Ralph Henry Barbour

“ With a man on third watching for the least excuse to race home, a full wind-up was out of the question, and Dud realized that he must depend more on cunning than speed. Gordon had shown three fingers horizontal, and three fingers horizontal called for a low curve ball. Dud, emulating the example of Myatt, surveyed the bases slowly, pulled his cap down, tried to shut out the wild cries of the coachers, snuggled the ball in his fingers, threw his arm up, took his stride and pitched. ”

“ But look here, Jimmy, it’s been fun for you, I guess, but you haven’t done Baker much good, you idiot! A fellow’s got to work out his own—his own salvation at school. No one else can do it for him. Now you let Baker hoe his own row, and——”
“That’s all you know about it,” replied Jimmy tranquilly. “Dud is on speaking terms with about every fellow worth knowing now and before I took him in hand——”
“That’s all right, but I’d rather have a half-dozen real friends than be able to say ‘Hello’ to everyone. All Baker needs is to put his chin up and—and get out and—and mix!” ”

“ Musgrave and Keyes, of Grafton, and Torrey [176] and Capper, of the rival school, crouched far up the track. At the finish a handkerchief waved. The four figures set, straightened and leaped away from their marks and the sound of the pistol followed them. Down they came, stride, stride, stride, leap; Torrey gaining between hurdles, Keyes pulling him back at the timbers; Musgrave and Capper falling behind but fighting gamely for third place. On and on to the growing roar of the excited watchers, hurdle after hurdle falling behind. ”

“ Jimmy viewed his chum gloomily. “I don’t see what use it is then to go to all that trouble to learn to fight if—if you aren’t going to make use of—of your knowledge. That’s an economical waste, Dud. And waste is sinful.”
“It isn’t a waste,” said Dud. “It’s a good thing to know how to defend yourself. Besides, that boxing business has put my arm back in shape for pitching. It feels great nowadays. Just feel of that muscle, Jimmy.”
“Not bad,” decided the other, grudgingly. Then, more brightly: “Say, you ought to be able to hand Star a peach of a wallop with that, Dud! ”

“ So for one week at least baseball took a back seat at Grafton and the real heroes were the slim-waisted, bare-legged chaps in fluttering white trunks.
The ball team met Middleboro High School on Wednesday afternoon and had no trouble in winning a 14 to 3 contest that offered little in the way of excitement or suspense to the listless spectators. It was an intolerably hot day for May and audience and players alike drooped. For Grafton, Nate Leddy started the twirling, but after his teammates had scored eight runs on the opponents in five innings Nate ambled off and Joe Kelly tried his hand. ”

“ You mustn’t think that just because Hobo Ordway and Nick Blake and Bert Winslow and a few of that close corporation have taken you up that the battle’s won. Far be it from such! The fun’s only started, son. You’ve got two years here yet and you want to make hay while the sun shines. Just you leave it to me——”
“No, you leave it to me now,” said Dud. “I guess it’s like Blake said; every fellow must hoe his own row. And—and I haven’t got time to—to be popular, Jimmy. I just want to get so I can pitch like Ben Myatt.”
“Say, that’s hitching your wagon to a star, all right; Ben being the ‘star’! ”

“ Meanwhile, some two miles distant, Grafton and Mount Morris were battling valiantly on a sun-smitten diamond before the gaze of nearly a thousand excited spectators. The fourth inning was drawing to its close. It had been a slow contest, filled with anxious moments for both contenders. Every inning so far had seen runners on the bases and yet only one tally had been scored and that for the visitors. In the first of the second a pass had been followed [292] by a clean hit and a bad error by Mount Morris’ second-baseman and Captain Murtha had dashed over the plate. ”

“ Just try to give him what he wants. They’ve got three on and no one out, Baker, and the score’s two against you. Whatever you do, old man, don’t pass him. Let him hit if you have to and try to make him pop up. Do your best, Baker, for we want this game!”
Guy handed him the ball and Dud, very trembly at the knees, conscious of the hot glare of sunlight that made heat waves dance along the paths, conscious of the encouraging voices of teammates and of hearty applause from the stand, wrapped his fingers about the leather and sent in his first “warming-up” ball. ”

“ But, thunderation, Dud, if it isn’t a toothache it’s something else. You’ve always got some perfectly wonderful excuse for beating it about the time the fun begins. Not that you missed much this afternoon, for you didn’t, barring a lot of tired muscles, but you often do miss things. To be what you call a ‘mixer,’ Dud, you’ve got to ‘mix,’ and you don’t know the first thing about it. Fellows like you, all right, what they see of you, but you don’t give them a chance.”
Dud stared thoughtfully at the green shade before him. “Ye-yes, I suppose that’s true, Jimmy. ”

“ Dud might still waste one if he liked, but his fingers, when the ball came back to him, curved themselves around the ball cunningly in response to the catcher’s signal and Dud stepped forward and pitched, and every ounce of speed he had went into that delivery. Straight as an arrow it flashed to the plate, cut it squarely in halves and thumped into Ed Brooks’ mitt. The batter never even offered at it and his bat was still at his shoulder when the umpire waved him aside! ”

“ You won’t, as a matter of fact, because you don’t play the game for all it’s worth.”
“Honest, Jimmy, you’re enough to sicken a fellow,” said Nick. “If I thought you believed what you preached, or practiced it——”
“I do,” insisted Jimmy stoutly.
“You don’t,” contradicted Dud. “Come on home before you talk any more nonsense.”
“I deny the nonsense,” replied Jimmy good-naturedly, “but I’m perfectly willing to go home. I’ve been trying to for half an hour. Help me up, someone. My legs are stiff with the cold. I say, we mustn’t forget to let the canoes get adrift, fellows.” ”

