before somewhere, and I've been puzzling all this time to place him. Now
I've tumbled. It's Alvarez, the crack pitcher of Cuba."

"Do you mean the fellow that stood the Athletics on their heads when they
made that winter trip to Cuba a couple of years ago?" asked McRae.

"The same one," affirmed Robbie. "I happened to be there at one of the
games, and he showed them up--hundred thousand dollar infield and all.
Connie was fairly dancing as he saw his pets slaughtered. I tell you, that
fellow's a wonder--he'd have been in a major league long ago if it hadn't
been for his color. He may be only a Cuban, and he says he is, but he's so
dark-skinned that there'd be some prejudice against him and that's barred
him out."

"That's what made Thorpe so confident," growled Brennan. "He's worked in a
'ringer' on us. We ought to make a kick."

"That would put us in a nice light, wouldn't it?" replied McRae, stormily.
"We'd like to see it in the papers, that the major leagues played the baby
act because they couldn't bat a bush pitcher. Not on your life! Thorpe
would be tickled to death to have us make a squeal. We'll simply have to
lick him."

But if the promised licking was yet to come, it was not in evidence in the
next two innings. Alvarez seemed as fresh as at the beginning, and his arm
worked with the force and precision of a piston rod.

"What's the matter with you fellows, anyway?" raged McRae, when the end of
the fifth inning saw the score remain unchanged. "You ought to be in the
old ladies' home. It's a joke to call you ball players."

"It must be this Denver air," ventured Willis. "It's so high up here that
a fellow finds it hard to breathe. These Denver boobs are used to it and
we're not."

"Air! air!" snapped McRae. "I notice you've got plenty of hot air. Go in
and play the game, you bunch of false alarms."

Whether it was owing to his rasping tongue or their own growing resentment
at the impudence of the minor leaguers, the All-Americans broke the ice in
the sixth.

Burkett lined out a beauty between left and center that was good for two
bases. Willis followed with a towering sky scraper to right, which,
although it was caught after a long run, enabled Burkett to get to third
before the ball was returned. Then Becker who had perished twice before on
feeble taps to the infield, whaled out a home run to the intense
jubilation of his mates.

"We've got his number!" yelled Larry, doing a jig on the coaching lin