The Varsity twirler did occupy the box for the Freshmen nine, and no objection had been raised to this arrangement until nearly time for the Tuckerton game. Then the nine of that school sent in a formal protest, objection to Bill on the ground that though a first year lad, he was not properly a member of the Freshman team, since he was the Varsity pitcher. “Well, we’ll just ignore that objection, and if they don’t want to play with Bill in the box we’ll claim the game by forfeit,” decided Armitage. The dispute waxed hot and an appeal was taken to the student body which governed athletics among the members of the school league. They decided that Bill could pitch. “Well, he won’t if we fellows have any spunk,” declared Borden, the Tuckerton captain. “Spunk? How do you mean?” asked Swain, the pitcher. “I mean that we can put up a game on him so that he can’t pitch against us, and they’ll have to put in Potter, the substitute. We can knock _him_ out of the box, but Bill Smith is no easy mark. It means losing the game for us to bat against Bill.” “But what can we do?” asked Swain. “Get Bill out of the way the day before the game.” “How?” “Kidnap him, of course. Spirit him away, and keep him in cold storage until we win. Are you game?” “Can it be done?” asked Swain. “Of course. I’ll arrange it, if you fellows will help.” “Certainly we will, but how is it to be done?” “Easy enough. We’ll just meet him in the dark on the road, bundle him into my auto, and take him to a quiet place where he can’t get away.” Borden was a rich youth, and had an automobile which he had brought to school with him. He went more into detail about his plan, and after realizing that it would mean losing the game if Bill pitched against them, his teammates somewhat reluctantly agreed to the scheme. They thought they were within their rights for they totally disagreed with the finding of the governing body that Bill was entitled to pitch as a Freshman, even though he was on the Varsity. “Suppose they find out we did it, and take the game from us even after we win?” suggested Cadmus, who was the Tuckerton Freshman catcher. “They’ll never discover it,” boasted Borden. “They’ll lay it to some of the Sophs or Juniors at Westfield, and Bill will never recognize us for we’ll wear masks.” “All right, we’re with you,” decided his chums. “Now for the details.” These were soon settled. It was agreed that Bill should be captured the night before the game, when there would be little chance that he could be rescued in time to play. “But how will we get hold of him,” asked Cadmus. “I’ll send him some sort of a message,” replied Borden. “I’ll write a note, in a disguised hand, and ask him to call at a certain place in the village. We’ll be on the lookout and when he goes past that lonely stretch of woods, on the main road we’ll grab him, run him off in my car to a place I know of, and leave him there.”