c youth, kept to it, and a
three and a four from Speug, and another two from Howieson, and a three
from Speug.

Across the heads of the people McGuffie shouted to the coachman, "Take
you again, Petrie--ten to one, five to one, three to one against the
Seminary?" And when there was no answer, Mr. McGuffie offered to take it
even from anybody, and finally appealed to the man, next him. It was
Bailie MacConachie, who forgetful of the past and everything except the
glory of Muirtown, was now standing beside Speug's father and did not
care. "Speug's no dead yet Bailie"; and then, catching the look in
MacConachie's face, "bygones are bygones, we're a' Muirtown men the
day"; and then his voice rose again across the crowd "I'll give ye odds,
coachman--two to one against the 'Bumbees'" for Howieson had scored
another two, and two more runs would win the match for the Seminary.

Then a terrible thing happened, for Howieson, instead of stopping the
ball with his bat, must needs stop it with his leg. "How's that?" cried
the Columbian wicket-keeper, "how's that, umpire?" Was his leg before
wicket or not? And for the moment every one, Seminary and Columbian,
Bulldog, McGuffie, Bailie, men, women and children, held their breath.
It would have been maddening to have been beaten only by one run, and
after such a gallant fight.

"Not out!" replied the umpire in two seconds; but it seemed ten minutes,
and a yell went up from the throats of the Seminary, and Bailie
MacConachie took off his hat and wiped his forehead, which Mr. McGuffie
noted with sympathy and laid up to the Bailie's credit. There was
another crisis at hand which had been forgotten by Muirtown, but it was
very keenly present to the minds of the Columbians. One over more and
the time limit would be reached and the game closed. If the Seminary
could make two runs, they would win; if the Columbians could get Speug's
wicket, they would win. They put on their most dangerous man, whose ball
had a trick of coming down just six inches in front of the block, and
then, having escaped the attention of the batsman, of coming perilously
near the wicket. His attack compelled the most watchful defence, and
hardly allowed the chance of a run. Two balls Speug blocked, but could
do no more with them; the third got past and shaved the wicket; the
fourth Speug sent to slip but the fielding allowed no run; the fifth,
full of cunning, he stopped with difficulty, and fear seized the heart
of M