The Chums of Scranton High Out for the Pennant

days

condition, so far as the young people went. There were afternoons for practice, of course, when the full team was e

y at the ball grounds, where there were always enough fellows handy to get up a scrub game, for baseball aspirants were as thick as blackberries in Au

oring under some unusual stress of excitement. Hugh had walked home with him from school, and being busy with ce

municate something he had learned. "Have the Germans landed on the coast, or is little old New York bein

y head over lately, Hugh," snapped the p

ng now--cut stick, and lit out, as we hoped would be the case, finding life in and around a sleepy town l

ll, it's just the contrary; he can't be shaken off, try as you will. Why, Hugh, even my respected Ma

trying to convince Matilda that blood isn't thicker than water, and that she is under no sort of oblig

how that miserable sinner acted. Oh! I just wished for a chance to give him a good kick or two. Why, honest, Hugh, I believe I could willingly assist in tarring and feathering a scamp like Brother Lu, who can settle down on

ou've got me so worked up by now that I'll surely

other ladies who have been so kind to Matilda during the last year had decided it was a duty they owed her to pay her a visit, take a look for themselves at thi

g you wanted to do at home this afternoon; but I was resolved to be around the Hosmer shack wh

I could hear the chatter of women's tongues as they chatted away. Mr. Hosmer came out and went downtown on some errand; I suspect that, like the wise man he is, he smelled a rat and wanted to leave a clear field to Ma and Mrs. Lund and Miss Carp

ieve it, and he seems to like to pose as a sort of retired gentleman; it must be nice after getting such a precarious living walking the railway ties, and begging or stealing as he went, to drop down her

ng to himself over his chum's righteous indignation; nor did he have any doubt but that, given the opportunity, Thad would most heartily have assisted in a li

fter giving vent to his feelings as he did. "I couldn't make out anything that was said, anyway, but it was easy to tell from the way the voi

oke, because he was grinning like everything. I guess he knew what a grip he'd managed to get on

reep right under that open window, where he could hear every word that was said. What do you t

nt laughter. Oh! I was just burning like fun, and boiling over, I was so mad to see how he carried on; because I just knew Matilda was holding the fort against all the batteries the th

hey felt highly indignant because Matilda she chose to stick by her good-for-nothing brother, even when they told her they could hardly be expected to go to the trouble to furnish sewing just

her best friends, and it cut her to the quick. Still, I could see from her face that she didn't mean to turn on Brother L

starve, because all they've got to depend on now is what she earns by her needle. Something ought to be done to rid her of that wart that's f

d such a respectable town as Scranton. There's still lots of time to investigate; and if the worst comes we can appeal to the mayor to help. Perhaps the police could

d wonderfu

and was of course seized with one of those fake fits of coughing right before them. Matilda ran to his side, and put her arm around him looking defiantly at Ma as if to say: 'There,

behind the little building they use for a woodshed than he started to dance a regular old hoe-down, snapping his fingers, and looking particularly merry. I tell you I could hardly hold in, I was so downright mad; I wanted to

and your house, I was that eager to tell you how the land lay. And now, once for all, what can we do to bounc

o tell of his experiences. From his manner Thad jumped to the conclusion that