The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-08-13
New York SUM-

''The heaviest hitter 1 ever saw on
any baseball team, the fat eX-maScot
of the LightfOOt Lilies remarked to
some friends the other day, was ola
ome-RUn HankInS, who held down CEN
tire field for us in The days when base
ball was in its prime in Jones county.
He joined the team in rather a pecu-
liar way. IL was the second game ever
played between the Lightfoot Lilies
and the Ringtail ROarers. Things had
gone along all right until the ROarers'
half of the eighth, when Bull ThOmp
son, who always was abSent-minded,
forgot 10 put his hands up to catch
one of Dean Braley'S swift ones. As
result the ball caught him square IN
the mouth, and hurried half Of his
front teeth down his throat. For some
reason or other Bull seemed to lose his
sand after that and refused positively
to finish out the game. Captain Slug
ger Burrows called little Sammie Sal
mon in from centre 10 go behind the
bat. But that left hole in the field,
and as luck would have it we had no
subs. The Roarers' ROSTERS went wild
with joy. They certainly had Slugger
guessing for fair. As a last resort he
went up to the grand stand and called
out: rs there any ball player in this
bunch that's willing to sign with the
Lightfoot Lilies for the rest of this
game? III make it well worth his
while.
THE Roarers roared.
But just then a frowsy, unshorn
tramp, with bleary eye and a game
leg, hObbled out of the crowd and went
up TO the captain.
3" Who are YOU? asked Slugger.
Again the Roarers roared.
Me names Happy Hankins.
1ad
ted voice. I'm happy an they call me
Hankins, So
What's your business? Can you
play ban?'
g Well. pard, as for business, 1 amt
had much since Oilcloth an matin' got
fashionable. By trade I'm a journey
man carpet beater. AS fur baseball, I
never tried, but 1 think l could beat
that pill one if 1 got de chance.
''At that the gang let out another
whoop. That got Slugger's anger up.
Get out there, then he yelled TO
the tramp. Way out in the middle
PASTURE
Happy hobbled out and took his
place in deep centre. He looked like
a scarecrOw from the grand stand, and
guess he acted as one, for not a ball
had the nerve to go near him the rest
of the game. He got &C hance at the
/ bat. though, in the last half of the
ninth. Two were gone, the bases were
full and the score stood 1927 in favor
of the ROarerS. AS Hawkins ambled I'D
to the plate thee rowd let loose. Things
certainly did leok glum for US. Our
only hope was that Hawkins face
might scare four bad ones out of the
pitcher The first one was coming
high, but to every ones surprise he
stepped back and-bangi 1t was a mo-
ment efore bthe crowd realized what
had happened, and then the LightfoOtS
| rose like one man and yelled as if all
| Bedlam had broken loose. The ball
| was soaring far out toward the centre
| field fence and the three men on bases
were making for home as fast as their
! legs could carry them. But suddenly
We noticed Hawkins He was till stand
1 ing at the plate swinging his bat and
/ SWating the air right and left.
Run, you fool,' yelled SIugger
Burrows from the bench. This amt
! carpets you're eabting; it's the Ring
/ tail Roarers. Rum
/ 'Hankins lowered his bat and turned
I slowly round. He beamed upon us
with childlike smile of innocence.
Then. catching sight of SIugger, he
suddenly lit out for the first like a
( Stratled faWn. First, second, third-he
/ fairly flew around those bases. The
! ball had sailed over the fence and
/ through the window of a shanty a
/ hundred yards beyond The Roarers'
fielder was met at the door of the
/ shanty b va big. husky IrishwOman
with a rOlling-pin and no appreciation
/ of Baseball. He returned in even more
/ Of hurry than he had gone, but with
/ out the ball The scorer called ii
! feeders choice But it mattered not;
/ Home Run Hankins, as he was knokn