"Aw!" he said recklessly, "it's a trick. You can't fool me again. If you're going to pitch, get busy, else I'll go home."
Don pitched. He decided that there was no use in arguing with Tim now.
Besides, he wanted time to think.
He had saved the message that Bobbie had written. That night he took it from his bureau drawer.
"Every batriot," he read aloud, "blaces his all at the sereice of his country." Funny there should be two b's instead of two p's. He repeated the letters slowly, thoughtfully.
"B, p; b, p—Gosh! I'll bet I know what happened."
He jumped up and paced the room excitedly. It was clear now. Tim had sent p, and he had called p, but p and b sound almost the same and Bobbie, tense and excited, had caught the wrong sound.
"E and v are almost the same, too," Don cried. "I'll tell Tim tomorrow."
Next day he sought Tim eagerly. Tim gave him a sarcastic sidelong glance.
"B and p do sound alike," Don said sharply.
"I'm going to ask Mr. Wall to take me out of the Wolf patrol," was Tim's response.