Show How to Play Base Ball in the House = I Jl j How the Diamond Is Marked Out and Spools Placed To find a way to play baseball at homo has long been the ambition of every patriotic American boy Any boy who can shoot a marble can play Indoor baseball The field should be a bed or largo table with pillows or a pllo of books or boxes fpr a back stop An old sheet with a diagram of tho diamond In chalk or ink should be spread upon bed or table the diamond at one end and tho outfield at the other as on real grounds The bases should bo two feet apart marked by round spots the size of a silver quarter and tho pitchers pitch-ers box should bo a foot from tho homo plate tho latter being a postage stamp The pitchers and batsmans boxes should bo marked as well as the foul lines The players aro spoolsjust ordinary ordin-ary sewing silk or thread spools and they are all selected for their ability to roll straight says the New York Herald The name of each player is written on a sill of paper pasted on his head Tho nines secured the ball and bat aro all that remain to bo found The former Is a marble of medium size Tho latter Is a round lead pencil not sharpened Tho team In the field aro all placed in their accustomed ac-customed positions as In tho actual game except that tho three basemen remain on the bases Instead of playIng play-Ing off The operator or manager of tho field team stands beside the table nearest first base and reaching reach-Ing his arm over that position places his right hand beside his spool pitcher the marble in tho hand The manager of tho team at bat putting ono of his men In tho batsmans box nt homo plate stands on the other side of tho field from his opponent and places his right hand grasping the bat in front of his player Then the game begins and the actual rules are followed closely A third boy may act as umpire or tho two managers can agree easily enough indecisions In-decisions for few will be found uncomfortably un-comfortably close or uncertain The batsman cannot Judge the ball well oecaiiKO the pitcher Is so near that ho is niowud to strike at each delivery A clear box Is laid on Its Vittom di rectly behind tho catcher It tho mar bio hits tho broad side of this box when pitched a strike is called If It shoots over or besldo tho box It Is a ball Four balls as In tho real game entitle the batsman to his base There aro no foul strikes in spool baseball but when a ball touches the bat and rolls foul the fielder nearest tho point whero It stops is rolled from his position toward It and If ho touches touch-es It tho batsman is out A fair hit that knocks over a fielder is an out I If tho Holder rolls further from the plate than docs the ball and It scores as a fly caught When a fair hit Is met by no fielder or when It strikes one and goes beyond him the ono nearest whero It stops Is rolled toward It and If he touches It It is an out Should he miss however the batsman Is rolled from home plate toward first base and hitting the baseman there Is declared safe and may roll for second third and homo In order The field team waits to move until tho runner has tried and If ho falls at any base tho ball is thrown from where it stopped toward the baseman missed Should the ball then hit the latter the runner Is out Should it not hit tho runner has again to roll I from whero ho stopped toward tho baseman and If he falls again tho ball Is thrown from Its place and so on until tIme man Is either safo or out Onco safo on first base tho runner remains there until the next ball other than a foul has been delivered Then ho may try to steal tho next base under un-der the same rules as applied to his reaching first but ho may take but one base of courso on such a run Should a hit bo made when runner Is on first baso tho ball may bo fielded to second base Immediately to force him out as In the real game and this may often develop In a true double play It tho batter fails to get to first For a throw to home baso tho catcher catch-er Is brought up from behind tho bat and placed upon the plate In the case of a hit off tho field that Is the bed or table tho ball Is brought back to the point over which It passed ongoing on-going off and tho nearest fielder hri his chance to run for it ns it It > u I nal hit tn tho fence |