"Well if you want to get to play with boys, you got to know how to go about doing it, Laura. You don't be stupid about it."

"Are you calling me stupid?" Laura said, blazing at her old friend, her buddy, she thought.

"Oh, naw, come off it, Laura. What I mean is these guys ain't the only guys in town, and there are other baseball games in other places."

"Where?"

"Other places I know," the dark-haired, freckle-nosed Janie whispered mysteriously. "Only you have to join the club to play."

"A baseball club?" Laura Cutter's pretty jaw dropped in surprise. Then her brow puckered. "What are you talking about?"

"That's why I'm looking for Mack Toohey," the darker girl explained. "See, to join a club, you have to be initiated and to do that, there's a number of steps, you know. Right now I'm supposed to be doing another step in my initiation."

"You mean that Mack Toohey is a member of this club?" Laura had always admired Mack Toohey. He was a real leader of the guys, and he was extra good in any sport, it seemed. He could play hockey like a Maple Leaf. The Maple Leafs were her favorite team.

"He sure is. He's the president, I think. I'm not sure. Before your initiation is finished, you don't get told very much, not even where you're going to play when you're finished."

"Why not?" Laura demanded. It sounded to her like more of male chauvinism.

"They have to be careful, of course. If you have a club, you don't let people know your secrets. If people don't pass the initiation and don't get into the club, what happens if they know all the secrets?" Laura couldn't imagine what would happen, if anything.

"I suppose it depends on the secrets," she mumbled. "Who's in the club?" she asked, still suspicious of the whole idea. She had never heard of such a thing to do with baseball!

"You can't know that either, not yet. Say, Laura, there's talk they're going to need another girl for the team. You interested?"