CHAPTER XXIV
DICK SMILES
CLEARFIELD RUTTER'S POINT
Bryan, 2b. Billings, 3b. Scott, 3b. Townsend, 1b. Merrick, 1b. Chase, ss. Wayland, l. f. House, c. f. Tappen, r. f. Leary, 2b. White, c. Northrop, r. f. Robey, ss. Jensen, l. f. Haley, p. Houghton, c. Shaw, c. f. Mason, p.
Gordon took his position off first base, thumped fist into glove, andcalled cheerfully across to Tom Haley:
"First man, Tom! Let's have him!"
But Gordon wasn't nearly as cool and collected as he tried to seem. Hewas conscious of the crowd, and especially of the throng that stretchedfour and five deep along the base line but a half dozen yards away. Thenoise, too, was disconcerting. He didn't mind the bellowing of Jim Houseback of first, nor the answering shrieks of Pink Northrop behind third;but the steady hum and stir of the crowd gave him what was very muchlike stage fright. He almost hoped that the first hit would not comeinto his territory, for he was virtually sure that he would misplay it.But Gordon wasn't the only one suffering from nervous embarrassment. Tomwas as wild as a hawk, and if the batsmen had not been up in the air aswell Rutter's Point might have won the game then and there!
Dick, none too self-possessed himself, in spite of the fact that on thebench he was practically out of the public gaze, saw that in theoutfield Way, Jack, and Fudge were each moving restlessly about, and hementally hoped that there would be no long flies for a few minutes! Theonly one of the home team who seemed absolutely self-possessed andunconcerned was Lanny. Lanny, behind his mask and protector, gave hissignals calmly, and called to Tom coolly and encouragingly, holding hishands over the center of the plate and inviting Tom to "put it righthere!" And Tom tried his best to follow signals, and failed lamentably.
Caspar Billings went to base on balls, and Gordon took the bag. Tomtried one throw across, and Gordon, to his relief, caught the ball.While Tom had been in the act of swinging around and stepping out,Gordon had been sure that the ball would get by him. Caspar was playingit safe, however, and after Gordon threw the sphere back to Tom thelatter gave his attention to the next batsman, Loring Townsend. Loring,with one strike and two balls against him, reached for a low one andsent it up in the air to Pete Robey. Pete caught it, juggled it, droppedit, and then sped it to second. Caspar, who had stopped halfway down thebase line, turned back to the bench.
With one out, Tom settled down a little. Loring Townsend stole on thesecond delivery and beat out the throw. The Point clamored for a hit,but the best Gil Chase could do was to trickle a slow bunt to Tom, whothrew out the runner at first.
"Two gone!" called Gordon. "Let him hit, Tom!"
But Tom did the hitting himself, bumping Jim House on the elbow with hisfirst ball. Jim trotted to first, and Leary came to bat. Leary ought tohave been easy, but he landed on the very first offering and sent a flyinto short left field. Way started with the ball and got it after a hardrun, and the inning was over.
"We got out of that mighty luckily," muttered Gordon, as he took hisseat beside Dick. "I guess we've all got nerves."
"Well, so have the others," replied Dick. "Try to get rid of yoursfirst, Gordie."
Harry Bryan waited and got his base. Will Scott, instructed to bunt andsacrifice, fouled two attempts, and finally went out on strikes. Gordonbrought the stands to their feet by a bunt along first-base line whichstarted well but eventually rolled into foul territory under the anxiousgaze of Mason and Townsend. Then came a swipe that missed the ball byinches, then two balls, and last, with two and two, a straight one thatGordon liked the looks of. He found it, all right, but it dropped intocenter-fielder's hands, and, with two down, Bryan was still anchored onfirst. A minute later he tried a steal, and was caught a yard away.
In the second Tom pitched better, and Northrop and Jensen fanned.Houghton, the Point catcher, got a scratch hit, and reached the firstbag but died there when Mason struck out.
Clearfield did no better in her half, Wayland, Tappen, and Lanny Whitegoing out in order, and only Jack getting a rap at the ball.
