The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1906-05-15

well, said the fat fam drawing IN
! his corporation so as To get fresh
toothpick out OF MS waistcoat pocket.
baseball will soon be with US again and
all the rooters win resume their SQUAD
bling as to who discovered the spitball
Il know who discovered the spitball.
IL WINS Cy Priest, the pitcher OF the re-
GoQbtable Ringtai Roarers. He FIRST
used il way back in 81 against the
champion tisuttoot Lilies. And II was
IN that same contest that Capt Sluggcf
Burrows. Of The Lilies. devised the only
eaecnal means OF stopping the spit
ball
For the first six innings Of thay
memorable game Cy Priest moved the
Lilies down without a hit. HAd lick
his fingers and wipe 'em on the ball be-
fore every delivery
Ordinary spitball, Of course, but it
wasn't until the last half of the seventh
that sugger Burrows got wise to the
fact that the wetting of the ball had
anything to do with Cy's wonderful
/ pitching.
I BY lingo, he suddenly exclaimed rs
big Bull Thompson struck out for the
/ third time that afternoon, I'm on to
that guys curves all right It's the
/ splitting on the ball that does il. Here,
i he called to me / was substituting thar
| day run down to the village drug store
and get ten cents worth Of powdered
/ alum. And hustle, viii you2'
Il hustled, and when | got back II
was the first half OF the ninth The
Lilies were In the field two we're out
ana the score stood o in favor Of the
Roarers
The moment the slugger saw me
waving to him he called for time out
end came running in from short stop.
4 handed him the package He
stood close to me SO that nobody could
see and poured the alan powder into
the palm Of mis- nit
After a couple more balls the Roare'
at bat flied out to center retiring Tin
side. When the ball was ielded in the
Singer picked it up and rabbed i
round In his nit before tossing it To
the umpire Even then din see what
his game was.
As sammy Salmon was going mp 70
bar iii our half the Slugser told him to
wait for his base on balls.
Don strike at anything, no mat;
Ter how good it looks Somehow I've
got bunch that Cy Priest is going to
lose his control. he explained with n
broad wink at me.
"Cy licked his fingers two or three
times aud rubbed EN- on the ball. Zip,
II came square over the pla-e and th'
umpire called a strike Sammie Salmon
asst questioning glance at the Slugger
s. no Lad gone down to first to coach,
That's all right, Sammie, the Slug
GER sang out, raassuringiy.
Again Priest started licking his
fingers. but this time he couldn't seeW
to get EN- good and wet The alum
that he'd rubbed on the ball was dry
tng.up his mouth
Zip Ball one.
The more vigorously he 3ched the
lrier his tongue became The Sluggei
turned Ills back 10 hide his mirth,
zip, Wild pitch BAH two.
in desperation Cy licked his fingers
ribbed en- on the ball. and then licked
his fingers again Did yoWeyer put ans
alum in your mouth? By'this time hi
tongue was so dry that II he'd tried tc
tick postage stamp 'twould only have
made it dusty
""Too high Ball three
"Once more he Kicked his fingers
That alum acted like a gathering string
and his mouth puckerei up to about the
size of pinhole This time he seemed
10 notice the bitter taste. He Tapped the
ball with his tongue to make sure. He
looked round in a puzzled sort Of way.
Suddenly he caught sight of Sluggei
Burrows doubled up with laughter OF
first. He shook his fist at him savage
" and looked as If he were going to
swear. but
"Phr-r-r, Phr-r-ri Pbr-r-r"
"His mouth was SO pucEered up by
the alum that all he could do wac
whistle. The Slugeer tried 10 whistle
back at him, but he was laughing so
hard he couldn't
What on earths the matter" &C.
manded the umpire in amazement
"Phr-r-r, Phr-r-r' Phr-r-r' c.
angrily whistled
Both teams crowded around the
pitchers box Cy whisJled at EN- furi-
cusly.
Hes gone bughouse from the heat
said the slugger. tapping his forehead
suegestiyely Heat and oycrexertior
He thinks he's a steamboat in fog
Better get him IN the shade quick
They're apt TO get violent when They're
that way
Three or four Of the boys seized g
and started toward the clubhouse with
him. He was struggling like mad
man.
"'Phr-r-rt Phr-r-r, Phr-r-r,'
That's all right. old steamboat the
Slugger told him soothingly I can
hear your whistle all right We won.
collide
IT was an awful struggle when they
reached the clubhouse. but they finally
got his arms tied and clapped him int
an imnrovised straitiacket Of trunk