The chronicle=news., 1913-02-20
WHEN l0BERT PUT
MARQUARD IN BAD''

bought from II minor league club for
81 900 was to make his duput. II
was II price unlicard or. u" mast b"
a pitcher OF pltchers-thc rrincarn-
ation OF Rusic. combination OF
Mnthewson. Walsh and Brow. What
manner OF man was he TIL crowd.
thinking OF the $1,000. wondered
and held their breath. say Edward
l.. Fox in the Kansas City star,
The game was between New York
and Cincinnati. Who cnrrdf All
that the thousands who lld gone
out to the polo grounds that autumn
afternoon three years ago wanted to-
see was the man-the man Tor whom
the New York club had pali indian
apoiis $1,000. To them III. test
was not between the Giants and Reds
rather between the man and his
price. Was h. worth II,
The crowd waited. And Will. they
waited they talked OF Marguard. the
money that had been paid for him.
aud the wonderful pitching and
skill that must be his. Before most
OF them lay opened the sporting pag-
's OF the afternoon newspaper bag
IS that told OF Marquard's career and
t,VV
There were pictures Of him. too
photographs and cartoons. All be-
cause II had been announced that
Maraunrd would max. his debut this
afternoon.
Becoming impatient. the crowd put
aside their newspapers aud wutched
the little gate In the rirh, field
fence through which III. players
would Issue. They were Watching
for rIall young man In u white uni
form. All accounts said tina, Mar
guard WIS tall. FIrs. ono. then an
other. In t@os. In thrccs. the white
uniforred Giants appeared In the
doorway and walked across the field
but no Marounrd. Then Il tall
form came Into sight. The crowd
crancd Its neck eagerly. only to set
tic back with "a sigh. II was wIitsc.
More Giants filled ih. gAt.t
s'roilcd icisurciy across tn. grass
and vanished In their duEou,. Aud
then. when the crowds iinpaticncc1
was at Its height. tho man for WHOM,
they had been waiting burst from
the cntrarc. mud walked briskly
toward them. Thousands OF eyes fol
lowed his every movement. The
crowd started forward. They no.
tic"d his figure. lank aud wiry: his
head. held ut nm anEic to our side:
his walk. somewhat swaEGcring: his
Taco vcrybOyish with tho color deep
cninE In his checks. Nearer and
nearer h." came and upon r-nchin ing
III" bench immediately began pitch
Ing TO the Indian. Meyers Once Mar.
guard dropped the ball as hc held II
Mt his side. lie was becoming uer:
vous.
As lac warmed up he watched the
crowd from tho corner 0f his eve. On
him he knew every glance was d.
rcctcd. He knew tina, they had come
TO SIT In judgment. He knew tina,
he must make good or be- laughed ut.
u Is hard TO be brought from u lit
Tie western city. preceded by wide.
spread publicity. II Is hard to he
told that your very coming Will save
the New York hascbuil team. New
York expects much. n Marquari
did not know that he read II In tho
, masses OF vague faces looking down
upon him. Til. crisis OF his life as
ball player was at hand
To escape the tension he sat In "A
corner OF the dusout and waited for
The game to begin. He WAS Begin
ming to wonder II he had 1t In him
10 make good in New York. He found
himself saying that the National
league batsmen must be an entirely
different proposition from those OF
| the middle western circuits. \ vet
cran who overheard him grunted He
began to doubt his ability to hold
these batsmen-pcrsonif bodily by
red-leggcd Cincinna,i-in check.
Then came the pealing OF II gong. u
signal for the game to begin.
To the box walked MarIuard. and
following him were the eyes OF the
chowd-cold. critical. unsympathc,-
, ic. ready to condemn. As he waited
for the first Cincinnati batter II
boys voice back in the grandstand
somewhere piped slir!liy: That's the
900 beauty.
Marduard. hearing him. frowncd.
unconsciously he tightened his belt.
He fingered the ball ncrvously. He
looked down a. the grass-a great
weight had settled on his back. Then
he heard the ump.rc's gruff voice or
dcrinS the game to begin. and look
ing up, lie saw at the plate 1-Obcrt-
sturdy Lobcrt. one of the sluggers
OF the Cincinnati team. As Mar
guard watched he saw Lobcrt lit
one foot. then the other. deliberately
knocking the dirt from his spikes as
IL he intended to run all the way
round the bases and wanted oyery-
thing ready. Then Marauard saw
him spit on his hands. pull down his
cap. tap the plate, and turning. 1ecr:
| Now we'll see IL you're a BUSH
cr." S..
Aud MarIuard's nerve. already
weakened, broke. BY Il clever piece
lof acting. Mt tho moment when Mar
qnard felt every eye in the park
boring through him, LobCrt had
ruined the debut before Il ball was
pitched. Pale and sick with tho de-
feat that was In him, AhrQuar1