Once more Bronson worked his fingers and released the ball. But this time it took a sudden drop, and Sandow's bat went over it.
"Three strikes!" cried Hal.
"Fluke! Fluke! Sandow hasn't got his eye back! Bet he can't do it again," shouted Taffy.
But Bronson proved it was no fluke, and that he had remarkable control, by not only striking out Sandow again, but two of the next best batsmen, including Hal himself.
Satisfied that the Baxter High School had, indeed, received a valuable acquisition, Hal told Bronson to take good care of his arm, and after a short workout with the rest of the candidates, announced the practice over.
To Bart, the ability of Bronson was a bitter blow, but, worst of all, as the season wore on, he found that the boys did not even mention his desertion of the nine.
At last, fearing he would lose his followers in school entirely, he went to Hal and pleaded to be allowed to play. But the captain was obdurate. Finally, however, as a matter of precaution in case anything happened to Bronson, he agreed to let Bart practice in secret.
Fred, having the natural qualifications of a second baseman, had no difficulty in beating out the other candidates for the position, and he and Bronson worked out a secret code of signals to assist the pitcher when men were on bases.