Take your base!" said Mr. Blackstone, quite gently.

Reassuringly Mr. Princeman smiled upon his supporters, consisting of
Miss Josephine Stevens and some other summer resorters, and proceeded
to take out his revenge upon the next batter. The first two lofts were
declared to be balls, and then Sam, catching his man playing too far
off, snapped the pill down to the nearest suburb and nailed the first
out. Encouraged by this, Princeman put over three successive strikes,
and there were two gone. The next batter up, however, laced out, for
two easy way-points, the first ball presented him. The next athlete
brought him in with a single, and the next one put down a three-bagger
which bored straight through Princeman and short stop and center field.
That inglorious inning ended with a brilliant throw of Sam's to Billy
Westlake at second, nipping a would-be thief who had hoped to purloin
the seventh tally for Hollis Creek.

Billy Westlake, then taking the bat, increased the Meadow Brook
depression by slapping the soft summer air three vicious spanks and
retiring to think it over, and young Tilloughby bounced a feeble little
bunt square at the feet of Hollis and was tossed out at first by
something like six furlongs. The third batsman popped up a slow, lazy
foul which gave the catcher almost plenty of time to roll a cigarette
before it came down, and the Meadow Brook side was ignominiously
retired. Score, six to nothing at the end of the first.

Princeman hit the first man up in the next inning and sent him down to
the initial bag, which was a flat stone, happily limping. He issued
free transportation to the next man and let the cripple hobble on to
second, chortling with glee. The third man went to the first station
on a measly little bunt with which Sam and Princeman and third base did
some neat and shifty foot work, and the next man up soaked out a Wright
Brothers beauty among the trees over beyond left field, and cleared the
bases amid the perfectly frantic rejoicing of the fickle Miss Josephine
Stevens and all the negligible balance of Hollis Creek. Oh, it was
disgraceful! Sam Turner ground his teeth in impotent rage. He walked
up to Princeman.

"Say, old man," he pleaded. "We've just _got_ to settle down! We
_must_ pull this game out of the fire! We _can't_ let Hollis Creek
walk away with it!"

Princeman was pale, but clutched at his fast-slipping-away nonchalance
with the grip of desperation.

"We'll h