It was not until the fourth inning that things began to happen. Learystarted the Point's half with a sharp tap between Pete and Harry thatput him safely on first. Then, with the Point coachers yelling like madand dancing like a couple of dervishes, Tom passed Pink Northrop. Withthe three tail-enders coming up there seemed no cause for alarm. ButJensen laid down a nice bunt right in front of the plate, and Lanny,tossing aside his mask, picked it up and hurled it to third.Unfortunately, Will Scott had started in toward the plate, and the ballgot to third ahead of him. By the time Way had recovered it, Leary hadscored, Northrop was on second, and Jensen on first. The Pointers wentwild with delight, and the blue-and-yellow flags waved in thegrandstand. Houghton, aching for a hit, was over-anxious, and fell avictim to the wiles of Lanny and Tom, and there was one out. PitcherMason was no more of a batsman than the average twirler, and yet hemanaged to make it two and three before he finally put an end to thesuspense and the inning by hitting to Harry Bryan, who tagged Jensen ashe went past and then threw to Gordon, completing the double.
For the next two innings it looked very much as though that one runwould be enough to win the game, for Mason settled down and pitchedair-tight ball and added four more strike-outs to his credit. Tom Haleywas less spectacular, and yet got by without yielding a hit. He passedtwo batters and in the sixth Jensen got as far as third when Pete Robeyfumbled Houghton's liner. But there were no runs scored, and at thebeginning of the seventh the score still stood 1 to 0 in the visitors'favor, and Clearfield already tasted defeat. But the audience shoutedthat here was the "lucky seventh," and those fortunate to have seatsstood up and stretched cramped limbs, and everyone shouted.
In the first half of the seventh the clouds began to gather again overClearfield's head. Caspar Billings, first man up, beat out a weak hitand took second when Townsend sacrificed, Scott to Merrick. A momentlater he reached third when Chase flied out to right field. Then Houseprovided a half dozen attacks of heart disease when, with three ballsand two strikes on him, he knocked fouls to nearly every point of thecompass in his endeavor to secure a safe hit and score Caspar. But inthe end Tom tricked him into a high fly that settled comfortably intoPete Robey's glove, and again the sky cleared.
"If those boys don't win a run this time," said Mr. Brent, almostcrossly, "I'll be sorry I gave them the field."
"You mean, dad, you'll be sorry _I_ gave them the field," correctedMorris, with a grin. Mr. Brent grunted.
"Why don't they bat the ball?" he demanded. "Every time one of them getson a base, the others leave him there. What they ought to do is to takea good bang at it and send it out there beyond those fellows."
"That's what they're trying to do, papa," replied Louise, "but the Pointpitcher won't let them. He's a wonderful pitcher, isn't he, Morris?"
"Pretty fair. He'll get his before the game's over, though. See if hedoesn't."
"Get his what?" asked his father curiously.
"Get what's coming to him," laughed Morris. "I mean the Clearfield chapswill bat him. He can't keep this pace up much longer. I wouldn't besurprised if we got after him this inning."
"Oh, I wish we might!" sighed Louise. "I wish they'd just--just _slam_him!"
"My dear!" murmured Mrs. Brent. "That doesn't sound very nice."
"It's all right, mama; it's just baseball talk."
"Even so, dear, I'm not certain," replied her mother, "that----"
But Louise didn't hear the rest, for she was waving her purple pennantwildly and shrieking in a manner that Mrs. Brent must have disapprovedof thoroughly. But she had a good excuse. Even Mr. Jonathan Brent wastapping his cane and breathing hard, while Morris was frankly on hisfeet, yelling at the top of his lungs.
Jack, the first Clearfield bat
sman, had landed on the second ballpitched, and now it was rolling along the grass between right fielderand center, and Jack was traveling fast for second base. He drew upthere, breathless but happy. From the stands and from the crowds alongthe edges of the diamond came shouts and cheers. At last, Clearfield wasto tie the score!
