Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-06-24
Story for Fans Tha Interest
Every Lover O he Game

so interested in the young woman
who rushed on the field when he lay
unconscious at the home plate that
he had lost interest in baseball.
That kid was high-class guy and
he don't have to play ball." declared
Long Tom, in proof of his assertion,
when the $4,000 player came up for
the daily club house debate one after
noon before the game. why, he
made the rest Of US look like bush
leaguers with his silk underwear and
his silk stockings and his ten dollar
shirts. l know what they cost, be-
cause ! priced some of them in a
swell shop downtown the other day.
And one day he told me, just casual
like, that he owned six automobiles,
and he offered to give me one of 'em
II l would learn to run It, but 1 told
him no, as l was too old to risk
breaking my neck. And the kid can
talk French. too"
This last statement clinched the
argument and had the effect of plac-
Ing Gordon among the "highbrows"
IN the minds Of his former eliminates.
They continued to talk of Gordon
Kelly when they went out on the field
TOT preliminary practice and they
were stlll talking about the mystery
Of his disappearance when the play
ers of the visiting team appeared.
Among them was Hamil. the tall. raw
boned, looking pitcher.
By means Of a curve ball as crooked
as Pearl Street, New York, which he
had recently developed, Hamil had
been having great success in the box
lately but this did not serve TO
brighten his COuntenance and he still
went about looking as though he had
received the usual ten days notice
from his manager that his pitching
repertoire was not puzzling enough
TO warrant his continuance with the
club.
Hamil sauntered up to Long Tom
Morrlssey. bent on making some
gloomy remark that passed with him
as humor, and heard Long Tom argu-
Ing with his side partner over the
disappearance of Gordon Kelly.
And l say the kids quit baseball
for good" declared the veteran back
stop, emphatically. What do you
think about it, Groucho?" he added
turning to Hamll.
The Number of the Auto.
That puts me in mind of some
thing that happened on the first trip
here" replied the gloomy pitcher. "A
guy comes around to the hotel one
night and gets himself introduced to
me and then asks me to 20 for a ride
with him in his speed wagon. He
taxes me out a ways and all of a
sudden he starts to knock Gordon
Kelly, and winds up by Offering me a
thousand bones if l would beat up the
KID. What do you know about that?"
what was the guys name?" de-
manded Long Tom.
Il never did catch the guys name
but he was one of them rich Young
Fellows, to judge by his looks; either
that or a our-flusher-you can't tell
EN- apart sometimes But l do re-
member the number on his automo-
bile"
What was it?" cried Long Tom,
fiercely.
1T was $4,000 Ca" replied Han,iI.
w nat you getting so excited about ,"
Ihe tale created a profound impress
sion on the mind of Long Tom. He
was great judge of human nature
and he Immediately began to connect
- N''AASA VI al ANos DuUUu I'd. Win
the disappearance of Gordon Kelly.
He applied some of the uncanny
knowledge that told him unerringly
as a catcher when a base runner
would try to steal second base. to
the case Of the automobiles and
Gordon Kelly. He reasoned that a
man who would stoOp to hire an
other man to do his dirty work would
stoop to do almost anything. He be-
came so absorbed in the problem that
when he went out on the third base
coaching lines he forgot all about
the game and waved a runner home
on three base drive when he hadn't
chance in a hundred of scoring. For
this piece of stupidity he was bawled
out by BIZ Smith and sent in disgrace
to the bench, where for the remainder
of the game he brooded over the story
told him by Hamil.
Long Tom Gets Busy.
After the game, Long Tom changed
his uniform for street clothes and
started downtown on a street car On
the car he met Whiting, The Geor-
gian's baseball writer.
Hello, Percy" he said, hailing the
newspaper man. Say, you know
something about automobiles, don't
you?"
That's my middle name. Tom" re-
piled Whiting. What do you want
to do, buy one?"
Not on your life. I want to know
If there's any way of finding out the
owner Of a car by the number on the
machine"
Sure. If you're in a hurry about
it, come with me to the office and I'll
find out for you right away"
'Pll go you" said Long Tom. by
the way, did you write that account
about Gordon Kelly being seen up in
the mountains and then disappearing
at the time that cyclone hit that sec
tion?"
No; Farnsworth wrote that He
went up there and dug up the facts
rs Farnsworth in the office now"
Il expect he is. What have you on
your mind?"
"Oh, nothing much; just an idea,
that's all" replied Long Tom.
At The Georgian Office Farnsworth
shook hands with the visitor. while
Whiting looked in his desk for a list
of automobile owners and the num-
bers of their cars.
Owned by Forrest Cain.
Here you are, Tom" said Whiting.
Car 10000 is owned by Forrest
Cain"