Fast Nine; or, A Challenge from Fairfield Page 16

  CHAPTER XIV.

  HOW THE FIGHT WENT ON.

  "THE batteries for to-day's game will be: Chenowith and Cummings forHickory' Ridge; Tubbs and Ballinger for Fairfield!"

  The last word of the umpire was drowned in a roar, and the air seemedfilled with waving hats, parasols of gaudy hues, handkerchiefs, andanything else that could be utilized for the occasion.

  Then came a dead silence. Every eye, doubtless, was at that momentriveted on the young pitcher of the nine in the field as he sent in afew straight ones to his catcher, just to find the plate.

  "They say he's got speed to burn," remarked one Basking Ridge spectatorwho had never before seen Elmer pitch.

  "But the best thing he's got is a nasty little slow drop that's runningChristy Matthewson a close race," commented a second one.

  "Oh, shucks!" laughed a Fairfield boy close by; "wait till you see howour fellows fatten their averages on those nice little drop balloons.We've heard a heap about 'em, and have been practicing at hitting allsuch. Why, mark my words, before the end of the fifth inning thiswonderful Elmer will be so tame he'll be eating out of the Fairfieldplayers' hands."

  "Wait and see. The game is young," called another fellow.

  "I should say it was, when the first ball hasn't been sent over therubber yet," declared still a fourth spectator.

  "Play ball!" shouted the umpire, as he settled himself back of thepitcher.

  Again came silence as Elmer, receiving the ball from first base, rubbedit on the leg of his trousers preparatory to shooting the first oneover.

  A shout went up. Wagner, the stout second baseman, had failed to judgecorrectly and "one strike" was recorded against him.

  "But did you hear the swish of his bat?" demanded the Fairfieldenthusiast. "Say, if ever he leans up against one of those curves,good-by to the ball, that's all."

  "Sure! Only let him lean; that's what we say. He just can't do it onElmer," answered a devoted Hickory Ridge lad near by.

  Then came a second strike, followed by a foul. Wagner looked puzzled.Evidently he was watching the pitcher closely and going by his signalsto the catcher, but as these had been turned almost completely about, hemistook every one of them and was letting himself out at what wouldeasily have been called balls.

  When for the third time he had a strike called on him the batter retiredamid a storm of mingled cheers and catcalls. He had allowed a good ballto pass by him without making an effort to strike, believing from thegestures of Elmer that it was meant to be a wide one.

  Wagner went off, shaking his head. He was evidently mystified, and theFairfield crowd began to sit up and take notice.

  "That's a funny thing for Felix to do," they commented. "He's the mostreliable batter in our bunch, and yet he acts as though he didn't know agood one from a wide curve a foot from the plate. Say, that pitchermust have him locoed."

  Next came Adrian Cook. He, too, was known as a hitter, and when hestepped to the batter's line the fielders were accustomed to backingoff, ready for a terrific drive.

  But it began to look as though Adrian must have forgotten to bring hisbatting clothes along with him, judging by the way he swiped at theempty air twice, and then managed to pop up a measly little foul thatMark easily smothered in his big catcher's mitt.

  "What are we up against?" the Fairfield crowd began to say.

  "Oh, that's nothing," others put in, more confident. "The boys will wakeup after a little. You wait and see them take his number. Once theybegin, the air will be full of balls and those fielders' tongues willhang out of their mouths from chasing them!"

  So they talked, as all partisan crowds do, while Bastian toed the mark.He looked particularly dangerous as he half crouched there watchingElmer like a cat might a mouse he expected to devour.

  But Bastian was no better than the others who had preceded him. He hadtwo strikes called on him by the umpire without having even made amotion.

  "Hey, wake up! Get out of that trance. Jack! He's feeding you good onesand you don't know it! Now, altogether, and send one out in center for ahomer!"

  Jack did his best, just as Elmer knew he was bound to. He believed hesaw the pitcher signal that he meant to cut the middle of the plate withthe next; when in reality it was intended to be a wide one. And so hetoo perished, amid the cheers of Hickory Ridge, and the groans ofFairfield.

  By the time another chance at bat came for Matt Tubbs's band, therewould be excited conferences going on. These heavy batters would soonawaken to the fact that the signals given to them by Lon Braddock wereall wrong; and that by trying to take a mean advantage of Elmer theywere only digging their own graves.

  Matt Tubbs was certainly at his best that day; and he had always beenknown as a clever pitcher. Ted followed the fate of the three Fairfieldbatters, and along the same road, for he struck out.

  Toby lifted a great fly that soared away up in the air. He was makingfor second under full steam, believing that McDowd out in center fieldcould never get under the ball, when the cheers that broke forthannounced a clever catch. And Toby was compelled to walk back to thebench, resolving that another time he would try to put it far overMcDowd's head.

  Lil Artha succeeded in placing a corking one that landed him on first,to the accompaniment of riotous cheers; but he died there; for Chatz wasable only to connect with the ball after he had had two strikes calledon him, and put up one of those miserable pop fouls that make a batterrave.

  So the second inning began.

  When Cobb had also fanned at most unreasonable balls, that could neverhave been hit, his comrades stared at each other. There was a hastyconference. Then Matt Tubbs was observed to say something to the nextbatter, Poole.

  Elmer smiled broadly at Mark, and nodded. It was just as though he hadremarked the words: "It's all off, Mark, they've finally caught on tothe fact that we've switched our signals. And now to play a differentbrand of ball!"

