Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-08-07

grasped a pen and exultantly affixed
my signature to the agreement, and
was then handed a bat OF symmetrical
workmanship.
Il looked at my name as it stood at
the bottom of that paper, and it ap-
peared to be written in blood.
"'I guess that I've dipped my pen
into the red ink by mistake said l.
"'Neyer mind, never mind said he;
that'll do. Would you oblige me with
the time? My eyes are not as good as
they used to be-"
81 arose and went to the clock.
When l turned round there was no one
in the room. My strange visitor had
vanished as suddenly as he had en-.
tered.
mighty odd, 1 soliloquized, mighty
odd The bat was there, however,
and once or twice when l woke in the
night [ say it CLEAN in the flashes oil
lightning.
81 awoke early on the morning OF
the fateful Fourth, and at first thought
the odd events of the night only a
dream. The bat, however, stood where
l had left it overnight. Taking it and
my travelling bag, l started for the
train. 'Hullo,' said I, as I tried the
door, 'the doors locked. How did my
friend get in last night? Perhaps,
though. l locked the door after he went
out. That must have been it A few
minutes later l was on the train with
my companions, and we were flying
towards Somerville.
'The new bat came in for notice and
favorable comment. OF course 1 told
them nothing of how [ came by it.
Good bat that, said Thompson, our
short-stop, good bat; now, Smithers,
Just you get a player to MATCH and at
this small wit they all laughed. Sorry
you won't have a chance to use it,
said Morton, our captain and catcher.
Gas usual, l was only a substitute. the
spare man, kept in case of accidents.)
cit was nearly two o'clock when the
cars glided into Somerville. just as
we were stepping from the platform
some one behind pressed too closely
upon Thompson, and he fell forward
heavily, trying to break his fall with
his hands. A cry of pain broke from
him as we picked him up; he had
sprained his wrist.
"'This is pleasant said Morton.
We'll, Smithers, it lets you in andyou'll
have a chance of using the new bat af-
ter ALL
cit was a little after three O'Clock
when the game opened, the Actives at
the bat. 1t was u lovely midsummer
day. / can see the whole picture.
bright and lifesome, even now: the
long level field intensely green, lined
thickly at one end with gazers; the
groups seated dispersedly here and
there upon the grass; the boys seated
on the fences; the people standing up
on the carts and wagons; a brass band,
horribly out Of tune, braying Hail
Columbia:' a refreshment tent, with a
long queue of people pressing up to a
sloppy counter made of a board on two
beer-kegs; behind all, the white town,
over which streamed flags innumerable;
before, a stretch of smiling champaign,
with here and there a tall tree, whose
branches streamed gracefully before
the wind.
dead silence as the first of the Act
ives stepped to the plate. You could
hear the strident 'crick-crick' of a
grasshopper or the muffled tapping of
a lazy flag. / was at center-field. Put
him where he'll do the most good-or
least HARM said the captain, tiattering-
ly, when it was debated where I should
be stationed.
'There is always a nervous period at
the beginning of a ball or cricket
match or a game of billiards that char
acterizes no other sport, except, per-
haps, an execution. 1t becomes a re-
lief 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 deliveries-then came the
warning cry, Ono striker Gall the en-
phasis on the 'one') then avicious blow,
and the batsman started to run, but
trotted back lcisurely at the call of
'Foul!' and third Base as leisurely trot-
ted after the ball. Then came another
couple of deliveries. The bat flashed.
There was a slight 'clickn The left
fielder ran forward like a bound, and
Selling the ball as it was bounding to-
ward him hurled it to first base. There
was a dull thud as the baseman received
it and held it over his heard; then the
m%onotonous voice of the umpire: Not
out The first striker had made his
base. Two others follow, and the bases
were full.
"'Now then'-why do people say
Now then?'-called the captain as the
fourth batsman strobe to the plate,
play deep out there and in obedience
to the order VIC 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 it's speed,
passed about ten feet over the second
baseman's head and came straight at
me.
II heard the cheers of the crowd;
saw the runners flying between the
bases; l saw ourcaptain fling his cap to
the ground, and knew by instinct that