There was a snap and a vim to the playing of the school nine when they first went at it with the changed players, that fairly took the breath out of the scrub. Of course that unfortunate collection of players was weakened by the withdrawal of Joe, Ward and Tom, but even with players of equal strength it is doubtful if they could have held the school nine down.
Joe and his mates struck a winning streak, and the young pitcher never was better than in that practice game on Monday afternoon.
“Joe’s pitching his head off,” observed Tom Davis, and when Ward missed holding one or two particular “hot” ones he thought the same thing. The school team won a decisive victory.
“But that doesn’t mean we will beat Trinity on Saturday,” said Peaches, the new manager. “Don’t begin to take it easy, fellows. And then follows the second game in the series with Morningside. We’ve got to get that or those boys will think they’ve gotten into the habit of beating us.”
“We’ll trim ’em both!” cried Tom.
“Sure,” assented Joe. It was like old times now, he reflected, he and Tom together on a team as they had been on the Silver Stars. The only thing that worried Joe was the theft of his father’s papers and patent models. He knew it would mean a serious loss to his parents, and Joe was rather in fear that he might have to leave boarding school.
“If I have to go away, I hope it won’t be until after I have helped win back the Blue Banner,” he confided to Tom.
“Oh, don’t worry,” advised his chum; and a few days later Joe received a letter from home, telling him the same thing.
Mr. Matson wrote that whereas the loss would badly cripple him, yet he did not want Joe to worry.