Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-17

Gusty was nine years old. Nature, had
spilled considerable fire into his makeup.
His hair was red, his whole face, from his
snub nose to his big ears. was spattered
all over with rusty red freckles His real
name was Augustine, though every one had
forgotten it: Gusty he had been from his
cradle up.
There was no one to love Gusty; his
father was too busy and his mother was
dead Other people chose pretty little boys
to love.
Gusty took it out In being great He
could shin up a tree quicker than any
other boy in school. He was always ready
to wrestle with any boy who challenged
him regardless of size; his record as
fisherman was quoted In the next town
ship, and so were his swimming feats; but
most of all he gloried In base ball.
The first bat he ever had he took to
bed with him. When Mrs. Stone, his
great aunt and his fathers housekeeper.
tried to take it away from him as
he lay dreaming Of future runs" he
grasped it jealousy and struck out at her
with hoarse Put her first, Billy!' Ii Mrs.
Stone had not had jaw of iron 1t would
have broken; as it was, she used 1t with
difficulty for the next three days. and
Gusty was forbidden all connection with
base ball for one dark week
Hartville, where Gusty lived, was fac
tory town Of about 1900 inhabitants. 1t
boasted q famous base ball nine, one with
which the teams in the neighboring towns
were eager to compete, and still more eager
to score a victory over.
Match games were held every Saturday
In the village base ball grounds, and all the
men and maidens turned out to see the
struggles.
Gusty never missed a game. He rarely
had the 15 cent admission fee. but there
was a tall, shm-trunked tree just outside
the high board fence of the Dali ground
up which Gusty went like squirrel. Here
he had full view OF the field
He sat there one Saturday IN the fall
watching with great excitement game
between the Hartvilles and Northtngtons.
It was a contest for final yearly champion
ship.
The Northingtons. team OF big, rough
mill hands, had been promised a torch
Hight parade, and q supper IN the town
hall. on their return home IL they came
back triumphant. 1t was the eighth inning
and the score stood TO when daspute
arose Hartville was at the bat Both
teams and a crowd of oniookers surged
about the umpires; 1t was finally decided
in favor of the home team and the crowd
drifted back into the place. Gusty. from
his vantage point. saw the angry Northing-
tons swoop back, and as they-weut, group
of three or four scuffied as though by
accident against the big sandbag that
marked the third base and moved 1t about
three feet further from second base. where
Hartville had a man.
No one noticed the trick but Gusty. whose
soul was afire in an instant. He slipped
ninbly down the tree and over the fence,
and ran like deer for third base. Before
any one noticed him he was standing on
the sandbag shouting to. the umpire to
stop the game The Northfngtons' third
base man tried to sttfe him and pull him OF
the base. but Gusty scratched at him like q
wildcat. -,.-~ - 1900 -aatx
The crowd gathered around the two and
Gusty told the story. The distance was
measured and Gusty's statement found cor
rect.
The game was called of and the teams
separated, with much hard feeling on both
sides. Amid the taunts and jeers Gusty
slipped of toward home, unnoticed by all
except the big Northington bully who had
moved the base. He started after Gusty