Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-04-27

y
Anything you like"
terms of the two bets.
Another thing" Tom continued.
There's only one person can get to
match you in pitching-a negro. Do
you object to playing against one Of
the colored race?"
''Not if my team don't. I'll speak
to them about the matter"
Thruston soon after sent Captain
Barr, permission to introduce a negro
into the game If required.
The agreement between the two
clubs was that they were to play sew
en- games. four to win, the games to
be played on alternate Saturday after
Moons, beginning with the second Sat
urday in April. There was great in
terest manifested on the part of the
friends of the two teams, and when
the first game was played the grand
stand was packed and much of the
standing room was taken up. A fine
lot of boys on each side were arrayed,
and the play from the first was the
finest that had ever been played be
tween the Arlingtons and the Cres-
uS was III
place for the former, Barr not having
availed himself of the permission he
had received TO use the negro. After a
hard fought game the Arlingtons VICE
by few runs.
When the game was finished some
said that it had been won by Beatrice
Bars presence and encouragement.
at any rate, she was adored by the
members of her brothers team, and
there was not one of them who would
not give his head to serve her. A few,
while attributing the ArliDgtons' sue
cess to her. referred that success to a
far different cause. They said that IL
Captain Thruston had kept his eyes of
Beatrice Barr and fixed his attention
on the game the score would have been
very different.
The second game was played under
very much the same conditions, and
again the Arlingtons won. By this
time a number of the Crescents had
noticed that their captain was not do
ing his best. and one of them went to
him and expostulated. Thruston knew
very well what was the matter with
him. though he did not reveal the Sc
cret. He promised that the next game
should show up very differently.
And it did Barr fixed his attention
on the game and won it by half a
dozen runs-not only that, but be beat
the next, the fourth game. During
both the third and fourth games Bea-
trice Barr was not present. 1t was
given out that she was III. Some mali
cious spectators declared that she had
been bribed by the CreScents with ten
pounds of candy to keep away. This
only excited merriment. All knew that
she was wrapped up in the success of
her brothers team. But wheE the
fifth game came round and she was
again absent. the Crescents winning.
many who had noticed Thruston's bad
play while she was present looked
knowing and whispered to one another
that they believed there might be
something in the bribery story after
all. Beatrice was not in her seat at
the sixth game; but, despite her abb
sence, the Arlingtons won.
Each team had now won three
games, and the seventh was to decide
the championship. Beatrice Barr told
some of her most intimate girl friends
that she would love to see the game.
but she had understood that unpleas-
ant remarks had been made about the
effect of her presence on the result and
she had decided to remain away from
the grand stand. She was not in her
seat when the deciding game was
played, but it was said that she watch
ed it from behind the blinds of a
house overlooking the oval
When the teams went out on to the
field negro was noticed among the
Arlingtons. Captain Thruston was
about to protest when he remembered
that he had agreed that Barr should
use negro pitcher if he chose Some
surprise was indicated that a boy of
his size was expected to do extra fine
pitching. He was but average height
and his muscles did not show under
his loose suit. But when he began to
pitch the secret came out. He could
do things with baseball that cham
pion billiardist can work with the ivo-
ries. Few could hit his balls. and those
who did usually sent them straight up
in the air. to be caught by the outs.
During the changes from the bat