“He isn’t so hard, Hodge,” said Frank. “A little single will start the thing going.”
Hodge let the first one pass. It was a high ball, but it turned into a drop, and the umpire declared a strike.
The next one was an out, and it was called a ball.
Then came one close to Bart’s fingers, and he missed it. The second strike was called.
Potter “worked the limit,” but Hodge made him put it over. Then Bart drove out a fly that was taken by Bryant, and the first three batters had been retired in order.
CHAPTER XVII.
A BAD BEGINNING.
When Frank rose from the bench to go into the box he was seized by a queer sensation at the pit of the stomach, and there seemed to be a blur before his eyes.
“What ails me?” was the thought that passed through his mind.