But almost before he knew it the umpire called "one strike."
"That ball must have passed this side of the plate," he declared. "It
was an in, and I had to jump to get out of the way."
"Don't jump at shadows!" shouted a Yale sophomore. "That ball was all
right."
The umpire promptly informed Wilson that he was talking too much with
his mouth.
"I'll get him the next time!" thought the lank pitcher of the Hartfords.
"He fooled me that time, but he can't do it again!"
But Badger did it again. Again the sophomores began to yell. Jack Ready
tossed the ball back.
Badger began to look and to feel confident, a thing that Merriwell, who
was closely watching him, did not like. This time the Westerner, after
almost bending himself double, gave his arm an eccentric movement and
shot in another curve. Wilson struck at it desperately, and fanned out.
"He can't keep it up!" yelled a Hartford man, who had been wildly
hunting for bets a short time before, and who felt the need of whistling
to keep his courage up.
Barrows, the center-fielder, came to the bat next. He went after the
very first one, and got it Crack! and away the ball flew again into the
right field, while the Hartford lads opened up with great vigor.
It was a hit, for everybody saw that Dismal, even though he was doing
his best, could not possibly get it.
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