Evening star., 1923-09-16

| All / could do was to fall in line.
even made up my mind to try for
that jack myself.
The old man had took a likin' to
| Monty Sawyer. He always got a
| laugh outa his line of talk. So he
/ looked straight at Monty when he
wound up his spiel.
There's one boy on the team" he
says, who's really earned his extra
weeks pay. I suggest you all see If
you can't find out his secret and
apply 1t to yourselves"
office hours, twelve to twelve" /"
says Monty prompt. Make your ap-
pointments with my secretary, gents"
And we were off! l started in
| workin' on the three best rookie
pitchers myself. But outside of that
never saw anything that looked
like the winner of the old mans Ave
| hundred.
! ~NE day Moran handed us de-
" cision the crowd didn't like, but
it was all right. To satisfy the fans
went down from the third-base
coachin' line to ask Charlie whether
his feet hurt him, or something.
Standin' on deck, with three bats in
his hands, was little Monty Sawyer.
He was lookin' at Moran and sayin'
| something. 1 thought he was
cussin' the jumps, but that wasn't it.
Little by little and bit by bit, I'm
gettin' so that I can hit" Monty
| growled.
Whats that?" I said, forgettin'
about Moran's feet.
'Nothin'." said Monty, turnin' red.
"You could do a jigstep to it."
said.
Tell him about ii, Bill" yelled the
fans. So l went on over and asked
Charlie how his family was. When
the yellin' died out 1 went back to
third base. And all the time l was
thinkin' about Monty Sawyer's poem,
or song or whatever it was. That
night 1 tumbled. The kid had been
| buildin' up confidence in himself.
lust like Ty Cobb" 1 figured.
"Cobb's been good because he's be-
rieved he's good"
| Next morning at hittin' practice
got another jolt. / went along behind
| Irish G'Donnell, our left fielder. and
| he was talkin' to himself,
Swing from the toes, or chop from
! the waist. they ain't any pitcher at
can't paste" says Irish almost out
| loud. That afternoon he got two as
| purity blows as you ever see. Next
day he got three.
Hi, Jocko," l said to the big guy
one night, femme buy you coupla
bats. Like to see a hitter have all
the wood he needs"
'T got one, BILL" he says. How d
you spell Cincinnati? And where do
the ball clubs stop there, hey?"
told him, and asked him If he had
a girl at the hotel there already. He
grumhled something I didn't under
stand, and let it go at that. We
win couple more games, and then
| one afternoon 1 hear Otto Swarz-
| heimer. right fielder. who's been hit
| tin the wind mostly. talkin' to him.
self
TITS gettin' to be an Epidemic
said to myself, listening in on Otto.
"I pick 'em slim, 1 pick 'em fat,
, hit 'em with any old kind of a bat,'
says Otto.
And then he walks up there to the
plate and whangs a line drive to right
center for two solid sacks.
That night went into the writin'
! room of the hotel to send letter to
| a sportin' editor friend of mine in
New York, and who did 1 find but this
big Jocko Jones, rasslin' with a pen
and some ink.
SAY, Bill, what's the name of that
hotel in Chicago where all the teams
puts up?" he says.
"A cigar-stand dame on the string,
hey?" said.
None of your business" he said
''C'mon. tell me. I've got a date.
wanta write.a letter before I CO."
So told him.
'rwhere'd you get off to be buttin'
In with the ladies?" were the first
| words L heard in the clubhouse next
| morning.
How do you do, Mont-a-gue?"
says this big dumb-bell Jocko Jones.
But looky here, you little shrimp,
the next time go calling on dame,
and you come hornin' in, I'll not be
as dumb as was last night"
"I'll have to ask you both to cut 1t
out" said. I'VE can't have any
skirt chasers on this club. AS long
as we're in the business of winnin'
bail games, we'll let the lizards win
the ladies, seer
That's all right. boss" Monty said.
But VII have to talk to Mister Sim
| mons. He asked me to come up to
his house last night, and sit around
to smoke a cigar with him."
"oh. no." said. "And I s'pose Mrs.
Simmons ast you, Jocko?"
'cwell. one Of the ladies in the Sim
mons family said might CALL" Jocko
said.
You're a liar." Monty yells. And
I had to grab Jocko.
Listen, Monty says Jocko, kinda
slow. when I'd pushed him back on
| the bench. Don't ever call me that
again. see? II you do, I'll spank you.
And it'll hurt
! Somebody else come in Just then,
and the storm blowed over. I made
UP my mind I'd see the old man and
! see If couldn't get him to keep his
family andshis ball players separate
before trouble begun
But that afternoon the old man
showed up in his box and he had his
,, wife and daughter with him. The
girls the kind that makes every guy
which sees her decide to start savin'
his money, and figured I'd let Monty
and. Jocko fight 1t out any way they
could. For the time bein'.
4 y **
yXYHAT with worrying over this an
Wv that. I almost overlooked Skinny
Buck, the ball hawk that plays center
for us. Skinny covers enough ground
on both sides Of him to make UP for