ngly.

"If the batsman talks again he will be ordered off the grounds,"
declared Umpire Tozier sternly.

But Dick felt the sting of his opponent's taunt and longed to
be even. Greg signaled for a drop ball---a difficult one for
a schoolboy to throw. It was the first time in the game that
Greg had asked for this.

Dick "made up" the ball with extra care, then let it go. It looked
like a chest-high ball as it came, and was so slow that Hi threw
back his bat to slam it.

"A home run on this!" thought Hi exultantly.

From the sides of the field came a mocking laugh, for the ball
had dropped, leaving Hi pounding wildly at the air.

"Strike one!" called Ben Tozier, slipping a pebble to his other
hand.

Dick smiled quietly as the ball came back to him. Greg signaled
for an outshoot. But Dick "made up" the ball and imitated his
delivery of the throw before.

"I'll get down and get it, this time!" flashed Martin resentfully.
He did, only to find himself no nearer the ball than before.

"Strike two!"

Tittering came from the sides now, also some applause. The spectators
had just begun to understand that Dick Prescott was pitching better
ball.

"Ball one!"

Hi felt a bit better for a moment. Then:

"Strike three! Out!"

With a muttered growl of disgust, Captain Martin gave up his post
to Percival.

"What has got into Prescott?" demanded Rodgers, of the Norths,
anxiously.

"Oh, we'll pound him to pieces soon," muttered Hi.

"Strike one!" sounded the umpire's steady, low voice.

In a moment or two more it was: "Strike three. Out!"

Then a third batsman took post. Dick Prescott, his face now flushed
with pleasure, not humiliation, and his eyes flashing battle,
put the third man out for the Norths.

Yet, though the Central Grammars put two of their men on bases,
they, too, went back to grass ere a run could be scored.

The fifth inning was almost a duplicate of the fourth; no ground
gained. In the sixth, after having two men struck out, the Norths
took two base hits away from Prescott, and had men on first and
second. In an unwary moment for the Centrals the man at second
made third just ahead of the ball.

"We'll have a third run in a moment, if our boys keep their heads,"
murmured Hi Martin confidently. "That will keep us at three to
nothing."

At that instant Dick delivered a ball that the North batsman tapped,
but just hard enough to drive it for a fair catch into Prescott's
hands.

"You idiot!