One of them was seated right alongside of Lester, and he and Bill could not help hearing her conversation.
Her escort, in an interval between innings, was trying to tell her of a game he had recently seen.
“This fellow was a fast runner,” he remarked, “and he stole second base while the pitcher wasn’t looking.”
“Stole it!” she exclaimed. “Why, I thought the bases were fastened down.”
“They are,” the young man laughed, “but he stole it just the same.”
“I think that’s just disgraceful,” she said indignantly. “Did they arrest him?”
Her escort explained what he meant, and she looked relieved.
“A minute later, he tried it again,” he went on, “but this time the ball was too quick for him, and the runner died at third.”
“Oh, how dreadful! I suppose he had been running so hard that his heart gave out.”
Bill nudged Lester, whose face was purple with his efforts to restrain himself.