r tips and
bouncing over his head.

"He's muffed it! He's muffed it!" yelled several of the Longley Academy
contingent gleefully. "Run, boys, run!"

And how the runners did streak from base to base! And before the ball
could be recovered by the bewildered Halliday the three runs had been
scored.

CHAPTER XVI

SPOUTER IS CORNERED

"Hurrah for Longley!"

"That's the way to do it! That makes the score eight to four!"

"My, what a muff that was! That center fielder is a regular
butter-fingers!"

"Soak it to 'em good and plenty, Longley! Only two men out!"

Thus the hubbub on the part of the students of Longley Academy continued
while the cadets of Colby Hall had little to say. There were one or two
cries to take Halliday out of the field, but these were quickly hushed.

"Anybody might muff a ball," declared Jack. "It's too bad, but probably
it couldn't be helped."

The very next player to the bat knocked a liner between first and second
and got to second on a fumble by the first baseman. Then the next player,
after having two strikes called on him, sent a low one down to center
field.

"Go for it, Halliday! Get it!" yelled the cadets eagerly.

Halliday ran for the ball, but was only able to get it on the first
bounce. Then, as he saw the batsman rounding first for second, he threw
the ball wildly.

"Run, Newcomb, run!"

"There goes the ball for the grandstand! Hurry up, Markle, and make it a
homer!"

The ball had sailed over the head of the runner and landed at least ten
feet away from the home plate. The catcher made a dive for it while the
pitcher came to the plate to stop the runners. But it was too late, and
before the sphere could be sent in both runs had been scored.

"Zip! Boom! Two more runs for Longley!"

"That's the way to do it, boys! Let's snow 'em under!"

"Take Halliday out!" was the angry cry of fully a dozen cadets. "Take him
out! He has no business on the team!"

And thereupon amid shouts of derision Paul Halliday was compelled to quit
the field and one of the substitutes went to take his place.

"It wasn't my fault! I stepped in a hole," growled Halliday when he came
to the bench. He made a show of limping badly. "I almost sprained my
ankle."

"Well, your two errors have been very costly," answered Gif coldly.

After that the pitcher for Colby Hall tightened up, and the next man up
was put out on strikes and the side retired.

With the score 10 to 4 against them, Co