CHAPTER XXXIV
BATTING TO WIN
But, though things had started off with a rush in the seventh, they wentslower for Randall in the eighth, and one run was all that could begathered in. Holly Cross got to first, and managed to steal second andthird, while Kindlings Woodhouse and Bricktop ingloriously fanned. Sidlaid out a beautiful three-bagger, bringing in Holly with the run. ThenTom was walked, much to his surprise, with Sid on third, and Joe Jacksongot a pass, thus filling the bases. Randall was wild, for it looked asif a big play would be pulled off, but Jerry Jackson fanned, and thethree men expired on the bags.
"Hold 'em down, fellows! Hold 'em down!" pleaded Tom. "We only need fourruns to win the game, if we can keep 'em from scoring in their next twowhacks."
"If," remarked Phil cynically. "Ever see a white black-bird, Tom?"
"Oh, we'll do it!" declared Sid savagely.
Tom did manage to retire Boxer without a run, surpassing himself by theexcellence of his curves. He was more like himself now.
Then came the memorable ninth inning, which, when Dutch started it offby fanning out, looked as if the end had come. It looked even more sowhen Phil Clinton also whacked only the air and there was a curious hushover the big crowd as Holly Cross walked to the plate.
"Now, Holly!" yelled Bean. "Another like you gave us before. There'sonly two out!"
It looked rather hopeless, with two out, but Holly slammed out a singlebagger. Dan Woodhouse followed, and hit well, Holly getting to third inthe 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 heproceeded to swing on the ball. He knocked a hot little liner toLangridge, 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 hadpicked it up Bricktop was at first, where he was called safe, though theBoxer players protested it. Holly had started for home, but when he sawLangridge stop the ball he ran back, and it was well he did so, for hewas now safe there, as was Dan Woodhouse on second.
The bases were full, there were two out, and it needed four runs to winthe game when Sid Henderson came up to the bat. He was as cool as if hewas the first man up in a small game, and not one on whom a championshipdepended.
"Oh, Sid, old man, bat! bat! bat!" pleaded Tom in a low voice. "Bat towin! It all depends on you, now!"
"BAT TO WIN! IT ALL DEPENDS ON YOU!"]
Sid did not reply. He was watching Langridge narrowly, for he knew thatpitcher's tricks of old. Sid did not strike at the first ball, for itwas away to one side, but the umpire called a strike on him and therewas 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 heconnected his bat with the horsehide he was aware that he would make agood strike. There was a sweetness to the resonant vibration of thestick, as he cast it from him, and sprinted for first. He could not seewhere the ball had gone, though he had had a momentary glimpse of itgoing over center field, but he trusted to Tom, who was in the coachingbox 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 twopretty daughters, as he recklessly swung his silk hat in the air.
"A home run! A home run!" cried Phil, capering about, and hugging theJersey twins, one in each arm.
Upward and outward sped the ball, away, far away over the centerfielder's head. He ran back for it, became confused and began wildlysearching around in the deep grass of far outfield.
"Come on in! Come on in, everybody!" Tom was yelling, and swinging hisarms like the sails of an old windmill.
Holly raced over home plate, followed by Kindlings. Bricktop was racingin 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 onhim now. The fielder had the ball by this time, and had thrown it to thesecond baseman, who swung about and relayed it home, but it was just asecond too late, and Sid crossed the rubber on a grand slide. Four runsin succession! Oh, how the Randallites did yell! How they howled! Howthey stamped until the grand stands trembled, while as for the membersof the team they fairly smothered Sid!
But the game was not over yet. Tom Parsons was up next, and, though asnervous as a girl, he managed to make a single off Langridge, much tothe latter's disgust, for he was being hooted and howled at almost tothe limit. Then Joe Jackson was struck out, and that ended Randall'schances. But the score was 13 to 12 in her favor, and if they couldretire Boxer Hall without a run, the championship was theirs.
Tom did it. How, is Randall history now, and any "old grad" will gladlyrelate it to you. How two men were struck out in almost less time thanit takes to tell it, and how Tom caught an almost impossible fly byleaping high in the air as it was sailing over his head, and downed histhird man. And that was the end. Randall had won the championship.
