Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-12-08

| AVG byscballs and clubs? We cawn't
very well ply without en-"
This was 4 bonn bshcll to us. In our
! eagerness and excitement we had quite
| forgotten that bats. balls and gloves
were necessary. / thought Stewart was
| going to burst Letting out Il well.
| I'll be blowcd.' which nearly blew the
| candle out. lie turned Il silly look In
my direction, and | looked just as
| cheap.
At last the Tommics had stumped us,
! and we could see our reputation fading
INTO nothing. 4 dead silence reigned
for over five minutes. Then Stewart
, started madly to open his haversRck.
[ thought lie had suddenly sonc crazy.
I reached my hand III the direction OF
my bayonct, fearing that he was lools-
ing FOR n Mills bomb. When he drew
his hand out. hanging to his fist was
a writing pad. let go OF my bayonct.
Borrowing a pencil from me (Stewart
was always borrowing).. he started
writing. thought perhaps he was
going to commit suicide and was writ
inc farewell letter home. and asked
him what was up. He whispered TO
me:
Emp. we're two bloody fools not
80 have thought OF this long ago. All
we've got to do is TO write home to
one OF tho New York papers, asking
tho readers 10 send out baseball STUFF
to Us. and it will only be II matter OF
Il few weeks when you will have
enough 10 equip two teams
Writes for Equipment.
offered writ nn a. 4, and II II
stewart bending over me, | eagerly
wrote an appeal to the readers of the
New York Evening Telegram, and
turned the letter over TO the mail or
derby.
We then cXpla incd to the Tommies
that euuipmcn; was necessary and that
we had written home. but while watt
ing for Tie baseball stun 10 arrive we
would carry on with our instruction
classes.
The next day Stewart and ! made n
wooden baseball out Of an old puttce.
fixed UP a temporary diamond. and
showed the Tomnies the general run Of
the game. Their antics were awful.
II we had used regular baseball
don't think there would have been a
Tommy in the squad without black
eve. Did you ever watch girl trying
10 catch ball" We'll. IA girls team
alongside of some OF these Tommies
would have looked like the winner In
our Worlds Series /, was hard work
Keeping their interest UP.
Two weeks later we Went up into tho
front line; then came bacl; again for
another rest. The interest I'm base
oali WAS dying out. and we were at our
wits end. Time passed. and we figured
thl, >, a no u 1T
our appeal but nothing came. Then
once again We went into The front line
trench.
The Tommies were very skeptical
ana every time baseball was mentioned
they would gaze in our direction with
sncerinE look. This comp!etel:' got
our goats.
One evening ~" were sitting in Il
tiuEout of the support trench: it was
raining like the mischief. ana we were
cold and downhrarted. Pretty soon
the rations came Up The ration party
generally brings the rations down into
;hc dugouts, bat the two men carrying
our dixie" set ii down in the mud OF
! the trench and almost shot the chuies'
/ down the entrance To the durcut. They
w"r" hrcathles1 with excitement one
/ of them yelled out:
"N"nk. there's 4 timber full of par
cells GOWN IN the reserve dug"u
Th"y'r" all addressed To YOU. h l:mpcy
and they're from America
stewart let out a shout ana | fel,
warm All over. How We lorGed il over
I those poor Tommics. That night Va
were 10 be relieved and go back &c
rest rillets We could hardly wait
for the time.
Mad Rush To Get Nall.
Tho next morning was Sunday. and
after church parade We made . mad
rush to the orderly room TO set OUT
mail.
The auartermaster sergeant wai
waiting for me. and behind him stool
every officer in the company, tryinl
to disguise the cNpectant look on ,heii
faces. Every eye was turned in tn,
direction Of Il heap Of parcels
thought the Quarter never woulc
start. Even the captain could no
stand it. and giving way TO his eager
ness said. Sergeant, YOU had bctt"
issue the mail"
Then. stopping down, Tic screear
took up a parcel and read off: "Empey
No. 5203," ana threw il over to me
| caught IL on the ny. The scrgean