CHAPTER XIII
“YOU, TOO, THATCHER”
First call for baseball material at Pennington Institute brought out a strange and interesting group of boys all eager to make the team. They ranged all the way from sub-freshmen and members of the junior high school to seniors and members of last year’s squad. They presented a weird sight too, for the call had emphasized the fact that there were no uniforms available that early in the season and that each candidate would be expected to furnish his own clothes.
The result was a motley array of baseball clothing, some of it strange enough to make a seasoned player split his sides with laughter. Some of the sub-freshmen and junior school candidates appeared with trousers that were miles too large and shirts that had to be rolled to elbow length in order to give their hands the necessary freedom. They wore caps of various periods of baseball history, and one chap appeared in football pants and jersey as a fitting substitute for a real uniform.
There were many among the group, however, who wore the regulation uniform of the school, buff trousers and shirt with blue under jerseys and buff and blue striped stockings. They were the members of last year’s squad of regulars and substitutes who had not been graduated.
Among the latter was Gould. He wore the uniform of the junior team of the year before on which he had played third base, and he assumed an attitude of strutting importance as he elbowed his way through the crowd of students onto the gym. floor. It was very evident that he felt himself very much a part of the little group of last year’s veterans who would compose the foundation and main support upon which Coach Rice hoped to build a winning team this year.
Jeff Thatcher appeared with the first call for candidates and he wore a snappy gray and blue uniform of the New City Y. M. C. A. team, the state championship “Y” team of the year before. His appearance in this outfit made a distinct impression among the younger candidates on the floor. It made an impression on Gould, too, who for a moment, upon seeing him, appeared surprised. But he passed this off with a remark to one of the older players, which Jeff could not help but hear, to the effect that:
“Our young million dollar bond hero is all dressed up with no place to go.”
But it happened that Buck Hart was within hearing distance and he turned on Gould with a sharp retort:
“Don’t you worry about his not having any place to go. He’s going after the job of third base and believe me, there’s one fresh young Soph who will know all about how fast he’s going.”
And Gould, not having courage enough to talk back to Hart, who was one of the best athletes in the school, discreetly turned his back and sauntered over to inspect the batter’s cage.