The review. [volume] (High Point, N.C.) 1908-19??, 1920-07-01

i
living soul save his wife. Even the
club officials supposed, for several
days, that the manager had slipped
quietly out of the city to rest after the
hardest fought diamond battle in the
records of the national game. The
secretary had been told to reply to
any cablegram from Win Shute In
one way: to say that iris Ford was
out Of town, and to urge the second
baseman to remain on board until the
ship called at Naples, where he would
be met by the American consul. The
big series ended on Tuesday, and at
1 a. m. next morning iris Ford, under
the nom de mer Of Arson Jones, had
| sailed on the Lauretania. The follow
| ing Monday morning he landed at
| Fishguard, boarded the special train
| for Dover crossed the cantankerous
channel, and arrived In Paris in the
| afternoon. Ford left the Care de Lyon
at ten o'clOc,- that night, and after
| night, a day, and a second night on
| the train arrived in Rome early Tues
day morning. The Colonia wasn't due
at Naples until the next day. He was
at the palace leased by the Hon. John
BiSmer, American ambassador to Italy.
before that Chicago millionaire had
finished his uncontinental breakfast of
fruit, oatmeal, ham and eggs. and
coffee, eaten to the accompanying pc
rusal of the Continental Daily Mail.
The ambassador was expecting
TRIStram CarlingFORD. John Bis.
mer's boss, the president Of the Unit
ed States, was a thirty-third-degree
fan; also, the White House staff were
fans down to the clerk who addressed
the social Invitations; and when the
assistance of Washington had been
solicited in the hunt for the king of
second basemen and the pursuit CT
his kidnapers, all other government
business, foreign and domestic. was
shunted into second place. President
Bancroft Of the American league af-
terward observed that not for naught
had he been distributing annual passes
in Morocco leather cases to the execu-
tive branch of the government
So If Ambassador Bismer succeeded
in rendering valuable service in the
search and capture, he would be GER
tain of more official favor even than
when he secured the contracts for TWO
Chinese battleships for Yankee ship
builders-his one real diplomatic tri-
umph.
AS in all Of the pourparlers Of d.
plomacy, the interview between John
Bismer and Iris Ford was some time
arriving at the main point. Ford had
to play over the world series for the
ambassadors benefit before he could
get down to the business at hand.
"What heartbreaking finish!" ex-
claimed the misunderstanding
game-score 1 to against you-men
on second and third-nobody out
and you mean to tell me you couldn't
squeeze a run across the plate?"
Iris Ford was literal-minded when
talking baseball. He took it that the
ambassador used squeeze In the tech
nicaI sense-that he meant to ask why
the squeeze play" hadn't been at
tempted.
you'd naturally think we'd "a tried
the squeeze, now wouldn't you?" said
Ford. cit was Il great chance for it
for our double squeeze, in fact"
''You got me-" confessed the ambas-
sador. "What on earth's the double
squeeze? Must have come in since I
put on velvet pants"
John Bismer laughed at his own
Joke on the diplomatic service, as did |
Iris Ford.
"It's this way" explained Ford. |
You have a man on second and man
on third, and nobody out, We'll say"
"Just the situation in the seventh
game of the world SERIES" emphasized |
the ambassador.
Iris Ford nodded and went on:
"You also have q man at bat who Is
a natural hunter. Well, the batter
signals to the base runner on third
bitches up his trousers, or some such
ordinary signal as that. Then when
the pitcher begins to wind up, the
man on third breaks for the plate
comes sailing into what looks like
sure putout. But the batsman reaches
ont and taps the ball-if you pull off
the play-and the man scores! You
sea ball knocked to pitcher, or half
way even, will be enough to squeeze
the man across the plate. because he's
got such long start"
'I see! =" exclaimed tire ambassador.
his eyes shining like the orbs Of an
American boy "But what about the
double squeeze?"
"I'm JUST coming to that" said
Ford. smiling. Taking the same play
when the man on third starts for
home. the runner on second legs it to
third. Buff he doesn't, stop-keeps
right or running. and-welI, somehow
or other the pltcher-or it might he
the catcher, If it was a short hunt
seeing that the first man is bound TO
score and fearing he won't get any
put-out. throws the ball TO first TO
head OFF the batter And-the second
man scores r.