lf and Big Ed Patterson. They were forever hearing vague
reports to the effect that the Allandale pitcher was excelling his
own record, and that his speed had reached a point where it was
attracting the attention of scouts sent abroad through the land by
some of the big teams in the National and American Leagues; so that
in all probability Patterson would be offered a contract calling for
a stupendous salary before the fall came along.

Hugh only laughed whenever these yarns reached him.

"Let Patterson keep on improving," he would say lightly, "and no
backstop can hold him for a minute any more than he could grapple
with cannon balls. We've got some pitcher, also. Tyree is better
than ever before in his life. While he may not have all the speed
to burn that Patterson has, there are a few tricks in his bag that
he means to uncork on Allandale. I'm sorry for those fellows when
they run against Alan in his present shape. Tell them so when you
see them, please."

It would seem from all this talk that the battle was to be one of
pitchers, for the most part. And when finally the time came for
Scranton to journey over to the rival town, there to take up cudgels
with Allandale High, quite a numerous host of the local people went
along, bent on learning just how much truth there might be in the
stories that had drifted across regarding the invincibility of Big
Ed Patterson.

As on previous occasions, there was a tremendous outpouring of interested
spectators. If anything, it was a record crowd, and far excelled in
point of numbers and enthusiasm any gathering that had cheered the
Allandale team on in their two contests against Belleville.

There was a reason for this, of course, since the latter team had
proven to be so woefully weak that they had not thus far managed to
win a single game, and were out of the race for the pennant. On the
other hand, Scranton, while beaten in the first combat with the
locals, had fought gamely, though terribly handicapped by the absence
of their regular star pitcher. Besides, they had really beaten
Belleville both times as badly as had Allandale.

Everybody therefore was anticipating considerable real sport with the
two pitchers on the mound pitted against each other, and the regular
teams covering the various positions on the diamond.

It was a cloudy day, and looked as though it might rain. Hugh noted
this fact and understood just what Coach Leonard meant when he told
them