The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-08-23
IN HOTEL CORRIDORS.

interest in the national game IS flag
ging it is evident to everyone else" said
gentleman sitting in front of the Ok
ford There was a time not far dis
ta1t when almost everyone was so in
terested In the game that it was sub
ject of general conversation, but today
there Is not one man in five hundred
who can tell which club leads in the
national league or can discuss the
chances of any of the clubs which COM
pose it. Formerly when merchant
vent to a city to purchase goods the
first thing he did after attending to his
business was to visit the ball park and
witness game. When he returned
home he would talk for hours with
other fans about the game. In small
towns there was always club which
was the pride of the community. Every
citizen who would not bet on it's ability
to win would at least attend the game
and yell his approval of good and bad
plays. The interest is still held up in
college towns to a certain extent, but
1t is on the wane. In the cities they
say that the lack of interest is due to
rowdy ball and this is probably true as
far as it goes, for the average profess
sional ball player is a rowdy and a very
bad rowdy, but it does not explain the
lack of interest in the smaller cities and
country towns think that the de-
cadence of the game is due in a great
measure to the introduction of other
games, a great number of which have
become almost as universal as base
mis-, foot ball, polo and other games
foremrly never dreamed of any out door
game but base ball. When a man be-
comes enthusiastic over one of these
games he loses all interest in the old
national game. The rowdy element
cannot enter golf or tennis and that
coupled with the fact that women can
play has done much to make them
popular forms of amusement. Base ball
will never again flourish as it did in
the palmy days of King Kelly, Pop An
son and other great players whose
names were familiar to every man and
boy in this country
ct believe that the vilest odor I ever
scented came from a very dead whale
remarked travelling man at the Ma
tional. It was out in California one
winter when one was landed by a fish
erman who had discovered it washed
ashore. One of the railroad companies
had purchased it from him and had it
towed to Santa Monica where they
used it as a drawing card to catch the
crowd on Sunday from Los Angeles. OF
course, as a big whale is rare fish in
the Southern Pacific, there was an en-
ornous crowd down to get a glimpse of
it. The aroma from that whale was
something never to be looked back up
on with pleasure 1t was one of those
doors that seem to become attached to
the clothing and flesh. 1 could taste it
my lips for hours after I returned to
the city. A Kansas City packing house
on hot summer night was as bunch
of roses compared to that whale. He
was so very dead that 1 did not go close
to him and consequently did not get
much of an idea as to how a whale
looked at close quarters. This summer
! was more fortunate, for during my
last trip another dead whale was found
and this time it was not over ripe. 1t
was at Redondo Beach that the last
one was washed ashore and it was a
monster SO feet long. A large cash was
cut in its back and the general opinion
was that it had collided with a big boat
and had come out of the affair second
best. After looking at the whale I am
inclined to give credence to the Jonah
story, for it looked to me that Jonah
would have ample room to keep house
several days on the inside of the big
carcass. The whale was not the varie-
ty that furnishes the oil and was of no
value other than as a curiosity, al
though it might be used as a fertilizer
if any one could stand the odor while
handling it,
ct did not expect to be here tomorrow,
but as there will be crowd 1 think
will remain said politician at the
Copeland Wednesday evening" "Of
course the meeting will not interest me,
as I am of a different political faith,
but 1 have that weakness peculiar to
every human of wanting to see a large
crowd. I can't say that I like to be in
the crowd, but some how / always get
mixed in it before the day is over. 1
never carry valua bles of any description
with me, however, for I have had too
many costly experiences to do that 1
used to think that I could button my
coat and carry a pocket full of money
and a watch and chain in safety
through any crowd that gathered, but
after receiving two or three demonstra.-
tions that nothing could forestall a well
trained piczpocket, I gave it up. 1 re-
member one instance in which I fooled
the pickpoclets as well as myself 1t
"a khe ,,7 ffAr, n
cago and I had no business there other
than to see the crowd and whoop it up
for my favorite. One evening 1 had
left my pocket book containing most of
my money in the hotel safe and had
put thirty dollars in bills and some sill
yer in my pocket. / did this just be-
fore starting out and after getting on
the street the thought struck me that
I would put the bills in the little watch
pocket in my pants. / did so and dur
ing the evening had no occasion to take
them out, the change proving enough
for my expenses. l was with few
friends and we pushed through the /
crowds and went to the different head
quarters until late, when we returned
to the hotel. I did not think of the bills
again until the next morning, and when
/ felt in the pocket it was empty
did not remember of giving any one
the least chance to take the money; in
fact, 1 had been watchful in every jam,
but it was gone. Mentally / said a
few things and let it pass as there was
nothing else to do. The next week af-
ctr I had returned home my wife re-
marked that we employed an honest
laundreSS and then told me that she
had returned thirty dollars which she
had found in my underwear. The mar
row band at the top of my drawers had
been ripped and instead of putting the
money in the watch pocket, I had push |
ed it under the band ST suppose you |
rewarded the woman interrupted one |
of the group of Estners. We'll, j. can't |