ght as the place was, Wayne did not flinch. The game depended
practically upon the next ball delivered. Wayne craftily and daringly
decided to use another fast drop, for of all his assortment that would
be the one least expected by Clark. But it must be started higher, so
that in case Clark made no effort to swing, it would still be a strike.

Gripping the ball with a clinched hand, Wayne swung sharply, and drove
it home with the limit of his power. It sped like a bullet, waist
high, and just before reaching the plate darted downward, as if it had
glanced on an invisible barrier.

Clark was fooled completely and struck futilely. But the ball caromed
from the hard ground, hit Burns with a resounding thud, and bounced
away. Clark broke for first, and Moore dashed for home. Like a tiger
the little catcher pounced upon the ball, and, leaping back into line,
blocked the sliding Moore three feet from the plate.

Pandemonium burst loose among the Salisbury adherents. The men bawled,
the women screamed, the boys shrieked, and all waved their hats and
flags, and jumped up and down, and manifested symptoms of baseball
insanity.

In the first of the eighth inning, Mackay sailed up the balls like
balloons, and disposed of three batters on the same old weak hits to
his clever fielders. In the last of the eighth, Wayne struck out three
more Bellville players.

"Burns, you're up," said Wayne, who, in his earnestness to win, kept
cheering his comrades. "Do something. Get your base any way you can.
Get in front of one. We must score this inning."

Faithful, battered Burns cunningly imposed his hip over the plate and
received another bruise in the interests of his team. The opposing
players furiously stormed at the umpire for giving him his base, but
Burns' trick went through. Burnett bunted skilfully, sending Burns to
second. Cole hit a fly to center. Then Huling singled between short
and third.

It became necessary for the umpire to delay the game while he put the
madly leaping boys back off the coaching lines. The shrill, hilarious
cheering gradually died out, and the field settled into a forced quiet.

Wayne hurried up to the plate and took his position. He had always
been a timely hitter, and he gritted his teeth in his resolve to settle
this game. Mackay whirled his long arm, wheeled, took his long stride,
and pitched a slow, tantalizing ball that seemed never to get anywhere.
But Wayne waited, timed it perfec