“Didn’t you hear? Why, Star and Baker had a row in here yesterday and went for each other, and Davy had to separate them. Star was mad because Baker hit him with the ball when he was at bat. Baker was wild, they say, and swore he’d get Star the first chance. So Davy pipes off the faculty and J. P. beats it to Baker’s room and tells him that if he doesn’t leave Star alone faculty’ll jump him hard. So, of course, Baker has to promise to behave, but they say he’s hopping mad and will get Star yet. I thought maybe he’d forget and light into him just now.”
“Oh, peanuts! I guess Star isn’t afraid of that kid. Why, look at him! Star’s six inches bigger every way!”
“That’s all right,” responded Jones, “but they say Baker’s a regular terror when he gets started. Got thrown out of one school because he nearly killed a fellow there.”
“That right?” asked the other incredulously.
“Surest thing you know, old scout! Ned Stiles was telling me. He knows the fellow Baker beat up.” Jones gazed speculatively and admiringly at the unconscious Dud and shook his head. “He doesn’t look awfully scrappy, does he? But, say, I’ll bet he could hand you an awful wallop with that right of his! They say he’s as clever as anything on his feet; just dances all around the other fellow and does about as he likes. You all ready?”
On the way out Churchill, regarding Dud in surreptitious awe, encountered that youth’s gaze, and, as Dud at the instant happened to be frowning darkly at his thoughts, Churchill was ever after convinced that Dud was a fellow to be treated with the utmost respect!
CHAPTER XI
WITH THE SCRUBS
Dud speedily forgot all about Star Meyer, social aspirations and everything else except baseball, for they had their first practice game that afternoon and, although Dud wasn’t called on to work during the first three innings, he became vastly absorbed in the proceedings. Mr. Sargent made up one team of seasoned veterans of previous campaigns, with Gus Weston pitching and Gordon catching, and formed the opposing team of the newer candidates, giving the twirling job to Nate Leddy and letting Ed Brooks catch him. Since it was the first contest of the year both teams were on their toes and went into it hard. From the practice diamond Mr. Crowley’s second nine looked on enviously when the opportunity allowed.
Weston pitched nice ball for the regulars for two innings, mowing down the opposing batsmen impartially and even monotonously. But in the third, Ben Myatt, playing left field for the scrubs, landed on one of Gus’s offerings and drove it far into right center, where neither Star Meyer nor Gordon Parker could reach it in time to prevent him from reaching third. That put the following batsmen on their mettle, and before the inning was over Gus Weston had yielded four hits for a total of seven bases and three runs had crossed the plate. As, however, the regulars had by that time scored thrice owing to two singles and as many errors of the scrub’s infield, the contest was far from decided. Weston managed to survive the fourth inning, although decidedly wobbly. He allowed two hits and passed Barnes, and the scrubs were yelling for a tally when Hugh Ordway fanned and made the last out, leaving an irate runner on third.