CHAPTER XXI
Not to be caught by any mischance, Hal brought Bart along with the team. Word had been passed among the Baxter contingent that the two stars of the first game would join the nine at Winthrop, and when they reached the town, the students inquired anxiously for them.
But no one could give them any information. Much worried, Hal took his team to the ball park, where they put in a good practice in order to acquaint themselves with the diamond.
When the Landon supporters arrived, they rejoiced to learn that Fred and Bronson were missing, declaring the game was as good as won.
Indeed, their prophecy seemed true, for as the time for the game approached and the two boys failed to appear, the members of the Baxter nine grew more and more nervous.
Vainly Hal and Sandow tried to rally them, but their words showed their own anxiety, and, therefore failed.
Alone of all the team or supporters, Bart was happy. His mother had brought a party of girls from out of town to see the game, and the bully realized that if his pitching were not successful, he could lay the defeat to his team mates' nervousness over the absence of Fred and Bronson.
Meanwhile, unconscious of the worry they were causing, and exhausted by the excitement of the identification and the long night journey, the two boys were sleeping soundly.
Of a sudden, however, Fred woke up. Noting the bright daylight, he aroused his companion.
"See what time it is; quick!" he exclaimed.
Sleepily, Bronson fumbled in his clothes, at last finding his watch.
"My eye! It's one fifteen!" he gasped.
"And the game begins at two," cried Fred. "Hal must be worried to death. Quick! into your clothes. We'll get a bite to eat and hike out to the park."
Into their clothes the boys literally flew, but as both realized the necessity of a good meal, they did not hurry their dinner unduly, setting out for the diamond at ten minutes before two in a carriage which Bronson insisted upon hiring.
The seats were filled with followers of the rival nines, cheering, tooting horns and singing, and the players were warming up when Fred and Bronson rushed into the dressing-room.
Seizing their suits, which Hal had brought, they trotted onto the field just as the two captains were tossing for innings.
As the Baxter students caught sight of the yellow head and the tall form, they rose to their feet.
"Here they are! Here they are!" they roared.
Instantly the eyes of the teams and of all the Landon and Winthrop spectators were focused upon the two late arrivals. The Baxter players rushed toward them, howling with joy.
"Can I have time to warm up my pitcher?" asked Hal of the Landon captain.
"No. You've got Montgomery ready," returned Mitchell.
But Hal did not propose to use the bully if he could help it.
"Hey, Bronson, are you fit to go right in?" asked his captain.
"I'd rather limber up a minute or two."
"Well, you can pass a couple of the Landon boys. That'll give you eight balls," exclaimed Sandow. "You can hold 'em safe easy enough."
The tone in which the big first baseman spoke was none too pleasant, for he thought Mitchell's refusal unsportsmanlike. But the Baxter boys had their revenge in the flush the taunt brought to the Landon captain's face.
As in the first game, Hal won the toss, and again chose the field.
"Shall you use me?" asked Bart of his captain, as his team mates started for their positions.
"Not if Bronson goes right," replied Hal.
"Then I'm going up to sit with my friends. You can put in Holcomb or Sandow, if Clothespin blows up," retorted the bully.
"I'd rather you'd stay on the field," declared his captain.
"But I'd rather be with my friends." And, turning on his heel, Bart crossed the diamond, joining his mother and guests in the grand stand.
"Aren't you going to play?" exclaimed one of the girls.
"No; Markham's gang runs the team."
"But they shouldn't allow their jealousy to keep a good player like you out of the deciding game," declared another member of the party.
"If you knew Markham, you'd understand," returned the bully, rejoicing at the utterly false impression he had given of his rival.
Further effort to prejudice his friends was forgotten in the yell that arose from the Landon stand.
"We've got him going! We've got him going!" howled the students.
Acting on Sandow's suggestion, Bronson had passed both the first and second Landon batters, pitching balls that were impossible to hit, to limber up.
But when the spectators saw the second player trot to first base, they believed the wonder pitcher was having an off day, while the Baxter supporters criticized Hal for sending Bronson to the box without preliminary work.
As neither Sandow or Hal had taken the former's remark seriously, the captain ran to Bronson.
"Hadn't I better let Holcomb work while you warm up for next inning?" he asked anxiously.
"I'm warmed up,now," replied the pitcher. "Don't worry about me. I'm going to cut loose. There's no other game to hold back for."
"All right; cut loose," grinned Hal, running back to his position in center field.
"That captain must be crazy," declared the girl who had sympathized with Bart, as Clothespin continued in the box.
"I told you Bronson was Markham's friend," sneered the bully, while from the Landon side came blatant toots of glee.
But their joy was short lived.
With terrific speed, Bronson shot three strikes across the plate. Then he served the next two batters in the same way.
Believing their star had found himself, the Baxter students taunted their rivals by singing, "We were only teasing you."
But Bronson's work had more than retired the side. Mitchell, the Landon pitcher as well as captain, had remembered Sandow's words, and as he saw the boy settle down and throw nine strikes in as many balls, he realized his team would have no easy battle. Consequently, he was so nervous that he could not control his throws, and before Baxter was retired three runs had crossed the plate.
In the next seven innings, Bronson struck out nine men, holding the others to hits to the infield, never allowing a Landon man to get beyond second base, while Baxter brought in one more run, made by Taffy.
As their side went to bat in the ninth, the Landon followers implored them to hit out a victory.
"Strike 'em out, one, two, three!" yelled the Baxter students at Bronson.
And as he retired the first man up, they howled with glee, which turned to pandemonium as the second batter struck out.
Desperate, Mitchell ordered his player to strike at anything.
Crack! went his bat on the first ball pitched. With terrific force, the ball sped straight for the pitcher's box.
"Let it go! Let it go!" yelled Fred at Bronson, while Hal ran in to back up his second baseman.
In silence, the crowd held its breath.
That the yellow-haired boy would be able to stop, much less hold, the ball seemed nigh impossible.
"Don't try for it. Let Hal take it!" cautioned Sandow.
But the second baseman never heard him.
With a "thwack" that resounded over the diamond, the ball struck the pit in Fred's glove. But so tremendous was its force that the ball raised the boy off his feet, and as he struck the ground again he tripped and fell.
Madly the batter raced to first, while Hal came on to field the ball.
But before he reached his prostrate team mate, Fred held up his hand with the ball firmly clutched in his mitt—and Baxter had won the championship—4 to 0.
Hastening to their train that they might return to Baxter in time to prepare the bonfire and arrange for the dance with which the winning of the pennant was always celebrated, the students gave full vent to their joy.
Winthrop being only about twenty miles from Baxter, Margie and Dorothy had driven over to the game for the purpose of bringing Fred and Bronson back with them.
Being too happy to hurry, it was dusk when they reached home, and by the time they had finished supper the celebration was in full swing.
But Fred insisted he must see his mother before going to the campus, promising to join Margie and the others at the dance.
In delight Mrs. Markham listened to the account of the trip to Manchester and the winning of the game, and so long did they talk that it was almost eleven before Fred reached the school building where the dance was being held.
Margie was on the lookout for him, and as they entered, Bart and several of the girls who had been with his party at the game were standing near the door.
"There comes that crackerjack second baseman. I want to meet him awfully," gushed one of the young women.
"Oh, do bring him over, Bart," pleaded the others.
Because of a lull in the music, many of the students and older people who were in the vicinity, chanced to hear the remarks, and, knowing Bart's hatred of his rival, listened eagerly for his response.
Aware of this attention, the bully surveyed Fred insolently, then turned to the girls.
"I'm very careful whom I introduce to my friends. Knowing what I do of the Markhams, I do not think you would care for this chap," he drawled.