“ The two boys retraced their steps and halted at the doorway.
“Yes, sir,” replied Jimmy brightly.
“And Baker, too, I see. Well, young gentlemen, where have you been? We missed your bright and smiling faces at supper tonight.”
Mr. Russell seemed to be in a pleasant mood, though one couldn’t always be certain from appearances, and so Jimmy, as spokesman, smiled his most winning smile and answered truthfully: “In the mud, sir.”
“Indeed? Yes, I see. All the evidence tends to corroborate your quaint statement. But why in the mud, Logan?” ”

“ Say, Dud, it would be fine if we could send them down in the next inning the same way, eh? Only thing is, that fellow Dollard, who bats second, is a pretty good hitter. He’s made two already out of three times up.”
“What’s the first fellow like?” asked Dud.
“Chapman? I guess that’s his name. Plays third. Oh, he’s not dangerous. He wants his base. Sneak over the first one for a strike and then tease him a couple of times with high ones. He’ll go after them every time. But Dollard’s not so easy. He waits for the good ones.” ”

“ Dud’s endeavors met with complete success until he entered the Field House in the afternoon to get into his playing togs. Then, as he feared, fortune deserted him. The first occupant of the room his eyes lighted on was Star, while, oddly enough, Star glanced across at the doorway at that instant and saw Dud. But that was all there was to it, for Star removed his gaze without a flicker of recognition, and Dud went to his own locker, fortunately the width of the room away from Star’s, and attended strictly to the matter of making a hurried change of attire. ”

“ Four times around a quarter-mile track is no pleasure jaunt and they knew it. Foster Tray was well in the rear of the bunch and he stayed there as long as the pace suited him, but at the finish of the first lap he had crawled up to third place, with Towne, of Mount Morris, and Milton, of Grafton, leading in that order. The field was already strung out, for the pace had been fairly fast for the tyros. In the backstretch a Mount Morris youth sprinted from the center of the first bunch and swept into the lead, no one disputing him. ”

“ Fairway had behaved more creditably than the four Grafton pitchers judged together.
When Dud and Jimmy left the dining-hall they ran into Nick Blake and Bert Winslow in the corridor. Dud had determined to avoid any such meeting, but fortune ruled otherwise.
“Hello, James T.,” greeted Nick. “How’s Tris Speaker Junior tonight? Hello, Dud Baker.”
“My arms are a trifle lame,” responded Jimmy. “When a fellow makes all the hits in a game——”
“Hah!” ejaculated Nick mirthlessly. “Again, hah! You make me laugh, Jimmy. He’s a regular funny fellow, isn’t he, Dud? How are you feeling, by the way? ”

“ You’ve seen baseball played, haven’t you?”
“Oh, yes, once or twice, but——”
“I should think a fair cricket player would easily get the hang of baseball,” said Jimmy. “I guess it’s as hard to catch a cricket ball as a baseball, isn’t it? I suppose you’re a rattling good cricket player, Ordway.”
“Oh, no, really I’m not,” exclaimed Hugh. “I’ve played a bit at it, of course. You chaps bowl—I mean pitch to the batters so like thunder, don’t you? I fancy I’ll be scared to stand up there, eh?”
“You might if Gus Weston was pitching,” laughed Bert. “You going to play this year, Jimmy?” ”

“ He’s not a bad sort, J. P.”
“Isn’t it the very dickens!” muttered Jimmy, plunging his hands in his pockets and viewing his chum forlornly. “Just when everything was coming around our way, too!”
Dud shrugged philosophically. “I’ll get even with him some time, even if I can’t fight him now,” he declared grimly. “Don’t you worry.”
“Yes, but that isn’t going to help us much now,” replied Jimmy perplexedly. “You see, I insisted that you were crazy for a scrap and Star will think——”
“Oh, who cares what Star thinks? Who cares what anybody thinks?” asked Dud impatiently. ”

“ A high one was refused and was judged a ball, a curve that just didn’t cut the outer corner went as another ball. Gordon signaled for a drop and the batter bit at it and had one strike against him. Then another drop failed to please the umpire and Dud was in the hole. Gordon called for a high one over the plate and Dud tried to put it there. But he didn’t. The ball went wide and Dud saw with dismay the batsman trotting to first and heard the triumphant yelps of the enemy. Another pinch hitter was up and Gordon, a little anxious of countenance now, was asking for a curve ball. ”

“ How can I when I see that I’m not wanted?”
“That’s just imagination, Dud. You can’t expect fellows to fall all over themselves and hug you! You’ve got to show ’em that you’re ready to be friends. You’ve got to make the start yourself. What do you do when someone says ‘Let’s do this or that’? You mutter something about having to dig Latin or math and sneak off. Fellows naturally think you don’t want to do the things they do. Now today, for instance——”
“I couldn’t have gone, Jimmy, with this plaguey toothache!” ”

“ Real fame was to be garnered only in a game with Mount Morris.
Saturday dawned hot and breathless, with an unclouded sky overhead. There were no examinations that morning and the fellows had nothing to do but look forward to the afternoon’s contest with their old rival and speculate on the outcome of it. A few heroic ones played tennis and the canoes were [263] pretty busy, but the heat made idleness almost a virtue. It was rumored at dinner time that Leddy would start in the box for Grafton and that Myatt would be held in reserve. ”