Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-05-21
TALK OF THE TOWN.
Baseball Tackled seriously-Touching Up
a MuriIlo-AIlegheny's Book Lovers
The Bohemian Girl in Carmen's Clothes
Gossip Picked Up by the Topical

BASEBALL said O Stud1OuS young flttsDurg
business man yesterday.
"How do YOU mean?" asked friend.
"Well, YOU see, baseball seems to be the
proper fad. YOU know; the correct caper
| with vounp men, and concluded ought to
| be en IT., MS the boys say. So l set to work
| to master baseball. l never could see any
thing in 1t, YOU know, but when made up
| nv mind TO understand baseball 1 stopped
| Mt nothing. l began with the reports of
| baseball games in the newspapers. Every
morning read the details of the previous
DAYS game 1t was very difficult
| to understandable reports were full
of words and phrases hao never
! seen before, but that didn't dismav
me. went on reading column after column
| till 1 thought might advance another step.
| This was to watch the baseball bulletin
boards down town, and l did it regularly
| every afternoon for several weeks, mingling
with the crowd that gathers on Smithfield
street, and picking up stray crumbs OF learn
| ing from the cranks themselves. Then
| thought l was fit to meet some friends of
mine as they alighted from the ball game
| train at the Union depot, and to ask them
aaeSylIrS mnny runs sUi did we we mako! or Did Miller
play first better?' or There must have
been slugging in the seventh seventh or
Why don they fe ebv
l honestly believe, and felt was RS
| ing in the estimation of my baseball friends.
| Since then my progress has peen rapid, ana
| if my courage holds out and l can get some
gentle crank to escort me am going to my
| first ball game tomorrow. 1t is moment
GUS event. realize, and ! am AFRAID may
be too sanguine In my belief that have pre-
pared myself for the ordeal, but shall take
| the chances, anyhow"
Touching Up Murillo.
| RECENTLY some Pittsburgers, among whom
was daughter of Mr.. Simon Beymer, who is
visiting married sister in Los Angeles,
made an excursion to the Mission of San
| Gabriel at Pasadena, in Southern California.
! The padre who acted as guide took great de-
| light in showing the old buildings which the
passage of two or three centuries has made
antiquities of a rare order on this continent.
| 1t was a labor of love to the venerable padre
to relate the story of the foundation of the
mission, and to linger upon the legendary
| sweetness of the seven famous bells that
have for years hung silent in the adobe
church. But he was most eloquent when he
came to the paintings of Murillo, which
| form the greatest treasure of this Mission.
He expatiated upon the age and wondrous
beauty of the immortal spaniard's works.
| The visitors carefully examined the paint
| ings, fearful lest they should suffer any mite
| of such hoary excellence to escape their
notice, and this close eXapination EXAM i aed one
looks wonderfully new considering that It's
200 years old-the paint is bright and fresh
as if it had been laid on yesterday"
"Ah! 1 have had these inestimab BILE paint
| ings retouched," the padre fastened to ex-
| plain. "They were getting dingy and dim
| in places and / got a Pasadena artist to
| come and touch them up bit They are
wonderfully improved"
The idea of local talent in Pasadena-may
| be a stranded blazoner of st, Jacobs oils
virtucs-improving upon Murillo was too
much for the Eastern intellect, and the
PADRES explanation was succeeded by
solemn silence.
A Glimpse of Elusive Locke.
MANAGER E. D. WILT, of the Grand Opera
House. is home from st. Louis, whittier he
went last week to corral the elusive Locke,
and the s. 800 he lent that extraordinary i'm
pressario. Mr.. Wilt says he is sure of his
money anyhow, for he stands second in the
list of creditors who levied upon the prop
erty of the Juch Opera Company, and in fact
will get the first whack at the scenery, prop
critics and operatic scores, which cost at
least $4,000 and should be worth $4,000 to a
theatrical purchaser to-day. While In st.
Louis the inimitable Charles E. and Mr. Wilt
were on the best of terms; dined together
and let their lawyers do the lighting. The
conclusion Mr.. Wilt came to was that Mr..
Locke is an abused man, whose ShrewdnesS
has been overestimated with his failings, and
certain to be manager OF great Emma Jucn
Opera Company next season.
Mr.: Wilt told me several amusing stories
of the Juch companys death-bed scenes.
On Saturday last, for example, just before
the matinee began, constable representing
some infuriated creditor of Manager Locke
| levied upon the musicians scores of "Car-
men, which were at that time nom1nally IN
| the hands of the Sheriff. Carmen" had been
announced for the matinee and the audience
| lost his nerve completely, and was for giving
| no performance. The company all
attired in the Carmen" costumes clus-
tered about him, and for several
,,oi,o
| reigned. Then Mr.. Wilt, who had been in.
| formed of the conStables illegal seizure OF
| the scores, came upon the scene, ana, wita. WIN
| "Isn't there some opera these costumes
would suit, and for which you have the
| music2"
said; "The costumes would go in the 'Bo-
hemian Girl"
"The Bohemian Grip with Carmen" cos
| tunes satisfied the audience well enough,
for only $40 was demanded back at the doors
| after the change in programme had peen
announced.
| Bicycling for Babies.
| THE latest notion of the parent of bicycling
proclivities is to take the youngest to ride
| with him, and the fad seems to be popular in
the East End, for on Tuesday evening met
| a dozen men in half that number OF blocks
VIII, had q little tot seated between them
| and the handles. The seat for the baby Is
| an ingenious little arrangement hung in
| 1rOnC OF The Shuulo, lllO HlCH OiiO ShAiO SoiA
| be securely fastened. When it is affixed to a
safety there is really no danger for the child
| and no end of fun.
The Army of Readers Grows.
| "IT is now two months since the library
| was opened" said Librarian Stevenson at
the Carnegie Library yesterday, "and 1
| think we have every reason to be satisfied
with the results so far. The records of the
| circulating department of the library show
| that from March 16 to May 16 total of II, l39
volumes were in circulation, or more books
| than the shelves of the library contain
| The growth of the circulation has been
| gradual from 7Ss books in the first week to
1852 in that ending May l6. The two months
| records also show that AT books have been
| used for reference in the library itself"