“Search me, Chip. He didn’t turn up for practice. Bet a dollar he’s still sore over not getting elected captain.”
“Oh, I know all about that. But the galoot got hot all over again, when he got to thinking it over! I know his kind. He goes on impulse.”
Merry turned away. Despite his efforts to convince himself to the contrary, he knew that Clancy was right. Randall “went on impulse.”
“Well, I’ll do the best I can,” thought Merry anxiously. “Bob is too fine a fellow to do this. If I leave Fardale he ought to be captain, I think.”
The first and second teams were at practice on the Fardale ball field. There was an hour left before the drums would sound assembly for supper formation, and Merry was putting his men through their paces.
“I hear there’s no game for Saturday,” said Billy McQuade, joining Merry.
“Right. Had to be canceled. I’m sorry, because I may have to leave next week, and I’d like to play one more game——”
[214]
“Telegram, just arrived.”
“Thank you.”
Merry took the message and tore it open. A cry of amazement4 broke from him, followed by an incredulous laugh. Then he turned.
“Mr. Trayne! Clan! Come over here!”
Coach Trayne and Clancy joined him, and Merry proceeded to read the message aloud:
“Frank Merriwell, Junior, Captain Fardale Baseball Team: The Carsonville Clippers challenge you to a game next Saturday, at Fardale. Anxious to meet regular Fardale team. Wire my expense.
“Colonel Carson, Owner.”
Frank looked up, his eyes twinkling.
“Say, fellows, talk about nerve!”
“Nerve!” cried Clancy. “After you went over to Carsonville, picked up a team, and beat them! After Colonel Carson and his son tried to keep you out of the Franklin game last Saturday by kidnaping you! Nerve’s no name for it, Chip. Tell ’em to go to thunder.”
“That fellow’s a pirate!” cried Billy Mac excitedly. “Wire him a hundred words collect with a kick at the end, Chip!”
“There’s something crooked5 behind this,” declared Clancy hotly. “The Clippers are crooked clear through, Chip, and we’d better not mix up with them.”
[215]
“They’re an amateur team, though,” said Coach Trayne doubtfully. “It’d be a good game, boys.”
“Sure it would,” added Billy Mac scornfully. “Colonel Carson wants to recoup for his losses, Mr. Trayne. He has the reputation of being a dirty gambler, and there’s something behind the challenge, you can be sure of that!”
Frank smiled.
“His crooked work doesn’t seem to have won for him, just the same! Look here, fellows, there’s no game Saturday, so we might accept this. It will be lots of fun to pound Bully6 Carson out of the lot.”
“I guess Bully won’t pitch,” declared Clancy, with a grin. “It’d take him more than a week to get over what I did to him, Chip.
“That’s one thing that looks queer to me,” continued the red-haired chap. “You can bet a fistful that Colonel Carson isn’t out for sport, Chip. He’s out for revenge and boodle, and he doesn’t care how he gets either, so long as he gets it.”
“Let him come after it,” said Coach Trayne. “There’s no prospect7 of getting another game for Saturday, and the athletic8 association can use the money. That game would draw a big crowd, Clancy.”
“We don’t want to let him yell that we had cold feet,” said Frank.
[216]
“But what’s the sense in playing him, Chip? We ought to have that shyster put in jail for kidnaping you, and we could do it, and his son, too. Everybody knows his crowd is crooked and——”
“So much the more glory in beating them squarely,” said Frank. “What do you think about it, Mr. Trayne?”
“It looks all right to me,” returned the coach. “I’d say to take the game, and then lick the stuffing out of those fellows. We’re playing the Clippers, you know, not Colonel Carson himself. They could certainty raise a holler if we refused, for they’re the crack team of the Amateur League. We’ve no good reason for turning them down, except on the score of crookedness10, which we can’t raise against the team as a whole. Carson’s private dirty work doesn’t blanket his whole team, remember.”
“That’s true,” said Clancy, “but the team is a bad lot, too. They tried to beat up Chip, Billy, and me down at Carsonville, after our pick-ups licked them. But you suit yourself, Merry. I’ll stand back of you.”
“Same here, Chip,” said Billy. “I’d just as soon help to do the bunch up brown, anyhow.”
“All right, then,” said Frank. “I see the practice game is over, so I’ll trot11 across to the office and phone down a telegram of acceptance.”
“Oh, by the way, Merriwell,” said Coach[217] Trayne, stopping him, “who are you working out to fill Crockett’s place?”
“Well, Mr. Trayne, my choice happens to be holding down second right now,” and Frank looked across the diamond with a twinkle. “What do you think of him?”
The party turned. Standing12 awkwardly on second and waiting for a grounder from the batter13 was Villum Kess. He stood full on the sack itself, as though firmly determined14 not to let it get away from him. A burst of laughter went up, though Trayne kept silent.
“Him!” cried Clancy derisively15. “He’s done nothing but right field up to now, Chip! Why, he’ll fall all over the infield!”
“He’s a joke,” said Billy Mac. “Oh, my eye! Look at that!”
Clancy gasped16. As the batter sent a twisting grounder at the place Kess should have been standing, the German youth appeared to lose his balance and topple from the bag. He stumbled over his own foot, tried to recover in vain, and went headlong to the ground in front of the ball. By some weird17 chance it seemed to hit his glove, and as he sat up he grinned and tossed it to first.
“Dot vos der pusiness!” he squawked, as every one roared with laughter. “Yaw! Didn’t you toldt me so? You pet!”
[218]
“Talk about luck!” gasped Clancy. “Surely you’re not in earnest, Chip?”
“I am,” said Merry. “Maybe it’s luck, but I’ve noticed that Villum always makes the luck break his way, Clan. Get out to first and see if you can make him miss your pegs18. If you can, I’ll reverse my decision.”
“I wish you were going to stay at Fardale as captain, Chip! You’d either smash up the team or else it would be a wonder to behold21!”
“Thanks for them kind words,” said Frank, with a chuckle22, moving away. “You can announce that game for Saturday, Mr. Trayne!”
And he departed for Colonel Gunn’s office, in order to telephone his wire to the village.
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收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
clan
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| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
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2
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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3
saluted
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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4
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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5
crooked
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| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
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6
bully
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| n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮 | |
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7
prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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8
athletic
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| adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的 | |
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9
grunted
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
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10
crookedness
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| [医]弯曲 | |
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11
trot
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| n.疾走，慢跑；n.老太婆；现成译本；(复数）trots:腹泻（与the 连用）；v.小跑，快步走，赶紧 | |
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12
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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13
batter
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| v.接连重击；磨损；n.牛奶面糊；击球员 | |
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14
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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15
derisively
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| adv. 嘲笑地，嘲弄地 | |
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16
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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17
weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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18
pegs
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| n.衣夹( peg的名词复数 )；挂钉；系帐篷的桩；弦钮v.用夹子或钉子固定( peg的第三人称单数 )；使固定在某水平 | |
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19
trotted
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| 小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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20
whoop
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| n.大叫，呐喊，喘息声；v.叫喊，喘息 | |
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21
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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22
chuckle
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| vi.／n.轻声笑，咯咯笑 | |
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