Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-03-17
FOUND LIFE IN ARIZONA

n year ago iast december, said we'll
known Washington lawyer, II took my
younger brother down to Arizona. He was
a man under thirty, and pretty far gone
In consumption. The disease had got hold
OF him about three years before, while he
was on the road as commercial travel
er. and about a year and a half ago he
came back here to his home to wind I'D
his affairs. While 1 knew by his looks
that there wasn't any use hoping for him,
tried to jolly him out of his apparent de-
termination to draw death nearer by look
ing it in the eye.
oh. that won't do he'd reply. The
things got me nailed, and there's no sense
IN trying to sdestep it. I know where
stand. Nice Of you to josh and all that,
but know I'm going to cash in pretty
soon. and that's all there is about it
with me.
there and mix up with a jam of other
lungers. I was out there and saw all the
resorts for lungers before 1 got tackled
that way myself, and it was depressing
to look at 'em, even when had my health.
Now that I'm only remnant myself, it
'ud simply give me the blue devils to con-
stantly see hundreds Of others fixed just
like /! am. I'll stay along in little old
Washington until I'm ready to be boxed.
Want to make a home finish Of 1t, any,
how
" ell, ne went on from DAD 10 worse,
and a year ago last December he was only
shadow. He was man five feet ten
high, and he only weighed about 135
pounds, where he'd once tipped the beam
at $50.
"Well, heard about Arizona then, and I
simply buiidozed my buf-headed brother
into going down there with me. Told him
that it was chance, that he wouldn't
be compelled to live in a regular COM
munity of lungers, that the dry, warm
air might keep him a-going for a while,
anyhow-and that he simply had to go; that
1 was going to get him there If 1 had to
have warrant sworn out for his arrest in
Arizona, requisition papers made out. and
all that sort of thing. I wasn't very con-
fdent way down deep in me that any
thing could ever patch the boy up, but l
wanted him to have as good run for 1t as
possible, so that we could all feel easier
in our minds when the end came. 1 had to
hector and bullyrag him day and night for
couple of weeks before he'd consent to
go down to Arizona with me. but finally
he consented. and We went. Went to
Phoenix. Put him UP at nice, quiet
boarding house there, Staye1 -along with
him for couple of weeks and then came
back home.
well I got letter from the boy every
week or so. and he said in all of them that
he was about the Same-no difference one
way or the other.
" The best the moves done for me-, he'd
ever I'm not kicking. Some clever people
down here. and I'm enjoying myself after a
fashion,
This sort of letters came along for some
thing over year, until last month, when
got one from him evidently written with
some difficulty, by the penmanship, asking
me If / could find time to run down there
to see him. | concluded Immediately that
the boy was close to the line, and | hustled
for the first train departing for the south
west. When l got ha f way there 1 wired
the boy, and received this dispatch on the
train:
".Glad you're coming. You'll be in
time
''Wel, l occupied myself the rest of the
journey in feeling sore myself for not
giving that brother of mine bigger bites
out of my apple when we were kids to-
gether, and for cheating him at marbles,
and imposing on him generally, older
boys do impose on their smaller brothers.
when my train stopped at Tucson a
bunch of fellows in base bali uniforms
climbed aboard. They were a noisy lot and
they talked among themselves boisterously
of how they We're going to wipe the ground
up with the Phoenix team on the following
day. l didn't pay much attention to their
talk. until | heard my own name mentioned
and my surname is a peculiar one; they re
not many of us left, in fact. | got into talk
with one of the players then.
Didn't hear you mention the name of
Blank" l inquired of him, mentioning my
own name.
THAT'S what. pard,' said the player
He's the duck we've got to fear. Pitcher
for the Phoenix nine, you know. They say
against his curves and benders, but L guess
Wen win out at that, all right, all right.
1T struck me kind of peculiar that
anybody of my name should be ball play
er down in Arizona. but L remembered that
I'd had an uncle who'd gone to California
in the early fifties, and l figured 1t out that
maybe some of his descendants had settled
down in Arizona.
1.-The train pulled into Phoenix at clock
in the afternoon. l, jumped off the train
and made directly for a calash to take me
fn my hrp h,o 7
just stepping into the rig when a heavy
paw was placed on my right shoulder and
l was spun around like top. l was just
about to deliver myself of a cussword or
So when had to rub my eyes, and guess
my jaw must have fallen as to make me
look ridiculous. Anyhow, my brother stood
there and roared at me for two minutes be-
fore he could speak He had on pair of
white duck trousers and silk outing shirt
and he weighed about 10, thanks, straight
as lance biceps bullying out in his sleeves,
face as brown as berry, eyes clear a
mountain lake, voice deep and resonant as
an organ. Say, it was little too much for
me, that was. L had to pretend to be look
ing down the track so as not to make an
idiot of myself. for the picture the boy
made got me around the neck for fair.
Wanted you to be on hand for the
game tomorrow, that's ALL said he, wiring
ing my hand.
Darn your hide. I'm positively glad
now that didn't give you a fair bite out OF
the apple l said, and L told him how I'd
been throwing the rocks of repentance at
myself all the way down.
The Tucson and Phoenix teams played
ball the next afternoon, and that brother
of mine, that I'd gone down to Arizona to
box up, was the man of the day. He
bowled the Tucson gang out in one-two-
three order almost every time they went
TO the bat made two three-baggers and
home rum and the score was Phoenix, Q;
Tucson. 2.
He didn't come home with me: he's in
terested in olive culture something down
that way, and he says the southwest is
good enough for him. I'm not a booster
for the southwest, but 1 don't blame him"
A Story of Capt. McGrath.
from Lesie's Weekly.