The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1877-06-20
could desire. His remains will be buried
in Oak Hill cemetery" ~ = Il
Our Baseball Experience.

Our Baseball Experience.
There is no use denying the fact that
we could go through almost anything for
the sake of entertaining our young folks,
and if the following experience does not
prove it we shall be tremendously disap-
pointed. You see we thought some of
our readers would like very much to have
an account of base ball match such as
the insurance and dry goods clerks gen
orally indulge in Tor for what they call
"unprofessional,'0 and although we did
not know the first thing about the game,
we did not think of allowing anyone else
to write It but just ourselves. --.-.
We borrowed a big gingham umbrella
for shade, and started out in search of the
ball grounds. We found game Just
about to commence, ana selected seat
in the softest grassy knoll anywhere
about. We took out our spectacles, open
ed the umbrella, our ears and eyes just as
wide as possible, and felt pretty sure we
should hear and see everything of the
slightest Importance.
:, The very first thing we heard was a
loud "hallo - from the field. We looked
over our spectacles and saw sixteen arms
reckoning to us, and presently two gen
tlemen stepped up and explaining that
there was vacancy in one of the mines,
requested lis to fill the position. f...
Old as we arc we have not forgotten
our habit OF opening our mouth very wide
when astonished, and this time our nose
did not get out of the way in time, and
so our spectacles tumbled of.
You have splendid hands for base
ball, sir" continued the gentleman, flor
if 1 were a ball I should not mind being
caught by you, for. there's such nice
chance to run round in 'em.'
" Really, sir, you're too kind,' we said.
We didn't know what he was talking
about, but knew he must be compliment
tary; so we wiped and put up our spec
tacles and joined the crowd on the field.
We saw them glance at our hands, and
then they Immediately announced that
we should be the "catch." Why they
should have put us in that difficult, not
to say dangerous, position, we cannot say.
We did not ask at the time, and as we
are not on speaking terms with any of
the party now, we give ourselves the ben
eft of any doubt. Some one asked us for
a cent. 1t was thrown up, and the UNI
pire said: "You take the head.n Some
body else took the cent.
The umpire then said: "How high will
you have it," and before we could an
swer some one struck us in the stomach,
and the man shouted zone strike!' It
seemed to us that it ought to count for
more than that, for it was hard enough
for six strikes at least. Before we had
time to fairly aighten the ball came
again, and we needn't havejumped out of
the way as we did, for the man at the
bat struck it, and turning around with
the widest look of astonishment, and
everything else that we ever witnessed,
deliberately SHE'D his club at our shins.
and started for the base. Seven men went
for that ball, while the other ones
jumped up and down, clapping their
hands and shouting, Slinger-in:"
AS they rushed after the ball it was our
prayerful wish that the man who pitched
it into us might be killed, but he wasn't
only slightly injured, and took his
place with sort of "do-or-die,'' aspect
that set our teeth on edge. We tried to
think of our home and our mother, but
it didn't seem to comfort us very much.
The striker reached his base after a
stormy passage, losing his hat and one
boot, and throwing himself in the arms
of the first baseman with such vehemence
as to make him his enemy for life. At this
point some one complicated matters by
shouting, "Look out for the second
when we had more than we could do to
look out for number one. The ball came,
The batsman missed it and so did we, and
to make matters worse, that man began
to run for his next base. Then we com
menced to pick up that ball; but it
wouldn't come.
We undertook throw our left toe, at
least four times, and dug our fingers into
the dirt, and we waltzed around with our
head between our legs, getting sight of
it now and then to inspire confidence, and
finally stepped upon it; when, after sever
al revolutions in a promiscuous sort of
way accompanied by few remarks we
did not learn at our mothers knee, we
struck out for the umpire, dived straight
into the small of his back, when he, with
the most unearthly yell we ever heard,
grasped the batsman by the hair. and we
all plunged into pile of camp stools and
encouraging cries of "pick it up, home
run, and one to carry, give 'em more
room. l say, there, why don't you put
on your specs?" while the more thought
full hestened up and asked us eff there
were any other game we were little sur
er of in some minor points,"
The doctor thinks he can mend our leg,
but it now seems as if we shall have to 90
through life with only one eye, and with
out nearly so much left ear as we ought to
have.-ErcAange.