“Batter out!”

“My, what a catch!”

“Wasn’t it a beauty!”

“Brill wins the game!”

Such a riot as ensued!  Hats and canes were thrown up into the air, horns tooted loudly, and the noise of the rattles was incessant.  The Brill students fairly danced for joy, and their friends, including the ladies, were almost equally demonstrative.

“Sam, that’s the best catch I ever saw in my life!” cried Bob, as’ he ran forward to grab the young left-fielder by the hand.

“It certainly was, Sam; and you pulled me out of a big hole,” came from Tom.  “When I saw that fellow hit the ball, I thought it was all up with us.”

“Some catch, that!” broke in Spud.  And all the others on the nine, and many of Sam’s friends, said the same.

Of course, Roxley was tremendously disappointed at the outcome of the struggle.  Nevertheless, as was usual, she cheered her opponent, and was cheered in return.  Then the two teams broke and ran for the dressing rooms, and the great crowd of spectators began to slowly disappear.

“Oh, Sam, that catch was too lovely for anything!” cried Grace, when the two Rover boys had managed to break away from the rest of the team and their numerous friends, and had rejoined the girls and Songbird.  “Why, do you know, I was on pins and needles when I saw that ball coming down and you running after it.  I was so afraid you wouldn’t get there in time!”

“Well, I just got it, and no more,” returned Sam, modestly.

“He pulled me out of a hole,” broke in Tom.  “If it hadn’t been for Sam, Roxley would have won the game.”

“But you did well, Tom,—­ better than our other pitchers would have done,” replied his brother, loyally.  “Everybody says so.  Why, four or five of those Roxley hitters can knock the ordinary pitcher clean out of the box.”

“Believe me, there will be some celebration to-night!” vouchsafed Songbird, as his eyes lit up in expectation.  “Bonfires, speeches, parades, and all that.”

“Don’t I wish I was a college boy, to be there!” returned Minnie, wistfully.

“Too bad! but no girls are allowed,” returned Sam.  “Just the same, I don’t think we’ll have to get back to the college very early.”

It had already been arranged that the Rovers and Songbird and the three girls should go off on a little automobile trip after the game.  Grace and Nellie had received permission to be absent from Hope during the supper hour, and Tom had telephoned to the hotel at Cliffwood, about twenty miles away, asking the proprietor to reserve a table for them and prepare dinner for six.

Sam was now at the wheel, and as he could handle the car as well as his brother, the run to Cliffwood did not take long.  At the hotel, the young folks encountered several other parties from Brill and Hope, and the gathering was, consequently, quite a merry one.  Tom had ordered flowers for the table, and also small bouquets for each of the girls.