d that pitcher what
studies he was taking, and he said 'voconometry and trigoculture.'"

The boys pondered a moment.

"I've got it!" shouted Fred, a light breaking in on him. "That fellow's
a 'ringer.' He isn't a Mount Vernon student at all. There's something
the matter with their regular pitcher, and they've picked up this fellow
somewhere and rung him in on us as a regular school player. They've been
afraid we might tumble to it and ask him questions, and so they told him
what to say."

"But why did they tell him to say any nonsense like that?" asked Slim,
perplexed.

"They didn't," explained Fred. "He's got mixed up. What they told him to
say if any one asked him was that he was studying trigonometry and vocal
culture.' He got stuck and called it 'voconometry and trigoculture.'"

There was a roar of laughter, but this was quickly followed by
indignation.

"It's a dirty trick to play on us," growled Billy Burton.

"Sure it is," agreed Tom. "But it's too late to protest now. Let's go in
and lick them anyway."

In the fifth inning, a scorching liner struck Ned on his pitching arm.
He picked it up and got his man at first. But the blow had bruised his
muscles badly, and he became wild. He could not control the sphere, and
gave two bases on balls. These, with an error and a hit sandwiched in,
yielded two runs before the side was out.

"You'll have to take my place, Fred," he said as they came in for their
turn at bat. "My arm is numb and I can't get them over."

So Fred took up the pitching burden with a handicap of two runs against
him to start with.

"All over but the shouting," yelled the Mount Vernon rooters.

But they changed their tune as Fred shot his curves and benders over the
plate. He pitched his prettiest, and only once was in danger. Then, with
a man on first and one out, a rattling double play started by Teddy
pulled him out of the hole.

But the other fellow, too, was pitching magnificently.

CHAPTER XXIX

ANDY SHANKS "GETS HIS"

The Mount Vernon partisans were in an ecstasy of delight at the lead
their favorites were holding and from present indications seemed likely
to hold to the end. They yelled their loudest at every good play made by
the home team, and did all they could to keep them up to fighting pitch.

The Rally Hall followers, although of course outnumbered, kept up their
end and shouted until they were hoarse. Among these none were more
vociferous than Lester Lee an