The star of Pascagoula. [volume] (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1873-1878, 1875-08-28
1nE DEMON BAT.
Thfiitine Legend 90 The nass nail
Arena


Our ioan had the baseball fever
su hld l.
recourse we had o. nine. Not % pro-.
f%e..iongI nine we bad MT come iD that
set. but an amateur nine that used i0
visit the ncighboring towns and villages
m Saturdays, and there engage Zoo play
with an equal number II mauiac- stint.
hrIy affected beating and being beaten
Ihe members Of the Excelsior Club
al amateur clubs are called either
s.Eycel-iursn or sstninus'A wprr
proud Of their record, proud Of their
Uniform, proud Of their village, and
their village was proud Of them. In
deed, | think that when once f our num-
Der had put on his white t]lannels and
colorcd stockings and star-bedccked
cap, and had slunga bat carclcssly over
his shoulder, what with the admiring
glanccs of the women and the audible
enthusiasm of the awe-smittcn small
boys, the heart that throbbed under
the big f on his breast, thrObbed so
proudly that he would not have eN-
changed his ~position-say at second
base-for that Of Chief Marshal Of the
Fourth of July procession or Alderman
and any one who has ever lived in a
country town knows what that means.
say ''of our number because ! was
a member of the club, at times of the
nine-an unworthy member, though
never a brilliant player, and at all criti-
cal stages of close games a nervous one.
If | were playing a base | was sure to
muff a ball at the wrong moment; if
fielding my performance was hailed
by a derisive roar of ''butter-fingers -
and on the score-sheet my record gen
orally looked like this;
EXCELSIOR.
10. r.. D. r. P. 4. E.
smithers.. 0 OOO 0 6
At home | never was trusted to play,
but often better players could not afford
the time or money to visit other places,
and so |, who had both leisure and
funds, was frequently enabled to graft
fy the darling ambition of all the young
men Of Wapanseh, and figure in the
miner
The Fourth of July had almost been
reached, and we We're engaged to play
amatch at the town of Somerville, some
hundred and twenty miles away. Som
eryllle boosted its club, of course, for
there is not a town or village in the
country that has not its baseball club
and literary society. 1t was a famous
cub, and players spoke almost with
W OF its members, who had graduated
INTO professional mines and were win
nlng-and selling-historic games daily
IN sight of all men. And had it not
been recorded even in the World that
once the Actiyes, of Somerville, had de-
ieated the mighty Mutuals by three to
two? We had often PLAYED with this
cluD, bu never defeated it, though
once or twice victory had barely eluded
our grasp at the supreme moment
thanks to me, whom the irate Excelsiors
would certainly have lynched had not
helr disgust been too excessive for deeds
rs well as words.
The eve of the great match had ar
ilVed, and | was sitting gloomily in my
oeu-room. The door was locked, for
II was nearly midnight, and / was about
~ retire. Aheavy thunderstorm with
lnIul flashes of rain, was raging with
oul' was meditating, | need hardly
Say, OF next days game. '',Just my |
luck, OF course" / said, half-aloud;
lne biggest match we ever played in, I
anu l nave no chance of playing. But
! continued, bitterly, 'swhat difference {
qOes that make, after alp If | played,
! snould only play badly. Upon my
morG, think I'd give my soul to be a t
'raSk player just for one year.. :
mere was at that instant a fearful 9
viaSh OF thunder and a blaze of light !
Jug so intensely vivid that for a few t
ITsepnds | was literally blinded. The
,sue clock on the mantel-piece tinkled '
we've. At that moment I heard a voice i
IIallhg Excuse me- and felt a hand :
~u lightly on my shoulder. Looking 5
iolnd | saw a stranger.
ne was a quiet, elderly man, grave $
" aspect, soberly dressed in black. / /
nOuced that be had two club feet, but +
sa,e TINS no more than momentary at
nu lo1: He had q long paper-covered {.
parcelin his hand. U
Excuse me-" he repeated, al c
dcKed twice, but you must have been &
sP IN thought; possibly, too, that o
pea OF thunder drowned my tap" 4
was too much surprised at his sud t
al appearance to speak for a moment, e
@uu ne continued:
thinking that probably You might n
M, something in my line I have ven n
a ON my wayAthrough your Il