The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-06-17
Nl(tIl! segle
HER FIRST GAME.
She Was So Very Bright That He Wanted
to Take Her.

She Was So Very Bright That He Wanted
to Take Her.
She expressed desire to go over and
see game of basersl, Snd he was only
zoo glad to take SxF. sbSre wsre sew.
eral reasons for his joy-because she
was pretty, because he liked her, be.
cause he was baseball crank and be-
cause he knew she was so bright and
smart she would catch right on at once
and be great comfort to him as com.
panion at future games and in talking
them over in the cleaning. So he took
her. and when they had been comfort
ably seated he began to explain the clay
out" to her.
III DO this" he said, "before the
game is called"
Called what" she inquired.
He laughed good naturally and ex'
blamed that "to call" meant "to begin,
and she laughed and said ''of course,
and how silly she was, just as women
always do under those circumstances.
By this time the players were taking
their places.
You see," he said, 'there are nine
PLAYERS on each side"
Chow many sides?" she asked, deter
mined not to make any more mistakes.
1.-TWO"
She calculated a moment on her fin
gers.
That's eighteen in all, isn't it,"
eyes, and nine are at the bat and
nine in the field. That square there is
the diamond, and around it are the first
base, second base and third base"
Don't they have any tenors or So
pranos?" she asked ipnocently.
Be looked at her earnestly and
laughed, but not sweetly.
THAT man behind the man with the
bat in his hand is the catcher" he said
coldly.
"What does he catch-bats? But of
course he doesn't" she interrupted her
self hastily. "How silly I am! he
catches flies, doesn't he? He couldn't
catch bats.in the daytime, could he?"
and there's the pitchers box" he
went on, not noticing her explanation.
THAT box over there with the men
sitting on it?" she inquired. "What
does he keep in this curves? l heard
brother talking the other day about
what an elegant curve some pitcher or
other ie91new had"
mo, ;Mary," he said sadly, "the box
is the place where the pitcher stands.
Beyond him is the shortstop, and out in
the open there you see the fielders. Be-
hind the catcher is the backstop."
whats the difference between the
backstop and the shortstop?' she inquired
earnestly.
you'll see that as the game pre-
gresses," he said. 'Now watch the
players a minute"
The umpire shouted, '''Three balls"
"Why, Harry" she protested, there
was only,one ball. I saw the catcher
get it in his hands"
"The umpire has to do that" ex-
planned the young man.
What Go they call him the empire
for?" she asked. "Because it is a mo-
narchial form of government"
81 guess so" said Harry, with a real
smile at her ingenuity.
'This is real exciting, isn't it," she ex-
claimed, clapping her hands when every
body did at a.good play. 'Ididn't think
l knew enough about the game TO enjoy
it at all, but this is real fun"
The player had knocked safe fly to
right, and the man next at the bat fol-
lowed with q foul, which the umpire
mentioned in the usual manner.
"What does he call it foul for?" she
asked. 81 know" she put in quickly.
ats because it didn't go any distance,
so the hitter could run. Isn't it, Harry?'
Harry said it was, and shortly after
the man on second sneaked to third.
"He stole that base beautifully" ex-
claimed Harry enthusiastically:
"Can they keep them when they steal
them" she asked.
Certainly"
"And can they take them home with
them and count them at the end of the
season in making up their record?' she
asked again.
Harry looked ut her, this time scorz-
fully, and until the game closed he made
no more explanations. Then he made a
few, and since that day she has not talked
baseball at all, and Harry prefers 1t so.
Detroit Free Press.