The Washington times., 1929-10-02
would not permit Of it's eonsid-
Grafton as q profession.

GRAFTON rs pFoieSso"'
If was a. pastime. a big adven-
ture: something to be toyed with,
to be enjoyed, and then to be cast
aside for the sterner business OF
earning living and a reputation.
There was parental objection, too
for the father who had worked
overtime to provide his son with
a legal education, could not recon.
cile himself to the thought OF that
son "daliying with a kid game"
And Miller Higgins first base
ball enga gements were played as
q sort of lark and adventure-with
q little fellow sneaking away from
home, DOMINIC his uniform in
stable a few blocks away, and
then going forth to meet his team
mates for the game.
Later when the lure of the game
got into his blood and his keen
analytical mind realized the posi-.
bilities of baseball as profession
Miller Higgins faced his big deer
sion. Hugs life, 1t seemed, was
always one Of constant decision.
Along the path was baseball,
with its uncertainties and its
adventure.
Down the other lay legal SNUG
ness-with the hum-drum days and
nights OF legal existence.
On the one hand was uncer-
70 nj nhianfinn
the other was placidity and the
traditional grooved existence OF
practising barrister.
Miller Higgins always insisted
that there was nothing Of the ad-
venturer, nothing Of the rOmanticist
in his makeup. But there must
choosing between the two he threw
and excitement and thrill. His
father protested violently:
"DOn't do it. Miller" he
urged. THAT basebalPs ne bust
ness for n man. It's kid
game. Stick by the law. boy;
stick by the lsw."
But Hug was adamant. Only
once did he show signs of weaken
ing. That was when his father
said: 1T will break your mothers
heart, Miller
Rut the mother, hearing the pro-
test, only smiled and shook her
head. ....
The minute my mother gave her
consent L knew | was going into
baseball for life," the Miller used to
say, telling the story to his cronies.
| Tive never been sorry. A lot of
fellows today kid me about running
a ball club with a, lot of lawyer
idess--but guess that's better than
trying to plead a jury case with lot
Of baseball notions"
For some time after he went
| into baseball Hugs father was hope
ful that he might yet give up the
game in favor of law. He urged
him frequently not to give up legal
| practice entirely but to maintain
his office during the off season.
This Hug refused.
"YOn can't do two jobs Mt
once" he declared. Either I'm
g. lawyer or q bali player. i
can't be both.
And so did the man who might
! have been minister or a lawyer
become a ball player instead. And
| once his decision was made he
| never varied If he ever knew re-
grers. NE hid them. II he ever
wished at times that life had been
| different and the barrister's gown
| had replaced the baseball uniform
IA
| and Miller Huggins. fatalistic to a
| degree, was the last man to regret
! the past.
The other day in the county
clerks office, in Columbus. Ohio, an
aging and grsy-haired clerk. going
! through his files, came across q
card yellow with dust and gray
with age. That card bore the name
| Miller James Higgins" and showed
| that Hug has been admitted to the
bar and was entitled to practice law
i'm the common courts of the State
Of Ohio.
The old clerk surveyed the
card for q moment, lifted It
from its fellows, took ap his
pen and wrote across 1t the
single word deceased"
s., Miller Higgins legal career was
! officially closed. Had that clerk
but known. he was thirty years late
in his notations. Miller Higgins
life span had ended On the day the
clerk made his notation-his legal
career had ended those years ne-
| fore on a certain summer afternoon
when his mother, forgetting her
own dreams. smiled her assent to
| the wishes OF a. boy who preferred
the excitement AND the lure of base
BAH to the hum.drum legal exist
euce for which he had been trained.
E-LsLsAso-