Scarcely crediting his eyes, Loring shouted his delight so loudly that even Tom, making his way back from the plate, heard and waved. “What do you think of that?” Loring demanded of Wattles. “He hasn’t hit like that all season! Wasn’t that corking, Wattles?” “Oh, quite, sir,” replied Wattles warmly. “He certainly poked out a remarkably nice bingle, Mr. Loring.” There was great rejoicing amongst the Triumvirate that evening, and Clif spoke for all when he said: “Gee, I wish Mr. Cooper was here with us!” But Mr. Cooper didn’t appear and so didn’t hear Tom’s frank acknowledgment of indebtedness to him. “You see,” he explained earnestly, “I got to thinking over what he said last night; about the right way to do a thing being to _do_ it, you know. Say, there’s a whole lot in that, fellows. He said a mouthful! Well, I got to thinking about it, as I said before, and I just made up my mind that I’d quit all the funny business, all the psychology stuff and the ‘I-Will’ rot, and――” “Do you mean,” demanded Loring in pained tones, “that you didn’t――didn’t have your mind on――” “You bet I didn’t,” answered Tom triumphantly. “I didn’t use my mind at all. I didn’t think about anything! I just stepped out there and walloped the old apple!” “But you must have subconsciously determined――” “I didn’t even think of the old subconscious,” declared Tom brutally. “I tell you I kept clear of all that stuff. I――” “Hold on a minute,” laughed Clif. “Just awhile ago you said you ‘made up your mind to quit all the funny business.’” “Huh?” said Tom blankly. “Well, but, hang it, that was last night! To-day I didn’t make up my mind to anything! I didn’t have any mind! That’s why I came across, I’m telling you.” But Loring was smiling again. “It’s perfectly simple,” he explained. “You made up your mind last night what you were going to do to-day. So, of course, you didn’t have to think any more about it this afternoon. See what I mean? You’ve got your will power working so perfectly now that it’s good for twenty-four hours, Tom!” “I have?” Tom looked startled at first, and then very proud. “Is that how it was? Just like a clock, eh? I wind it up to-night and it runs until to-morrow night? Say, that’s great! I always suspected I had a grand little mind!” “Never mind your grand little mind,” said Clif. “What we want to know is whether you can keep it up. Hitting the ball, I mean, and hitting it the right way.” “Sure, I can! Heck, there’s no trick to it after you learn how.” “Still, I noticed you got only one hit off Sam Erlingby in three times up.” “What of it? That hit was a humdinger, wasn’t it? Tyson didn’t get within three feet of it! The other times Sam fooled me with a slow one once when I was up, and then Tusks told me to bunt and Sam kept them all low the next time. Heck, that’s no――no criticism!”