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

AA LIES MCBRIDE, captain of
 the team, had just finished a
 hard game of basketball. - = The Junior Y. M. c. A. five had been defeated by the Park Ave tired in body but sore in spirit as well. He had played hard at his po- sition at right forward and toward the last had fought with almost super human strength in a vain effort to tie the score, but the best he and his teammates could do was to come with in ten points of their opponents total.
 Hard luck, old chap" said one of the Y. M. c. A. supporters to Miles as he wormed out of his jersey in the locker room. The Park Avenues had horseshoes and four-leaf clovers all over them"
 "No," said Miles, dryly. they sim ply outplayed us. that's all."
 Captain Mcbride was not much on making excuses.
 "All the same" said the other boy, you had bad luck in making some of your throws"
 Miles grunted and said nothing.
 Just then one of the smaller boys spoke up and remarked half jestingly:
 T still think you'd have won. Miles. if the other side had been blindfold- ed"
 "Get outl" stormed the older boys at the little annoyer. "Quit rubbing it in" And the little fellow was chased from the room.
 But the remark stuck in Miles mind. How true he thought. If the other team had been blind-fold- ed!" As he took his shower the re- mark again occurred to him and as he dressed he smiled at the unpleas- ant truth of it.
 When we play our return game with Park Avenue" he chuckled to himself, we'll insist they be blind folded. That shall be one of the un- derstandings before we go on the floor"
 He laughed aloud at the thought and surprised his teammates who were themselves not in a mood for laugh ing.
 What are you laughing at, Cap?" asked one of the players. You must O6 ndUpt over our utiedI.
 Miles only grinned, but as he left the building on his way home some of the boys heard him mutter to him self:
 "Biind-folded. Ha, ha!''
 Straight to bed Miles went, and af- ter the excitement of the evening it was not strange that he dreamed; ; but what he dreamed was strange.
 A fairy came to him and said:
 Miles, I believe you lost basket ball game today"
 Yes" Miles replied, about thou sand to nothing"
 You see in dreams things are apt to get exaggerated. The idea of a basketball team scoring a thousand points! But evidently the fairy didn't know the difference. for she said:
 That's too bad, Miles. Would you like to win your next gamer"
 "Yes, I would"
 Then take this paint pot and this brush and put a coat of the mixture on the basketball you use in the game"
 She handed him these things and departed.
 Miles was much pleased and felt grateful to the fairy, though he couldn't understand just how that paint was going to help.
 The return game with the Park Avenue five was at hand. Just be- fore the game was to start Miles got hold of the ball. took 1t to corner and painted it generously with the magic mixture according to the fairy's directions.
 The game began. The ball was tossed up at center. Then there was passing and intercepting until a Park Avenue forward got close to the goal and tossed the first points of the con- test. So far Miles hadn't got hold of the ball yet. but he still had faith in his magic mixture. And he was not Disappointed.
 When the ball was again put in play Y. M. guard shot 1t to Ailes.