BATTING TO WIN

But, though things had started off with a rush in the seventh, they went slower for Randall in the eighth, and one run was all that could be gathered in. Holly Cross got to first, and managed to steal second and third, while Kindlings Woodhouse and Bricktop ingloriously fanned. Sid laid out a beautiful three-bagger, bringing in Holly with the run. Then Tom was walked, much to his surprise, with Sid on third, and Joe Jackson got a pass, thus filling the bases. Randall was wild, for it looked as if a big play would be pulled off, but Jerry Jackson fanned, and the three men expired on the bags.

“Hold ’em down, fellows! Hold ’em down!” pleaded Tom. “We only need four runs to win the game, if we can keep ’em from scoring in their next two whacks.”

“If,” remarked Phil cynically. “Ever see a white black-bird, Tom?”

“Oh, we’ll do it!” declared Sid savagely.

Tom did manage to retire Boxer without a run, surpassing himself by the excellence of his curves. He was more like himself now.

Then came the memorable ninth inning, which, when Dutch started it off by fanning out, looked as if the end had come. It looked even more so when Phil Clinton also whacked only the air and there was a curious hush over the big crowd as Holly Cross walked to the plate.

“Now, Holly!” yelled Bean. “Another like you gave us before. There’s only two out!”

It looked rather hopeless, with two out, but Holly slammed out a single bagger. Dan Woodhouse followed, and hit well, Holly getting to third in the confusion. Then came Bricktop, his red hair all awry.

“For the love of Cæsar hit it on the nose, old man!” pleaded Tom.

“I’ll do it for your sake, me lad,” answered Bricktop calmly, and he proceeded to swing on the ball. He knocked a hot little liner to Langridge, and there was a groan as the pitcher, seemingly, caught it, but it bounded out of his hands, rolled between his legs and when he had picked it up Bricktop was at first, where he was called safe, though the Boxer players protested it. Holly had started for home, but when he saw Langridge stop the ball he ran back, and it was well he did so, for he was now safe there, as was Dan Woodhouse on second.

The bases were full, there were two out, and it needed four runs to win the game when Sid Henderson came up to the bat. He was as cool as if he was the first man up in a small game, and not one on whom a championship depended.

“Oh, Sid, old man, bat! bat! bat!” pleaded Tom in a low voice. “[Bat to win! It all depends on you, now!]”

Sid did not reply. He was watching Langridge narrowly, for he knew that pitcher’s tricks of old. Sid did not strike at the first ball, for it was away to one side, but the umpire called a strike on him and there was a howl of protest. It was quickly hushed. Langridge “wound up” again, and sent in a swift one.

With an intaking of his breath Sid swung at it. Almost before he connected his bat with the horsehide he was aware that he would make a good strike. There was a sweetness to the resonant vibration of the stick, as he cast it from him, and sprinted for first. He could not see where the ball had gone, though he had had a momentary glimpse of it going over center field, but he trusted to Tom, who was in the coaching box at first, urging him on.

“Oh! Oh! Oh!”

“Pretty hit!”

“What a soaker!”

“Run! Run! Leg it, you old sock doger!” yelled the man with the two pretty daughters, as he recklessly swung his silk hat in the air.

“A home run! A home run!” cried Phil, capering about, and hugging the Jersey twins, one in each arm.

Upward and outward sped the ball, away, far away over the center fielder’s head. He ran back for it, became confused and began wildly searching around in the deep grass of far outfield.

“Come on in! Come on in, everybody!” Tom was yelling, and swinging his arms like the sails of an old windmill.

Holly raced over home plate, followed by Kindlings. Bricktop was racing in from third, followed by Sid, who had made such a magnificent hit. Bricktop tallied the tying run, and Sid was now running up from third, running as he had never run before, for he felt that it all depended on him now. The fielder had the ball by this time, and had thrown it to the second baseman, who swung about and relayed it home, but it was just a second too late, and Sid crossed the rubber on a grand slide. Four runs in succession! Oh, how the Randallites did yell! How they howled! How they stamped until the grand stands trembled, while as for the members of the team they fairly smothered Sid!