And yet even with a runner on second and only a hit necessary to bringin a tally, it began to look as if once more the hopes of Clearfield'ssupporters were doomed. Lanny, determined and cool, after waiting untilhe had three balls to his credit and no strikes, tried to drop out ofthe way of a close one, only to have it hit his bat and roll fair! Masonfielded it to first, and there was one out. The incessant shouting fromthe spectators died away and Gordon, coaching at first, swung on hisheel and kicked viciously at a pebble to relieve his feelings. Then,with Pete Robey up, there came an exchange of signals, and Jack startedfor third as the ball left Mason's hand for the second time. It was anunexpected play, and it succeeded. Pete swung and missed and Houghtonside-stepped and hurled to third. But Jack, who was a fast youth on hisfeet, was diving head-first for the bag when the ball arrived, and Mr.Vokes, trotting past, spread his hands. Clearfield applauded wildly.
With a man on third, Rutter's Point considered discretion the betterpart of valor, and Mason pitched out three times to Pete and Pete walkedto first, while the home team's supporters jeered and shouteddisparaging remarks to Mason. A minute later Pete went to secondunchallenged. Tom Haley was up, and Houghton had argued that Tom couldbe easily disposed of. And it seemed that he could. Tom made desperateswings at the first two deliveries, and you could have heard the sighsof despair that came from the anxious watchers on the seats. Then,heeding the coachers' voices at last, Tom got his eye on the ball andwatched idly while Mason sped two wide ones past him. Then he triedagain and a foul resulted, Houghton getting his hands on it at the edgeof the stand but dropping it. A third ball narrowly escaped being astrike, and Gordon cried: "That's waiting, Tom! Let him walk you; he'lldo it in a minute!"
And he would have, for the next delivery was inches wide of the outercorner of the plate, but Tom reached out eagerly, got that ball on thetip of his bat and sent it arching up in a low fly that fell three feetinside the first-base foul line and just out of the reach of the threefielders who raced after it! In trotted Jack, scoring the tying run, andin sped Pete Robey, close on his heels, while Clearfield went mad withdelight and the purple pennants waved on high. Pete beat the throw tothe plate by inches, but Tom, trying to reach second on the throw-in,was less fortunate and fell victim to a fine heave from Houghton toLeary.
Dick motioned Fudge to him. "We want another run, Fudge," he saidsoftly. "Mason will be up in the air now. Make him think you're anxiousto hit. Move up in the box and swing your bat; try to look nervous----"
"I don't have t-t-t-to try," muttered Fudge.
"Never mind. Make him think you'll offer at anything, but _don't_ swingbut once. Pick out a wide one and swing at it, Fudge, but be careful notto hit it. If you work it right, he will pass you sure as shooting! Now,go ahead."
Harold Townsend, so excited that he hadn't scored a thing since Jack'stwo-bagger, looked at Dick in open admiration. "I guess that's what theycall 'inside baseball,' isn't it, Dick?"
"I don't know," was the reply. "It's what I'd call horse-sense. I hopeit works, anyhow!"
With two out and the bases empty the scoring was apparently over, andthe Pointers were doubtless already occupying their thoughts with thetask before them of overcoming that one-run lead when they at lastreturned to their positions.
"Last man, Mel!" called Billy Houghton. "Let's have him!" Then Billysignaled for a straight one. But Mason, as Dick had predicted, was a bitflustered. The straight one came over too low and was a ball. He triedit again, and another ball resulted. Houghton returned the sphere with aslow and cautioning toss, and then spread his fingers for a curve. Thecurve came, went wide, and Fudge, as nervous as a wet hen, made a mightyswing at it, missing it by six inches and winning a laugh from thespectators. Then he walked to the pitcher's end of the box andflourished his bat, and seemed to be daring Mason to put one where hecould get it. Houghton signaled for a curve once more, for he figuredthat Fudge was in a condition to offer at anything that came. And Mason,winding his fingers none too carefully about the ball, let drive withit, and was properly surprised when Fudge made no offer!
