CHAPTER XXIV
TWO OF A KIND
"There is another resignation to act on," said Dr. Rudden, after apause, and, somehow he did not seem half as worried over it as Lukehad hoped he would be. "What shall we do with it?"
"Take it!" exclaimed Tom, and it was accepted with a promptness thatstartled the former captain.
"The action taken to-night makes it necessary to elect a new managerand a captain," went on the professor. "Perhaps the manager should beelected first. Whom will you have?"
"Peaches Lantfeld," called some.
"Teeter Nelson," said others.
"George Bland! Sister Davis! Ward Gerard! Tommy Barton," called variouslads. There were more nominations, but Peaches received the majority ofvotes, and was declared elected. Teeter was the first to congratulatehim, and the others followed.
"Now a captain," suggested the chairman.
"Joe Matson!" yelled scores of voices.
"No, I can't accept," cried Joe, jumping to his feet. "If I'm going topitch I want to give all my time to that. I'm much obliged, but Idecline."
"I think it would not be wise to make your pitcher the captain,especially at this time," spoke Dr. Rudden. "The catcher is in a betterposition to captain a team, for he can see all the plays. You will haveto have a new catcher, and----"
"Ward Gerard!" called Joe. "He's caught for me on the scrub, and----"
"Ward! Ward Gerard!" Scores of lads took up the calling of his name. Hewas very popular, and was elected in a minute, while Hiram and Luke,followed by Jake Weston, filed from the room in plainly-shown disgust,sneers on their faces.
Nothing more remained to do save to have a conference of the new captainand manager, to arrange for future practice and playing. This was soondone, and Ward told the lads to report early the next Monday afternoon,when they would play the scrub, which organization had also to select anew captain and pitcher, as well as catcher.
"Now, all I want is to get Tom Davis on the school nine, and I'll behappy," said Joe to Peaches and Teeter, as the meeting broke up.
"I think you can," declared Teeter. "Jake Weston is going to get out, Ihear, and Tom will fit in. Charlie Borden can take Jake's place at shortand Tom can play first, which he's used to. Oh, I guess old ExcelsiorHall has come into her own again, and we'll make some of these otherteams sit up and take notice."
And Jake did resign, following the example of his two cronies. This madea place for Tom, and he promptly filled it.
There was a snap and a vim to the playing of the school nine when theyfirst went at it with the changed players, that fairly took the breathout of the scrub. Of course that unfortunate collection of players wasweakened by the withdrawal of Joe, Ward and Tom, but even with playersof equal strength it is doubtful if they could have held the school ninedown.
Joe and his mates struck a winning streak, and the young pitcher neverwas better than in that practice game on Monday afternoon.
"Joe's pitching his head off," observed Tom Davis, and when Ward missedholding one or two particular "hot" ones he thought the same thing. Theschool team won a decisive victory.
"But that doesn't mean we will beat Trinity on Saturday," said Peaches,the new manager. "Don't begin to take it easy, fellows. And then followsthe second game in the series with Morningside. We've got to get that orthose boys will think they've gotten into the habit of beating us."
"We'll trim 'em both!" cried Tom.
"Sure," assented Joe. It was like old times now, he reflected, he andTom together on a team as they had been on the Silver Stars. The onlything that worried Joe was the theft of his father's papers and patentmodels. He knew it would mean a serious loss to his parents, and Joe wasrather in fear that he might have to leave boarding school.
"If I have to go away, I hope it won't be until after I have helped winback the Blue Banner," he confided to Tom.
"Oh, don't worry," advised his chum; and a few days later Joe received aletter from home, telling him the same thing.
Mr. Matson wrote that whereas the loss would badly cripple him, yet hedid not want Joe to worry.
The game with Trinity was a source of delight to the Excelsior team.Their rivals came to the diamond battlefield eager for a victory, andthey worked hard for it, but the new combination was too much for them.When the final run was chalked up the score stood:
Excelsior Hall, 11; Trinity, 4.
"That's what we want to do to Morningside," said Tom.
"And we will!" predicted Joe.
They had hard practice before the second game with their ancientrivals--for Morningside was a foe whom Excelsior Hall was always eagerto beat. In the series for the possession of the Blue Banner she hadthree games with Morningside and a like number with the other teams inthe league.
It was the day of the second Morningside game, and it was to take placeon the Excelsior diamond. The weather could not have been better. Springwas just merging into Summer, and the lads were on their mettle. Therehad been a big improvement in their playing, and they were ready to dobattle to a finish.
Luke and Hiram had not been much in evidence since their resignations.They occasionally came to a game, or to practice, but they made sneeringremarks, and few of the students had anything to do with them. It wasquite a jolt for Hiram, used as he was to running matters to suithimself.
The crowd began arriving early at the Excelsior diamond, for word hadgone around that it was to be a game for "blood," and both teams wereon edge. If Excelsior had improved, so had Morningside. They hadstrengthened their men by long, hard practice, and they were confidentof victory.
Joe and Tom had expected before this to hear something about their oldenemy, Sam Morton, at Morningside, but the former pitcher for the SilverStars was seldom mentioned. However, it was learned that he was tosubstitute in the Morningside-Excelsior game.
Out on the diamond trotted the renovated Excelsior nine. They werereceived with a burst of applause, and at once got to practice. A littlelater out came their rivals, and there was a cheer for them. Immediatelythe opposition cheering and shouting contingents got busy, and there wasa riot of sound.
"Going to stay and see the game?" asked Luke of Hiram, as they enteredthe gate.
"Yes, might as well. Gee! But I hope our fellows lose!"
Nice sentiments, weren't they for an Excelsior student? But then Hiramwas very sore and angry.
"So do I," added Luke. "It would show them what a mistake they made bydropping us."
"That's right," agreed the conceited Hiram. "If they had only waitedwe'd have come out all right. It was all the fault of Joe Matson and TomDavis. I'll get square with 'em yet."
They strolled over the grounds, winding in and out amid the throngs.They almost collided with a Morningside player.
"Beg your pardon," murmured Luke. "Oh, it's Sam Morton," he added, forhe had met Sam in town a week or so previously. "Have you met HiramShell, Sam," and he introduced the two.
"Oh, yes, you're the manager of the Excelsiors," said Sam. "Glad to knowyou. I think we'll beat you again. I may pitch after the fifth inning.I'm only the sub now, but I expect to be the regular soon."
"I _was_ manager," replied Hiram bitterly, "but Joe Matson and his crowdput up a game on me, and I resigned."
"Joe Matson, eh? He's the same fellow who made a lot of trouble for me."
"Excuse me," murmured Luke. "I see a friend of mine. I'm going to leaveyou for a minute."
"All right," assented Hiram. "So Joe Matson made trouble for you, too,eh?" he went on to Sam, curiously.
"Yes, he played a mean trick on me, and took my place as pitcher," whichwasn't exactly true, as my old readers know. "I'd like to get squarewith him some way," concluded Sam.
"Say, so would I!" exclaimed Hiram eagerly. "Shake hands on that. He's alow sneak, and he played a mean trick on me. I'd do anything to geteven."
"Maybe we can," suggested Sam.
"How?"
"Oh, lots of ways. Come on over here where no one will hear us. Maybe wecan
fix up some scheme on him. I'd give a good deal to get even."
"So would I," added Hiram. "I wish I could get him off the nine, and outof the school."
"I'll help you," proposed Sam eagerly; and then the two, who were verymuch of a kind when it came to disliking our hero, walked off,whispering together.
"Play ball!" came the distant cry of the umpire, and the greatExcelsior-Morningside game was about to start. But the plotters didnot turn back to watch it.