Year: 1867




Ball.


DESCRIPTION OF 1T BY BRICK POMERoY.


Eureka,


Look at the brace of hands, once soft
and pretty, now sutfused with the Egypt
ian bushes Then look into these optics
and tell us tales of sympathy. And look
at that Mount Tom on our right cheek
bone Base ball! That is the row.


1t came about thus. Secondary de-
ployment is too shirksome for the system.
The doctor said we needed exercise. Doe
tor knows. He told Us to join baseball,
we joined. Bought a book Of Instructions,
and for FIVE days studied it wisely if not
too well Then we bought sugar scoop
cap, and red belt, and green shirt, yellow
trowsers, pumpkin colorcd Skoes, a paper
collar and purple neck-tie, and, with a lot
of other delegates, moved gently to the
ground.


There were two mines. These mines
were antagonists. The ball is pretty
little drop of sottness, the size of goose
egg, and five degrees harder than Il brick
1t is a quiet game, much like chess, only
little more chase than chess.


There was an umpire. His position was
a hard one He sits on box and yells
foul" His duty is severe.


tuok the bat. 1t Is Il murderous play
thing. descended from Pocahontas TO the
head of J ohm Smith. The man in front
of me was pitcher. He was nice "
pitcher. but he sent balls hot. The man
behind me was catcher He caught it
too


The umpire said play" 1t is the
most radical play | know of, this base
ball. Saving cord wood is moonlight ram
bles beside baseball So the pitcher
sent a ball toward me. 1t looked pretty
coming. so | let it come Then he sent
another hit it with the club, and hove
it gently upward Then started to walk
to first base The ball hit in the pitcher,
or his hands. and somebody said he caught
a fly. Alas, poor fly walked leisurely
toward the base Another man took the
bat | turned to see how he was making
it. and mule kicked me on the cheek.
The man said it was the ball. 1t felt like
mule, and | reposed on the grass. The
ball went on.


Pretty soon there were two more flies,
!
nine came in, and US nine went out This
was better. Just as | was standing on my
dignity in the left field, hot ball, as they
call it, came skyrocketing toward me. My
captain yelled, Take it,.


| hastened gently forward TO where the
ball was aiming to descend [ have a good
eve to measure distances, and saw at
glance where the little aroite was TO
light put up my hands. How sweetly
the ball descended. Everybody looked
felt something warm in my eye. : Muf-
fn" yelled ninety fellers. 49, Muffin be
d-d, It's a cannon ball :" For three
days I've had three pounds of raw beef on
that eye, and yet it paincth


Then | wanted to 90 home, but my gen.
tie captain said nay" So | mayed and
stayed. Pretty soon it was my strike.
" Brick to bat, ;" yelled the umpire. |
went, but not all serene as was my wont
The pitcher sent in one hip high. l
missed it, He sent another neck high. 1t
struck me in the gullet Fowl" yelled
the umpire. He sent the ball in again
This time took it square and sent it down
the right field, through a parlor window
kerosene lamp, and rip up against the
head of an infant who was quietly taking
its-nap in his or its mothers arms. Then
| slung the bat and meandered forth to the
first base. | heard high words and looked
When slung the bat | had with it broken
the jaw of the umpire and was fined ten
cents.


The game went on. 1 liked it. 1t is
so much fun to run from base to base just
ho m, che hal
three-fourths of mile down hill while all
the spectators yell :. muffin ~ g go it +"
= home rum" go round again !" or q go
round dozen times " Baseball is a
sweet little game When it came my turn
to bat again, | noticed every body moved
/ back about ten rods, The new umpire
retreated twelve rods He was timid
The pitcher sent em in hot. Hot balls in
time of war are good. But [ don't like
'em too hot for fun. After a while | got
fair clip at it, and you bet it went, cut
ting the daisies down the right field. a
fat man and his dog sat in the shade of an
oak enjoying the game. The ball broke
one leg of the dog and landed like run
away engine in the corporosity of that fat
man. He was taken home to die.


Then / went on a double quick to the
field and tried to stop hot ball. 1t came
toward me from the bat at the rate of nine
miles minute. l put up my hands, the
ball went sweetly singing on its way with
all the skin from my palms with it.
! More raw beef.


That was an eventful chap who first in.
vented baseball. It's such fun. I've
played five games, and this is the glowing
result