CHAPTER XXX

THE WINNING GAME

Frank Watson’s face was a study in emotions as he stood beside his stepfather, confronting Ned, Bob and Jerry. He tried to speak, but, for a moment, could not.

“You boys must have shaken hands a lot of times already,” went on Mr. Hobson, “but shake again, Frank, and I will too, for it isn’t every day I have my life saved, you know,” and he laughed, though there was deep feeling in his words.

“They saved your life?” asked Frank hesitatingly.

“That’s what they did--from my burning auto. And they put out the fire, too, and saved the machine. I got it back from the garage all right, Jerry,” he went on. “Much obliged to you.”

Frank held out his hand toward the tall lad.

“Fellows, I--I--er--I guess I’ve been just a plain cad,” Frank confessed with a shame-faced air. “Will you shake?”

“Of course!” cried Jerry heartily, and their hands met in a firm clasp. In turn Ned and Bob shook hands with the baseball captain.

“What does it mean?” asked Mr. Hobson. “Weren’t you boys--Didn’t you know one another--and playing on the college nine?” he cried.

“It’s a long story, Dad,” broke in Frank. “Come up to my room--you too, Jerry, Ned and Bob,” he went on, “and we’ll talk it out. I’ve been a big fool, I guess, but I’m done now. Come on.”

He linked one arm with Jerry, the other with Mr. Hobson, while the latter held on to Ned and Ned to Bob, and in this fashion they marched off the baseball field.

“Well, what do you know about that?” cried Bart, seeing what had happened.

“Frank has made up with the three inseparables!” exclaimed Bill.

“It’s the best thing that could have happened, but I don’t know how it came about,” added Ted Newton.

The story of the reconciliation was soon known all through the college.

Meanwhile, up in Frank’s room, a scene was taking place that brought out many feelings and emotions. Mr. Hobson told Frank all about the rescue, and then Frank, brushing aside his stubborn will and pride, told of the wrong impression he had conceived regarding our heroes and of his holding aloof from them.

“Well, well!” exclaimed Mr. Hobson. “I guess it’s a good thing I came along. I wrote you, Frank, about three lads getting me out of a bad predicament, but I didn’t give you all the particulars, for I was too busy to write much, traveling all over the West.”

“And you never mentioned their names,” said Frank.

“No, I guess I didn’t.”

“And we never knew Mr. Hobson was your stepfather,” added Jerry. “In fact, we never heard that your stepfather’s name was Hobson.”

“No, I guess I was too uppish to let you hear much of me,” returned Frank, with a laugh. “But it will be different from now on. We’ll be friends; won’t we?”

“Sure!” chorused Jerry and Bob, as they shook hands all around.

“But you won’t squeal on us any more when we have a midnight spread, or hoist the sacred picture on the flagpole; will you?” Ned demanded.

Frank’s face flushed.

“I did squeal on you about that first spread, and I gave the proctor the key,” he confessed, “and I’m mighty sorry I did it. I was just mad. But I didn’t squeal about the picture!”

“You didn’t?” cried Ned. “Then who did?”

“I don’t know,” Frank replied, “but I don’t believe it was any of the fellows.”

“I’ll find out,” Ned declared.

There was an impromptu celebration of the victorious nine that evening, and Proctor Thornton was conveniently absent. Mr. Hobson was a guest of honor, and Frank, in a graceful speech, admitted his error in regard to the three chums, and announced that hereafter they would be his closest friends.

“And will they play in the last game against Kenwell?” some one asked.

“That’s what they will!” Frank answered, heartily.

“Then we’ll cinch the championship!”

Nothing outside the college routine happened in the following week at Boxwood Hall; but Frank and the three chums let their friendship grow, and the reconciliation meant much to both sides. Never before had the spirit of the college so manifested itself.

Mr. Hobson announced that he would stay to see the deciding game between Boxwood and Kenwell, which would take place on the Boxwood Hall grounds, they having won the toss.

“Luck sure is with us,” said Frank to Jerry when this matter had been settled. “Now we’ve got a week to do some hard practicing, and we must work hard, for we want to beat ’em bad.”

“We’ll do our best,” Jerry answered.

Seldom before had there been such a baseball team at Boxwood. Ned, Bob and Jerry seemed to fit right in the places of the lads who were deposed, at least temporarily, to make room for them. And the best of it was that there was no ill feeling. The lads who were not allowed to play rooted just as hard for the team as before.

Kenwell, it was said, was strengthening her nine, and the final game was likely to prove an exciting and hard one. Meanwhile, the talk of the college, when it was not about baseball, was about the reconciliation between Frank Watson and the chums.

It was the day of the great game. The stands on the Boxwood Hall diamond were filled with students, girls, men and women, for it was a big attraction, this championship contest, and drew from all over the neighborhood.

