When the boys awoke to find themselves in the western city, the seat of Jefferson College, a great crowd was on hand to meet them. They were mostly Lowell Alumni who lived in the towns in the West. Many of them had traveled hundreds of miles to attend the game, and win or lose, cheer for Lowell. A number of the members of the team were greeted at the station by their fathers and mothers and sisters who had not seen the boys since the holiday vacation. Then there was also a fair sprinkling of sweethearts to greet them.

There was nobody to meet Hal, for his folks couldn’t afford to come all the way from California. His father’s illness, however, had not been serious and he had gone back to his work and was thus able to send Hal his original allowance, so the boy’s worry about money was over. In fact, he had money in the bank, for Hans had a long talk with Hal after the Alumni game, and had convinced him that it would be a good time to show a little thrift, so Hal had put his one hundred and twenty-five dollars in the bank, and Hans had gotten him to agree not to touch it until it was absolutely necessary. He had never had a bank account before and he was proud of it, now that he had started. He had not written any more stories for the Out Door Weekly, because Hans had made no more trips to New York.

Seeing most of the fellows talking to parents, sisters or sweethearts gave Hal a touch of homesickness, but it was not for long, as presently the whole team was gathered into a half dozen waiting automobiles and driven through the streets and out to the Jefferson Club House, which was within the grounds occupied by the Stadium. Here the boys could bathe and limber up during the morning hours for the game, which was to begin at two o’clock.

On the way to the club the automobiles made a detour of the streets, including a trip past the college buildings and the fellows had an opportunity to get an idea of the extent and grandeur of this wonderful western college. There were quite as many buildings as at Lowell, and they were much finer in many respects, but the newness did not make you think of classic halls and college traditions as did the old ivy-clad buildings at Lowell. In years to come this might possibly be said of Jefferson, but it takes time to build up a college and only age can bring to it the loved traditions such as were associated with Lowell, and the boys were glad that they were enrolled as students in the older and more famous university of the East.

Jefferson College had been founded but twenty years before. A very rich man had endowed it with millions and added more millions every year. The best teachers that money could secure were obtained and the college had done remarkable things for the boys who entered it, but no amount of money they could spend could give that which Lowell had spent more than a hundred years to acquire—recognition as the greatest seat of learning in the country. But the western college was proud of the remarkable progress she had made in so short a time and she was reaching out in every way, hoping that some day she would overtake and pass her great rival.

Naturally athletics was selected as one of the chief fields of effort. Her managers knew that athletic supremacy would give the college the greatest prestige. Championships in the different branches of sport would attract students, and with a full roster of students, year after year, it was thought to be only a question of time when all the rest would come to her.

So they had built a magnificent athletic field costing over a million dollars, the finest equipment in the country. There were enough seats to accommodate 50,000 people, and every seat was taken at the big games which took place there, for the people of this Western city were proud of their college, as they had a right to be, and they made up attendance what Jefferson lacked in alumni, and they “rooted” just as hard for their college as they would have had they graduated from the beautiful though as yet not classic halls.

The rivalry between the two schools was therefore keen, even though one was, in baseball at least, the defender and the other the aggressor. Lowell came to Jefferson as the recognized champion in both baseball and football this year and of two teams evenly matched, Lowell would have the slight advantage which champions always have and her games were usually conducted with this advantage in mind.

Jefferson on the other hand had still to win the championship and was fighting hard for a reputation. She was inclined to conduct her games desperately, to try by the force of brawn to overthrow the champions.

For this reason the annual struggle over the Baseball Championship stirred up a lot of excitement and this excitement was felt throughout the city.

On the day of the great game, business houses closed early and everyone talked baseball. Everybody that could get in went to the game. Many were always turned away, for even the vast amphitheater seating fifty thousand was not big enough. After all the seats had been filled and ten thousand others were let on the field to sit on the grass or stand for two hours through the contest, the gates would be locked and no more could get in.

Long before ten o’clock the streets surrounding the field were crowded with people standing in line hoping to get one of the choice seats, many of which were not reserved. At eleven o’clock the gates were thrown open and for more than an hour the people poured into the grounds in a steady stream. By 12.30 the stands were full and ten thousand or more had been let out on the field below the stands to sit in cramped positions on the ground or stand with aching legs through the great game. If anyone in that crowd got tired standing, he didn’t show it.