But the game was not over yet. Tom Parsons was up next, and, though as nervous as a girl, he managed to make a single off Langridge, much to the latter’s disgust, for he was being hooted and howled at almost to the limit. Then Joe Jackson was struck out, and that ended Randall’s chances. But the score was 13 to 12 in her favor, and if they could retire Boxer Hall without a run, the championship was theirs.

Tom did it. How, is Randall history now, and any “old grad” will gladly relate it to you. How two men were struck out in almost less time than it takes to tell it, and how Tom caught an almost impossible fly by leaping high in the air as it was sailing over his head, and downed his third man. And that was the end. Randall had won the championship.

Oh, what a scene there was on the diamond then! Of course, Boxer cheered her rival, and then, hardly waiting for the answering compliment from Tom’s men, they filed to their dressing rooms.

“Oh, Sid, it was great! Great!” cried Tom, hugging his chum. “Simply great, old man!”

“Up with him!” commanded Phil, and Sid was hoisted to the shoulders of his fellows, and carted around, much to his embarrassment.

“A bully game! Whoop-de-doodle-de!” cried the man with the pretty daughters.

“Oh, papa!” they cried protestingly, blushing at the notice attracted to them.

“Let me alone!” he retorted. “Didn’t my old college win? Wow! Wow! Wow!” and he began to dance, while his daughters blushed more deeply. But who cared?

The diamond was overrun with spectators, anxious to shake hands with the victorious players, especially with Sid, who had batted the way to victory.

Three pretty girls made their way through the press.

“Are congratulations in order?” asked one.

“Of course, Miss Tyler,” answered Phil.

“Sure,” added Tom, clasping the hands Ruth Clinton held out to him. Sid stepped to one side, as Mabel Harrison came up. He was rather pale under his tan.

“Come on, let’s all go off and have some cream,” proposed Phil. “Come along, Sid, you and Miss Harrison——”

He paused in confusion, for he had, for the moment, forgotten the cloud between the two. Mabel Harrison blushed, and was about to turn away, but Sid stepped forward.

“I will only be too happy,” he said, “if Miss Harrison will——”

“You know—you know——” she stammered in confusion. The six were somewhat by themselves now, for the crowd had surged away.

“It’s all right!” exclaimed Sid, and there was a joyous look on his face. “I can, and I’m going, to explain everything, now. You needn’t hesitate about coming with me, Miss Harrison. See this,” and he held out a duplicate of the newspaper clipping that had been fraught with such results. “I don’t wonder you fellows thought I was going the pace,” continued Sid, “nor do I blame you, Miss Harrison, for not believing in me. This is the first chance I’ve had to explain. I was in that gambling raid told of here.”

“You were?” and the girl recoiled a pace.

“Yes,” resumed Sid, with a little smile, “I went there to rescue my cousin. His name is Guy Norton, and he is the same flashily-dressed young man you saw me with at the picnic. Guy’s father died a short time ago, leaving him a fortune, which he proceeded to get rid of as quickly as possible. He took to gambling, and fast company, though his widowed mother never knew it. She supposed him attending to business in Dartwell, but, instead, Guy was dissipating. His sister, Clara, knew of it, however, and wrote to me to try to save her brother. She came to Dartwell to help look after him, and boarded with him. I had considerable control over Guy, for we used to be little chaps together, and I once saved him from drowning, so he would generally do as I said. So I promised his sister I would save him, and gave my word not to tell anything about it, as she wanted to keep all knowledge from her mother, who had a weak heart, and who, she knew, would die if she ever knew her son was a gambler.

“My first service was to take Guy out of a gambling hall, his sister having written me a hasty note to the effect that he had gone there with a large sum of money.”

“That piece of paper, with the word ‘trouble’ on it must have been from her note,” remarked Phil. “We picked it up in the room, after you went out so quickly that rainy night, Sid.”

