Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1867-08-07
Something for the Admirers Of
Base Ball.

club, gets off the following:
Look at that brace of hands. once
soft and pretty. now suffused with the
Egyptian bushes. Look into those
optics and tell us tales of sympathy.
And look a that Mount Tom on our
right cheek-bone. Base ball That is
The row.
1t came about thus. Secondary de-
ployment is too shirksome on the svs-
tenn. The doctor said we needed ex-
ercise. Doctor knows He told us
to join base ball we Joined Bought
book Of instructions. and for Ave
days studied it wisely if not too well.
Then we bought sugar-scoop cap, a
red belt, green shirt, yellow trowsers.
pumpkin colored shoes, paper collar
and purple neck-t tie, and with lot
of other delegates, moved gently to
the grounds.
There were two mines. These two
mines were antagonists The ball is a
pretty little drop of softness, the size
Of goose egg, and five degrees harder
than a rock. 1t is quiet game. much
like chess, on Y little more chase than
chess.
There was an umpire. His position
is hard one. He sits on box and
yells fowl His duty is severe.
| took the bat. 1t is a murderous
plav thing, descended from Pocahontas
to the head of John Smith. The man
in front of me was pitcher. He was
a ntce pitcher, but he sent The balls
hot. The man behind me was catch
er. He caught it toe
The umpire said play 1t is the
most radical play know of, this base
ball. Saving cordwood is moonlight
rambles beside base ball. SO the
pitcher sent ball toward me. 1t
looked pretty coming, so let it come.
Then he sent another. | hit it with
the club, and hove it gently upward.
Then | started to walk to the first
base. The ball lit IN the pitcher, or
IN his hands, and somebody said he
caught fly. Alas, poor fly walked
leisurelv to the base. Another man
took the bat. l turned to see how he
was making it, and mule licked me
on the cheek. The man said it was
the ball. 1t felt like mule, and re-
posed on the grass. The ball went
on!
Pretty soon there were two more
flies, and three of US flew out. Then
the other nine came in. and us nine
went out. This was better. Just as
was standing on my dignity in the
left field, hot ball as they called it.
came skyrocketing toward me. Nv
captain yelled, take it =
| hastened gently forward to where
the ball was aiming to descend. l
have a good eve to measure distances.
and saw at a glance where the little
;erolite was to light. ! put MP nv
hands. How sweetlv the ball de
scendcd. Everybody looked.-I felt
something warm in my eve! Muf1iin.'
yelled ninety fellows; Muffin be
ID It's a cannon ball ! For three
days I've had two pounds of raw beef
Oh that eye, and yet it paincth
Then ! wanted to 60 home, but INV
gentle captain said nay. Sol naved
and stayed. Pretty soon it was nv
strike. To bat! !! yelled the umpire.
| went, but not all serene, as was nv
wont. The pitcher sent in one hip
high. | missed it. He sent in an
other neck high. 1t struck me in the
guilet. Fowl yelled the umpire.
He sent in the ball again. This time
| took it square and sent it down the
right field, through parlor window
a Kerosene lamp, aud rip, up against
the head of an infant who was quiet
~ taking its-pap IN his or its moth
cr's arms. Then slung the bat and
meandered forth to the first base. |
heard high words and looked When
slung the bat, | had with it broken
the jaw of the umpire and was fined
ten cents.
The game went on. | liked it. 1t
Is so much fun TO run from base TO base
Just in time to be put out. or to chase
a ball three-fourths of mile down
hill, while all the spectators yell.
mutfin!' go it : home rum 20
round again. or, 90 round a dozen
times Base ball is a sweet little
game. When it came my turn to bat
again. noticed everybody move back
about ten rods The new umpire
retreated about twelve rods. He was
timid The pitcher sent the ball in
hot. Hot balls in time Of war are
good. But | don't like EN- too hot
for fun. After while | got fair clip
at it, and you bet it went, cutting the
daises, down the right field. A fat
man and his Jog sat in the shade of
an oak enjoying the game The ball
broke one leg of the dog and landed
like run away engine in the corpor-
osity OF the fat man. He was taken
home to die
Then | went on double quick to
the field, and tried TO stop another hot
ball. 1t came toward me from the bat
at the rate of nine miles a minute. |
put up nv hands, the ball vert sweet
" singing on its wav with all the skin
from nv palms with it
More raw beef
That was an eventful chap who first
invented base ball. It's such fun.
I've played five games. and this i the
result -
Twentv-seven dollars paid for our
hines