H. Irving Hancock

“ Dick Prescott, at least, was qualified to know what he really expected. He really was confident of victory in the game that should decide the league championship.
"If you feel that you can't be beaten, and won't be beaten, but that you've got to win and are going to win, then that's more than half the points of a game won in advance," he told his chums. "Fellows, in baseball or anything else, we won't say die, either now or at any later time in life. We'll make it our rule to ride right over anything that gets in our way. That way we can't know defeat." ”

“ Dick ventured too near. Garwood swung his uninjured arm so unexpectedly that Prescott had no chance to get out of the way. He fell flat on the ground. Warned by the light in the eye of the world's master, Dick believed it prudent to roll several yards before be tried to get up.
"Say," blazed Darrin indignantly. "Are you going to stand for that?"
"Don't excite him," murmured Prescott in an undertone. "The poor fellow isn't responsible for what he's doing. And I'd fight, too, if I thought any one was trying to seize me." ”

“ Dick dodged back, laughing. There were a few indignant vocal explosions among the assembled youngsters, followed by dangerous calm and quiet.
"Whenever you find yourself under trying circumstances, or when anger is surging within you, fellows, believe me, you'll always find it wiser to say just what the man on the clubhouse steps said—-which was nothing," Dick urged.
"And you got us all the way up here, at an appointed time, just to hear that?" demanded Spoff Henderson.
"It's worth the time it has cost you," Dick urged.
"Rush him fellows!" bawled Toby Ross. "Don't let him escape!" ”

“ I thank you kindly, but if any one is to go back into that crowd with Hi's things, it will be some one else. I won't go—-too much regard for my health, you know."
"Greg, you carry Hi's clothes back," urged Dick. "I'll take Ted with me."
"I will not," flared Greg in open revolt.
"Be a good fellow," begged Dick.
"That's all right," grumbled Greg Holmes. "But I'm no valet to any North Grammar boy.
"If you fellows won't either of you do it," protested Dick, "I'll have to do it myself, and—-oh, dear! I'm in such a hurry to get help to take care of Garwood." ”

“ It wasn't anything."
"Just a fresh idiot's attempt to be funny!" growled Teall, his face now red with mortification.
"Laugh, Ted, confound you!" urged Tom Reade. "Laugh! Don't be a grouch."
"What you need, Teall," teased Dave Darrin, "is some nerve tonic. You ought not to let yourself get into such bad shape that you almost faint when you hit the ball."
For once Ted Teall's ready tongue went back on him. He could think of nothing to say that would not make him look still more ridiculous.
"I guess he'll be good, for one game at least," grimaced Dick as he turned to his teammates. ”

“ Dave plied the whip relentlessly until he had inflicted half a dozen more blows on the legs of each High School boy.
"If you try to run away," warned Dave, "either of you, I'll run after you and lay on ten times as much as I'm giving you."
"Quit, now, Dave," urged Dick, running to his chum and laying a hand on Darrin's active right arm. "They've had lots—-plenty. Such things as they, can't stand a man's dose." ”

“ Not one of the trio had been able to judge Dick's ball.
Central Grammar had won the first game by the close score of three to two. That, however, was as good for all purposes as any other could possibly be.
"What ails you Norths?" amiably remarked Ted Teall. "Is it the gayness of your uniforms? The red gets in your eyes and keeps you from seeing the ball."
"You're not funny," glowered Hi Martin. "You're merely a clown." ”

“ While those approaching the boathouse door were still more than a score of feet away there came a startling interruption.
Bang! sounded inside. The door of the building strained an instant, but did not give way.
"That's our old friend, Amos bang-bang, to a dot," muttered Tom dryly, as the advancing party of men and boys halted.
"I don't care about fooling with a dynamite factory," remarked one of the men.
Dick, at a dead run, joined the party.
"Come along!" he cried. "Let's break down the door and find out whether the poor fellow is hurt." ”

“ Smiling broadly, Dick went on his way home. He put away his diploma, next removing his best suit and laying it carefully away. Then he donned his more accustomed clothes and ran down to the store.
"It was a very enjoyable exhibition, Dick," said his father.
"And I suppose our son feels that he's a man now?" smiled Mrs.
Prescott.
"No; I'm not, mother, and I don't want to be in any hurry, either. There's too much fun in being a boy. And now I've an appointment to meet a lot of the fellows."
"Don't let that appointment make you forget supper time," his mother called after him. ”

