CHAPTER VII
A CLASH WITH LUKE
For several minutes Joe stood staring after the baseball manager. Theyoung pitcher's arm hung listlessly at his side. There was a look on hisface that would have been sad, had Joe been that kind of a lad--showinghis feelings needlessly. But our hero was full of spunk and grit, and,though Hiram's unnecessarily cruel words hurt him grievously, Joe shuthis teeth with a firmer grip, squared his shoulders, drew himself up,and then he smiled at Tom.
"Well, of all the mean, unmitigated, low-down, cantankerous, sneaking,bulldozing and----" sputtered the first baseman.
"Hold on!" exclaimed his companion. "You'll blow up if you go on thatway, Tom. Besides, save some of those big words for a time when you mayneed 'em."
"Need 'em? Say if I don't need 'em now I never will. I wish I hadthought to get rid of a few when that bully was here."
"You'd only gotten into trouble. Better keep still about it."
"I can't Joe. Just think of it! We came here to play ball, and the firstcrack out of the box that fellow goes and tells us we can't."
"Well, I don't know as I have any particular right to play on the ninehere."
"Yes, you have, the best right in the world! I'll bet they haven't gota pitcher here who can stand up to you, and I'm going to tell thatsneaking bully so, too," and Tom started off after the departing Hiram.
"No, don't!" cried Joe quickly. "It will only make matters worse."
"But you want to pitch; don't you?"
"Sure, but that would be the best way in the world to insure that Iwouldn't. Hiram Shell is just the kind of a fellow who, if he thinks achap wants anything, is going to do his best--or worst--to stop him."
"What are you going to do then?"
"I'm going to lie low and saw wood. The baseball season hasn't openedyet. The team isn't made up. Nobody knows who is going to play and----"
"Well, Hiram as good as told us two fellows who weren't going to play,"interrupted Tom. "That's you and I."
"Wait a bit," advised Joe. "I was going to say that when the season hasstarted and several games have been played there may be a change. I mayget a chance to play then, just as I did on the Stars. I'm willing towait. The Summer is long, and there'll be more than one game. Just saynothing."
"Well, if you say so, I suppose I'll have to," answered his chum, "butit's mighty hard to keep still when a fellow like Hiram Shell rubs yournose in the dirt, and then kicks you in the bargain. He'll have to askme to play now. I won't volunteer!" and Tom shook his fist in thedirection of the manager. "Yes, he'll have to get down on his kneesand----"
"Precious little danger of that," remarked Joe with a laugh. He wasfeeling more like himself now, though the memory of the bully's sneeringwords rankled. They had cut deep.
"Guess there's no use catching any longer," resumed Tom after a pause."I don't exactly feel like it."
"Me either. I guess we've gotten over our touch of spring fever," andJoe's voice was a bit despondent. Really, he cared more about whatHiram had said than he liked to admit, even to himself. He had had highhopes when he left the Riverside High School to come to Excelsior Hallthat he would at once become a member of the nine. His ambition, ofcourse, was to pitch, but he would have accepted any position--even outin the field, for the sake of being on the school team. Now it seemedthat he was fated not even to be one of the substitutes.
"What are you fellows up to?" asked a voice suddenly, and the two chumsturned to behold Peaches and Teeter walking toward them.
"Oh, we were having a catch," replied Tom, "until we got called down forit. It seems you have to have a permit at Excelsior to indulge in alittle private practice," he added sarcastically.
"What's up your back now?" asked Teeter.
"Yes, who's been rubbing your fur the wrong way?" Peaches wanted toknow. "What's riled Sister?"
"Who do you reckon would, if not Bully Shell?" asked Tom. "He's thelimit," and he rapidly told how Hiram had sneered at Joe's efforts, andhad said that he never would be on the team.
"Well, it's too bad, for Hiram has the inside track," admitted Teeter."I'm as sorry about it as you are, and so are a lot of the fellows. Thetrouble is that the athletic committee is too big. There are a lot oflads on it who don't care a rap for baseball or football, who don't evenplay tennis, yet they have a vote, and it's their votes that keep Hiramas manager, and Luke as captain."
"Can't it be changed?" Tom wanted to know. Joe was maintaining adiscrete silence, for he did not want to urge his own qualificationsas a pitcher. Tom was eager to fight for his chum.
"Well, it's been tried," spoke Peaches, "but Hiram has his own set withhim--a set that isn't the sporting element of Excelsior by a good lot,and their votes keep him in. He spends his money freely and toadies tothem, and they fairly black his shoes. Luke Fodick, too, helps out. Hehas his crowd and they're all with him. I tell you it's rotten, but whatare you going to do?"
"I know what I'm going to do if I stay here!" declared Tom.
"What?" demanded Peaches and Teeter eagerly.
