Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1914-01-15

II went into the steering turr0t and
sat down to think II over. II certainly
looked as II my gas-tanks were pune
tured and ] was doomed 10 fail. II
New York lost, as they were sure to
do, with Bill pitching that way, there
wasn't much left for noe except to
make a 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
LILLE job was to figure out how TO keep
Chicago bats from colliding with Bits
curves. It was something OF a job,
the way Chicago was biting 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-flying, electric currents, mag
nets and 30 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'balanc-
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.
any own secret says he. "Abso'
lutely invisible from the ground. Come
here, he says, and he shows me a
tiny searchlight machine. My new
invisible ray, he says, and he shows
me how 1t 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 q crowd in the old
days. OLD Bill was in the box. Blink
er was at bat for Chicago. Bill sailed
one over. Blinker looked al 1t In
amazement. II was perfectly
straight, slow ball, right where Blinkel
could kill it. Blinker pulled dowr
his cap, set himself and waited, ready
to knock 1t out Of the lot. The ball
came over. II was The same kind as
before. Blinker swung. But as II
was about to connect with the ball
his bat jumped about two inches and
he missed. He tried 1t three times
Then he went back 10 the bench look
ing puzzled.
That was the way It went the
whole game. Bill was serving W
straight, slow ones right over the
heart of the plate and the Chicagos
were swinging at them, and missing
them because their bats jumped about
two inches just before they met the
ball.
with New York 1t was just the
other way. They'd swing at a ball
way outside the plate and the bat
would shoot over and connect. When
the last man was out tie score stood:
Chicago 0, New York 10. And Bill had
pitched as he was ordered.
you see, the secret was that / was
laying up there in the air right above
the plate in Professor Ignatz's invisi'
BILE sky-blue, self-balancing aeroplane
with his new invisible magnetic ray
bearing right on the rubber. The ray
would magnetic and control anything
even a $50 hitter's bat. When a Chi
cago man would swing ! would wait
until the bat was near the ball, then
jerk it up and let the ball go by. When
it was a New Yorker Id guide the bal
smack against the ball. That, gentle
men, is how airships and baseball first
began to mix"
There was a long silence.
What did you do with all the money
you won?" asked the young captain.
BLAST your dynamo, you inQuisitivc
cub" roared Captain MacManus. 81
endowed q school for teaching cubs
respect for their superiors."
Copyright. by W. G. ChanmanI