The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-02-15


tend. Rudie Schlachweiler spelled
baseball to her. She did not think of
her caller a. . good-looking young man
In blue serge suit and . white shirt
waist Even ~ he sat there she saw
him a. . blond god standing on the
pitchers mound. with the scars of bat
tie on his baseball pants. his left foot
placed in front Of him ct right angles
with bis right foot bis case nxsd on
1rst base in q cunning effort 10 Do.
ceive the man at bat. In that favorite
| attitude of pitchers just before they
get ready to swing their left les ana
hist one over.
The second time that Rude called.
Ma Keller said:
! ivy, don't like that ball rlsyer
coming here to see you. The neigh
borsn talk"
/; The third time Rude called. Pa KEEL
Ter said: whats that guy doing here
again?"
!! The fourth time Rude called, Pa
Keller and Ma Keller said. in unison:
This thing has got to stop"
| But 1t didn't. 1t had had too good
start. For the rest of the season Ivy
met her knight of the sphere around
the corner. Theirs was q walking
courtship. They used to roam up as
far as the state road, and down as far
as the river, and Rude would fain
have talked Of love, but Ivy talked of
baseball.
Darling" Rude would murmur,
pressing Ivy's arm closer, when did
you first begin to carer"
why, liked the very first game
saw when dad"
Il mean, when did you first begin
to care for me?"
ooh! When you put three men Out
in that game with Marshalltown when
the teams were tied in the eighth in.
ming. Remember? Say, Rude dear
what was the matter with your arm
today? You let three men walk. and
Albia's weakest hitter got home run
out of you"
"Oh, forget baseball for 9 minute
Ivy! Let's talk about something else
Let's talk about-us."
"Us? Well, you're baseball. aren't
) you?" retorted Ivy. "And If you are
l am. Did you notice the way that
. Ottumwa man pitched yesterday? He
, didn't do any acting for the grand
, stand. He didn't reach up above his
head, and wrap his right shoulder witt
h{o Loft tro apH cu{u~ h{u MN, <hro<
|, times and then throw seven inches
, outside the plate. He just took the
! ball in his hand, looked at It curious
, ly for q moment, and fred it-zing!-
, like that, over the plate. I'd get thai
; ball II were you"
, isn't this q grand night?" muir
: INJURED Rude.
: "But they didn't have hitter in tn,
, bunch" went on Ivy. "And not . maj
\ in the team could run. That's VIII!
4 they're tail-enders. Just the same. tina
! man on the mound was q wizard. an,
. II he had one decent player to Civ
!. him some support"
|. Well, the thing came to Q climax
, One evening, two weeks before tn
= close Of the season. Ivy put on her ha
and announced that she was goinI
!. downtown to mail her letters.
! Mail your letters In the daytime,
growled Papa Keller.
Il didn't have time today" On
!. swered Ivy. 1T was . thirteenth
! ming game. and it lasted until si
o'clock"
It was then that Papa Kelle
:, banged the heavy fist Of decision dow
!. on the library table.
= "This things got to stop!" he thur
: dered. Il won't have any girl Of min
running the streets with a ball playe
!. understand? Now you quit seeing thi
= seventy five- dollar a month bus
II Lacquer or leave this house. mean it.
:. "All right" said Ivy, with q whit,
;. hot calm. "Pll leave. can make tn
|, grandest kind Of angel-food wit
= marshmallow icing. and you kno'
:. :. yourself my Judges can't be equale'
:. He'll be playing in the major league
!. three years. Why just yesterday ther
!. was strange man at the game-a cit
= man, you could tell by his hatband an
!" the way his clothes were cut. n
q stayed through the whole game, an
10 never took his eyes OF Rude. Jul
2. know he was q scout for the Cubs"
70 Probably . hardware drummer. Z
ID fellow that Schlachweiler owe
o. money to-"
"a Ivy began to pin on her hat.
X scared look leaped into Papa Keller
eyes. He looked q little old, too, IN
,r drawn. at that minute. He stretche
r. forth q rather tremulous hand.
T. "Ivy-girl," he said.
ii 'What?" snapped Ivy.
ir "Your old fathers Just talking (,
D. your own good. You're breaking 20,
II mas heart. You and me have been GOO
70 pals, haven't wei"
e, "Yes," said Ivy. grudgingly, al
d without looking up
t. "Well now, look here. I've got
At proposition to make to you. The Sc
d. sons over in two more weeks. II
Is last week they play out of town. Ths
the boys1l come back for a week
- so, just to hang around town and Il
to get used to the idea Of leaving U
no Then they'll scatter to take up the
10 winter icbs-cutting ice. most Of EN-
ar he added, grimly
10 'Mr Schlachweiler Is employed in
"A large establishment In Slatersvil
40 Ohio" said Ivy, with dignity. He !
70 CARDS baseball as his profession, al
q he cannot do anything that would ,