“Yes you did!” exclaimed Tom disbelievingly.
“You went there because Proc. Zane made you!” declared Phil.
“Well, no matter, if you can’t take a gentleman’s word for it,” said Holly, with an assumed injured air. “Anyhow, I was in the doctor’s office, and he had just received a letter from some old grad, honorary degree man, offering the gold cup. Doc asked me if I thought the boys would like to play for it. Has to be won two out of three times before any college can keep it. I told him we’d play for it with bells on!”
“Of course!” agreed Tom and Phil.
“Now, about the team for this spring?” resumed Holly. “You’re captain, Tom, but we’ve got to elect a manager soon, and we’d better begin talking about it,” and then the trio launched into a rapid-fire talk on baseball and matters of the diamond.
The three youths were sophomores in Randall College, a well-known institution located near the town of Haddonfield, in one of our Middle Western States. The college proper was on the shore of Sunny River, not far from Lake Tonoka; and within comparative short distance of Randall were two other colleges. One was Boxer Hall, and the other Fairview Institute—the latter a co-educational institution. The three, together with some other near-by colleges and schools, formed what was called the Tonoka Lake Athletic League, and there were championship games of baseball, football, tennis, hockey, golf, and other forms of sport.
Those of you who have read the previous volumes of this “College Sports Series” need little if any introduction to the characters who have held the stage in my opening chapter. Others may care for a formal introduction, which I am happy to give them.
In the first book, called “The Rival Pitchers,” there was told of the efforts Tom Parsons made to gain the place as “twirler” on the ’varsity nine. Tom was a farmer’s son, in moderate circumstances, and had come to Randall from Northville. Almost at once he got into conflict with Fred Langridge, a rich student, who was manager of the ’varsity ball nine, and also its pitcher, and who resented Tom’s efforts to “make” the nine. After much snubbing on the part of Langridge, and not a few unpleasant experiences Tom got his chance. Eventually he supplanted Langridge, who would not train properly, and who smoked, drank and gambled, thinking himself a “sport.”
Tom soon became one of the most liked of the sporting crowd, and the especial friend of Phil Clinton and Sidney Henderson, with whom he had roomed for the last term. The three were now called the “inseparables.” In the first book several thrilling games were told of, also how Randall won the championship after a hard struggle with Boxer and Fairview, in which games Tom Parsons fairly “pitched his head off,” to quote Holly Cross, who was an expert on diamond slang. Langridge did his best to injure Tom, and nearly succeeded, but the pitcher had many friends, besides his two special chums, among them being Holly Cross, Bricktop Molloy, Billy or “Dutch” Housenlager, who was full of horseplay, “Snail” Looper, so called from his ability to move with exceeding slowness, and his liking for night prowlings.