“What!” cried Arnold irritably, turning to Beard. “Do you mean to say that you made any such arrangement?”
“I did,” said Beard, looking away.
“Well, what under the sun did you—Beard, you’ve made a fool of yourself,” said Arnold.
“As Mr. Beard is captain, and not you, Mr. Arnold, I don’t see what importance your opinion can be in this interview,” said Ray. “As I tell you, arrangements for a decisive game have been made. You surely can have no objections to playing the season to a satisfactory finish. You must see to what unfavorable criticism your refusal to play would subject you.”
“We will play you when and where you choose,” said Arnold, turning angrily on his heel and leaving us.
CHAPTER XXIX
THE RETURN TO BELMONT
Ray Wendell’s foresight had saved us much trouble and annoyance. It so happened that the rules of the Berkshire League made little provision in case of two colleges tying for the championship. This deficiency had entirely escaped the attention of those who had originally framed the rules; and as no tie in the competition had ever occurred thus far in the experience of the colleges, the matter had been altogether overlooked. While every student believed that tie would always be settled by an extra game, there was no definite rule requiring it. The nearest approach to it was the clause to which Ray alluded, and which provided for only such settlement of a tie as should be mutually agreed upon by the captains of the competing nines.
Of course this was intended to mean that a deciding game should be played, for the framers of the rules took it for granted that both captains would be eager to settle the championship in this way, but the rule was so unsatisfactorily worded as to leave either captain free to decline a deciding game without sacrificing the championship. The matter had not escaped Ray’s attention, and he had been sharp enough to detect this deficiency. Foreseeing the possibility of the Park men making just such a claim as Arnold advanced, he had approached Beard before the game, and had arranged the matter completely.
We were highly elated over Ray’s strategic move; and that, added to the delight we experienced in reviewing our successful tour, filled our cup of joy to overflowing. All the coldness, rudeness, bad humor, and chagrin that met us on every hand during our brief stay at Berkeley could not dampen our spirits one iota; and when once aboard the train and bound for Belmont, our feelings found joyous vent in shouting and singing, till the sober passengers about us rose and betook themselves to the other cars, thinking, no doubt, that bedlam itself was off on a pleasure tour. We soon had things to ourselves, and then the fun increased until the conductor himself could stand it no longer.