The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-05-27
The Euening Story
Roberts Rain Check.
(By Catherine Creamery


their marriage. Since the big leagues
got down to machine work this year,
they are doing some stunts. believe
mel And he fell into the slang that
seems always to go with baseball talk
Just imagine any ladylike woman
being interested in baseball said his
wife decidedly. I've always felt sure
that Anne Tompkins just pretends to
like it because Jack Farley is such
what do you call it-fan?"
Not on your life! Baseball is
about as free from followers who
merely pretend to like it as anything
under the sun. AS for Anne-why,
she's an aI-around fan; knows the
batting averages of all the best play
ers, I'll venture"
We'll" said she, ready with another
objection, Il can't see why everybody
drops into unintelligible lingo when
ever he begins to talk baseball For
my part, 1 can't even see any sense
in the term fam
well, fan is simply short for fan
cier, or for fanatic laughed Rob
ert, but it combines all the meaning
of both words and then some-see?'
Before Eleanor had time to reply,
Robert was fumb1ing in one after an
other of his pockets. Finally he smiled
in a relieved way as he drew out a
small piece of blue cardboard which
even to Eleanor was recognizable as
the portion of a ticket retained by
seat holder. Il had an anxious mo-
ment then, for 1 didn't remember
where 1 put my rain check"
What is a rain check? Let me see
it, said Eleanor, holding out her
hand. Robert passed it to her and she
turned it over and over and noted its
printed guarantee of being good for
any one of three games succeeding the
one for which it was issued provided
half the game had not been COM
pleted when-rain interrupted.
so you got rained out yesterday,
did you?"
No; the day before. and I've just
got a bunch that there'll be some
great hurting and hitting this after
noon. I'm sorry you don't take any
interest in the game AS an after
thought, apparently, he added, "A lot
of women do
After Robert had gone whistling out
of the front door, Eleanor stood by
at the gay nasturtiums blooming in
her window boxes, but she was not
even conscious of their brilliant colors.
She was thinking that Robert left her
with the air of one who goes out to
find what he likes rather than of one
who leaves behind that which he likes
most, and she didn't relish the pos
sibility.
When the maid had removed all of
the breakfast things and had replaced
fern dish and centerpiece on the
table, she ventured to ask Eleanor
bout luncheon and dinner. Eleanor
gave minute instructions for dinner,
but stated that she would be out for
luncheon. Then she picked up the
morning paper and went into the liv-
ing room. With a determined air she
turned through the paper until she
found the sporting page. 1t looked
to her just as it had always looked
an unintelligible mass of type, topped
with a row of poor pictures OF human
beings in disguise.
After Flooding through many para
graphs of which she understood moth
ing, she finally found a comparatively
lucid paragraph giving the place, the
starting time and the personnel of the
players for that afternoons game
She remembered that Roberts rain
check had borne this inscription
BOX No. 90, $780,
That afternoon, about the time the
game began, Eleanor, tinid but trim
in a blue serge suit and sailor hat, re-
uuested the ticket seller to assign her
to seat slightly in the rear of Box
90. The ticket was pushed out to her
and the ticket seller was looking over
her head at the purchaser next in
line before she had time to ask for
any of the information she needed to
help her find the seat. However, she
finally reached her place just as
series of powerful howls and shouts
went up from the masses of humanity
which completely covered the many
tiers of grandstands and bleachers.
All fear of being conspicuous in
that crowd left Eleanor, for she soon
saw that the slouching giants out on
the field were the only individuals
h1fv,
cred Robert and three other men seat
ed directly below her a few rows dis
tant. Something decisive must have
happened on the diamond just then,
for thousands of enthusiastic young
men and hundreds of dignified older
ones rose to their feet and yelled like
Comanches, waving their arms wildly.
Robert was standing and cheering and
talking excitedly to his companions
Eleanor felt limp, helpless sensa-
ton. Then she noticed the big black
bulletin board directly opposite her
on the far side Of the field, and she
began to watch the changing numbers
with some interest. She also began to
recall something she had read that
morning in a book of rules purchased
at a news stand, and she determined
to see whether she herself could work
up any of the enthusiasm which Anne
Tompkins assumed. Presently a big
fellow at the bat knocked a ball that
shot like a great white bullet up into
the air and then seemed to AXE its
own time to fall into the eager hands
of the outfielders at the farthest side
of the grounds, and while il scared the
big fellow ran as if life were the stake,
and the crowds yelled frantically until
he stopped on third base. Eleanor
clenched her hands and sat tense, as
she felt a thrilling shiver in her spine
and realized for the first time that the
yelling fans about her were not man
iacS.
One morning at breakfast, a month
later. Eleanor was daintily pretty in a
lavender negligee, and Robert looked
admiringly at her.
will you be my beau today, SIR ?"
she asked. with a smile.
For luncheon? With pleasure,
madam" He made an exaggerated
bow.
Mot for luncheon only" she re-