[Illustration: SAFE AT HOME] THOSE SMITH BOYS ON THE DIAMOND OR NIP AND TUCK FOR VICTORY BY HOWARD R. GARIS _Author of Uncle Wiggily and Alice in Wonderland, Uncle Wiggily Longears, Uncle Wiggily and Mother Goose, Uncle Wiggily’s Arabian Nights_ [Illustration] MADE IN U. S. A. M·A·DONOHUE·&·COMPANY CHICAGO NEW YORK Made in U. S. A. COPYRIGHT, 1912 BY R. F. FENNO & COMPANY _Those Smith Boys on the Diamond_ CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I A CLOSE GAME 9 II A FIRE DEPARTMENT RUN 19 III A LEAKY BOAT 30 IV A GREAT HOME RUN 39 V OFF FOR WESTFIELD 50 VI A LIVELY HAZING 58 VII MOVING THE SENIOR STONE 69 VIII ORGANIZING THE NINE 77 IX BILL IS HIT 84 X THE DOCTOR’S VERDICT 91 XI MEETING AN OLD FRIEND 96 XII PROFESSOR CLATTER’S PLAN 105 XIII BILL IS HIMSELF AGAIN 113 XIV THE TRY-OUT 125 XV THE CONSPIRATORS 131 XVI CAUGHT 136 XVII BILL’S PITCHING 141 XVIII A PLOT AGAINST BILL 154 XIX THE PROFESSOR’S WARNING 160 XX THE PLOTTERS CAUGHT 171 XXI AN INTERRUPTED SUPPER 181 XXII HITTING A BULLY 190 XXIII THE FIGHT 197 XXIV THE KIDNAPPED PITCHER 203 XXV TO THE RESCUE 211 XXVI JUST IN TIME 219 XXVII A SCRIMMAGE 230 XXVIII THE GLASSES ARE GONE 235 XXIX MERSFELD IN THE BOX 239 XXX BILL’S FALL 245 XXXI “PLAY BALL!” 250 XXXII NIP AND TUCK FOR VICTORY 257 XXXIII WINNING THE PENNANT 263 THOSE SMITH BOYS ON THE DIAMOND OR NIP AND TUCK FOR VICTORY THOSE SMITH BOYS ON THE DIAMOND CHAPTER I A CLOSE GAME “Come on now, Bateye, soak it in!” “Say, are you going to hold that ball all day?” “What’s the matter with you; didn’t you ever see a horsehide before?” “Oh, for the love of Mike! Throw it! Throw it! Do you want to give ’em a run?” “That’s the way! Wake up, Bateye!” These were only a few of the expressions and questions hurled by the other players at Bateye Jones, the Freeport rightfielder, who, after running back to recover a ball that had passed high over his head, was holding the sphere for a moment until he had made sure of the position of the runner, Jake Jensen, of the Vandalia team.