Part 5 (2/2)
”No, young lady, I'm not a dagger, though I'd like to get thin enough to be taken for one.”
Jennie blushed, and Fenn was a little embarra.s.sed. Soon after that Fenn bade Jennie goodnight.
Monday morning when the chums reached school there was a buzz of excitement among those gathered on the campus waiting for the nine o'clock gong to ring.
”Here they come now,” called some one. ”We'll see what they say.”
”What's up?” asked Bart, as he saw the crowd of boys hurrying toward him and his chums.
”We've got a challenge!” exclaimed Lem Gordon, pitcher of the school nine, of which Bart was catcher.
”Who from?” asked Bart.
”The Lakeville Prep. school. It's for Thursday. Dare we take 'em on?”
”We dare do all that may become our school,” paraphrased Frank. ”Why not?” He did not play on the regular nine.
”They're out of our cla.s.s,” said Lem. ”Haven't lost a game this year, and they're way ahead of us. Have better grounds and more time to practice.”
”Well, we don't want to show the white feather,” said Fenn. ”Maybe we'll have a chance.”
”We sure will if Lem pitches as he did in the game two weeks ago,” spoke Bart. ”That certainly won the game for us if anything did.”
”Your catching had a lot to do with it,” put in Lem, ”and so did Ned's fielding.”
”To say nothing of Stumpy's work at short,” added Bart. ”I say let's give 'em a game. They can't any more than wallop us!”
”Hurrah!” yelled the crowd of boys. ”Three cheers for Bart!”
”Cut it out!” said Bart. ”Think I'm a political candidate? We'll go in with the idea of winning!”
CHAPTER VI
A GREAT GAME OF BALL
Word soon went around that Bart, who was captain of the nine, had decided to accept the challenge which had come to Harry Mathews as manager of the team. The challenge had only arrived that morning and there were few of the high school boys who believed their nine stood any chance of winning.
The Lakeville Preparatory School was a private inst.i.tution located about three miles from Darewell. It was attended by youths who were fitted for college there, and the pupils were, on the average, older and larger than the Darewell High School lads. Their nine had an enviable reputation in local sporting circles.
The high school boys were so worked up over the prospect of the game, with rivals they had never yet ventured to play, that there was less attention to lessons than usual among the members of the nine, and their supporters, that morning.
Fenn must have been thinking quite seriously of the pending contest for, when answering in the ancient history cla.s.s the question: ”Who was Caesar's greatest rival?” he replied solemnly:
”The Lakeville Prep. School!”
There was a burst of laughter in which even the instructor had to join.
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