“A-haw! a-haw! a-haw!” laughed the jay. “That’s one on you, by gorry! Didn’t know I had that up my sleeve, did ye? It’s one I learnt off a feller by the name of Wiley, an’ he’s purty good when he has a mind to be. I’ll show ye lots of queer quirks before I’m done with ye.”
Following this he cut several peculiar geometrical figures in the air with the ball, laid it exactly on the back of his neck, looked hard at the batter, and sent in one that had the speed of a darting swallow.
The batter struck too slowly, and the ball went straight through the hands of the catcher, striking against his body-protector, then falling to the ground.
“Did you see that?” cried twenty persons.
“A-haw! a-haw! a-haw!” roared the jay, as the umpire declared the batter out, the catcher having caught up the ball and tagged the surprised man. “Why, I didn’t s’pose you was so easy! Stand up yer next victim.”
The witnesses were quite as surprised as the batter had been.
“He struck him out!”
“How did he do it?”
“It was an accident!”
“Robinson will hit him.”