"There ain't goin' to be any," I told him. "It's too much work."
"I think that William's suggestion is a good one," Mr. Norton said, "and I also appreciate the force of your secretary's objection. How would it be if I should do the work? I'll have typewritten copies of the rules of the game struck off, so that each of you can have one."
That is what he did, the very next day. I am going to put the rules into this history right here, just as he wrote them, because other Scouts may want to play the game.
Scouts' Parlor Baseball.—Rules for Play.
Divide the patrol into two equal groups and arrange them in batting order on opposite sides of the room. Place the baseball chart six or eight inches from one end of the room on the floor and indicate a mark ten feet from the chart for the "batter" to stand on. The Scouts having their inning then take turns at tossing a silver dollar (another metallic disk or ring of equal size will suffice) at the chart. Each player's record at bat is told by the square on which the dollar rests, off the chart entirely counting as a strike. If the dollar rests squarely across a line it is tossed again.
The rules of baseball govern the game. After a player finishes his turn, he takes position at the farther end of his side, and the next in line takes his turn, thus preserving the batting order. When three players have been declared out, that side is retired and the other side takes its inning. If time permits, a nine-inning game is played; otherwise the number of innings to be played should be decided before beginning.
When a "batter" wins a position on a base he is advanced at each play as many bases as the next player earns at the "bat." He also advances one base on out-on-first, fly-catch, balk, and pass-ball plays, and when forced. He must keep track of his supposed position on the bases and report to the official when making a score.
The official, usually the patrol leader or Scoutmaster, decides the plays and tosses the dollars back to the players. He also keeps the score, and may correct a player, if necessary, for being noisy, or for leaving his seat when not playing. In fact, he is in control of the game, but is not allowed to play except when there is present an odd number without him.
The chart should be made of stiff paper so as to lie flat on the floor, or of cloth, in order to be tacked down. Each square should be 9 x 9 inches, but a smaller size may be used if the room is not large. In that case the players should stand less than ten feet from the chart. The squares must be labeled as in the diagram. Young Scouts, or beginners, are sometimes allowed to stand eight, or even six, feet from the chart, in order to make the sides more equal. This and any other questions that may arise are decided by the official.