The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1891-12-04

saw runners flying between the bases;
/ saw our captain fling his cap to tna
ground, and knew by instinct that he
had bitten his lip and muttered: "Just
our luck to hit to that muffer with the
bases full" All these things come to
ones eyes and ears at such a time
without his knowing that he sees or
hears them. Then | started to run
forward, though / knew 1 was fully
twenty feet too far out to reach the
ball ere it touched the ground.
Iran desperately and at the critical
moment sprung forward. The dis
lance no mortal could have covered
at one leap, but l felt myself borne
forward irresistibly by an unknown
force and something fell into my hand.
There was q moments silence; then
came an electric clapping of hands;
then cry of "Back! back" as the
runners rushed to retrace their steps;
another yell from our captain this
time), "Put her to second" and I
threw the ball to the baseman. On it
went like rifle shot, breast high and
straight saw him fling it with un-
erring aim to first. Then came the
monotonous voice of the umpire,
"Side out" and our men went trip
ing on their hands in elation.
'"That was lucky fuke of yours,
thst triple play" said the captain,
consolingly.
It was the latter half of the second
inning and no runs scored on either
side, when l grasped my bat at the
warning cry: Holmes to bat, Smith
ers on deck" In few seconds Holmes
was out and faced the pitcher.
Igrasped the magic bat tightly, and
as did so l seemed to feel an electric
thrill run through my frame. The bat
quivered as if instinct with life, and l
could have sworn that 1 felt pair OF
warm hands clasping the handle be-
tween my own. So strong was the
impression that l actually looked
down to see if such was not the case.
The ball flew toward me. I felt i'm
PEELED to strike, and without hesita-
ton, without calculation, struck
madly at it, and there came another
roar, another electric clapping OF
hands, and saw the ball, tiny blot
on the blue sky, cleaving the air 100
feet above the head of left field. ran
like startled deer, one base, two,
three, clean home run, and painting
sunk down on the grass fully ten sec
onds ere the ball was sent in. I had
made my first base hit, and it was a
home run!
"Guess you've been saving up your
base hits for the last three years, re-
marked our captain.
need not dwell in detail upon the
rest of this history. On that day, as
was generally remarked. l played
"llke the devil" and the banner OF
Somerville went down in the gloom
of whltewash. (That sentence is
somewhat 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 pro-
digally from my bat. What l wished
it to do that it did. The name of the
Wahpanseh Excelsiors became more
than local; professional mines came
from affair to battle with US, and re-
tired worsted. My portrait with a
heavy black mustache) was in the
paper. l was offered for six months
recreation such a salary as few minis
ters OF the gospel, teachers or editors
can hope to receive. One thing, how
ever, puzzles me. Who was my mys-
teriaus visitor, and will he reappear
to reclaim his gift?
X X
How this manuscript came into the
possession Of the writer it would be
tedious here to relate. The following
item, from the Wahpanseh Clarion OF
Aug. 10 may, however, be of interest.
We regret to learn that no reliable
tidings have as yet been received Of
Mr.. Henry c. Smithers, the respected
left-felder of the Excelsior baseball
club. On the 9Th of July, early in the
morning, as our readers may remem-
Der. his bat with which during the year
he had made home runs, 298 base
hits and 673 total bats was found on
Main street, near Jefferson, permea-
ted by a strong smell of sulphur and
bearing the imprint of several fiery
fingers. Nothing has since been heard
ofour esteemed citizen, and tbs feared
that foul play exists. The Excelsior
Baseball club has offered reward OF
5000 for his abductor or abductors,
and the secretary, the genial Herbert
F. Wilkins, "mine' host" of the Eure-
ka hotel, informed our reporter yes
terday that the amount would be
raised to S5OO.-New York World
Old and Young.
There is no surer antidote for the ef-
feet which time has over us all, in