New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-05
4 Box of SOx

faster in his love-making than many
more daring sutton would have done.
As soon as Heinie felt that Verna was
all the world to him he told her about
it. No fatterer was Heinie, but Verns
received her share of compliments.
Blatch informed her that she was the
best-looking girl in the world, because
he honestly believed she was. Heinie
had not been around much and he had
never heard of Helen of Troy nor seen
Lillian Lorraine of New York.
Verna was named out of novel, and
her mother left her an incurably ro-
mantle disposition. The daily perusal
of Tad's Indoor Sports" was the ex-
tent of Verna's reading, but she proved
worthy of her heritage by never miss
ing a picture show in which hearts bled
and true love triumphed. Pictorially,
Heine was as fine a hero as any one
could desire. Brooklyn baseball writer's
referred to him every now and again
as a viking, and he had the best pair
of hands youngster ever brought into
the National League.
In the profession he was known as
the Iron Doorkeeper, because he played
first base and thought somewhat more
slowly than Hal Chase or Jake Dau-
bert. Heinie's clothes were neat but
gaudy, all except his sox. Verna no
ticed that these frequently had holes
in them, and one day she took the lib
erty of telling him about it.
She saw her first ball game the next
afternoon. When she wasn't watching
Heinie her eyes were all for the new
diamond on her left hand For many
long innings Heinie had no chance TO
render any particularly distinguished
service, for the game was a pitchers
battle in which the two opposing duel
lists claimed all the attention. Heinie
was the second man up in the latter
half of the fourteenth The batter
before him had famed, but Heinie met
the fourth ball pitched and drove it
deep into centre field. He sped to
first and rounded second, but as he ap-
preached third the fielder recovered
the ball. and the coacher warned Heinie
TO take third and no more. Third was
easy enough and Heinie slackened
speed as he approached the bag. A girl
in the grandstand, a blonde, jumped on
top of seat and shrilled, Come on,
Heinie!"
Suddenly Heinie picked up speed
again and rounding the bag he headed
for the plate in spite Of the shouts of
the coacher. The throw from centre
was good and the ball beat Heinie by
ten feet or more, but he came in with
a long twisting slide and the catcher
missed him.
When Heinie came out of the club
house Verna was waiting for him, and
before he could defend himself she
rushed up and kissed him, much to the
amusement of the waiting wives of
seven players.
you did it for my sake, didn't you,
Henie ?" said the girl, whose pulse was
pounding about 100 in a futter of ro
mantle emotion.
Huh ?" said Heinie.
"You were going to stop at third"
Verna prattled on, "but when | stood
up and waved. you said IN make II
home run for her sake or III die in
the attempt Didn't you, Helmet"
Nav" said Heinie. 81 never seen
you way up there. This is the way
it was. Coming down to third Robbie
waves me that's enough. | looks over
my shoulder 10 find where the ball is,
and right in mye eye, like a punch, |
see that big yellow sign "A box OF sox
free for every home run made on these
grounds dozen purple ones would
come in kinda handy, thinks TO my
self, and then just get nutty and run.
The big stiff there at the plate has the
ball waiting for me, but | says TO my
self me for the sox or a busted leg,
and when he sees the spikes ne gives
me room TO come around him"
"Stick around a minute, kid" added
Heinie, "I'm going over TO see if | can
get an order for them sox off the Off
cial scorer now"
Heinie is still in the big league and
all the players have remarked that he
wears on his little finger a diamond
ring which is much too tight. Heinie
still tells the truth, but he has. grown
so grouchy that nobody cares TO hear 1t.