CHAPTER XXVTHE MARVELOUS CATCH

Wednesday afternoon, and the hands of the clock in the tower of the Congregational Church, seen distantly over the tops of the trees, pointed to eighteen minutes before three.

Ideal weather for Class day, hot in the sun, pleasantly warm in the shade, with a very blue sky trimmed around the edges with puffs of creamy-white clouds. An ideal day, too, for the big game, with plenty of heat to make muscles responsive and no wind to deflect the ball from its long, arching course. Kind, as well, to the wearers of pretty, light dresses, with whom the stands were liberally sprinkled, mothers, sisters, cousins and aunts of the important-looking graduates. Dark-blue pennants and pennants of maroon and white drooped against their staffs save when a moment of frenzy set them swirling above the sloping stands.

The game was three innings old, and the black score-board behind the back-stop held six big round naughts. Those three innings had not been devoid of interest, however, even if neither team had tallied. Nervousness and over-anxiety had filled at least two of them with breathless moments. In the first and second Farview had placed men on bases; in the second Hillman’s had got Pat Browne as far as third. There had been errors by both sides, and more than one case of poor judgment. Nate Beedle, pitching for the home team, and Luders, for the visitors, had been in hot water much of the time. Yet each had survived, and now, at the beginning of the fourth inning, with Farview coming to bat, the game was still to be won or lost.

Laurie had been through some bad moments. For the first two innings he and Nate had not worked together very smoothly. They had had a half-hour of practice before an early dinner, during which Nate had coached the new catcher and Laurie had mastered signals. Later, Cas Bennett had given Laurie the “dope” on the Farview batters. He was still giving it between innings, for Laurie’s mind was in no conditionto memorize. By the beginning of the third inning ten Farview players had come to the plate, and at least ten times Nate had refused Laurie’s signal. Of course Laurie had known that Nate was right and that he was wrong, but it had all been mighty confusing and disconcerting. Added to that was the continuing dread of throwing badly to second. He could peg the ball to first unerringly enough, or to third, but the long heave across the width of the diamond terrorized him. Once when he should have thrown to Lew Cooper that fear of misfortune held his hand, and Hillman’s had groaned as a Farview runner slid unchallenged to the bag. Save for that occasion a throw to second had not been called for, and the test was still ahead of him. For the rest, Laurie had done well enough. He had dropped the delivery more times than he cared to recall, but had escaped without penalty. Once the ball had got past him entirely and bounded against the back-stop, but, fortunately, the bases had been empty. During the first of the third he and Nate had come to understand each other better, and constant reiteration by Cas had finally impressed Laurie with the foibles of theenemy batsmen. Now, at the beginning of the fourth, he breathed easier and found himself sustained by a measure of confidence. His throw to second, before the first of the enemy stepped into the box, was straight, hard, and knee-high.

Farview began with a scratch hit to the left field that took an unexpected bound away from Frank Brattle’s ready glove. Followed a screaming two-bagger that placed the first runner on third. Only a smart throw-in by Lee Murdock prevented a tally then and there. The tally came later, however, and a second followed close behind it. Nate passed a batter and filled the bases. Then a pretty sacrifice fly to short right moved the runners up, and Farview cheered her first score. Nate struck out the subsequent batter. Then came a rolling grounder to Cooper and Lew scraped it up and, with all the time in the world, threw low to first. By the time Tom Pope had turned around about three times looking for the ball that he had stopped but not caught, the runner on third had scored, the batsman was safe, and the chap from second was half-way between third and the plate. Tom shot the ball home; Laurie got it, held it, and swungdownward. There was an instant’s confusion of dust and sound, and the umpire swung his mask upward and out.

Two runs for Farview.

Farview clung to that lead until the sixth, but could not add to it. In her half of the fourth Hillman’s got Captain Dave as far as second, but Murdock’s fly to left made the third out. In the fifth the opposing pitcher struck out Laurie and Nate and kindly allowed Cooper to pop a fly to third baseman.