Song after song welled from the rival factions. Cheer followed cheer. There were cheers for the clashing teams, and for the individual players. There were cheers for the rival captains, and “skyrockets,” and “locomotives” without number.

Out on the field ran the Boxwood Hall nine and the substitutes, to be received with yells of gladness. Then came the Kenwell lads, and they, too, were riotously welcomed.

There was some batting and pitching practice, and it was noted that Kenwell was “warming” up a new twirler.

“They’re out to do us,” murmured Frank. “Do your best, Ned!”

“I sure will, Cap!”

“Play ball!” called the umpire.

Only for a few minutes did it look bad for Boxwood Hall. This was in the third inning. Up to this time neither side had scored. Then two pinch hitters were sent in, who found Ned to the extent of two runs, putting the military lads that much ahead of scoreless Boxwood Hall.

“Things aren’t breaking right,” murmured the Boxwood Hall rooters.

“Just you wait,” advised Ted Newton.

The break came when “Sock” Burchell was replaced by the new man. Either he was not a good pitcher, or his rivals were on to his curves, for Boxwood Hall saw her opportunity and grasped it, and she tallied seven runs in that inning.

From then on it was a walkover for Frank’s team. Kenwell fought staunchly every inch of the way, but when the first half of the ninth inning ended, with the military lads at the bat and the score fourteen to four against them, the struggle was over. Boxwood Hall had won the championship, and in the main it was due to the sensational work of Ned, Bob and Jerry. For at a critical moment Jerry had pulled off a double play that seemed to take the heart out of his opponents.

“’Rah for Boxwood Hall!”

“Boxwood Hall wins!”

“The championship is ours!”

Out on the field swarmed the rooters to surround and cheer the team. Frank clasped the hand of Jerry Hopkins.

“Great work, old man!” he cried.

“It was great work all around!” declared Ted Newton.

And so it was.

Once more cheer followed cheer, yell succeeded yell, and song echoed song, as the victorious ones paraded about the field, while the vanquished silently withdrew. Never before had Boxwood Hall so decisively beaten its ancient rival.

It marked the practical end of the baseball season, for spring was merging into summer, and the long vacation was at hand.

There was a feast that night, given by Frank to the team, for training was over, and among the first names proposed for a toast by the captain were those of Ned, Bob and Jerry.

“Three good cheers for the motor boys!” cried Frank, and the room echoed with the sound that followed.

It was a week after the big game when Ned, his face showing his excitement, came mysteriously to his two chums.

“I’ve found it! I’ve found it!” he cried.

“Found what?” asked Jerry.

“The typewriter on which the note that gave us away about the picture stunt was printed.”

“You have? Whose was it?” asked Bob.

“The proctor’s! Look, there’s a specimen of work from his machine and here’s the card with our names on it.”

Ned laid them down side by side, and, as he told how he had secured the sample by the use of a little subterfuge, his two chums noted the similarity of slight marks in letters that seemed to prove the point. And, a little later, it was proved positively.

For the proctor sent for our heroes one day.

“I understand you think that a certain student here gave information to the faculty to the effect that you three took down the founder’s picture. Never mind how I found it out, but do you hold that belief?” he asked.

“We did,” answered Ned, “but we don’t now.”

“I am glad of it,” the proctor said, “for it was I who saw you. As I was too late to prevent your carrying your prank to completion to save Dr. Boxwood’s portrait from desecration, I wrote the note and put it on the flagpole.”

“We know that, too,” said Ned.

“How did you find it out?” asked the proctor.

“We respectfully decline to tell,” and Ned bowed, smiling.

The proctor hesitated a moment.

“Very well. But don’t try such tricks again.”

“And so that mystery is solved,” observed Jerry, as they came out of the office. “I wonder what will happen next?”

And what did will be related in our next volume, to be called, “Ned, Bob and Jerry on a Ranch; Or, The Motor Boys Among the Cowboys.”

“Boys, I want to congratulate you on your basketball victory,” said Professor Snodgrass, some days after the diamond championship had been decided. “I understand that the eleven did well.”

“Yes,” answered Jerry, trying not to laugh, “we did.”

“Well,” remarked Bob a few days after this, as he lay sprawling on a couch in his room, “this is no fun, fellows. Let’s do something.”

“What?” asked Jerry from his apartment where he and Ned were playing checkers.

“Let’s go eat!” broke in Ned.

“Exactly!” agreed Bob, and Ned had to dodge the book the stout lad heaved at him.

But they presently went off to the dining hall, and there we will take leave of Ned, Bob and Jerry.

THE END

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Transcriber’s Notes:

--Text in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_); text in bold by “equal” signs (=bold=).

--Punctuation and spelling inaccuracies were silently corrected.

--Archaic and variable spelling has been preserved.

--Variations in hyphenation and compound words have been preserved.