROCKLEDGE SCHOOL. 2 BOBBY BLAKE AT BASS COVE. 3 BOBBY BLAKE ON A CRUISE. 4 BOBBY BLAKE AND HIS SCHOOL CHUMS. 5 BOBBY BLAKE AT SNOWTOP CAMP. 6 BOBBY BLAKE ON THE SCHOOL NINE. 7 BOBBY BLAKE ON A RANCH. 8 BOBBY BLAKE ON AN AUTO TOUR. 9 BOBBY BLAKE ON THE SCHOOL ELEVEN. 10 BOBBY BLAKE ON A PLANTATION. 11 BOBBY BLAKE IN THE FROZEN NORTH. 12 BOBBY BLAKE ON MYSTERY MOUNTAIN.
PUBLISHERS BARSE & CO. NEW YORK, N. Y. NEWARK, N. J.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE BOY SCOUT LIFE SERIES
Published with the approval of The Boy Scouts of America
"The Boy Scout Fire Fighters" book cover]
In the boys' world of story books, none better than those about boyscouts arrest and grip attention. In a most alluring way, the stories inthe BOY SCOUT LIFE SERIES tell of the glorious good times and wonderfuladventures of boy scouts.
All the books were written by authors possessed of an intimate knowledgeof this greatest of all movements organized for the welfare of boys, andare published with the approval of the National Headquarters of the BoyScouts of America.
The Chief Scout Librarian, Mr. F. K. Mathiews, writes concerning them:"It is a bully bunch of books. I hope you will sell 100,000 copies ofeach one, for these stories are the sort that will help instead of hurtour movement."
THE BOY SCOUT FIRE FIGHTERS--CRUMP THE BOY SCOUTS OF THE LIGHTHOUSE TROOP--McCLANE THE BOY SCOUT TRAIL BLAZERS--CHELEY THE BOY SCOUT TREASURE HUNTERS--LERRIGO BOY SCOUTS AFLOAT--WALDEN BOY SCOUTS COURAGEOUS--MATHIEWS BOY SCOUTS TO THE RESCUE--LERRIGO BOY SCOUTS ON THE TRAIL--GARTH THE BOY SCOUTS IN AFRICA--CORCORAN THE BOY SCOUTS OF ROUND TABLE PATROL--LERRIGO
PUBLISHERS BARSE & CO. NEW YORK, N. Y. NEWARK, N. J.
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