Bobby Blake in the Frozen North; Or, The Old Eskimo's Last Message

“Gee whiz, but that was a hot one!” exclaimed Fred Martin, as he wrung his hands after throwing back the ball with which he and his chum, Bobby Blake, were having a little pitching practice on the Rockledge School campus.

“Had pepper on it, did it?” laughed Bobby, as he gripped the ball in readiness for another throw.

“It fairly smoked,” commented Sparrow Bangs, who was stretched lazily on the ground near by. “Bobby, you’ve got speed to burn this season.”

“If he pitches that way against Belden it will be all over except the shouting,” remarked Mouser Pryde, who was the second baseman of the Rockledge team.

“Bobby’ll need all he’s got when we tackle those fellows, if what I hear is true,” put in Billy Bassett. “A fellow was telling me the other day that they have a couple of new batters on their team who can fairly kill the ball, while the rest are pretty handy with the stick.”

“I’ll back Bobby against the bunch,” said Howell Purdy loyally. “He’s beaten them before and he can beat them again.”

“Don’t be too sure,” laughed Bobby. “There’s nothing certain in baseball, and they’re a pretty husky bunch to stack up against. Whenever we’ve beaten them we’ve known at least that we’ve been in a fight.”

“We sure have,” agreed Perry Wise, a fat boy who had been nicknamed “Pee Wee” in sarcastic reference to his size.

“We,” repeated Jimmy Ailshine, in derision. “Where do you get that ‘we’ stuff? You never caught a ball or hit one in your life.”

“Haven’t I always rooted for the team to beat the band?” asked Pee Wee, in an injured tone. “What would the nine do without somebody to root for it when the pinch comes? As a rooter, I’m a wonder.”

“Sure,” said Mouser soothingly. “And Shiner is wrong when he says you never caught a ball. I saw you catch one last winter—a snowball, right on the end of your nose.”

The boys laughed and Pee Wee glared.

“You fellows stop picking on Pee Wee,” said Billy Bassett. “With all your kidding, there are some things in which he’s away ahead of you boobs.”

“Name them,” demanded Fred.

“For instance,” remarked Sparrow incredulously.

“Well,” replied Billy, “he’s more polite than any of you, for one thing.”

Pee Wee began to look interested, though a little puzzled. Although his manners were fairly good, as boys go, he had never thought that politeness was one of his outstanding virtues, nor had any one else called this fact to his attention.

“How do you make that out?” asked Howell Purdy.

“Prove it,” challenged Mouser.

“All right,” responded Billy. “Here’s the proof. When any of you are seated in a crowded car where there are ladies standing, what do you do?”

“Stand up and let a lady sit down,” replied Mouser, while the rest nodded approval.

“Exactly,” replied Billy. “You stand up and let a lady sit down. And that’s where Pee Wee has it all over you in politeness. He stands up and lets three ladies sit down.”

There was a moment of silence while this sank in, and then the boys broke into a roar of laughter, while Pee Wee looked around for something to throw at his tormentor, who adroitly skipped behind a tree.

Just at this moment, Mr. Carrier, one of the teachers, came along. He greeted the boys pleasantly and they responded heartily, for he was a prime favorite with all of them. The athletic games of the school came under his special supervision, and he had the gift of imparting his own vim and enthusiasm to the players. He had been a star himself both in football and baseball in his college days, and his thorough knowledge of both great games made him a first-class coach for the Rockledge boys. Under his tutelage, winning teams had been turned out in the previous year, and he was eager that his teams should repeat their triumph this season.

“Practicing up, I see,” he said, with a smile, as he nodded to Bobby.

“Just enough to keep my arm limber,” Bobby replied. “I want to be in shape for our next big game.”

“And that comes off in less than two weeks now,” rejoined Mr. Carrier. “I hear that the Belden nine is going great guns in practice and that the victory they won over Somerset the other day has given them confidence. They figure, too, that since we’ve had the championship for some years the time is just about due for them to have their turn. But we don’t agree with them, do we?” he added, with a twinkle in his eyes.

“No, sir!” agreed Bobby. “They’re not going to carry off the Monatook League pennant if we can help it.”

“It does look pretty good on the Rockledge grounds, doesn’t it?” remarked Mr. Carrier, as he cast his eyes up on the flagstaff where the beautiful banner fluttered in the breeze. “I’m depending on you boys to keep it there. Don’t forget the practice game to-morrow between the first and second nines.”

He passed on, and the boys looked after him with respect and admiration.

“He’s a dandy,” commented Sparrow.

“I’ll tell the world he is,” affirmed Mouser. “He’s more like a pal than a teacher, though he’s a mighty good teacher, at that.”

“Oh, I say, fellows,” called out Billy, slipping out from behind his tree, though still keeping a wary eye on Pee Wee, “there was a man downtown this morning putting up posters for a big circus that’s coming over to Ridgefield in a week or two. From what it said on the posters, it’s going to be a humdinger.”

“Trying to get us on a string again?” asked Sparrow suspiciously.

“No, honest I ain’t,” asseverated Billy, forgetting his grammar in his eagerness. “This is straight goods. It’s going to be in Ridgefield a week from next Friday. Gee, how I’d like to go!”

“Who wouldn’t?” remarked Fred. “But what good does it do us to have it in Ridgefield? That’s twenty miles away, and you know the doctor won’t let us go.”

“Maybe it’ll come to Rockledge, too,” put in Howell hopefully.

“No chance,” declared Billy. “I asked the man who was putting up the posters, and he said that this town wasn’t on the list.”

“That’s too bad,” said Bobby regretfully. “I haven’t been to a circus for a long time and I sure would like to see it.”

“Like’s no name for it,” chimed in Shiner. “I’m just crazy to see it. Just think, fellows, the tightrope walkers and the bareback riders, the acrobats turning somersaults over the elephants, the fellows swinging on the trapeze and the horizontal bars—”