In the sixth things began to happen, all at once and on all sides. Farview started the trouble by hitting through short-stop for a base. Nate pitched ten deliveries before the next batsman at last fouled out to first baseman. Then came an attempted sacrifice. The batsman laid down the ball scarcely two feet from the plate, and the runner on first was off. Laurie dashed his mask aside, scooped up the trickling sphere, stepped forward, and sped it to second. The throw was perfect, and Pope got the runner. Hillman’s applauded delightedly, and from the Blue’s bench came the approving voice of the coach, “Good work, Turner!” Laurie, acceptinghis mask from a Farview batsman, reflected that maybe nothing was nearly as bad as you pictured it beforehand, and remembered with surprise that in making the throw he had not consciously thought a thing about it; hadn’t hoped he would make it or feared that he wouldn’t; had simply picked up the ball and plugged it across the diamond! Exit the bugaboo!

With two down, however, Farview refused to yield the inning. Instead, she poked a hit across second base and another past third and so added another tally. That seemed to distress Nate Beedle unnecessarily, and he proceeded to pass the next batsman. And after that, with two gone and two strikes and one ball on the succeeding aspirant, he pitched three more balls in succession and passed him, too! Very suddenly the bases were full, and the game seemed about to go glimmering. And at that moment George Pemberton and the scrub catcher strode off around the first base stand, and if the visiting crowd hadn’t been making such a ridiculous noise the thud of ball against mitten might have been heard from back there.

Nate was, in baseball parlance, “as high as akite.” His first effort against the new batsman was a ball that Laurie only stopped by leaping two feet from the ground. Laurie walked half-way to the pitcher’s box, amid the exultant howls of a joyous foe, shook the ball in Nate’s face, and savagely told him to take his time. Laurie was angry just then. Nate was snappy and told Laurie to “go on back and quit beefing! I’ll get him!” Laurie signaled for a high ball; the batter “ate up” low ones. Nate hesitated, shook his head. Laurie called for one close in then. Nate wound up and stepped forward. The result was a wide one that made the score two balls and no strikes. On the bench Mr. Mulford was watching with sharp eyes. Nate followed with a fast ball that was struck at too late. Laurie’s heart retreated down his throat again. Once more he signaled a high one. This time Nate made no demur, but the ball failed to go over. A substitute detached himself from the group on the bench and sped around the stand. Laurie, holding the ball, glanced toward the coach. He got the expected sign. Nate, too, saw, and began to pull at his glove. Captain Dave joined him at the mound. Nate looked gloomy and mutinous.Then George Pemberton came into sight, paused an instant at the bench, and strode toward the box.

Hillman’s cheered and Farview jeered. Nate went to the bench with hanging head. As he tossed the ball to the relief pitcher Laurie saw Mr. Mulford pull Nate to a seat beside him and put a big arm over the sorrowful one’s shoulders. Then George Pemberton was pitching his warm-up balls, and Laurie was devoutly hoping that they weren’t samples of what he would offer later. They were, but Laurie didn’t know it then, for, with three balls and but one strike on him, the over-eager Farview third baseman struck at George’s first offering and got it. The bases emptied, and red legs streaked for the plate. But far out in deep center field Lee Murdock cast one last look over his shoulder, turned, and pulled down the fly, and Hillman’s let loose with a sound that was half a groan of relief and half a yell of joy!

With the score 3 to 0 against her, Hillman’s pulled up even in the last of the sixth. Craig Jones worked a pass; Tom Pope sacrificed him neatly to second; and Captain Dave, functioningperfectly at last in the rôle of clean-up batter, hit for two bases, and both Cooper and Jones scored. Pat Browne was safe on a fielder’s choice, Dave going out at third. Brattle hit safely, and Murdock was passed. The bags were all occupied, and the home team’s cohorts roared exultantly and waved blue banners in air. And Laurie came to bat.

I’d like immensely to tell how Laurie knocked a home run or even a single, but truth compels me to state that he did nothing of the sort. He swung twice at good ones and missed them, and ended by swinging a third time at a very poor one. It remained for Pemberton to deliver the hit and, perhaps because he was a proverbially poor batter and wasn’t feared one bit by Mr. Luders, he selected the second delivery and jabbed it straight at the young gentleman’s head. Luders put up a defensive hand. The ball tipped it and bounded toward second. Three players ran for it. By the time short-stop had got it, Pemberton was galloping up to first, and Pat Browne had slid in a cloud of dust across the plate. A moment later Brattle was caught off second, and the trouble was over for the time.

