Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 20, 1908)
V. ; : THE .OREGON SUNDAY JOURNAL, PORTLAND, SUNDAY MORNING DECEMBER 20 l l I ,111' I, 1 .iniirnmniiiii I .1 nil .in .,.. i,,iiiTiii, II, ,1,1.,.. ii.i.i. .,,., 1.. I .ll.i .1 nl I, i.l . u ll I I 1, . II,. I I l Illl r " " ll,.rr.,r ' 'l ii iiVV ..-- I 'In i' ""' ' " ,;7)i;;itiji':iii';'ir'T'"''" '"""":''T?r "!rf , , .Siiiiiiiiin.in ; ' 1 ' j'"t Id'1 i'V" F " r ft' ''y'liil'l ' t 'jllii'Wiiliil'iiiit:1" ;;" jrV,,:,r,,;,:p;;''M,,,,,MWM I If "TTT!?!!;!.!,1'...,,.,;:!!!!!,::;:;:;!!,!,.,,,;;:!);:;!;!!:,, l)ij.it!laiiliigHiiiiHliii,M.i-hit ' liiiiiiiiililiitiiiiii.iiiiilylMil)iiMttiliiiitiiiiliiiiiii'uiiiiMii i ... , ,u , i l,,7ra;,iiit,M'iwiMl,lliiiii.i lilfriiMMliriiiiii -., l,..:!il,f, . L ;..L TVTT . . . j I " " " i , , t , ', , "mmmmmm 7 mmmmmmrm" mmmm """ mmmmmm -r.: ipaoasw uu - uc aw III ri rr in r -in r In f in r i mM(a franrw i!rapnsr iiii nil- nil nir iiii - Ann ihev harm t a cincr , fnrnri if Wilt ytBUUUUJJKJUN- 17111"-, They, bofh laid hem down yp; r,,nB The Metis and the Elephant lived at ease On the island Of Where-and-Why, -But the Elephant mourned. In hi ponderous way, That h was bo wide and high. The mouse, on the other hand, squeaked with grief, And crossed his beautiful eyes, Lamenting that he Was so very small . Each envied the other his size. One night, when the moon was over the left And the wind was sounding his trump, A Fairy came forth From her home in a cleft, With a hop, and a skip, and a jump, And placed a spelt on the sleeping pair, When, lol at the morning's call. The louse, it was plain, Had been growing large, And the Elephant growing small. Then danced they ; a jig in their greenwood bower ' ' What less could the Fairy expect? ' Afld each one remarked. In merriest mood: We certainly are the elect." The change soon completed, their sizes reversed. Again they would live at their ease The Elephant dined On a thimble of hay, The Mouse on a cart-load of cheese. Grimalkin and traps no terrors possessed For the Mouse in his new disguise; The Elephant scoffed As hidden he watched The tents of the circus arise. But joy was short-lived; sorrows gathered apace: They were strangers among their own kinl They kept optn house, - The Elephant had Little use for his trunk, And the Mouse for his length of tail. As good neighbors should; ' Yet no former companions dropped in. Their talents were wasted in dozens of ways, Which caused them till more to bewail: At last, when their griefs could no longer be borne, And they hadn't a single friend, They, both laid them down By the pitying sea, Their lives and their troubles to end. Again, the pale moon being over the left, And the wind a-sounding his trump, The Fairy came forth From her home in the cleft, With a hop, and a skip, and a jump, And, lifting the spell frofh the perishing pair By the side of the whispering wave, She bade them return Each one to his own, And be happy; and good, and brave. MORAL (FOR LARCH CHILDREN) Let each be himself, not somebody else, Nor covet what others may hold. ' Each one has his place, That he can best till: Contentment is silver and gold. MORAL NUMBER TWO (CONFIDENTIAL FOR SMALL CHILDREN ) When fairies come forth, with the mOon on the left And the wind ts sounding his trump, Good children had better Be scampering home, . With a hop, and a skip, and a jump! ITlie ;:0.ut. Curve j 1 ,By LeeBe.-..W. Qraark fUS i are - . T HE minute the game was ended, Kenton, ' the y captain of the varsity crew, rushed out on ' the diamond and grasped the hand of Elton, the big pitcher. "You pitched a perfect game, Baby," he cried, with bis ' face flushed and his eyes bright "Now there ' only one victory be tween us and the championship. We must win HI" We will," said Elton. He hesitated jnst an instant. "At least, I hope so." The home nine was trotting off the field after win mng the game. "Oh, Kenton," -called Elton, as the man was turning away, "I want to have a little talk with you. Will you be in your roomto-night?" "Office hours from seven to ten," declared Kenton, .good-naturedly. "Come when you like,' and stay as long as you please." He noticed that Elton did not smile; even the honor of winning a critical game' seemed to have left the pitcher in low spirits. Elton called early, and was ill at ease. He found 1kntAn tittinv Art thl Inline nlnvificr 1h tnandntin After a time the conversation turned to baseball, and Kenton grew enthusiastic, over the probability of win ning the' pennant . Elton's fingers clenched about the; 'arm of his chair: "' -',':'" "It 