The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-09-02
By GEORGE WILLIAM DALEY.

There couldn't be any doubt about IT,
For two or three weeks good old Iamp
Hymes' right arm had been troublin' him,
BetIlnS lamer and lamer and sitter and
surfer The honest old fellow worker
nard TO loosen il up. and tried dozens and
dozens of bottles of anti-stiff stuff and
do no good. The grand old wing that had
produced them battling, barrel hoop
curves ii,T was gradually fading away.
. TO the scrap heap for me- saws I,amD
one night after he had tried all afternoon
70 get the kinks out of his whip and had
failed. m like an old engine-good
boiler, good wheels, tol' able good w'fstle
and fine smokestack. but my piston rod
Is busted. The papers used to call this
arm the human piston rod too. i'm my
younger days; Nobody's got no use for
a pitcher with no arm, so it's the high
shelf Tor me- And he sighed in a heart
broken way that showed us he felt Il
hard; though he KEEP a smile on his face
like he used always to do when he was up
10 his craftiest moves at fooling the bat
ters.
Cheer up says Pinch Hobbs. "Mebbe
~ only temp rary dilment. as the al
manac saws. Mebbe we can put YOU into
the roundhouse and get machinist with
big hammer and bolt or so tinkerin' at
Scu aS AN soon you'll be as good good as ever
the big hammers has been worlxin' al
ready-but not in the roundhouse. They're
two're three weeks have my ears be-
come accustomed TO the unwelcome sound
that must come to all twrlers an which
Is q sure sign they're losin' their grip
which iS?' says l, as he hesitated.
" Take him out " saws Lamp. Them
three words. bawled FIN the reserved seats
by a d-faced guy in light suit an a
qua'ter cigar half way down his throat.
When them three words begin TO come
frequent. and try Is you will, you can't
find the plate. and you get a twings
whenever you try to snap EN- over in a
way that was play to you once-then's the
time you know the bells are ringin for
has-been pitcher"
"Shucks," says I. You're no has been.
a little restll fix up your arm. You're
young yet"
Young in years. mebbe." says Lamp,
but blame old in baseball experience.
Me an George Van Haltren begun
pitchin' the same year I've pitched for
Mike Kelly and Charley Bennett and Buck
Ewing--all the stars. I've pitched two
double-headers in one day-twe games in
the morning and two in the afternoon.
and won all four. IL was for bein' a
willin worker like that, s'pose, that my
arms weakening. Soon it'll be dead. and
then I might as we'll be buried with it.
Me and Pinch tried to comfort him, but
II didn't have any reasonable amount o
success.
Il want to be buried in a graveyard
that's once been a ball ground" says he.
Lay me with my head near the pitch
er'S box If you can, and my feet to rdS
the home plate. There | en- rest peace
fully, KNOWN I'm on the scene of for
mer triumphs on the green an grassy
dfmOnd. an
will YOU shut up your everlastin'
yawping?" suddenly breaks i'm Pinch
Hobbs. Cant you see that I'm on the
eve of a great discovery-can't YOU see
I'm about 10 bring forth sOmethin' or
other which will arrest the sickle of
Father Time an make all pitchers young
an Iimber-arm again. an all fielderS
fleet-footed forever. an all batters retain
their sluggin lamps forever"'
Reminds me-" says Sam Merritt, of
the time I went 70 the revival here in a
tent. i'm the village. The preacher gets
up an hollers lot about keepin' your
lamp burning brightly an awaiting the
time wen the Lord cometh, an in the
end he walks down the aisle wringin' his
hands an sayin' 10 each one:
is your lamp burning brightly.
brother?'
And then there'd be a perfect chorus
o. hallelujahs an amens. And when he
comes to me he says:
% Is your lamp well trimmed? Are you
doing your part. brotherT
And | chirps out. quick:
'Surest thing you know. | made two
home runs an a three-bagger yester-
day
''The men snickered. an.the wimmen