CHAPTER XXVI
A LIVELY GAME OF BASEBALL
If ever a boy was mad clear through that boy was the sneak ofPutnam Hall. As the laugh ended, Mumps shook his fist at one andanother of his tormentors.
"Think you are smart, don't you?" he spluttered in his rage."I'll fix you all! I'll go and tell Captain Putnam all about thisspread, and then maybe you won't catch it!"
"Mumps, keep quiet," said Dick, placing himself between theenraged one and the door. "Make too much noise, and I'll promiseyou the worst drubbing you ever received."
"If you peach on me, I'll give you a second whipping," added Tom.
"This is a gentlemanly affair," put in Larry.
"The boy who gives us away gets a thrashing from me."
"Ditto myself," said Frank; and several others said the same. Alllooked so determined that Mumps fell back in alarm.
"You let me go," he whined. "I don't want to stay here anylonger."
"You can't go until you promise to keep quiet," said Dick.
"And you'll promise right now," cried Tom, seizing a pitcher ofice water that had been hidden under one of the stands. Leapingon a bed he held the pitcher over Mumps' head.
"Promise, quick, or I'll let her go!" he went on.
"Oh, don't!" yelled Mumps, as a few drops of the water landed onhis head and ran down his neck.
"Do you promise to keep silent?" demanded Dick.
"Yes, yes!"
"All right. Now mind, if you break that promise you are in for atleast ten good whippings."
"Somebody else may give you away," said Mumps craftily.
"No one will. If Captain Putnam hears about this it will be onlythrough you. So beware, Mumps, if you value your hide!" And thenthe sneak was allowed to go. Five minutes later the spread cameto an end, the muss was cleared away, and every cadet sought hiscouch, to rest if not to sleep.
It is possible that Captain Putnam and George Strong suspectedsomething, yet as the cadets seemed none the worse for thefestivities the next day, nothing was said on the subject. "Boyswill be boys," smiled the captain to his head assistant; and therethe whole matter dropped.
Several days later, while some of the cadets were down at the coveclearing off a portion of the ice for skating, Mrs. Stanhope'sman-of-all-work came over with a note for Dick from Dora. TheRover boys all read the note with deep interest.
"I have good news [so ran the communication]. Mr. Crabtree hasgone to Chicago, and the marriage has been postponed until nextsummer. You do not know how glad I am. Of course there will betrouble when Mr. Crabtree learns how he has been fooled, butmother has promised me to remain single until August or September,and I know she will keep that promise. I thank all of you verymuch for what you have done. Yesterday I saw Dan Baxter, whoseems to be hanging around this neighborhood a good deal. Hewanted to speak to me, but I did not give him the chance. I wishhe would go away, for he looks to me like a very evil-mindedperson. It is strange, but Mr. Crabtree thinks a good deal ofhim, and has told my mother so. He says it is nonsense to put Mr.Baxter down as a criminal."
"Baxter stopping around here..." mused Dick. "What can he be upto?"
"He had better clear out," said Sam. The matter was discussed forsome time, but nothing came of it.
Skating lasted for nearly a month, and then both the ice and thesnow melted away as if by magic. Soon spring was at hand, and theearly flowers began to show themselves in Mrs. Green's littlegarden, which was the housekeeper's one pride.
Dick had seen Dora once in that time. The girl had told him abouthow Josiah Crabtree had searched in vain for the college mentionedin the bogus letter.
"He said I played the trick," were Dora's words. "He wants motherto send me to some strict boarding school."
"And are you going?" had been Dick's question.
"No, I shall remain with mother. After she is married again I donot know what will become of me," and as Dora's eyes filled withtears Dick caught her hand.
"Don't worry, Dora," had been his words. "I will help you, and itis bound to come up right in the end."
As soon as summer was at hand, the Putnam Hall baseball clubreceived a challenge from the Pornell club to play them a game ateither school grounds.
"They want to square accounts for the football defeat," said Fred."Well, the only thing to do is to accept the challenge," and theacceptance was sent without delay, the game to be played on thePutnam Hall grounds, Captain Putnam having promised the cadets hisaid in building a grandstand. The lumber came out of a boathousethat had been torn down to make place for a new structure, and asmany of the cadets took to carpentering naturally, the grandstandwas quite a creditable affair.
Frank Harrington was captain and catcher for the Putnam Hall team.Tom was pitcher, while Larry played first base, Dick second, andSam was down in center, to use those nimble legs of his shouldoccasion require. Fred was shortstop, and the balance of the clubwas made up of the best players the school afforded.
The Saturday chosen for the game was an ideal one, clear and nottoo warm. The students from Pornell arrived early, and so did theother visitors, and by two o'clock the grounds were crowded.
As before a parade was had. Then the umpire came out and gaveeach team fifteen minutes for practice.
"We're in luck," said Dick, when Putnam Hall won the toss and tooklast innings. In a moment more they were in the field, and the Umpcalled out: "Play!"
As was natural, Pornell had put its heaviest batters at the headof their list, and it is possible Tom was a bit nervous as hetwirled the ball and sent it in toward the home plate.
"Ball one!" came the decision, and again the sphere came in."Ball two!" said the umpire.
"Take it easy, Tom!" called out Dick. "Lots of time, remember."
The next was a strike. Then came a foul, and then a hard drive toleft field, and amid a wild, cheering the Pornell batsman gainedsecond base in safety.
"That's the way to do it, Cornwall! Keep it up, Snader!"
The second player now came up, and again the ball came in. Tomwas as nervous as before, and another hit was made, and the playercovered first, while the man on second went to third.
"Tom, do be careful," whispered Frank, walking down to him."Don't let that fellow in," and he nodded in the direction of thefirst runner.
The third player was now at the bat. Two balls and two strikeswere counted against him and then came a foul, high up in the air,which Frank caught with ease.
"One out, and two on base! That's not so bad."
Again the ball came in. "One strike!" said the umpire. "I want ahigh ball!" growled the batter. Again the ball was delivered."Two strikes!" Then the ball came in again. "Three strikes!Batter out!" And Tom got a rousing cheer for striking out thePornellite.
But the two men were still on first and third, with one more manto put out.
"Take care!" whispered Larry, and the basemen all moved up closer.One strike, and then came a high fly, far out in center field.
"Run, Sam! Don't miss that!" came in a yell. "Run! run!"
And Sam did run, knowing that if he missed the ball the Pornellteam would score two runs, if not three. It was going far downthe field, but he was after it, and just as it came down, he madea leap and--clutched the sphere with his left hand.
"He has it! Hurrah! No runs this innings for Pornell!" And thePutnamites howled themselves hoarse, while their opponents hadnothing to say.
But the players from the rival academy had a fine battery, and itwas impossible to "get onto" their pitcher's curves during thatfirst innings. The players went out in one, two, three order,leaving the score 0 to 0.
"It's going to be a close game," said an old player from,Cedarville. "I'm not betting on either side."
The second innings passed without any scoring being done. In thethird innings the Pornell team made two runs. In the next inningsPutnam Hall pulled a single run "out of the fire," as Dick put it,for it was his tally, made on a slide half
way from third base.
After this there were more "goose eggs," until the end of theeighth inning when the score became a tie, 2 to 2.
One more inning for each side, and the excitement became intense.
"We must prevent them from scoring, by all means," said Frank asthey took the field, while the first batter of the Pornellitescame to the plate; and amid a breathless silence the final inningsbegan.