The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-04-04
By ZANE GREY

beat the throw. White hit one of the
-.gh fast balls Scott was serving and
sent 1t close to the left-6eld foul line,
The running Reddie Ray made on
that play held White at second. But
two runs had scored with no one out.
Hanley, the fourth left-handed hit
ter, came up and Scott pitched to him
as he had to the others-high fast
balls over the outside corner of the
plate. Reddie Rays position was
some fifty yards behind deep short.
and little toward center field. He
! stood sideways, facing two-thirds of
that vacant outheld. In spite of
Seotts skill, Hanley swung the bah
far round into right field, but he hit it
high, and almost before he actually
hit it the great Splinter was speed
ing across the green.
The suspense grew almost unbear-
able as the ball scared in its para
bolic flight and tn. redhaired runner
streaked dark across the green. The
ball seemed never to be coming
down. And when it began to descend
and reached a point perhaps fifty
feet above the ground there appear
ed more distance between where it
would alight and where Reddie was
than anything human could cover 1t
dropped and dropped, and then drop
ped into Reddie Rays outstretched
hands. He had made the catch look
easy. But the fact that White scored
from second base on the play show
ed what the catch really was.
Ihere was no movement or rest
lessness of the audience such as
II 81 H. < Al,
exodus. Scott struck Babcock out.
The game still nal fire. The GraysN
n-vcr let up moment on their
coaching. And the hoarse voices of
the Stars were grimmer than ever.
Reddie Ray was the only one of the
seven who kept silent. And he
crouched like tiger.
The teams changed sides with the,
Grays three runs in the lead. Nor.
| rissey, for the Stars, opened with
clean drive to right. Then Healy
! slashed a ground ball to Hanley and
nearly knocked him down. When old
Burns, by hard rap to short, ad-
vanced the runners a base and made
desperate, though unsuccessful, eff
fort to reach first the Providence
crowd awoke to strange and in
spring appreciation. They began
that most rare feature in baseball
audiences strong and trenchant
call for the visiting team to win.
The play had gone fast and furious.
Wehying, sweaty and dishevcled,
worked violently. All the Grays were
on uneasy tiptoes. And the Stars
were seven Indians on the warpath.
Halloran fouled down the right-feld
line; then he fou1cd over the left-held
fence. Wehying tried to make him
too anxious, but it was in vain Hal
loran was implacable With two\
strikes and three balls he hit straight
down to White, and was out. The
ball had been so sharp that neither
runner on base had had a chance to
, advance.
Two men out. two on base, Stars
wanting three runs to tie, Scott,
weak batter. at the PLATED! The situa-
ton was dishesrtening. Yet there
sat Delaney, shot through and
through with some vital compelling
force. He saw only victory. And
when thu very first ball pitched to
Scott hit him on the leg, giving him
his base, Delaney got to his feet un-
steady and hoarse.
Bases full, Reddic Ray up, three
to tie!
Delaney looked at Reddic. And
Reddie looked at Delaney. The
managers face was pale, intent, with
a little smile. The player had eyes of
FIRE, lean. bullying jaw and the hands
he reached for his hat clutched like
| talons.
"Is-ddie, / knew it was waitin' for
you," said Delaney. his voice ring
ing. Break up the game"
After all this was only a baseball
game, and perhaps from the fans
| viewpoint poor game at that. But
the moment wheI that 1.-the. redhair-
ed athlete toed the plate was beau
tiful one. The long crash from the
bleachers. the steady cheer from the
grandstand, proved that it was not
SO much the game that mattered.
tired. Yet he made ready for a final
Ray on balls would have been a wise
probably would have done it with
the bases crowded and chances, of
course, against the batter.
Clean and swift, Reddie 1eaped at
the first ball pitched. Ping! For a
second no one saw the hit. Then it
cleaned, a terrific drive, low along
the ground. like bounding bullet.
straight at Babcock in right field. 1t
struck his hands and glanced vicious
ly away to roll toward the fence.
Thunder broke loose from the
stands. Reddie Ray was turning first
base. Beyond first base he got into
his wonderful stride. Some runners
run with a consistent speed, the best
they can make, for given distance.
But this trained Splinter gathered
speed as he ran. He was no short
stepping runner. His strides were
long. They gave an impression of
strength combined with heetness. He
had the speed of a race horse, but
the trimness, the raciness, the deli
cate legs were not characteristic of
him. Like the wind he turned sec
ond, so powerful that his turn was
short. All at once there came a diff
ference j. his running. 1t was no
longer beautiful The grace was
gone II was now fierce, violent.
His momentum was running him off
his legs. He whirled around third
base and came hurting down the
homestretch. His face was convulscd,
his eyes were wild. His arms and
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