“Oh, I guess there’s nothing to be done,” said Bobby slowly. “If it wasn’t that he’s likely to be on the baseball team we might make it hot for him. Not with the teachers of course, but among ourselves. But we want Rockledge to win the championship, and it won’t help any to have trouble with any boy on the nine. Besides, he’s had a good deal of punishment just in the last few minutes. I never saw a fellow look as cheap as he did when he faded away just now.”
“I guess you’re right, Bobby,” assented Sparrow. “But all the same he wouldn’t let up on you if he had you in a fix.”
The next day they all felt rather logy after their feast of the day before, and Pee Wee, who had a severe stomach ache, did not get up at all. Fortunately it was Sunday, and the day of rest helped to get them in shape again before their school duties began on Monday morning.
From that time on the weather was all that the boys could ask, and every hour the ball players could spare was spent in practice on the diamond.
Gradually, under the coaching of Mr. Carrier, their athletic instructor, ably assisted by Frank Durrock, the nine was getting into good form.
Fred, at short stop, was thought to be a shade better than Willis, and he was slated to play in the first game.
As to the pitchers, while there was no doubt that they would be Bobby and Hicksley, it was by no means certain which of them would twirl in the opening game, which was to be with the Somerset nine on the Rockledge grounds.
Each was doing well, and each had some points that the other did not possess. Hicksley, the older of the two, had more muscular strength, and could whip the ball over with more speed than Bobby. But Bobby was a better general, a quicker thinker, and he had a control of his curves that was far better than his rival’s.
“One thing is certain,” said Mr. Carrier, in one of his conferences with Frank. “We’re better fixed in the box than we ever were before. It’s hard to choose between them, though, take all things together, I think Blake is the better pitcher of the two.”
“Yes,” agreed Frank. “I feel a little safer myself with Bobby in there than I do with Hicksley. Hicksley has lots of speed but he’s liable to go up with a bang. But I’ve never yet seen Bobby get rattled.”