The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1914-01-16

81 went into the steering turret and
sat down to think It over. 1t certainly
looked as il my gas-tanks were pune
tured and / was doomed to fail. If
New York lost, as they were sure to
do, with Bill pitching that way, there
wasn't much left for me except to
make nice little hole in the water
somewhere near Ellis island and the
Jersey shore. didn't like water in
those days. so began to think My
lIl,le job was to figure out how to keep
Chicago bats from colliding with Bills
curves. 1t was something of job.
the way Chicago was hitting in those
days, and Bill being ordered to serve
them nothing but straight, easy balls.
Did despair? Ha! Little you know
of Captain MacManus of 40 years ago
who ask that question.
When / got back to New York city
hurried up to Yonkers to see Profess
sor Ignatz. the man who knew more
about air-hying, electric currents, mag
nets and so on than anybody would
believe. and told him how was fixed.
"Rest easy, Mac says he. and took
me out to his hangar and showed me
his new invisible, sky-blue, self-balanc4
ing aeroplane.
watch me- says he, and up he
went In two minutes he was out OF
sight, though when he megaphoned me
could hear him plainly.
Ny own secret says he. "Abso-
I..&1 NV LETT l. 10 .
here he says, and he shows me a
tiny searchlight machine. My new
invisible ray he says, and he shows
me how it works.
'Saved!' said, and went out and
borrowed some more money to bet on
New York.
THAT afternoon 100000 people were
in the grandstands when the Chicago
New York game was called. We used
to think that was crowd in the OLD
days. Old Bill was in the box. Blink
er was at bat for Chicago. Bill sailed
one over. Blinker looked at it in
amazement. 1t was perfectly
straight slow ball, right where BlinkeI
could kill it. Blinker pulled down
his cap, set himself and waited, ready
to knock it out of the lot. The bal
came over. It was the same kind as
before Blinker swung. But as il
was about to connect with the bal
his bat jumped about two inches ant
he missed. He tried it three times
: Then he went back to the bench look
ing puzzled.
THAT was the way it went thu
! whole game. Bill was serving Vi
straight, slow ones right over thu
. heart of the plate and the Chicago
!, were swinging at them, and MISSING
them because their bats jumped abou
! two inches just before they met tn
4 ball.
with New York it was just tn
other way They'd swing at a bal
4 way outside the plate and the ba
: would shoot over and connect. Whe
n the last man was out the score stood
Il Chicago 0, New York 10. And Bill ha
u pitched as he was ordered.
1 you see. the secret was that / wa
4 laying up t3sre in the air right abov
the plate in Professor Ignatz's invis
BILE sky-blue, self-balancing aeroplant
with his new invisible magnetic ra
bearing right on the rubber. The ra
would magnetic and control anything
even $50 hitter's bat. When Oh
cago man would swing would wal
; until the bat was near the ball, the
jerk it up and let the ball go by. Whe
it was a New Yorker I'd guide the ba
: smack against the ball. That. gentl'
men, is how airships and baseball frs
began to mix"
! There was long silence.
s What did you do with all the none
a you won?" asked the young captain.
"a "BIest your dynamo, you inquisitiV
cubi" roared Captain MacManus.
3 endowed a school for teaching cut
respect for their superiors"
Y Copyright. by w. G. Chanmanl