The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1922-12-10
The Dummy Makes Good in Other Ways

him to everybody; and Lynn decided
to live there. 1t was a first-class
hotel, old and respectable.
On the day Of the teams arrival
home. jenkins took Lynn's pad. you
put up here" he wrote. They'll
treat you right. Come along, and I'll
introduce you" Jenkins kept the pad.
AS he introduced Lynn, he wrote
down the name Of the party of the
second part. as they say. Lynn did
lot of handshaking. Jenkins sud
denly scratched his chin, grinned and
wrote two full pages on the tab.
"That girl back Of the cigar stand
IS Nellie Milliken," he wrote. She's
the whitest little skirt that ever
rooted for baseball or church-no
nonsense. no lallygagging. She likes
you or she doesn't, and you find it
out the moment the game Is called.
She cottons to me because I'm mar
ried and got couple of kids; and she
and the missus are great pals. She
works because she has to. Paralytic
father, and shrimp OF brother
who's always getting in Dutch. The
girl hunts him up job, and he goes
and loses 1t regularly. She's game
and loyal. All the free yaps on the
team have tried to lure her out to
ohOWo 04GuCk 81 anu uOlAiu6
doing. OF course, she's homely, but
she's the goods
'Homelyl Why she's the prettiest
girl l ever saw"
"Uh-huhl Come on-Nellie. this is
Lynn"
The girl smiled brightly and of
fered her hand; her grip was warm
and firm.
HE can't hear, Nellie; and it's a
rl.r ID e,fe
he's wiz at reading lips. That cauli-
flower ear-the ball hit him there.
They carried him off the lot, stone
deaf. Tough"
I'm so sorry!"
Here said Jenkins. offering the
pad. Write down here that he
pitched great ball Saturday"
Nellie scribbled: Great work, Sat-
urday."
Thanks. I'm human, and I like
pats on the back" repliedsLynn, smil-
ing.
The girl stared at him dumfounded,
then turned to Jenkins.
Gee. 1 forgot, He can talk like
anybody" Jenkins explained. FUSES
you up at first. 1t gives you the jumps
some times when he answers you
like he could hear But he's a born
pitcher, Nellie; and there's going to
be seriesdough for the missus next
winter"
: ut must be dreadful" said the girl
in an aside. Hes the nicest-Iook-
ing ball player I ever saw"
That was the beginning. The girl
went thoughtfully back to her work.
and Lynn played a very poor game of
Kelly. Thereafter, when the team
was home, you were likely TO find
Lynn at the cigar stand from 1890 to
10:45 in the morning and from $50
to at night He talked, and the girl
scrubbed on the pad between sales or
talked so he could see her lips plain
ly. And always her heart sweIled
with pity and admiration. He was
what Nellie Milliken called a hero.
One morning, just after Lynn had
left the stand. Swan approached.
Whats going on here?" he de-
manded with elephantine amiability.
What do you mean?" Nellie shot
back, for she hated this man, and
with reason.
"Why. this Dummy stuff He hangs
around here like he was spoonin'."
HE can, if he wants to. 1t would
be clean spooning."
huh! Sure, But you amt
amin to marry a guy like him, are
your
"rd rather marry a deaf man who
was a gentleman, than man who
could hear, and wasn't"
"Meanin' me?"
Meaning you"
Jaw, Nelliei Don't be so hard on a
fellah I've played the game straight.
1 asked you to marry me-"
And / declined, Mr.. Swami. You
asked me to marry you-after you
found / wasn't the kind of girl you
thought | was. / have to work for
my living. in the open. So. have to
put up with lot l stand for it be-
cause the counter is between. But
off duty, no. And my name is Mill
ken-Miss Milliken."
"All right, if you feel like that
about it, But I'm goin' to knock that
deaf guys block off before we stack
our BATS
"You might be disagreeably sur
prised.H
rs that SO, What's the idea? Sure,
L forgot His old mans rotten with
money Sure-business is busthessi
I'd hook up-With a deaf-mute, il she
had money enough. But this guy amt
goin' to git any O. PAS iron boys. He's
been dumped because he's a four
flusher."
And he turned away before Nellie
could think up a retort sufficiently
hot to wither the brute. When her
rage subsidized, an idea came into her
shapely head; and she applied TINS
idea the following morning. she
wrote on Lynn's tab: Come up and
have supper with us tonight