The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-10-23

/ didn't have to move d finger 81 hjs
u hands. and before the batter knew what
Il had come his way the umpire was
through singing his littIe one OUT
If Next ball pitched Baxter struck at but
II &c. didn't hit anything and on the third
pail he was out How the crowd did
nowiN Baxter looked something like Il
4 surprised man himself. and began to
tnlnk the pitcher wasn't as green as he
1 Looked. After our next man had done
/ the same thing; ! thought so more than
n ever and when No. 3 hit a. little pikineF
4 fly that dropped into old Backwoodpsc
hands like a crab apple into a bushel
4 basket i was willing to bet on IT, IL
struck me. too. that perhaps it was In
\ the way OF picking up another good
i thing from Bill Carlin.
Wen. for two innings the locals
Went out one after another because
Sold1er king was doing his piettfest
and they couldn't locate the ball. Mel
Their could our men. They either stood
stu and let the ball sail past them or
\ they made sGfoll-Saw designs I'm the air
all around it. and that slab-faced
ncuntaineer stood there in his box like
a man at a picnic, and piled 'enl in ONE
after another with SO little preIirninar-
les that we didn't average two minutes
20 an inning. When the Mountain
Eagles collared three scores on a cou-
nie OF scratch hits and some rotten
errors by the frfield. it began to look
ike trouble, and when my boys came
in for their next turn gave 'em a iittle
| talk.
Manager Goes to Bat.
=" He must be a good one. that pitch
er says. Think he'd do in the
They all thought so except Soldier
king. He said the man was a dub
and didn't have anything but a Straight
Dali but | set that down to professional
Jealousy. L Thought the thing oyer
with a couple Of glasses of the 'moun-
tam cider to help my brain work. and
concluded that the best thing for me to
90 was TO get there and try 1t myself.
Tor l used TO be good one at th6 bat
Wlen was playing. So 1 called in the
left fielder and took his place / was
tnlrd man at the bat when we came in
a1ter the locals had pounded out two
more runs for which l was mainly re-
sponsible by my error Our first man
up popped a fly and was out. Then
Fultz made his second strike-0ut and
Went away cussing. I picked out a
tight bat and faced the music. Old
Backwoods presented me with a cheer
Iul grin and the next second the ball
was in the catcher's INIT ard 1t was one
strike.
He's got speed said to myself.
Before I had time to recover. the
catcher had returned the ball, and
strike No. had sailed by me without
my having moved a finger.
And god judgment, too thinks I.
1 guess he'll do
Bat was ready for him next time.
he Let the ball go. and L hope to die
like an umpire If there wasn't such q
curve on it that saw three separate
balls coming my way. / hunted at the
first, let the second pass. and swfped
az the third with all l had left in me-
There was one great howl from the
crowd. and then the umpire said:
That's four strikes, but wen call il
three and out
We'll, we beat 'em by one run,
thanks to Soldier Killing, who did the
whole thing. As soon as the last man
was out [ got hold of old Backwoodss
and made him a proposition that al
most made his eyes pop out. / suppose
he'd never heard of $109 in a lump be-
fore. But there was a hirCiranca in the
way of closing the deal
I'd Ike fust rate to pitch ball foh
yotfah team, MiStah,' says he. but [
signed a papeh with Mistah Cabin to
play with this hyah nine fob this sea-
SON.
1T was plain enough that I couldn't
7wipe him, and the only other thing to
10 was to go to Bill Carlin and make
4 deal of it. Bill said the man wasn't
Tor sale. 1 laughed and asked him how
much he wanted. Bill said one th0u-
sand cool dollars Then we went in to
where the mountain cider was to talk
t over while the subject under discus
sion stayed outside and fired stones at
/ post to Keep his hand in Well. the
0nger the dfCker went on, the worse
needed that pitcher. and finally L had
o come down with $3.50. for which sum
Parry AbTeIing was duly signed over to
ne. His salary was to be $500 for the
est of the season. All the boys said
"a done a great stroke of business
when they found I'd got Vac man; all
,ut Soldier Killing. But Soldier got so
ull that night to make up for his en-
creed abstinence during the game that
le wasn't responsible for what he said.
A Lamentable Fiasco.
Our first game when we got back
vas with the tail-enders of the league.
n all my baseball experience L never
aw a 0ne-ining picnic like that one.
dy $3.50 prize package tossed EN- over
he plate as straight as a bullet and as
zig as balloons, and the taiI-enders just
waited EN- out to the boundaries Of
he field until our 0utfieldeTs were So
ired they couldn't chase EN- any long
r. 1 yanked Abrellng off the stab and
he sat o nthe bench and chewed gum
nd looked thoughtful for the rest CT
he game while the p0pulare gave haTn
he mighty boot. Of course, We were
wamped and lost third place on it. and
Z l wasn't mad I hope I never Will be.
after the agony was over | set sail for
breling
- You're a fine falSir says I. to come
ere and pretend you can pitch ball.
ire you laying down on US, or what's
he matter with you?
Is 'Theh want nothin' the matteh with
hem balls I pitched says he. They
raS all as straight ovah the base as
ny balls could make out to be
81 Straight? I should say they were
says. Where are those wonderful
urves that you made such a bluff with
[ Bedesviile?'
'' Il nevah said could pitch no cuhwe.
1istah.' he says I'll throw ball at
nlallk with any man in the state he
avs, an bet 50 I can beat him. but 1
evan threw no cuhye in my life.
90 Either you're a liar or I am crazy
nd my whole team. tCo. I says.
Didn't you make monkeys out Of our
est bStters up there at BedeSviEEe?
low did you do it if you can't pitch
urves?'
Just nachally threw 'em In
traIght' says AbFelin5. That's what
Iistah Cabin told me to do
"'Well. you git L told him. Go
ack to Bedesville N tine first train.
'sHe made a reach fo- his pocket and
thought he was going to pull a gun
n me but he only produced crumpIed
it of paper. which ne handed to ME.
aging:
. 'Mistah Cabin tor me to give this
sah papeh to you when 1 come to quit
le job. CiCod-by. Mistoh.'
T. NeGA nj II rpaV