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
The next day the scrub team went on a little trip to Morriston to play a
small semi-professional nine, and Tom had a chance to show what he could
do in the box. He gave a fine exhibition of pitching, so much so that
the other nine was held down to a goose-egg score, and there were very
few hits secured off Tom. The scrubs were wild about it and held a
celebration, for it was the best victory they had scored yet.
During the next few days Tom saw little of Langridge. In fact the
'varsity pitcher seemed to be keeping out of the way of the lad who had
remonstrated with him.
"I'll see him at the Boxer game Saturday," thought Tom. "If I get a
chance, I'll make one more attempt, though I'm afraid it won't do any
good."
The next Boxer contest was a sort of annual mid-season affair. It was
a game which members of the alumnæ of both colleges made it a point
to attend in even greater numbers than at the contests deciding the
championship. In fact of late years there had been no chance for such
exhibitions, for Randall did not have a "look in" at the pennant, as
Holly Cross used to say.
The game was to take place on the Randall grounds, and before the hour
when it was to be played the stands and bleachers began filling up. It
was a beautiful afternoon about the middle of May and a better one for a
game could not have been had, even if made to order.
Oh, how Tom wanted to play! But he could only look on. The regular team
came out for practice, with the substitutes waiting for a chance to
go in. Then out trotted the Boxer Hall lads, to be received with a
cheer. There were pretty girls galore, each one waving the flag of her
particular college. Tom moved about in the grandstand, trying to pretend
to himself that he was not looking for any one, but all the same his
heart gave a great thump when he heard some one call:
"Tom! Mr. Parsons!"
"Why, how do you do, Miss Tyler?" he exclaimed. "I didn't know you were
coming."
"Oh, yes, I wouldn't miss this for anything. I just love to see the old
graduates. They are so interesting, just as if they were boys again."
She made room for Tom beside her, and he gladly availed himself of the
chance.
"Yes, there are quite a few of the old boys on hand to-day," he
remarked. "Look at those two," and he pointed to two well-dressed men,
each attired in a tall silk hat and a frock coat. They each had a
gold-headed cane and they were very staid in looks, yet at the sight of
each other they rose in their seats, clasped hands across the heads of
intervening persons and one, the elder, cried out:
"Well, well! If it isn't old Skeeziks! How are you? I haven't seen you
since I graduated in '73!"
"Nor me you, you old fish-pedler! How are things? Do you remember the
day we kidnaped Mrs. Maguire and took all her chickens?"
"Hush! Not so loud!" cautioned the other, his face breaking into smiles.
"The faculty never found out who did that, and there's no use telling
now. But I am glad to see you. Do you think our boys will win?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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