“Yes,” assented the victorious second baseman, “Guy was in trouble, sure enough. I went to Dartwell, and managed to get my cousin to leave the place, just before the raid. As we went out, however, the police came in, and Guy and I were caught. He fought the officers, and called out my name, in asking me to help rescue him. Instead I advised him to submit. He was taken away, but I easily proved that I had nothing to do with the gambling, and I was allowed to go. I went to Guy’s boarding place, and, from his sister, got money enough to pay his fine, together with some I had. In some way my name got in the papers. Guy might have recklessly given it instead of his own, thinking to keep the knowledge from his mother.

“My cousin was released the next morning, but he made me promise never to tell of his scrape. That was what sealed my lips. He promised to reform, if I kept silent, and I did, though it was hard—terribly hard,” and Sid looked at Miss Harrison, in whose blue eyes there were traces of tears.

“As I knew Guy’s mother had a weak heart, and that the least shock might be fatal, I dared not even ask her advice. Clara and I decided to fight it out alone. She arranged to send me word by a messenger, whenever her brother went off with his gay companions, and I promised to go and bring him away, no matter what the hour.

“I did go, many times, to your wonderment, Tom and Phil, and once I had to cancel a promise I made to take Miss Harrison to an affair. But I could not break my word. On one occasion Guy, who was not himself, recklessly came to the college seeking me. He had a bottle of liquor with him, and I took it away from him, hurrying him back to Dartwell. But Mr. Zane caught me, and, as I was on my honor to Guy and his sister to keep silent, I could not explain. I took my punishment, being barred from the team, and kept still, though it was hard—very hard.”

“You were a hero!” exclaimed Mabel Harrison, her blue eyes bright with admiration.

“Oh, no, hardly that, I guess,” answered Sid, but he smiled gratefully. “Well,” he resumed, “so it went on. I dared not tell, for I had given my word, though I was sorely tempted that day he came for me at the picnic, and nearly disgraced me. But Guy would not release me, and his sister pleaded for just a little longer try at saving him, and I consented. I paid his gambling debts many times, and, often, it left me temporarily without money.

“Things looked very black, Guy would not heed my requests to stop gambling, and I did not care what happened. I even went to Bascome’s dinner, thinking to get away from my troubles. Then, when everything seemed to go by the board, and I had been expelled for being caught out late, when I had gone one night to get Guy away from reckless companions, he suddenly reformed. He met some girl, I believe, who had a hand in it. At any rate he turned over a new leaf, gave up his gambling, and, what relieved me, confessed everything to his mother.

“She was much affected, but she forgave him, and is to take him abroad this week, to straighten him out. That was the end of my thralldom. To-day Guy went with me to Dr. Churchill, made a clean breast of it, told what I had done, and why, and before the assembled members of the faculty, proved my innocence. It was just in time to allow the lifting of the expulsion ban, and permit me to play—only I had a task to get here in time——”

“But you did, old man!” cried Tom, seizing his chum’s hand—only one, however, for, somehow Mabel Harrison had the other. “You were in time to help us bat to win! Sid, can you forgive us?”

“Forgive? There’s nothing to forgive,” declared Sid, and his eyes were moist. “I don’t blame you in the least for thinking I was doing the very things I was trying to save my cousin from. Many a time I went broke on his account, but I didn’t mind, for he was worth saving, for the sake of his mother and sister, if not for himself. He’s all right now, I believe, and thoroughly ashamed of himself.”

“Thanks to you,” put in Madge Tyler.

“Oh, I think you were perfectly splendid, Mr. Henderson!” cried Ruth Clinton, with shining eyes.

Mabel Harrison did not say what she thought, but the look from her blue eyes was enough for Sid. He held her hand, and—Oh, well, what’s the use of telling on a chap, anyhow? You’d have done the same, I guess, if you had been there.

There was a little pause after Sid had finished his story, and all about sounded the victorious yells and songs of the exulting Randallites.

“Well, are you ready for those plates of cream, now?” asked Phil. “Talking is dry work. So that was your secret, Sid?”

“That was it, and hard enough it was to keep, too, at times, let me tell you,” and the second baseman sighed.

A little later a jolly party sat in an ice-cream parlor, and their merry laughter and jests brought smiles to more than one countenance, as the other guests looked on and listened.

“Why do you suppose Mr. Langridge sent that false clipping from the newspaper to you—I mean the one about Sid?” asked Ruth of Mabel.

