The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1902-01-15

thing touched, by this recognition of
common manhood. 1t was the passion
OF his life to help men realize their
own possibilities. He yearned to
preach manhood rather than dognas.
His heart was warm. and he smiled
as he said:
81 thought you had come for that,
and am glad you came. If you had
not, 1 should have volunteercd-that is.
if you had agreed to my conditions
"We'n FIX all that, parson," two OF
three began eagerly.
HARDWOOD held up his hands. You
don't understand. don't want
money" he said. 81 do want-your.
selves. If 1 do something for you
something IN which your hearts are
set, you ought to do something for me.
That is to say, if I play ball you come
to church. Is 1t n bargaln?"
You help us everlastlngly lick them
Centerports," Bill burst out, "and you
can say Boys, come roost on the
church steps from sunup to shutdown
every Sunday and gamble on our
dom it-every dashed one of us. Hey,
boys? oh, do excuse me, parson. I've
been n tough sort all me life, but I'll
| Dc uunbcu IL i uOn quiz SWelEln
! right now"
"Ah!' said HARDWOOD. Gentlemen,
this brings up something else. You
know, and 1 know, how i'll / can af-
fore to have it said L belong to an
organization Of toughs. 1 want to be-
long to-an organization of gentlemen
in the best sense of the word. If l am
to be n club member, you must give
me your word that drunkenness and
swearing shall stop. Now we under
stand each other. There's my hand.
IL you shake it, L shall know you take
m~e-conditions and all"
Every man In the room gave him n
hearty grip; then talk began to buzz
about Saturdays game. All agreed the
new pitcher had best be kept dark; also
that Harwood should wear Il baseball
suit. 81 have my own with me-. A C.
on the shirt will make 1t all right"
HARDWOOD said. And so the little com
pany went away, cXultant beyond
words.
Saturday was fair and hottie very
weather for great ball. But, hot as the
sun shonc, 1t vas mild compared to the
baseball enthusiasm Of Gallia City.
Posters all about announced the COM
Ing contest. The local press under the
biggest. blacklist headlines possible to
its fonts limited darkly at II "pnpnomc-
non" in the pitchers box for the home
team. P1acards also warned citizens to
do their Saturday buying betimes. as
every shop would be shut during the
hours of the game. The little city bub-
blcd and SccthCd. Local patriotism had
risen to n passion and swept through
it in II tidal wave.
Still mystery lay thick and murk over
the pitcher and some other things. One
of them was why not one of the nine
had showed his face at Mike Grogan's
saloon, which heretofore had been
baseball headquarters. Beyond that
there were Incredible rumulS of no beer
on the ~groundS-nOt even the custom
airy two kegs for the team. ThV Dutch
man who had commonly 0Wavd that
profitable privilege had Been warned
off. There was talk also OF swearing in
extra deputy mlrSl!nls whose business
1t should be to suppress swearing and
all sorts of riotous language.
The visiting club was amazed mt It's
reception. There were no white clad
players in wait to drag them off to
Grogan's for n social guzzlc. Instead
Colonel and Bill Reed met them and
took them to the hotel, while the Gallia
City band went along, playing it's loud
est. The strains came to Harwood as
he was slipping into his suit. He was
not to go with the procession, but to
meet the team at the grounds.
1t was n great procession, the band
ut the head putting ~doggcdly through n
Sousa march; next the bus bearing Cen
'terporters in white, with blue caps and
hose; after them another busful of Gal
las, also In white, but red on heads
and feet; then swarms of buggics,
hacks and farm wagons, packed with
friends of both mines; last Of all n fray
ed out drlzzle of small boys intent up
on finding cracks or knotholes i'm the
fence through which they might at
least view the promised land.
1t would be hard to say whether
there was more curiosity or anxiety in
the chances which Gallia City folk bent
upon their champions. Interest, OF
course, conferred on the "phcnom.' Tic
strain was not relieved when careful
counting showed in the Gallia bus only
eight regular players and two substi-
tutes. Gloom decpcncd perccptibly.
Those who had given odds on Gal!ia
felt their coin already as good as lost.
They began to feel also that they had
been badly sold, and by their own.
Without new blood in the home team
tile game was a gift to C~enterport, and
so far there was no sign of new blood.
About n minute after the appointed
hour tho umpire sent the Gallias to the
field and the Ccnterports to the bench.
Their short stop spat Loyalty upon the
cleaning new ball and rolled 1t in the
dirt, so the pitcher might easily. grip
1t. There had been preliminary prac-
tice by both teams. Gallla partisans
were amazed and somewhat cheered to
see the substitute pitcher go to the
bench, not the box. The points were
empty. Almost before anybody could
remark 1t, out from the dressing room
beneath the grand stand shot n Slight,
wiry figure In white, with red stock
ings and red cap. When the figure
walked briskly into the pitchers place,
n buzz rippled clean around the ground.
Centerport's captain seemed to kick,
[ but at n low word from the umpire
dropped back, saying to himself:
Ger Gawd's sake!"