As they made for the door Sam thumped Jack on the back.
“O you Kansas!” he chuckled.
[CHAPTER XIII]
A GARRISON FINISH
It was not until the beginning of the second inning that anything happened, although in the first Chase got a runner to first on a single. But Ted threw him out at second when he tried to steal, and the next two went out easily. Maple Ridge retired in order. In the second inning Brothers, Chase’s second baseman, singled to right, went to second on a neat sacrifice and got third when Sam made his only error of the game, a poor throw to second in the hope of catching the runner off base. The next batter went out on an infield fly, and with two down Maple Ridge breathed easier. Out in right field Jack pulled his cap further over his face to keep the broiling sun out of his eyes, shifted a few steps to the left as the next batsman faced the pitcher, and waited. Two balls went by and then there was a hard, solid crack and the ball was arching out toward him, high against the glaring sky. He ran back a few yards, turned, faced and waited. Down came the ball and up went Jack’s hands.
Then there was a groan from the Maple Ridge partisans and a yell of joy from the enemy, and Jack was picking the ball from the turf and heaving it despairingly to second, while the man from third was trotting across the plate with the first tally. Jack had forgotten his injured hand, and when the ball had struck the involuntary flinch that followed had let it trickle out of his grasp. How he hated himself! He had had his chance to make good and lost it! How they must be reviling him up there on the stand. Gus Turnbull, though, was calling to him hearteningly:
“Never mind that, Kansas! Cheer up!”
But there was no cheering up for Jack just then. It had been the worst muff he had ever made. Even in the first days of learning he had never done anything quite so atrocious. He glowered at his raw palm and deliberately struck it with his clenched mitt. The pain was bad for a moment, and almost brought the tears to his eyes, but he told himself he deserved far more than that. Of course they would pull him out now and put Watkins back. Well, it was his own fault. To drop an easy fly like that!
Meanwhile the next batsman was up and the man on second was dancing up and down and back and forth, daring Sam to throw to the base. But Sam refused to pay any attention to him. Instead he set to work to strike out Clifford, the Chase pitcher, and soon succeeded.