Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1904-04-30

CduS set up lOl lHt DOgo W NhlOM az
He gyrated and convoluted and con,
\ tortioned and stretched and wound
himself up, and then we'd hear the
ball hit the catcher's NIT. We didn't
get. a hit or a run, and scientific Peleg
Rodney sat on the bench and chuc.
killed..
That's Peleg's white-haired boy!"
he'd say, as Club would fan one of
us, Cant fool old Gran'ther Peleg.
He knows a pitcher wen he sees one,
even If he is cased up in fat. Science
is the thing that wins"
The sum total of my efforts against
Club that day was four little fouls,
and some o. the bunch didn't do as
well as that. Formerly we had lifted
his slow ones out of the lot right
along. But now there was no slow
ones, and we saw right away that
some batting averages in that league
nd look as lean as Club did IL we
wern't careful.
We were glad when the Hayvilles
left us that time and went swinging
around the circle, giving the other
| clubs the same dose they had given
us. The result was that when they
got back to Alfalfa again they were
hot on our trail. Club pitched every
p, other day, was the leading pitcher in
the league, and they were two games
behind us for the pennant, with this
the deciding series.
Club pitched the first game of the
three and shut us out. The second
game we lost in the tenth inning on
a scratch home run by one Of their
men, and when the night before the
last game hove around, with Club
slated to pitch, things looked blue
for us. It seemed ours to lose the
championship and the extra suits of
clothe and the prize money we had
bet, and go to hoveling coal for the
winter or eating n balls.
But there was Pinch Hobbs. II l
had the e~loquence of a Garry Herr.
man, the facile pen Of a Murnane, or
the rounded periods OF a Ban Johnson
l could ittingly describe how that
steady-going little tarrler pulled us out
OF the mud. But as l haven't, I'll just
have to tell II as 1t really happened
on hat fair day in the early fall, whea
we played the Hayvilles for that last
ball.
Pinch Hobbs rolled over in bed the
morning OF the big game and said;
IF you can do II, Hag, we can wln!"
win what?" says |, half asleep. I
don't mind saying | had tried to drown
my sorrows the night before, and
hadn't tried TO do II with any sponge
bath.
win the game today, We can do
II, | say, IL you can hit the second
button on Club Pudgely's shirt with
a hot liner"
Hot" I was going 10 say some.
thing mildly profane. but checked
myself. Whats the use OF talking
hot liners to me when I haven't made
a hit on him in the last two games
or since he got stretched. That's hot
air"
This Is the scheme" said Pinch
calmly. sitting up and reaching for
his socks, Nov, Peleg Rodney
thinks he's just the scientihcest
gossoon that ever trudged down the
pike. But I've got him skinned a
mile. I've looked up this stretching
business. / know how they do II. /
know how TO beat H. tell you that
II you hit Club a hot liner on the
second button Of his shirt wen win.
Does that GOT"
III you say so It goes, Pinch" said
seem he was In earnest Amy
thing you say goes. II kill him with
a liner ri be up for manslaughter or
something"
mo. no" says Pinch. you're I'm
wrong. | don't want you TO hurt
him. just want you to hit him hard
enough there-the center OF the radial
extremity OF his muscular mechanic,
ism. to release the tension the stretch
ing professor put on him when he laid
him out and pulled him apart. Are
you on?"
I'm a minute" says !, my eyes
bulgin' out. Just as soon as / send
down and get that guide book OF prop
er langwidge tat Pete Brown has"
err langwidge that Pete Brown has"
sense1l tell you. Say, did you ever
see one OF those articulated dolls?"
The kind that talk7 Yes"
mo. not that kind The kind"
We'll. that's what articuiate
means"
apack nm. mean tho kiud that