The second man crawled like a snail to the plate. It was pouring now and the bleachers were black with umbrellas. The Giants were fairly dancing up and down with impatience and apprehension.
Jim pitched like lightning, not waiting to wind up. But before he could dispose of the batsmen, the heavens opened and the rain came down in torrents.
[Illustration: THE HEAVENS OPENED AND THE RAIN CAME DOWN IN TORRENTS.]
Play was impossible. The umpire called the game and everybody scurried for shelter.
Old Jupiter Pluvius had taken a hand in the game.
It is needless to paint the exasperation on the faces of McRae and Robson and the rest of the Giant team, as they saw victory taken from them just as they were tightening their grip upon it.
“Talk about luck,” growled McRae. “Those fellows have got hogsheads of it.”
“Why couldn’t that rain have held off for ten minutes more?” groaned the rotund Robson.
“It may let up even yet enough to let the game go on,” remarked Larry, though without much conviction.
“Such a chance,” grunted Willis. “Why, you could take a swim at second base already.”
There was, indeed, little hope of resuming the game, although in accordance with the rules, if the rain ceased in half an hour and the grounds were in condition for play, the umpires could call the teams back to the field. But the rain was blinding, and to wait around any longer was only a matter of form.
Joe and Jim had worked their way through the crowds to the box in which their party sat. In the neat, gray, traveling uniforms that set their athletic figures off to perfection, the girls thought they looked handsomer than ever.
All gave them a hearty welcome and gladly made room for them. It was, of course, only by a coincidence that Joe found himself next to Mabel while Jim sat close to Clara.
“I’m so glad your side won, Joe,” said motherly Mrs. Matson, beaming lovingly on her son and heir.
“But we didn’t, Momsey,” Joe laughed a little ruefully.
“Why, I kept count of the runs,” said his mother in surprise, “and your side made six while the others had only four.”
“That’s right, but our last three don’t count,” explained Joe. “If we could only have finished out this last inning, we’d have won. But it wasn’t finished, and so the score went back to the end of the fifth inning when the Bostons were ahead four to three.”