Then Houghton woke up. The score was three balls and one strike. Hesignaled for one over the plate, and it came. "Strike!" called Mr.Cochran. On the bench Dick watched anxiously. If Fudge could get hisbase, he reasoned, Harry Bryan would be up, and, in the presentdisgruntled state of mind of the Point players, errors were likely toresult. On the mound Mason was shaking his head at Houghton'sinstructions. He had no doubt that he could put the third strike over,but he preferred to make the batter fan. Houghton signaled again, Masonwound up, and the ball traveled forward. It had a jump on it, if ever aball did, and that jump was Mason's undoing. Fudge never moved as theball passed him, only turned inquiringly toward the umpire. The latternodded. "Take your base," he said.
Billy Houghton ejaculated an amazed "_What?_" and Mason disgustedlykicked up the dust, but Fudge, grinning toward the bench as he passed,trotted to first. Rutter's Point suddenly awakened to the fact thatperhaps the trouble was not yet over, after all!
Nor was it. Harry Bryan found something to his liking, and banged ithead-high across the diamond toward Billings. Caspar knocked it down,fumbled it, and then threw too late to Townsend. Harry was safe on firstand Fudge on second. Clearfield yelled like wild Indians, and the crowdswayed and threatened to push on to the field. Then began a panicky fiveminutes.
Fudge danced around at second and Bryan at first. The coachers shoutedand leaped, and the crowd kept up an incessant thumping of feet and asteady roar of voices. Up in the main stand, Mr. Jonathan Brent washugging his cane and leaning forward from the very edge of his seat.Louise had her purple pennant twisted into a hard knot, and Morris wastalking hoarsely to himself or whoever might be listening. "Take a goodlead, Shaw!" he directed. "Look out, Bryan! He almost got you! Here wego, fellows! Here we go!" Of course, neither Fudge nor Harry heard him,but Morris never thought about that. Morris was running that game forhimself just then.
Dick whispered a few words to Jack Tappen, and Jack sped to first andwhispered a few words to Gordon. And Gordon turned his head inquiringlytoward the bench, caught Dick's emphatic nod, and renewed his shouting.
"What did you tell him, Dick?" asked Harold, in a low voice.
Dick smiled. "You wait and see, Harold," he said.
Will Scott was up now, with one ball to his credit. Mason had made threeattempts to catch Bryan napping at first, and now he directed hisattention to the batsman again. A waister went for a strike, a wide onefollowed and scored the second ball, and then Mason wound up once moreand shot his arm out. And as he did so Fudge leaped away toward third,Bryan sped for second, and a cry of "There he goes!" went up from thevisitors' bench. Will Scott glued his eye to that ball, swung and missedit. Houghton made a desperate attempt to cut off the runner at third,but failed, and bedlam broke loose. Mr. Potter knocked the silver trophyoff its base in his excitement, and only caught it at the edge of the"press-stand" table. Harold kicked his legs in air and tossed hisscore-book up. Mr. Anthony Brent nearly broke his walking-stick. Morrischallenged everyone within hearing to deny that that was the prettiestdouble steal that had ever been pulled off. Louise clapped her handsuntil her palms ached and her white gloves threatened to rip. And somesix hundred other folks did whatever it occurred to them to do, and didit just as noisily as they knew how!
Dick Lovering, Manager of the Clearfield Baseball Club, only smiledquietly and made little marks in his score-book.
A minute later Scott was perched on first base, Mason having beentotally unable to locate the plate, and Gordon faced the pitcher. Basesfull, two out, and the captain at bat! Well, it was a fine situation, nomatter what might come of it. The Point infield crept toward t
he plate.Everyone talked loudly to the pitcher, as much, perhaps, to tranquilizehis own nerves as to encourage Mason. Mason, it seemed, neededencouragement. He was palpably unstrung, and the first ball he pitchedproved it, for it was as wild as a shooting-star, and if Billy Houghtonhad not leaped sidewise and sprawled on his elbow it would have been byhim and let in a run. But Billy stopped it, and Fudge scuttled back tosafety at third.
