The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-05-23

ti1ui light as Shone in MillyS eyes.
From that day The Honeymoon
Trip of the Worcester Baseball Club
as the newspapers heralded twas
triumphant march. We won two out
of three games at Montreal, broke
even with the hard-hghting Bisons,
took three straight from Rochester,
and won one and tied one out OF
three with Hartford. 1t would have
been wonderful ball playing for a
team to play on home grounds and
we were doing the full circuit of the
league.
Spears had called the turn when he
said the trip would be hummer Nan
Hurtle had brought us wonderful
luck.
But the tricks they played on Whit
and his girl-fan bride!
Ashwell, who was capital actor.
disguised himself as conductor and
pretended to try to eject Whit and
Nan from the train. urging that love-
making was not permitted. Some Of
the team hired clever young woman
to hunt the RUDE up at the hotel. and
| claim old acquaintance with him
Poor Whit almost collapsed when the
young woman threw her arms about
his neck just as Nan entered the par
lor. Upon the instant Nan became
wild as little tigress, and it took
much explanation and eloquence to
reinstate Whit in her affections.
Another time Spears, the willy old
fox, succeeded in OBTAINING Nan on
the way to the station, and the two
missed the train. At first the Rube
laughed with the others, but w men
Stringer remarked that he had no.
ticed a growing attachment between
Nan and Spears, my great pitcher cx-
perienced the first pangs of the green
eyed monster. We had to hold him
to keep him from jumping from the
train, and it took Milly and Mrs.
StrInger to soothe him I had to
wire back to Rochester for a special
train for Spears and Nan, and even
then we had to play half game
without the services of our captain.
So far upon our trip | had been
fortunate in securing comfortable
rooms and the best OF transportation
for my party. At Hartford, however,
| encountered difficulties. ! could not
get special Pullman. and the sleeper
we entered already had a number Of
occupants. After the ladies OF my
party had been assigned to berths, it
was necessary for some of the boys
to sleep double in upper berths.
1t was late when we got aboard,
the berths were already made up, and
soon we had all retired In the morn
ing very early | was awakened by a
disturbance. 1t sounded like squeal
| heard an astonished exclamation,
another squeal, the pattering of little
feet. then hoarse uproar of laughter
from the ball players in the upper
berths. Following that came low, ex-
cited conversation between the por-
ter and somebody. then an angry
snort from the Rubc and the thud of
his heavy feet in the aisle What
took place after that was guess-work
for me. But | gathered from the roars
and bawls that the Rube was after
some OF the boys. poked my head
between the curtains and saw him
digging into the berths.
where's McCall?" he yelled.
Mac was nowhere in that sleeper,
Judging from the vehement denials.
But the RUDE kept on digging and
III liiS us
I'm a-goIn' to lick you, Mac, so I
reckon you'd better show up" shout
ed the Rube.
The big fellow was mad as hor-
net. When he got to me he graspcd
me with his great fence-rail splitting
hands and | cried out with pain.
Say! Whitslet up! Macs not here.
49, What's wrong?"
I'll show you when | find him"
And the RUDE stalked on down the
aisle, a tragically comic figure in his
paJamas. In his search for Mac he
pried into several upper berths that
contained occupants who were not
ball players. and these protested in
alright Then the RUDE began to in
vestigatc the lower berths. A row of
heads protruded in a bobbing line
from between the curtains OF the up
per berths.
Here, you Indian! Don't you look
in there! That's my wife's berth"
yelled Stringer.
Bogart. too, evinced great excite
mcnt.
"Hurtlc. keep out of lower eight or
III kill you," he shouted.
What the Rube might have done
there was no telling, but as he grasp
ed curtain, he was interrupted by
a Shrek from some woman assurcdly
not OF our party.
Get out, you horrid wretch, Help!
Porter, Help, Conductor"
Instantly there was a dcafening tu-
multi in the car. When it had sub
sided somewhat. and considered I
would be safe. descended from my
berth and made my way to the dress
ing room. Sprawled over the leather
seat was the RUDE pommelling Nc
Call with hearty good will | would
have interfered, had it not been for
Macs demeanor. He was half fright
ened. half angry. and utterly unable
to defend himself or even resist, be-
cause he was laughing, too.
"Dog-gone it! Whit didn't-do
it! l swear it was Spears! Stop
thumpin' me now-or I'll get sore.
You hear me! 1t wasn't me, |
tell you. Cheese it,"
For all his protesting Mac received
good humping, and | doubted not
in the least that he deserved it. The
wonder of the affair, however, was
the fact that 10 one appeared to know
what had made the RUDE so furious.
The porter would not tell, and Mac
was strangely reticent, though his
smile was one to make a fellow ex-
ceedingly sure something out of the
ordinary had befallen. 1t was not I'M
Al n