CHAPTER X
SID IS SPIKED
"By Jove, but I'm glad we're going out of town for a game," remarked Tomto Phil the next morning.
"Why?" inquired the first baseman, as he critically examined hisfavorite mushroom bat, which he had mended with wire and tape.
"Because of Sid. It may put him on his feet again, after this businessof Langridge, Miss Harrison, and the newspaper clipping. Hang it all!girls can sure mix things up when they want to, can't they?"
"Yes, but it isn't her fault. She merely doesn't care for a fellow thatgambles, and Sid can't say that he doesn't."
"I don't believe Sid gambles," said Tom quickly. "I was going to add,"he went on, "that I'd 'gamble' on that. After the way he acted withLangridge last night, almost coming to a fight, I think there issomething more in this than we've thought of."
"Probably there is; but why doesn't Sid come out and say he wasn't inthe raid, and clear himself? It ought to be easy enough to do, but hedoesn't do it."
"I know; and yet he may have a reason."
"Very likely. But things look suspicious. Mind you, I don't say to us,for I'd stick to Sid, no matter what he did. But there's the fact of himsuddenly being broke, being out late several times, going off aftergetting mysterious notes, and coming in smelling strongly of tobacco. Itlooks bad, and I don't see why Sid doesn't own up and confess, or elseclear himself."
"Maybe he can't. But that's neither here nor there. I'm glad he andLangridge didn't fight. Now we're going out of town to play Wescott, andmaybe get beaten, for they have a fine nine. But, anyhow, it will do Sidgood. He may come back entirely different."
"Let's hope so, for there's no fun living with him, as he is now. I wasglad when he got so infatuated with Miss Harrison, even going to thelength of taking up hammered brass work because she had a fad that way.But since she turned him down poor Sid chucked all his brass stuff outof the window the other day. Well, maybe it will come out all right."
"It's got to," declared Tom fiercely. "Well, I'm going down to see Kerrand Leighton, to learn if everything's all ready for the trip."
The next day the team started for Wescott University, accompanied by asmany of the students as could cut their lectures. It was a day's trip tothe big college, one day would be devoted to the game, which was anannual affair, and the return trip would be made the third day.
The Randallites were accorded an enthusiastic welcome as they wereescorted to their hotel by the Wescott lads.
"Remember how sick I was when we were here last year to play 'emfootball?" asked Phil, as he and his chums went to their rooms.
"I sure do. Please don't repeat the experience. We want to beat thesefellows if we can."
The morning of the game did not prove very auspicious, as it had rainedin the night, and was still threatening. But when the two nines went outto the diamond the sun broke through the clouds and it cleared off.
"Now, fellows," said Coach Leighton, as he gathered the captain and hismen about him, "you've got to play fast, snappy ball to win. We're upagainst a better team than either Boxer Hall or Fairview, and I want tosee what you can do."
"If they don't do what's right they'll answer to me," said Tom, with agrim smile.
"And if you fellows lose you'll have to walk home," added Manager Kerr.
"Sure, then we'll not allow 'em a hit," prophesied Bricktop Molloy.
"We'll whitewash 'em," added Dutch Housenlager, as he tried to trip upJoe Jackson, but failed.
It was a fast, snappy game from the very start, Tom doing some superbwork in the box, but being fully matched by Marshall, the Wescotttwirler, who was "a southpaw," or left hander.
"He certainly's hard to hit," conceded Holly Cross, when the Randallitescame to bat in the fifth inning, with never a run scored, while Wescotthad two, one each having been garnered in the second and third innings.
"We ought to have some left-handed batters to sort of fool him,"remarked Tom.
"I can bat left handed," said Sid, who had been unusually quiet duringthe trip and the game.
"Get out! Then it's something new!" exclaimed Mr. Leighton.
"Yes," admitted Sid, "and yet it isn't either. I used to bat left handedbefore I came to Randall, but I gave it up. I've been practicing it onthe quiet, lately, and if you like I'll try it now."
"It's risky," objected Tom. "Wait until we see what we can do thisinning."
But they couldn't do anything, and after three men had gone down, oneafter the other, under the scientific twirling of Marshall, Mr.Leighton, Kerr and Tom, after a consultation decided to let Sid try, ashe was to bat first in the next round.
Wescott managed to get two more runs, as the players were "finding" Tom,and things began to look black for the visiting team.
"See if you can't rap out a home run," begged the captain, as Sid wentto the plate in the sixth. There was manifest surprise when he took theleft-handed position, and Marshall and Bradshaw, the latter being theWescott catcher, held a whispered consultation.
Whatever line of play they decided on availed them nothing, however, forSid caught a "beaut" on the end of his bat, selecting the first ballpitched, and he sent it away over in the right field bleachers, easilymaking a three-bagger of it. He could have come on home, except forground rules, which allowed only three bases on a ball that went amongthe spectators, of whom there was an enormous crowd present, almost upto the base lines.