Mason worked a slow ball over for a strike on the next attempt, and thatseemed to settle him somewhat. Gordon let one go by and found he hadjudged it correctly. Then a foul back of first base made the standingtwo and two. The noise had diminished, and now an almost breathlesssilence enveloped the field. Only the voices of the coachers were to beheard.
"Oh, come on, Fudge! Take a lead! That's better! Hold it! On your toes,everyone! Look out for a passed ball now! Here's where we score a few!"
"Pick out a good one, Cap! Make him pitch to you! Here it is! Here itis!"
But Gordon refused to offer at it, and, "Ball!" announced the umpire.
"It's got to be good, now, Gordie!" yelled Jack. "Lean on it! Lean onit! Make it a homer, Cap!"
Mason wound, unwound, sped the ball toward the plate, bat and ball metand a sudden swelling paean of joy went up as the spectators leaped totheir feet and craned their necks. But Gordon, speeding down thefirst-base line, and the other runners, spurning the dust between bags,slowed up and turned disappointedly back. The hit had gone foul byseveral yards. A brand-new ball was thrown to the pitcher, and Gordonpicked up his bat again, waited until the runners had regained theirbases, and then once more faced Mason.
That new white ball looked good to him! What he feared most now was thatMason would pitch a bad one and that he would have to take his base onballs. To be sure, that would force in another run, but Gordon wantedmore than that. Something told him that if Mason put one over he couldhit it! Perhaps it would have been well if Mason had sacrificed a runand passed the Clearfield captain, but Mason couldn't be expected toknow what was to happen. He wanted to strike the batsman out and end adeplorable inning, and Billy Houghton wanted the same thing. And soBilly spread his hands wide and Mason was just a bit more careful thanusual and the ball sped forward fast and straight. And Gordon felt hisheart jump as he saw what was coming. Every muscle tightened, his batswung sharply, there was a _crack_ that was easily heard outside thefield where an eager army of small boys had their eyes glued to allavailable cracks and knot-holes, and Gordon was racing for first!
Over Leary's upstretched glove traveled the ball into the outfield. JimHouse made a desperate effort to get it on the bound, missed it, whirledand scuttled back toward the fence. It was Pink Northrop, right fielder,who finally recovered it and threw it frantically in to second baseman.But by that time three joyous youths had crossed the plate and Gordonwas sliding, in a cloud of dust, to third. And he might have kept hisfeet, at that, for poor Caspar, seeing the game slipping away, muffedthe throw. Gordon had come through with a clean three-bagger! The scorestood five to one! The "lucky seventh" had proved itself!
"The Lucky Seventh had proved itself"]
The inning ended two minutes later when Way wasan easy out, shortstop to first, and Rutter's Point again took up thebat. But four runs was a desperate handicap to overcome, and Tom Haley,encouraged by success, pitched the best ball of his career. To be sure,Rutter's Point did score once more, in the first of the ninth, CasparBillings slamming out a two-bagger much too hot for Pete Robey to handleand sending Jensen across the plate. And after that Townsend got tofirst on an error by Will Scott, and the Point, with Gil Chase at bat,tried heroically to pull the game out of the fire by a ninth-inningrally. But Tom was not to be trifled with, and Chase finally went out ona long fly to center, which Fudge, making the most of his second chanceof the game, pulled down without a tremor!
And then the band crashed forth into a triumphant march, the standsemptied, the field was flooded with laughing, satisfied spectators,cheers were given and answered, and, surrounded by a dense throng ofenthusiastic admirers, Gordon and Dick and the others tried to hear Mr.Potter's speech as he presented to them the silver cup and the silkenpennant. That speech appeared in full in Monday's _Reporter_, togetherwith three columns of descriptive matter and a detailed story of thegame; but no one heard it now.
Five minutes later, Dick, the trophy held on his knees, sat in the bluerunabout, and, with the triumphant Clearfield nine following behind, wasparaded thrice around the field, Morris acting as charioteer. And thecrowd, loitering behind to miss none of the fun, scuttled aside andcheered and waved purple flags.
Last of all, with a score-book somewhat the worse for wear clutchedtightly under his arm, strode Harold, adding his shrill cheers to thegeneral tumult.