Page:Baseball Joe on the School Nine.djvu/73

 "Well, they ought to get at It pretty soon now," answered Teeter. "There is a meeting of the athletic committee some time next week, and a manager and captain will be elected. It's always done that way here, though in some places they do it right at the close of the season. But it has always been a cut-and-dried affair as long as Hiram has been here. He got in—he and Luke—and they've stayed in ever since."

"Can we go to that athletic meeting?" asked Tom.

"Oh, yes," said Teeter quickly. "It's open to every lad in the school, but lots don't take the trouble to go,—they know how it will turn out."

"Well, maybe there'll be a different turn to it this time," predicted Tom.

"I'm afraid you've got another guess coming," was the retort of Peaches; and then the four friends strolled toward the school buildings.

"What do you say to a scrub game?" asked Teeter.

"I'm willing!" said Joe eagerly; and so it was arranged.

The school diamond was not in very good shape, but two teams, of seven lads on a side, gathered for the first impromptu baseball game of the season the following afternoon. Tom, Joe, Peaches