homes. But let's not forget
each other and how we plugged this year. Sure, it was only baseball,
but, after all, I think good, hard play, on the square and against long
odds, will do as much for you as your studies. Let the old baseball
coach assure you of that."

He paused, paced a few steps to and fro, hands behind his back,
thoughtful and somewhat sad.

The members of the varsity sat pale and still, faces straight before
them, eyes shining with memory of that long up-hill struggle, and
glistening, too, with the thought that the time had come for parting.

"Homans, will you please see to the election of the new captain?"
said Worry.

Homans stepped out briskly and placed a hat, twelve folded slips of
paper, and a pencil upon the table.

"Fellows, you will follow me in our regular batting order," directed
Homans. "Each man is to write his name on one side of a slip of paper
and his choice for captain on the other side. Drop the paper in the hat."

Homans seated himself at the table and quickly cast his vote. Raymond
hobbled up next. Reddy Ray followed him. And so, in silence, and with
a certain grave dignity of manner that had yet a suggestion of pleasure,
the members of the varsity voted.

When they had resumed their seats Homans turned the slips out of the
hat and unfolded them.

"These votes will be given to the athletic directors and kept on record,"
he said. "But we will never see but one side of them. That is Wayne's
rule in electing captains, so the players will not know how each voted.
But this is an occasion I am happy to see when we shall all know who
voted for who. It shall be a little secret of which we will never speak."

He paused while he arranged the slips neatly together.

"There are here twelve votes. Eleven have been cast for one player--one
for another player! Will you all please step forward and look?"

In an intense stillness the varsity surrounded the table. There was
a sudden sharp gasp from one of them.

With a frank, glad smile Homans held out his hand.

"CAPTAIN WARD!"

THE END

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Young Pitcher, by Zane Grey

*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE YOUNG PITCHER ***

***** This file should be named 19246.txt or 19246.zip *****
This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
http://www.gutenberg.org/1/9/2/4/19246/

Produced by Justin Gillbank and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at h