At one o’clock the two teams emerged from the club house to make the annual march across the field to the benches reserved for players. They were preceded by a band of sixty pieces. Jefferson College wore white uniforms and maroon stockings and sweaters, Lowell wore gray uniforms and green stockings and sweaters, for the home players always wear white. As they came marching across the field, both teams abreast in one single line, the crowd in the stands arose and began to cheer.

Hal and Hans looked ahead of them at the thousands who had been crowded out onto the field. Neither of them had ever before seen such a crowd to say nothing of playing ball before so many people. In two thirds of the stand, from the extreme left way over almost to the visitors’ bench, nothing could be seen but a mass of white and maroon. Back of third base from where they approached, the maroon gave place to green. As they came nearer they could see the white places represented white shirt sleeves or ladies’ dresses or straw hats. The maroon they saw was the color of Jefferson in the form of thousands of flags, banners, and handkerchiefs, while the green on the left was caused by the green of their own university proudly worn by more than ten thousand Lowell men. On the field the crowd was mixed, maroon and green and white, for here there were no reserved spaces. Each had to shift for himself and in the effort to find the best place to see the game and have the most possible fun, maroon mixed freely with green even before the game began.

Down in front of the Jefferson players’ bench sat the Jefferson Singing Club which led the singing and yelling for the Western school, while in front of the visiting players’ bench near third base could be seen the Lowell Organized Noise Club.

As they approached the home plate, the Jefferson team turned to the left and the Lowell team to the right and after the teams had reached their respective benches the Jefferson Singing Club arose and placing their megaphones to their lips began singing

“Fair Lowell.”

Gradually the volume increased as the first base stands took it up, and as the Lowell students and adherents recognized the first notes of their dear old College Song, they quickly joined in and sixty thousand voices were singing in one chorus. As soon as the song was finished the singing coaches started the Lowell yell; for several minutes the familiar

echoed and reËchoed over the field.

Then, just as the last echoes were thrown back from the distance, the Lowell boys, not to be outdone by the delicate compliment of their rivals of their own accord also, struck up the Jefferson song,

Alma Mater.

More quickly than before it was taken up by the vast audience, because they were now on the alert, the band joined in and for five minutes more the resounding notes of the Western song were thrown upon the air from sixty thousand throats to be followed by the familiar Jefferson yell, which made the biggest noise of all because more of the crowd were familiar with it.

Then for the forty minutes of practice allowed the team, the Jefferson crowd, the band and Lowell’s representatives in turn sang their best songs, and gave their yells, all but the band, of course, which in this instance made less noise and also less music than any one of the three, if you can ever call noise music.

Jefferson would start her baseball song going to the tune of “Maryland, My Maryland.”

And just as soon as they had finished, the Lowell contingent would cut loose with their version of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic.”

Presently the chosen umpires, Sel. O. Lafflin of American College and Robert M. S. Lee, of National University, came onto the field. They consulted with Hughie and Church, agreed upon the ground rules, and presently Lafflin, who was to umpire behind the bat, stepped to the plate and then turning to the stands said:

“Ladies and Gentlemen: The batt’ries for to-day’s game are—For Lowell, Black, pitcher and Gibbs, catcher. For Jefferson—Mellen, pitcher and Brest, catcher; Black and Gibbs for Lowell; Mellen and Brest for Jefferson. Play ball.”

Quickly the Jefferson players arose from the bench and trotted out onto the field. The Lowell boys on their bench stirred nervously, eager to get into the fray. Everson carefully selected his favorite bat from the row of them which was on the ground before the bench and stepped to the plate.

There wasn’t a sound to be heard on the grounds or in the stands. Everywhere was silence. Mellen stood there in the pitcher’s box, the new white ball in his right hand, eying Everson with intense scrutiny, trying to solve what his greatest batting weakness might be. Everson looked back at Mellen, waiting, perhaps a little nervous but with a look of determination on his face. He stood at the rubber, his feet slightly apart, his bat firmly grasped, his head to one side as if listening, but his eye on the white round thing in Mellen’s hand, and he never took his eye off that ball. The game was about to begin. The first ball pitched might decide the game. His turn at bat if successful might win it, his failure to do just what Hughie had instructed him to do might lose the game. Mellen began to wind up. He pulled back his right arm, twisted himself, looking back of him; he turned back again facing the batter; he brought forward that strong right arm of his, the ball started toward the plate, a white streak. The game had begun.