The Missing Mitt (7 page)

“Lucy took the mitt!” both boys yelled at the same time.

“Strike three!” announced the umpire. The top of the fourth was over. The boys had only a few more innings to get the mitt and save the game!

9

Jason,” yelled Frank and Joe. “We know where your mitt is!”

“You do? Where?”

“Follow us!”

The boys took off. They had to see Mr. Mack and get the mitt back from Lucy.

“Hi again!” said Mr. Mack as the boys ran up to him. “My, you boys sure are running around a lot.”

“Mr. Mack,” said Joe. “Lucy took Jason's mitt!”

“What?” asked Mr. Mack.

“Lucy must have thought Jason wanted to play fetch when he threw it down with the rest of the gear. She took it!”

“Oh no,” said Mr. Mack, looking very concerned. “I'm so sorry! I'm sure she didn't hurt it. She's very careful with her toys.”

“Bad girl,” he said to Lucy. Lucy whimpered guiltily.

“That's all right,” said Jason. “I just want to get it back so we can play in the game! Where do you think she put it?”

“Oh, dear,” said Mr. Mack. “I don't know. She runs too fast for me to keep up with her. She buries sticks and toys out in the woods behind the baseball field, but I don't know where. Only Lucy knows that.”

Jason, the Hardys, and Mr. Mack all turned to look at Lucy. Lucy whined and put her head
between her paws. Frank and Joe had finally found the culprit—but they'd never be able to get her to talk!

“What are we going to do now?” asked Jason. “Maybe if you explain everything, Coach Quinn will let you guys play, but I still won't have my mitt. I can't play without it.”

“We're not giving up yet,” said Joe. “I have an idea.”

Joe ran back toward the Bandits' dugout.

“Where's he going?” asked Mr. Mack.

“I don't know,” said Frank.

Joe returned with his own mitt in hand.

“Mr. Mack, can you untie Lucy?”

Mr. Mack set Lucy free. Joe held the mitt high in the air, above Lucy's head. She jumped up on Joe, trying to get at the mitt.

“Here, girl,” Joe said. “Go get it!”

He threw the mitt as hard as he could. Lucy ran
a few feet. She jumped in the air and grabbed the mitt with her teeth. Then she took off running, past the outfield, toward the deep woods.

“Follow that dog!” Joe shouted.

“Be careful, boys! Good luck!” called Mr. Mack, as Joe, Frank, and Jason all chased after Lucy.

Lucy was fast! First she ran straight toward the crowd of people watching the game on their picnic blankets. She leaped right over two little kids and nearly knocked over a giant bottle of soda. The boys had no choice but to run right after her, apologizing the whole way.

“Excuse me! Sorry!” said Frank.

“Coming through!” said Joe.

Jason took one look at the mess made by Lucy, Frank, and Joe and decided to jump over the entire picnic blanket. He took one big leap and landed safely on the other side.

Lucy's tail was wagging now. She was enjoying the chase. She stopped for a second, then turned around and looked at the boys. She crouched down
on her front legs, the mitt still in her mouth. It looked like she was smiling at them. She waited until the boys got just close enough to grab her. Joe reached out—and Lucy hopped out of his way.

Joe stumbled and fell.

“You all right?” asked Frank.

Joe nodded. Lucy was sitting there, just a few feet away. Frank and Jason both jumped at her at the same time. But again, Lucy dodged out of the way.

THUD!

Frank and Jason slammed right into each other. They landed in a big heap on the ground. Joe had to help them both up. Lucy barked once, almost dropping the mitt, and then bounded away.

She ran straight for the trees. The boys tried
to keep up, but their two legs were no match for Lucy's four.

“We have to keep up!” shouted Jason. He put on a burst of speed and managed to pass Frank and Joe.

When she got to the edge of the woods, Lucy paused. It was almost as though she was waiting for the boys to reach her. Jason made it first, with Frank and Joe close behind. Lucy slipped in among the trees.

Now running was harder. There were roots and rocks everywhere. The boys had to dodge around trees and bushes. Lucy disappeared and reappeared. The boys kept as close to her as they could. But finally Lucy disappeared for good.

“Where did she go?” asked Joe.

The boys all stood still and looked around. They couldn't see the dog anywhere.

“Oh no!” said Jason.

“Shhh . . .” Frank held his finger up to his lips. The boys got quiet. In the distance they could hear the sound of digging.

“This way!” Frank took off running deeper into the woods. He could hear Lucy in front of him, though he couldn't see her yet. Suddenly the ground disappeared beneath him!

“Whoa!” he shouted. He had reached the edge of a drop in the woods. There was a five-foot-deep hole in front of him. He threw his arms out to try to keep his balance. But it was no use. He started to fall!

“Careful!”

Jason grabbed the back of Frank's shirt and pulled him away from the edge of the hole.

“Thanks,” said Frank.

“Look!” Joe pointed down into the hole. At
the bottom was Lucy, digging the hole deeper. All around her was stuff—balls and sticks and toys and Frisbees . . . and Jason's mitt!

“We found it!” Jason shouted.

10

Lucy wasn't happy when the boys took both of the mitts back, but she didn't try to stop them either.

“Time to go back to Mr. Mack, girl?” said Joe.

Lucy barked twice. Then she picked up a stick and ran back toward the field.

“Good girl!” called Jason. Now that he had his lucky mitt back, he was happy again—and ready to go play!

“Do you think the game is still going on?”
asked Jason. “Will we make it back in time?”

“Hmmm,” said Frank. “The average batter takes two minutes. There are usually five batters on each side for every inning. I would say there should be two innings left!”

“Awesome!” yelled Joe. “Let's go.”

The boys ran out of the woods as fast as they could. This time, they ran straight through the bushes. All they cared about was getting back as soon as possible. When they got out, Mr. Mack was waiting for them, with Lucy beside him.

“Did you find your mitt?” he asked.

“Yes!” all three boys shouted at the same time. They kept running.

When they made it back to the baseball diamond, the Jupiters were leaving the field.

“Uh-oh,” said Jason. “Are we too late?”

The boys ran over to Coach Quinn.

“Is the game over?” asked Jason.

“No, but I'm afraid it's not going so well. We're down four runs, and there are only two innings left. Where did you boys go?”

“Frank and Joe found my mitt!” said Jason. “Lucy stole it!”

“That's great news!” said Coach Quinn. “But who's Lucy?” She looked out at the players of the two teams.

“
That's
Lucy,” said Joe, pointing over to the bleachers where Mr. Mack and Lucy were sitting.

“She thought Jason was playing fetch,” Frank explained. “So she grabbed the mitt and buried it in the woods with her other toys.”

“So you boys really were just trying to find Jason's mitt. I guess I owe you an apology. How about I give it to you . . .
after
you get ready to play? It's the top of the sixth, and the team needs you!”

The three boys cheered.

“Wait,” said Jason. “There's something I have to do first.”

Jason walked over to where the Jupiters were sitting. He went right up to Conor Hound. They talked for a few minutes. Then they shook hands.

Jason came back over to Joe, Frank, and Coach Quinn.

“I had to apologize for accusing him of stealing,” Jason said.

“That's very grown-up of you, Jason,” said the coach. “I'm proud to have you on the Bandits.” She shook his hand too.