Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-10-25
A wEsTERNER ON CRICKET.
Didn't Understand 1t, but Had a Good

From the Philadelphia Times.
Il went to see a cricket match the other
day said the men from the west. when l
happen to remember, l am going to buy
sporting guide and find out what 1 saw.
They don't play cricket in Hooptown, Neb.
What do 1 think of it? Well sir. it's the
most remarkable game that ever walked
into a farmyard. There was big field rop-
ed In like corral, and in the middle of it
were two punches of sticks stuck in the
ground that looked more like fractions
steers poke than anything else 1 can think
of. They were about as far from here as
across the street apart and made to fall
down when anything touched them. Peo-
pie could have taken a handful of nails
and made them stronger. but maybe they
knew why they wanted them that way. l
didn't.
Il asked man in short pants what they
were for.
That's a wicket he says.
wicked what? says 1.
'"Then he looked kind Of scornful and
walked away in his short pants to a crowd
of men and women, and pretty soon 1 heard
them all laughing.
well, two men in trotting harness and
interference pads and knee straps and driv-
ing gloves stood up in front of one of the
aforesaid wicked things with pieces of board
in their hands And chap in short sleeves
took a run half way across the field, tied
himself in q knot, let loose and threw a
ball.
Say! the way he threw reminded me of
the way my wife fires stove wood at the
calf when it gets in the garden. l told a
man so, and he says That is what is CALL
ed bowling
THE man thrown at whacked the ball
sideways, ran to the next wicked thing and
changes places with the other man. They
did that once twice, and sometimes they
ran and sometimes they didn't. Whenever
they ran the people sitting around the
ropes clapped hands and cheered. Pretty
soon somebody calls out Over" and a lot
of men in white suits walked around a bit
Then the man in short sleeves threw the
ball hit the wicked thing and knocked it
all to pieces. The people cheered again,
and man next to me said something about
clean bowl l didn't see anything that
looked like a bowl, clean or unclean, but l
didn't let on
There were couple of men on the field
| in linen busters. They looked like they
| might be Kansas cattlemen, so l thought l
would go out and pass the time of day with
them. I crawled under the ropes and a
policeman came and ran me back to the side
| agin, and a lot of young city chaps laugh
| ed While I was explaining how it was the
/ men in the field quit playing and went into
a house all cover ed with flags.
well, sir, the re was about a thousand
people around te ropes, all dressed up to
| beat the band, and what do you think they
| did? They sat on benches wherever they
| happened to be and ate sandwiches. Gosh!
| 1t was funny.
| Il had a couple of apples in my grip,
and | ate one and offered the other to the
| girl with the man that tod me about the
| bowl. She got all red in the face and the
man began to laugh, and the girl says: DO
| you suppose any one Will see" The man
| Gays: Really, upon my honor or something
| like that. And the girl says: If you tell III
| never speak to you With that she took the
| apple and said thanks so sweetiy that
| wished l had whole bushel there to give
her
| well. ! hung around the field all day like
| a catfish in a dry goods store seeing every
| thing and understanding nothing / had a
| good time enough, but, honestly, I'd rather
| watch a game of marbles