“I don’t call that much of a song,” said the old circus dog, Percival.  “You ought to do a dance after it.  That’s what the clowns always do.”

“Thank you, I’m not a clown,” answered Bawly.  “But could you make up a song like that, and sing it yourself?  That’s what I want to know,” he asked.

“I don’t s’pose I could,” answered Percival.  “But if we’re going to the ball game, let’s go.”  So they hurried on, and pretty soon they met Uncle Wiggily Longears.

“Oh, will you umpire for us?” asked Sammie.

“Ha!  Hum!” exclaimed the old gentleman rabbit, as he leaned on his crutch.  “I ought to go on to the office, but—­ah!—­er—­well, as long as you have no one else to umpire for you, I suppose I will have to do it, but I really ought to go to the office.  Who is going to play?” he asked, and he seemed real anxious to know.

So they told him, and pretty soon they got to the baseball field, and began the game.  Buddy Pigg and his players were last at the bat, and Sammie and his players came up first.

Well, it was a great game.  Sammie struck out, but Jackie Bow Wow made a nice home run, and Jimmie Wibblewobble almost did, only he got put out at the home plate, and then Johnnie Bushytail, he got put out, trying to steal to second base, which means getting there on the sly, you know; and then it came the turn of Buddy and his friends to bat the ball all over if they could.

Well, Johnnie Bushytail was the pitcher, and he threw in such fine curves, and so many of them, that it was hard for Buddy and his friends to strike the ball.

They did manage to hit it a little, and got three runs.  Then it came the turn of Sammie Littletail’s team again, and they got four runs, and so it went along until at the close of the game Sammie’s team was eight runs and Buddy’s only seven.

“We’ve got to get two runs to win,” cried Billie Bushytail, “everybody work hard.”

“We will,” cried Bully, the frog.  Now you girls just listen carefully, something wonderful will happen in about a minute.

Well, Peetie Bow Wow made one run, and then Bully and Billie got put out, and it was Buddy’s turn to bat the ball.  It all depended on him now.  If he could make a home run his side would win.

Well, I just wish you could have seen how bravely Buddy walked up to the home plate, and stood there, while Johnnie Bushytail almost tied himself into a bow knot in throwing a double-jointed up-and-down-sideways curve.

Buddy Pigg swung at it, and—­no, he didn’t miss it, he hit it good and proper, and away sailed the ball.  Off Buddy started for first base, hoping he could make a home run, but alas! before he got to second base the ball he had knocked was coming down, and was almost in the webbed foot of Jimmie Wibblewobble, who was waiting to catch it, and if it was caught that would mean that Buddy would be out, and his side would not win that inning.