Evening star., 1923-12-13
CHAPTER 81 Ask $40 a
Month-and Change My Mind.
BY HANS WAGNER.

Ny base ball career really be-
gan at the age of fourteen. Even
at that age | could hit the ball.
For that reason | was allowed to
play on the town team with boys
OF eighteen and nineteen. My
natural love for the game prob
ably kept me from being very
good barber.
| belonged to one of those FAM
lilies where the boys are supposed
to learn a trade and make their
own living My brother had a
barber shop in Mansfield, which
later became Carnegie, and l
went to work for him as an ap-
prentice. My job was to keep
things Strengthened up, dust off
the customers and run errands.
On Saturday afternoon and night
/ was allowed TO do a little shaw
ing. Many big miner has suf-
fered at my hands. There weren't
many tips in those days.
The only thing in the way OF
great barber future for me was
m" desire to clay base ball. |
played on the town team and YOU
can bet | never allowed plain or
fancy barbering TO interfere
much with my pitching. Yes. l
started out as a pitcher. Most
ball players do, find. Mike Don
lin and Cy Seymour, you know,
started out as pitchers. Every
Saturday afternoon the boys used
TO come around in front of the
barber shop and tip me off that a
game was on. | would immedi-
ately duck the job. That night,
though, | would come back and
finish up at the shop.
My brother didn't like this a
bit. He used 10 tell me that Id
have to stop SO much ball playing
or | would never make good
barber. | guess he was right. He
fired ME several times, but, OF
course, when we got home and
talked it over with my dad he
would take me back. There had
to come a break.
One afternoon | was given the
job of shaving an old miner who
had a beard like shoe brush. He
didn't care who shaved him. I
went to work on him and got
him all lathered up and ready. |
had just shaved down one side
and around to his chin when one
OF the gang Whistled outside. |
sneaked out.
Who Shaved the Other Half?
You got to pitch a great game
today" one OF the boys told me.
III we win we're all going to get
new uniforms with letters on EN-"
| forgot all about my miner Sit
ting in the chair, half shaved and
asleep. | never went back. My
career as a barber was ended.
Il can stand for just SO much"
my brother told me that night,
"and no more. You are through
as a barber"
l was tickled over that. I knew
I could get job in the mines
working on the trap door for my
dad. This is no place to explain
mining, but any man in the hard
or soft coal fields knows what a
trap-door boy is. Anyway, l
worked at that awhile, playing
base ball in between times.
John S. Robb. jr.. now a promi-
nent citizen OF Pittsburgh, was
captain of the Mansfield team and
gave me a regular job. We
played in what was the Ale
gheny County League. made up
OF Mansfield, Bridgeville, Taren-
tum and the Our Boys Club OF
Pittsburgh. The players were
mostly amateurs. Shad Civilian
was manager.
started playing shortstop then
and got $S week for two games.
I played around that, way, doing
the best l could between work
ing in the mines and playing base
ball, for two or three years-just
like other boys might do.
And right here is good chance
for me to answer question as
to my opinion on the relative