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The day book. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1911-1917, February 03, 1912, Image 18

Image and text provided by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, Urbana, IL

Persistent link: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045487/1912-02-03/ed-1/seq-18/

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bDAILY SHORT STORY
A Home Run
'Inasmuch as the Mudville Mas-
fcots claimed the championship of
jSimpsgn county, while the Scrab-
-bletown Stars set up the same
Eglittering claim, it was bound to
result in some thing. Thus it was
'that after weeks of challenge the
cScrabbletown Stars, accompanied
jby half their town, appeared in
..Mudville to wage war on the
green diamond. Uncle Hank
JDowns of Mudville said he had
never seen the like in all his born
days.
Young Theophilus Turner, ed
itor of the Mudville Mercury,
pitched for his town ; Daniel Har
dy, cashier of the Scrabbletown
deposit bank, twirled for Scrab
blefown. They were deadly
rivals, for in the grand stand sat
Bessie Wilson, belle of Mudville,
who favored Editor Turner of all
men, while on the base lines, en
thusiastic but perplexed, paced
Col. Wilson, her father, who fa
vored Banker Hardy, but who de
sired that Mudville should win.
Meanwhile the Mascots and the
Stars strode determinedly to the
.plate and smote the ball. By the
tnira inning tne score was a large,
beautiful tie 17 to 17.
On the side lines Mudville
brandished her fist in the face of
Scrabbletown and Scrabbletown
brandished back. Here and there
fights broke out, and the umpires
had Constables Zeb Greerrand
Zeke Easley detailed to protect
"them. From the grandstand
Bessie Wilson came and stood
upon the lines. When Editor
Turner, caused a base Scrabble-1
townite to swipe vainly at the
ether, she exclaimed, "Ah how
fine!" if Banker Hardy struck out
a Mascot, she cried, "Take him
out !" The colonel had lost all re
serve and was tearing madly up
and down the lines, red-faced, hat
off, yelling.
At last, in the sixth inning,
with the score 43 to 42 in favor of
Mudville, Scrabbletown sent
Banker Hardy to the outfield and
substituted a new pitcher. The
new pitcher was cool as cucum
bers and steady as a Swiss clock.
He mowed the Mudvillians down
one-two-three fashion, while
Scrabbletown continued to hit.
In the ninth Mudville rallied, and,
with the score 47 to 44 against
her, succeeded in getting three
men on bases with two out. It
was Pitcher Turner's time at bat
and he was a poor slugger. Mud
ville groaned. Doddville tighten
ed up. In the outfield Banker
Hardy grinned. Miss Wilson
muttered a little prayer. The col
onel hesitated, then stepped up to
Turner.
"Make a home run and I with
draw my opposition. Bessie is
yours."
Turner spat upon his hands and
bumped the plate with his bat.
The pitcher unwound himself and
Turner swung like a piledriver.
The bat just scriped the ball and
the sphere dropped a bare foot in
front of the plate. All Mudville
groaned again. It was necessary
only for the Scrabbletown catcher
to secure the ball, touch the home
plate and all would be over. But

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