MOLLY INSISTS

As he leaped from the hayrack, Bunny glanced apprehensively toward the diamond. It was a little after three, he knew, and he was afraid the game had already begun. Even with the substitutes, Lakeville might be holding her own; but he guessed shrewdly that Buck and Barrett and Sheffield and the others would be pretty glad to see the remaining members of the regular nine.

But something was clearly wrong. The Belden players were batting and fielding fungoes and grounders, with not a single Lakeville fellow in sight. Even the Lakeville bench was empty. And now, for the first time, he became aware that no spontaneous cheer had greeted the arrival of the Scouts. The scattering applause had come from the Belden fans; it was no more than polite interest in their appearance at this eleventh hour. Yes, something was decidedly wrong.

The patter of running feet and the flutter of swishing skirts spun him around as abruptly as if some drillmaster had commanded, "About face!"

"Hello, Molly!" he said to the flushed girl who stood before him. "Where are the other players?"

"They aren't coming," cried Molly Sefton breathlessly. "A wreck blocked the track. And, oh, Bunny, they want to forfeit the game, and a mean old man is going to make a speech and award the pennant to Belden, and they can't postpone it till some other day because it's the end of the season, and everybody thinks you are afraid to play for the championship—afraid, Bunny! But you aren't, are you? And there are nine of you boys here now, and—"

Bunny stopped her with a bewildered gesture. "Just a moment, Molly. Let's understand all this." And he began to ply her with questions, till the whole story was told. At its end, he nodded dubiously.

"And now you're here, at last," the girl said triumphantly, as if their presence righted the universe.

"Yes, we 're here," Bunny admitted. "An hour or so ago, we didn't think there was a chance of making it, either. You see, we were talking to a farmer who didn't own an automobile and whose horses were all out. He said that he didn't belong to any patrol, so far as he knew, but that he guessed he must be a Boy Scout at heart, because he tried to live up to all the laws of the organization. And then, all at once, he remembered something, and slapped his knee, and said, 'Boys, I haven't done my good turn to-day, and I've just thought of a way. My farm tractor needs overhauling by the agency in Belden. I'll hitch it up to a hayrack and haul you all there.' So he did."

"Wasn't that splendid!" said Molly, clapping her hands. "And just think, there are exactly nine of you boys—enough for a baseball team!"

"Nine of us, yes," agreed Bunny, "but only three of the regular Lakeville team, not counting Bi and myself, who are pitchers. Too many substitutes, Molly. Still—" He paused doubtfully.

"Play them!" urged the girl. "Beat them! I just know you can do it—you Scouts!"

Bunny considered. "I might use Bi behind the bat," he said, weakening, "and I could pitch. With Roundy and Jump and Specs and—and S. S., we would have a fairly good infield. Nap might do for center field, too." He felt this was stretching the facts a bit, but he couldn't very well say Nap was merely better than nobody. "Only—well, at the start of the season, there were just two fellows in school who didn't try for the team—Bonfire Cree and Prissy Prissler. I'd have to play them in right and left fields."

"But Bonfire can bat," Molly declared loyally. "Don't you remember that home run he knocked the first day of school?"

"It was an accident; he says so himself. You saw him fan on three straight balls at your picnic afterward."

"He can bat," Molly insisted stubbornly. "I just know he can, if he really has to. And Prissler will do his best to help you win. Besides, Bunny, there's that mean old man who wants to give Belden the pennant, and all those fans who will think you are afraid to play."

Bunny smiled at her. She was only a girl, of course, and she could not be expected to understand the difficulties such a patched-up team must encounter. But she believed in the Scouts; she had faith in them. After all, however the game might go, they could not afford to sacrifice Molly's friendship. And they might—just might—win!

"We'll play," he told her quietly. "Now, where's the Belden captain? I wonder if he will allow us to practice for a few minutes."

The blue-eyed, freckle-faced leader of the home team came quickly at Molly's call. "How are you, Payton?" he said, shaking hands with the Lakeville captain. "Practice? Sure; as long as you like. Got any uniforms or bats or gloves or balls? H'm! We can fix you up on everything except uniforms, but—"

"Never mind them," Bunny interrupted. "We've walked and ridden forty miles or so in these clothes we're wearing, and I guess we can play baseball in them. Hi, fellows!"

The practice was disquieting. The infield might have been reasonably air-tight except for the leak at third base. On that difficult corner of the diamond, Substitute S. S. Zane speedily proved that stopping sizzling grounders demanded more skill than he possessed. Out in the field, Substitute Nap Meeker missed and snared flies for an average of about .500, Substitute Bonfire Cree eventually managed to catch one soaring fungo hit, and Substitute Prissy Prissler divided his busy moments between muffing every ball that touched his hands and misjudging all the rest.

The fans jeered openly. On the bench, the watchful Belden players tried honestly to hide the pleased grins that kept curling their mouths. Their blue-eyed, freckle-faced captain strode out to where Bunny was warming up by pitching to Bi.

"If your team needs more time for practice," he offered generously, "don't be afraid to ask for it."

Bunny plumped a singing inshoot into Bi's big pad before he answered.

"Thank you," he said. "We are ready to start the game any time now." He watched a black-garbed man walk past, muttering to himself as if he were rehearsing some speech. "And don't be too sure," he flung over his shoulder at the Belden captain, "that you are going to win that championship, either. You have to beat us first."