e his way, and failing to
send it across the diamond in time to nip the runner. The Chester folks
took notice of this error on the part of the third baseman, who had been
touted as a wonder at snatching up everything that came his way,
regardless of its character. Still, that had been a difficult ball to
handle, and the error was excusable, Jack thought.

There was no run made, though Big Bob did send out a terrific drive that
under ordinary conditions should have been a three-bagger at least.
Oldsmith, after a gallant sprint at top speed, was seen to jump into the
air and pull the ball down. He received a storm of applause, for it was
a pretty piece of work; and Chester fans cheered quite as lustily as the
home crowd; for, as a rule, baseball rooters can admire such splendid
results regardless of partisanship.

Badger struck out, in his turn, being apparently unable to solve those
puzzling shoots of the cool and smiling master in the box. But then
Harmony was no better off in their half of that inning, for not a man
got as far as second; though O'Leary did send up an amazing fly that
dropped squarely in the hands of Big Bob. The other two only smashed the
thin air when they struck, for they picked out wide ones, and let the
good balls shoot over the edges of the plate like cannonballs.

"Notice one thing," said Jack to several of the Chester players when
once more it was their turn at bat. "Every Harmony fellow turns partly
toward the right when he bats. That's the short field in this enclosure,
and with the bleachers in between. They know the advantages of sending
the ball in that direction every time it's possible. Phil, Joel and Bob,
make a note of that, will you, and try to duplicate their game? They
know the grounds, and have the advantage over us."

"Watch my smoke, Governor," chuckled Big Bob Jeffries, confidently. "I'm
only trying things out so far. When the right time comes, me to cash in
with a ball clean over that short field fence. They'll never find it
again either, if I get the swoop I'm aiming for."

"Well, use good judgment when you make it," laughed Jack, "and see that
the bases are occupied. We may need a homer before this gruelling game
is over."

It certainly began to look like it when the sixth inning had ended and
never a run was marked up on the score-board for either side. Once Fred
Badger had succeeded in straining a point, and reaching third with a
wonderful exhibition of base stealing;