Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-04-15
Chldren's Evening Story

, Percival. But if we're going to the
ball game, let's CO." So they hurried
on, and pretty soon they met Uncle
Wiggily Longears
ooh, will you umpire for u.s." asked
Sammie. Ed.
| "Ha! Hum exclaimed the old
gentleman rabbit, as he leaned on his
crutch. I ought to go on to the office
| but -ah!-er-well, as long as you
have no one else to umpire for you,
! suppose I will have to do it, but
| really ought to go to the Office. Who is
| going to play?" he asked, and he seem
ed real anxious to know.
| So they told him and pretty soon
they got to the baseball field, and be,
gan the game. Buddy Pigg and his
players were last at the bat, and Sam
ME and his players came up first.
! Well, it was a great game. Sammie
struck out, but Jackie Bow Wow made
a nice home run, and Jimmie Wibble-
wobble almost did, only he got put out
the home plate and then Johnnie
Bushytail, he got put out trying to
steal to second base, which means get.
ting there on the sly, you know; and
then 1t came the turn of Buddy and
| his friends to bat the ball all over II
they could. .s.
Well, Johnnie Bushytail was the
pitcher and he threw in such fine
curves and so many of them, that 1t
was hard for Buddy and his friends
to strike the ball.
| They did manage to hit it a little and
got three runs. Then it came the turn
of Sammie Littletail's team again and
they got four runs and so it went along
until at the close of the game Sammie' s
team was eight runs and Buddy's only
seven.
We've got to get two runs to win,
cried Billie Bushytail, Everybody
work hard
I'VE WILL" cried Bully, the frog. Now
you girls just listen carefully, some,
thing wonderful will happen in about
| a minute.
Well, Peetie Bow Wow made one run
and then Bully and Billie got put out,
and it was Buddy's turn to- bat the ball.
| It all depended on him now. If he
could make a home run his side would
win.
Well, just wish you could have
seen how bravely Buddy walked up to
the home plate, and stood there, while
Johnnie Bushytail almost tied himself
into bow knot in throwing double
jointed up-and-down-sideways curve.
Buddy Pigg swung at it, and no,
he didn't miss it, he hit 1t good and
proper, and away sailed the ball. on
Buddy started for first base, hoping he
could make a home run, but alas! be-
fore he got to second base the ball he
had knocked was coming down, and
was almost in the webbed foot Of jim
mic Wibblewobble who was waiting
to catch it, and if it was caught that
would mean that Buddy would be out,
and his side would not win that inning.
But Jimmie didn't catch The ba II! No
sir. The strangest thing happened!
At that moment If along didn't fly the
kind fish hawk; and he swooped down
and caught that ball up In his strong
BILL and sailed away up in the air with
it. and Buddy ran on and on as fast as
he could 20. around the bases and to-
ward home plate and he got there In
time to win the game. And then the
fish hawk dropped the ball and Jimmie
caught it, but it was too late to put
Buddy out.
That's not fair!" cried Sammie
Littletail THE bird took the ball up
| in the air." All his side said it wasn't
fair but Uncle Wiggily, the umpire, de.
| cided that it was fair, and Buddy's side
won the game, but they wouldn't have
! if it hadn't been for the fish hawk and
they were very thankful to him.
| Now l think Pm going to tell you in
the next story about Brighteyes and
| Sister Sallie that is If no one takes
our door mat to use for a pen wiper.