grinned and then scowled. He made
ready. Frank reversed the curves and drove in a whistler that could
scarcely be seen as it passed through the air.

This time Edwards struck, but he found only empty air.

"Two strikes!" from the umpire.

Another roar from the Camden crowd.

Edwards began to look doubtful.

"What are we up against?" he muttered to himself.

Merriwell took his time to pitch the third ball. All at once he seemed
to send in one like the last. Edwards believed the double curve would
cause it to cross over the plate, and he struck at it.

It proved to be a straight ball, and Edwards never touched it!

"Striker is out!" decided the umpire.

It is impossible to describe the tumult that followed. For once, at
least, Camden was well represented on the Rockland ground, and the
rooters for the boys in crimson could not make noise enough. Their hour
of triumph had arrived, and they were making the most of it.

Edwards looked sour enough as he went to the bench.

"What's the matter?" asked Gulsiver, who was swinging two bats so that
one would seem lighter to him when he came to strike.

"That Yale chap is the devil!" growled Edwards.

Gulsiver was a college man and a fine fellow. He had played with Camden
the previous season, and Camden was sorry it did not have him that year.
He looked anxious but determined to do his best as he went to the plate.

Frank had decided that he was using the double shoot altogether too
much, for it would soon put a kink in his elbow if he kept it up. He had
used it on Edwards because the Rockland shortstop had challenged him to
do so. Gulsiver was tried with a coaxer, but he let it pass. Then Frank
gave him a rise, and he hit it.

The ball popped up into the air and fell into Merriwell's hands,
retiring Rockland on eight pitched balls, without a single batter
getting started toward first base.

The Camden crowd was happy, and the Rocklandites were disgusted. But
Rockland had a pitcher who more than once proved a hoodoo for Camden.
The redoubtable "Grandpa" Morse was to go into the box this day. There
had been a time when Morse could scare the Camden players with his speed
and fool them with his "southpaw" delivery. Rockland hoped that time
had not passed, even though the rooters of the Limerock City were aware
that Morse was not dealing with tenderfeet this day.

Moslof had placed Hodge at the head of the batting list at Merriwell's
suggestion. Bart picked up a heav