game, he eventually decided that he was a fool. Having reached this
conclusion, he set off in great haste for the gymnasium, running the
greater part of the distance.

Drawing near the gym, he could hear the boys engaged in the game beyond
the high board fence. It did not take him long to shed his outer
clothes and get into a baseball suit.

The game was in the second inning, with the regular team at bat and
Hooker pitching for the scrub, which was made up partly of grammar
school boys. Everybody seemed to be watching Roy, and Phil walked on
to the field and toward one of the benches without attracting attention.

"Look at Hook!" whooped Chipper Cooper. "He's actually trying to
strike Roger out!"

Eliot was at bat, and the umpire had just called the second strike on
him. There were no runners on the sacks.

"He struck aout Tut in t'other innin'," drawled Sile Crane. "I guess
that's got him puffed up some."

Apparently not at all discomposed by these remarks, Hooker continued
steadily about his business, and presently, rousing a shout of
surprise, he succeeded in fanning the captain of the nine. Roger
stepped back from the plate, after striking out, and stood there gazing
at Roy, with one of his strange, rare smiles.

Crane followed. "Dinged if I wouldn't like ter see him fan me!" he
said.

A moment later Hooker pulled him handsomely on a wide one, and the
first strike was called, Cooper being again awakened to a wondering,
whooping state of merriment.

"Look out! look out!" shouted the little fellow. "He'll get you if you
don't. Who said Hooky couldn't pitch? There's more pitch in him than
you can find in a big chew of spruce gum."

Crane, setting his teeth, made two fouls, and then sent Chipper into
real convulsions by whiffing at a high one which Roy whistled across
his shoulders with surprising accuracy.

"You wanted to see it," yelled Cooper. "You got a look, all right.
Oh, say! Where did this new Christy Mathewson come from, anyhow? Look
out for him, Roddy, or he'll add you to his list. List' to my warning."

Rodney Grant did not strike out, but, nevertheless, he failed to meet
one of Hooker's shoots squarely, and the grammar school shortstop
gathered in an easy grounder and threw to first for the third put-out.

Roger Eliot lingered to speak a word to Hooker, and Springer, still
unnoticed, plainly heard what he said.

"Perhaps we've made a mistake in sizing you up, Roy, old fellow.