The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1909-06-24
TRAGEDY OF
A VETERAN
The Sweet.Faeed Old Lady Still
Wonders What Battle Il Was

faced old lady as she set down an
other chicken sandwich and glass of
milk on the porch rail. You do not
look like an ordinary tramp"
His breast heaved with emotion.
Madam" he declared, ravenously at
lacking the sandwich, 81 am not a
common hobo. | am a man with
past. Once whole cities bowed down
and worshiped me. | was lion"
Tell me about It, Maybe | can
help you to regain what you have
lost" she suggested, kindly
mo, madam" he said hopelessly
1T is too late. But l don't mind tell
ing you about it. although 1t is a bitter
tale. was center gardener for the
old Red Legs, madam in the days
when Pop Anderson and Brouthers
and all of those old heroes were in
their prime
A tear dropped from his eye and
rolled down his grimy cheek
The world was very rosy then"
he went on washing down the last of
the sandwich with swallow of milk.
1T was all floral horseshoes and silver
SuoWtiS lOI llt, anu whenever L tEOl-
ted out in a practice heat | got the
glad hand and the merry yell. had
my picture in all the papers and had
millions carrying my sweater and help
ing me on with my coat. | was a top.
notch sticker, too, and whenever
came up to the pan the fielders got
way out and the pitcher sent 'em in
vida IN knnn 10 In ,n,,,
on the nose for a homer"
81 don't know that | quite under.
stand' she said
'Lammin' 'em on the nose for HON.
er means putin 'em over the pick
cts for four sacks" he explained.
making 1t all clear. at was easy for
me in those days, ma'am. When
swung at one everybody breathed
| hard and waited for EN- to go over
the fence and hunt for it. The imp
always got ready to toss up a fresh
one when he saw me at the pan"
"But how did you come toto get
down on your luck?" she interrupted
He sighed and thrilled with a rush
| of emotion.
Madam" he said, Il am coming to
that soon. | remember the day as
we'll as though it was. yesterday. 1t
was bright and sunny and everybody
was limbered up and shooting 'em
| through. We was fightin' tn old
| Utica Blues. They had four to our
| three, and it is the last half of the
| ninth. We was on the firm line.
was up at the plate The cheer | got
| when l grabbed the willow and busted
| my hands sounded like Caesar comm
home from Galway. / shut my teeth
| send 1t over"
| She grew interested
| THE Blues had put in a new finger
In the eighth-a scrawny college kid
from New Haven. / sized him up for
glass arm and went in to kill tn
, first one. | damned at it with plenty
of steam but 1t skidded in close to my
Stats and l felt tn wind of it in my
shirt. The next thing l heard was the
thump of it in the catcher's glove and
the ump calm 'Strike!'
Il was surprised, and so was tn
bleachers. But | knew 1t only took
one 1t came sailing along as big as
a football, and | figured on drivin'
1t through tn scoreboard and knockin'
down somebody on tn street with it.
But just as / swung at it it blew out
to one side about yard and dropped
in tn catcher's glove with a thud An
then somebody in tn bleachers hol-
Tered: Take him out-he's sold TIL
game
Madam, that made me desperate
man. All of my future hung on that
next ball. 1t came bobbin' up like a
bunch of bananas on a string an
aimed for its nose an let go,"
He wiped his eyes with the back of
his hand, overcome by the recollec.
| ton.
| Il figured on hittin' it on tn trade.
mark, ma'am, as honest as I'm tellin'
| you this sad story. But 1t shot up
about two inches like boy sittin on
hornet and just popped up a little
foul that the catcher gobbled like an
elephant swallowin peanut, madam.
was ont of the battle an tn Utica
| Blues trimmed to a sowsle."
Another big tear rolled down his
cheek and he sobbed convulsively.
| Something broke loose in tn
bleachers then like den of lions smell
lin fresh meat" he continued They
came down through tn wire nettin'
and fell on me in lunches of 20 or SO.
| They thought had sold 'em out, those
mullygrubs I'd helped to fly three bat.
tie flags for, and they thirsted for the
nolice, but before they came a pop
bottle got l. on the head and went
down for tn count. 1t was a crime,
ma am tn things they did to me.
The police pried 40 or so of them
off my scalp, laid me on a door and
six of 'em carried me to the hospital.
They sewed me up in couple of
hours and l was six weeks ON bed.
When | got out | was canned"
| ssrapnoIip Che