rful effect. Evidently
Red intended to bat while arrayed in his long coat, for he stepped into
the box and faced the pitcher. Capt. Healy yelled for him to take the
duster off. Likewise did the Grays yell.

The bleachers shrieked their disapproval. To say the least, Red
Gilbat's crazy assurance was dampening to the ardor of the most blindly
confident fans. At length Umpire Fuller waved his hand, enjoining
silence and calling time.

"Take it off or I'll fine you."

From his lofty height Gilbat gazed down upon the little umpire, and it
was plain what he thought.

"What do I care for money!" replied Red.

"That costs you twenty-five," said Fuller.

"Cigarette change!" yelled Red.

"Costs you fifty."

"Bah! Go to an eye doctor," roared Red.

"Seventy-five," added Fuller, imperturbably.

"Make it a hundred!"

"It's two hundred."

"ROB-B-BER!" bawled Red.

Fuller showed willingness to overlook Red's back talk as well as
costume, and he called, "Play!"

There was a mounting sensation of prophetic certainty. Old fox Wehying
appeared nervous. He wasted two balls on Red; then he put one over the
plate, and then he wasted another. Three balls and one strike! That
was a bad place for a pitcher, and with Red Gilbat up it was worse.
Wehying swung longer and harder to get all his left behind the throw
and let drive. Red lunged and cracked the ball. It went up and up and
kept going up and farther out, and as the murmuring audience was slowly
transfixed into late realization the ball soared to its height and
dropped beyond the left-field fence. A home run!

Red Gilbat gathered up the tails of his duster, after the manner of a
neat woman crossing a muddy street, and ambled down to first base and
on to second, making prodigious jumps upon the bags, and round third,
to come down the home-stretch wagging his red head. Then he stood on
the plate, and, as if to exact revenge from the audience for the fun
they made of him, he threw back his shoulders and bellowed: "HAW!
HAW! HAW!"

Not a handclap greeted him, but some mindless, exceedingly adventurous
fan yelled: "Redhead! Redhead! Redhead!"

That was the one thing calculated to rouse Red Gilbat. He seemed to
flare, to bristle, and he paced for the bleachers.

Delaney looked as if he might have a stroke. "Grab him! Soak him with
a bat! Somebody grab him!"

But none of the Stars was risking so much, and Gilbat, to the howling
derision of the gleeful