The Washington times., 1905-08-20

uho HdLu time SeIIln one game from
PlantVille an tyin' two
But we've just heard" says he, ''by
a wireless telegraph message direct
from the earth, to beware OF you. That
was all the message said-just Look
cut for Alfalfa bali and then the
wire. or the wireless. got out of order
and they've got to wait till it's fixed.
They're tryin' 80 fix 1t now"
We looked at one another. Some one
" as tryin' to knock US. Was it any
body on the Corndroppers. or was it
sc me of the outside teams we had beat
that was tryin' to get square? We
asked the question, and then went to
get some grub and get dressed without
answering it, for we didn't know the
answer.
Imagine nine friendless and forsaken
kittens pitched into the midst of a den
of bowling bulldogs. an you have our
position that afternoon when we went
out TO play the HittsbUrgs. They
seemed to fear we had it on EN- some
way, and everybody was tryin' to find
out and block us. They examined our
bats, they ripped open our mitts, they
peeked into our bat bag after the bats
were taken out-the most suspicious
bunch you ever seen in your life.
Started OFF Well.
They sent US TO bat first, and we
jumped en- at the start. Pinch got his
base on three balls MARS rules3 and
Jim Harrison pushed him to second
with drive to the first baseman. He
beat the ball to the bag. too, but the
Hittsburg empire could be depended on.
and he calls him out. Pete Brown swings
=, and
drove it TO the third baseman's feet.
He tries to scoop it, but the liner scoops
his glove off his hand and near takes
his hand off his arm. and bounds way
out TO left. and Pinch sprints in, while
Pete gets second on the throw-in to
get Pinch.
l smashed one over the shortstop's
head and Brownie got in. Then Merritt
and Gibson Iine-ffied TO the outfield, and
we were two runs to the good.
Reggie had the sweat ball workin like
cIockwork. First he'd give EN- a wide
out. and they'd bite. Then he'd ketch
EN- on a fast in o. underhand riser, If
they didn't like that his third I'D gen
orally be a wide. sweeping outdrop that
busted their backs. He famed three of
EN- in the first innin'-oniy two strikes
is out. you see-and three In the second,
and three in the third, and three in the
fourth, and three in the fifth. In the
meantime we had been smashin'
things, despite decisions against us that
would have lynched any empire II he'd
done It in the United States. and the
score was Is 10 D.
The crowd was GUM, an ready to do
anything-just spoiIin' for a chance to
break up the game. like they always did
{ IN. N caf he irE
to give it to EN-, 9 10 g. when there was
a big connection down the road toward
the railroad station. LoOkin' down we
seen our friend the station agent com
IN along in a automobile blackboard.
an he was pushin 1t so fast the tires
smelled O. burnin' rubber. IN his hands
he was wavtn paper.
The Fatal Message.
a roar went up from the grandstand
They've fixed that wireless outfit an
now We'll hear Wy we must beware of
these AIfalfas Wow" a shower of
beer bottles fell all around our bench
Right into the grounds came the sta
tion agent, an he stops the game
Standin up on the seat of his buck
board. he tells the aujence how they'd
been waitin' for the complete message
about the Alfalfas an finally had got it.
Read il! Read it." yelled the mob,
rushin' into the field.
CIearin' his throat, the station agent
unfolds the paper an reads:
ITO All BalIplayers in Mars:
Beware Of n nine called the Alfalfas
I'm Kansas. They have run away with
my inventions, the Kelly Elusive Ball
and the Kelly Attractive Bat, and can't
be beat. GONFALON KELLY"
Did that start recolIections troopin'
through our Teinds? Did we need
any remindin Of who GonfaIon
Kelly was? Could we look in
nocent an say we'd never heard o.
Gonfalon an his Attractive Bat an
Elusive ball? I sh'd say not It took as
back to a bum-winged third baseman
with beady eyes an a gift o CAB that
John had hired once, and he proved the
trickiest player we ever seen. And he
did invent the Elusive Ball. witch
ANNHNNErRNNNAENR N.NRNNRHAANHNnnz