out to
center-field and brought the inning to a close. In the sixth an error by
Bacon, at short, started things going for Hammond. Her first man up
stole second. Her next batsman sacrificed and sent him to third from
where he scored on a long fly to the outfield which Patten couldn't
handle fast enough. Then nothing more happened until the eighth, when
Bacon was hit by Rollins, stole second, went to third on a sacrifice and
scored on a passed ball. Hammond failed to solve Post's curves in their
half of that inning, Ferry Hill had no better luck in the first of the
ninth and Hammond, in the last half of the ninth, placed a man on first
and then went out in one, two, three order.

Ferry Hill had won, but she had won on errors largely, and the outlook
for the deciding game, when Rollins would pitch all through, was far
from bright. But at least Ferry Hill had rendered that third game
necessary, and that was something to be thankful for. And the fact that
she had played with vim and snap and had made but two errors was
encouraging. Ferry Hill went home with banners still flying and her
cheers echoing back from shore to shore. And Roy, because he had
accepted every chance and had played a faultless game at first-base,
found himself more of a hero than ever.

More practice followed, interspersed with minor contests with
neighboring schools. Ferry Hill seemed to have found her pace, for she
disposed of three visiting nines in short order, and on the Saturday
following the Hammond victory traveled down-river and won from Prentice
Military Academy by the overwhelming score of 16 to 2. Chub's spirits
had risen since the last Hammond game and it was his old self that
tumbled upstairs from the Junior Dormitory the next morning before
rising bell and snuggled into Roy's cot.

"Get over, you log," he whispered, "and give me some room."

"Room! You've got the whole bed now! If Cobb sees you--"

"Let him; who cares? Say, Roy, let's go fishing to-day. I feel just like
it."

"And get found out and put on inner bounds? No; thanks!"

"We won't get found out, Roy, my boy. We'll just go for a walk this
afternoon and take a couple of rods with us.

"I'll borrow one for you. I've got flies to burn. We'll go to a place I
know, a dandy hole; regular whales there! What do you say?"

"I say you're a silly chump to risk it."

"Tommy rot! Come along!"

"I'll go along, but I won't fish."

"What a good little boy!"

"That's all right