Batting to Win Part 44

"Now, Holly!" yelled Bean. "Another like you gave us before. There's only two out!"

It looked rather hopeless, with two out, but Holly slammed out a single bagger. Dan Woodhouse followed, and hit well, Holly getting to third in the confusion. Then came Bricktop, his red hair all awry.

"For the love of Caesar hit it on the nose, old man!" pleaded Tom.

"I'll do it for your sake, me lad," answered Bricktop calmly, and he proceeded to swing on the ball. He knocked a hot little liner to Langridge, and there was a groan as the pitcher, seemingly, caught it, but it bounded out of his hands, rolled between his legs and when he had picked it up Bricktop was at first, where he was called safe, though the Boxer players protested it. Holly had started for home, but when he saw Langridge stop the ball he ran back, and it was well he did so, for he was now safe there, as was Dan Woodhouse on second.

The bases were full, there were two out, and it needed four runs to win the game when Sid Henderson came up to the bat. He was as cool as if he was the first man up in a small game, and not one on whom a champions.h.i.+p depended.

"Oh, Sid, old man, bat! bat! bat!" pleaded Tom in a low voice. "Bat to win! It all depends on you, now!"

[Ill.u.s.tration: "BAT TO WIN! IT ALL DEPENDS ON YOU!"]

Sid did not reply. He was watching Langridge narrowly, for he knew that pitcher's tricks of old. Sid did not strike at the first ball, for it was away to one side, but the umpire called a strike on him and there was a howl of protest. It was quickly hushed. Langridge "wound up"

again, and sent in a swift one.

With an intaking of his breath Sid swung at it. Almost before he connected his bat with the horsehide he was aware that he would make a good strike. There was a sweetness to the resonant vibration of the stick, as he cast it from him, and sprinted for first. He could not see where the ball had gone, though he had had a momentary glimpse of it going over center field, but he trusted to Tom, who was in the coaching box at first, urging him on.

"Oh! Oh! Oh!"

"Pretty hit!"

"What a soaker!"

"Run! Run! Leg it, you old sock doger!" yelled the man with the two pretty daughters, as he recklessly swung his silk hat in the air.

"A home run! A home run!" cried Phil, capering about, and hugging the Jersey twins, one in each arm.

Upward and outward sped the ball, away, far away over the center fielder's head. He ran back for it, became confused and began wildly searching around in the deep gra.s.s of far outfield.

"Come on in! Come on in, everybody!" Tom was yelling, and swinging his arms like the sails of an old windmill.

Holly raced over home plate, followed by Kindlings. Bricktop was racing in from third, followed by Sid, who had made such a magnificent hit.

Bricktop tallied the tying run, and Sid was now running up from third, running as he had never run before, for he felt that it all depended on him now. The fielder had the ball by this time, and had thrown it to the second baseman, who swung about and relayed it home, but it was just a second too late, and Sid crossed the rubber on a grand slide. Four runs in succession! Oh, how the Randallites did yell! How they howled! How they stamped until the grand stands trembled, while as for the members of the team they fairly smothered Sid!

But the game was not over yet. Tom Parsons was up next, and, though as nervous as a girl, he managed to make a single off Langridge, much to the latter's disgust, for he was being hooted and howled at almost to the limit. Then Joe Jackson was struck out, and that ended Randall's chances. But the score was 13 to 12 in her favor, and if they could retire Boxer Hall without a run, the champions.h.i.+p was theirs.

Tom did it. How, is Randall history now, and any "old grad" will gladly relate it to you. How two men were struck out in almost less time than it takes to tell it, and how Tom caught an almost impossible fly by leaping high in the air as it was sailing over his head, and downed his third man. And that was the end. Randall had won the champions.h.i.+p.

Oh, what a scene there was on the diamond then! Of course, Boxer cheered her rival, and then, hardly waiting for the answering compliment from Tom's men, they filed to their dressing rooms.

"Oh, Sid, it was great! Great!" cried Tom, hugging his chum. "Simply great, old man!"

"Up with him!" commanded Phil, and Sid was hoisted to the shoulders of his fellows, and carted around, much to his embarra.s.sment.

"A bully game! Whoop-de-doodle-de!" cried the man with the pretty daughters.

"Oh, papa!" they cried protestingly, blus.h.i.+ng at the notice attracted to them.

"Let me alone!" he retorted. "Didn't my old college win? Wow! Wow! Wow!"

and he began to dance, while his daughters blushed more deeply. But who cared?

The diamond was overrun with spectators, anxious to shake hands with the victorious players, especially with Sid, who had batted the way to victory.

Three pretty girls made their way through the press.

"Are congratulations in order?" asked one.

"Of course, Miss Tyler," answered Phil.