'a that game,' he said, with a little catch in-his voice, "that I wanted to talk to you about." Kenton looked tip quickly. "Yes," he said encourag ingly. ' '?:.. v '.'" -,- :M' ... '. ''"' "Well, it Is nt till Saturday, and I know Landebin will put me in the box again. My arm Is pretty stronff. and will be as srood as ever by that time. But'' he stopped and looked out the window "but I 'm ' afraid." "Oh, it will be a game worth seeing," said Kenton, "but I don't think we need worry." , "It is n't that," said Elton.' "It 's simply that I 'm , afraid., J lack steadiness. Do you suppos I did n't; know how things were, even Back in the early spring, ; when we were practising in the cage?; Do you suppose I did n't understand when Landebin used to watch me ' throw at that parallelogram on the canvas, and used j to say, 'Good!' and 'Neat!' every time the ball curved ' in between the black -lines and then used to tell me : to go easy and take my time ? He knew t was apt to 'go to pieces.' and I did it, lots of times, up there in j it- ' T W afraid T It Vn tn nia' in Cihinl'i i game, that 's all. I could n't tell this to anybody bat j you, Kenton." ' J . The big oarsman looked at Elton thoughtfully. "Yes, Baby," he said encouragingly I understand. ' I ve been watching yon all. season, perhaps a little j closer than you imagined I talked with Coach Landed -bin-about this same thing once, when h was afraid ..f J n!t . T i fA ijnV till ., M.Attt4 . WUUIU ,Uil uo. ium si.iic jvu nuuiu uvi "thai there was too much in you for anything of the kind; that you would hold yourself in check by sheer willpower."' 1 ' '. . Landebin Jaughed. "Oh, there 's -no harm In it" he '"said,' "only it is apt to make you look as if you were nervous. We want a cool pitcher to-day, Baby. By the way, you and Peters had better get to work warm ing up. We bat first, but por half of the inning won't .last long." It did not Two of the batters fanned, and the other one- knocked a ball straight into the bands of the short-stop. Elton walked out to the pitcher's box with his heart thumping rapidly. Peters slipped on his mask and pro tector, and held out his hands. A sudden desire to show his catcher that he could put the out-curve over the plate made Elton send in the ball without warning. He threw it with the snap of his wrist that meant ypeed, and it curved neatly over the center of the plate. Peters grinned. ' He stopped and looked at the boy. Elton was breath ing quickly. "Once you came to me with this same confession in your heart. I pretended not to see it there, and we sat and talked of other subjects. I told you of other fellows whose courage had been doubted, and who stood firm and true at the last. I took up my mando lin and strummed a few chords of 'Varsity ! .Varsity V Your lips closed. Baby, and your mouth grew firmer; and the next day do you remember that Michigan game? you went into the box and pitched as no man ever pitched on our diamond before. Elton laughed in an embarrassed manner, and rose to go. At the door he turned around to his big com forter and said; "Yes, I remember it very well. I played that game as if my life depended Upon it. Then when it was over, and you held my hand a minute and said, "You 're true blue, kid !' I felt' like sitting down and crying. I did n't understand, but I knew you had done a very great deal for me." - ; "I have done nothing," declared Kenton, "except to show you that you must not fail us, and that you need not. I was perfectly confident that day, and jf am just as confident about you in Saturday's game. Dobbins and Peters and 1 Edgren and the rest of the heavy batters may get the glory, but the winning or losing will be in your hands. I am not in the least afraid of your failing us. Good night, Baby.": Saturday dawned clear and warm. Early in the morning, before the sun was hot, Coach Landebin took his squad of players out to the athletic field, and for an hour they batted and fielded. - Elton was put to work tossing . a few balls to Peters, the big catcher. The boy's arm felt strong, and his curves were good. , He had thrown perhaps a dozen balls when Peters called, for an out-curve. Elton shifted the ball in his hands, and his fingers gripped it firmly. Then he stepped forward and threw. - The hall went wide. Again they tried it and again the ball was a foot from the plate. . Peters frowned just a little, and ' changed the signal. Presently, he tried the out-curve once morer:This time the throw was hopelessly wide, , and Peters, who understood, gave up,the attempt He would call for as few outs as possible during the game. By three o'clock the grand stand was fulL and the "rooters" were piling into the "bleachers." ; K - Up in its place in the grand stand, the university hand was playing rollicking airs. Both nines were on the field. - . . . " ;' ,. .