“ If he leads a too solitary life long enough he may be past the possibility of a cure one of these days. That is why Colonel Garwood is so anxious to find his son, and offers such a handsome reward for information."
"Some one missing?" asked Dick in a low voice.
"Yes," nodded a man in the crowd. "A crazy inventor is lost, or he's loose, at any rate, and his old father is trying to find him. There is a reward of twenty-five hundred dollars for the lucky fellow who finds this inventor with the monkey wrenches in his brain."
"What does the man look like?" asked Dick. ”

“ Dick asserted.
"With this ball?" Greg asked, taking it from his friend's hand.
"Yes."
"Hm! I don't see anything about it to shatter the nerves of a hardy youth like Ted Teall," Greg muttered. "This ball is just wound with string and covered with pieces of old glove. Why, it's so soft that I don't believe I could throw it straight."
Greg raised the home-made ball to throw it.
"Here! Don't toss it, or you may put it out of business," objected
Prescott, taking it away from his friend.
"If the ball can't be thrown, then what on earth is it good for?" questioned Darrin. ”

“ All the fellows of Dick & Co. were busy in getting their clothing off.
"Say, but I hope you fellows get far enough away from your duds!" breathed Teall vengefully, as he watched through the screen of leaves.
"Do you fellows think we had better leave a guard over our clothes?" queried Dick, as they stood forth, ready for swimming.
"Not!" returned Dalzell with emphasis. "If I agreed to it, it would be just my luck to have the lot fall to me. For the next half hour I don't want to do a thing but feel the water around me all the way up to my neck."
"What's the use of a guard over our clothes?" ”

“ Some of the grin vanished from Ted's face, but his eyes now flashed the fire of resolve.
"Strike two!"
Teall began to feel little tremors running all up and down his spine.
"Steady, you idiot!" he warned himself.
"Ball one!"
Captain Teall began to feel better. Perhaps Dick's arm was beginning to grow stale.
"Strike three. Out!"
Ted started for the bench, hurling his bat before him. He was full of self-disgust.
"A fellow never can guess when he has Dick thrashed," he said to a South beside him. ”

“ Prescott went on. "Teall is bound to feel sore and ashamed, and he won't rest until be has done his best to get even with us."
"Teall had better leave us alone," replied Tom, shaking his head. "Ted's brain isn't any too heavy, and he'll never be equal to getting the better of a crowd with a Dick Prescott in it." ”

“ Dave retorted solemnly. "You needn't talk any more, Martin. I won't do a blessed thing for you now."
"Dave, you're altogether too rough on a fellow that's in hard luck," remonstrated Greg, then turned to Martin to add:
"Hi, it's no use to go chasing Ted Teall, but I'll tell you what I'll do. I'm all dressed now, and I'll go straight to your house and get some clothes for you, so you can come out of these woods and walk home. I'll do it for half a dollar." ”

“ Bill had had his fellows three times in the water, and was proud of them.
Just ten minutes before the time for calling the contestants Dave Darrin led his squad from the boathouse. Out along the pier they ran and dived in.
"The water's just fine for swimming to-day," ecstatically remarked Tom Reade, as he came up, blew the water from his mouth and took a few strokes. "In fact, the water's too fine."
"Too fine?" queried Dave. "How so?"
"Why, it makes a fellow feel so fine," retorted Tom, "that I'm afraid it will make us all winners, and then there won't be any glory for either school." ”

“ Captain Dick laughed modestly. "Some one had to win, you know, and the luck came to us."
"Luck!" exploded Ted unbelievingly. "Nothing like it, either. No sheer luck could ever have broken down the cast-iron determination that our fellows had to win. You Centrals are the real ball players of the town—-that's the only answer."
Whooping wildly in their glee, scores of Central Grammar boys rushed at Dick Prescott, trying to get at his hand and wring it. ”

“ Spoff Henderson and Toby Ross were already at the place of appointment.
"Here comes Dick!" called Spoff. "Now, tell us."
"Wait until the crowd gets here." returned Prescott.
"Ain't you the mean one?" growled Toby. "And we ran all the way home and back."
"Too much hurry is said to be one of the greatest American sins," laughed Dick.
"Well, you're going to tell us, anyway, aren't you?" pressed Spoff.
"Yes; but give the crowd a chance to get here."
Dave and Dan came along, then Tom, Harry and Greg. Tolman and a few other fellows hurried up. ”

