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Show "Woo in the Ninth99, tTirrl BY CHRISTY MATHEWSON COPYRIGHT, 1910, BY R. J. BADMER CO. r . . . -i-H . . . Hri . . . . -HH rr f DEDICATION. v -r h To the memory of Henry Chad--h wick, "The Father of Baseball." 4 j whose life was centered in the sport, r 4- and who, by his rugged honesty and 4 his relentless opposition to every- 4-4 4-4 thing that savored of dishonesty and 4 4 commercialism In connection with j n tho game, Is entitled to tho credit 4 4- more than any other of the high 4 4 standing and unsullied reputation ? which tho sport enjoys today. I dcdl-4- rate this story, and to the boys who 4 love tho great American game. .J- C. M. 4- t . .. .,: jjji-j-. M , . t CHAPTER I. The Wintor Torra. "Eyahl Eyah! llughlo. Rah Rah!" A wiry red-headed boy about twenty-three twenty-three years old swung lightly from tho train with a big vallso in his hand, into a crowd of college boys In caps and heavy ulsters. Thy gathered round him at once, and whllo one crowd took charge of his vallse: ho was lifted on to tho shoulders of a half dozen follows and curried cur-ried through tho ntrecls to his rooms In Ellhu Dormitory. In a twinkling his rooms and the hall outside wero blocked with the lads of Lowell who had como to welcome tho most popular boy In school, llughlo Jenkins. It was tho day of tho opening of iho winter term of the university. llughlo Jenkins had been tho successful manager man-ager for three years of tho college baseball base-ball team, and on Thanksgiving day previous, Hughlo as captain of tho football foot-ball eleven, with the help of the other members of tho team, had won the college col-lege championship for tho. first, time In fivo years. The boys of Lowell University Univer-sity had never been very successful In football against their old rivals at Jefferson, Jef-ferson, and the fellows were so chuok-fnll chuok-fnll of enthusiasm over It that they had not yet had enough opportunity to satisfy satis-fy it. As each of tho members of tho team had arrived he had been welcomed In much tho same way, but tho great welcome was. of course, given to "good old Hughlc." as They called him. and now that ho was wllh them again It was possible, taking tho boys' view of It. for tho work of the university to go on. Wonrlor at Baseball. As Captain Larko had said: "llughic is entiilod to nil tho credit w can give him Ho hns hecn a wonder at baseball, becaiiso ho has always kept the boys fighting hard to win. no matter what the score was. nnd wo havo won many a gamo just because we wanted to do our beat for him. and tho way ho made us get. out and win In tho last few mlnutCB of tho football gamo kind of shows that he knows how to put them ovor." "That's right, said Klrkpatrlek. who was right end on tho team. "If good old Tlughie hadn't put some of tho fight back In us whon that old sooro was 0 to 0 In tho last, live minutes of play, and then himself kicked that. Held goal from Jefferson's 25-yard Hue, we wouldn't have won. ' "Well." said Hughlo. "this Is fino all right, boys. We did win, didn't we, and It's vory kind of you to try to give me all the credit, but if it hadn't been for tho other ten fellows on tho team. I guess I couldn't have done very much, and anyway it took eleven pretty good men to heat that team from Jefferson." Then, turning to Johnny Everson, he said: "Gee, I wish tho snow would melt. I'd like to find out what kind of new fellows wo havo who can play baso-ball." baso-ball." And that was just llko Hughlo. Hero It was wintor with snow on tho ground, nnd a month or two of cold weather still in sight. lie had hardly got rested from the football campaign, and now ho was wishing it was timo to get out the bats, balls and masks. "It gets mo," said Delvln to Glbblo ovor in ono corner, "how that old boy hustles nnd Is thinking about all klnd3 of things all tho time, but I guess that's the way to win out." Propared for War. "In time of peace prcparo for war," said llughlo. "Now I am wondering right now whom wo aro going to got to take the place of old boy Penny on first (Fred Penny had been the sensation of tho college world at tho first bag), nnd who will lake Johnny King's plnco as catcher and will he be ablo to work that delayed throw trick with Johnny Ever-son Ever-son and the shortstop, and. by the way, who Is going to take Joe Brlnkcr's placo at short, besides tho couplo of other places that nre vacant? Boys." continued llughlo, "this 13 going to be my lust year at school hero. You fellows havo helped mo win tho championship before. It's nil right about tho football business, hut this last year with you wo'vo simply got to hnvo another winning nlno. Let's glvo a. good old cheer for tho football bovs. and thon let's glvo another for the grand old gamo of ball, and then you go and toll all tho fellows who can play ball that I want to seo thorn in the cago next week, and tell all of them that think they can piny ball to como, too. Sometimes some of these chaps who think they can do It turn out tho best of all." And that evening when Iho boys got