Part 4 (1/2)

”Silence!” hissed Lil Artha, with both hands motioning at the same time.

”Mr. Garrabrant says be still, fellows!” called another.

When it was so quiet they could almost have heard a pin drop, the scout master once more addressed the fifty-odd boys around him.

”Please remember,” he said, pointedly, ”this is a matter that concerns only the Boy Scouts. I expect every other fellow to keep the utmost silence while we talk it over. You are being handsomely treated in being allowed the privilege of staying here and listening to what we have to say. Now, scouts, what is your pleasure about this courteous challenge?”

”I move that it be immediately accepted, and the time be set as Monday next at three in the afternoon, and the game to come off on the Basking Ridge diamond,” suggested Mark.

”Second the motion!” followed Lil Artha, quickly.

”Any remarks before the motion is put?” asked Mr. Garrabrant, smiling as he looked at the eager faces by which he was surrounded.

”Are we to take it for granted that the Basking Ridge people would allow us to come over and use their diamond, sir?” asked Elmer.

”That is a point well taken,” replied Mr. Garrabrant, ”and I will say for the general information that I asked the messenger about that very thing. He a.s.sured me that the Fairfield people have the written consent of the owner of the ground at Basking Ridge. And the people of the town are just wild for the game to come off there. They are starved for good baseball, since their club broke up early in the season. So that point is disposed of. Any other question, boys?”

”There is only to be this one game, I understand it, suh?” queried Chatz.

”Only this one game,” replied the gentleman.

”And the club that wins will be known as the champion team of the Boy Scouts league in this part of the state--is that it, suh?” the Southern boy went on.

”I so understand it,” Mr. Garrabrant answered.

”There isn't anything said about umpires, suh; and we've found in the past that if we want to have a square deal the umpire should never come from either of the towns playing in the game,” Chatz declared, positively.

”I took the pains to ask the messenger about that,” said Mr. Garrabrant, smiling, ”for I realized that half of our trouble in the past has come from having a partisan umpire. But the messenger who carried the challenge said that Home-run Joe Mallon, who belongs to the Tri-State League, is home in Basking Ridge, waiting for a broken arm to heal, and that he'd gladly do the umpiring. You know he used to be an umpire long before he got to playing ball. So that question is fixed, too. Any more?”

”Question! Question!” shouted a number of the scouts, eagerly.

When the motion, to the effect that the challenge of the Fairfield nine be unanimously accepted, was put, it met with not a single dissenting vote, and Mr. Garrabrant called it settled.

”The committee will go with me immediately following the game to-day, and after we have drafted our answer we'll get it over to Fairfield to-night, if I have to borrow somebody's car to do it,” declared the scout master.

Then the cheers broke out in earnest. Every boy in all Hickory Ridge would be circulating the great news before night. Little need there would be to go to any expense in getting out posters when there was such a splendid circulating medium close at hand.

”Now let's start play!” called Chatz, impatient to see whether Elmer would put in that tantalizing slow ball such as always proved such a tempting bait to the ordinary batter, causing him to swipe the air fiercely, besides losing confidence in himself meanwhile.

In a short time the scrub game began. Johnny Kline was on the firing line for the scrub, and he certainly had some speed along with him that day, for he sent them in ”scorching hot,” as Lil Artha declared.

However, it seemed as though Elmer and his chums just lived on speed, for they nearly every one fattened their average of batted b.a.l.l.s that eluded the vigilant fielders.

Of course, with everything favoring the regular team, they soon began to pile up runs, while sensational fielding on their part cut the hard-working scrub team out of several tallies.

After the game had run through seven innings it was called because the hour was getting on toward six.

”And we have a meeting to-night at which the committee will report,”

said Mr. Garrabrant.

”How does the score stand now?” asked an outsider who had been away most of the time after the fourth inning, and only just returned when they came in off the field.