Lester Chadwick

“ Rudden, seeing the sway of sentiment, did not object.
“We’ve got two good pitchers!” fairly yelled Hiram. “I know what this all means—that Joe Matson and his crowd——”
“That will do,” the chairman warned him.
“It’s true!” exclaimed Frank Brown, jumping to his feet. “I’m not a good pitcher, and I don’t mind admitting it. I can’t hold the other fellows down enough. If I could, we would have won these last two games, for our boys can bat when they haven’t the heart taken out of them.”
“That’s the way to talk!” cried Tom Davis. ”

“ Matson had seemingly lost everything, Joe hid his own feelings and went off to pitch the deciding championship game against the Resolutes of Rocky Ford, the bitter rivals of the Silver Stars.
Joe’s heart was heavy as he pitched, for he knew that if his father lost his money through the taking away of his patents there would be no chance of his going to boarding school, and Joe desired that above everything.
But he pluckily pitched the game, which was a close and hot one. He won, making the Stars the champions of the county league; and then Joe hurried home. ”

“ There was no doubt of it a moment later, for through the trees came running a figure whose tall hat was battered over his head by the snowballs, some fragments of the missiles still clinging to the tile.
“You sure did,” added Teeter, stifling a laugh. “And of all persons in the school but Professor Rodd. Oh my! Oh wow! You’re in for it now! He won’t do a thing to you fellows! Look at his hat! Here he comes!”
Professor Elias Rodd, one of the strictest and certainly the “fussiest” instructor at Excelsior, was hurrying toward the group of boys. ”

“ At any rate Carlburg knocked a dandy two bagger, and Ted Clay, who followed, duplicated the trick. Carlburg came in with the first run of the game, amid a riot of noise, and when Wallace Douglass hit safely to first, Clay got to third, coming in with the second run a little later, when Captain Dalton also singled.
“We’ve got ’em going! We’ve got ’em going!” yelled the delighted Morningside crowd, and it did seem so. Joe felt that he must tighten up, and strike out the next man, or all would be lost. ”

“ The game was to be played on the Morningside diamond, this having been decided by lot, the choice having fallen to the rivals of Excelsior.
“Well, we’ll beat ’em on their own grounds!” declared Peaches, when he and the others of the nine, with some substitutes, and a host of “rooters” and supporters, departed for the contest.
What a crowd was there to see! What hosts of pretty girls! Men and women, too; old graduates, students from both schools, many from other schools in the league, for this was the wind-up of the season. ”

“ In the gym. Come on!” panted Peaches.
“We’re going to protest against the way Hiram manages the team!” added Teeter.
“Come on!” urged Peaches, recovering his breath. “We want you with us. There’s a lot of feeling against Hiram and Luke. They practically lost the game for us to-day. The revolt is spreading. It’s a chance for you, Joe. Come on.”
“There’s going to be a hot time!” predicted Teeter. “We have permission to hold a meeting. All the fellows are coming. Get a move on.”
Joe and Tom grabbed up their caps and hurried after their chums, Joe with a wildly-beating heart. ”

“ When a heavy lad, therefore, sat down on our hero’s back Joe made up his mind that matters had gone far enough.
“Go ahead! Carry your passenger!” was the command.
“Not by a jugful!” cried Joe, and with a quick motion he stood up, spilling off the lad on his back. The latter hit the floor with a resounding whack. The next instant Joe had torn off the blinding handkerchief, and made a grab for the lad whom he had upset. He tore off his mask and there was revealed the scowling face of Hiram Shell. ”

“ We’re willing to let you continue as manager, Hiram, and have Luke for captain, only we fellows want to have more of a say in how the team is run.”
“Why, you fellows haven’t any rights!” cried Hiram. “A lot of you are only probationary members, anyhow, and can’t vote.”
“They don’t need to vote,” declared Teeter. “It isn’t a question of voting. We’re students at Excelsior—all of us—and we have a right to say what we think. We think things ought to be done differently.” ”

“ The crowd began arriving early at the Excelsior diamond, for word had gone around that it was to be a game for “blood,” and both teams were on edge. If Excelsior had improved, so had Morningside. They had strengthened their men by long, hard practice, and they were confident of victory.
Joe and Tom had expected before this to hear something about their old enemy, Sam Morton, at Morningside, but the former pitcher for the Silver Stars was seldom mentioned. However, it was learned that he was to substitute in the Morningside-Excelsior game. ”

“ If Hiram and his crony could have seen our hero then they might not have been so sure of what they would do to him.
“So that’s how he acted, eh?” asked the bully, when his crony had reported to him what Joe had said. “Well, he’ll get his all right. He’ll never play ball here as long as I am manager.”
“No, nor while I’m captain,” added Luke. “Nor that friend of his either, Tom Davis.”
“That’s right; we’ll make it so hot here for both of ’em that they’ll leave at the end of the term,” predicted Hiram.
What a pity he did not know that Joe and Tom were not of the “leaving” kind. ”