“Oh, I—I don’t know—exactly,” answered the blue-eyed girl, but I suspect that she did know, but did not want to say, for she was done with Langridge forever.

“Now for college, and a procession in honor of our victory, the loving cup, and Sid Henderson—with bonfires and feasting on the side,” remarked Captain Tom, a little later, when reluctant good-bys had been said to the girls. And the celebration in Randall that night was marked for years afterward in prominent letters in the college annals. Dr. Churchill made a thrilling speech, and even Professor Tines condescended to smile. The loving cup was carried at the head of a triumphant procession, the light from many gala-fires glinting from its polished surface.

“Well, it’s all over,” remarked Tom, several hours later when he, Phil and Sid were together in their room. “My, but it has been a baseball season, though!”

“A great one,” commented Phil. “We’ve got a corking good team. I only hope we have as good a one when it comes time to kick the pigskin.”

“Oh, I guess we will,” spoke Sid slowly. They did, as will be related in the next volume of this series, to be called “The Winning Touchdown,” a tale of college football in which we shall meet all our old friends again.

“Well,” went on Sid, after a pause, “I don’t know what you fellows are going to do, but I’m going to turn in. I’m dead tired after my long tramp,” and he began to get ready for bed, while Tom and Phil, sitting by the open windows, listened to the shouts of the revelers out on the campus, for many had not yet had enough of the joys of victory. Then, as the captain threw himself on the old couch, and Phil curled up in the easy chair, the fussy alarm clock went off with a whirr, the bell jangling discordantly.

“Time to get up, Sid, instead of going to bed,” remarked Phil with a laugh, as he silenced the racket, and then the three chums—the inseparables—stood and looked at each other, while the clock resumed its interrupted ticking, and the shouts of the celebrators came in faintly on the night wind.

THE END

THE COLLEGE SPORTS SERIES

By LESTER CHADWICK

12mo. Cloth. Illustrated. Jacket in Colors

Price per volume, $1.00, postpaid

Mr. Chadwick has played on the diamond and on the gridiron himself.

THE RIVAL PITCHERS
A Story of College Baseball
Tom Parsons, a “hayseed,” makes good on the scrub team of Randall College.
A QUARTERBACK’S PLUCK
A Story of College Football
A football story, told in Mr. Chadwick’s best style, that is bound to grip the reader from the start.
BATTING TO WIN
A Story of College Baseball
Tom Parsons and his friends Phil and Sid are the leading players on Randall College team. There is a great game.
THE WINNING TOUCHDOWN
A Story of College Football
After having to reorganize their team at the last moment, Randall makes a touchdown that won a big game.
FOR THE HONOR OF RANDALL
A Story of College Athletics
The winning of the hurdle race and long-distance run is extremely exciting.
THE EIGHT-OARED VICTORS
A Story of College Water Sports
Tom, Phil and Sid prove as good at aquatic sports as they are on track, gridiron and diamond.

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CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers New York

SEA STORIES FOR BOYS

By JOHN GABRIEL ROWE

Large 12mo. Cloth. Illustrated. Colored jacket

Price per volume, $1.00 Net

Every boy who knows the lure of exploring and who loves to rig up huts and caves and tree-houses to fortify himself against imaginary enemies will enjoy these books, for they give a vivid chronicle of the doings and inventions of a group of boys who are shipwrecked and have to make themselves snug and safe in tropical islands where the dangers are too real for play.

CRUSOE ISLAND
Dick, Alf and Fred find themselves stranded on an unknown island with the old seaman Josh, their ship destroyed by fire, their friends lost.
THE ISLAND TREASURE
With much ingenuity these boys fit themselves into the wild life of the island they are cast upon in storm.
THE MYSTERY OF THE DERELICT
Their ship and companions perished in tempest at sea, the boys are adrift in a small open boat when they spy a ship. Such a strange vessel!—no hand guiding it, no soul on board,—a derelict.
THE LIGHTSHIP PIRATES
Modern Pirates, with the ferocity of beasts, attack a lightship crew;—recounting the adventures that befall the survivors of that crew,—and—“RETRIBUTION.”
THE SECRET OF THE GOLDEN IDOL
Telling of a mutiny, and how two youngsters were unwillingly involved in one of the weirdest of treasure hunts,—and—“THE GOLDEN FETISH.”

