A remark which
inflamed Cooper, in spite of Chipper's pretense that he did not hear it.

On the very first ball handed up to the Oakdale shortstop, Grant,
having got a start, raced down the line to second, slid spikes first,
and was declared safe, Copley failing to get the ball to Roberts in
time for a put-out.

But the Texan did not stop there. With Sanger's next movement of his
regular delivery, Rodney, having got a lead behind the pitcher's back,
went darting toward third. Copley, who had complained that Roberts was
slow about tagging the runner, uttered a yell, took the ball as it came
high above Cooper's shoulders, and lost no time in throwing to third.

Pratt had not anticipated an immediate second effort to steal by the
runner, and he was a trifle slow about covering the sack. As a result,
he was forced to reach for the ball with his bare right hand, and he
dropped it.

The home crowd was on its feet now, shouting wildly as the umpire's
downward gesture with both hands proclaimed the daring Texan safe at
third.

Copley snarled at Pratt, and Sanger plainly showed that the performance
of Grant had put him on the anxious seat.

The cheering now was incessant from both sides of the field, and this
was not calculated to soothe the nerves of the worried pitcher.
Nevertheless, had not Berry lost his head and forgotten that two were
out, the game would have gone into extra innings. Cooper finally drove
one toward the Barville shortstop, and Berry, leaping forward to catch
the ball, saw Grant dashing toward the plate. Berry should have thrown
to first, but, with his mind temporarily fogged, his only thought was
to stop that run, and he hurled the ball to the plate. Copley was not
prepared for this manoeuvre, and he leaped to get the whistling sphere,
which, however, came high and wide, forcing him to reach for it.

The umpire had barely time to run forward a short distance ere he
stopped and crouched as Grant flung himself headlong in a slide.
Getting the ball, Copley swung back to tag the runner, but ere the
horsehide was brought down between Rod's shoulder-blades, his hand had
found the plate.

[Illustration: Ere the horsehide was brought down between Rod's
shoulder-blades, his hand had found the plate.]

"Safe!" shouted the umpire.

And the game was won by the pitcher who had taken Springer's place in
the fifth inning.

CHAPTER XIII.

RACKLIFF'S TREACHERY.

Like one stunned Roy Hooker pas