Mr. Cooper chuckled and Clif laughed loudly. “You mean two years,” said the latter. “I’ve got as much chance――” “Hold on!” warned Loring. “That’s the wrong thought, Clif. Just remember this. When we started this――this campaign neither you nor Tom had much idea of even making the second. Now Tom’s gone up to the first and you’ve licked Burke for center fielder. There’s three weeks yet, and if we all carry on and concentrate hard――” “And play hard,” interpolated Mr. Cooper quietly. “Yes, and play hard, there’s no telling what may happen. Mr. Connover still needs fellows on his team who can make hits, Clif, and if you keep on swatting the way you have been, and we all put our thoughts on it, I wouldn’t be surprised if Mr. Connover took you over, too.” Clif stared incredulously. “You’re nutty, Loring,” he sighed. “It’s a shame, too, for you gave promise of becoming a brilliant guy some day. I guess you’re one of those――those monomaniacs you read about.” “Seems to me,” observed Tom, “you and Steve are getting sort of thick, Loring. It looked this afternoon as if you were telling him how to run the team.” “Not exactly,” laughed Loring, “but we were having a rather hot argument.” “For Pete’s sake! What about?” “Oh, I don’t mean a violent argument. Perhaps discussion would be better. You remember when first had Raiford on third and Talbott on second with two out in the fourth inning? The second team infield played back to get the runner at first base. Well, Mr. Connover told Cobham to hit it out. His thought was, of course, that if Cob hit safely those two runs would come across. What Cob did do was fly out to Slim Scott about ten feet back of the base path. I wanted to get at Mr. Connover’s reasoning and so I asked him. He told me that Cob was ordinarily a long hitter, when he did hit, and that as those two runs were badly needed he thought the best play was to let Cob soak the ball.” “And why wasn’t it?” asked Clif. “Cob has got some long hits off Purdy before to-day.” “Perhaps it was,” answered Loring. “But it didn’t seem so to me. That’s what led to the discussion.” “You think Cob should have bunted, eh?” asked Tom. “Yes, because the infielders were playing too far back to handle a bunt to first base in time. Cob’s a left-handed batter. If he had laid a bunt down the first base line Raiford would have scored, Talbott would have reached third and Cob would have been safe.” “And there’d have been one run in instead of two,” objected Tom. “But still only two down. Cob could have stolen second on the first pitch, and the situation would have been just as it was before, except that the infield might have played short, expecting the next man would also bunt, and in that case any sort of a hit past the infield would have scored again. What really happened――” “Sure. Cob flied out because he picked a bad one,” said Tom. “But if he had hit safe――”