The herald., 1897-08-04

imminent danger of everybody else's
eyes and temper. Hitherto it has been
froWned upon by man as mans game,
and somewhat seriously tolerated as a
momentary occupation for the frivolous
minds of girls and women. No profane
foot is allowed to soil the sacred sphere
which is tossed about in the game, and
the ladies of the rush line are supposed
10 say, "Oh, excuse me, my dear!" when
they offer each other undue violence.
IAN easy game" gush the men. "Why,
one man could beat a whole field of girls"
The taunt ranked in the breast of the
members of a basket ball team, which
holds weekly practice at certain we'll
known seaside resort, which for the pres
ent purpose will be called Monte Sanica.
Three men, better known on the tennis
court than anywhere else, were particu-
larly obnoxious on account of their per-
sistency in maintaining that they could
beat any number of girls at the game.
Their initials are Louis Freeman, o. S.
Picher and e. w. Barry. Wrath rose
high in the gentle bosoms Of these basket
ball maidens whose names are-well.
never mind their names. Suffice 1t to
say that all of them are we'll known
figures in the social life Of Los Angeles
and the aforesaid seaside resort. A war
like challenge was issued to these three
boasters. The girls would play these
men and teach them that women can
play basket ball even if she cannot light
a cigarette in the ordinary way. "We-e-
IL" said the men when approached
''This is snap. Will we do it? We-e-ll.
think So" And SO it came to pass.
There is a large, shady lawn behind
one of the most beautiful residences on
Ocean avenue, and at 10 o'clock yesterday
morning the wolves and the lambs
gathered for the slaughter An umpire
was chosen, and the rules forbidding
holding the ball, kicking and tackling
were explained. At the mention of tack
ling Freeman's lower jaw dropped until
it rested on his toes, for be it known that
Lewis is mighty tackler, a crusher of
bones. The first quarter was only to
last three minutes, sin order to give the
boys a chance to find out something
about the game" as one of the girls mag
unanimously put it.
The seven girls lined up on one side,
the three men on the other ready for
the fray. '"Time!" yelled the umpire, and
a swish of skirts, a plunge forward, and
man and woman met in their wild ca
reer. The elusive sphere shot hither
and thither, the men plunging through
the girls line like bulls on the rampage.
little girl with long blonde braid
captured the spheroid out of a moving
mass of arms and legs and shot away up
the field. Picher urged his lengthy
limbs, reached out a muscular arm and
knocked the ball from her hand amid
chorus of walls from the feminine mem
bers. A sinewy young woman in a blue
skirt threw herself violently on Mr..
Picher's wishbone and an ominous crack
resounded throughout the field. Barry,
in gorgeous head dress, shot over the
field like meteor and every time that
Freeman sailed through the line a trail
of recumbent but violently aeitated
figures marked his route. Every time
that the ball shot up towards the girls
goal chorus of "Oh's!" and "Ah's"
in various tremolo tones uuayered
through the line. Tackling was not al
lowed, but the shoulders of both sides
We're used with frequency that argues
plenty Of bruises upon various portions
of masculine and feminine anatomy.
Once Picher started down the field on
run and a big girl in brown skirt
and a pink waist sailed into the air.
alighted in Mr.. Picher's sternum and
both rolled on the green grass amid
bowling plaudits from the sideliners.
Owing to Freeman's extreme length of
body and limb he was able to reach the
ball at any desired time without moving
from the center of the field. When thew
were knocked down by collision with
Picher or Barry the girls pluckily got
up again, hitched up their bloomers and
sailed into the scrimmage with melo-
dious whoop that would make the for
tune Of a circus "spieler." Nearer and