Baseball Joe on the School Nine Part 29

"Very well," a.s.sented the chairman. "This may be a wise move. All in favor of Joe Matson as pitcher, since Frank Brown, the regular boxman, has practically resigned--all say 'aye.'"

Again came the hearty a.s.sent, and again the feeble objection of Hiram.

"Joe Matson is now the regular pitcher for the school nine," said Dr.

Rudden.

"And I want to say that I'm glad of the change," put in Larry Akers.

"Hurray! Hurray!" yelled the now excited and enthusiastic students.

Things seemed to be coming out right after all.

"I want to say," exclaimed Joe, "that while I appreciate the honor done me, we may need subst.i.tute pitchers. In fact, I'm sure we will, and I wish Frank and Larry would remain to help me. I'll coach them all I can, and I know they both have pitching stuff in them. I've made quite a study of pitching as an amateur. Some day I hope to be a professional, and I'm willing to tell Frank and Larry all I know."

"Good!" exclaimed the chairman. "I think they'll take your offer.

Well, we have now made one change. Are there any more that you think necessary?"

It was rather a delicate question, for everyone knew what was meant. But the lads were saved from doing what most of them knew ought to be done.

"Do I understand that Joe Matson is the regular pitcher on the school team?" asked the manager, sourly.

"That seems to be the sentiment of the students, Sh.e.l.l," answered Dr.

Rudden.

"And without me, or the captain, having anything to say about it?"

"You were out-voted, Sh.e.l.l."

"Well, then all I've got to say is that I don't manage this nine any more!" fairly yelled Hiram. "There's my resignation, and it takes effect at once!" and, walking down the aisle he threw a folded paper on the table at which the professor sat.

"Shall this resignation be accepted?" asked the chairman, amid a rather tense silence.

"Yes!" came so quickly and with such volume that there was no doubt about the sentiment of the crowd. Perhaps Hiram had hoped that he would be asked to reconsider it, but if so he was disappointed. He walked back to where Luke sat. He leaned over the captain and said something in a whisper.

"I'm not going to," replied Luke, loudly enough for all in the room to hear.

"Go on!" ordered the bully. "If you don't, I'll----" and then his voice sank to a whisper again.

"All right," a.s.sented Luke, and walking forward as his crony had done, he, too, tossed a paper on the table. "There's my resignation as captain and a member of the Excelsior baseball nine!" he exclaimed.

There was a gasp of surprise from the crowd. Hiram and Luke both out! It was rather unexpected, but Tom and his friends felt elated. Now they would have a chance to play. It looked like the dawn of a brighter day for Excelsior Hall.

CHAPTER XXIV

TWO OF A KIND

"There is another resignation to act on," said Dr. Rudden, after a pause, and, somehow he did not seem half as worried over it as Luke had hoped he would be. "What shall we do with it?"

"Take it!" exclaimed Tom, and it was accepted with a promptness that startled the former captain.

"The action taken to-night makes it necessary to elect a new manager and a captain," went on the professor. "Perhaps the manager should be elected first. Whom will you have?"

"Peaches Lantfeld," called some.

"Teeter Nelson," said others.

"George Bland! Sister Davis! Ward Gerard! Tommy Barton," called various lads. There were more nominations, but Peaches received the majority of votes, and was declared elected. Teeter was the first to congratulate him, 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 to pitch I want to give all my time to that. I'm much obliged, but I decline."

"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 better position to captain a team, for he can see all the plays. You will have to 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. He was 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 captain and manager, to arrange for future practice and playing. This was soon done, and Ward told the lads to report early the next Monday afternoon, when they would play the scrub, which organization had also to select a new captain and pitcher, as well as catcher.

"Now, all I want is to get Tom Davis on the school nine, and I'll be happy," said Joe to Peaches and Teeter, as the meeting broke up.

"I think you can," declared Teeter. "Jake Weston is going to get out, I hear, and Tom will fit in. Charlie Borden can take Jake's place at short and Tom can play first, which he's used to. Oh, I guess old Excelsior Hall has come into her own again, and we'll make some of these other teams sit up and take notice."

And Jake did resign, following the example of his two cronies. This made a place for Tom, and he promptly filled it.

There was a snap and a vim to the playing of the school nine when they first went at it with the changed players, that fairly took the breath out of the scrub. Of course that unfortunate collection of players was weakened by the withdrawal of Joe, Ward and Tom, but even with players of equal strength it is doubtful if they could have held the school nine down.

Joe and his mates struck a winning streak, and the young pitcher never was better than in that practice game on Monday afternoon.

"Joe's pitching his head off," observed Tom Davis, and when Ward missed holding one or two particular "hot" ones he thought the same thing. The school team won a decisive victory.

"But that doesn't mean we will beat Trinity on Sat.u.r.day," said Peaches, the new manager. "Don't begin to take it easy, fellows. And then follows the second game in the series with Morningside. We've got to get that or those boys will think they've gotten into the habit of beating us."

"We'll trim 'em both!" cried Tom.

"Sure," a.s.sented Joe. It was like old times now, he reflected, he and Tom together on a team as they had been on the Silver Stars. The only thing that worried Joe was the theft of his father's papers and patent models. He knew it would mean a serious loss to his parents, and Joe was rather 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 win back the Blue Banner," he confided to Tom.

"Oh, don't worry," advised his chum; and a few days later Joe received a letter from home, telling him the same thing.

Mr. Matson wrote that whereas the loss would badly cripple him, yet he did not want Joe to worry.