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CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers New York

THE JACK RANGER SERIES

By CLARENCE YOUNG

12mo. Cloth. Illustrated. Jacket in Colors

Price per volume, $1.00, postpaid

Lively stories of outdoor sports and adventure every boy will want to read.

JACK RANGER’S SCHOOL DAYS
or The Rivals of Washington Hall
You will love Jack Ranger—you simply can’t help it. He is bright and cheery, and earnest in all he does.
JACK RANGER’S WESTERN TRIP
or From Boarding School to Ranch and Range
This volume takes the hero to the great West. Jack is anxious to clear up the mystery surrounding his father’s disappearance.
JACK RANGER’S SCHOOL VICTORIES
or Track, Gridiron and Diamond
Jack gets back to Washington Hall and goes in for all sorts of school games. There are numerous contests on the athletic field.
JACK RANGER’S OCEAN CRUISE
or The Wreck of the Polly Ann
How Jack was carried off to sea against his will makes a “yarn” no boy will want to miss.
JACK RANGER’S GUN CLUB
or From Schoolroom to Camp and Trail
Jack organizes a gun club and with his chums goes in quest of big game. They have many adventures in the mountains.
JACK RANGER’S TREASURE BOX
or The Outing of the Schoolboy Yachtsmen
Jack receives a box from his father and it is stolen. How he regains it makes an absorbing tale.

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CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers New York

Everybody will love the story of

NOBODY’S
BOY

By HECTOR MALOT

The dearest character in all the literature of child life is little Remi in Hector Malot’s famous masterpiece Sans Famille (“Nobody’s Boy”).

All love, pathos, loyalty, and noble boy character are exemplified in this homeless little lad, who has made the world better for his being in it. The boy or girl who knows Remi has an ideal never to be forgotten. But it is a story for grownups, too.

“Nobody’s Boy” is one of the supreme heart-interest stories of all time, which will make you happier and better.

4 Colored Illustrations. $1.50 net.

At All Booksellers

CUPPLES & LEON CO. Publishers New York

THE KING OF THE
MOUNTAINS

(Le Roi des Montagnes)

By EDMOND ABOUT

Translated by Florence Crewe-Jones
Illustrated by George Avison

12mo. Illustrated. Beautiful cloth binding, stamped in gold. Jacket in colors.

Price $1.50 Net

Edmond About’s classic masterpiece of whimsical humor, romantic action and wild surroundings, appeals to all classes and ages of readers. The lawless, happy-go-lucky bands of the Grecian mountains, bargaining with prisoners and government officials in a kind of uncivilized traffic, affords the uncertainty in adventure which makes delightful reading for boy or man.

Hadji Stavros is the never-to-be-forgotten representative of the right to get without limits. To him the only injustice or error in life was in being weak, in which any unselfishness was weakness. And yet, he allowed his love for his daughter to overthrow his system of life. To be entertained by “The King of the Mountains” as a dramatic story is not enough, it is a profound study of character and life.

CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY, Publishers New York

The Webster Series

By FRANK V. WEBSTER

Mr. Webster’s style is very much like that of the boys’ favorite author, the late lamented Horatio Alger, Jr., but his tales are thoroughly up-to-date.

Cloth. 12mo. Over 200 pages each. Illustrated. Stamped in various colors.

Price per volume, 65 cents, postpaid.

