The Sauk Centre herald., 1909-07-08
HITS AND MRS

me that 1 at one time belonged to the
south Minneapolis Red Stockings. We
played on grounds now worth a large
sum of money, but at that time red
cows and Angora goats were worrying
around over the lots in search of food
and the tall sign "For Sale ON Easy
Payments" didn't draw enough atten-
tion to pay it for standing day after
day in the hot sun reciting to the
people who wandered by that our
base ball gronnd was in the market.
But no one bought it and we put up
sample of base ball on it that if
bound in book form would have made
interesting reading in penitentiairies,
where the inmates could not get away
from it. The bad time finally arrived
when our ball team went to pieces.
1t broke up like the ice on the river
back of the red school house on the
spring morning, when Johnny brought
his skates to school and recited his
geography lesson later on in his wet
clothes and finger parted hair. This
was the day we played the North
Minneapolis Silver Stars. 1t was Sat-
urday and large crowd followed the
Stars down to see them wipe the pra-
irie with the South Minneapolis ag-
gregation of ball tossers. Every play
er in our nine was distinguished by a
different costume. We wore every
thing from bathing suits down to Sis
ter's stockings which were met by
Willie's pants. The game was called
by tall umpire, whose father was a
policeman. Just what he called it
have forgotten, but most everyone
else called it a row. Elmer Foster,
who afterwards climbed almost to the
sky in the base ball world, was the
pitcher, and Bill Lackey caught.
Bill had curly hair and a smile that
that never wore off. The last strike
he made was with the Minneapolis
millers. 1 opened up printing office
on second base, but I secured few
subscribers. Some wicked North Sid
er knocked the ball down my way so
fast that jumped six feet to get out
of the way of it. The ball kept on 60
ing tell it was stopped by red COW,
The center fielder attempted to pick
it up and the COW no doubt thinking
him too familiar lifted him over the
fence. The man who knocked the
ball into the COW trotted around the
bases and scored. The umpire sent
him back to second base, holding that
the ball having hit COW whose name
didn't appear on the score book, was
dead ball. 1t was also generaly un-
derstood that 1 should have stopped
the ball, and some things that were
said about my playing, 1 do not feel
called upon to repeat at this time.
The visitors kicked vigorously on
the decision, but the umpire shut his
eyes and waved his hand as if he was
starting freight train and the game
went on. A little later a fight on
third base stopped the game: just
what it was about 1 don't know, but
it seemed to be contagious. 1 didn't
really want to know. Ihad been lick
ed the day before anyway and when 1
saw what the end was going to be 1
went home to split the Sunday wood.
. .
Poison Carrots and the hired man
joined the "Sons of the Pasture
Fence" last Friday night. Their pc
titions had been rejected several
times, the ballot having but lately
cleared up. Both felt pretty good
when notified to be on hand at the
lodge room, which was a root cellar
Illuminated with ten barn lanterns
and eight oil cans. They prepared
themselves carefully for the initiation
with sapolio, soft soap and other stim-
ulants, and arranged themselves in
front of the lodge room in calm and
patient manner and awaited the call