Evening star., 1923-09-16

"All due to this fine thought" says
Mr. Simmons. We'll. is there any
other candidate for the bonus? If not,
I'll just ask my daughter. here, to
present the prize to Mr. Sawyer"
D IGRT then a lot of things hap
N peened. I'm not sure that / got
all of 'em, but here's what / did
get.
1 saw Miss Simmons blush and bite
her lips.
| I heard big Otto Swarzheimer
growl: Huh, if he's gonna get at
five-hundred/b berries, he's gotta hand
me back my fifty"
And Irish O'Donnell: yeah, mine
| too"
Skinny Buck: "Gosh, give him
| seventy five
Then all at once they was bangin'
on the door, it busted open. and in
come Jim McGonigle-mad as a hat
| club owner; his secretary. and half a
dozen Goliaths right after him. They
| looked like an Irish fair to me, and 1
| reached for a ball bat. / know Jim
| McGonigle. When he starts shindig,
| I want a weapon.
where's at big stiff Jones?" he
yells. 'Iemme at the dirty black
mailer"
"whatsa matter, Jim?" I said.
What do you guys want?"
1--WE want at guy Jones" yells Nc
Gonigle.
yeah. well tear his dirty block
off," hollers Lefty Nubbin.
"Gwan, don't talk like a left
handler" says Liz Cochran, standin'
| up offa the bench where he'd been
/ settin'.
This got Nubbin sore and he started
| for Liz. instead of Jocko, who he'd
been lokin' for. Monty sorta sidled
off to one side. by the lockers, and
big Jocko come out from behind, and
| herded Mr.. Simmons, Mrs. Simmons
| and the girl out into the next room.
"Whatsa matter. Jim?" I said to
! Mac again, tryin' to cam him down.
| But ca'min' Jim McGonigle when he's
| mad is like pourin' water on a hot
| stove. You cd heard him sizzIe.
"BIackmail's the matter" he says.
DIRTY. rotton blackmail, see? And
| were gonna take it outa the hide of
the guy that pulled it, see? And then
we're gonna run him outa this league.
Where's at Jones. hey?"
| There was a shuff1in' around, and
then here come great big gorilla
! handed Jocko. with a bat in mis- mitts.
Oh. baby!
| Here he is" says Jocko, cool, like
he'd been through many's the storm
before this. who's lookin' for me?
| Here 1 am
yeah. and here I am" says Liz
| Cochran, steppfn' up beside him.
| And me-" chirps Waldo Blatt.
I Present" says Jersey Day, linin
| up with the rest.
We'll, for that matter, here L am
| to-" l says. Il don't know what y'r
| drivin' at, Jim. but we're all with
Jones. What can we do for your"
| Little Miss Simmons was stickin'
her head through the door. to see
what was goin' on. These Goliaths
| were watchin' Jocko, lookin' him over
his six-foot two hunderd pound
heft, and great big fists.
"Well?" says Jocko.
This big stiff" says Jim, talkin' to
me instead of Jocko. has been
writin' Lefty letters for a month,
every day, tellin' him he'd knock him
all over the lot. And ,writin' to
Smith, my other left-hander, too, the
same way"
We'll. didn't Lefty and Smith be-
1ieve it?" I said. laughin'.
1T was so," says Liz Cochran, let
tin out a yell. "Jocko didn't lie
about it. Jim-three doubles. a
triple and four singles for the
series, mostly off Lefty Nubbin and
Smith. He certainly didn't lie about
it,"
ITS dirty rotten blackmail." hol-
lers Jim, while my gang busts out
i laughin'-
Jaw, o'mon. Jim, let's beat it outa
here" says Nubbin, grabbin'' Jim's
arm. "This amt the way to handle
it,"
by blankity blankity. I'll protest
this to the head of the league!" Jim
yells as Nubbin pulls him/out the
door.
Wont pay to advertise" Jocko
hollers after them. Liz Cochran shut
the door behind 'em. / look around,
and here's brave little Monty Sawyer
lleadin' the Simmons family party
| back into the room.
| X r
10y now I'm offa that, guy for life,
! ID exceptin' as a second baseman.
should worry how strong the old
man is for him. AS for big Jocko
Jones, 1 was givin' three cheers for
him every time my heart ticked off
another beat. ALA time he was
II writin' those Ietters hadn't rive