Leverage followed Clackson. He grinned at Starbright in a most derisive manner as, with a flirt of his head, he tossed a waving mane of yellow hair out of his eyes.
Dick smiled back, but he remembered that Leverage was a “bad un,” for he had given Dick trouble in the last game, besides lifting the long fly out to Mason while Merriwell was pitching.
But Starbright fancied the batter would wait to give Clackson an opportunity to try to steal, and so, after letting the runner get a little start the big freshman whistled a ball straight over.
Starbright did this because he had absolute confidence in Hodge, knowing Bart could put a ball down to second like a bullet from a rifle.
But it did seem that Starbright had delayed too long, for Clackson was away toward second and running like a deer.
It scarcely appeared that the ball rested fairly in Bart’s big mitt before his right hand went back and shot it toward second. Starbright seemed forced to crouch a little to let that beautiful liner go over.
“Slide!” roared the coachers.
The runner flung himself forward and slid along the ground toward the bag.
With a languid motion, Ready took the handsome throw and put the ball onto the sliding man just a moment before Clackson’s hand reached the bag.
“Out!” declared the umpire, as Ready coolly tossed the ball to Starbright.