The Rival Pitchers: A Story of College BaseballChadwick, Lester
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The Rival Pitchers: A Story of College Baseball
Chadwick, Lester
Baseball stories; College sports -- Juvenile fiction
"So am I, but that's all the good it'll do. If they don't put enough on
you in your room they'll tackle you outside, when you're alone, and
maybe chuck you into the river or lake, or make you walk Spanish, or
force you to parade through town doing the wheelbarrow act. Oh, you've
got to take some hazing in one form or another."
"Well, I don't mind getting my share. So they're coming to-night, eh?"
"So the twin said."
"The twin--who's he?"
"The little fellow that brought word. I don't know whether he was Jerry
or Joe Jackson. I didn't look closely enough to see."
"Why, is it hard to tell?"
"Sure. They're two brothers, Jerry and Joe. They come from some town in
New Jersey. We call them the 'Jersey Twins,' and they look so much alike
it's hard to tell them apart. The only way you can tell is when they're
playing ball."
"How then?"
"Why, Jerry plays right field, and Joe left. Then it's easy to say which
is which; but when they come to bat it always happens that some one on
the other team makes a kick. They think we're ringing in the same man
twice, and we have to explain. That's what I've heard. Of course, I've
only been here a week."
"Oh, then they've played here some time?"
"Yes; they're juniors. It was mighty white of Jerry or Joe, whichever it
was, to tip us off. Now we'll be ready for the sophs."
"What can you do?"
"Well, if you know in time, as we do now, we can take down the best
things in our room, so they won't get busted, and we can hide the bed
clothes, so they won't get soaked. Then we can put on our old clothes.
It's no fun to have a good suit ruined, especially when you don't find
new clothes growing on trees."
"That's right. Let's go to our room and make ready."
"Oh, we've got plenty of time. I fancy it won't be until after dark. The
only thing is for all of us freshmen to keep together if we go out. For
if they catch two or three of us alone they'll put it all over us. But I
guess there won't be any scrub game now. The sophs would break it up."
"When do we have any rest from them?"
"In about two weeks. After the pole rush."
"The pole rush?"
"Yes. It's an old college custom, as Fenton's uncle would say. We
freshmen form a ring about the big flag-pole on a certain night and the
sophs try to pull us away. If they make us leave inside of fifteen
minutes it means we can't wear the class college colors until next term.
If we win, why, we sport a hat like Fenton had--the one Morse and
Denfield slashed up."
"I see. But, say, I'd like to know more about the ball team. Does
Langridge run it all?"
The two lads by this time were in their room, where they proceeded to
hide under the beds and bureaus their choicest possessions against the
prospective raid. It was close to the supper hour and they did not have
much time.
"No, Langridge doesn't run everything," answered Sid. "He's manager,
that's all."
"That seems a lot."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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