"Come on, fellows, we are going to have a game of baseball!" he cried. "Harry and Fred are coming, and some of the others, too."
"Whoop! That's me!" ejaculated Paul Shale. "There, beat that if you can, Frank!" And he made an extra long jump down the garden path.
"Not to-day," laughed Frank Pemberton. "Your legs are too long for me. But I think I can beat you at playing ball," he added.
"Can you? Come on and see," answered Paul, and running up to the picket fence he cleared it at a bound. Frank had to go around by the gate, and then both boys joined Joe on his way to the field where the ball game was to come off.
When they arrived, they found Fred already there, with Bart Mason and Link Darrow. Harry was also coming up, with several others, including Teddy Dugan, who chanced to be in town on an errand for his father.
"Sure an' I love baseball, so I do!" cried the Irish boy, with a twinkle of his eye. "It's meself as is goin' to be a professional pitcher when I grow up."
"Good for Teddy!" cried Link Darrow. "Just wait till he's the leading pitcher in the regular league at ten thousand a year, won't he be some pumpkins?" And a laugh went up.
"Are they after payin' a ladin pitcher ten thousand a year?" asked Teddy, curiously.
"To be sure, Teddy," answered Bart Mason. "And when they travel he gets the best room in the hotel, and turtle soup every day for dinner."
"And a gold medal every time he strikes out a man," added Fred.