Show www v v fv r aff j THE 1 FERN CLIFFE P PITCHER 1 astory r story of a baseball chain X pion plon ship by DAVID R BRADY 4 t i t H t t t I 1 I 4 the baseball fever for the coming season was on and the teams were being made up with unusual care tor for halt a dozen towns within a dozen pities piles of one another had formed a league with a view to disputing a championship before the diamond feli I 1 id be deserted in favor of the gridiron to lou no professional players were a allowed to take part and every precaution was taken to insure an amateur baries of games As the season advanced the different teams were found to be so evenly matched that it was impossible to pre fllch which two would play the finals ifor or the champion prize bat inlaid with irith silver and beautiful to behold as J WAS HOI ehni CLOSELY CL OSELl at first the forest hills led with the Sparks villes second then the hammond centers and Gull fords crept upon apon these teams and passed them and so BO the record kept changing till midsummer when it became evident that two teams both of which had bee been a at t the foot of the list at the start the H holtons and the stood at the head bead of the list and one or the other was wae bound to win the bat the reason of this was that both these teams after the first few games had been played got in new captains who took them in hand in earnest and coached them splendidly warfield ld of the hammond centers was jocularly spoken of as having been born with a baseball in his bis mouth and kinsey of the was represented when a baby as having thrown away his bis bottle and called tor for a bat each man weeded out the poor material he found in an his bis team and replaced it with the best it was said that ld could tell a good catcher by his bis walk and that kansey could make a in three lessons of any man the excitement had been increasing during the playing of the games up to the point of 0 deciding which teams should make the final struggle for the bat and when this was determined it reached fever heat while there was ill feeling between the partisans there was none whatever between the two teams the captains were the best bast of friends and remained so notwithstanding th the rivalry each erchtold told the other that he expected to be beaten but would dle die game though no such admission was allowed to get out the excitement ran as high among the he girls of the different towns as among the young men many girls having sewed or embroidered on their caps or their sweaters or their jackets the letter H or F with the exception ot df those girls living in one of the towns from which the rival clubs ballod d the preference depended on the attractiveness tr riess of one or more players this gave captain ld a majority 40 the sympathy for he be was a fine looking fellow while Kin nose bad been broken at football which badly marred his appearance A week before the champion game was wag to be played the pitcher of the team received a blow in the eve 0 from a ball which not only closet close 1 T it but vid fair to be followed by se ee reous consequences at any rate the accident eliminated him from the corn com ling g game where was kansey to find a pitcher to take the place of the one he be had test cost the terms adopted by the league required that all the players should be Ted dents of the town which the team Ce represented presented kinsey told warfield ld that the must either have authority to go outside the county for a pitcher or give up ap the struggle warfield ld consented to tits his doing so BO provided only an amateur wag pra s introduced immediately after this arrangement kansey was wag known to be giving in to lie his pitcher but since these lessons were in private it was not known who the pitcher was he said aad that be was obliged to make a pitcher since there was none ready maae sv irr nanca mo person no ne w did not come to kinsey tor for rUCtIon kinsey went to his pupil por for this enla reason it was difficult to find a chek ha was the man being taught to twin this matter seriously disturbed the betting on the champion rame game aln sey was importuner importuned with questions about his new pitcher and how the matter would affect the 6 game ile he replied that in tits his own opinion tits his teara team had bad as good it a chance for winning with the substitute subs as with the original but bill he declined to give an opinion as to the result A min named kyle who was betting on the game so persisted in his questions as to who the new pitcher was waa vi where here he cartae came from and what was his bis record that hat finally losing his patience said 1 I dont know that ill have a pitcher I 1 may have to take one from the team that will make you a man short said kyle suppose it should la in that case ill bet you 50 you lose the game im not betting on the game but if make the stake a present tor for the pitcher to cost not dot more than 10 against ayalur t a 11 box or of cigars to cost the r same ame amount ill tale take you all right said nyle kyle its a go several persons who were standing near were puzzled at this strange ca contract n but interpreting it favorably for the Fern Ferne cliffe liffe team went away to get bets ag against galust it the incident was spread abroad and tended to stimulate the backing of Un team though odds were obtained it being reported that the pitcher would come from the team as already constituted and that the game was liable flable to be played with a man short up to the day the game was played no one had seen the new pitcher and some contended that there would be no new pitcher that kinsey had a man on his big team a dark horse borse who abo would do the twirling lern Perne cliffe liffe folks tak ing ug their cue from the captain made what bets they could get at considerable odds in their favor that the fern cliffs would win the game with a man short when the teania walked out on the diamond true enough there were but eight men in the Fern clines however when the game was called a man emerged from the quarters qu artera and advanced toward the diamond tie he went straight to the pitchers box and stood there with every spectators eye fixed upon him he was of medium height and appeared to be well built though his loose uniform was not calculated to show the lines of his figure he did not look over eighteen years old but that was about the average age of either team kinsey kansey tossed him the bill ball which seemed to go to him as if he held a magnet in his bis palm and the game began it does not come within the scope of this story to rive give a detailed account of the struggle for the championship between the hilton and Ferri cliffe teams it was closely contested from the start at first the pitcher seemed to be very nervous and made some bad breaks kinsey was watching him closely and now and again spoke to him encouragingly reassured he be went on with his work and before the third inning began to show himself a first class twirler indeed before the game was finished it was evident that it if the game was won at all it would be won through the advantage he gave his team in the el bt tL inning it was waa a tie rind and only by the brilliant pitching in the ninth did the win the game the teams had left the grounds when kyle stepped up to kiney slid and said how alious that bet between us I 1 suppose since you had bad a full team it ingoff goff ive won that hint bet replied kinsey and thrusting his hand under tinder his bis jack et he brought out a pill bill and handed it to kyle to ladys hat and trimming rend read kyle 10 what does it mean it means that I 1 bought the stake for the pitcher since I 1 intended she should have it if I 1 must pay tor for it myself since we won with a man short you may inay settle the bill A man abort yes our pitcher la Is not a man but a girl a cousin of mine a student in the state normal school ashes strong and athletic and ive played ball with her often and while doing so saw in her the making of fl a good twirler shell be at our house botie this evening and happy to receive callers in appropriate costume it la Is needless to say that the young lady pitchers reception in the evening was largely attended she was very modest and found it difficult to stand ngien t the battery of eyes brought to beaton her the story that the fern claffe pitcher was it a girl had within the few hours bours since nce the finishing of the game spread so far that every one who had bad seen her in ba ebell costume wished to see her bet dressed as a woman the cone consequence quence was wnm flint the house was too small to reelie the crowd at one time so they kept going as well as coming the next day when the normal student returned tr to her home a crowd es c arted her to the station she wore the hat that slie she lind won by the bet kincey had made in her behalf and many were the facetious remarks it ex cited when the train pulled out al a shout about went up which was acknowledge ed by a waving of the said hat bat the have a club clubhouse bouP where their trophies are displayed the hat bat won by the team from the holtons hiltons hangs on the wall and under it hangs the photograph of the girl who enabled them hem to win it she Is now a matron and has forgotten athletics in a numerous progeny of children |