The seventh began with the score 3 to 3, but it wouldn’t have remained there long if George Pemberton had been allowed to pitch the inning through. George was even wilder than he had indicated. He couldn’t find the plate at all. Four successive balls put a Farview batter on first. One strike, a foul back of the plate that Laurie missed by inches only, and four more balls put another runner on bases. Laurie begged, counseled, threatened. George nodded agreeably and still sent them in anywhere but at the expected spot. When he had pitched one strike and two balls to the third man up, Coach Mulford gave the “high sign” and George, not at all regretfully, it seemed, dropped the ball and gave way to Orville Croft.

Somehow Croft came through unpunished. There were no more passes, for Croft put the ball over the base nicely, but there were so many near-hits that Laurie’s heart was in his mouth almost every minute. If the Hillman’s fielders hadn’t worked like a set of young professionals in that inning awful things would certainly have befallen the Blue. The infield showed real ball playing, and thrice what seemed a safe hit wasspoiled. Farview got the first of her runners to third, but he finally died there when Captain Dave dived to the base-line and scooped up a ball that was on its way to deep left.

For Hillman’s the last of the seventh made good its reputation. It was the lucky seventh, and no mistake about it. Luck put Cooper on first when Luders slanted a slow curve against his ribs, and luck decreed that the red-legged short-stop should drop the ball a minute later when Cooper took advantage of Jones’s slam to third. Perhaps luck had something to do with the pass handed to Pope, too, but it certainly didn’t altogether govern Captain Dave’s second long hit that sent in Cooper and Jones and put Hillman’s in a veritable seventh heaven—I almost wrote “inning”—of delight!

That hit ended Luders’s usefulness. He issued another pass, got himself into a hole with Frank Brattle, and was derricked, a sandy-haired youth named Clay succeeding him. Clay disposed of Brattle very neatly, Murdock flied out to short-stop, and again Laurie failed to deliver the hit that was, he felt certain, somewhere inside him. Laurie brought the lucky seventh to a close byknocking a weak grounder to first baseman.

Hillman’s visioned victory and was joyous and noisy when the eighth began, but after the first Farview batsman had lined out Croft’s first offering for two bases the joy paled and the noise noticeably subsided. And when the next red-legged batter had hit for a single it began to dawn on the Hillman’s supporters that possibly the old adage to the effect that he who laughs last laughs best might be true. Hillman’s pitching staff was exhausted, and if Croft went the way of Beedle and Pemberton—and he gave every indication of doing so—the only way the Blue would get the game would be as a gift from Farview! The Maroon and White took to Croft as a duck takes to water. He didn’t have much except a couple of slow curves. His fast one wasn’t exceptionally fast, and it generally failed to locate the plate. Those slow curves pleased the Farview batsmen immensely. Even the tail-end of their list found no trouble in hitting them. Laurie, watching the man on first as a cat watches a mouse, saw more than a runner who might steal second; he saw a victory fading into defeat.

Croft worked two strikes on the next man, and then again came the dread sound of wood against leather. This time, though, the ball arched high and Cooper, racing back, got under it, and there was one down. The runner on third had no chance to score, or thought so. Then, when Captain Dave had talked briefly but earnestly to Croft, that youth promptly issued one more base on balls, and the sacks were filled, and defeat loomed large on the horizon. One down, the bases full, and Croft going the way of the others! Laurie’s gaze wondered to the bench and Coach Mulford. And then, since to have looked at the bench at all without seeing it would have been impossible, he glimpsed the round, anxious, earnest countenance of Kewpie Proudtree. Laurie’s heart jumped out of place for possibly the twentieth time that afternoon, and he called to Captain Dave.

The game was held up while captain and catcher conferred. Finally Dave hurried across and hailed the coach. Another conference followed, while Farview clamored for the contest to go on. Then Mr. Mulford waved his hand at Croft, and Kewpie, very much surprised but apparentlynot at all overwhelmed, walked into the diamond, pulling on his glove.

There was a moment of silent amazement. Then Farview went delirious with delighted amusement. The Farview stand almost rocked with the laughter that emanated from it, laughter that came as a relief to strained nerves and was indulged in freely. Hillman’s, recovering from its first instant of amazement, cheered valiantly, and, cheering, took hope. After all, it might well be that the chubby Proudtree would prove no worse than Croft. It was even possible that he might be an improvement on that youth. Meanwhile Farview laughed until tears came and Laurie and Kewpie met midway of mound and plate.

