But the next day Foley was back at first in practice and Hale was once more cavorting around third. Gordon Smith was reinstated to his old position at short and the task of covering the middle bag fell to George Peddie. That, of course, put Joe once more on the bench, and once more Joe gave way to discouragement and Jack about made up his mind to lose that wager. But neither Coach Talbot nor Captain Craig was satisfied with a line-up that left out the hitting possibilities of Joe Faulkner, and when the two teams had battled through four innings Foley was taken out and again Joe went to first. By now the school in general, or as much of it as followed the fortunes of the baseball club, was watching the struggle for first base position with much interest. It seemed as though Coach Talbot had decided to give the two contestants equal chances and let them decide the matter themselves! Every day Joe and Frank Foley divided the position. It is not to be denied that Foley was still a more brilliant first baseman than his rival. Foley had a long reach that helped him considerably, had more experience, and was, in fact, a first-class man for the position. It was at the bat that he was forced to play second fiddle. Joe could outhit him two to one. Not only that, but on bases Foley was awkward and slow. He had a positive genius for being caught off the bags, and his attempts to slide were sad failures. Each of the boys had his following amongst the “fans” and whether Faulkner or Foley was to play first base in the Petersburg game became a question that was hotly argued. Foley had at last realised that, contrary to his early season conviction, he did not hold the position securely; that if he meant to retain it he had to play his hardest and, if possible, improve his batting. It was something of a blow to Foley’s self-conceit, for last year he had faced no real rival and had come to look on the place as his. He was no “quitter,” and he made a hard fight of it. He tried his level best to increase his batting average, but without much success. He had heretofore considered that it was enough to field his position and leave the hitting to others, and now he discovered that batting was not a trick to be learned in a few short weeks.