The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1871-06-08
WHOLE No. 145.
sBAsE BAIL.


Doctors know. He told us to join a |
base ball club; we Joined. Bought a
book of instructions, and for five days |
studied it wisely, If not too WE'LL
Then we bought sugar-scoop cap, a |
red belt, a green shirt, yellow trowsers
shoes, paper collar
and purple necktie, and with lot of
other delegates, moved gently to the
ground.
There were two mines. These mines
were antagonists. The ball is pretty
little drop of softness, size of goose
egg, and five degrees harder than a
rock. The two mines play against
each other. 1t is quiet game, much
like chess, only a little more chase
than chess.
There was an umpire. His position
is hard one. He sits on a box and
yells +" foul" His duty is severe.
I took the bat. 1t is murderous
plaything descended from Pocahontas
to the head of John Smith. The man
in front of NE was pitcher. He was
nice pitcher, but he sent the balls
hot. The man behind me was the
catcher. He caught it, too.
Umpire said play" 1t is the most
radical play know of, this base ball
Saving cordwood by moonlight RAM
bles beside base bali. So the pitcher
sent ball toward me. 1t looked pret-
ty coming, so L let it come. l hit it
with the club and hove it gently up
ward. Then I started to walk to first
base. The ball hit in the pitchers
hands, and somebody said he caught a
fly. l walked leisurely toward the
tho ho 7
turned to see how he was making it,
when a mule kicked me on the cheek.
The man said it was the ball. lt-felt
The bail went on.
Pretty soon there were three more
flies and three of us flew out. Then
the other nine came in and us nine
went out. This was better. Just as l
was standing ON my dignity in the
left field, hot ball, as they call it,
came skyroetching toward me. My
captain yelled " take it."
1 fastened gently forward to where
the ball was aiming to descend, l nave
a good eye to measure distances, and
1 saw at glance where the little Hro
lite was to light. | put up my hands.
How sweetly the ball descended =
Every body looked; felt something
warm in my eye. " Muffin ~ yelled
ninety fellows. Muffin be id. Its
a cannon ballI For three days I've
had three pounds of raw beef on that
eye, and yet it paineth!
Then [ wanted to go home, but my
gentle captain sayed ssnay." So mayed
and stayed. Pretty soon it was strike.
GO To bat !" yelled the umpire. / went
but not all serene, as was my won't
The pitcher sent one hip high. 1t
struck me in the gullet. "Fouli' yelled
the umpire. He sent in the ball again.
This time l took it square and sent it
down the right field, through parlor
against the head of an infant, who
was quietly taking nap in his or its
mothers arms. Then L slung the bat
and meandered forth to first base. 1
heard high words and looked. When
L slung the bat had with it broken
the jaw of the umpire, and was fined
ten cents.
The game went on. / liked it. It
is so much fun to run from base to
base just in time to be put out, or to
chase ball three-quarters of a mile
down hill while all the spectators yell
g. Muffin !" eco it!' +" Home runp
eco round dozen times!" Base ball
is sweet little game. When it came
my turn to bat again noticed every
body moved back ten rods The new
umpire retreated twelve rods. He
was tinid. The pitcher sent 'em in
hot. Hot balls in time of war are
good. But don't like 'em too hot
for fun. After a while / got a fair
clip at it and you bet it went cutting
the daisies down the right field. A
fat man and dog sat i'll the shade of
an oak enjoying the game. The ball
broke one leg of the dog and landed
in the corporosity of the fat man. He
was taken home to die.
Then 1 went on the double quick to
the field, and tried to stop hot ball.
It came toward me from the bat at the
rate of nine miles a minute. l put
up my hands-the ball went singing
on its way, with all the skin from my
palms with it.
More raw beef.
That was an eventful chap who first
invented base ball. It's such fun. I've
played games and this is the result:
Twenty-seven dollars paid out for
things.
One bunged eye-badly bunged.
One broken little finger.
One bump on the head.
Nineteen lame backs.
A sore jaw and one thumb disloca-
ted.
Three sprained ancles; five swelled
legs.
One dislocated shoulder from try
ing to throw ball a thousand yards.
Two raw hands from trying to stop
hot balls.
A lump the size of hornets nest
on left hip, well back.
A nose sweetly jammed, and five
uniforms spoiled from rolling in the
dirt at the bases.
1 have played two weeks and don't
think / like the game. I've looked
over the scorers book, and find that |
have broken several bats, made one
tally, broken ten windows in adjoin-
ing houses, killed baby smashed
kerosene lamp, broken the leg of
spectator, knocked the waterfall from
school-ma'am who was standing
twenty rods from the field, quiet
looker-on.
I have used up fifteen bottles of ar
MICA ointment, five bottles of lotions
and half a raw beef, and am so full of
pain that it seems as if my limbs were
broken bats, and my legs the limbs of
a dead horse-chestnut.