The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1879-04-19
A Base Ball Romance.

In the bulk window of Chestnut
street auction-house is exposed a mag
nificent mahogany mace, tipped With
elaborately- silver. For over sol
hour very seedy individual, with red
hair and a broken nose, fingered about
the window with such mysterious
manner as to lead the officer on the
corner to believe that his intentions
were not good, SO be "took him i'm on
general principles, sab ad SON tav for
When the officer related to the court
his ground for the arrest, and, finding
themnot tenable, the magistrate quizzed
the prisoner as towho and what he was.
What where you doing there2"
queried the Court, al s,at I'D. s.oa.
Nothing, Jedge simply admiring
and nneditating." -
"Admiring what?' ts
Z" That bat, Jedge the beautiful base
ball bat" a.h if,.ea.f h.4e#.r .sE
You are evidently an admirer Of the
game Of base. ball. interposed the
court iAA aef' ..le -
e" No more, Squire. Was once. I'm
q martyr, / am. I'm no good any more.
It's gone down now, has the game.
How could, scoop in o fy-scraper?
Shy tibet inkstand at me, Jedge. Toss
Der sharp. Bounce her now. Hot, me
boy, an I'll show yer how to stop her.
No, they won't have me no more; I'm
played, they say. Gimme something.
Bust off that table-leg and gimme a
smack at that inkstand. Fire her this
way hot, and if I don't show yer a
ho,, or uo~ 40, eooJ ~, a Joxy,, Co.. ryo~d
Ten years ago was big crap on the
field; short,stop, you know. All broke
up now, Couldn't get a job now scrap
ing the stick. / could skin over the
bases like creased lightning runs.
Throw open that door once. Just hold
her open two minutes, and see me get
up and git. But, reckon, Tn no
account nowadays, though
"You don't look as though you'd
bring prize" put in the court
"Not for beauty, no. But for scars,
Jedge; for scars I'm prime cheese; head
of the heap. I'm q martyr,I am, but
nobody would guess it, a
"a martyr to WHAT" said the court.
To sky -scrapers, Jedge; daisy-cut-
ters -homers, yer know. Taking 'em
hot, right off the tip Of the bat Oh,
yes, I'm martyr. Do you see that
han dp ~ and he exposed palm about a.
broad as deal-table, with five horribly
demaged fingers starting from its edges.
"Them tells the tale. All of them
busted time and again. Had 'em druv
in clear up to the second jint, and
pulled out with tweezers dozens Of
times. Every finger broke in six places /;
Ave times six, thirty; thirty breaks on
the right hand, thirty busted on the
left. Twice thirty, sixty; five twelves,
sixty. Five dozen broken fingers in
the cause, and amt worth continental.
Pulled in for gazing and meditating on
prize bat. This is too hardp
at is indeed hard" said the court.
do you see that smelling apparatus
on my countenance? Looks as though
it was too big for the face, don't it? l
sacrificed her. Once it was the beauti-
fullest nose as ever your eyes sot on,
but ball took her on fly, with three
fingers. But I'm no good. Oil no, I
don't understand the game. Can't even
gaze ON prize bat, or mediate, but am
run in. All right, Jedge. Sock FER to
me. Send it hot. I'm on the home run,
and you might as well put me out"
He was put out in the street, and was
heard to say, as he went through the
door, that he knew he would be called
upon to die for the cause some time, to
save it from disgrace.-Philddelphia
Record.