Show 1 1 1 D F U g UA A lr P J A GAME OF BASEBALL BY THE MAGNETIC RAY captala captain macmanus retired air skip per and his coterie of 0 waster master alrica tors leaned on the rail ot of the new york receiving float of the ro 0 A aerial line and watched a huge yellow dirigible shoot past on tho the foot level tile the hong kong and washington express said one ot of the younger M As A a ashes carrying the tha hong kong baseball team to the opening game of the international aerial league season nt at washington tomorrow that ought to be a typhoon of a game good thing got tho the mechanical umpires perfected now no living man would stand P a show umpiring tor for that bunch tomorrow seems impossible to think that any human being was ever reckless reck leaa enough to act as aa umpire ot of P a baseball ba sebal game the way they did back in 1912 or thereabouts I 1 wonder why they did it why did they do it grunted granted old captain macmanus dechuso De causo they were men in those days why they like you delicate air nourished infants who are afraid to conw conic nearer than BOO feet to earth for tear fear of hitting bitting the microbe strata why la in my early days wo we puncture my gas gaa tanks that reminds taio ize I 1 was the first man to introduce air ships into the international game etwas only national then though of bit baseball and that was when they still played tho the game on an the ground in my humble little way I 1 was the man who first farst gave people the idea ot of elevating tho the game to its present high level moaned a young captain they used to kill people for perpetrating such things la in tho old daisv never mind said macmains Mac Manns the old days are past dut but its ita the truth im telling I 1 was waa tho the one to first that airships and baseball cook cou mix it was in the year 1920 was waa before most of you children were born when people still turned to stare up in the air when they hoard board a ships propellers whir I 1 ring anil and when the man who could write waster master after his name still was looked up to to use fin an ancient phrase I 1 was running a little excursion packet the star tamer that oie rated between new york city and atlantic city a two hours run in lays days it belne before wo we began to make much speed naturally having this sort of a run in those lays days when people thought it wais something of it treat to ride in a dirigible wo we came into contact with a lot ot of the most prominent erit people lo in the country one day wed have on an bard ullian lillian who was just juat as looking then as she Is now going goin gain ing down to spend a few ow hours houra at atlantic city next day wed have a senator from mexica coming coining up to new york to take tl a look at the lights and next probably dill bill champion pitcher of 0 the new hew york ball team or some other great personage you ner ever hax hav q oi ty cobb askel tho the young captain ty cobb bobbt said captain macmanua win was wag he 1 I dont know I 1 read about him a ln in ancient history the other day said the th youngster but to go on 1174 row atory As I 1 was saying I 1 naturally got acquainted with these groat great people with hauling them to and fro ro betbez between the two resorts and pointed out to them where the statue ot of liberty used to be and so on and pretty soo abon n I 1 was waa on friendly terms with a lot of them and of course the friendship that I 1 prized the most was that of bill of the now yorks bill was as nice and sociable a little follow fellow as ever you saw and ho he at al all stuck up because he was going to be put in the hall of pame flame hed talk to you just as aa if ho he was waa an ordinary man and many the good tanning fanning bee me and dill bill had when we had bad to go up to the foot level and lay waiting tor for a storm to settle down bolow below bill 1 1 I said eald to hint him on one of these occasions chos going to win tho the pennant this year we are ar says saya he bo im la in great form this year but Chi cagos running you an awful close race dill bill I 1 said keeping only one game behind you where wo we want them says bill its a tram fram eup eap were going to run away from the other teams in the league chi and new york will be tied lied up to the last game chicago fans will bo be willing to bet their heads off weve got the money to bet em m then well win dut but how do you know win billil bill I 1 asked im going to pitch says bays he dont tell anybody this is just between yon yoi and me that made me oel feel pretty warm toward the great man and I 1 put myself out to make it as pleasant as I 1 could for him when he was riding with me and he appreciated it and pretty V 1 I III A h fly 4 f a 0 aj tho the secret was waa I 1 was lying up there in the air ir I 1 in prof ignatia Ign atza in invisible aible sky blue self balancing aeroplane with his hie now new magn magnetic etlo ray bearing e ring right ight on the rubber soon we were the best beat friends in th world well finally it came tho the day before the game that was to settle