“ If it does, Hiram won’t have so much to say as he does now.”
“I hope to gracious you can work something. It’s rotten the way things are now, and it is our own fault, too. But I’m afraid it’s too late to change. No, you can figure that the nine is already made up between Hiram and Luke—that is, all but pitcher.”
“Then I think Joe has a chance!” exclaimed Tom. “I’m not going to give up until the last minute. I’m working hard for him, but don’t say anything to him about it. I want to surprise him.”
“I’m afraid it will be a disagreeable surprise,” commented Peaches, as he left his friend. ”

“ After a blissful two weeks’ vacation, spent together, Harry Harding and Teddy Burke again take up their work in Martin Brothers’ store. Their “year of promise” brings them many new experiences, pleasant and unpleasant, but more determined than ever to reach the goal they have set for themselves, they pass courageously and hopefully over the rough places, meeting with many surprises and exciting incidents which advance them far on the road to success. ”

“ Besides, if there wasn’t another pitcher in the country, you wouldn’t get a chance, Matson!”
“No?” queried Joe easily.
“No, and a dozen times no! What, you pitch? Say, you may have been all right on a sand-lots team, but there’s some class to Excelsior Hall. We don’t want any dubs on our nine. You think you might pitch on my team? I guess nixy! We want some fellow who can deliver the goods.”
“Joe can!” exclaimed Tom eagerly.
“Aw, forget it!” sneered Hiram. “Why, you’d be knocked out of the box first inning with some of the teams we play. You pitch! Ha! Ha! That’s pretty rich. ”

“ He bowed again, gravely, and smiled genially as he tossed the ball to Joe, who was waiting for it. A little round of applause came from some members of the faculty who had accompanied the doctor to the grounds, and then the head of the school walked off the diamond amid a riot of cheers. The baseball season at Excelsior [108] Hall had opened under auspicious occasions everyone thought, and more than one lad had great hopes that the Blue Banner would come back there to stay for a while.
“Play ball!” called the umpire again, and this time the game was on in earnest. ”

“ You ain’t thinking of running opposition to me; are you?”
“No,” and a bright spot burned on the fair cheeks of the light-complexioned lad.
“Because if you are you’ll have a fight on your hands,” threatened Luke. “Who’s been pitching?” he asked, his gaze roving over the crowd of lads.
“I was for our side,” replied Joe quietly.
“Oh, you—yes I heard about you!” exclaimed Luke with a grating laugh. “You’re the fellow who wants to pitch on the nine; ain’t you? Well, you want to get that bee out of your bonnet, or you may get stung, see? Hiram told me about you. Why, you are only an amateur. ”

“ A fellow gets used to playing in one position and he’s best there. Then you or Luke change him.”
“Well, hasn’t the captain the right to do that?” demanded Luke.
“Sure, yes,” spoke Peaches, “but when you get a good lad in a good place keep him there.”
“Is that all?” sneered Hiram.
“No, we think there ought to be better pitching,” went on the self-constituted chairman.
“Ha! I guess that’s where the whole trouble is!” cried Hiram quickly. “This meeting is for the benefit of Joe Matson.”
“Nothing of the sort!” exclaimed Joe quickly. “I knew nothing about it until Teeter told me. ”

“ As for Luke and Hiram, they held a consultation.
“We’ll have to make a shift somewhere,” declared Hiram.
“I’ll just let Akers go in the box in place of Frank Brown,” decided the captain.
“No, that’s not enough,” insisted the manager. “You don’t know how to play your own men.”
“I know as much as you do about it!” fired back Luke. Of late the bully and his crony had not agreed overwell.
“No, you don’t!” reaffirmed Hiram. “I tell you what you ought to do. You ought to get rid of Peaches, Teeter and George Bland.”
“Why, they’re three of the best players on the nine.” ”

“ Our pitchers are good enough!” These cries came from Luke, Hiram and a few of their cronies.
“There seems to be a division of opinion,” began the chairman. “I think we had better vote on it.”
“There are a lot of fellows here who have no right to vote!” cried Hiram.
“That won’t do, Shell,” said Dr. Rudden sternly. “This is a matter that concerns the entire school—to have a winning nine. Every student is entitled to vote.”
“Hurrah!” yelled Tom. “This is a victory all right. The end of Hiram, Luke and Company has come.”
“You’ll pitch on the school team, Joe!” called Peaches in our hero’s ear. ”

“ Joe knocked a safety, or at least it looked as if it was going to be that, but the shortstop, by a magnificent [206] jump into the air, nabbed it, and then came as pretty a double play as had ever taken place on that diamond. Joe was put out and Charlie Borden, who had been hugging third, was caught at home, for he was not a fast runner.
That retired the side, and there was only one run to match the two which Morningside had. Still it was something, and the home team began to take heart. ”

