Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-01-03
trip. the captain went on.

IQc D8CCeT 8Ot tAploSlfcAy Ieu. IL
wood, watching him narrowly, ga
the ball q little firt and pitched q WE
bling "dewdrop" toward the hot CT
tain. Centerport's man was too d
gusted and too mad to see It. The b
went over the plata strike w
promptly called. Then Harwood repes
ed the pitch. 1t seemed an easy be
Really 1t was a hard ne. The C
terporter lunged at it like q wild bui,
before 1t came within six feet ct him.
All he did was to tear q big, ragged
hole in the air. His eyes glared as
Reed came close behind and crouche6
in his shadow. HARDWOOD drew bac,
his arm as IL to deliver another dew
drop" The captain fumed. Suddenl.
Brent shot his arm across his body
and the ball sped over the plate like 9
bullet.
"outtw yelled the umpire. "Batter
up"
Gallia City went suddenly insane.
It stood up in mass, yelling, howfng,s
cheering. The umpire, shrieking for
silence, was like q cricket piping in
face Of q storm. But when, In the
midst Of the din, a third nan walked
tc the plate, whacked the rubber With
his bat and squared himself, the noise
hushed as suddenly as 1t had begun. =
Harwood deliberated. Should he give
this new man q chance Or clinch
things with the game thus y0ungf
he did not quite know how 1t would
be with the Gallias at the bat, 80 de.
cided upon the latter course. Three
wide outshoots, sent as fast as he
could deliver them, yet give Bill time
to come, bewildered the new batter
and put Centerport out.
It was while the players were
changing and pandemonium reigned
that the "phenom's" identity was made
known 10 the crowd. At first all Cal
liza City gasped. as from q cold plunge.
A parson in knee breeches and red
stockings pitching In a game Of ball!
For a quarter Of a minute Gallia City
was stricken silent. Then down In the
bleachers q whisper began and swelled
and grew, until a bold man leaped on
the rail and called:
"Three cheers for the little parsonrs
The cheers came with q will. From
end to end the fair grounds rang with:
"Harwood! HARDWOOD! What's the
matter with Hn-ar-woo-od7 He's al
right. /.
Faith in their unparalleled pitcher
made the Gallias all superbly confident
Bill Reed. the first man up, went to the
bat like a Trojan going to battle. Gem
terport's pitcher had tremendous speed
and no curves. His third ball met
Bills ashen stick with q noise like the
splitting Of a mast. When the heldef
recovered it, Bill sat at second. tanning
himself with his cap. The next mah
made a sacrifice hit and advancedsBill
to third. Colonel leaned against the
ball for a single, and Bill came home
amid the shrieks OF the fans"
zone run! One man out!s said the
scorer.
Hollis reached first IN balls.
CONES to bat and Harwood on deckFs
called the scorer.
Jones walked to the plate. Brent -
lected his stick. A bad tumble gave
Jones his life and advanced each man
q bag. The bases were fun-Cc1onel
on third, Hollis on second, Jones' on
nrst. Harwood stepped to the dpaate.
He was . safe batter, but never 4 hard
hitter-he was too Light. Besides. phe-
nomenal pitchers do not, q 3 rla, bat
well. But this was Harwoods4 lucky
day. The first bali pitched camel at him
like q rife bullet exactly where he
wanted It, and the parson rapGied with
all his might. It started on q low he
cline, rising az It sailed; pested sver
the heads Of the helders. who had edge
ed In; struck the ground fan. back Of
them and rolled and. rolled ~ though It
couldn't stop.
Then Harwood made his first. last
and only home run. To this good day
he does not know how he did It. When
he came, pufang and painting. acY0ss
the plate the Galiias became 9 cyclone,
which flied the air Win hGtS. coats
canes and umbrellas LOCOMOTIVES
whistle would have beer drowned in
the hubbub. The grand Fntand and the
bleachers Joined hands and carried
Harwood on their shoulders. And
Harwood grinned.
As a chronicle Of sport the game att
erward was quite too Sne sided o sbe
interesting. But GalliapCity sat watch
ing 1t, gorged, almost drunken with
Joy. No game could be too y sided
for the Gellians. They owed Center
port much, you see. What did they
care for close scores and hne pcints2
Every one Of the forty-four runs piled
up by the red legged IONS Of Gallia was
to them an Increment OF unalloyed
bliss and as such hailed Nth tumult
and shouting.
The Centerportsl They played like
old women and were trampled into tie
earth. Their two poor runs were earn
ed by the rankest errors and gave no
sort OF comfort. Their glory had de-
parted along with their nerve. Their
name was "Ichahod" or worse. And
they laid. 1t all on "that dashed little
parson," rs the captain said senten-
tiously that night. "Gallias-nothin'!
The C%enterports can wallop them easy.
What we've been up against is Gallias
and Gawd."
Thenceforth Parson HARDWOOD was
Gallia City's idol. He had won the
mass Of citizens and could do what he
,l.,.od ord hava whatovor he would