It was full two minutes before they quieted down.
To make it all the more exciting, Bogart hit safely, ran like a deer to third on Mullaney's grounder, which Wiler knocked down, and scored on a passed ball.Gregg ended the inning by striking out.
``Get at the Rube!'' boomed Ellis, the Bison captain.``We'll have him up in the air soon.Get in the game now, you stickers!''
Before I knew what had happened, the Bisons had again tied the score.They were indomitable.
They grew stronger all the time.A stroke of good luck now would clinch the game for them.
The Rube was beginning to labor in the box; Ashwell was limping; Spears looked as if he would drop any moment; McCall could scarcely walk.
But if the ball came his way he could still run.
Nevertheless, I never saw any finer fielding than these cripped players executed that inning.
``Ash--Mac--can you hold out?'' I asked, when they limped in.I received glances of scorn for my question.Spears, however, was not sanguine.
``I'll stick pretty much if somethin' doesn't happen,'' he said; ``but I'm all in.I'll need a runner if I get to first this time.''
Spears lumbered down to first base on an infield hit and the heavy Manning gave him the hip.
Old Spears went down, and I for one knew he was out in more ways than that signified by Carter's sharp: ``Out!''
The old war-horse gathered himself up slowly and painfully, and with his arms folded and his jaw protruding, he limped toward the umpire.
``Did you call me out?'' he asked, in a voice plainly audible to any one on the field.
``Yes,'' snapped Carter.
``What for? I beat the ball, an' Mannin'
played dirty with me--gave me the hip.''
``I called you out.''
``But I wasn't out!''
``Shut up now! Get off the diamond!'' ordered Carter, peremptorily.
``What? Me? Say, I'm captain of this team.
Can't I question a decision?''
``Not mine.Spears, you're delaying the game.''
``I tell you it was a rotten decision,'' yelled Spears.The bleachers agreed with him.
Carter grew red in the face.He and Spears had before then met in field squabbles, and he showed it.
``Fifty dollars!''
``More! You cheap-skate you piker! More!''
``It's a hundred!''
``Put me out of the game!'' roared Spears.
``You bet! Hurry now--skedaddle!''
``Rob-b-ber!'' bawled Spears.
Then he labored slowly toward the bench, all red, and yet with perspiration, his demeanor one of outraged dignity.The great crowd, as one man, stood up and yelled hoarsely at Carter, and hissed and railed at him.When Spears got to the bench he sat down beside me as if in pain, but he was smiling.
``Con, I was all in, an' knowin' I couldn't play any longer, thought I'd try to scare Carter.Say, he was white in the face.If we play into a close decision now, he'll give it to us.''
Bogart and Mullaney batted out in short order, and once more the aggressive Bisons hurried in for their turn.Spears sent Cairns to first base and Jones to right.The Rube lobbed up his slow ball.In that tight pinch he showed his splendid nerve.Two Buffalo players, over-anxious, popped up flies.The Rube kept on pitching the slow curve until it was hit safely.Then heaving his shoulders with all his might he got all the motion possible into his swing and let drive.
He had almost all of his old speed, but it hurt me to see him work with such desperate effort.
He struck Wiler out.
He came stooping into the bench, apparently deaf to the stunning round of applause.Every player on the team had a word for the Rube.
There was no quitting in that bunch, and if I ever saw victory on the stern faces of ball players it was in that moment.
``We haven't opened up yet.Mebbee this is the innin'.If it ain't, the next is,'' said Spears.
With the weak end of the batting list up, there seemed little hope of getting a run on Vane that inning.He had so much confidence that he put the ball over for Gregg, who hit out of the reach of the infield.Again Vane sent up his straight ball, no doubt expecting Cairns to hit into a double play.But Cairns surprised Vane and everybody else by poking a safety past first base.
The fans began to howl and pound and whistle.
The Rube strode to bat.The infield closed in for a bunt, but the Rube had no orders for that style of play.Spears had said nothing to him.
Vane lost his nonchalance and settled down.He cut loose with all his speed.Rube stepped out, suddenly whirled, then tried to dodge, but the ball hit him fair in the back.Rube sagged in his tracks, then straightened up, and walked slowly to first base.Score 5 to 5, bases full, no outs, McCall at bat.I sat dumb on the bench, thrilling and shivering.McCall! Ashwell! Stringer to bat!
``Play it safe! Hold the bags!'' yelled the coacher.
McCall fairly spouted defiance as he faced Vane.
``Pitch! It's all off! An' you know it!''
If Vane knew that, he showed no evidence of it.His face was cold, unsmiling, rigid.He had to pitch to McCall, the fastest man in the league;to Ashwell, the best bunter; to Stringer, the champion batter.It was a supreme test for a great pitcher.There was only one kind of a ball that McCall was not sure to hit, and that was a high curve, in close.Vane threw it with all his power.
Carter called it a strike.Again Vane swung and his arm fairly cracked.Mac fouled the ball.The third was wide.Slowly, with lifting breast, Vane got ready, whirled savagely and shot up the ball.
McCall struck out.
As the Buffalo players crowed and the audience groaned it was worthy of note that little McCall showed no temper.Yet he had failed to grasp a great opportunity.
``Ash, I couldn't see 'em,'' he said, as he passed to the bench.``Speed, whew! look out for it.
He's been savin' up.Hit quick, an' you'll get him.''
Ashwell bent over the plate and glowered at Vane.
``Pitch! It's all off! An' you know it!'' he hissed, using Mac's words.
Ashwell, too, was left-handed; he, too, was extremely hard to pitch to; and if he had a weakness that any of us ever discovered, it was a slow curve and change of pace.But I doubted if Vane would dare to use slow balls to Ash at that critical moment.I had yet to learn something of Vane.