e play in two,
giving one part to the major leaguers and the other to the Oakland team.

He was not to blame for being bewildered, for the baseball magnates who
had framed the rules had never contemplated the special case of a player
catching the ball in his pocket.

Between the opposing claims he pulled out his book and scanned it
carefully but with no result.

"It's easy enough," rasped McRae. "He tried to catch a ball and muffed it.
It goes for a hit and Curry scores."

"Not on your life," barked Everett, the manager of the Oakland team. "He
got the ball and it never touched the ground."

"Got it," sneered McRae. "This is baseball, not pool. He can't pocket the
ball."

There was a laugh at this, and Mackay, the third baseman, looked a little
sheepish. The baited umpire suggested that the whole play be called off
and that Curry go back to third while Larry resumed his place at the bat.

Larry set up a howl at this, as he saw his perfectly good three-baser go
glimmering.

"Oh, hire a hall," snapped Everett. "Even if the umpire decides against
the catch it was only an error and you ought to have been out anyway."

"You can't crawl out of it that way," said McRae to the umpire. "A play is
a play and you've got to settle it one way or the other, even if you
settle it wrong."

The umpire hesitated, wiped his brow and finally decided that the ball was
caught. That put Larry out, and he retreated, growling, to the bench,
while Everett grinned his satisfaction.

"That's all right, Ump," said the latter. "But how about Curry? Mackay put
the ball on him all right and that makes three out."

"Say, what do you want, the earth?" queried McRae. "He didn't put the ball
on him. He didn't have the ball to put. It was in his pocket all the
time."

"Of course I put the ball on him," declared Mackay. "I must have. When I
fell on him I hit him everywhere at once."

The umpire finally decided that Mackay had not put the ball on Curry, and
the red-headed right-fielder chuckled at the thought of the run he had
scored.

"That makes it horse and horse," said the umpire. "Get back to your
places."

If he thought he was at the end of his troubles he was mistaken, for
Everett suddenly cried out:

"Look here. You said that Mackay caught that ball, didn't you?"

"That's what I said," snorted the umpire.

"Well, then," crowed Everett triumphantly, "why didn't Curry go back to
third and touch the bag before he lit out for hom