The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1917-04-06
THE DOUBLE SQUEEZE
BY Henry Beach Needham
Copyright. 1915 Doubleday Page & Co.
CONTINUED From Our Las, lssue)

AkoNtfrotu FfSH wv @"N
And they did. Unknown to Bar
ney I.arkin, his pifcatorlai friend,
Farnest steAdman. rat In front Of
his bedroom door. keeping watch.
Unknown 10 iark.n and Steadman.
downstairs the cloycrest detective
Ia the city kept yigil. reinforced BY
TWO able diamonds in the rough,
very rough.
The day OF the first game OF the
World Series. all Philadelphia D
own. waA clear and mild. There
',ere crowds OF hilarious people.
pnrades. music. and speculation
both idle talk and money talk. The
odds closed 10 TO on tho Phillies.
II rumor was right. this was por'
tentoua.
Iris Ford deserted his private
office shortly after high noon. and
vent 90 the locker room an un-
heard-of proceeding for him. Then
he waited round impatiently. on
the dot. rs the clock pointed 70
1880. trinmphai procession
moved tremendously into the pres
ence OF tho chief OF tho Giant
killers.
Al itR head was Barney Larkin.
smile upon his boyish face and
cocky look in his eye that
brought Joy and comfort 10 the
manager Close behind was Ear.
nest S,eadmAn. also smiling. Next
came an inconspicuons citizen. cas-.
ily mistaken for n prosperous trAv'
cling mantle clever detective.
bringing up tho rear were two
i ". browed fcllowH-cither pugil.
itts IN ordinary or highly efficient
piano shlfters
Iris Ford laughed. He couldn'i
help H.
Altho tho team. with one excep.
ton. was not a party to the deep,
dark secret. the players plainly
shared the relief which Iris Ford
experienced at sight OF Barney
I.arkin.
They sang as they put on their
uniforms. and one would have sup
osed. TO look In upon them. that
they. were preparing for morning
practice In tho training season. in
stead OF getting ready 10 fight for
the highest honors OF the town
and the popularity OF the home
town.
Wild tumult broke loose at sight
~ the Glantkillers. answering the
yell which had gone up on the ap.
pearance OF the PhIIlies.
An acute sighted fan Jumped up
II hts place back OF first. and ig-
noring tine shouts % Down In
'front.'" scanned tho playing field
from a point near second base TO
The Giantkillors' bench much as
an anxious mother would look for
her lost child. Then In agonized
accents ne demanded OF space:
where's Win shutter"
Eyes by the thousand travelled to
tie edge OF clay.base path in right
There an uneasy substitute was
trying his hardest 20 accomplish
the lmpossible-fil the spiked
shoes OF tho king OF second base
men.
What on the terrestrial ball did
Il mean? Was Iris Ford crazy7
Tardily. 10 minutes after the
hour set for the game TO begin, the
official announcer raised his meg
nphone and sing-songed the oppos.
ing batteries.
The fans howled with delight
when they heard that Barney Lar.
kin was TO pitch for the Giant
killers, altho they knew 1t. Of
course. But when the announcer
added that Pervis was TO play sec
ond base IN place OF Shute,' the
fans gave loud vent TO their disap.
Lroval.
whats tho matter-Win Shute
iurt ?" they shrieked.
Around the vast assemblage,
starting in the press box. flying
thru the grandstand, leaping to the
,.avilions. reaching at last to the
b,eachers. sped the answer:
Hes Disappeared"
Gloom. impenetrable gloom. set
tied down upon majority of the
great throng- who had come
TO help the Ginnt-killers win. Their
tuIck minds we're recalling what
n rival manager, John Marlin,
had given out after the Giant
Killers downed New York. They
remembered every word of It:
want 10 go ON record as saying that
Shute IN tho greatest ball player In the
world Ito wins more games for his club
than any other man on the diamond to-
day--and winning games IL what counts
ia baseball I say ngnin--Shute Is the
greatest bail player in tho world. With
him no major league team would be
woak---without him tho best team would
be seriously crippled.
SERIOUSLY CRIPPLED!
over In New York few feet
away from the ticker. which was
announcing the beginning of play,
Jake Singer and his friends were
already celebrating.