CHAPTER XXX.THE LAST EFFORT.
The three innings which followed were exciting enough to keep the spectators nerved to the highest pitch. In each inning the contesting teams struggled hard for more scores, but good work and fast fielding prevented either side from obtaining a tally.
Franklin came up into the first half of the seventh with Jarley at bat. The clever little shortstop of the visitors bunted the first ball pitched, and managed to reach first ahead of it. Knealy followed with a bunt and was out at first, but Jarley went down to second.
“Lace it, Tipton—good old Tip!” sang the Franklin crowd.
Tipton smashed a hot one down to the first-base line, and Jarley stretched himself for third.
The ball carromed off Singleton’s mitt, and by the time he had secured it and reached first Tipton had crossed the bag, while Jarley was safe on third.
“This is our inning!” shouted Madison. “Push ’em hard, fellows! Don’t let up!”
Dick sent the first ball to Dickson straight over the centre of the plate, and Dickson flourished his bat at it without trying to hit it.
Tipton improved the opportunity to dash down toward second.
With a runner on third, it was dangerous for Buckhart to throw the ball to second, but Brad did nothesitate. Quick as a flash, with a short-arm movement, he lined it down.
Tipton stopped before reaching second, with the idea of throwing Darrell off in an effort to run him down.
At the same time Jarley scudded for the home plate.
Darrell did not even glance toward Tipton, but immediately lined the ball back to Buckhart.
Brad was in position and caught it.
Jarley slid, but the Texan pinned him fast to the ground before his hand could reach the plate, and he was out on a close decision.
The disappointment of the Franklin crowd was only exceeded by the delight of the cadets. Nort Madison attempted to dispute the umpire’s decision. He claimed that Jarley was safe, but those who had watched the plate closely knew this was not so.
Wiley hugged himself.
“Beyond question,” he murmured, “I shall have to get into gear and take to the diamond. This arouses me to the limit.”
After two strikes and two balls were called, Dickson managed to catch one of Merriwell’s shoots and drop it over the infield. On this safe hit Tipton ran as if his life depended upon it, and the coacher near third sent him home.
Darrell secured the ball and tried to stop the run at the plate, but was a moment too late to do so.
“That clinches it!” laughed Madison. “We win a scalp to-day, boys!”
“Oh, has Fardale lost the game, cap’n?” anxiously asked little Abe.
“Not yet,” declared Wiley. “Strange things may happen before this game ends.”
Westcott was the weakest hitter on the visiting team, and Dick had little trouble in striking him out.
“Now, fellows,” said the Fardale captain, as his players gathered around him at the bench, “it’s up to us to cut loose. We haven’t made a run since the third inning.”
“Here’s where we turn the trick, pard,” declared Buckhart.
But again Fardale was unable to accomplish the feat. The best she could do was to get a man to second, where he “died.”
The visitors danced in to the bench, cheered by their admirers.
In the grand stand Doris and June were worrying over the probable outcome of the game.
“I’m afraid they can’t win!” said Doris, almost in tears. “That horrid umpire defeated them at the first of the game!”
“There are two more innings to play,” reminded June. “At least, Doris, you should be satisfied with the game Hal Darrell has put up to-day.”
“Yes, indeed!” laughed Zona. “He has outdone himself. He can play almost as well as Chester.”
Doris opened her lips to make some retort, but closed them at once.
The eighth was fast and furious. Dustan smashed a whistling liner at Gardner, who muffed it, but caught it up in time to throw the runner out at first. Gibbs hit a twister into the air, and Bradley got under it.
When the ball struck in Billy’s hands, it twisted out before he could close his fingers on it, and Gibbs reached first in safety.
Gannon followed with a two-bagger to left field, but Gibbs was held on third by the coacher.
“Now, what do you think?” shouted Nort Madison.
“We think you’re the next victim!” growled big Bob Singleton, as Madison stepped out to strike.
“You’ve got another think coming to you,” Nort confidently retorted. “This is my turn to get a hit.”
Brad signaled for a drop, but Dick shook his head and continued to shake his head until the Texan asked for the combination ball. With this ball Merriwell made Madison swing twice ineffectively.
Then Dick tried a rise.
Madison let it pass, and it was pronounced a ball.
“Get ’em down, Merriwell—get ’em down!” exclaimed the batter. “I can’t reach those!”
“Try this,” invited Dick.
Then he threw one of his high ones, which dropped like a flash and shot down past the batter’s shoulders. Madison fancied it would pass higher than his head and made no move to strike at it.
“You’re out!” squealed Obediah Tubbs, whose turn it was to umpire behind the pitcher.
“What’s the matter with you?” burst from Madison. “That was higher than my head! Give us a show, will you?”
“Dern your picter, you’re out!” piped Obed excitedly.
“Do you see that?” demanded Madison, shaking hisfinger at the Franklin umpire. “Now you want to even up for that! Your turn comes the next inning!”
