Several times he made
in his throat a faint sound like a muttered growl of satisfaction, as
he saw those batters hitting the ball to all parts of the field, and
finally he triumphantly whispered:

"Well, I don't see that he's doing anything. They're pounding him all
over the lot."

But, at the suggestion of Eliot, Rodney Grant was simply putting the
ball over, now and then using speed, of which he apparently had enough,
and occasionally mixing in a curve. Behind the pan Eliot would hold up
his big mitt first on one corner then the other, now high, now low, and
almost invariably the ball came whistling straight into the pocket of
that mitt, which caused Roger to nod his head and brought to his face a
faint touch of that rare smile seldom seen there.

"Good control, Rod, old man," he praised. "That's one of the most
essential qualities a pitcher can have."

"Bah!" muttered the envious lad on the bleachers. "What's that amount
to, if a fellow hasn't the curves at his command?"

Presently, with Barker stepping out to hit, Eliot called Grant, met him
ten feet in front of the plate, and they exchanged a few words in low
tones, after which Roger returned to his position and gave the regular
finger signals that he would use in a game.

Barker slashed at a high one close across his shoulders and missed. He
let two wide ones pass, and fouled when a bender cut a corner.

"Two strikes!" cried Sage, who was still umpiring. "Look out or he'll
strike you out, Berlin."

With a faint smile, the batter shrugged his shoulders, and then he did
his best to meet the next pitched ball, which seemed to be the kind he
especially relished. To his surprise, he missed it widely, for the
ball took a sharp drop at the proper moment to deceive him.

"You're out," laughed Sage. "He did get you."

"He did for a fact," agreed Berlin. "That was a dandy drop, Grant. I
wasn't looking for it."

Rodney put the next one straight over, and Berlin hit to Cooper at
short.

Jack Nelson followed, and he was likewise surprised to be struck out,
Grant using his drop twice in the performance.

"Hi there, you!" shouted Nelson. "What did you put on the old ball,
anyhow? Pitch? Well, I wouldn't be surprised if you could, some."

"You bet he will," called Phil Springer delightedly. "I'll have him
delivering the goods before the season is half over."

"Bah!" again muttered Hooker. "You're a fool, Springer."

Later he saw Eliot and Barke