The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1909-07-17


lorn condition." inquired the sweet
faced old lady as she set down another
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
tacxing the sandwich. II am not a
common hobo. ! am man with a
past Once whole cities bowed down
and worshipped me. / was a lion.
Alas In brief moment all my hon.
ors vanished and / became a broken
hearted has-been Think what l once
was and then look at me now
Tell me about it. Maybe 1 can
help you to regain what you have lost"
she suggested kindly.
mo, madam" he said,i hopeIessly.
'It is too late. But don't mind tell
ing you about 1t, although ii is a bitter
tale. was center gardener for the
old Red Legs, ma am, in the days when
Pop Anson and Brouthers and all of
those old heroes were in their prime.
! used to reach up into the clouds and
pull out the high ones with one hand,
and often | picked 'em off the top
board Of the fence with two fingers
and a thumb, and the roar that went
up from the bleachers sounded like a
fat man falling down a coal hole"
A tear dropped from his eyes and
rolled down. his grimy cheek.
"The world was very rosy then" he
went on, washing down the last of the
sandwich with a swallow Of milk. 1T
was all floral horseshoes and silver
showers for me, and whenever l trotted
out in a practice heat l got the glad
hand and the merry yell. ] had my
picture in all the papers and / had
millionaires carrying my sweater and
helping me on with my coat. l was q
top-notch sticker too, and whenever [
came up to the pan the fielders got
way out and the pitcher sent 'em in
Wild to keep me from lammil' 'em on
the nose for a homer"
IT don't know that l quite under
stand" said she.
"Lammin' 'em on the nose for a
homer means putin 'em over the
pickets for four sacks" he explained,
making it all clear 1T was easy for
me in those days, ma'am. When !
swung at one everybody breathed hard
and waited for 'em to go over the
fence and hunt for it. The ump always
got ready to toss up 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 rush
of emotion.
Madam" he said, 81 am coming to
that soon. / remember the day as
well as though it were yesterday. 1t
was bright and sunny. ard everybody
was nbering up and shooting 'em
through. We was fghtin' the old Utica
Blues They had four to our three,
and IL was the last half Of the ninth.
We was on the firm line. Two Od ours
was dead and two on the lines. ! was
up at the plate. The cheer that l got
when / grabbed my willow and dustUd
my hands sounded like Ceasar comm
home from Galway. / shut my teeth
and picked out a board in the fence
TO send it over"
She grew interested.
"The Blues had put in a new flinger
in the eighth--a scrawny college kid
from New Haven. I sized him up for
glass arm, and went in to kill tn first
one. I damned at it with plenty Of
steam, but it skidded in close to my
Stats and I felt tn wind of it in my
shirt. The next thing heard was the
thump of it in the catchers glove and
the jumps calling strike!'
Il was surprised and so was the
bleachers. But l knew 1t only took
one to kill it, and I waited for tn next
one. 1t came sailing along as big as
a football, and / figured on drivin' it
through tn scoreboard and knockin'
down somebody on tn street with it.
But just as I swung at it it blew out
10 one side about yard and dropped
in tn catcher's glove with thud. An
then somebody in the bleachers hol-
Tered: Take him out--he's sold TIL
game
Madam, that made me a desperate
man. All OF my future hung on that
next ball. 1t came lobbin' up like a
bunch of bananas on a string an
aimed for its nose an let got"
He wiped his eye with the back of
his hand, overcome by the recollection
II figured on hittin' it on tn trade
mark, maam, and honest as I'm tellin'
you this sad story. But it shot up
about two inches like a boy sittin on
a hornet and just popped up little
foul that the catcher gobbled up like
an elephant swallowin' peanut mad
am. / was out Of the battle, an the
Utica Blues had us trimmed to q
sowsle''
Another big tear rolled down his
Cheek and he sobbed convulsively.
Something broke loose in the
bleachers then like q den of lions
smellin' fresh meat he continued
"They came down through the wire
nettin' and fell on me in punches o.
twenty or thirty. They thought / haC
sold em out, those mullygrubs II
helped to fly three battle flags for, ant
they thirsted for my blood. Somebody
whistled for the police. but before the!
came a pop bottle got me on the head
and went down for tn count. 1t wa
a crime, ma'am. the things they dit
TO me.
"The police pried forty or Atty o
them off my scalp, laid me on doc
and six Of them carried me to the hos
pital They sewed me up in coupl
Of hours and / was six weeks on
bed. When / got out was canned!
Canned" she exclaimed.