Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1895-08-08
HE KNEW HOW.
Wigglesworth Had the Utmost Confidence
In Himself.

supper.
Over in the vacant lot the boys Of the
neighborhood were playing game of base
ball. Whenever boy would fail to strike
the ball, or some other boy would fail to
catch 1t, Mr.. Wigglesworth would give ut
| terance to snort Of derision.
II suppose they are doing the best they
cam" Mrs. Wigglesworth found 1t in her
heart to say, with benevolent philosophy
"Bahl' her husband retorted. Whats
the need of boys fingers being all
thumbsp And If he's going to hit the ball,
why not hit 1t and be done with itP
'Twan't that way with me and the Dodley
twins, can tell ye. D. ever tell ye
bout that time me and Alick Dodley-
there, you fool!' he cried, "that's the
third ball ye've dropped in five minutes"
"That was our Willie," Mrs. Wiggles-
worth said "He's doing very well,
think, for little fellow"
"Oh, yes" Mr.. Wigglesworth answered,
Eye understand it, don't YEP Quite an
authority on sports, ye are! Ye'd make
a good referee for pie eating contest, ye
would. First thing ye know The Sport
ing Gazette will be printing yer portrait
on the front page, with an explanation Of
how ye came to marry Wigglesworth. !"
! With this fine vein OF sarcasm working
| out upon the odorous evening air, Mr..
Wigglesworth went down the steps and
crossed the street.
"What ye trying to act out here any
wayS' he called to the boys, who paused
in their game.
"We're playing baseball" cried his son
| Willie from the infleld.
Baseball nothingH' Mr.. Wigglesworth
| retorted "Le's look at that ball"
Willie threw 1t to him. Mr.. Wiggles-
worth thrust out his arms with stiff and
awkward gesture, grabbed for the ball
and got it on the ends of all his fingers at
| once.
"wha'd 70 do that for?' he yelled, put
ting one set Of fingers into his mouth and
the other under his arms. "Don't We know
any better than to fire thing like that
with all yer might fore was ready for
itp If ye don't, I'll take and learn We
soon's get ye home"
ell didn't throw 1t hard; just tossed
it," Willie expostulated, while the other
boys grinned.
Don't We tell me I'm a liar" shouted
Mr.. Wigglesworth, noticing tho lively
countenances of the boys. II know more
about ball playing than the whole sassy
pack Of ye Me and the Dodley twins used
to stand the whole town when we was
boys"
-"That was round ball." said the boy
with two front teeth missing who occu-
| pied the pitchers box. He was a boy Of
bold and lawless manner who had been
known to run away from school.
Ground BALI" answered Mr.. Wiggles-
worth, glaring at the boy with two front
teeth missing "S'pose it was9 Didn't we
have to catch, and didn't we have to
strike? And we did it, too, tell ye," he
said boastfully. "And then we'd throw
the ball and hit the runner-patohing, we
called it-and that was science.
"Didn'tit hurt to patch 'em, pap piped
Willie Wigglesworth.
| "Poh! What If it didp' his father said.
Besides, ye could dodge. l was the
smartest dodger in the town, next to Alick
| Dodley. Couldn't anybody patch me
! scarcely"
II bet could" said the boy with two
front teeth missing, with confident air,
Mr.. Wigglesworth tried to wither the
boy with two front teeth missing by q
look, but he wasn't boy who withered
that way. Then the blood Of generations
of Wigglesworths leaped into daring.
"Gimme that cat stick" he exclaimed,
starting forward.
"He means de bat, explained boy
with cerise hair.
Mr. Wigglesworth stood up by the home
plate and sawed the air with the club they
gave him.
"Let her comet" he cried, with reckless
confidence.
The boy with two front teeth missing
tied himself into bowline knot, juggled
the ball, suddenly Strengthened himself
and shot the ball forward. The little
white sphere, its eyes flaming, made
straight for Mr.. Wigglesworth' vest, and
then, as that gentleman gave scare yell
and dodge, suddenly altered its course and
went curving and kissing up under his
right shoulder and lodged in the catcher 8
hands.
"Ye tried to hit metz Mr.. Wiggles-
worth snarled angrily. He shook his fist
at the boy with two front teeth missing,
who grinned.
The next ball came fair for his bat, you
would say. but just as Mr.. Wigglesworth
raked at it tho ball made wide detour,
and his bat smote the air sayapely and
turned him twice around.
"Wby don't We throw fairP" he orowled
loudly. "Why don't We throw one can
hit?" Mr.. Wigrlesworth never had heard
of curve pitching.
The next ball must have been shot from
a cannon. It met Mr.. Wicglesworth's bat
and paralyzed his arms to the shoulder.
"Run. pa-runp, screamed Willie.
Mr.. Wicrlesworth wns in a blaze Of main
with the SCATTERING force of the blow.
With a whoop he started for the goal. The
bow with two front teeth missing picked
I'M the ball. which. in spite Of Mr.. Wig.
uiesworth,s tremendous stroke. had rolled