Oh, what a scene there was on the diamond then! Of course, Boxer cheeredher rival, and then, hardly waiting for the answering compliment fromTom's men, they filed to their dressing rooms.
"Oh, Sid, it was great! Great!" cried Tom, hugging his chum. "Simplygreat, old man!"
"Up with him!" commanded Phil, and Sid was hoisted to the shoulders ofhis fellows, and carted around, much to his embarrassment.
"A bully game! Whoop-de-doodle-de!" cried the man with the prettydaughters.
"Oh, papa!" they cried protestingly, blushing at the notice attracted tothem.
"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 whocared?
The diamond was overrun with spectators, anxious to shake hands with thevictorious players, especially with Sid, who had batted the way tovictory.
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. Sidstepped to one side, as Mabel Harrison came up. He was rather pale underhis tan.
"Come on, let's all go off and have some cream," proposed Phil. "Comealong, Sid, you and Miss Harrison----"
He paused in confusion, for he had, for the moment, forgotten the cloudbetween the two. Mabel Harrison blushed, and was about to turn away, butSid stepped forward.
"I will only be too happy," he said, "if Miss Harrison will----"
"You know--you know----" she stammered in confusion. The six weresomewhat by themselves now, for the crowd had surged away.
"It's all right!" exclaimed Sid, and there was a joyous look on hisface. "I can, and I'm going, to explain everything, now. You needn'thesitate about coming with me, Miss Harrison. See this," and he held outa duplicate of the newspaper clipping that had been fraught with suchresults. "I don't wonder you fellows thought I was going the pace,"continued Sid, "nor do I blame you, Miss Harrison, for not believing inme. This is the first chance I've had to explain. I was in that gamblingraid told of here."
"You were?" and the girl recoiled a pace.
"Yes," resumed Sid, with a little smile, "I went there to rescue mycousin. His name is Guy Norton, and he is the same flashily-dressedyoung man you saw me with at the picnic. Guy's father died a short timeago, leaving him a fortune, which he proceeded to get rid of as quicklyas possible. He took to gambling, and fast company, though his widowedmother never knew it. She supposed him attending to business inDartwell, but, instead, Guy was dissipating. His sister, Clara, knewof it, however, and wrote to me to try to save her brother. Shecame to Dartwell to help look after him, and boarded with him. I hadconsiderable control over Guy, for we used to be little chaps together,and I once saved him from drowning, so he wo
uld generally do as I said.So I promised his sister I would save him, and gave my word not to tellanything 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 herson was a gambler.
"My first service was to take Guy out of a gambling hall, his sisterhaving written me a hasty note to the effect that he had gone there witha large sum of money."
"That piece of paper, with the word 'trouble' on it must have been fromher note," remarked Phil. "We picked it up in the room, after you wentout so quickly that rainy night, Sid."
"Yes," assented the victorious second baseman, "Guy was in trouble, sureenough. I went to Dartwell, and managed to get my cousin to leave theplace, just before the raid. As we went out, however, the police camein, and Guy and I were caught. He fought the officers, and called out myname, 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 thegambling, 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 Ihad. In some way my name got in the papers. Guy might have recklesslygiven it instead of his own, thinking to keep the knowledge from hismother.
"My cousin was released the next morning, but he made me promise neverto tell of his scrape. That was what sealed my lips. He promised toreform, 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 oftears.
"As I knew Guy's mother had a weak heart, and that the least shock mightbe fatal, I dared not even ask her advice. Clara and I decided to fightit out alone. She arranged to send me word by a messenger, whenever herbrother went off with his gay companions, and I promised to go and bringhim away, no matter what the hour.
"I did go, many times, to your wonderment, Tom and Phil, and once I hadto cancel a promise I made to take Miss Harrison to an affair. But Icould not break my word. On one occasion Guy, who was not himself,recklessly came to the college seeking me. He had a bottle of liquorwith 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 sisterto keep silent, I could not explain. I took my punishment, being barredfrom the team, and kept still, though it was hard--very hard."
"You were a hero!" exclaimed Mabel Harrison, her blue eyes bright withadmiration.
"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 myword, 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 sisterpleaded for just a little longer try at saving him, and I consented. Ipaid his gambling debts many times, and, often, it left me temporarilywithout money.
