Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-06-21

see a soul. And he longed for things
he couldn't have Finally he was
rescued and almost the first words ne
said TO the one he saw first were
these-I know them by heart, ] have
read the book so often-he said:
Mate. my heart is sore for Christian
diet. You mightn't happen to have
piece Of cheese about you now No2
Well many's the long night I've
dreamed Of cheese-toastcd mostly
and woke up again, and here
were
Mildred laughed at this
What's the connection between
this man wanting cheese and your
ball playing i'm Atlanta?" she asked.
Don't YOU see? l had been ma
rooned up here in the mountains all
my life. ! shouldn't use the word
maroon. as l had everything until
my sorrows came. But anyway /
became crazy about baseball. 1t be
came my hobby. We had all the New
York papers every day and de
voured every line Of baseball there
was printed in them. ! sent for all
the books and literature on base
ban: I came 10 know the great play
ers through reading about them. as
I
knew their batting averages and their
fielding averages and their strength
and weakness From the time ] was
old enough to wear short pants ]
was tossing a ball around, and when
/ was fifteen years old my father
built this field for me ! spent hour
after hour on the field and ! learned
10 do everything that a BAH can do
I'll tell you how ! did IL In a minute.
found could make the most diff
cult kind OF catches / found that !
could bat the BAH where no fielder
could ever reach Il. and against
speedier pitching than they have IN
the big leagues. ] knew from timing
myself that there was no ball player
living that could run as fast as ]
could, and / made up my mind that
none OF the great players had any
thing on me- as the saying goes, eX-
cept experience
Was Crazy to Play.
All this was said IN an easy and
matter OF fact way. not boastfully
Gordon continued.
And when ] became convinced Of
this. I was just crazy to join some
team and travel around and play ball
and hear the cheers Of the crowds
and be mixed up in the excitement
/ dreamed about baseball, Mildred,
and l craved for It, just as poor Ben
Gum dreamed about the cheese he
craved for. When my father died, Of
course II made great change with
me. The restraint. II It can be called
such. was off and was free TO do as
I pleased. In fact, 1t was my fathers
wish that / get out in the world when
his days were over. So ! thought II
all out during the winter and early
in the spring l went to Atlanta to
satisfy my craving for baseball
II think I understand now said NIL
dred. 81 know hardly anything about
baseball, but Elmer says you are real
/ ly the best player in the world Is
| that SOP"
Gordon laughed.
THAT is far from being proven.
Mildred" he replied. 81 did have phe-
nomenaI success at Atlanta, but / was
about to join a supposedly higher
class league and don't know how |
/ would have succeeded there. They
say II IS much harder 10 make good
in the big leagues than it is in minor
league The newspapers were very
kind TO me, but they played me up
far more than ] deserve, In my opin-
ion"
Mildred was silent for a moment
Then she said;
so much for baseball But I have
been thinking a great deal about what
you told me yesterday Gordon. and
there are several things not quite
clear to me"
What are they. Mildred" asked
Gordon Elmer was amusing himself
In the gymnasium and they were
alone.
We'll. for one thing. how was it
that no one around here, even your
servants knew that your name is
Gordon Kelly? How was il they had
never heard the name Of Kelly"
A Changed Madness.
when my father and mother left
New York il was with the idea Of
losing themselves 10 the world, as it
were, The name of Kelly was left in
New York This whole property was
bought I'm the name of the Prescott
Trust Company An account was
opened with the banking firm owned
by my father and his brothers and
all bills were paid In New York by
my uncle on the Prescott Trust Com
panys account My parents were
known here and to the servants as
Mr.. and Mrs Prescott Ny father
and mother called me Bud and the
servants called me Mr.. Bud What's
the next question 90
Don't think I'm curious, but 1
would just like TO understand. that's
ALL Gordon. How were YOU educat-
ed2"
"Tutors came from the North. but
my mother taught me more than all
the tutors I had"
u can well understand why YOU
talk ike a Northerner. but how is it|