At this the cadets uttered a derisive groan.
Madison was filled with rage as he took his seat on the bench.
Jarley quickly put an end to Franklin’s chance in the eighth inning by swinging at the first ball and lifting it into the air for Merriwell to capture when it came down. The score remained unchanged.
“Get after them, Black,” urged Dick, in a low tone, as Barron walked out.
Black said not a word, but picked out a good one and hit it hard, but Tipton made a marvelous stop and threw Black out at first.
“Only five more men, Westcott!” called Madison. “They will all be easy!”
Flint was determined, and he secured a clean single.
Gardner followed with a grounder that Jarley fumbled long enough to let Gardner reach first and Flint get safely to second.
“Dear me!” muttered Billy Bradley, who was deathly pale, as he picked up his bat. “’Ow Hi wish somebody helse ’ad to ’it in my place!”
Nevertheless, Billy made a handsome single, and Flint scored on it.
“Abe, my boy,” said Wiley, “Fardale wins right here.”
Jolliby, however, lifted a long fly to right field and was out, although Gardner advanced from second to third on it.
Big Bob Singleton had not made a safe hit for theday. He redeemed himself now by cracking out a beautiful drive, on which Gardner scored.
Buckhart did his best to get a hit, but Westcott revived again, and the Texan fell a victim to his curves, and made the third out for Fardale, which left the home team one run behind the visitors.
In the first half of the ninth inning, with the Franklin umpire at work behind him, Dick quickly discovered that he was receiving no favors. Having made this discovery, he used the jump ball a great deal, leading the batter into thinking, whenever possible, that he was throwing straight ones. Through this he succeeded in striking out two of them and causing the third to put up an easy fly.
Fardale came up in the ninth with Merriwell first at bat.
Dick looked determined to try for a home run as he strode up to the plate, gripping the end of his bat. When Westcott delivered the ball, however, Merriwell suddenly shortened his hold and bunted. He was off like a flash, and by great running succeeded in crossing first ahead of the ball.
As Darrell came out to strike, Dick made a signal that Hal understood. Darrell let the first one pass. On the second ball pitched Merriwell, who had been watching Westcott’s feet, scudded for second base.
Dickson lined the ball down to Tipton, but Dick slid under handsomely and was again declared safe.
“He will stay right there,” asserted Madison.
Nort was mistaken, however, for on the very next ball pitched, which proved to be a little wild, Dick, having secured a good lead off second, made a dashfor third, and again was declared safe after a sensational slide.
The cadets rose and cheered wildly.
A moment later Darrell put up a weak foul and was out.
Dick was crouching near third, every nerve strained, as Westcott pitched the first ball to Black.
Barron missed it.
Dickson tossed the ball back to Westcott. Then, as Dickson made that tossing movement, when it was too late for him to retain the ball, Dick electrified every beholder by starting for the home plate at astonishing speed. By the time the ball reached Westcott’s hands Merriwell was at least halfway home. In his eagerness to return it to Dickson, Westcott made a poor throw. Dickson fumbled the ball, and Merriwell slid home safely in a cloud of dust, while the Fardale boys split their throats with a great cheer.
By his daring base-running Dick had tied the score.
Madison was furious. In the midst of the excitement he said something to the umpire, and, following this, Black was declared out on three strikes, although but one of them had passed over the plate. Flint was now the hitter, and he had his eye peeled for a good one. The first ball was at least a foot beyond the plate, yet the umpire declared it a strike. The next one was too high, but another strike was called.
The watching cadets roared their disapprobation.
“Robbery!” they shouted.
Having discovered what the umpire was trying to do, Flint went for the next ball, even though it wasabove his shoulders. He met it full and fair, and sent it sailing far over the fence for a home run; and the uproar that followed as the boy with the scarred cheek trotted around the bases was simply indescribable. Down onto the field poured the rejoicing cadets, and, forgetting everything else, Wiley plunged into their midst, eager to shake hands with the winners.
Barely had Wiley left little Abe, when the sandy man the hunchback had seen watching him appeared at the bench. Immediately Abe rose and fled in great fear. He ran toward the crowd, but could see nothing of Wiley. Then he turned for the gate, through which he dashed. In doing so he plunged straight into the arms of a man who seemed waiting for him. Instantly he was caught up and carried toward a closed carriage.
“Help!” he faintly cried.
“Shut up, you brat!” hissed the voice of Jarvis, for Abe’s captor was the man with the icy hand.
The carriage door was flung open, and, in another moment, Abe would have beenthrustthrustin. Just then an athletic lad dashed at Jarvis and struck him a heavy blow behind the ear, causing him to stagger.
“Drop that boy, you whelp!” rang out a clear voice. “What are you trying to do?”
Jarvis clung to Abe, but managed to draw a pistol.
