ice, and
a wondering looking youngster came running out. "What are you doing
here--at this hour? Saw you start for Clearport with the team, and----"

"Game's over," cut in Springer. "Rain sus-stopped it."

"Rain? Why----"

"Yes; it's raining over at the Port."

"Rotten! How many innings----"

"Five; just finished the fif-fifth when the clouds started to leak."

"Oh, then it counts as a game," palpitated the interested boy. "How
did the score stand? Who was ahead?"

"Oakdale, six to one," answered Springer over his shoulder as he
hurried on up the street.

"Hooray!" came the elated shout of the rejoicing lad. "Then you
trimmed 'em! Jinks! that's fine. But, say--say, who pitched?"

Springer quickened his stride, seemingly deaf of a sudden. He had felt
the question coming, and he had no heart to answer it. It would be
asked by every fellow in Oakdale who had not attended the game, and, on
learning the truth, they would join in one grand chorus of acclamation
and praise for the Texan. For the time being Grant would be the king
pin of the town.

Reaching home, Phil slipped in quietly without being seen by his mother
and tiptoed up to his room, where, in sour meditation, he spent the
intervening time until supper was ready. In a vague way he realized
that he had, by deserting the team, betrayed himself to all his
comrades as a fellow swayed by petty jealousy; but this thought, which
seemed trying to force itself humiliatingly upon him, he beat back and
thrust aside, persisting in dwelling on the notion that he had been
most shabbily treated by Captain Eliot.

"He led me to believe he meant to give me a chance to-day, and then he
let me warm the bench while Grant went out to win all the glory. It
wasn't a square deal. I'll show him he can't treat me that way! I'll
never pitch again as long as he is captain."

This resolution, however, gave him anything but a feeling of
satisfaction; it was poor retaliation, indeed, for him, who loved the
game so dearly and had looked forward so confidently to this season
when he would be the star pitcher of the nine, to "get square" with
Eliot by refusing to play at all. It would have seemed somewhat better
had he felt certain that his withdrawal must seriously cripple the
nine, but, judging by recent events, it appeared that Oakdale could get
along very well without him--might, indeed, succeed fully as well as it
could with him on the team.

Grant was to bla