Both Jolliby and Flint raced after the ball, but Jolliby’s legs carried him to it first. He caught it up and wheeled, seeing that O’Rouke was trying to stretch the hit into a two-bagger. In the matter of throwing the lanky centre-fielder of the home team was a wonder. He now sent the ball on a dead line into the hands of Obediah Tubbs, who received it and jumped into the air as O’Rouke slid, spikes first, for the bag. The runner made the slide in that manner in order to drive Tubbs away; but the leap of the fat boy in the air permitted him to escape being spiked, and he came down with all his weight fairly on the sliding player. Obediah’s bulk stopped O’Rouke as if the fellow had struck a stone wall. His foot was six inches from the bag, and Tubbs had fallen on him. “Judgment!” cried the fat boy shrilly. “Dern my picter! He came near opening a seam in me that time! But, by Jim! I bet he won’t try to put his calks into me again!” In truth the breath had been knocked out of O’Rouke, and he lay still for four or five seconds after Obed got up. “The man is out!” was the umpire’s decision. “What a shame!” yelled Ted Smart. Arlington walked down toward second, receiving the ball from Tubbs as the latter tossed it to him. “You nailed him fast, Obed, my boy,” he said. “You bet I did, by jinks!” grinned Tubbs. “Why didn’t they get an elephant to play second base!” snarled O’Rouke, as he brushed the dust from his suit and walked off the diamond. “Struck a snag, didn’t you, Mike?” asked Tom Grace, the captain of the Great Northern, as O’Rouke returned to the bench. “That’s what I did,” nodded the fellow. “I thought I’d fix him with my spikes that trip, but he just jumped into the air and came down on me like a brick block. I thought he had broken every rib in my body. You fellows want to look out for him when you slide to second.” Hardy, the next batter, sent a nasty little bounder down to Bradley, who fumbled it long enough for the batter to safely reach first. “Now we’re going, boys,” laughed Grace, as he stepped out to hit. “We might as well clinch the game right here in this inning.” “Of course you will do it!” cried Ted Smart. “We know you will! We’ll take delight in seeing you clinch the game!” Chester held Hardy close to first, but the fellow was a good base runner, and he started to steal on the second ball pitched. Grace gave his bat a wild flourish in front of Buckhart, but the Texan was undisturbed by this, and he proceeded to snap the ball on a line to Tubbs, who caught it in time to be waiting for Hardy as the latter made a desperate lunge for the bag. “Tag, you’re it!” piped the fat boy, as he “nailed” the ball onto the runner.