The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-03-01
The Invisible Basketball

And then strange thing happened. His opponent, instead of guarding him. dropped his hands at his sides the ball to a Y. M. player, who i'm mediately returned 1t. Again there was consternation. The other players practically stopped in their tracks.
 We can't see the ball." complained one of the Park Avenue boys. Play ball!' shouted the referee.
 Miles, who was now close to the goal, took his time and dropped an easy one into the basket and the score was tied. On the next toss-up Miles got hold of the ball and again his op- ponents, as well as his fellow-players, acted as if they were paralyzed. He couldn't understand it for awhile, but 1t soon occurred to him that the ball was invisible
 That is. he reasoned, it must be in- visible as long as 1t was in his hands, Tor as soon as 1t left him the other players apparently could see it. What great advantage over the oppo- nentsi All he had to do was to stay near the goal, signal for the ball and then, While his opponents stared help lessly at nothing, toss the ball leis- orely into the basket. the sphere be- coming visible only after it was on It's way to the iron hoop. Miles iaugned to himself at the confusion or the Park Avenue team. They seemed dazed. His teammates also were astonished but they soon grew accustomed to the strangeness of it and took delight in passing the ball to the magic Miles and in watching the Park Avenues gaze into space as | the ball disappeared into his hands. What score rolled up. Some think like 100 to 2. In desperation, the Park Avenue guards devoted all their attention to Miles, and though they couldn't see the ball. they fought furiously to keep him from tossing goals. But Miles simply held the ball behind his back or over his head or dodged to right or left.
 Now you see it; now you don't" Miles would yell and toss another goal.
 Once or twice Park Avenue guard succeeded in getting hold of the ball while it was in Miles hands and, though it was invisible, struggled to wrest it from him. But his efforts were always futile. and Miles simply played with his opponents
 At last the game was over and the Park Avenues were ready to cry at their exasperating defeat. Miles was receiving the congratulations of his teammates and friends and was being hoisted to their shoulders when he woke. It was dream after all. He lay in bed thinking of 1t. At first he thought 1t silly. But as Ae lay, the vividnsss of 1t fresh on his mind. he had an idea.
 Next afternoon at basketball prac- tice the captain said to the boys:
 We arc to play our return game with Park Avenue a week from to- morrow night, and we've got to beat them. I've decided the only way to do 1t is to make the ball invisible" ]"
 The other boys laughed, thinking 1t joke, but Miles continued. seriously:
 We must make the ball invisible. We are going to line up on each aide of the court every afternoon from now until the day of the game and practice whipping the ball across like a cannon shot And not shot must travel les than sixty miles an hour"
 And he made good his remark. He drilled that team 50 thoroughly in making the ball invisible through speedy passing that when they met the Park Avenues e week later they literally played their opponents ofR their feet and won by good score
 So you see 1t pays to dream some- times. especially about fairies.