"Things looked very black, Guy would not heed my requests to stopgambling, and I did not care what happened. I even went to Bascome'sdinner, thinking to get away from my troubles. Then, when everythingseemed to go by the board, and I had been expelled for being caughtout late, when I had gone one night to get Guy away from recklesscompanions, he suddenly reformed. He met some girl, I believe, who had ahand in it. At any rate he turned over a new leaf, gave up his gambling,and, what relieved me, confessed everything to his mother.
"She was much affected, but she forgave him, and is to take him abroadthis week, to straighten him out. That was the end of my thralldom.To-day Guy went with me to Dr. Churchill, made a clean breast of it,told what I had done, and why, and before the assembled members of thefaculty, proved my innocence. It was just in time to allow the liftingof the expulsion ban, and permit me to play--only I had a task to gethere in time----"
"But you did, old man!" cried Tom, seizing his chum's hand--only one,however, for, somehow Mabel Harrison had the other. "You were in time tohelp us bat to win! Sid, can you forgive us?"
"Forgive? There's nothing to forgive," declared Sid, and his eyes weremoist. "I don't blame you in the least for thinking I was doing the verythings I was trying to save my cousin from. Many a time I went broke onhis account, but I didn't mind, for he was worth saving, for the sakeof his mother and sister, if not for himself. He's all right now, Ibelieve, and thoroughly ashamed of himself."
"Thanks to you," put in Madge Tyler.
"Oh, I think you were perfectly splendid, Mr. Henderson!" cried RuthClinton, with shining eyes.
Mabel Harrison did not say what she thought, but the look from her blueeyes was enough for Sid. He held her hand, and--Oh, well, what's the useof telling on a chap, anyhow? You'd have done the same, I guess, if youhad been there.
There was a little pause after Sid had finished his story, and all aboutsounded the victorious yells and songs of the exulting Randallites.
"Well, are you ready for those plates of cream, now?" asked Phil."Talking is dry work. So that was your secret, Sid?"
"That was it, and hard enough it was to keep, too, at times, let me tellyou," and the second baseman sighed.
A little later a jolly party sat in an ice-cream parlor, and their merrylaughter and jests brought smiles to more than one countenance, as theother guests looked on and listened.
"Why do you suppose Mr. Langridge sent that false clipping from thenewspaper to you--I mean the one about Sid?" asked Ruth of Mabel.
"Oh, I--I don't know--exactly," answered the blue-eyed girl, but Isuspect that she did know, but did not want to say, for she was donewith Langridge forever.
"Now for college, and a procession in honor of our victory, the lovingcup, and Sid Henderson--with bonfires and feasting on the side,"remarked Captain Tom, a little later, when reluctant good-bys had beensaid to the girls. And the celebration in Randall that night was markedfor years afterward in prominent letters in the college annals. Dr.Churchill made a thrilling speech, and even Professor Tines condescendedto smile. The loving cup was carried at the head of a triumphantprocession, the light from many gala-fires glinting from its polishedsurface.
"Well, it's all over," remarked Tom, several hours later when he, Philand Sid were together in their room. "My, but it has been a baseballseason, though!"
"A great one," commented Phil. "We've got a corking good team. I onlyhope we have as good a one when it comes time to kick the pigskin."
"Oh, I guess we will," spoke Sid slowly. They did, as will be related inthe next volume of this series, to be called "The Winning Touchdown," atale of college football in which we shall meet all our old friendsagain.
"Well," went on Sid, after a pause, "I don't know what you fellows aregoing to do, but I'm going to turn in. I'm dead tired after my longtramp," and he began to get ready for bed, while Tom and Phil, sittingby the open windows, listened to the shouts of the revelers out on thecampus, for many had not yet had enough of the joys of victory. Then, asthe captain threw himself on the old couch, and Phil curled up in theeasy chair, the fussy alarm clock went off with a whirr, the belljangling discordantly.
"Time to get up, Sid, instead of going to bed," remarked Phil witha laugh, as he silenced the racket, and then the three chums--theinseparables--stood and looked at each other, while the clock resumedits interrupted ticking, and the shouts of the celebrators came infaintly on the night wind.
THE END