Baseball Joe, Captain of the Team; or, Bitter Struggles on the Diamond

g pitchers of the Giant team, to his closest chum, Joe Matson; as they came out of the clubhouse a

ded straight for the cellar championship, and at the present rate it won't be long before we land there. I can't tell wh

rking like a charm. But the boys played behind you like a lot of sand-lotters. They simply threw the game away-handed it to the Cubs on a silver platter. What they did in

" agreed Joe. "And when it comes to fielding, they

nd a clean sweep from the Phillies. It looked as though we were going to go through the League like a prairie fire. But the instant we struck the West we went down with a sickening thu

gets in a slump sometimes. But this has lasted longer than usual, and it

wonder. He'd set his heart on winning the flag this sea

Joe. "And things must be pretty bad

ey, off the team, everything would be plain sailing," remar

erjacks in their places as Jackwell and Bowen. But speaki

some alarm. "You don't mean to in

eam. And they certainly know baseball from A to Z. They can run rings around Hupft an

?" asked Jim, with

The other day I was going to throw to him, to catch Elston napping; but I saw that Jackwell wasn't looking at me, and so I he

is girl was there, p

is true of Bowen. Of course he's out at center, and I can't observe him as well as I can Jackwell. But when he's been sitting in the d

k close together, but that's natural enough, seeing that they were pals in the minor-league team

at I've been telling you about," counseled Joe. "Of course, it

ched the Giants' dugout, where most o

nning high all over the circuit. The Giants, after a disastrous series of games in Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, had struck Chicago.

chers were crowded with enthusiastic fans. For if there was anything in the world that Chicago dearly loved, it was to see the Giant

sweeping everything before them. Now the tables had been turned, and for the last few years, the Giants, with McRae as their astute manager and Baseball Joe as their pitching "ace," h

at the beginning of the season as though they were going to do it. They got off on

e outdone, had tightened the knot. The Cubs thus far had clawed them savagely. They had tasted blood, and their appetite had grown with what it h

and Jim approached. There was an anxious furrow on his brow, and even the rotund

htened a little

ch to-day, Matson," he said. "H

," returned Joe

heir heads," said the manager. "They've

, as he picked up a ball preparatory

good enough,"

ir respective catchers and li

e called out to the veteran catch

r curves are all to the merry. That hop of yours is working f

had beckoned to Iredell,

"what's the matter with this team? Why

plied Iredell, flushing and

Who should know if you don't?

lked to them and razzed them and done everything except to lam them. They're just in a slump, and they don't see

well. "But that isn't enough. To be a good shortstop is one thing, and to be a good captain is another. I figured you'd be both. Tell me this

, and their tempers are on a hair trigger. Once in a while something is said that makes one of them take a crack at another. But

e job's too big for you, perhaps somebody else will have to take it. I've often found that a shake

ut he said nothing, and as McRae turned to say something to Robbie, indica

e white uniforms of the Chicagos faded away from the diamond, while the gray-s

ting the balls over to Mylert, started to run out with the rest,

f his eye, had noted the acti

ell?" he asked, eying the

o on," stamm

he had sudden