“You’ll be a puddin’ for me,” he declared. Instantly Merry resolved to strike Madison out. He gave Hodge a signal which Bart understood. Frank began with the double shoot. Madison fancied the first ball pitched was just what he wanted and slashed at it with all his strength. He missed. “Strike one!” cried Starbright. “Accident,” said Madison. “I’ll hit the next one I go after.” Merry reversed the curve, and Madison missed again, much to his wonderment and disgust. “Give me another just like that,” he urged. “Here it is,” said Merry, and he actually pitched another of the same sort as the last. “You’re out!” declared Starbright, as the bruiser missed the third time. Madison was astounded and infuriated. “Wait till my turn comes again!” he snarled, as he flung the bat down. “Get-a ready to score, you black-a rascal,” cried Tonando to Johnson, as he danced out to the plate. “I’s waitin’, ma-a-an,” retorted Johnson, dancing off third and back again. “Just yo’ git any kind of a hit an’ see me cleave de air.” Tonando let one pass and then met the next, getting a safe single on a fast grounder that Rattleton failed to touch. “Just as e-e-easy, chillun!” laughed Johnson, as he came home. “Why, dis is a cinch!” The crowd now redoubled its ridicule of Merriwell. Gibson prepared to hit, being overconfident. To his surprise, he missed twice. Then he put up an easy infield fly and was out, which retired the side. Cartersville had made two runs in the first inning, and every man on the team felt that they might have obtained many more with ease. Without letting them secure too many runs, Merry had placed them in a frame of mind that would enable him to deceive them for a while, at least, before they awoke to their mistake. The first three batters for the visitors fanned the air, seeming utterly bewildered by the curves and speed of Weaver, the Indian pitcher. “Oh, you’re pretty stickers!” derided a small boy. “You won’t git a hit to-day!” In the second inning neither team scored, although it seemed more by bungling good fortune than anything else that the Merries held their opponents down. The fact was that Cameron had warned his players not to get too long a lead. He was perfectly at his ease, fully believing his team quite outclassed the visitors and could win the game by heavy batting in a single inning, if necessary. In this manner the game slipped along with neither side making further runs until the sixth inning. In the last of the sixth the visitors sprang a surprise on Cameron’s men. Morgan led off with a hit, Badger sacrificed him to second. Hodge sacrificed him to third, and Frank brought him home with a slashing two-bagger. That made the spectators sit up and take notice. It also aroused Carey Cameron, causing him to realize the possible danger that the amateurs might make a spurt when such a thing was least expected. He was relieved when Weaver struck Gamp out.