It is a tale to startle the cynic, to make the disbeliever pause in his mockery, to brighten the faces of the faithful. The Red Sox, the lowly Boston Red Sox, are leading the American League going into tonight's game.

And not only leading the league, but doing it in the honest, worthy, American way. For it's not the prodigious power sluggers, Dick Stuart and Roman Mejias, who have led the Red Sox out of the depths, but the humble Boston veterans who have waited for years for fortune to smile upon them.

Take Chuck Schilling, for example. When he first came to the big leagues, in 1960, he was halled as the successor to Bobby Doerr, the answer to all the Red Sox second-base problems. But although Chuck could make all the plays around second, he looked as bad as all the other Red Sox with a bat in his hand. After hitting .259 his rookie year, he fell to 230 in 1962, and it seemed he would never realize his potential.

But this year a new Schilling has emerged. The line drives that once were caught are falling in now, and Chuck is hitting .346, fifth highest in the league.

Then there's Frank Malzone, thought to be over the hill at 33, and never in his life a .300 hitter. Now, after going 6 for 9 in a doubleheader Sunday, he leads the league in hitting at .356, has bit six home runs and is fielding like an all-star.

Carl Yastrzemski, freed from the flood of publicity that followed his every step when he first came into the league, is finally looking like the new Ted williams after all. His hitting is steady, his fielding superb. He has thrown out 16 runners from his outfield post and is batting .328.

But the joyous tale does not end with the hitters. Three Sox moundsmen, none famous, one a rookie, are among the ten best pitchers in the league if you follow the Earned Run Average listings in the Globe every Sunday.

Dave Moorhead, the rookie, has won three of his first four starts, and has given up so few runs that his E.R.A. 1.36, Is second only to Chicago's Hoyt Wllhelm. Dave Radatz, the porky relief pitcher, has won three of four and has an E.R.A. of 1.88. And Earl Wilson, winner of four of his first six, has an E.R.A. of 1.98, tenth in the league.

These are the Red Sox, the successful nonentities who are challenging the mighty Yanks for the league lead. Some even say that they have not yet reached their peak, that when Stuart (.233) and Mejias (125) begin hitting at their usual clip, the Sox will really pull away from the rest from of the league.

But there are akeptics. There are those who point out that Malzone is a notorious spring hitter; that Moorhead has given up an average of almost six walke a game, too many for a good pitcher; that wllson had a good start last year too; that Yastrzemaki is already slumping; and that Stuart has rarely hit for a high average. They say that the Yankees are but a half game off the pace even with Roger Maris (.238), Bobby Richardson (.227), and Tony Kubek (175) slumping. They say the Orioles' pitchers are looking good, that the White Sox are getting good hitting, and that the Athletics look solid.

Even the Red Sox fans may agree that their team Isn't likely to hold onto the lead. But if your exam schedule is easy, you might take a trip out to Fenway Park noon. It's fun while it lasts.