Rather sheepishly, Joe Groom picked out a bat and stood up at the plate. Steve Brown smilingly offered to umpire.
“Don’t knock him out of the box, Joe,” counselled someone. “I want a hit myself.”
“That’s right, Joe. Be easy with him. A three-bagger will do!”
Sam stooped and held three fingers against his mitt, Tom wound up, stepped forward easily, and the ball travelled to the plate. Joe, frowning intently, swung. The ball thumped into Sam’s mitt.
“Strike!” droned Steve, and the audience chuckled. Joe grinned and tapped his bat on the plate.
“A peach of a drop,” muttered George Porter admiringly.
“All right, Tom!” called Sam, thoroughly enjoying himself. “One more, now, just like it!” But only two fingers lay against the mitt this time and when the ball broke it curved cannily to the left, and Joe, backing away from it, heard again Mr. Brown’s fateful, “Strike—two!” A howl went up from the watchers, who now began to cluster behind Mr. Brown in their desire to watch the breaks.
“Right over now, Tom!” Sam held his hands wide and Tom nodded, wiped one palm on his trousers, poised the ball and shot it forward. Joe declared that he never saw it from the time it left the pitcher’s hand until he looked around and saw it in Sam’s mitten. “Talk about your fast ones!” he marvelled. “Say, honest, fellows, that ball travelled!”
“He’s out!” called Steve, and there was a rush to take his place. George Meldrum secured it, and after him Tom Crossbush, and then a dozen others tried their fortunes. But not a hit resulted. In-shoot and out, slow ball and fast, drop and floater, high ball and low, succeeded each other, Sam changing the pace in a thoroughly bewildering manner and Tom answering every signal. Finally Steve Brown tried his luck and, after slamming ineffectually twice, managed to roll the ball a dozen yards toward third base. Then Mr. Gifford, egged on by the boys, had his inning and, when Tom had fooled him on two low ones at which he made no offer, caught a fast one and sent it arching into right field, so winning much applause.