The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1915-02-26

which should have been a frock coat
and high hat-loitering near the pa
vilion, about which a number Of fan
nel-clad men are congregated, Players
and Gentlemen, all on good terms with
each other, and each side waiting 10
knock the stuffing" out of the other.
Behold, too, Mr. Langholme, testing
his new bat and watching with cool
disdain the low Hobbs. who is twist
ing cricket ball lovingly in his hand.
Sammy, being in fannels, manages
to gain entrance to the sacred inclos-
ure during the Gentlemen's second
inning. 1t should be explained that
since the Players had scored 267 and
the Gentlemen only rs. the Gentlemen
were having their second inning On
top of the first, the Players fully *
pecting to wallop them with one in
ming to their two, and a good many
runs over. And when the next wicket
fell Mr.. Langholme, the Gentlemen's
hope. who had made a oreditable Is
in his first attempt, was TO try to re-
trieve the situation
Hello, Butts, How did you get
here?" inquired Langholme, with Ian
guild interest
Sammy smiled Have bracer,
and I'll tell you," he said.
He led the unresisting Langholme
toward the little booth behind the pa
vilion. Nobody was there, Sammy
ovino ccuo-od tho boo+b ,,,or WAL
a deft, unexpected movement of the
arm, Sammy thrust a gag into Mr..
Langholme's mouth. Then he threw
him on the floor behind the booth and
tied him fast with rope that he
had taken from about his waist.
Next instant shouts of "Langholme,
Next mani" resounded, and Sammy
saw one of the Gentlemen walking
off the field with his wicket down.
Sammy hastily thrust on a pair of
knee-guards, took the bat that lay be-
side the glazing, speechless Mr. Lang
holme, and walked out into the field
'Langholme's had stroke" he ex-
planned truthfully to the retiring bats
man. I've taken his place"
A minute later he was standing be-
fore his wicket, facing the demon
Hobbs, % yards away. Beside him
stood a second batsman. Sammy
didn't know why he was standing
there, but he didn't care, either If
he could hit the ball with a baseball
bat. what couldn't he do with the club
in his hand? He held it over his
shoulder instead of putting it down in
the block. The spectators gasped
PLAY" yelled the umpire. The de-
mons arm went up above his head,
and the ball trundled slowly toward
Sammy. Sammy let fly, and the ball
went spinning across the field. Next
instant the second batsman was at
his side.
Run, sir" he gasped Rum" And
Sammy ran to the opposite wicket.
Next minute the batsman was back
at his side again
Run, sir" he gasped.
So Sammy ran again, and then
again 1t was firing work, and, not
understanding that he was to stop
when the ball was retrieved, ne start
ed a fourth time, and only got back
to his crease without having mis-
wicket down by a miracle of luck.
The demon scowled and sent down
high lob. Sammy, half way across
the pitch, caught it and sent it beyond
the boundary
Get back" yelled the other bats
man. That's boundary. That's a
four hit"
Then Sammy understood something
of the principle. When you hit the
ball you ran, but if you could hit it
beyond the boundary you scored four
automatically. That was easier
After that Sammy began hitting
four every time. Of course, he had
intervals of rest, because every fftn
or sixth ball the field dissolved like
a kaleidoscope and he found himself
standing idly beside the bowler. But
then again the field would be rear
ranged, and Sammy would face the de-
mon Hobbs. who, much discounted
would try him with new kinds OF
balls. There were fast balls and slow
balls, spinning balls and breaking
balls. Sammy didn't care. Each ball
went to the boundary for four The
field was extended almost to the boun
dairy to stop his strikes, but they
failed. The ball went whizzing over
their heads. In half an hour Sammy
score stood at $50, and the cheers Of
the spectators were continuous
In two hours Sammy had passed
the two hundred mark. He didnt
care anything about Hobbs now, oil
any of the other bowlers. With his
bat over his shoulder he just waited
and then. shutting one eye. he swiped
The Players were demoralized
But the Gentlemen did not win
They were some 200 points ahead, anC
still going strong, when time wa.
called. And Sammy, still with the ba
over his shoulder, found himself sur
rounded by cheering, raving mob.
The first face he looked into wal
the earl's.