Only A Farm Boy
or Dan Hardy’s Rise in Life
The Boy From The Ranch
or Roy Bradner’s City Experiences
The Young Treasure Hunter
or Fred Stanley’s Trip to Alaska
The Boy Pilot of the Lakes
or Nat Morton’s Perils
Tom The Telephone Boy
or The Mystery of a Message
Bob The Castaway
or The Wreck of the Eagle
The Newsboy Partners
or Who Was Dick Box?
Two Boy Gold Miners
or Lost in the Mountains
The Young Firemen of Lakeville
or Herbert Dare’s Pluck
The Boys of Bellwood School
or Frank Jordan’s Triumph
Jack the Runaway
or On the Road with a Circus
Bob Chester’s Grit
or From Ranch to Riches
Airship Andy
or The Luck of a Brave Boy
High School Rivals
or Fred Markham’s Struggles
Darry The Life Saver
or The Heroes of the Coast
Dick The Bank Boy
or A Missing Fortune
Ben Hardy’s Flying Machine
or Making a Record for Himself
Harry Watson’s High School Days
or The Rivals of Rivertown
Comrades of the Saddle
or The Young Rough Riders of the
Plains
Tom Taylor at West Point
or The Old Army Officer’s Secret
The Boy Scouts of Lennox
or Hiking Over Big Bear Mountain
The Boys of the Wireless
or a Stirring Rescue from the Deep
Cowboy Dave
or The Round-up at Rolling River
Jack of the Pony Express
or The Young Rider of the Mountain
Trail
The Boys of the Battleship
or For the Honor of Uncle Sam

CUPPLES & LEON CO., Publishers, NEW YORK

The Boy Hunters Series

By Captain Ralph Bonehill

12mo. Illustrated. Price per volume, $1.00, postpaid.

FOUR BOY HUNTERS
Or, The Outing of the Gun Club

A fine, breezy story of the woods and waters, of adventures in search of game, and of great times around the campfire, told in Captain Bonehill’s best style. In the book are given full directions for camping out.

GUNS AND SNOWSHOES
Or, The Winter Outing of the Young Hunters

In this volume the young hunters leave home for a winter outing on the shores of a small lake. They hunt and trap to their heart’s content, and have adventures in plenty, all calculated to make boys “sit up and take notice.” A good healthy book; one with the odor of the pine forests and the glare of the welcome campfire in every chapter.

YOUNG HUNTERS OF THE LAKE
Or, Out with Rod and Gun

Another tale of woods and waters, with some strong hunting scenes and a good deal of mystery. The three volumes make a splendid outdoor series.

OUT WITH GUN AND CAMERA
Or, The Boy Hunters in the Mountains

Takes up the new fad of photographing wild animals as well as shooting them. An escaped circus chimpanzee and an escaped lion add to the interest of the narrative.

CUPPLES & LEON CO., Publishers, NEW YORK

The Saddle Boys Series

By CAPTAIN JAMES CARSON

12mo. Illustrated. Price per volume, 65 cents, postpaid.

All lads who love life in the open air and a good steed, will want to peruse these books. Captain Carson knows his subject thoroughly, and his stories are as pleasing as they are healthful and instructive.

The Saddle Boys of the Rockies
or Lost on Thunder Mountain

Telling how the lads started out to solve the mystery of a great noise in the mountains—how they got lost—and of the things they discovered.

The Saddle Boys in the Grand Canyon
or The Hermit of the Cave

A weird and wonderful story of the Grand Canyon of the Colorado, told in a most absorbing manner. The Saddle Boys are to the front in a manner to please all young readers.

The Saddle Boys on the Plains
or After a Treasure of Gold

In this story the scene is shifted to the great plains of the southwest and then to the Mexican border. There is a stirring struggle for gold, told as only Captain Carson can tell it.

The Saddle Boys at Circle Ranch
or In at the Grand Round-up

Here we have lively times at the ranch, and likewise the particulars of a grand round-up of cattle and encounters with wild animals and also cattle thieves. A story that breathes the very air of the plains.

The Saddle Boys on Mexican Trails
or In the Hands of the Enemy

The scene is shifted in this volume to Mexico. The boys go on an important errand, and are caught between the lines of the Mexican soldiers. They are captured and for a while things look black for them; but all ends happily.

CUPPLES & LEON CO., Publishers, NEW YORK

Transcriber’s Notes:

A List of Illustrations has been provided for the convenience of the reader.

Printer, punctuation and spelling inaccuracies were silently corrected.

Archaic and variable spelling has been preserved.

Variations in hyphenation and compound words have been preserved.