- .' - Elton was standing near the players bench, looking op info the sea of faces in the grand. stand. His foot With A hop. a skip, s a Jonpi was keeping time with the music, and there was a bright flush on his checks. ' .... "I would n't do that. Babv." said Coach Landebin s voice. Elton turned quicklv, and found the man eyeing the foot with which he had been beating time. "I beg your pardon, sir. I did n't know I was do ing it." ' "Play ball !" ordered the umpire. The first batter was a short, wiry fellow. He smiled pleasantly at the pitcher, and Elton tried to smile back. But the attempt was a pitiful failure, for the fear which he had been fighting gripped his heart. Then Peters opened the clumsy catcher's mit, and signaled for an out-curve. Elton put his fingers carefully about the ball and hesitated. The batter seemed hundreds of feet away, i and the home plate looked like a white dot m the dis- ... ti . : . J .1.. I lance, reiers waueu lmijaurmiy. Then Elton threw. The ball started straight for the plate, but after going a few feet curved slowly away from the batter. "One ball " said the umpire. Peters signaled for another out-curve. "Two balls!" said the umpire. It was to be an in-curve this time. Elton's heart felt like a throbbing engine, and he seemed to see the batter through a haze. "Three balls I" called the umpire, and there came a groan from the bleachers. "He will expect another ball," Elton told himself, "and won't try to bit it. I must throw a strike. Peter must understand" . The big catcher did understand. He called for a straight ball, and Elton threw one. An instant later there was a sudden sharp, report. The rooters of the other nine yelled and cheered frantically. Horrts tooted. Megaphones bellowed. The noise was frightful. It was a home run ; even Elton knew that The batter had caught the ball just right, and sent it far over the head of the left-fielder. . It meant a run in the first inning, and runs are precious things in a critical game. , Peten was unmoved by the home run. He smiled a little and slipped on his mask again. Then he stepped into position, and called for the next balL It came, whistling shrilly and cutting the plate in two. An other, with the same curve, fooled the batter ; and after the third ball the umpire aid, "Batter out !" and Peters and Elton grinned at each other like two chil dren, i j "- -:-' " '..'.'.- It wai a wonderful sjame. The innings passed with out a score. Elton pitched faultless ball, but Peters dared not call for the out-curve, v In the first half of the ninth, Edgten unexpectedly lined out a three-base hit and scored on a single which .Peters dropped into right field. A minute later Peter stole second. It was the first stolen base of the game, and the crowd cheered frantically. Ganley, who played first, was up. He rripped the bat firmly, and stepped up to the plate.! Two strikes were called on him at he stood waiting for the ball he wanted. At last it came, waist-high and swift and he met it squarely with COPYRIGHT V THK CCNTUAY COMPANY his bat. I'etfrs was off for third at the crack of the stick. Elton was coaching, and as he saw the right fielder fail to handle the ball neatly he yelled for Peters to go home. The player had the ball almost before Peters left third. - Elton raced toward home with the big catcher, keeping ju?t outside the line, and urging him on wildly. It was nip and tuck between Peters and the ball. Eltoii yelled to him to slide, and the big catcher put out his hands and dived for the plate. A cloud of dust arose, and almost hid the play. But out of it came the even voice of the umpire: "Safe!" . It was Elton himself who struck wildly at the first three balls pitched to him. and who retired the side without another run. Pitchers afe notoriously poor batters, and Elton was no exception. He threw down the bat with a queer look on his face that made Peters wince. "Peters," he said, with the little egotistical note in his voice that the big catcher liked, "we are one run ahead, and it 's the last half of the ninth. I am going to throw that out-curve now, and I shall put it over." So Peters called for the out-curve. It came, straight over this time ; but the batter caught it and singled to left field. Elton gave the next man his