第48章 THE MANAGER OF MADDEN'S HILL(3)

However, as Bo did not appear eager to pass over the balls for examination Daddy simply reached out and took them.They were small, perfectly round and as hard as bullets.They had no covers.The yarn had been closely and tightly wrapped and then stitched over with fine bees-waxed thread.Daddy fancied he detected a difference in the weight of the ball, but Bo took them back before Daddy could be sure of that point.

``You don't have to fan about it.I know a ball when I see one,'' observed Daddy.``But we're on our own grounds an' we'll use our own ball.

Thanks all the same to you, Stranathan.''

``Huh! All I gotta say is we'll play with my ball er there won't be no game,'' said Bo suddenly.

Daddy shrewdly eyed the Natchez captain.Bo did not look like a fellow wearing himself thin from generosity.It struck Daddy that Bo's habit of supplying the ball for the game might have some relation to the fact that he always carried along his own umpire.There was a strange feature about this umpire business and it was that Bo's man had earned a reputation for being particularly fair.No boy ever had any real reason to object to Umpire Gale's decisions.When Gale umpired away from the Natchez grounds his close decisions always favored the other team, rather than his own.It all made Daddy keen and thoughtful.

``Stranathan, up here on Madden's Hill we know how to treat visitors.We'll play with your ball....Now keep your gang of rooters from crowdin' on the diamond.''

``Boss, it's your grounds.Fire 'em off if they don't suit you....Come on, let's git in the game.Watcher want--field er bat?''

``Field,'' replied Daddy briefly.

Billy Gale called ``Play,'' and the game began with Slugger Blandy at bat.The formidable way in which he swung his club did not appear to have any effect on Frank Price or the player back of him.Frank's most successful pitch was a slow, tantalizing curve, and he used it.Blandy lunged at the ball, missed it and grunted.

``Frank, you got his alley,'' called Lane.

Slugger fouled the next one high in the air back of the plate.Sam Wickhart, the stocky bowlegged catcher, was a fiend for running after foul flies, and now he plunged into the crowd of boys, knocking them right and left, and he caught the ball.Whisner came up and hit safely over Griffith, whereupon the Natchez supporters began to howl.Kelly sent a grounder to Grace at short stop.Daddy's weak player made a poor throw to first base, so the runner was safe.Then Bo Stranathan batted a stinging ball through the infield, scoring Whisner.

``Play the batter! Play the batter!'' sharply called Daddy from the bench.

Then Frank struck out Molloy and retired Dundon on an easy fly.

``Fellers, git in the game now,'' ordered Daddy, as his players eagerly trotted in.``Say things to that Muckle Harris! We'll walk through this game like sand through a sieve.''

Bob Irvin ran to the plate waving his bat at Harris.

``Put one over, you freckleface! I 've been dyin'

fer this chanst.You're on Madden's Hill now.''

Muckle evidently was not the kind of pitcher to stand coolly under such bantering.Obviously he was not used to it.His face grew red and his hair waved up.Swinging hard, he threw the ball straight at Bob's head.Quick as a cat, Bob dropped flat.

``Never touched me!'' he chirped, jumping up and pounding the plate with his bat.``You couldn't hit a barn door.Come on.I'll paste one a mile!''

Bob did not get an opportunity to hit, for Harris could not locate the plate and passed him to first on four balls.

``Dump the first one,'' whispered Daddy in Grace's ear.Then he gave Bob a signal to run on the first pitch.

Grace tried to bunt the first ball, but he missed it.His attempt, however, was so violent that he fell over in front of the catcher, who could not recover in time to throw, and Bob got to second base.At this juncture, the Madden's Hill band of loyal supporters opened up with a mingling of shrill yells and whistles and jangling of tin cans filled with pebbles.Grace hit the next ball into second base and, while he was being thrown out, Bob raced to third.With Sam Wickhart up it looked good for a score, and the crowd yelled louder.Sam was awkward yet efficient, and he batted a long fly to right field.The fielder muffed the ball.Bob scored, Sam reached second base, and the crowd yelled still louder.Then Lane struck out and Mohler hit to shortstop, retiring the side.

Natchez scored a run on a hit, a base on balls, and another error by Grace.Every time a ball went toward Grace at short Daddy groaned.In their half of the inning Madden's Hill made two runs, increasing the score 3 to 2.

The Madden's Hill boys began to show the strain of such a close contest.If Daddy had voiced aloud his fear it would have been: ``They'll blow up in a minnit!'' Frank Price alone was slow and cool, and he pitched in masterly style.

Natchez could not beat him.On the other hand, Madden's Hill hit Muck Harris hard, but superb fielding kept runners off the bases.As Daddy's team became more tense and excited Bo Stranathan's players grew steadier and more arrogantly confident.Daddy saw it with distress, and he could not realize just where Natchez had license for such confidence.Daddy watched the game with the eyes of a hawk.

As the Natchez players trooped in for their sixth inning at bat, Daddy observed a marked change in their demeanor.Suddenly they seemed to have been let loose; they were like a band of Indians.Daddy saw everything.He did not miss seeing Umpire Gale take a ball from his pocket and toss it to Frank, and Daddy wondered if that was the ball which had been in the play.Straightway, however, he forgot that in the interest of the game.

Bo Stranathan bawled: ``Wull, Injuns, hyar's were we do 'em.We've jest ben loafin' along.Git ready to tear the air, you rooters!''