“Go slow, Kewpie,” said Laurie, “and follow the signals. Take all the time you can; hear? Waiting may worry them. Keep your nerve, son, no matter what happens. Just pretend that you’re pitching to me in practice.”

“Sure,” agreed Kewpie complacently. “Don’t worry about me, Nod. Let’s go!”

One down and three on, a hit meaning two runs! It was a tough situation that Kewpiefaced. But Kewpie seemed totally unworried. Laurie saw and marveled. His own heart was thumping inside him like a small sledge-hammer. He wondered if Kewpie was faking that unconcern and would presently go to pieces like the others, letting in an avalanche of runs!

But Kewpie was right. Laurie needn’t have worried about him. Kewpie was magnificent, if a boy of Kewpie’s size and proportions can ever be magnificent! He was as slow as cold molasses, yes, and his delivery elicited more amusement from the enemy, but he struck out with apparent ease the first batsman who faced him, caused the next man to foul out to Captain Dave, and fanned the third!

When that last of the enemy waved through empty air and then cast his bat from him venomously, Hillman’s loved Kewpie Proudtree with a deep and fervid passion. Hillman’s said so. Hillman’s rose from stand and greensward and cheered his name to the blue afternoon sky and howled and yelled and went crazy generally. And Kewpie moved smilingly back to the bench to submit to the hugs of his companions.

There was no scoring for the Blue in the lastof the eighth, for Clay was master of the situation.

Then Farview started her half of the ninth with desperation written large on every countenance. Kewpie, the unhurried, returned to his job. He disposed of the Farview pitcher with four deliveries and then faced the head of the list. That he would survive that inning without misadventure was too much to hope for. The misadventure came when the Farview center fielder slammed a ball into left field and got two bases. Kewpie looked, or so Laurie though, a little surprised and a little grieved, but he didn’t allow his emotions to affect his pitching. He fooled the next man twice with his out-drop and finally finished him with a slow ball that the batter struck at too soon. Hillman’s shouted, waved, and prepared to go home.

But the end was not yet. Up came the Farview captain, and he made it plain to Laurie at once that he wasn’t to be caught with trifles. He demanded good ones. If he didn’t get them he wouldn’t swing. He didn’t say all this in words, of course, but he looked it and showed it by calmly watching Kewpie’s first offering dropby him, a scant inch beyond the outer corner of the plate. In the end, he had his way. There was something that suited him, and he accepted it and drove it down third base line, scoring the man on second and placing himself on third when the throw went to the plate. Those who had wandered toward the exits reconsidered and stayed their steps. With a runner on third the score might yet be tied.

The Farview right fielder had not yet made a hit, but that to Laurie’s thinking made him the more dangerous, and Laurie worked very carefully. Kewpie answered the first signal with a straight one over the center of the plate, and it went for a strike. The next was also over the center, but too high. Then again Kewpie failed. One and two now. The runner on third was dashing up and down the path, and the coachers were yipping like mad. Kewpie, however remained surprisingly calm. To show how calm he was he sent in a drop that scored a second strike for him, and the blue pennants waved triumphantly. Laurie called for the same thing again, but this time the batter did not offer at it; the score was two and three, and Laurie’s heartsank. The next must be good. He placed his hands out and called imploringly:

“Right into the old mitt, Kewpie! Make it good!”

And Kewpie made it good, and, since it was good, unmistakably good, the Farview youth swung against it with all his might.

But he hit under it, and the ball went up and up in the sunlight almost straight above the plate. Cries arose from all sides, a confusing bedlam of warning, entreaty, command. Laurie dashed his mask behind him, stared upward into the blue, saw the gray sphere poised overhead, turned and stepped back, looked again, again retreated. He was under it now—almost. One step further toward the back-stop—

Then Nemesis took a hand, or sought to. Laurie’s backward placed foot found the discarded mask. He strove to retain his balance but could not and fell backward to the ground. The mask described a curve and landed yards away. Laurie’s feet flew heavenward. His hands were stretched wide. Then his startled gaze saw a new danger. Right above him was the ball, falling straight for his face. Nothingsave pure instinct, the instinct that causes one to fend off a blow, brought his hands up before him. It was, however, not so much instinct as baseball training that brought them there palms upward. And, beyond any doubt, it was training that caused his fingers to close convulsively about the round object that landed with a loud smack in the hollow of his old brown mitten!

