resulted in Mr. Merrywether announcing
through a megaphone that the game would have to be declared a draw,
which tie must be played off at Harmony, according to previous
arrangements, on the following Saturday.

Then the vast crowd commenced to scatter in a great hurry, fearful lest
the rain start falling and drench them. There was more or less confusion
as scores of cars and carryalls rushed along the road leading to
Harmony, distant ten miles or more. Since everybody hurried, the grounds
were soon deserted save by a few who remained to look after things.

Jack and several of the boys would have lingered to talk matters over,
but the lateness of the hour and the overcast sky forbade such a thing,
so they, too, headed for their various homes.

Jack, however, did manage to locate Fred, and made it a point to
overtake the other on the road. He linked his arm with that of the third
baseman, and dropped into step.

"I want to say, Fred, that stop and throw of yours saved the day for
Chester," he told the other. "If you had drawn Steve a foot away from
home Clifford would have slid safe, for he was coming like a hurricane.
Chester will remember that fine work of yours for a long time. And the
girls, Fred, why I thought they'd have a fit, they carried on so. I'm
sure you pleased some of your best friends a whole lot by being
Johnny-on-the-spot today!"

"Thank you for saying it, anyhow, Jack," the other was saying, and
somehow Jack could not help thinking Fred did not show just as much
gratification as most fellows would have done at being so highly
complimented.

But then, he must make allowances. If matters were as desperate as he
suspected, poor Fred must by now be feeling the effect of having allowed
his chance for securing all that money, so badly needed in order to help
his mother, slip through his fingers. Now that all the excitement had
died away, and he found himself face to face with the old question, with
the prospect of seeing his mother's tired looks again reproaching him,
Fred must be wondering whether he had after all chosen wisely in letting
honor take the place of duty.

So Jack commenced to chatter about the game, and how proud Chester folks
would be of the young athletes who represented the town that day.

"It's pretty evident, you must see, Fred," he continued, after thus
arousing the other's interest, "that our big task of getting
subscriptions toward building or renting a building for a club-hous