Sam proved his ability as a prophet when on Monday Jack went into right field in place of Watkins, benched. For the rest of that week, or as long as practice lasted, which was until Thursday, Jack and Watkins fought for that position like two bulldogs over a bone. On Tuesday Watkins was given a chance to make good again, but failed in a measure, probably because he was too eager. On Wednesday Jack went back and made a lamentable muff that doubtless brought joy to the heart of Watkins. On Thursday, the last day of work, Jack played at right on the second team and Watkins came into his own again. The other players and the school at large watched the struggle with interest and amusement and Jack and Watkins each had his coterie of supporters. One thing that made Jack hopeful of ultimate success was the fact that at the bat he could more than hold his own against his rival. Meanwhile the two boys watched each other like duelists, maintained the most courteous relations and waited anxiously for coach and captain to give out the line-up for the big game. Not until then would they know who had won. But the line-up wasn’t made public until the morning of the game, and before that other things happened which, if they had little bearing on the Chase game, at least produced important results.
[CHAPTER XI]
AN ALARM OF FIRE
Maple Ridge and Chase were natural rivals. The schools were similar in character and size and had been founded within five years of each other, whatever advantage pertained to seniority belonging to Chase. The rivalry was keen and healthy, being founded on mutual respect and governed by a spirit of justice. Each school struggled hard every year to wrest from the other the football, baseball and hockey supremacy, but the best of feeling always prevailed. Some of the other schools thereabouts, notably Dixon, poked sly fun at the brotherly attitude displayed by the rivals and told funny stories about them, one being that when in their football contests it became necessary for a Chase man to tackle a Maple Ridge player, or vice versa, the tackler invariably apologized profusely beforehand for the liberty he was about to take!
When an athletic team from Chase visited Maple Ridge it was entertained at dinner before the contest, and the same thing happened when Maple Ridge went to Chase. But in spite of such amenities no two school teams battled more determinedly for victory year after year. And because Chase thought the Maple Ridge students a fine lot of fellows and because Maple Ridge respected Chase in the same way, a victory over its rival was something for either to be proud of and to celebrate gloriously. Save in the matter of track and field sports, Chase and Maple Ridge had always been pretty evenly matched. During the period of athletic relationship, which had begun almost with the beginning of Maple Ridge School, Chase had captured a majority of the football contests and Maple Ridge had had the better of the baseball arguments. Last year the Light Green had defeated Chase on the diamond without much difficulty, and, since it seldom happened that either school won twice in succession, precedent pointed now to a victory for the Brown. But Dolph and his team weren’t bowing to precedent. Dolph believed that this year’s Maple Ridge team was better than last year’s. Besides which Maple Ridge had the advantage of playing on her own diamond. So Maple Ridge went to bed on Friday night feeling hopeful and cheerful, all thoughts fixed on the morrow.
But it is one thing to go to bed and another to sleep. So Jack discovered that night. There had been no practice in the afternoon, which, while it may have saved the players from becoming tired or overtrained, left them at a loss for occupation. Jack had found the time dragging sadly. He and Sam and Chester Harris had gone for a walk along the Ridge, but it had been hot and close in the woods and they had soon returned to school. For one he was heartily glad when supper time arrived. Afterwards some of the fellows had visited Number 12 for awhile and the next day’s game had been threshed out most thoroughly until nine o’clock. Mr. Shay had prescribed bed at half-past for all players and substitutes, and Sam and Jack obeyed the injunction. Sam had fallen off into a sound slumber almost as soon as his head had touched the pillow, for Sam had lived through other nights before the battle and wasn’t troubled much with nerves, anyway. But with Jack it had been different. For the first hour he had lain in bed with his eyes wide open and his thoughts very busy with the morrow’s contest and his chances of getting into it. His race with Will Watkins for right field position had got on his nerves until now it seemed that to lose the prize would be a bigger disappointment than he could stand. In the morning he would have a saner view of it, but to-night, as he threshed about on the bed, sleepless and flustered, the one thing in life was to beat out Watkins.
Eleven o’clock sounded. By now he had worked himself into a condition that made slumber quite impossible. It was a warm night, too, and his constant tossing about had made him hot and uncomfortable. Near at hand was the wide-open window. Disentangling himself from the single sheet, which in his restlessness had become wound around him like the wrappings of a mummy, he crept out of bed as quietly as possible, so as not to disturb Sam, drew a chair to the window and, putting his elbows on the ledge, leaned out into the cooler night air. That was better. There was no moon, but the stars were bright and he could see the strip of lawn that stretched between the back of South and the stone wall, beyond which lay the Finkler orchard. The apple trees had long since showered the ground with their pink petals and now the leaves were well out and the trees massed themselves darkly. Yet between them, in the direction of the Finkler house, a light shone, and Jack wondered idly if any one were sick there or if the gruff old farmer regularly kept such late hours.
There wasn’t a sound to be heard save at a distance the incessant barking of a dog. The night air cooled Jack’s hot head and his busy brain quieted down. He was pondering the idea of returning to bed when his attention was attracted again to the light between the trees. It had brightened and reddened and now it showed above the orchard in an orange colored glow. Could it be a fire? He looked intently and listened. Once he thought he heard the sound of shouting, but the barking of the dog drowned all other sounds. Suddenly the glow above the trees changed from orange to a dull, ugly red and Jack could discern smoke and sparks. With a bound he reached Sam’s bed and shook that youth into waking.