“Interfere with me, will you, you fool!” he snarled.
Then the pistol spoke, and Chester Arlington, who had attempted to save Abe, dropped to the ground.
But Arlington was not alone. Several other boys had witnessed the encounter, and with shouts they charged on the man. Somehow Abe managed tostruggle from Jarvis’ hands and plunge beneath the carriage. The sound of the pistol had caused the horses to begin prancing, and with a fierce oath Jarvis yelled at the driver and leaped into the carriage, slamming the door behind him.
The driver cracked his whip, and away went the horses.
The wheels did not pass over the hunchback, for he was between them, and he seemed unhurt when the cadets picked him up.
Not so Chester Arlington. The bullet had grazed his head and rendered him unconscious. Blood was flowing down the side of his face, and the horrified boys believed he had been killed. When a doctor examined the injury, however, it was found that the bullet had grazed Chester’s skull, but there was no reason why the wound should be serious. Indeed, Arlington recovered rapidly, and among the first to congratulate him on his bravery in attacking Abe’s enemy single-handed was Dick Merriwell.
Although a number of the cadets had attempted to follow the closed carriage, it dashed away at a furious pace and the boys were distanced.
The sheriff in Fardale was notified and requested to secure Abe’s assailant, if possible. Although the officer did his best to comply, Jarvis managed to hide until nightfall, when he escaped from Fardale.
On the following day Frank Merriwell arrived. When he heard what had taken place, Merry shook his head and expressed great regret that Abe’s enemies had not been captured.
“I am afraid we have not seen the last of them,”he declared. “If what Bial Keene tells me is true, they are almost certain to give Abe further trouble.”
“Why should they?” innocently questioned the hunchback. “I have never done anything to them. Why should they hurt me?”
“My dear boy, Keene has discovered that you are the rightful heir to a rich estate. He expects soon to clear up the entire mystery. He is now certain that this man Jarvis, the man with the ice-cold hand, is your own uncle, who long years ago had you kidnapped from your home by scoundrels, and he supposed that you had been put out of the way forever. Leave everything to me, Abe, and to Bial Keene. We will baffle your enemies, and some day you shall possess the riches that are rightfully yours.”
THE END.
No. 110 of theMerriwell Series, by Burt L. Standish, is entitled “Dick Merriwell’s Long Slide.” It is a story rich in fun and thrills, teeming with intense vigor.
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He has looked into the question of the morality of the paper-covered book, for instance, and feels that he is perfectly safe in handing one of our novels to any one, because he has our assurance that nothing except clean, wholesome literature finds its way into our lines.
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Transcriber’s NoteRetaining (or not) hyphenation that occurs on line breaks is decided by comparison with other instances in the text.Errors deemed most likely to be the printer’s have been corrected, and are noted here. The references are to the page and line in the original. The following issues should be noted, along with the resolutions.7.3and see Fair[i]portRemoved.25.15Fardale not even succeed[i]ingRemoved.26.1“You didn’t try![’/”]Replaced.28.12“Don’t[,]” begged Factor.Added.43.23“I didn’t mean[t] to say that much.”Removed.49.2in your heart you[r] knowRemoved.55.12“By Jove!” he excla[i]med.Inserted.70.28a clash betwe[e]n Arlington and DarrellInserted.83.29“Hanged if I do![”]Added.85.23for me to come ab[roa/oar]d.Transposed.92.8you’re sup[p]osed to be dead!Inserted.105.32although handicap[p]ed by a poor breakInserted.106.4It takes ninete[e]n to tieInserted.146.2Cigar[s] were providedAdded.155.8but I can’t budge them.[”]Added.169.1It’s natural you should be[.]Added.170.31“But if’s don’t count in this game[.”]Added.171.28pounding his mit[t] with his fistAdded.180.31conceal her su[r]priseInserted.181.19“Wh[at/y] didn’t he stop that ball, Doris?”Replaced.186.5When Roberts was again in position[,]Added.198.8will come her[e] Wednesday.Added.210.7burst of applause and laughter[.]Added.210.27satisfied at last[.]Added.228.19Darrell’s aston[n]ishingRemoved.242.27dining in the rest[a]urantInserted.249.22But when he ex[p]lained it to meInserted.252.26and th[r]ust into a room.Inserted.266.3As they descended the steps the[m/y] mumbledReplaced.274.19“I opened the door for them[?/!]”Replaced.307.6Black knew his busines[s]Added.307.25Chester Arlington joine[ de/d e]arnestlyReplaced.318.21Abe would have been th[r]ust in.Inserted.
Transcriber’s Note
Transcriber’s Note
Transcriber’s Note
Retaining (or not) hyphenation that occurs on line breaks is decided by comparison with other instances in the text.
Errors deemed most likely to be the printer’s have been corrected, and are noted here. The references are to the page and line in the original. The following issues should be noted, along with the resolutions.