“Blossom bats ahead of me, does he?  Well, he never got a hit when one was wanted in all his life; but he’s got a trick that is just as good, if he will try to work it.”

“Getting hit by the ball?  He is clever at that.  Tell him to work the dodge this time if he can.  Get him onto first some way.  We must have some scores, if we steal them.”

“I wish we might steal a few.”

“If I get first and Blossom is ahead of me on second, let us try the double steal.  I may be caught at second or he may be caught at third, and there is a bare possibility that we’ll both make our bags.  At any rate, but one of us is liable to be caught, and if it is Blossom it will leave us scarcely any worse off than before.  If it is myself, why, Blossom will be on third, we’ll have one man out, and stand a good show of scoring once at least.”

Merriwell said this in a quiet manner, not at all as if he were trying to dictate, and Putnam made no reply.  However, he spoke to Blossom, who was picking out his bat.

“Look here, Uncle,” he said, “I want you to get first base in some way.  Do you understand?—­in some way.  If you can’t make a hit or get it on balls, get hit.”

Blossom made a wry face.

“Coulter’s got speed to burn,” he said, “but I’ll try to get hit if he gives me an in, even though it kills me.”

“That’s what I want,” returned Old Put, grimly.  “Never mind if it does kill you.  We are after scores, and a life or two is of small consequence.”

“That’s a pleasant way of looking at it,” muttered Blossom as he advanced to the plate.  “Here goes nothing!”

The very first ball was an inshoot, and Blossom pretended to dodge and slip.  The ball took him in the side and keeled him over instantly.  He was given a little water, whereupon he got up and trotted down to first, his hand clinging to his side, but grinning a bit in a sly way.

There was a brief discussion about giving Blossom a runner, but when one was chosen who could not run as well as he could himself, he suddenly found himself in condition to get along all right.

Merriwell took his place at the bat, having selected a bat that was a trifle over regulation length, if anything.

Frank saw a hole in right field, and he hoped to be able to place a hit right there.  If he could do it, there was a chance for Blossom to get around to third on a single.

Coulter knew nothing of Merriwell’s batting, so he was forced to experiment on the man.  He tried a drop that almost hit the plate, but Frank did not bite.  Then Coulter sent over a high one, and still Merriwell refused to swing, and two balls had been called.

Coulter had a trick of holding a man close on first, and so Blossom had not obtained lead enough to attempt to steal second.

Frank felt that Coulter would make an attempt to get the next one over the outside or inside corner of the plate, as it would not do to have three balls in succession called without a single strike.