| Show I I HOME RUN HAGGERTY HAGG WILLIAM Ll DALEY I Home at last with the shortstop and find the ketcher to the famous Alfalfas anti and make mak the last half of the years race for Lor fortha forthe the tha ers league pennant penn nt one long series eres of victories rles We find that while whilo weve wOe been gone gonS gon Josh has put pitt lit itt a new now II Innovation that he told us about and that was that every Friday was Ladies Ladles day and women are ar admitted to the th grounds free to cheer with their thelt beautiful presence the endeavors of the home nine fine and I put in a stiff kick against it Bosh says Josh Hapgood when I tell him that 16 to t mix in lit h littile the tile national game 11 II hurt us Bosh says ba s he why wh the gate receipts has ha In tn Increased tnt Increased creased t d 50 pet per r coat cent on Fridays already Its fine lne business all a manager ever thinks about the tha gate gata receipts He aint got no tt feel ing for the finer sensibilities of his poor players who must labor out in the broil broiling broilIng broiling ing sun while a lot of ignorant females males f set In bl the shade sh de free an lin criticize their feet te t and noses nfl aU the warp w rp in Pinch Hobbs legs you OU so M set against comin com In to the games for Zor or Hag says Hickory Hank the ketcher to me after Id been turned d down He got so well veiL acquainted with me as an the rest r t of the nine dihe so I lit Ut a ti butt and tind tell t ll him Hank says Bays I Its a long sad sadan story an It happened ha n d some time ago but it ii 11 never lose its force Hank ball bail players to be such must never fall in love As soon as he does he aint a ball bail player I any more I knew a pitcher once that falUn In love ruined His lady love ud tid sit in the grandstand an nh he lie pitch a n ball bail or 01 field a n bunt with without without out at itt her eyes es to tee Sec If she was ks 55 w The rii result was wn that In two weeks we ks time he wits was w s married and quit the game gam If It hed stuck to it h hed been on the Noo Yorks now I dont I doubt I read In lit the papers the other day that thata a it r shortstop had quit a game in lii the tho sixth main to elope clope says as Reggie RegIe Re gle seem Mm to lo be ba the tIle national game atno hard all nil over er the country countr Elope says I that You blockhead said Reg Why he run away with a girl gui to get married If It you read anything an in the papers p rs but ball scores oud know something Elope says nays PinCh is formed by a tt combination of two words e for fol ex ox meaning out and und lope IOp love loveto to lope out hustle away beat it E means out does it says sa s T I When Bill Pringle struck mo ate out six years cars a been b n printed in tho the papers Haggerty struck eM I 1 S 03 You cant stuff me inc meThe th The Th look of or consternation on their th lr faces brought on by my answer to Pinch It 1 t was in the fact that I had bad said I struck out o L You you dont mean to say you fanned Hag Hug says Pinch Reely chop chopped chopped chopped ped the ozone thrice I dunno that guff says sa g I but I struck out Bill Pringle did it an au a R girl girt was the cause of it what T I wanted to bring brine as a argument against this scheme of for a ft womans day but you ou wont let me Go 00 on they all aU chorused anxious to hear of that unparalleled feat o 0 mine unheard of to them me striking striking ing out outBack outBack outBack Back In tile the lumber country says I r before I ever struck the Alfalfa and the lle league I ketchM for a nine l in a place called and one oneda day da we went up against our fiercest rivals In the circuit the It was a game for blood and all nil that but we fig figured figured figured to win and all backed its nine But Im getting a 8 little ahead o 0 the tue game same A few days before that I young youn younan aft an an green had been hoen introduced to a n yowl young school schoolteacher teacher teach r in the town an had fallen faIlen plump in love loe with her At least what I think I was waa I felt as us though thou h hId Id ruther look into her soulful blue eyes ayes es all afternoon instead o through the wires of a mask an goin some And I got sot her name which was Mar Marjorie MarJorIe Marjorie jorie Dart with my heart and feeling prime foolish All AIl the boys hove bos In town were stuck on the young but It seemed to me inc that wen I cracked out a homer an came down the base path with the tM win nine nm run her eyes beamed on me more than anyone and her hands clapped harder not louder for I could get both her hands In one o 0 mine an lin they Were ere too frail an nn delicate to make a noise You know what I mean I pressed her hands handson on the porch of her house the night before this Important struggle an told her I would willingly give Ive up a game ame to be with her in the pale moonlight an feel her breath on my mych