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Show LITTLE STORIES ABOUT BASEBALL (By W A Phelon) There was but one Jake Beckley he was unique and unapproachah le. He was the only one of his kind and for nearly 20 years he was one of ihe richest cards that ever played the game. Always a mighty slugger, no one ever accused him of having the lightning thoughts of a Kelly or a Ruck Ewing concealed about him. but he went right along just the same, saved lots of his money and quit well satisfied. Toward the last of Jake's career the younger generation worried him a little. lit-tle. When an ambitious youth, find-Ing find-Ing all lockers in the dressing room occupied, threw the old man's clothes on the floor with a shout of "Gangway "Gang-way for live ones!" Jake was annoyed an-noyed immensely. He began to realize real-ize that he had gone back physically and, as he was never famed for foxy craftness, he feared his day was done. Just to make a final flash and also make the younger generation look foolish, Jake sat him down alone, and did some heavy cogitating. Laboriously La-boriously enough, he evolved a scheme of upsetting the opposing outfit's base running and then went grinning to the field to make a demonstration. For sceveral years the hostiles had been showing up old Jake's arm an arm which, the critics said, should have been embalmed along with Pharaoh Phar-aoh Necho. With a man on third and a man on first it was the custom to start a double lead off the bases The pitcher, as a rule, would peg to Jake and the runner on third would instantly in-stantly break for home. It would lake Jake till perhaps 8:;!0 p m to realize what the sassy thing was doing; then he would throw home and the runner would beat the ball by 20 feet. If lie hadn't started soon enough to beat the throw the ball was almost sure to j fall half way upon the sod and he could wall; in while the fuming catcher catch-er regainoti the helpless pill. Jake had done some great figurine He felt that he couldn't make the 90-foot 90-foot throw home with old-time strength, but he still had tremendous power for a heave of maybe SO feet. This was his idea The first time the enemy tried that double steal he. Jake, instead of lingering around first, would be far up toward second ; he would take the ball, let the runner on third do as he liked, send the ball to Brasher, who was playing second, and get the victim before the one at coming home could score. It was not B half bad idea and Jake chuckled gleesomely as he wabbled round first and waited tor the play. Ere long the scheme began to take definito form. Sure enough a hostile was on third and one on first and both, laughing derisively at poor old Jake, were edging far off bases ley nonchalantly strode full 85 feel Up the line and then signaler! to the pitcher Like a flash the pitcher threw, the man on third broke for home and the man on first, supposing that Jake would peg at the plate, scampered for second. Beckley hooted hoot-ed hoarsely, wheeled and drove the bail red hot to second base, hitting Brasher full upon the jaw aud knocking knock-ing him Insensible When lake planned out the glorious scheme he had overlooked the formality form-ality of telling Brasher anything about it. nn - |