“ Dick then proceeded to narrate what had happened. His father listened with growing anger.
"What a low, worthless trick that was to play," he cried. "Dick, if you'll stay here and attend the store I'll step around to Mr. Ripley's office and speak to him about it. Then I'll go over to the bank and see Bert's father."
"Don't, dad; please don't," begged the boy.
"It seems to me that such action is highly necessary," maintained
Mr. Prescott.
"I hope you won't do it, dad. The best way to treat boys' rows is to let them settle among themselves. ”

“ Under ordinary circumstances Ted might have left Hi Martin's clothes behind. It had been Hi's impolitic remark about "mucker schools" that had decided Ted to take away Hi's belongings as well.
"That Teall is a dirty sneak," cried Hi.
"He was simply a comical genius as long as he took only our clothes," Dick retorted. "But now that your things are gone as well, it's a mean, low-down bit of business."
"Martin," observed Tom Reade dramatically, "thine own ox is gored."
"Talking won't bring back any duds," grunted Harry Hazelton. "Teall can't have gotten very far with such a load. ”

“ The count was now three to nothing in favor of the Central Grammars.
"Prescott's fellows are playing some ball," declared Bill Rodgers.
"Hub! You mean that the Souths don't know how to play," sneered
Hi Martin.
"Teall's fellows are playing well," argued Rodgers. "If you watch, you'll see that the luck of the Centrals depends a lot on the way they run the bases. Whew! They go like greased lightning when they're sprinting around the diamond."
"Well, why shouldn't they run?" demanded Hi. "Prescott and his fellows have been running every day since the snow went away." ”

“ At that instant Dick delivered a ball that the North batsman tapped, but just hard enough to drive it for a fair catch into Prescott's hands.
"You idiot!" glared Martin at the offender, as the Norths took the field.
However, all predictions were still in favor of the North Grammars, who had two runs put away while they had kept Prescott's men from scoring.
"Fellows, we've got to do something, and we must make it strong!" muttered Dick, as his side came in.
Reade went to bat—-was struck out.
"That wasn't very strong," sighed Tom, as he passed Dick going to the plate. ”

“ The man who rides to death in the search for victory has won. He has carried the winning spirit with him to the very finish. Or else the history we've been studying at school is all a mess of lies."
"There's a lot in that idea," nodded Dave thoughtfully.
"There's more in it every time that you think of it," Dick contended.
Thus Dick was starting, in Dick & Co., the never-give-up spirit which made them almost invincible later as High School boys. ”

“ Three times more Greg and his fellows whooped before Dick could get together enough wind to make his voice travel. Greg repeated the hail, and again Dick answered. After a few minutes the other Grammar School boys caught up with Dick and his friend, who told to the new-comers the story of the encounter with Amos Garwood.
"Get away from you again?" asked Tom blankly.
"I don't believe we'll ever chase that streak of light again," growled Dave. "I don't feel as though I'd ever be able to run again. Amos Garwood can walk faster than any of us can run." ”

“ Eat the leather!" appealed a Central rooter from the side.
Dan grinned again, his look seeming to say, "Watch me!"
Two strikes, with no called balls. Dick, dancing away from third, felt himself on tenterhooks. Not all of his perspiration was due to the heat of the day.
Again Dan offered. Crack! A wild, gleeful whoop went up from some of the Central rooters, while others held their breath. The ball went high, and right field came running in for it. As it happened, the fielder underestimated the length of the flight. It struck the ground to his rear and rolled. ”

“ Again Prescott sent in a swift one, and once more Teall sent the leather spinning over the field. Hoots and cat-calls from the Souths filled the air. The Central fans began to look a bit uneasy. What was their champion pitcher doing, to let Teall get away with his deliveries as easily as this?
A third ball Dick drove in, with the same result as before.
"Say, what you fellows need is practice," leered Ted.
"Look out that I don't catch you yet," mocked Dick Prescott, bending to scoop up the returning ball from the ground. Then he wheeled like a flash to confront the batsman. ”

“ Each of us has to be as nearly perfect as possible in the position that he has to play. That's why we really need a lot more practice than we've had on the real field."
"The worst of it is" suggested Tom, "that we've got all of the best players in the school on our regular nine, and the scrub nine isn't made up of fellows who can really give us any work."
"Don't croak, Dick," begged Dave. "This day is too perfect to have it spoiled by any calamity howling."
Presently Darrin rolled over on his side once more. Greg took a peep, became suspicious, and started to hum:
"He was the Sleepiest Boy." ”