"There's no use talking," broke out Tom hotly, "it was a low down trick. They couldn't beat us with the bat, so they try to do it on a quibble." "I don't know," said Dick, "it's about a stand off. We may have been a little bit better off in brawn, but they had it on us in the matter of brain. Whatever we may think of their sportsmanship, their wits were not wool gathering." "And after all," chimed in Bert, "it is brain that counts to-day in baseball as well as in everything else. More and more, the big leaguers are putting a premium on quick thinking. The mere 'sand lot slugger' is going to the rear, and the college man is coming to the front. It isn't that the collegian is necessarily any brainier, but he has been taught how to use his brains. This is simply a case where the husky hit of the Giants' short-stop was wasted because of the nimble wit of the Cubs' second baseman. It was hit against wit, and wit won out." "All the same," maintained Tom, "it was taking advantage of a technicality. The same thing has been done a hundred times, and there has never been a kick about it. Whenever a player has been sure that the winning run has come in, he has considered it all over, and made a break for the clubhouse. I don't think the question has ever been raised before." "Yes it has," said Mr. Hollis. "That same quick thinker made a point of it the other day in Pittsburgh, and that is all the more reason why the home team ought to have been wide awake. But there is nothing to be gained by post mortems, and anyway the thing isn't settled yet. It looks rather bad for us now, but there will be a full discussion of the matter and the umpires may find something in the rules that will cover the case and give us the run. Even if they don't, it leaves it a tie, and the game will have to be played over. We may win then and get the pennant after all." "I hope so," said Tom, "but just at present I know how they felt in Mudville: "'O somewhere birds are singing and somewhere children shout, But there's no joy in Mudville--mighty Casey has struck out.'" A few days later when the point had been decided in favor of the Cubs and the game played over, only to result in a conclusive victory for the men from the shore of Lake Michigan, the chums met in Bert's rooms. "Well," said Dick, "I see that they put it over, all right. They've copped the pennant and we are only an 'also ran.'" "Yes," replied Tom, "that hit by Tinker over Seymour's head did the business. But there's no use crying over spilt milk. We'll stand them on their heads next year and get even." "By the way, Bert," asked Dick, changing the subject, "have you heard from your examinations yet? How did you make out?"