CHAPTERPAGE
I.[Dud Wonders]1
II.[The Entering Wedge]13
III.[29 Lothrop]25
IV.[A Chance Meeting]36
V.[Dud Loses His Temper]49
VI.[First Practice]59
VII.[Ben Myatt Advises]69
VIII.[A Wild Pitch]81
IX.[Jimmy Takes Charge]93
X.[The Challenge]104
XI.[With the Scrubs]118
XII.[On the River]130
XIII.[Confession]138
XIV.[Marooned!]148
XV.[Dud Serves Them Up]160
XVI.[The Track Meet]172
XVII.[Baseball, Tennis and Oysters]184
XVIII.[Dud Goes to the Rescue]192
XIX.[Back to the Bench]207
XX.[Jimmy Encourages]219
XXI.[On the Mound]230
XXII.[Dud Comes Back]240
XXIII.[Ben Tells a Secret]253
XXIV.[The First Game]264
XXV.[Left Behind]274
XXVI.[The Borrowed Hand-Car]286
XXVII.[Winning His Game]301

THE ILLUSTRATIONS

[“The ball, curving inward, met his bat fairly and screeched off into short center”]Frontispiece
FACING
PAGE
[“‘You’re a sneaky little bounder, that’s what you are!’”]38
[“‘The canoes have gone!’”]144
[“Jimmy ... was rolling over on the platform and Dud ... with him”]282

WINNING HIS GAME

CHAPTER I
DUD WONDERS

Jimmy Logan stood his skis in the corner behind the door and, tramping heavily to get the clinging snow from his shoes, climbed the first flight in Trow Hall slowly and then dragged wearied feet down the corridor to Number 19. Once inside the room, he said, “Hello,” shied his cap onto his bed and sank exhaustedly in the nearest chair, stretching his legs across the rug and slumping down until the wet collar of his mackinaw came in contact with his ears. Whereupon he muttered, “Ugh!” and sat up another inch or two.

Across the room, one foot on the floor and the other doubled up beneath him on the windowseat, was Jimmy’s roommate. His response to the greeting had been brief and delivered in a preoccupied voice, for Dudley Baker had a book open before him on the cushion and held a stained and battered baseball in his right hand. His attention was divided between book and ball and had no room for Jimmy. The latter’s gaze presently came away from his shoes, which were trickling water to the rug, and fixed itself on Dudley. He had to sit up still higher in the chair to get an uninterrupted view of his chum, which proceeding elicited a protesting groan from him, and after he had attained it he instantly decided that it was not worth while and deeply regretted the exertion it had caused him. He promptly descended again on his spine, crossed his feet and sighed luxuriously.

The dollar clock on Dudley’s chiffonier ticked briskly and loudly in the ensuing silence. Outside the windows tiny flakes of snow were falling. The shadows deepened in the room. In the corridor deliberate footsteps sounded and suddenly the transom over the door showed yellow and an oblong of light appeared on the ceiling. Mr. Crump, the school janitor, was lighting the dormitories. Jimmy wished that his shoes were off, and his mackinaw, and the woolen socks, but as yet he wasn’t equal to the task. When Mr. Crump’s footsteps had died away on the stairs Jimmy broke the silence.