“ We play Trinity next week.”
“Well, we ought to win that game. Hurry up, Joe, and we can get the next trolley back. No autos for us.”
As the two chums hurried across the diamond they found themselves in the midst of a crowd of Morningside players and students. At the sight of one lad in the uniform of Morningside, a uniform not soiled by the dust and grime of the diamond, Tom plucked Joe by the sleeve.
“For the love of Mike, look there!” exclaimed the former first baseman of the Silver Stars.
“Where?” asked Joe, and Tom pointed to the player in the spick and span new uniform. ”

“ Then Joe and Tom saw that the books were merely covers pasted over a sort of box into which a whole pie could easily be put. “Catch the idea,” went on Teeter. “We are eating in here, which is against the rules, worse luck. But, perchance, some monitor or professor knocks unexpectedly. Do we have to hustle and scramble to conceal our refreshments? Answer—we do not. What do we do?”
“Answer,” broke in Peaches. “We merely slip our pie or sandwiches or whatever it happens to be, inside our ‘books,’ and go right on studying. ”

“ At the same moment Tom had done the same to his tormentor, discovering Luke Fodick under the black mask.
“Oh, so it’s your crowd, is it Hiram?” asked Joe.
[149]
“Yes, and by Jove, you’ll suffer for this! Why aren’t you sports enough to take your initiation as the others do?”
“Because we don’t choose to,” replied our hero.
“Then I’ll make you!” cried Hiram, doubling up his fists and leaping at Joe. “Come on, Luke, give ’em what’s coming to ’em!”
“Two can play at that game,” spoke Joe coolly. He noted that the room had been roughly fitted up as a sort of society meeting chamber. ”

“ Then, too, was a smaller crowd of distinct “Shellites” as Peaches dubbed them—friends and close cronies of the manager who sided with him in all things and looked upon him as a sort [83] of hero. Chief among them, of course, was Luke Fodick, and perhaps next in line stood Charlie Borden, who had replaced Peaches at first.
“It’s a rotten, mean shame!” burst out Teeter as he came over to where Tom, Joe and Peaches were standing. “I’m not going to stand for it, either!”
“Well, what can you do?” asked the practical Peaches. “They have it on us good and proper. There’s the rule.” ”

“ Don’t try it.”
“You get off the earth; I can so, Teeter. Watch me.”
“Let Joe Matson have a try. He can throw higher than you can, Peaches,” and the lad who had last spoken grasped the arm of a tall boy, with a very fair complexion which had gained him the nickname of “Peaches and Cream,” though it was usually shortened to “Peaches.” There was a crowd of lads on the school grounds, throwing snowballs, when the offer of “Peaches” or Dick Lantfeld was made.
“Don’t let him throw, Teeter,” begged George Bland, jokingly. ”

“ I’ve been canvassing the last week, and I’ve got a lot of fellows to join who never took an interest in sports before.”
“Oh, ho! So that’s your game!” exclaimed Peaches. “Well, it’s a good one all right.”
“They’ll all vote for Joe for pitcher,” went on Tom.
“I notice that there are still two vacancies in the team,” spoke Jake Weston, who had been named as shortstop. “We had such success with Luke as catcher last year, that I move that he again go behind the bat.” ”

“ He’ll sit up and take notice now, and it will be for the good of the team.”
“But where does Joe come in?” asked Peaches.
“Well, I figure it out this way,” replied Teeter. “Brown and Akers will try to make good but they can’t. The fellows will see that we’ve got to have a new pitcher, and Hiram will have to give ’em one. Then Joe will step in.”
“There are others as good as I in the school,” remarked Joe modestly.
“Well, they haven’t shown themselves if there are,” was Teeter’s retort. “No, Joe will be pitching before the season is over, you see if he isn’t.” ”

“ He was a timid lad and he shrank away now, evidently fearing Shell.
“Never mind,” spoke Peaches kindly, “we’ll have another contest soon and you can be in it.”
“Let’s see who can throw the farthest,” suggested Hiram. His great strength gave him a decided advantage in this, as he very well knew.
The other boys also knew this, but did not like to refuse to enter the lists with him, so the long-distance throwing was started. Hiram did throw hard and far, but he met his match in Joe Matson, and the bully evidently did not like it. ”

“ The game went on with the three new players, and the result may be imagined. The scrub continued to get ahead, and the school nine could not catch up because Joe was pitching in great form, and striking out man after man, though he was hit occasionally.
“This is worse than ever,” growled Hiram, when another inning passed and the scrub was five runs ahead. “Change back again, Luke.”
“Say, they’ll think I’m crazy.”
“Can’t help it. We’ll be worse than crazy if we don’t win this little measly game. And think what will happen Friday and Saturday. Change back.” ”