The Graduation Ball was over, and as the twins walked homeward with Polly and Mae twelve o’clock struck from the tower of the Congregational Church across the park. There was a big round moon riding high in the heavens, and the June night was warm and scented. Mae was to spend the night with Polly, and so the four kept together across Walnut Street and past the Starling house where, on the second floor, one lighted window proclaimed the presence of Bob. Even as Ned proposed a discreet hail, the light behind the shade went out.

“It was a lovely dance, wasn’t it?” asked Polly. Laurie, beside her, assented. “It’s been a perfectly gorgeous day,” added Polly. “All of it. It was such fun this morning atMiss Comfort’s. And that Mr. Goupil is a darling duck, isn’t he? And, oh, won’t it be perfectly corking next fall, Laurie, when we have the boat for our own? Think of the good times we can have! It was wonderful of Miss Comfort to think of it.”

“Bet you anything,” chuckled Laurie, “she’ll wish herself back there. Dare say she won’t be able to sleep on shore again after a summer on the rolling deep!”

Polly laughed. “She’s a dear, isn’t she? And, Laurie, didn’t everything turn out beautifully this spring? Think how we ‘reclaimed’ Kewpie and—”

“Heard Kewpie’s latest? He told Ned and me before supper that he might not be able to play football next fall because he didn’t want to risk hurting his pitching arm! He’s a rare bird, that Kewpie!”

“Oh, he must play football! But he will, of course. Wasn’t he splendid this afternoon? And—and weren’t you splendid, too? I just shrieked and shrieked when you made that perfectly wonderful catch and saved the game!”

“I didn’t save the game,” answered Laurie.“I dare say that fellow would have struck out in another minute. Anyhow, Kewpie says he would have!”

“But Kewpie doesn’t know, and if he had made a hit it would have tied the score at least. Anyhow, your catch was absolutely marvelous. Every one says so.”

A short silence followed. Then Laurie said resolutely: “Look here, I guess you might as well know the truth about that, Polly. I didn’t really make that catch.”

“Why, what do you mean? I saw you make it!”

“Yes, I know, but—well you see, I didn’tintendto do it. I saw that ball coming down straight for the end of my nose, and I just put my hands up to ward it off. Of course every one thinks I’m a regular wonder, but I’m not. It was just an accident. I—I haven’t told any one but Ned—and you.”

“That doesn’t spoil it a bit,” declared Polly. “You did catch the ball, didn’t you? And if you’d just been trying to keep it from hitting you you wouldn’t have really caught it, would you?”

“That’s what Ned said,” mused Laurie. “Hanged if I know!”

“Ned’s perfectly right,” responded Polly emphatically.

“Of course I am,” said Ned as he and Mae joined them before the door of the little shop. “But what is it this time?”

“Never mind,” said Polly. “You can ask Laurie.”

“He probably won’t tell me,” said Ned gloomily. “He hates to say I’m right about anything. Gee, Polly, it seems funny to think that I won’t see this place again for three months.”

“It’s horrid,” answered Polly, and Mae murmured agreement. “Still, I suppose three months won’t seemawfullylong. And youwillwrite, won’t you?”

“Certainly will,” asserted Ned. “And don’t you forget to. But we’ll see you both in the morning. We don’t get away until eleven twenty-two. Thanks for coming to the dance.”

“Thanks for asking us,” said Polly, her hand on the door. “Good night. Good night, Laurie. We’ve had a lovely time.”

“Same here,” said Laurie as he tugged at Ned’s sleeve.

Ned joined him at the edge of the sidewalk, and they took their caps off and bowed in the manner of Mr. Goupil.

“Beneath yon moon’s effulgent light—”

“We, Nid and Nod, wish you Good Night!”

Transcriber’s Notes:Except for the frontispiece, illustrations have been moved to follow the text that they illustrate, so the page number of the illustration may not match the page number in the List of Illustrations.Printer’s, punctuation and spelling inaccuracies were silently corrected.Archaic and variable spelling has been preserved.Variations in hyphenation and compound words have been preserved.

Transcriber’s Notes:

Except for the frontispiece, illustrations have been moved to follow the text that they illustrate, so the page number of the illustration may not match the page number in the List of Illustrations.

Printer’s, punctuation and spelling inaccuracies were silently corrected.

Archaic and variable spelling has been preserved.

Variations in hyphenation and compound words have been preserved.

Back to Index Next