cheek ch ek I tell you I had it bad But she says no you ou shall play pla to and I will be In the tM grandstand to cheer you ou on If 11 you will wm get me a pass So I did and the next day da I sat on the fhe bench b while little mth ruji rup down my back as 1 I practiced for tor I knew her eyes cS were w re on OU me inc That wag as a a it great gr nt game gam and aUd I was in nearly every cery play till my shirt Was as wet w t like a ComanChe Coman he like Johnny KUng Kling an battin as he only ottly I can an bat I made a hit bury bV ry time up threw th W out every Minner ti mer that tried to steal and picked fouls off at the grand grandstand grandstand grandstand stand like a boy blackberries off offa a bush bushIn bushIn In the th midst of it all aU I t could co S d fairly feel the brown eyes o 0 hers glUed on me Whatever I t did oio and them hands applauded In every play l I made mad I was oh n edge cd If ever a ball player lay laye r was Everything ger seemed se med easy inc ine pitcher throw one ond past me Ir If hed tried It n was four fout to four fo r at itt l the tho Start tatt tf th ninth Inning and they squeezed In a run through no fault of mine but because our infield InfIeld got a n little HUll loose The crowd got Up on its legs an ah yelled for us to do something in our turn Two men me went out In a it hurry hUrr end and then theu a hit batsman a bunt bUlit and aUd a base on balls bails filled tho the bags and a yell you could hear h ar in tile the next hext county announced that I Was Up tip 11 to bat batI b t tI I gripped my trusty bat stole a side glance at the grandstand and walked w lk d out to the plate Diate late prepared pre ared to end the contest right ri ht then and there th re with the longest wal ever seen se U on the tho grounds Bill was the th B pitcher a guy Without nothing that I r wits Was afraid of In iii fact tru t so easy that Id often Won dered how he h got it by the other good gut d hitters rs on our nine tune I knocked the dirt out of my spikes an rubbed some Mine of or It till oil my nuy hands 1 pulled my cap Cal down sos KOS it a t blow off as us 1 ran raft to first an then faced him He lie wound up find and the ball came sailing to the plate as big as a u watermelon tm and believe lh e It or not nt but as 1 I looked I t saw painted as though by the brush of or f some gr U artist trUst the pretty Uy fl e of tf Marjorie Dart lart on the side nearest ne rest me lit I hunched d up my ht shoulders took k a step forward td The anxious dous thousands held their breath except one guy gu who ho yelled Soak IU Then the thought flashed kin I hit that th t beautiful b face the face o 0 the girl I Ilove IlOVe Ilove love No and I let it pass Strike one otiel l yelled the umpire There was a 8 nervous In Ui audience an the tite guy gU who wile had yelled d be before before before fore wanted to khow know what was the matter matt r with that one ne Again Bill BUI doubles S up and again the ball bail cornea comes sailing s ilin in And Aud hor her horrors horrors This time sure as I set here that fact more lovely more beautiful more sweet more bewitching was painted on the front o 0 that th t sphere Can ICan I afford to lo hit that says I Think what an n aWful mark across that beautiful rosy t Sy cheek check h Ck this taba k r smeared bald make matte No o a thousand times no noSo noSo noSo So I let that go g too and the big bigmouthed mouthed guy gu yells ella you OU donT 7 Waltin altin at the tim church 11 The audience Mo had lost Its Us breath Strike two 1 yells ells the umpire Now N w Its do or ur die The Th runners lead away off the bags the fielders crouch the ketcher signals Bill Pringle Winds up tip an un I 1 stand tense t and The ball ba UPi 1 comes sailing up again and there Is Isher l lher isher her beautiful face again an n more real than a dream more bewitching and charming than a picture Must I soak it rays aya I Must I lan hunt lanthe the sweetness SW out 0 o them cheery lY lips them melting yes eyes them cheeks heckl heek Must I Swat that heavenly h face a l biff bItt Jar a tl Texas Te a steer stUer r Could C I t ever aver e t look at her hir again If I did It Honest I made Up u my mind when It W too lou late The Th ketcher kOther r nabs the th ball bali squashing that fairy picture In his hl mitt like Uke the brute he lih h witS was The Um Urn Umpires pires yell of ot Strike three was lost in tho howl of and anger from turn the crowd crowl that demanded my hearts blOod and in the midst of it all I seen the gift it itI I love loe rise up in her seat shake her fist f st stat at me inc an with scorn in every line of or her face tech call me a big quitter 1 I did quit I 1 quit right there with a hundred men after me with witha wi h ha a rope tope for they the said Id sold em out And Marion Dart Mrs Bill BIU PrIn PrIngle gle kie Ive IO I heard the experience made this heart a stone where wim men Is concerned d |
