“Say, what’s the matter with you?” he cried, brandishing his fist under Bob’s nose. “He didn’t mean to slug you, you baby! For two cents I’d——”
A hand shot out and swung him about.
“Shut up, Jack!” growled the catcher. “He’s all right; he ain’t made any kick; he’s just been telling his crowd it was an accident. It was too.” He looked closely at Bob. Bob nodded.
“Of course,” he answered. “I understand.”
“Well, that’s all right,” said the captain a trifle sheepishly. “I thought they were doing you up, Ted, old man.”
“Well, I guess they would have if this fellow hadn’t butted in just when he did,” answered the catcher dryly. He glanced at Bob. “Much obliged,” he muttered.
Presently order was restored once more and the game went on. Conly went out at second, after knocking what he and everyone else thought was a safe two-bagger, and Nelson fell prey to Somes’s deceptive drops. And the teams changed sides with the score five to one, in favor of Mannig. The fifth inning commenced with the Laurelville captain at bat. He led off with a pop fly that ought to have been an easy out, but which was muffed by Harrison at second. The next man advanced the captain and went out at first. Then came a clean two-bagger that brought Laurelville’s second tally. But after that there were no more hits, and, with the score now five to two, Mannig once more took its innings. But Burns, Kelly, and Kleinschmidt went out in quick order without changing the figures. Laurelville trotted in to the bench, and her captain hailed Burns.
“Say,” he asked, “where’s that pitcher of yours come from?”
“What difference does that make?” asked Burns.
“It makes a lot of difference. He played with some New Hampshire team, and you can’t get men from outside the State.”