Williams news., 1915-03-11

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 to
 knock the stuffing" out of the other.
 Behold, too, MT. 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 flannels, manages | to gain entrance to the sacred inclos-
 ure during the Gentlemen's second
 inning. It should be explained that | since the Players had scored 267 and | the Gentlemen only 75, the Gentlemen
 were having their second inning on top of the first, the Players fully ex- , pecting to wallop them with one in- l ming to their two, and a good many runs over. And when the next wicket fell MT. Langholme, the Gentlemen's hope, who had made a creditable IS in his first attempt, was to try to re- trieve the situation
 Hello, Butts! How did you get here?" inquired Langholme, with Ian. guid interest
 Sammy smiled. Have a 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 having squared the booth man. With a delft, unexpected movement of the arm, Sammy thrust gag into Mir. Langholme's mouth. Then he threw him on the floor behind the booth and tied him fast with a rope that he had taken from about his waist.
 Next instant shouts of "Langholme! Next man!" 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 glaring, speeches. MT. Lang. holme, and walked out into the field.
 "Langholme's had stroke" he ex- plained truthfully to the retiring bats- man. 'T've taken his place."
 A minute later he was standing be- fore his wicket, facing the demon Hobbs, 22 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 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. "Run!" And Sammy ran to the opposite wicket. Next minute the batsman was back at his side again
 Run, sir!" he gasped
 r So Sammy ran again, and then again. It was tiring work, and, not understanding that he was to stop when the ball was retrieved, ne start ed fourth time, and only got back to his crease without having his 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 1t 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 fifth or sixth ball the field dissolved liks a kaleidoscope and he found himself | standing idly beside the bowler. But then again the field would be .ear- 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- dary to stop his strikes, but they | failed. The ball went whizzing over their heads. In half an hour Sammy's score stood at 150, and the cheers of the spectators were continuous.
 In two hours Sammy had passed the two hundred mark He didn't care anything about Hobbs now, or any of the other bowlers With his bat over his shoulder he just waited, and then, shutting one eye, he swiped. Ine Players were demoralized.
 But the Gentlemen did not win. They were some 200 points ahead, and still going strong, when time was called. And Sammy, still with the bat over his shoulder, found himself sur