The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-07-25

Woman has always been credited
with an unusually large bump of cur
iosity. and while this may not be true
one thing is certain, and that is my
generous endowment of an extra
amount of 1t taught me many surpris-
Ing things about baseball as seen BY
the women of today.
When my biggest and fayorite bro
Their invited me to complete a box par-
ty at one of the New York games
played here early in the summer
went to be agreeable as knew moth
ing then whatever of the national
game. 1t was one of the rarely per-
lect days when Dame Nature chooses
sometimes to bestow on our Smoky
City and everyone was there, and 1
was more than astonished to see IN
SUCH crowd of people hundreds of
women. But my establishment knew
no bounds when l learned that the
three other girls in my own box party
knew all about baseball. I was filled
with dfsmay, as I had imagined we
were Just there for good time and
anger followed as felt Jack might
nave told me was to be the only nov
ice. l decided to say nothing and
listen; but my! it certainly was Greek
to me. One thing did learn above all
else, and that was there was player
on the home team whose name was
Wagner. One of the girls exclaimed
tnat ne was dear and hit the ball at
the proper time"
My chum said: Isn't Matty fine
iooking? l looked in all the boxes,
but could not see single girl l knew
by that name. To my inquiry as to
whom she meant she disgustedly re-
Piled: Why, one of the New York
p1tchers-their star" was silenced
completely. as realized was shade
stupid. Jack whispered: isis, brace
up; you'll learn the whole thing-first
base, second base, outfield, infield"-
on, such tumble of stun, and when a
man called the umpire appeared and
called out something everyone became
attention. and to my ideas everyone
nearly had nervous prostration.
It's useless to say l was indeed less
imam nothing-a man trying to hit
ball tossed by "Matty" as / was told
seven times, then his frantic attempt
to encircle the field amid the wild
)eers OF the vast multitude was an
amazing thing to me and totally silly.
My chum suddenly became excited
and shouted: Now Tommy, here is
the place to bunt the ball." and to nv
inquiry as to what she meant I re-
ceived the curt reply: Il can't ex-
plain now. it's too exciting" l made
the star blunder of the afternoon by
insisting on Jack telling me why the
masses on the seats outside the boxes
and grandstand insisted on saluting
the players ever so often by rising en-
masse, Just as when the National an
them is played. Jack coldly replied
that the bugs were stretching their
wings and legs"
The rebuke got finished my oues-
lions for the day and l sat in ienor-
ance and heard various remarks about
ny balls. foul balls, strikes, bases on
balls, three-baggers, home runs. and
squeeze plays.
Three other things l learned that
day-one that the girls knew as much
as the men and were every bit as
noisy; the other, the way to be popu-
lar with even your brother was to try
and learn as much about baseball as
you could, and the most important of
all l did learn was, which man was
HANS wagner. That, Jack said, was
worth all other things in history that
one had ever read or learned. failed
to understand when MIR. Wagner
caught a ball and turned flip-flop
like tumble bug that such an act
saved the game. For the life of me
l could not remember the handsome
Matty and right then l decided to
learn all l could of baseball, as l did
not relish the ridicule heaped on me
for my ignorance either.
The above does not seem to have
much relation to curiosity, but it does
as 1t made me more than curious to
study the effect of what we girls had
been taught of a mans game and
mans sport. 1t also taught me to
think differently of dear cousin who
had recently visited us from New York
and whom my maiden aunt declared
mannish, as my younger brother said
Ito finish"
l will not attempt to tell you the aw-