Page:Baseball Joe on the School Nine.djvu/125

 "Here goes!" murmured Joe, and he sent in one with all his force.

As he had expected, the school captain did step back, and, an instant later, the umpire cried:

"Strike!"

"What?" fairly yelled Luke turning at him. There was a laugh from some of the scrubs, and it was joined in by a number of the other students—lads who were kept from the athletic committee by the snap ruling of Luke and Hiram. The captain realized that there was a feeling against him, and he quickly swallowed his wrath.

"Watch what you're doing," warned Hiram.

"Oh, that was only a fluke," declared Luke. Joe smiled. He was going to send in another "fluke," but not the same kind. He delivered a quick ball, with a peculiar upward twist to it, and, as Luke swung viciously at it, but too low, naturally his bat passed under the ball.

"Strike two!" yelled the umpire, as the ball landed safely in Bob's big mitt.

There was a murmur of astonishment from the school nine and its particular sympathizers, and a breath of delight from the despised scrubs. Hiram flushed angrily, yet he dared say nothing, for there was no doubt about this strike. As for