  That was exactly what the Fairfield players had decided. When suchbatters made guys of themselves trying to meet balls that never camewhere they expected to find them, the truth could not long remainhidden. And now Tubbs had told his players to forget entirely everythingthey had learned from Lon Braddock. They must depend on their ownjudgment of balls, and nothing else.

  Poole struck a vicious one, but it fell foul clearly enough, so thatthere was no chance for any disputing the umpire's decision.

  "See that!" exclaimed a spectator; "they're getting his size already. Ifthat had only landed fair it would have been a two-bagger."

  Elmer realized that the time had already come to play the game. The nextone he sent in was with exactly the same movement that he used to shoota cannon-ball express over the rubber; yet it hung there in the air inthe most exasperating manner, passing over the plate long after Poolehad struck.

  Then arose a tremendous shout as the crowd became aware of the fact thatElmer had disclosed his long suit--that tantalizing floating drop bywhich Matthewson long ago won his fame on the diamond.

  "Get that, did you, partner!" laughed the Hickory Ridge backer, turningto the adherent of the rival nine. "Now you'll see who's going to do theeating out of hand business. Before the ninth inning comes he'll haveyour fellows breaking their poor old backs trying to connect with thatdead one. Just wait, and see the fun!"

  Poole did not get on base, but perished on a feeble little infield hitthat Lil Artha gobbled close to the bag, prancing back with ease.

  "Gee, look at that daddy-long-legs, will you!" shouted an amazedFairfield rooter, as he stared at the way Lil Artha got over the ground."Hey, if he ever gets his base he c'n just _step_ down to second! Nocutting him off by a throw."

  McDowd, the center fielder, generally a reliable batter, did succeed inmaking a hit, the ball just eluding the fingers of Red at short, as hejumped up in the air, hoping to make a dazzling stop.

  But it did him no good. Elmer just toyed with Mulligan, and afterfeeding him two swift curves with which he could not connect, he gavehim one of those lovely slow balls
. Now Mulligan was a crafty chap, andhe saw what was coming. Thinking to have the laugh on Elmer, he declinedto strike; and was already grinning with joy over his smartness, whenthe ball seemed to receive a new impetus somehow, and went jumping by.

  "Batter's out!" declared the umpire; at which Mulligan dashed his batdown, and walked away, also shaking his head.

  The crowd yelled like mad. This was work well worth coming miles to see.

  "He's got them all guessing," shouted Larry Billings, who was also inuniform as a substitute. "If they strike at it, they fan the air; and ifthey hold off the umpire says 'get out!' It's a cold, cruel world,Fairfield!"

  Red was first to face Tubbs in their half of the second. He waited untilhe had two strikes and three balls called; and then, knowing that thepitcher in nine cases out of ten tries to put one straight over, Redlined it out for a single.

  Ty stepped up with a firm manner, and gripped his bat as though he meantbusiness. He spoiled several good ones by knocking long fouls, andfinally walked. As two were now on bases with nobody out, the chancesfor a tally looked good to the Hickory Ridge fellows.

  Amid a chorus of shouts Matty stepped up and, hitting the first ball atremendous swipe, sent it speeding through the air. Everybody jumped upto see where it went.

  They saw the agile Felix Wagner near second make a leap upward. As hecame down he whirled, and sent the ball into second; and Mulligan, whohad darted thither was just like lightning in getting it down to first.Red and Ty were thus caught between bases and a most brilliant tripleplay had been accomplished.

  "Why, he caught it!" gasped the Hickory Ridge enthusiast, as thoughunable to believe the evidence of his eyes.

  "You just bet he did," mocked the other fellow. "And the whole side'sout in two shakes of the lamb's tail. Zip, bang, splash; and it's allover! That's the way we do it."

  The crowd went fairly wild, even the people from Hickory Ridge joiningin the applause that greeted this clever play.

  And so the game went on, both sides struggling like giants for anopening; yet the third, fourth and fifth innings passed with no onegetting past that fatal second.

  The first half of the sixth opened with Fairfield looking dangerous.Elmer had passed Wagner, it being the first time he had given anyonetransportation on four balls. Cook went out on three strikes, being ledto bite at a slow one in the critical moment. Bastian hit for a single,and by clever running Wagner managed to reach third.

  The crowd sat up and began to figure on a run, as there was only one manout, and almost any kind of a fly would allow Wagner to come in.

  But they counted without their host. Cobb failed to do anything, alsogoing out on the three-strike route. And Poole shot one straight for Redat short, who gathered it up in fine shape, getting the ball to firstahead of the runner.

  A sigh went up from the great crowd. With the Fairfield rooters itsignified despair; while those who were backing the other team expressedtheir relief that Elmer had managed to get out of a hole successfully.

  "Now, fellows, it's time we did something," remarked Lil Artha, as theboys settled down on the ground, and Toby was selecting his bat, itbeing his turn to toe the rubber.

  "Right you are, old hoss," remarked that worthy, grimly. "We've triedMatt Tubbs out, and got his wrinkles down pat. Just keep your eyes onme, and see if I don't flatten out one of his benders for keeps!"

  "More power to your elbow, Toby," said Lil Artha. "Just get your basesomehow, and depend on me to chase you in."

  "And he can do it, Toby," declared Chatz, as the batter passed him.

  "Yes, I've just got to, boys," chuckled the tall captain, as his eyeroved out toward that particular place where Elmer had told him to aim;just as though he might be picking a good spot to land his ball.