tho the league championship and nure cure enough just juat as dill had said chicago and now new york were tied for first place and ono one game would bettle the hash bash that night dill took flight down to atlan atlantic tie city alty with TOO me to settle hla his nerves and ana suddenly ho he says saya to me mac im up bip against it why says saya 1 I re ive got to throw the game tomorrow 1 bill 1 I says baya horrified 11 yea lyos ho he saya ithal 1 a lust Just what ive got to do you cant I 1 said mid and thon then I 1 told him what id done knowing that thai tie he was going to pitch and win id iongi Ilont io nii and bogged begged and borrowed every cent 1 I could lay my hands on and had bet it on new york to win if you lose bill saya oaks 1 I im a dead duek duck dill almost cried he be was that brokenhearted broken hearted cut but I 1 cant help held it nac mac says oars he be INI morgan organ has ordered that new york loial load bof of course after wit that thero there anything more to say dill bill bad his hie orders from tho the nations boss boas to go in and pitch the full fall idne innings but not to put any speed or carros curros on the ball just to put em right over where the ChI cagos could una line em out having baying the orders straight from morgan he be had bad to oboy obey of course dont think hard of me nine mac ho says saya gripping my hand its avlo 11 1 I understand dill bill I 1 wd sald ml morgan organ and fato fate ware v oro the to lc those bayst 1 I 1 I went into the steering turret and sat down to think it over it certainly looked as it if nay my gas tanks were punctured and aad I 1 was doomed to fall it if new york lost as they were sure to do with bill pitching that way there wasul much left for me except to taake make a nice little hole in the water somewhere near ellis island and the jersey shore I 1 like water in those days so I 1 began to think my lude job was to figure out how to keep chicago bats from colliding with bills curves it was waa something 0 of f a job the way chicago was hitting in those days and dill bill being ordered to serve serva them nothing but straight easy balls did I 1 despair ha you know of captain of 40 years ago who ask that question when I 1 got lack to new yora city I 1 hurried up to yonkers to see professor ignatz the man who knew more about air flying dying electric currents mag nets and so BO on than anybody would believe and told him how I 1 was fixed rest easy mac says saya he be and to took ok me out to his hangar and showed mo me his now new invisible sky blue self balanca tag ing aeroplane watch me says he be and up ho hc went in two minutes he be was out of sight though when he be mega phoned mo me I 1 could hear him plainly my lly own secret says he be absolutely invisible from the ground como come here ho he says and he be shows ma maa a tin tiny 7 searchlight machine ably new invisible ray he says and he shows me how it works saved I 1 I 1 said eald and went out and borrowed somo some more money to bet on oa new york that afternoon people wera jn in the grandstands when the chicago now new york game was called we used to taink that was a crowd in the oli days old bill was in the box blinker was at battor bat tor for chicago dill bill sailed one over blinker looked at it in amazement it was a perfectly straight slow ball right where blinker could kill it blinker pulled down his cap set himself and waited ready to knock it out of the lot the ball camo came over it was the same kind as before blinker swung but as it was about to connect with the ball hla his bat jumped about two inches and he missed ile ho tried it three times then he went back bach to the bench looking puzzled 1 that was tho the way it went the whole game bill was serving up straight slow ones right over the heart of tho the plato plate and the ChI cagos were swinging at them and missing them because their bats jumped about two inches just be before I 1 ore they met the ball with new york it was just the other way swing at a ball way outside the tha plate and the bat would shoot over anit and connect whom when it the a last man was out the score stood chicago O or new yorla 10 and bill had pitched as he ie was ordered you see the secret was that I 1 was laying up ettare in the air right above the plato plate in professor ignatas invisible sky blue self belf balancing aeroplane with hla his new invisible magnetic ray bearing right on an the rubber the ray would magnetize and control anything evena even a hitters bat when a chicago chigo go man 11 would swing I 1 would wait until the bat was near the ball then jerk it up and let the tha ba ball 11 go by when it was a now new yorker id guide the bat smack against tho the ball that gentlemen Is how airships and baseball first began to mix there was a long silence what did you do with all the money you wona won asked the young captain Bilu lt your dynamo you inquisitive bubl roared captain Ift macmanus eManus 1 I endowed a school for teaching C cubs u bs respect tor for their superiors copyright by W G chanman |