"Aye, aye," said Captain Ayres, not without a wince. "It is a little hard for our boys to be defeated after playing a game without errors; but your victory was due to lucky batting, and it does not signify that your men are the better players. We will try and turn the tables to-morrow."
The visitors gave three cheers and a tiger for their opponents, and then retired from the field. It would be useless to attempt to describe the thrill and the suppressed exultation with which they read on the bulletin boards of the city newspaper offices, as they went to their lodgings, the following score:—
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Calumets 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 =2.
Catalpas 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 =4.
Runs earned—Calumets, 0; Catalpas, 4.
Base hits— " 5, " 6.
Errors— " 0, " 3.
Umpire, Mr. Thomas Walsh.
Time of game, two and a half hours.
AFTER THE VICTORY.
"The boss says he would be obliged to you if you would make less noise."
It was a tall and red-faced young man who brought this message to the Catalpa Nine, as they were gathered in the room of Captain Hiram Porter, in their lodging-house, after the great match game. Al Heaton had hurried to join the boys, as soon as he had sent to Catalpa his despatch announcing the result of the contest in the most glowing terms consistent with the rate of telegraph tolls and the needed conciseness of a despatch. All hands were in that flow of animal spirits that might have been expected from nearly a dozen young fellows who are elated over a great victory and who have laboriously repressed their jubilation until they are alone.
"There! I told you, boys, that your skylarking would bring up the landlord. Oh, I say, Neddie, quit your fooling. You can't throw 'The Lily,' if you try all night; and we are making such a racket that the whole house is disturbed." This was Captain Porter's admonition.