The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1875-09-03

d AHkN nHtn u WAS AtUAltu NHtTt
should be stationed.
There is always nervous period Mt
the beginning of ball or cricket match
or game of billiards that characterizes
no other sport, except perhaps an exc
cution. Ii becomes "A relief To hear the
first click of the bat on the ball; with
the first rush of the fielder the spell is
broken.
"Low ball, = called the umpire. A
couple of delveries-then came the
warning cry, .Onc strikel" (all the
emphasis on the "one'O then vicious
blow, and the batSman started To run,
but trotted back lcisurely at the call of
''Foul!" and third base rs leisurely
trottcd after the ball Then came an
other couple of deliveries. The bat
flashed. There was "A slight "click."
The left fielder ran forward like a
hound, ana seiziN the ball a il was
bounding toward him, hurled il To first
base. There was dull thud rs the
baseman received it and held il over his
head; then the monotonous voice of the
umpire, "Not out - The first striker
had made his base. Two more followed,
and the bases were full.
.Now, then, why do people say
Snow, then''-called the captain rs the
fourth batsman strobe TO the plate,
''play deep out there" and in obedi-
ence To the order we of the outer field
retired still further out. The first ball
that the PLAYER received suited him and
he drove it sharply to center. The
white sphere, perfectly Kissing with
its speed, passed about ten feet over the
second baseman's head and came
straight ~ me.
| heard the cheers of the crowd: |
saw the runners flying between the
bases; | saw our captain fling his cap
10 the ground, and knew by instinct that
he had bitten his lip and mmttered,
"Just our luck, to hit 10 that muffer,
with the bases full All these things
come TO ones eyes and ears at such
time without his knowing that he sees
or hears them. Then | started 10 run
forward, though | knew | was fully
twenty feet too far out to reach the ball
ere it touched the ground.
ran desperately, and mt the critical
moment sprang forward. The distance
no mortal could have covered AT one
leap, but | felt myself borne forward
irresistibly by an unknown force, and
something fell into my hand. There
was moments silence; then came a
roar from the crowd, followed by IN
electric clapping Of hands; then cry
Of - Back back!n as the runners rushed |
to retrace their steps; another yell |
from our captain this time), s.Put her |
TO secondi" and threw the ball to the /
baseman. On il went like rifle-shot,
breast high, and straight. saw him |
turn and fling it with unerring aim To |
first. Then came the monOtonOus voice /
of the umpire: .'Side out, ;" and our \
men went trooping in, turning somer-
sauts and walking on their hands in 4
elation.
"That was a lucky fluke Of yours,
that triple play" said the captain, con-
solingly.
1t was the latter half Of the second \
inning, and no runs scored on either
side, when / grasped my bat az the !
warning cry "Holmes TO bat; Smith
ers on deck In few seconds Holmes
was out, and faced the pitcher.
! grasped the magic bat tightly, and
as did so | seemed To feel an electric
thrill run through my frame. The bat
quivered rs if instinct with life, and
could have sworn that felt pair of
warm hands clasping the handle be-
tween my own. 30 strong was the inn
preston that actually looked down to
see if such were not the case.
The ball few towards me- felt inn
PEELED To strike, and without hesitation,
without calculation, struck madly at il,
and there came another roar, another
electric clapping Of hands, and saw
the ball, tiny blot on the blue sky,
the air one hundred feet above
the head of left-field. | ran like a
startled deer, enc base, two, three,
clean home run, and painting sank down
on the grass fully ten seconds ere the
ball was sent in. | had made my first
base-hit, and it was home run,
''Guess you've been saving up your
base-hits for the last three years, ;" re-
marked our captain.
VI.
need not dwell in detail upon the
rest of this history. On that day, as
was generally remarked, | played
.'like the devil" and the banner of
went down in the gloom of
Chat sentence is some
what Whitmanian, but let it stand ) |
An honored member of the first nine,
wherever the Excelsiors went ] went,
and with me went victory. Base-hits
and home-runs poured prodigally from
my bat. What | wished ii to do, that
it did. The fame Of the Wahpansch
became more than local
professional mines came from affair To
battle with US, and retired worsted.
My portrait with a heavy black mus