The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-07-10

Dudes had 25 of them marks and the
 Jumpers 32. You see, whenever feller
 would hit a ball he starts running around
 the squared place like a chicken with
 his head cut off, while the felers in the
 field all takes out after the ball. The one
 that gifts it holds it in his hand and
 lights out lickety split for the haste rum
 her, but most generally don't ketch him
 until he has done got back to home baste Don't know how long they had been
 playing before some smarty slipped in a trick the town fellers He had an- other ball besides the one they was
 playing with and whenever the pitching ball was knocked in the river one of the
 field fellers would wade in after 1t while
 smarty throwed in the one he had in his pockee
 That there trick worked quite a spell before them thck-headed dudes seen the ball want wet as 1t ought to been com
 ing out of the river. Our boys put out
 nine or ten men before 1t was learned
 and was way ahead of the Dudes. Course they sets up a howl about it when the discovery was made, but they couldn't do nothing. There want no way to tell when the trick was first turned,
 so humpire says the score has to stand
 32 to 25. Them Foxtown fellcrs was so
 mad they offered to lick the whole crowd i;
 speckeltaters, Jumpers and all.
 Following which there was peace and the game went on until the sun set and humpire said he "called" the game-it looked more like a ngger picknlck to me. Anyway, our boys had 40 tallies and them Foxtown fellers only 33.
 There ain't no telling how many scores
 our boys would have made if that there durn Tony crow of mine hadn't clawed the real ball in the river, thinlliL it was
 something to eat. You see, we took Tony down to the game, him being a talking crow and some loud, to whoop
 her up for our boys.
 l sets Tony a limb down next the river and flags him every time 1t is our holler and he lets out "caws" and lan- of help in the hollering part of the game and screeched manful every time Jump CTS made run and I wigwagged him. Now when hurnpire says the felers in the field got to go in the water and git the balls which was knocked in the river this here smarty that was on our side
 rung in the other ball. Them Dudes finding out that we had another ball didn't stop proceedings as to throwing in the wrong ball to home haste. It was Tony, that durn fool crow of mine. done 1t, and I was mighty nigh ready to kill him for it.
 You see, them being able to tell which ball had went in the water by the dampness thereon, this here smart
 feller soaks his ball in the river and lays 1t on the bank ready. When one of
 our town fellers knocks the real ball in the river one of our fellers busts in after it while another one runs and gifts the ball on the bank and throws it to home haste.
 That worked slick as button all through the game until Antonio butts in and spills the beans. Him setting on the limb of the tree up high above the field, and looking out for signals from me, naturally cast his sharp crow eyes
 all around. Pretty soon what does he
 do but throw one of his lamps down
 on that ball laying along the bank and set in to speculating what 1t was. Soon as recess comes between two endings Tony sneaks down to the river
 bank to investigate. He pecks the ball awhile, but don't have much luck eat
 ing 1t, so he begins to scratch at it.
 Course the ball rolls. and that being
 more fun than mus turtle to him, he
 kicks her another jolt. Pretty soon the ball was in the water and going down
 stream fast before the boys missed it when they runs for 1t.
 The feller gives the distress sign and
 the Jumpers quits playing right there, them being ahead, anyhow. Humpire
 don't know what's the matter, SO he
 allows it Is too dark to play any more,
 and that's how come the Brier Jumpers
 to beat the tar out of the Foxtown
 Dudes.
 Didn't nobody know wha had come
 of the extra ball but me and Tony.
 Reckon them Jumpers would a killed that crow if they had knowed, and the
 bard went off up the creek laughing slyly to himself.