Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-06-29
By CHARLES E. VAN LOAN
The worlds most famous writer Of baseball fiction.

| for pens, ink and paper, and laboriously
sweated out an order for two caps, two
pairs of stockings and one small pair
Of spiked shoes and a glove, 'the same
as you make for me-" This done, Berg
strom addressed an envelope to the
sporting goods house which supplied the
Apaches with their uniforms and equip
ment. Slipping downstairs, he dropped
the letter into the box.
The day before the Apaches left the
spring training ground. for tho North
ern trip, BergRtrom lursd John Wesley
into his room and there ftted him ont
from head to foot, complete from the
button on the top of the cap to the
tiny spikes on the soles OF tho seven
dollar shoes.
Now. you're a genuine big Lacquer.
kid" said Gus. II guess we show them
other fallers. hey?"
Next day the ball players swarmed
aboard their special car and that night,
after all the berths were made up, the
porter saw a strange sight. Gus Berg
strom, tho highest-priced man in base
ball, the greatest hitter Of the decade.
the man who had shaken hands with
two Presidents and shaken his fists at
millions of ordinary citizens, sat in tho
smoking compartment of the car, pain
fully sewing buttons on a pair OF knick-
erbockers.
THAT Yones, he don't know that If
somebody don't fix these pants, the kid
won't have nothing to hitch his sus-
penders to-" said Gus in a lame attempt
at explanation.
Thus early in his acquaintance with
tho Jones family, the numbering Berg
strom placed his finger upon the weak
spot in the relation between father and
son. Charlie Jones had been a good
husband and proud parent, but when
It came to caring for the daily wants Of
his small son, he was as helpless as a
hen in a duck pond. Almost from the
very first, little Sunset became the
charge of the entire team, and particu-
times taciturn Bergstrom. II was with
feeling of relief that Jones watched
the process of adoption.
Little Sunset amazed the ball players
| by his easy acquisition of all sorts OF
baseball knowledge. Like his father.
who was fast making big-league repu-
tRtion Little Sunset seemed TO absorb
the intricate problems OF the game with
out an effort. and before he was seven
years old, he knew every sign used by
the team and could anticipate and inter-
pret the teams method of attack, play
by play.
say proudly. with the start he's got,
what whaling great infielder he'll make
/ some dayv'
Judge" Kennedy. who pitched his
way out OF the medical profession and
into blg-league baseball, often tried to
| persuade Jones that II was his duty to
send the boy TO school.
"NixE" said tho father. Hes learn
| ing fast enough now, amt he2 He can
read little bit already. and he studies
| out all the dope on the sporting pages
now. He's a shark with box score,
and I'll bet he knows more'n most OF
the official scorers in this league. OF
course he'll go to school some time, but
It WON'T be until he's 10 or II, and then
I'll put him IN q swell boarding school
on the Hudson River"
II Little Sunset knew nothing about
| the multiplication liable, there were other
things with which his little mind was
stored-the things which a boy must
outspoken men. This was a pityl and
often, after a close game had been lost,
Pergstrom would pick the little fellow
up and walk out OF the clubhouse.
Come on, KID" he would say. 1--WE
90 play a little catch, hsy2"
There were times when Jones doubt
ed the wisdom OF the course imposed
by the promise he had made to the
! boys mother. The first time ne thought
seriously about It was when he heard
his son and heir rip on an easy string
OF cracking oaths.
Here, son. said Brick quietly. that
sort Of talk wont do, Youn have to
cut that out"
7'weii, that's what heard you sayI"
replied the boy. fAnd. anyway. that
was a hi OF a play for Potter 10 makeP'
The men on the bench roared with
laughter. and OF course the boy thought
he had said q smart thing All little
boys are alike when II s0mss 10 show
ing on"