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60 the pigskin my heart begins to thump and I catch my breath and want to take the ball to batter down a stone fence and make a touchdown."

"Bravo!" cried Sid. "You're as bad as Tom."

"Quit talking and get to practice!" exclaimed a voice at the rear of the lads, and they turned to see Langridge.

"Say, who told you to give orders?" asked Sid quickly. "Bricktop is our captain."

"Well, we're going to have a little warm-up practice first," remarked Langridge. Then he turned to Tom and said: "So you're going to pitch against me?"

"It seems so."

"Humph!" was all Langridge said as he walked away.

Two or three good batters on each side began knocking flies for the others to catch and Tom and his chums soon found themselves warming up in earnest. The country lad discovered that he could judge the balls quite accurately and he made some good throws from a long distance.

"Play ball!" suddenly called Bricktop Molloy. "Come on, fellows! Out in the field. Parsons, let's see what sort of a twirler you are."

Tom went to the box. He was a trifle nervous, but he controlled himself as well as he could. The first man up was Langridge, and there was an