“Keep on running to second, Andy!” yelled Leslie Capes, excitedly. “He dropped the ball, and snatched it up again off the ground!”
“Sure he did! I saw him do it!” added Phil Harkness, indignantly, for there were several players on the opposing side who, like Nat himself, in times gone by, had been known to attempt just such sly tricks as this; and Alonzo was one of them.
“Aw! what are you givin’ us?” shouted Nat, with one of his old-time bullying frowns. “That was the greatest play ever seen on these grounds! He snatched the ball right out of the air before it ever touched the ground. And he held tight through all his tumble in the bargain. Your man is out, Dick Horner, and you know it, too!”
There threatened to be a furious dispute, which would break up the game; for each side acted as if determined to hold its ground. Fortunately, just at that critical moment a gentleman came sauntering along and approached the squabbling ball players, whose voices were mingled in a warm discussion, while all sorts of accusations were flying broadcast.
“What’s the trouble, boys?” asked the gentleman, who, to judge by the cut of his coat, was a minister.
The clamor ceased immediately. Even the turbulent Nat shrank back a little, as though unwilling that the Reverend Thomas Holwell should see one of his old-time frowns on his face, for Nat was supposed to have broken away from his former life, and to be marching along the narrow road nowadays.
“Why, it’s this way, Mr. Holwell,” explained Dick, himself quieting down considerably, for the minister was known to be the best friend the boys of Cliffwood had, and his unexpected appearance had cooled their ardor as nothing else could have done. “We say Alonzo dropped that liner and snatched it up again, which wouldn’t count for an out. Nat and his side all say he held it tight. So we’re up against a hard proposition, because neither side will give in.”
“Oh! I think I can settle that dispute easily enough,” said Mr. Holwell, with a cheery smile. “You see, I was taking home this pair of opera glasses for my wife, after having had them repaired. As I came along I chanced to be testing them, and as luck would have it, I followed Alonzo as he ran forward to take that liner.”
“Yes, sir!” said Dick, eagerly. “And if anybody could know just what happened at the time he rolled over you should, I guess.”
“Alonzo did drop the ball, though he snatched it up instantly,” said Mr. Holwell. “I saw him do it distinctly. Of course he is just trying to have some fun out of the occurrence. Isn’t that so, Alonzo?”