Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1892-10-06
A FEMALE BASEBALL CLUB.
They Tried 1t as an Experiment, but II
Didn't Work.

They Tried 1t as an Experiment, but 1t
Didn't Work.
Copyrighted by Lee & Shepard, Boston, and
published by special arrangement with thcm.1
The only attempt on record Of Dan
bury trying to organize female base
ball club occurred last week. 1t was
rather an incipient affair, but it demon
vtrated everything necessary, and in
that particular answered every purpose.
The idea was cogitated and carried out
by six young ladies' 1t was merely de-
signed for an experiment on which to
base future action. The young ladies
were at the house of one of their number
when the subject was brought up. The
premises are capacious, and include
quite piece of turf, hidden from the
street by several dropping, luxuriant,
old fashioned apple trees. The young
lady of the house has brother, who is
fond Of baseball and has the necessary
machinery for game. This was taken
out on the turf under the trees. The
ladies assembled and divided themselves
into two mines of three each.
The first three took the bat, and the
second three went to the bases, one as
catcher, one as pitcher and the other as
chaser, or, more technically, fielder. The
pitcher was a lively brunette, with eyes
full of dead earnestness. The catcher and
batter were blends, with faces analne
with expectation. The pitcher took the
ball. braced herself, put her arm straight
out from her shoulder, then moved it
around to her back without modifying
in the least its delightful frigidity, and
then threw it. The catcher did not catch
it. This was owing to the pitcher look
ing directly at the batter when she aimed
it. The fielder got long pole and soon
succeeded in poking the ball from an
apple tree back of the pitcher, where it
had lodged. Business was then resumed
again, although with n faint senblance
of uneasiness generally visible.
The pitcher was very red in the face
and said II declare" several times. This
time she took more careful aim, but
still neglected to look in some other di-
rection than toward the batter, and the
ball was presently poked out of another
| tree.
"Why, this is dreadful" said the bat
ter, whose nerves had been kept at
| pretty SJlH TENSION.
"Perfectly dreadful" chimed in the
catcher, with a long sigh.
81 think you had better get up in one
Of the trees" mildly suggested the fielder
TO the batter.
| The observations somewhat nettled
the pitcher, and she declared she would
not try again, whereupon o change was
made with the fielder. She was GER
talnly more sensible. Just as soon as
| she was ready to let drive, she shut her
eyes SO tight as to loosen two Of her
putls and pull ont her back comb and
madly fired away. The ball flew di-
rectly at tho batter, which so startled
that lady, who had the bat clinched in
both hands with desperate grip, that she
involuntarily cried, "Oh, my" and let it
| drop and ran. This movement uncOv-
cred the catcher, who had both hands
extended about three feet apart in rcadi-
ness for the catch, but being intenty
absorbed in studying the coil on tho
back Of the batter's head she was not
able to recover in time and the ball
caught her in the bodice with sufficient
force to deprive her Of all her breath,
which left her lips with ear piercing
shnllncss. There was lull III the pro-
cecdings for ten minutes to enable the
other members Of tho club to arrange
their hair.
The batter again took position, when
ono Of the party, discovering that she
was holding the bat very much as a
woman carries broom when she is after
a COW in the garden, showed her that
the tip must rest on the ground and at
her side, with her body trifle inclined
in that direction. The sdggester took
the bat and showed just how it was
done, and brought around the bat with
| such yehemence as to almost carry her
from her feet, and to nearly brain the
catcher. That party shivercd and moved
back some fifteen feet.
The batter took her place and laid the
tip of the bat on the ground, and the
pitcher shat her eyes aSGin as tightly as
before, and let drive The fielder had
taken the precaution to get back Of a
tree, or otherwise she must hayo been
dishgured for life. The ball was recov-
cred. Tho pitcher looked heated and
vexed She didn't throw it this time.
She just gave it n pitching motion, but
not letting 90 Of it in time it went over
her head and caused her to sit down
with considerable unexpectedness.
Ihereupon she declared she would
never throw another ball as long as she
lived, and changed off with the catcher,
This young lady was somewhat deter
mined, which augured success. Then
she looked in an altogether different
direction from that OF tie batter
And this did the business. The batter
was ready. Sho had tight hold on the
bat. just as soon as she saw the ball
start she made a tremendous lunge With
the bat, let go Of it and turned around in
time TO catch tho ball in tho small of her
back, while the bat, being on its own
hook, and seeing II stone figure holding a
vase Of flowers, neatly clipped off its
arm at the elbow and let the flowers drop
TO the ground.
I