Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1914-11-13


Geld, constituted my ~inglorious record
l was back in my old batting slump,
deeper than a begged steer.
We lost the two games and the pen
nant and the only Kisses that crowd
bestowed ON anybody were directed at
the troubled head Of waIloper Murphy.
Two days later1 got a call from my
special policeman, who was more OF a
sleuth than l gave him credit for being.
He had followed a clew that led him to
one Of the biggest hotels in the city.
Ny google eyed man had been seen go
Ing In there. carrying a bat that an
swered the description Of the war club
Of Dinjir Meh
/ was at the hotel as quick as gasO-
line and a daredevil chauffeur could
take me. / hadn't any more than
stepped into the lobby than 1 saw Doc
Bflstruther sitting comfortably in an
armchair and reading a pink sporting
section. l grabbed him by the shoulder
and fairly yelled:
you're mixed up in all this business.
Now you tell me where Dinjlr Meb has
taken my batF'
IL see its all up, Walloperr says
Doc, gentle as a lamb. "COme up to
my room and IN tell you the hull
thing"
1 dismissed the special with my bless
Ing and his wage, and no sooner had I
entered Docs room than l saw Dtnjir
Meb's bat leaning in the corner. I
pOunced upon It eager-like, and OF !
stood there IN the middle OF the room,
grooming OveE that stick and swinging
IT, Doc lit a cigar and laughed.
"It's a shame to tell you about f."
be said. Eve a good notion TO freeze
up"
eat your peril" / says. and 30 be
told me everything.
elm the first place there amt any
Dfntir Meb," he says, giving me the
cold shock right at the start I'm
all the Dinjir Meb there ever was
You know I've always been Interested
In the study Of the effect OF the imagi-
nation upon the human organism. 1
noticed your batting slump and I detsE-
mined to find out how much Of Il Was
real and how much Of = was due 10
your own realization that you were ap-
preaching the age when, according to
all physical laws, your eyes must begin
to fail a little. l happened TO be in
Calcutta, and It occurred TO me that a
little touch Of oriental mysticism would
help along the ase 1 got this cheap
bat Of an American business mana
baseball fan in exile. Il probably didn't
cost over four bits at the most and u
a bat that yOu wouldn't look at any
more than Kubeik would pick out a
mail order fiddle instead Of a Strad-
"But the charm Of the bat was IN the
story that accompanied It. You thought
the bat had magic qualities, and that
thought gave you back all the self con-
6dence you had lost. You hit straight
and true and picked out the good ones,
and that was why you sent 70 many
balls over the fence. After / had
reached over that little gate and had
snatched the bat from your guardians
hand It was different with you. You
lost your self confidence once more
and were back where you stood before
the bat reached me. That was why
you were struck out seven times and
lost the pennant for your team. It's
been a mighty interesting case for me,
and I'm going to write it up for my
medical journal. leaving out names, OF
course. You don't object do your"
/ Just stood swinging the bat without
answering. All TIE tingle had gone out
Of my arms. The bat, as l looked at Il
assumed its true proportions as an Ill