Matilda and Andrew had gone to live in their new home, and the boys were told that they might always “find the latch-string out,” as the genial genie of the whole undertaking assured both Hugh and Thad.  He seemed to have taken a decided liking for the chums, and could not see enough of them.  Many an evening did they spend over at the new home.  Thad never seemed to weary of listening to the marvelous stories told by the great wanderer; nor did he any longer have the least doubt regarding their accuracy.  Indeed, after seeing what marvels Brother Lu was able to bring to pass in the dull lives of Matilda and her husband, Thad would have been ready to take anything he said as Gospel truth.

Then came the Saturday when Allandale had to be met for the second time.  Hugh and his fellow players had worked hard through the week, under the fostering care of Coach Leonard, to put themselves in fine fettle for the hard game they anticipated lay ahead of them.

Never was a boy more pampered and looked after than Alan Tyree during those last few days before the trial of skill and strategy took place between himself and Big Ed Patterson.  They were forever hearing vague reports to the effect that the Allandale pitcher was excelling his own record, and that his speed had reached a point where it was attracting the attention of scouts sent abroad through the land by some of the big teams in the National and American Leagues; so that in all probability Patterson would be offered a contract calling for a stupendous salary before the fall came along.

Hugh only laughed whenever these yarns reached him.

“Let Patterson keep on improving,” he would say lightly, “and no backstop can hold him for a minute any more than he could grapple with cannon balls.  We’ve got some pitcher, also.  Tyree is better than ever before in his life.  While he may not have all the speed to burn that Patterson has, there are a few tricks in his bag that he means to uncork on Allandale.  I’m sorry for those fellows when they run against Alan in his present shape.  Tell them so when you see them, please.”

It would seem from all this talk that the battle was to be one of pitchers, for the most part.  And when finally the time came for Scranton to journey over to the rival town, there to take up cudgels with Allandale High, quite a numerous host of the local people went along, bent on learning just how much truth there might be in the stories that had drifted across regarding the invincibility of Big Ed Patterson.

As on previous occasions, there was a tremendous outpouring of interested spectators.  If anything, it was a record crowd, and far excelled in point of numbers and enthusiasm any gathering that had cheered the Allandale team on in their two contests against Belleville.

There was a reason for this, of course, since the latter team had proven to be so woefully weak that they had not thus far managed to win a single game, and were out of the race for the pennant.  On the other hand, Scranton, while beaten in the first combat with the locals, had fought gamely, though terribly handicapped by the absence of their regular star pitcher.  Besides, they had really beaten Belleville both times as badly as had Allandale.