base sat Jones! Well, anyone could guess what would likely happen after that. With two balls already wasted, the pitcher tried to do what was wise; that is, pass the pinch hitter and wait for the next batsman. And so, while Audelsville howled and cheered and hooted, he tossed another wide ball. Then Jerry saw what he was up to, saw his chance to make a hero of himself being snatched from his grasp, and was enraged. “Oh, put one over!” he taunted. “You don’t dare to give me a chance at one!” He leaped to the end of the batter’s box and waved his bat exasperatingly at the troubled pitcher. “You’re afraid, you Providence Prune!” Now whether the pitcher meant to sneak a strike over or whether he meant the next delivery to be a ball will never be known, but Jerry will tell you that no one could ask for a better offering than came to him. It sped in fairly high, broke slowly and came straight over the plate. To have refused it would have been a positive crime, Jerry declared afterwards. So he didn’t refuse it. He swung sharply, met it fairly and squarely and sent it whizzing high and far into rightfield. All eyes followed it and hearts began to sink. Out there rightfielder, turning, was running back slowly. He could catch it, certainly, and the game would be over. Then, suddenly, the fielder scurried back further, watching the descending ball over his shoulder. And then, just how it happened wasn’t apparent, up went his right hand high in the air, he toppled over backward, and the ball rolled away from him across the grass! The tying runs had crossed the plate and Jerry was faltering at second. Now he took up the running again. He was at third before the fielder had recovered the ball and sped it to second baseman. Lyman waved him toward home. Half-way there the ball left second baseman’s hands and Jerry, with a final frantic charge, slid over ten feet of dust and hooked one foot into the plate, avoiding the catcher’s wild lunge of the ball and scoring the eighth and winning tally! The high school scorer credited Jerry with a home run, on the presumption that the ball had been an impossible one to handle. The Providence scorer gave him a two-base hit and put an error down to rightfielder. I fancy the latter story came nearer the truth of the matter. Not that it mattered much, however, for Audelsville tramped home in joyous triumph, Jerry became a hero, and Providence Preparatory Academy retired with trailing banners and muttered vows of revenge. So absorbed in the glorious ninth inning victory were Tom and Willard and Spider that they reached town before it dawned on them that Teddy Thurston had mysteriously disappeared and that they hadn’t got their sodas! “Never mind,” said Willard darkly, “we’ll make him pay up yet. That kid will come to a bad end, you mark my words, fellows!” Later, when Tom and Willard paused at a corner to say good night, Willard volunteered: “Say, Tom, you know something?” “Not much,” laughed Tom. “What is it?”