The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-06-18
Home Run Haggerty.
By George William Daley

HIS is a sad story. tell you that
at the start off, so that you VIII
not be disappointed at the absence
OF gayety in the tale Of the blghted
hopes OF Willyum Rice, who did not
want to be a ball player. The above is
d prologue, otherwise the practise be-
lore the game Reggie Van Rensselaer,.
my best pitcher. told me to say it. for
ne figures that when I take a running
start at a story the gentle reader don't
keteh on to what its all about until
tne sweat-covered hero is coming down
the third base line with the winning
run
Reggie is only jealous He knows
have got it on him in the storytelling
line, for 1 tell simple truths. and Reggie
and Truth are strangers. They never
met. He once knew a girl named Ruth.
but that's as near as he ever got Be
sides, when he tells story every sec
ond word IS a cUss word and every
sentence Is an exaggeration. and the
whole thing is a fabrication. So Josh
HapgOod says.
Running in that prologue threw me
out, as I was afraid il would How
ever, TO make a start WiIlyUm Rice
was farmers son, and under the in
hUence of three square meals day
and plenty of hard work he grew up
10 be d strapping young fellow And
nature had set her eye on him early
and marked him for a ball player. You
could see that even on the farm from
the graceful way ne lifted his feet and
the easy way he took To chewing to-
bacco
You nave often seen youths whose
only ambition i'm life was TO be a bail
player He had other aims and lOftier
aspirations. he said He wanted TO be
d boss doctor. but as things hadn't
broke right for his Old Rice family de-
post vault when WiilyUm got old
enough to want to continue his edUca-
ton to the moss doctor stage SO he
had to hire out TO farmer a couple
of miles back of Alfalfa. and go TO
work
Then it was that nature. after watch
ing over him all these years. got in
some strenuous Iicks toward making
him the crack pitcher that she had
Intended. The farmer woke WiIlyum
at 800 a. IN. on his first day, and says:
"WillyUm, I am goin' to the station
with last nights milk Git uD and
milk the COWs-be sure YOU git the
hui thirty-twO. for the little HOlStein
hides her nest SometimeS-put the milk
IN the lcehUuSe- water the cows an
pasture EN- tthe pasture was four
miles down the pike. rub down the
hosses. hook up an pillow them ten
acres back o the orchard 1.-TWO miles
from the house,. an rum the 1ya~bin'
machine for the old woman if she
kicks. Then just fore dinner time run
down to the orchard and pick UP Il
bari or so O. windfalIs for the pigs and
chuck them i'm the pigpen. III be
home early an We can finish up things
in the afternoon.
Now this is a sad story but it is not
one Of heart bowed down by weight
of woe. so I really can't tell You
whether Willyum did as he was told
or not It Is enough for my argument.
and to show the general drift of things
Tor me 10 say that when the farmer
heard his yeiler pup bay. deep
mouthcd welcome as he drew near
home, he also heard another. sound
that he couldn't jest place, out the way
OF Ae piEpCH- II was "a series of bang
lngS that sounded like some one had
burgiar-pTOof safe on the ground and
Vas trytn' to make 1t give up with
sfedCC
1t wasn't anything but WiHyum but
one glance showed that the baseball
p octopus had him in its grip.
on see WIltyUm was in the orchard
pTOvidin' that bari of apples for the
pigs. and ne had hgEeTed ont am easier
way than piCkm' them uD i'm a basket
an cartin them to the pen. He was
standin' cut under the trees and was
flngin the rusSets an Ereeuin's an
nWheTH SnyS right into the hogs
mouths as they hung over the tor rail.
in way both beautiful and precise
Zip WillyUm would take DELHI
crate, graceful swing. his arm would
so w an the next instant a uuthou
SPY would shoot out I'm "a long red
streak The hog whose turn IL was 70
take the throw would omen his mouth.
an shet it with a su prised and pleased
look when the apple fetched up half
way down his throat Il was a great
lesson in speed an control and the
farmer who knew a wagon tongue bat
from a hoe handle, appreciated it. He
told Willyum that if ne worked good
during the week the famous manager of
the famous AIfaIfaS. Josh HapEood
would have a chance To watch his pitch
ing on the following Saturday
Just to show that his stock of throws
kwasn't exhausted. Willyum nut a cou-
kle Of trees between himself and the