“Not a bit! Not a bit! Greenwood’s just as well pleased to come over and look on to-day. It takes them nearly an hour to hike around here, and that’s one reason I thought we’d wait until three.” He looked at his watch. “They ought to be showing up pretty soon now. I suppose your boys will want to do a little practising before the game. Any time they’d like to go down to the field I’ll send someone along to show them the way.”
Mr. Gifford consulted his watch in turn. “It’s twenty past two,” he said. “Perhaps we’d better go now, Mr. Scovill. I’d like them to put in about twenty minutes or so to limber up.”
“Certainly. Joe, you show Mr. Gifford the way, will you?”
Mr. Phillips assented with alacrity and Mr. Gifford, Sam, and Steve went off to get into their togs and gather the players together. When they had left, Mr. York said: “A born ball-player, that young Craig. I’ll be glad to see him in action again. It’s funny about catchers. Their job is the pivotal one on the team and yet they don’t get half the credit they deserve. I suppose the average fan will tell you what every man on the team did in a game before he will mention the catcher’s work at all. There’s not very much chance for spectacular stunts behind the plate, and I guess that’s why the catcher doesn’t get in the spotlight more. Just the same, if I had to build up a ball team I’d start in by finding a good catcher—if I could. There aren’t so many of them, by jingo! And then I’d build up the team around that catcher. Someone ought to grab Craig about now and take him in hand. A man who knew how could make a fine backstop of that fellow!”
“Why don’t you try it?” asked Mr. Scovill, with a laugh.
“Not a bad idea,” replied Mr. York soberly. “At least, I might put someone onto him. I wouldn’t mind seeing him playing with Warner in a year or two. Happen to know, Mr. Langham, whether he has his college picked out?”
“No, I don’t. But”—and here Mr. Langham’s eye twinkled—“there are three loyal Burton men at my camp, and——”
“Help!” laughed Mr. York. “Nuf ced! Still, if he did manage to escape you chaps I’d like a chance at him. Suppose we walk down and see them practise.”
Mr. Langham remained behind with Mr. Scovill, at the latter’s request, to meet the Greenwood party who were just then coming into sight up the road, while one of the councillors was despatched to the kitchen to see about a supply of lemonade which Mr. Scovill had ordered to be prepared and taken to the ball-ground. When Mr. York and his companions reached the field the visiting players had just started their practice and the audience had already begun to assemble. The field was a fine, level expanse of close turf about an eighth of a mile from the camp, reached by a well-worn path through the woods. The foul-lines and boxes had been freshly marked out in honour of the event and the lime shone dazzlingly in the sunlight. By degrees The Wigwam boys gathered together at the farther side of the diamond, making themselves comfortable on the warm grass. Mr. Gifford and Steve Brown were batting to infielders and outfielders respectively, and Sam was at the plate, feeding the balls to Mr. Gifford. The fellows went at practice with plenty of snap and the ball fairly flew about the bases. At ten minutes to three the visitors yielded the field to the home team and at a few minutes past the hour Mr. York called, “Play ball!”