"Sure," added Tom, clasping the hands Ruth Clinton held out to him. Sid stepped to one side, as Mabel Harrison came up. He was rather pale under his tan.

"Come on, let's all go off and have some cream," proposed Phil. "Come along, Sid, you and Miss Harrison----"

He paused in confusion, for he had, for the moment, forgotten the cloud between the two. Mabel Harrison blushed, and was about to turn away, but Sid stepped forward.

"I will only be too happy," he said, "if Miss Harrison will----"

"You know--you know----" she stammered in confusion. The six were somewhat by themselves now, for the crowd had surged away.

"It's all right!" exclaimed Sid, and there was a joyous look on his face. "I can, and I'm going, to explain everything, now. You needn't hesitate about coming with me, Miss Harrison. See this," and he held out a duplicate of the newspaper clipping that had been fraught with such results. "I don't wonder you fellows thought I was going the pace,"

continued Sid, "nor do I blame you, Miss Harrison, for not believing in me. This is the first chance I've had to explain. I was in that gambling raid told of here."

"You were?" and the girl recoiled a pace.

"Yes," resumed Sid, with a little smile, "I went there to rescue my cousin. His name is Guy Norton, and he is the same flas.h.i.+ly-dressed young man you saw me with at the picnic. Guy's father died a short time ago, leaving him a fortune, which he proceeded to get rid of as quickly as possible. He took to gambling, and fast company, though his widowed mother never knew it. She supposed him attending to business in Dartwell, but, instead, Guy was dissipating. His sister, Clara, knew of it, however, and wrote to me to try to save her brother. She came to Dartwell to help look after him, and boarded with him. I had considerable control over Guy, for we used to be little chaps together, and I once saved him from drowning, so he would generally do as I said.

So I promised his sister I would save him, and gave my word not to tell anything about it, as she wanted to keep all knowledge from her mother, who had a weak heart, and who, she knew, would die if she ever knew her son was a gambler.

"My first service was to take Guy out of a gambling hall, his sister having written me a hasty note to the effect that he had gone there with a large sum of money."

"That piece of paper, with the word 'trouble' on it must have been from her note," remarked Phil. "We picked it up in the room, after you went out so quickly that rainy night, Sid."

"Yes," a.s.sented the victorious second baseman, "Guy was in trouble, sure enough. I went to Dartwell, and managed to get my cousin to leave the place, just before the raid. As we went out, however, the police came in, and Guy and I were caught. He fought the officers, and called out my name, in asking me to help rescue him. Instead I advised him to submit.

He was taken away, but I easily proved that I had nothing to do with the gambling, and I was allowed to go. I went to Guy's boarding place, and, from his sister, got money enough to pay his fine, together with some I had. In some way my name got in the papers. Guy might have recklessly given it instead of his own, thinking to keep the knowledge from his mother.

"My cousin was released the next morning, but he made me promise never to tell of his sc.r.a.pe. That was what sealed my lips. He promised to reform, if I kept silent, and I did, though it was hard--terribly hard,"

and Sid looked at Miss Harrison, in whose blue eyes there were traces of tears.

"As I knew Guy's mother had a weak heart, and that the least shock might be fatal, I dared not even ask her advice. Clara and I decided to fight it out alone. She arranged to send me word by a messenger, whenever her brother went off with his gay companions, and I promised to go and bring him away, no matter what the hour.

"I did go, many times, to your wonderment, Tom and Phil, and once I had to cancel a promise I made to take Miss Harrison to an affair. But I could not break my word. On one occasion Guy, who was not himself, recklessly came to the college seeking me. He had a bottle of liquor with him, and I took it away from him, hurrying him back to Dartwell.

But Mr. Zane caught me, and, as I was on my honor to Guy and his sister to keep silent, I could not explain. I took my punishment, being barred from the team, and kept still, though it was hard--very hard."

"You were a hero!" exclaimed Mabel Harrison, her blue eyes bright with admiration.

"Oh, no, hardly that, I guess," answered Sid, but he smiled gratefully.

"Well," he resumed, "so it went on. I dared not tell, for I had given my word, though I was sorely tempted that day he came for me at the picnic, and nearly disgraced me. But Guy would not release me, and his sister pleaded for just a little longer try at saving him, and I consented. I paid his gambling debts many times, and, often, it left me temporarily without money.

"Things looked very black, Guy would not heed my requests to stop gambling, and I did not care what happened. I even went to Bascome's dinner, thinking to get away from my troubles. Then, when everything seemed to go by the board, and I had been expelled for being caught out late, when I had gone one night to get Guy away from reckless companions, he suddenly reformed. He met some girl, I believe, who had a hand in it. At any rate he turned over a new leaf, gave up his gambling, and, what relieved me, confessed everything to his mother.