"Good!" delightedly cried the Randall supporters, and the record wassoon bettered for Holly Cross came up next, and, though he batted righthanded, he managed to whale out a two-bagger, which brought in Sid andmade the first tally for the visitors. That gave them confidence andthey made three runs that inning, coming within one of tying the score.
Tom, too, seemed to stiffen in his work, and he struck out three men inquick succession.
"Now if we can only do as well this inning," remarked the coach, asDutch Housenlager came up. Dutch knocked a pretty fly, and was off likethe wind to first. He never would have reached it, but for an error onthe part of the right fielder who muffed the ball, amid the groans ofhis fellows. Then, for a time, the Wescott team seemed to go to pieces,until, when the eighth inning opened, the score was tied.
Goose eggs were chalked up in the frames of both teams in the eighth,however, the pitchers both working hard. Then came Randall's chance atthe bat in the ninth.
"One run will beat 'em, if we can only hold 'em down when they come up,"muttered Kerr to Tom.
"I'll do my part," the nervy pitcher assured him.
It fell to Sid again, to do the trick. There were two men out, when hecame up, and it looked hopeless, but he again batted left handed, andonce more caught a "beaut" on the end of his bat. He got two bases onit, and, by great good luck Holly Cross, next player, whaled out whatproved to be a triple, and Sid, as soon as he heard the crack of theball, started home.
As he swung around toward third base the player there perhapsunintentionally got in his way. The baseman pretended that the ballwas being fielded to him, in his endeavor to throw Sid out of hiscalculations, but the nervy Randall second baseman kept on. There was acollision between him and the man covering the bag, and, for an instant,Sid hesitated on third, and almost fell over, seizing his left foot inboth hands, and hopping about.
"Sid's spiked!" cried Tom. "The third baseman spiked him, just as he hada chance to score! Come on in, Sid. Come on in!" yelled the captainfrantically.
There was a confusing chorus of yells, so much so that the fielder afterthe ball, which had gone past him, did not know what to do, after he hadthe horsehide. But by this time Sid was limping toward home, runningfairly well, but with a look of agony on his face. Holly Cross wasracing from second now.
"Home with that ball, you loon!" yelled the Wescott catcher, who saw Sidcoming, for the Wescott fielder was stupidly holding it.
Then the fielder woke up, and threw to second, hoping to catch outHolly, who was somewhat undecided. But Sid kept on to home, and talliedthe run, though he
almost collapsed a moment later, while Holly leapedon to third.
"Hurt bad?" asked Tom, as he and several others hurried up to Sid.
"I should say so," remarked Mr. Leighton, as he saw the blood runningfrom Sid's shoe.
Meanwhile Holly had reached third, though the decision was close. Hedied there, for the next man struck out, retiring the side, and makingthe score five to four, in favor of Randall, though with Wescott stillto have a chance in the ending of the ninth.
The third baseman made all sorts of apologies to Sid, who indeed had anasty cut, for a spike had gone through the outer, fleshy part of hisfoot. It was so evidently an accident, however, that nothing unpleasantwas said, though Sid could not play, and had to be replaced by PeteBackus.
There was a grim look on Tom's face as he took his place in the box, andit was justified, for he struck out two men. The third knocked whatseemed was going to be a nice hit, but Pete Backus caught it, though hehad to jump well for it, a feat for which his training stood him well inhand.
"Wow! We've done 'em!" cried Tom, when he realized that the thirdWescott man was out, without a run having been scored by their rivals inthe last inning.
"We sure have," agreed Mr. Leighton. "Poor Sid, though. He'll be out ofit for a few days."
"I don't care, as long as we won the game," spoke the plucky lad, as helimped along, his foot having been dressed, and peroxide applied, toprevent blood poisoning.
"It was a glorious victory," sang Holly Cross, the others joiningin, after cheers had been given for Wescott, and returned by thosefine-spirited lads.
It was a jolly crowd that journeyed back to Randall next day, with theWescott scalps hanging at their belts.
"It was just what Sid wanted," decided Tom to Phil as he noted thelively look on the second baseman's face, for he was jolly and laughing,in spite of the pain of his injured foot.
There was a great celebration in Randall when the victorious teammarched up the campus that night, and bonfires galore glared all around.
"A feast to-night," decided a crowd of the team's most enthusiasticsupporters. "Sid Henderson will be toastmaster, on account of his greatwork."
But Sid, who had limped to his room to change his clothes, shook hishead.
"Why not?" asked Tom and Phil in surprise.
"Because I--I've got to go away to-night," and Sid tried to conceal aletter in his hand--a letter which he had found awaiting him when hereturned from Wescott with his chums.