“I arrived about half an hour ago. Been playing ball, Walter?” Mr. Borden inquired, as he glanced at his boy’s uniform. Walter laughed as he replied, “I thought better of you than that. What did you think I wore this suit for? To hoe potatoes?” “One might suspect something of the kind,” said Mr. Borden smilingly. “It certainly couldn’t look worse if you had been hoeing potatoes.” “That’s what I got in sliding to second,” explained Walter as he glanced at his discolored suit. “I’m awfully glad you came, pop,” he added affectionately. “I’ve got something to say to you.” “How much?” asked his father in mock seriousness as he at once thrust his hand into his pocket. “It isn’t money――at least, it isn’t money for me.” “What then?” “You know Dan Richards, don’t you?” “Is he the boy that lives with his mother on the farm yonder?” “Yes, sir. He’s one of the finest fellows I ever met.” “I’m glad to hear that.” “Yes, sir; he is. And he told me the other day that he was saving up his money――――” “Did he explain how, clearly enough for you to see?” broke in Mr. Borden good-naturedly. “I shall be glad if――――” “No,” interrupted Walter, “he’s saving his money so that he can go to the normal school this year and then he wants to go to college.” “A very worthy ambition――if he has the root of the matter in him.” “He has. He’s one of the best fellows that ever lived! He struck out fifteen men in to-day’s game!” “Indeed!” “Yes, sir; he did! Now what I want is for you to send him to the Tait School with me this year.” “And he struck out fifteen men,” laughed Mr. Borden. “Yes, sir; I wish you might have seen him! It was wonderful! And he’ll do well in school and in college too! He’s one of those quiet fellows who always do everything well.” “That means a thousand dollars a year, Walter.” “Well, you can cut down my allowance. He can room with me. I’m sure he’d have a good influence over me and you often say you care more for that than you do for anything else.” “I do, my boy. You’d better get ready for supper now. We’ll talk about this matter later.” “What a generous boy Walter is!” said his mother fondly as her son departed. “What makes you think that?” inquired her husband. “Because he wants to help Dan. And Dan is a good boy. He is fond of Walter, and I hear that he is very good to his mother, who is a widow.” “Likewise he struck out fifteen to-day,” retorted Mr. Borden quizzically. “What makes you laugh?” demanded Mrs. Borden a little resentfully. “I’m sure I don’t know just what that means, but it must be something good.” CHAPTER IX STUDYING A BOY “It is good, very good, indeed. It isn’t often a young pitcher can do so well as that, but I fancy he didn’t have any very skillful batters to face,” laughed Mr. Borden. “I don’t know what ‘struck out’ means,” said Mrs. Borden. “It doesn’t mean that Dan struck anybody, does it?” “Not necessarily.”