Hughie read this with a good deal of interest but Crossley had shown up pretty well in practice and Jenkins was inclined to think that the boy might have gotten over his childishness since, being at Lowell. So Hughie decided to reserve his judgment. When the first Varsity list was made up a few days later, Hughie and the coaches had finally to decide between Crossley and Hal as left-hand pitchers. They both showed up about the same in the box and the decision was finally made in Hal’s favor. So his name went on the list and Crossley was sent to the second squad. Now Crossley had wanted this automobile very much and he was disappointed. He felt that Case had beat him out of the position. He became furiously jealous and made a resolution that he would “get” Hal in one way or another. What the way was he himself did not know, but he had a cunning mind and he decided to lay some deep plans to undermine Hal, and then he would get the job and the auto. A day or two after the Colfax game, the two squads were lined up for general practice. The practice was principally devoted to batting and base running. One squad would take the field lined up in the regular positions, and the other at bat. Each batter remained at the plate until he got a hit. Then he ran to first of course. From there he was expected to steal his way round the bases. Of course it is hard to steal a base when the other side knows what you are going to do, but stealing bases is a very important part of the game. Everson was on the lines helping Hughie instructing on base stealing. And squad No. 2 was at bat. Hal had been asked to see what he could do at the second bag. A few minutes afterward Crossley came up for his turn at bat, and made a hit and went to first. Then Hughie, who was on the coaching line back of first, told him to steal on the next ball pitched. Crossley was a good runner and Hal was not used to the position. He had stuck to the bag the way first basemen do, to receive the throw from the catcher. The catcher threw quickly to Hal who had the ball in his hand waiting for Crossley when the latter was still fifteen feet from the base. The natural thing for Crossley to have done was to slide. Instead he came the rest of the way standing up, and when he was five feet from the bag he gave a jump for the bag, and landed with both feet, spikes and all, on Hal’s right foot, cutting him badly, and knocking him down. They both rolled over in the dirt, and Hal had to be picked up and carried from the field. Hughie and Everson had hold of Crossley and were calling him various kinds of names for such bone-headed conduct--for once in their lives both of these boys had been fooled--they thought what they had seen was Crossley’s idea of stealing a base and were wondering where he got such an idea.