base on balls, and was safely hit again. The bases were full, and no body was out. ' " "It has come," said the boy to himself, drearily. "I went 'up in the air' just when I should have been steady. I knew it." Landebin called to him. Elton nodded. "I am to be put on the bench, I suppose, and Farley is to finish the game. I deserve it, but" He walked slowly over to the coach. , , "Baby," said Landebin, with a smile, ''yow have pitched the best game of your life up to now. Just keep it up. You 're in a bit of a tight place, but you will pull out. That 's all. Go back and win." " Elton's shoulders squared. "I will, Mr. Landebin." he said. , He went back into the box and picked up the ball, He hoped Peters would call for the out-curve, but the catcher did not dare. He noticed that the sun was riot as hot now, and that a little breeze had sprunff up. "Play ball!" ordered the umpire. ; . P The next player waited, impatient for the honor of winning the game. Elton grinned at him, and Peters, vun(Uhe bat saw the face nd grinned too. . Then Elton twisted his fingers about the ball, swunsf his arm in a half-circle, and threw. Three times he did it and three times the batter swung without touching the balL TR crowd was down on the grounds now, piled fifty deep just outside the picket fence. ; Elton threw two balls to the next batter, then two stnkev another, baH, and the third strike. Two men were out. . - .. , , . . .. v '.The next batter was one who had not secured a safe hit during the srame. He stood close to the plate, and Elton was afraid he would hit him. So the first three pitched balls went wide. . , The crowd groaned. The situation . wis very critical v . ' . The base's were full, and the man at bat had three balls' and no strikes. . - j '. ,7 must do it," said Elton, half aloud; "1 must do; .- - r i( ...... j . Peters took a minute to adjust his mask, and; the boy knew it was to give htm time to cool down. Some-1 body over at the fence yelled, "All right Baby!" and Elton recognized Kenton's calm voice. He shot the ball straight into Peter's waiting hands. "One strike!" said the umpire. Elton's heart was thumping again, and his cheeks burned. He was holding himself down y layingr over and over, "I must do it; I must do it!" He drew back his arm and threw the ball, a "Two strikes !" said the umpire. A perfect bedlam of noise broke forth from the crowd. The minute Elton had the ball again, the sud den stillness was terrible. - . - The batter looked at his coach: then he stepped a little closer to the plate. Even from the box Elton could see an unnatural strained look in his face. His forehead was drawn into deep wrinkles. Elton thought - he looked as if he were about to be shot Then he understood The bases were fulL Four balls would force in a run, but the other coach hsd given up expecting any thing but a third strike. The batter's chances of get mg a safe hit were hopelessly small. There was only onealternative. The batter must allow himself to be hit by the next pitched ball and thus force in a run. Elton took the ball in his right hand, and Peters called for an. in-curye. He shook his head at Peters. The catcher, brow was puckered, but he signaled for an up-shoot, then for a down. Still Elton shook his head Then Peters, who believed in the boy as nobody else on the team did, called for the out-curve. It was one chance In a hundred, and Elton knew it. Even when he was calmer he had failed to put the ball where he wanted it. But he was no longer afraid. Something of the confidence of the coach, and of good old Peters, , and of Kenton, inspired him. He drew back his arm in the semicircle to vwhich the player had grown accustomed, and threw an out-curve, wiih all the speed aid all the rotary motion he could put into the balL -; y ',. . -.": , - ;-v . , -; It started straight as a bullet for the batter. Tim fellow saw it coming, and though a perceptible qnivr ran over him, he stood his ground like a Trojan. Tli ball would hit him. There was no need to step for ward So he braced himself a best he coul 1, nil closed his eyes. -' The ball curved gracefully out from the batter, a ' sailed straight over the center of the plat? "Three strikes and out!" called the umpire ' T' - ' side was retired, and the game won. Landebin was the first to reach the 'bov '"p you. old man!" was all he said, but F.:-- V ! - v ! understood. ' Peters grasped his hand wi-h a vl ' ! ' - knew you 'd do it." he grinne-'L Bjp this time i Kenton wfi c -. c r . . did n't fail us, Baby," r . ; . . peated it "You dii n't fU t.-."
