“Search me,” growled the other. “Where’s Chesty?”
Chesty was nearby, looking very shamefaced and explaining volubly to a group of Towners that he couldn’t understand it at all!
“Well, he’s here,” said Drake disgustedly. “Seems to me you might have kept him half an hour longer. I said all along it wasn’t safe to leave him there with no one to look after him. They’ll beat us now; see if they don’t. You make me tired, Chesty!”
“It wasn’t my fault,” protested Chester. “We had him locked up so he couldn’t get out! And Perkins was there watching him!”
“Well, he is out, isn’t he?” demanded Milton Wales angrily. “What have you got to say to that?”
Chester had nothing to say.
Hal Morris yielded the ball to Sam with a weary smile.
“I’m afraid I’ve got things in a mess, Sammy,” he said. “It’s one strike and three balls on him. Gee, but I’m glad you’ve come. About one more up would have completely finished me.”
“Well, you must have done good work, Hal, to keep those Indians down to five runs. Run along now and don’t worry. I’ve got a score to settle with these chaps.”
Sam waved Joe Williams out of the batsman’s box and proceeded to warm up to Dolph. A couple of the balls he sped in were pretty wild, one going by Dolph into the crowd, and the Towners howled derisively. After all, Sam had had no chance to limber up, and, clever as he was, it was well-nigh impossible for him to shut them out with three on bases and none down! So the Towners took heart and shouted and sang and made all the hubbub possible.