"I'm not going to tell until I'm ready to spring it," said Tom, "andwhen I do I think you'll see some fur fly. How soon before the schoolteam is picked?"
"Well, they ought to get at it pretty soon now," answered Teeter. "Thereis a meeting of the athletic committee some time next week, and amanager and captain will be elected. It's always done that way here,though in some places they do it right at the close of the season. Butit has always been a cut-and-dried affair as long as Hiram has beenhere. He got in--he and Luke--and they've stayed in ever since."
"Can we go to that athletic meeting?" asked Tom.
"Oh, yes," said Teeter quickly. "It's open to every lad in the school,but lots don't take the trouble to go,--they know how it will turn out."
"Well, maybe there'll be a different turn to it this time," predictedTom.
"I'm afraid you've got another guess coming," was the retort of Peaches;and then the four friends strolled toward the school buildings.
"What do you say to a scrub game?" asked Teeter.
"I'm willing!" said Joe eagerly; and so it was arranged.
The school diamond was not in very good shape, but two teams, of sevenlads on a side, gathered for the first impromptu baseball game of theseason the following afternoon. Tom, Joe, Peaches and Teeter tried toget more out, but there were various excuses, and it might be noted thataside from Teeter and Peaches not one of the former regular nineappeared.
"I guess they're afraid Hiram will release them if they play with us,"commented Tom.
"Maybe so," admitted Teeter. "George Bland would come only he had someexperimental work to finish. George isn't any more afraid of Hiram thanwe are."
"Well, let's play ball," suggested Joe; and the game started. Joeoccupied the box for his side, an honor that came easily to him sincenone of the others had had any experience as a twirler of the horsehide.
Our hero felt a little nervous as he took his place, for he knew he wasout of practice. Also he felt that he was being watched, not only byhis particular friends, but by others. And some of them might not befriendly eyes--nay, some might be spying on behalf of Hiram Shell.
But Joe pulled himself well together, laughed at his idle fears, andsent in a swift curve. It broke cleanly and completely fooled thebatter.
"Say, that's the way to get 'em over!" cried Teeter admiringly frombehind the bat as the ball landed in his mitt. "Do it some more!"
"I'll try," laughed Joe, and he repeated the trick.
The man was easily struck out, and the next at the bat fell for a likefate, but the third found Joe's curve and swatted the ball for two bags.
"Oh, well, Joe just allowed that so you fellows wouldn't get discouraged,"exclaimed Teeter as an excuse for his pitcher. "Get ready to slaughterthe next man, Joe."
And Joe did. He was delighted to find that his ability to curve theball, and send it swiftly in, had not deserted him during the longwinter of comparative inactivity. He knew that he could "c
ome back withthe goods," and there was a feeling of hope welling up within him, that,after all, there might come a chance for him to pitch on the Excelsiornine.
The game went on, not regular, nor played according to the rules by anymeans. But it was lots of fun, and some of the lads discovered theirweak points, while others found themselves doing better than theyexpected. Joe's side won by a small margin, and just as the winning runcame in our hero was aware of a figure walking toward the bench on whichthe side was sitting.
"Huh! Starting off rather early, ain't you?" demanded a voice, andthey turned to behold Luke Fodick. "Who said you fellows could use thediamond, anyhow?"
"We didn't ask anybody," retorted Teeter with a snap.
"Well, you want to--after this," was the surly command. "I'm captain ofthe nine and what I say goes. I'm not going to have the diamond all tornup before the season opens, see! I'm captain!"
"Not yet," spoke Peaches quietly. "The election isn't until next week."
"What's that got to do with it? You ain't thinking of running oppositionto me; are you?"
"No," and a bright spot burned on the fair cheeks of the light-complexionedlad.
"Because if you are you'll have a fight on your hands," threatened Luke."Who's been pitching?" he asked, his gaze roving over the crowd of lads.
"I was for our side," replied Joe quietly.
"Oh, you--yes I heard about you!" exclaimed Luke with a grating laugh."You're the fellow who wants to pitch on the nine; ain't you? Well, youwant to get that bee out of your bonnet, or you may get stung, see?Hiram told me about you. Why, you are only an amateur. We want the besthere at Excelsior. By Jove, it's queer how tacky some of you highschool kids get as soon as you come to a real institution. Talk aboutnerve, I----"
Joe fairly leaped from the bench. In another stride he confronted Luke.
"Look here!" cried our hero, anger getting the best of him for the timebeing. "I've taken all of that kind of talk I'm going to either from youor Bully Shell! Now you keep still or I'll make you. I'll give you thebest licking you ever had; and I'll do it right here and now if you sayanother word about my pitching! I didn't come here to take any of yoursneers, and I don't intend to. Now you put that in your pipe, and smokeit, and then close up and stay closed," and shaking his finger so closeto the astonished Luke that it hit the buttons on his coat, Joe turnedback and sat down.