know the first thing about the game, understand me, and he kicks yet
that he wants to be pitcher!"

Golnik flapped the air with his right hand.

"Never mind I don't know nothing about the game!" he declared. "Not
only I am president of the society, but I am the designer in your
place--ain't it? And if you think it's _bekovet_ you are giving this
_Aleer_ to Kanef, which he is only a shipping clerk, understand me, I
think differencely."

"But what is the honour about being a pitcher?" Eschenbach protested.
"There's a whole lot of pitchers which they couldn't sign their names
even."

"That's all right, too," Golnik declared. "Might I don't know nothing
about this here baseball, Mr. Eschenbach, but I could read in the
papers, understand me; and an up-to-date, high-grade pitcher is getting
his ten thousand a year yet."

"_Schmooes_, ten thousand a year!" exclaimed Eschenbach. "What does a
pitcher amount to anyway? Supposing a pitcher gets fresh with the
umpire, _verstehst du mich_, and the umpire orders the pitcher he
should get off the field, y'understand--he dassent give him no back
talk nor nothing. He must got to go, _verstehst du_, because in
baseball the pitcher is nothing and the umpire everything."

"Umpire?" Golnik replied. "What is that--an umpire?"

"The umpire is a kind of a foreman," Eschenbach continued, "only bigger
yet--which if you would be umpire, that's an honour; _aber_ a pitcher
is nothing."

Here he winked furtively at Louis Birsky.

"And I says to Mr. Birsky only the other day," he went on, "I says, 'We
must make the designer the umpire,' I says; 'because such an _Aleer_
really belongs to the designer.' _Aber_ if you are so stuck on being
pitcher, understand me, we would make you the pitcher, and the shipping
clerk will be the umpire."

Golnik shrugged his shoulders.

"It don't make no difference to me one way or the other," he said; "so
I am content I should be the umpire."

"_Schon gut!_" Eschenbach cried as he laid down a heavy valise he had
brought with him. "And now, boys, let's get busy."

He opened the valise and produced a catcher's mask and mitt, a bat, and
three balls.

"Here, you!" he said, throwing one of the balls to Kanef.

During the discussion with Golnik, Kanef had maintained the bent and
submissive attitude becoming in a shipping clerk toward his superior;
but when Eschenbach flung the ball at him he straightened up
immediately and, to the surprise and delight of t