talking by themselves they forgot all about football, and the fellows who had boon to school last year had to tell all ovor again about, tho wondorful stunts that Lowell boys had pulled off In the past. Just ns If most of them hadn't heard thorn all before. "Say Johnny," said Fred Larko. a Junior from Kansas and captain of the baseball nlno. to Johnny Evoraon. "I was trying to tell Robb (Robb was from Georgia) how Johnny King and you and Too Brlnkor figured out that deloyod throw-to-sccond trick that won that game from Prlncevillo last year. "Well," said Johnny. "It didn't really win the game, you know, because we wero ahead then, but It kept the other follows from winning. You see, somo one said to us In tho visitors' dressing room of Bnlley Oval that. Walker of the Prlncovlll team was a slow thinker. 'I havo a now trick for fellows' that can't think quick.' said King, tho catcher, and ht explained it to us so wo would bo on the 1ob if the chanco came. Sure enough it did." Just as Was Figured. In tho last half of tho ninth Inning of tho gamo with Prlncevillo college, the Lowell boys wero one run to tho good. Prlncovlllc college was at bat, of course. Walker, tho first man up, had gotten lo first on a hit and reached second on a sacrifice, and he was the lad they said didn't think quick. This was Just Iho thing vo figured might happen. King had said, 'If that follow gets on second I can pull off this now trick, which I call tho delayed throw. Let. Joe. cover tho hag and Johnny stall.' On the first ball pitched. Walker took a big lead off second, and Brlnkor covered tho bag. King motioned quick as If to throw, and I stood still. Walker first started back toward socohd, but when lie saw that King didn't throw ho slowed down. Blinker, walking back to his place at short, said to Walker, 'Wo'd have gotten you that time, old boy, If King had thrown tho ball.' For just one fatal moment Walker turned around to answer Brlnkor's remark and In that Instant King threw the ball to mo as I hustled for tho bar. Of course I caught It and Jabbed it against tho nmner and beforo ho knew how It was dono ho was out. Of course, you coudn't work that on a rcul live player, but we won the gamo on that play becauso tho next batter drovo out a long slnglo on which Walker could havo scored. Looking Look-ing at It one way, It was won in tho dressing room, becauso that's where wo fixed up tho scheme" "It pays to keep thinking about the gamo all tho time, doesn't It?" commented com-mented Larko. That brought up tho other story of an- othor game with Blltmoro university a couplo of years ago, which Lowell lost, and Evcrson had to tell that, too. Whole Lot of Luck-. "I wasn't there," said Evorson, "becauso "be-causo It was two years ago, which was beforo my time, and thoro was a -whole lot of luck about It, too, but It was thlF way: There wero three on bases, and Merry, our mighty slugger, at bat with two out. Scoro was 3 to 0 against us and It was tho first half of tho ninth, too. Merry hit the first ball pitched for a homer over tho right field fence, nnd four runs would have scored, only for little Willie Keofor, right fielder for Blltmoro, who was playing well out toward tho fence. The grounds were down by the railroad and right field was down hill and rough. Insldo the fence sloped at an agio of 65 degrees, being straight on the outsldu and covered with signs. Willie started with tho crack of the bat, leaped upon the slope of the fenco and started to run along It. going higher and higher, and Just as the ball was going ovor Ills head, straight as a bullot. ho put up his right hand and caught tho ball fairly. Then Willie went over the fence with the ball in his mitt, rolling ovor In tho dirt, Willie climbed back ovor the fence, nnd the runs didn't count. beciUHO, whllo tho umpire couldn't seo It plainly, our fellows In tho right bleachers could seo Willie all the time, nnd they wero of courso square enough to sav that, tho ball was fairly caught even If It did lose tho game for us,' And So They Talked. And so thev tnlke.d and talked until long after thuo to bo In bed. nnd told all tho storlos about tho groat Lowell clubs of tho past tho groat pitchers, the catchers and tho fielders, and the follows called It tho first meeting of the 'Hot Stovo League of Lowell University. 19. This talking league lasted through part of February, hy which time the freshles who had dono wonders on the high school teams at home, and who had come to Lowell with high hopes of making mak-ing the team, had a pretty good Idea of tho kind of enthusiasm and loyalty they would havo to show to get on the toam at Lowell. Tho night of Hughlo Jenkins's return a bovi8h-looking chap, who had como all tho way from California to Lowell unlversitv only five months before, wroto a long letter to his folks back homo, and among other things ho said tho boys hHd bogun to talk basoball and ho was going to try to be on the. toam, and also that ho was going to try for tho position of pitcher. Further, that ho was going to try for ono of the Jorry Harrlmun prizes. Ills namo was Case. |
