The Lucky Seventh

aid Fudge, "it's going to

Fudge upset in order to enjoy his facial contortions when the word wouldn't come promptly. It was Lansing White who, several years before in grammar school, had dubbed him Fudge. Lanny declared that "pshaw" and "fudge" meant the same thing and that "fudge" was more novel. At the present moment Fudge was seated in the apple tree which grew by the fence where the Shaws' side-yard and the Merricks'

h School uniforms and we've all got bats and mitts and things. All we'd need to spend money on woul

aybe I'll get on to it, eh? I guess what I need is practice." And Fudge, swinging an imaginary bat at an invisib

I suppose," r

be me. I'm awfully popula

ere's got to be a rule that a hit to ce

r hit a ball as far as the outfield h

ry is working in his father's store and I d

. He's a peach of a baseman.

replied Gordon doubtfull

muchness. Why don't you p-put him

have brains to play in

osing his features to an expression of grave interest, ask

see some of the fellows. We can catch Harry at the store if we hurry. I want to s

from the tree, racket in hand. "He'd rather pitch a bas

ldly pretentious. Mr. Merrick was a lawyer and comfortably well-to-do. The family had lived in Clearfield for six generations and had given its name to one of the principal streets in the downtown business part of the city. I refer to Clearfield as a city, and it really was, but it was not a very large city. The latest census credited it with something over 17

itizen. Besides the knitting mills he controlled two banks and the street railway and lighting service and had a finger-usually two or three fingers-in many other enterprises. The Brent residence, standing imposingly in a whole block of land, was visible, further along Troutman Street, from the Merricks' porch. In this, the mo

: "Mother, I'm going downtown. Is there anything you want?" Mrs. Merrick's voice floated down from u

ther disliked having him late for his meals, disliked his going out in the evenings, disliked-oh,

and a well-tanned skin. He looked very much alive and rather enthusiastic, just the sort of a boy, in short, t

's father was a foreman in the sewing-machine works, and the family occupied a tiny story-and-a-half cottage so close to the railroad tracks that it shook whenever the trains passed. Fortunately they found Tom at home, very busily engaged repairing the

t present he was minus coat and vest and wore a pair of blue overalls. "You kids get in the house now," he instructed the suddenly

he edge of the unrailed porch for Gordon and Fudge. "Say, it's some

ling on you,"

ged. What'

g up a team to play the Rutter's Point

be done around the house here this summer. We're going to shin

e's letter and Caspar Billings' and told Tom

said Tom. "When are

answer Billings' letter and tell him we'll meet him a week

ordon. I'm pretty busy. I'll come out a couple of times, though; s

suppose anyone

ould. You'd better see

l be up to Dick. He's

. "Well, I don't see why not. He can ge

him we would. It wouldn't be much if we shared it. You see, Dick doesn't have much money. I guess they're pretty hard-up.

work tutoring this summer over at the Point. He could do that fin

you Friday, Tom. I've got to catch Harry before he goes home. Maybe his fath

d get there," said Tom. "And we wouldn't play more than twice a w

've got a pretty good club over there.

disbanded," said Tom. "I'd like to

have lost that last game, Tom. We all played l

mbled Tom. "I couldn't put 'em over the pla

t football this fa

a sly wink at Gordon. "Fudg

Fudge. "I'm going to p-p

with us, Tom. By the way, I suppose we ought to have a sort of meeting to organize pretty soon. How would i

id Tom. "It's your scheme.

ry, or Will

, I guess. Anyway, I'll be over to-morrow, if you say so, about

was very busy, but he stopped putting up orders long enou

id doubtfully. "He's keeping me pretty c

?" asked Fudge. "Put t

contempt. "I'll ask him to-night, tho

ice late in the afternoon, Harry. You wou

arry observed the yellow slips in his hand sombe

Fudge, "that if you worked late to-night you

oing to let you pla

they do w

r older than Fudge, but pretended to regard that youth with a

Fudge sweetly. "If we could only find a fel

r they don't

I didn't want it. I prefer the outfield.

uld you do if a ball came your way? Hol

co-co-couldn't catch a b-b-

ow night, Gordon. Now I'll have to get busy. Watch Fudge as he goes out, wil

h-things," said Fudge bitterly,

sidewalk and their wheels. As it was almost noon, Gordon decided not to risk his father's displeasure by seeing

the members of the Clearfield Ball Club had agreed to play and to attend the organizati

ou'll write to Bill

'll w

course; you're the m

, do I? It seems to me that you ought to write that l

remembered that you were manager, and, of course, managers always attend to arranging contests; and

ell him about it, though, for I'm goi

re? Wh

up by telephone, and she wants me to come over in the morning and see about coaching her son. He's going to Rifle Point School in the Fall and is weak on English and Math. He's thirteen, she says. She seemed to

of writing to him? You could arrange the whole t

uess. By the way, why do you want to play o

otice from Mr. Brent that they are going to cut the field up pretty soon for building lots. I suppose we could use it until they begin to build on it, but I haven't seen Mr. Brent

ic field!" exclaimed Dick, in dismay. "I

wasn't needed for anything else. Now he wants it put in the market for house lo

river somewhere. There are plenty of fields over there, but they

d to think it was up to

, but he's pri

are a lot if we didn't

pretty decent, just the same. We'll have to get busy right away and find a new place. The foot

he does, for he didn't say anything. He will have to get the co

n't

. There's Way, and

e. I think Will Scott

we could keep on using the field for a while; or have Morris ask him. I dare say he'd be m

n Brent in his den for a hundred dollar

ris about it. I don't see why he needs to cut up that field, th

onathan Brent would cut up the Garden

are a whole lot for

ather hadn't got mixed up with Mr. Brent in one of his real-estate schemes. I'm not saying that Mr.

said Gordon. "You ne

the river toward the Point. You know; where the picnic grove is. They were going to sell it for factory sites and there was a railway coming through to connect with the Shore Line, and everything was fine-on paper. But the bottom fell out of the scheme; the factories didn't come, and the railroad d

be pretty good fri

ou? I suppose if Jonathan Brent wasn't his father I'd like him well enough. Well, I'll stop in and see this Billings chap

im about our field, and say that if they want a return game we'll play it over here if we can get the use of the field. By the way, that grandstand at the field belo

gh, is to watch out and be sure he

till, I don't know that I blame you. I ne

t-very often. Only sometimes-- Well, I get sort of hot under the collar when I think of all the mon

anager. I'm not

ghed Dick. "You al