wn for pitching, altogether, so it isn't going to be an easy
cinch for anyone."

"The nine always has more than one pitcher. Why can't _you_ make
the position of pitcher, too?" asked Belle, looking at Dave.

"Oh, I may make the job of brevet-pitcher on the second nine,"
Dave laughed goodhumoredly. "The only reason I put my name down
for pitcher was so as to make the fight look bigger."

"Who are the other candidates for pitcher?" asked Laura.

"Well, Ripley's one," replied Dave.

"Ripley? Oh, _he_!" uttered Miss Bentley, in a tone of scorn.

"I understand he's no fool of a pitcher," Dick remarked.

"I congratulate him, then," smiled Laura.

"On what?"

"Not being a fool in everything," returned Laura. Then she added,
quickly:

"I'm afraid that expresses my real opinion, but I've no right
to say it."

"There are two reasons why you shouldn't say it," added Dave,
gravely.

"What are they?" Laura wanted to know.

"First of all---well, pardon me, but it sounds like talking about
another behind his back. The other reason is that Ripley isn't
worth talking about, anyway."

"Now, what are you doing?" demanded Belle.

"Oh, well," Dave replied, "Ripley knows my opinion of him pretty well.
But what are you doing this afternoon?"

"We're going shopping," Laura informed the boys as the quartette
left the soda fountain. "Do you care to go around with us and
look at the displays in the stores?"

"That's about all shopping means, isn't it?" smiled Dick. "Just
going around and looking at things?"

"Then if you don't care to come with us-----" pouted Miss Bentley.

"Stop---please do, I beg of you," Dick hastily added. "Of course
we want to go."

The two chums put in a very pleasant hour wandering about through
the stores with the High School girls. Laura and Belle _did_
make some small purchases of materials out of which they intended
to make gifts for the approaching holiday.

As they came out of the last store they moved toward the corner,
the girls intending to take a car to pay a little visit to an
aunt of Laura's before the afternoon was over.

Dick saw something in one of the windows at the corner and signed
to Dave to come over. The two girls were left, momentarily, standing
on the corner.

While they stood thus Fred Ripley came along. His first lesson
in pitching had been brief, the great Everett declining to tire
the boy's arm too much at the first drill. So young Ripley, after
a twe