Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1910-08-13
Fifth Inning.
Copyright. the Frank A. Mum
sey Co.

why 1t should Surely am not
one of those fanatical fans who seem
to think of nothing else all summer
and most of the winter All told,
don't suppose l saw over FIVE or six
games a week the whole of last sea.
son. and certainly man must have
some relaxation.
But as we sat In the dismal little
waiting room In the weird, fickering
light of the one sickly. discouraged
looking kerosene lamp. with the wind
moaning plaintively around the corner
and the rain beating down upon the
roof and rattling in sharp gusts against
the window, the conversation turned,
as have already observed. to the sub
ject of baseball. ! am not sure but
that l started the turn myself.
Friend" remember remarking to
him, II don't know what part of the
country you hail from. but If you want
to see some baseball that Is baseball
you ought to come down through our
part of Kansas some time. I'm the
mayor of little burg down there. and
We've got little OIL team that simply
eats up everything in sight regularly
each season that comes
He was long. lean. lanky individ-
ual, this chance acquaintance | had
formed. His hands and feet, loosely
attached to his dangling limbs. were
enormous; his small. steel gray eyes
were slightly crossed; his thin. sharr
face was freckled and frescoed after
the manner Of turkey egg.
There was certain atmosphere
about him, together with the way he
wore his rather tlashy looking apparel,
which somehow gave me distinct i'm
preston that he had slept In that same
apparel for some weeks past. Candid
ly. ! did not feel drawn to the man.
Still, when one is waiting for mid
night" train which possesses chronic
habit Of humping along into town any
time from the proper hour up to 3 a.
M, one has to make the most Of any
circumstance or individual at hand to
pass the time.
At my words of enthusiasm he mere
ly dug his hands deeper into his trou-
sers pockets. stretched out In front of
him another yard or two of legs,
crossed his feet and remarked sort Of
disinterestedly, 80"
BY that | concluded at once he didn't
have drop of sporting blood in him.
Any man who wouldn't talk baseball
after such lead must assuredly be
dead one However | felt disposed to
give him one more trial.
"Surest thing you KNOW ! resumed
cheerily. We've got little team that
will stack up against anything. any
where, bar none. Why. man. we went
all last season without losing but one
game, and that game was lost because
of bone headed straggler we had to
pick up to play out the game"
"Sow remarked my companion with
slightly increasing interest.
Its fact. SIR" | resumed eagerly
-"its fact. sure as we're both sit
ting here. But that game was heart
breaker. l dropped a roll Of money
that day, let me tell you. not to men
ton the chagrin we felt at losing to a
team we should have showed under.
and If ever l set my eyes on that In
dividual | mentioned-oh. well. let by
cones be bvgones; only just don't let
me ever lay my hands on him! But
you come down our way some time,
friend, and see for yourself II you
don't think we belong to the classy
set when 1t comes to baseball"
He leaned hia head against the wall
and closed his eyes wearily. For a
moment he seemed lost In thought;
then suddenly he remarked feelingly.
"Well, excuse me!
looked Mt him sharply. at q loss to
understand him.
mo, never again." he resumed pen
sively; there's no light In the window
for papa down in Kansas; they're not
unveilin' any statues for yours truly
down In that neck of the woods. |
shook a day-day to that bunch long
ago. might have been hangin' aroun
there yet-but 1t would have been by
the neck to the uppermost limb Of
murmurin' cottonwood"
In the feeble glare of the lamp over
head could not make out his features
clearly, but there was no mistaklng
the fact that his emotion was genuine.
could discern that much from the
culver of his voice as he spoke.
Surely. my friend" l said kindly.
you must have an exaggerated con-
ception Of the peril you speak of-de-
cidedly SO. l am sure that in the part
of Kansas come from the people are
cordial to strangers and peaceably in
clined. / know. I've lived among 'em
for well nigh thirty years. l cannot
recall, with possibly one or two ex
ceptions, any occasion upon which the
populace of my section was wrought
up to any such pitch as you mention"
"Well, I can recall such an occasion,
all right, all right" he responded
quickly. ut all comes back to me
plain as dhy. The circumstance you
mention regardin' that lost game re-
minds me in many ways of this expe-
rience Of mine"
"You don't mean to tell me-" ! ex-
claimed, endeavorlng to express the
Interest was beginning to feel-"you