The Washington times., 1905-07-16

An then | saws to myself kind o mus
ing, How funny It'd be, Hag, II you
sh'd take battin' slump Wot would
Alfalfa think, and wot would the boys
think, If you failed to make at least /
two homers a gamer" And then l got
to thinkin' of the four homers | had
busted out the day before, and the
last one won the game, when all OF a |
sudden / heard squeaky little voice |
sayin: Quick, Quick. Now we got ,
him." and the next minute an army o |
baseballs with little thin legs an arms |
an no bodies an all head-which was }
q dollar an a quarter balls in each case
came runnin out OF the woods ana sur
rounded me. Before ] could git UP there I
was so many on my legs an arms that
! was a prisoner.
Then bran new ball. all but a big
green swfpe on one SIDE, who seemed TO
be the leader, he sings out:
ples.'
Out O. the woods, in plain view, came |
marchin' a second army o. balls, only
these all had something serious the mat,
ter with EN- Some was lopsided an
some was three-cornered' ana some hau
big cuts an tears an dents in their
covers-or skins, l spose you cail en
and most all had stitches busted Out
from the middle a ball that You d say
had fairly been murdered was working
his way to the front.
He was the worst ever In the way
an the mud swipes on him. nearly all
his stitches was broke. ne was all iop-
sided and right down through the
middle of his face there was tremenq,
Gus great big crack. and gray yarn an
twine oozed out when he walked
Talking Hurt Him.
Though he said that talking hurt him.
he made a pretty good fist at 1t, and
he started on long rigmarole about
%Aa Grc ha
when a girl in a factory was wrapping
him up in tissue paper and tin foil. and
then he was packed in a red box and
near smothered. and one day he was
chucked out before a bowling mob Of
people for a crowd of men III blue suits
to throw and catch, and another crowd
in red suits 10 hit with big wooden
clubs.
AS he said this there came groan
of sympathy from the hull assembiage
They seemed to know what he meant.
''I was thrown and battered about In
a. shameful way says he. And then
finally the noise became deafening. and
this great giant stepped forth with a
huge bet in his hands. The crowd SEEM
ed to be asking him to do something.
felt that my time had come, when an
other giant threw me swiftly toward
this giant, and l saw that great club
whipped around at me. Then there
came tremendous crash, and l knew
no more
'Ihree days later L aWOke In Il teid
n mile away from the ball grounds. |
had secured my freedom, but at what
a price! [ was the wreck that l an
now, and all through the brutality of
this great villain here. You have ali
had experiences like mine at his hands
and you all bear marks of his grea
strength He is menace to the base
What punishment shall we mete out?'
Rescued by Teammates.
I thought / was a goner for sure, but
just then Pete Brown and Reggie came
lookin' for me to play pinochle. an the
balls skipped. But as they went they
shook their little thin fists at me an
says:
Don't you dare to hit ball hard
again, or we'll get you for keeps, you
big dub
Say. when l got to the Alfalfa House
after that 1 was plumb scared. 1t ain't
pleasant for a felIer to think of that al
the balls he's busted in his long career
are layin' FOR him TO put him away.
got goin back in my mind TO the times
when L had smashed many ball just
cut O. pure deviltry. when there was NJ
that began to get afraid Pinch Hobbs
had gone away TO see his mother, an
couldn't tell him, and Josh was ont il
fielder, as Billings had quit US, an 4
was before we got Farmer Rufe Gibson
i was mixed up as who to tell m!
troubles to an to get advice. and jus
then Tim McGinnis. the manager o tn
Hayvilles. walks into the barroom.
1osI rhs L very ya man.. nia says ball l. Next t,
the business. HeN doped out catamoun
coachers an bald eagles for left fielders
an dog cstehers an ha,r -, guess s, he thss ea'
pesky little horsebides.
So I gets Tim in 4 corner and tells hin
ali. Wen ! got through he visited
long, low wistle, an says.
Up Against 1t.
"Hag. this is seriouser than I thought
You are up against it for fair. If 1t wa
a dream you had l know witch VIII
could put you right. But a thing lik
this here is beyond a witch's power,
Judge What you want is norrikle."
"A wot?' says ].
"A norrikle. Somethin'l that lays owe
witches like you beat McGann an tha
bunch O. N York Giants. They's
norrikIe at Delphi. out in Greece, bu
we couldn't git out there an back t
play ball tomorrow
"Wot cd he do, anyway? says /. j
they're goin' to get me they'll get me-
.-0h. no. says he. You're in wrong
This here norrikle out in Greece IS
bird. An it amt a he, it's a she. She
throw spell; over you so nothin in tn
world kin harm you"
II don't want no woman throwii
spells over me-" says /. "A lady name
Gladys threw one over Pinch Hobt
once, an he signed a contract wit
Wiregrass. an they near got him ava
from US.
"Oh, shut up!'' says Tim. IF yo
can't talk sense, put lock on you
trap. This here norrikle amt anythin
like a real woman. Nobody's ever eve
seen her. You go To Delphi an tell q
norrikIe through a knothole in In
fence an then she makes a fire al
says some mystic words, an then tel
you back through the knothole wot
up."
t'But IL costs money TO go there say
T. "A hull bunch of II. Thata furth'
away than " York. L can't go thei
an be playin' ball with the Alfalfa
too An If / do go i amt drawin' an
wages. an maybe she couldn't do n
any good. anyhow. And then Vhei
do / get OFF,"
you're a big mutt an you'i nev'
be anything else" says Tim If yc
couldn't play ball you'd starve TO deaf
for want o. wits. Now, I'm goin'
put you next TO my scheme. We
send a substitute to this here norrik
instead o. you I'll pay the frefgh
just cause / like you. But the meal
time you must DO just what them bal
said"
Whats that?" says l.