The Washington times., 1904-07-24

~ Alfalfa House for THROWN to
bases too quick an not giviu' the
base runners in the Corndroppers'
League a chance when they went 10
steal
% You'd ought to have an eye out for
the welfare Of the general public when
you throw TO bases. Hag,' says he:
don't you know that the audience likes
to see a base runner make desp rate
slide an git up all covered with mud en-
kickin'? Don't you know that says
he. An vet you continually drive them
down TO Pinch in such lightning quick
time that they're caught twenty feet
from the bag an don't even have
chance to get really started in their
sprint You'd ought TO time your throw
SOS Pinch can catch EN- an slap the
ball on EN- as they dive for the bag, an
then everythingu be more artistic.
Wen get the man just the same, TIE
base runner won't get called down from
his manager an the audience, which
pays for our tommytoes'n get a run for
its money
Il listened patiently to Sam. Sam
gently is pretty near right in what he
says, but this time 1 knOwed I had
him.
Fear of the Spikes.
Sam says ], I'd be perfectly willin'
10 draw them finishes at second fine if 1
wasn't afraid that each fellow that goes
10 steal amt got IsreeI Putnam Motifs
spiked shoes on 10 his feet. That's what
makes me so overly careful says 1.
Isreel Putnam Motifs spiked shoes?
says Sam inquiringly. as 1 knowed he
would 'WOt you dom stringin' me
again? If somebody had borrowed them
~. -
hide in EN- an never get touched out.
But who in thunder is this Isreel Putnam
and so forth? l never heard tell o
him What position did he play? Wot
league did he play in? And what was
there about them spiked shoes o. his n
that makes you so durn careful about
the way you ketch feIlers stealin2'
SAM says /, 1 marvel that YOU
never heard o Isreel Putnam Mott Il
Mott. he was called for short, an he was
the crackin' first baseman o the first
Hayville nine. ! well remember when
Tapley signed him. ''WOt's your name?'
says Tap. IL Mott" says L. IL not
WHAT" says Tap. wy. IL Mott saws
Il rs not what2' roared Tap. Not Il
Mott what. you ding galoot.' hollered
back IL. gittin' red in the face; no
durn what about it, Just IL Mott" An
The next minute he got the inkstand an
the pen an paper weights from Tapley,
an they mixed IL up all over the roor
an we had 10 get crowbar 10 separate
EN-. an Just all on account o that
pesky nickname that sounded like you
was sayin' somethin' when you WASH
sayin' anything.
Slow on His Feet.
He was a big. nice lookin Teller
I
he was so slow on his feet that he
had 10 knock the ball out TO the fence
10 get the first base, an as fer stealth
second. why the thing was unheard Of
He was lively enough fielding his po-
sition. but when il come TO work on
the bases a good fast freight car could
tow-roDe him.
Time an agin Tap nd coach him
on base runnin an put him on TO the
Importance Of a quick start an long
lead an a fast slide an all that. an
then just as he got TO first base he'd
take a long lead. an If the pitcher
didn't ketch him gettin' back to first
base Wy the ketcher caught him get
Tin to second, so II was all the same.
They got him out. an he lost many "a
close game for the Hayvilles tryin'
10 score from third base on drives 70
the outheld that an ordinary fast run
ner would have scored from first on
No Magic For Him.
Now / aln't no believer in magic
IN ball games. The Russetvilles had
hypnotist shortstop one time that
fooled us by ketchin' our eyes an
maxim US strike out. but at a critical
point in the game Josh HapgoOd got
the headstaH offn a stage horse on
the grounds an buckled II onto the
heads o. his batters, an the happin'
blinkers kept the hypnCtist's gaze
from focusing on our eyes, an we
hammered out hit after hit an won
the game In that ninth inning after
they'd seem 10 have US beat past
comm 10 life. Then again, there was
Aigernon an Hamilton Fitznaurice, the
noted sleight-of-hand battery. Alger-
non was the pitcher an Hamilton was
the ketcher. AIgernOn I'D get up with
the ball IN his hand IN the box an make
three or four passes an let his arm
drive down Ike a shot. an the bail 'ud
disappear. only TO reappear with q
thrump I'm Hamilton's mtt the mex,
second. An though the umpire an none
o the players never saw the bali 90
over the pan. why it'd be called strike
an the batter didn't have no show al
all. But that thing only lasted five in
Minis.
when Aigernon came up TO bat in the
fifth Reggie accidentally hit him IN the
leg with an inshoOt an II burned a hole
in his trousers an busted EN-. an a
couple o. dozen basebaIls went scatterin
all over the field. That was like knock
n the sawdust out o. a doll. We ketch.
81 Hamilton tryin 10 get rid o. four OF
tive balls out o. his pant legs. an we rur
'em of the field an that ended that
magic.
But IL Mott was In better luck On,
night goin' home from the game he saw
an old woman sittin' by the side o IN,
street. an she looked all broke up an
he give her a half dollar. That was
the best investment he ever made II
his lise
You see. she was a famous gypsy
witch IN hard luck. an that half dollar
got her on her feet agin. an one might
when Il was I'm bed he was suddenly
woke up by a sheeted figger. which sol
up on its hunkers on the windersiu an
goo-goOed at him. II was the gypsy
witch.
IL was most scared 10 death. but IN,
witch she told him he needn't be afraid
an she said that she'd been touched by