THE SUNDAY FICTION MAGAZINE, JULY 9, 1916.
UTIN
PETTICOAT
HE firsj strategic move
of Miss Suzanne God
frey Arnold as new
owner and president of
the Gray legs Ball Club
may not have aided
materially the cause of
woman's rights, but it
landed her photograph In every metropol
itan daily. It also made the players .the
butt of many a sporting page Joke and
furnished the- para graphera with ample
material for the time being and promise
of much more.
Miss Arnold was a fan. Being a fan,
he understood Just enough about the
game to be an enthusiast. Had she known
more, she might not have been a fan.
Old Silver King Barrett, the veteran
magnate and uncle of the young woman,
By Bozeman Bulger
Author of the Famous "Swat Milligan" Baseball Stories.
Illustrated by R. Tandler.
si
TJS ISS ARNOLD'S uncle certainly had the right hunch
I when he specified that "Red" Gilligan be retained
as a star attraction for the Graylegs.
53
out?" she asked; warming up to a discus
sion of her theories.
"You bet," Jack replied. "I was put off
the field for kicking when the umpire
claimed there was no rule preventing the
catcher from following up a runner as far
as he liked so long as the runner had not
must have had an inkling of these fan- touched the plate."
"That's exactly what I'm getting at,"
said Miss Arnold, smiling. "I intend to
show that all the game is not covered by
rules. Won't that be interesting? You
see, I'm a regular fan, Mr. Martin."
they didn't know you, naturally they
wouldn't know your weakness, would
they?" she argued logically, at the same
time fumbling in her lap for a parcel.
"Red" Gilligan's face wore a puzzled
look.
Miss Arnold unwrapped the false hair
and whiskers, dangling them In "Red's"
face. In her eyes there was a challenge.
"Are you game?" she inquired.
Manager Martin's jaw dropped as Gil
ligan burst into a fit of laughter.
"But don't you know that ball players
"Yes, I see,'
didn't. All he
saw was trouble spelled
liko symptoms, for in his wiy he left a
personal note to his niece aside from the
material bequests.
"In the event you should desire to oper
ate this ball club yourself," he wrote, "I
instruct you to retain Jack Martin 'as man
ager for at least two years, and -that John
Gilligan, commonly known as 'Red,',, be with a capital T.
kept on the pay roll permanently. His It came sooner than he expected.
good humored pranks will draw much For several days "Red'' Gilligan had
money to the gate; besides, his mother not been able to get a hit. The newspa-
waa the lifelong friend of your aunt and pers offered the opinion that he was slip- please let me work it?"
myself." ping back; that he "had hit the old tobog-
The publication of old Silver King's gan"; that his punch was gone. At fre-
bases. The first runner scored and Gilli
gan reached second after a daring slide, in
which half the Van Dyke beard disap
peared in the dust.
"Get back to your base!" the umpire
ordered the man who had scored. "I
hadn't called 'play.' "
"No, and you hadn't ordered play sus
pended," announced Manager Martin, T
running to the plate. "You didn't call
time' and you know it!"
"Get back to the bench!" snapped the
official. "You're out of the came!" be
yelled to Gilligan. "Get another batter up
here!"
The Graylegs did not win that game
lost by one run but the crowd had a
laugh that more than made up for the de
feat so far as they were concerned.
"It Is perfectly all right," Miss Arnold,
not the least perturbed, said to Martin
when the last man was out and the crowd
had started home. "We'll protest , the
game. If we hadn't lost that run they
wouldn't have beaten, us."
The players,- In the meantime, still
replied Jack. But he are not supposed to wear whiskers?" asked laughing, had run to the clubhouse, where
Martin.
"You can't show me anything in the
rules that prohibits a player from wearing
whiskers if he wants to," argued Miss
Arnold. "This is my scheme. Won't you
they found Gilligan trying to patch up the
torn whiskers.,
"Don't throw 'em away," one of them
suggested; "hang 'em up for luck."
The whiskers were suspended from a
nail near the clubhouse mirror, a mono
"They'll put him off the field," Martin ment to the .strategy of a woman mag-
informed her. nate, and became such a, familiar sight
quent intervals the fans clamored for a "Yes, and if they do I'D protest the that !n a month or so they were unno-
substitute hitter. game! Will you do it?" she added, turn- ticed. Just the same, Miss Arnold filed
"Every pitcher in the league knows his tug to Gilligan. her protest, and despite the soundness of
weakness," one scribe wrote, "and is "Bet your life I will," he answered, cov- her technical argument as to the laxity of
pitching to it with deadly regularity." ering his face with a broad hand to hide the rules, lost
Miss Arnold, reading that in her home smile. "Well fool 'em!" "While there Isn't a rule specifically
the next day. was impressed. Rapidly de- The game was about to begin as Gilli- covering the wearing of whiskers,"
will, as expected, brought numerous offers
of purchase, prospective magnates spring
ing up all over the country. They figured
that the franchise could be bought for
about 1200,000, despite the fact that it had
earned half that much in a single season.
No woman, they reasoned, could or would
attempt to run a ball club, and would veloping in her mind a plan to outwit the g&B took the false whiskers and ran under mitted the president of the league, "we've
rather have the cash. But that is where
Miss Arnold fooled them. The Graylegs,
she announced, were not on the market.
"Yes. I'm going to run this ball club,"
she said to Jack Martin, "and I am going
to retain you as manager."
Jack tried to hide his disappointment
from the pretty young woman. He had
nursed notions of becoming a magnate
oracles of the game, she went to the park the stand. A born funmaker, "Red" was got to be governed by custom. We could
early for a conference with the manager, aching for the chance to "start some- not permit a thing that would reflect upon
On the way out she stopped at a theatrical thing." the dignity of the sport."
wigmaker's shop and purchased a false
mustache, a Van Dyke beard and a wig.
"Mr. Martin," said the young woman
magnate to the manager, "it's about time
Gilligan took a brace."
"Quite true," admitted Martin. "But
The "first Graylegs batter got a base on "All right," Miss Arnold acquiesced,
balls and the next advanced him with a "but If you don't enlarge the rules and
sacrifice. Then a ripple of laughter start- make them plainer, I'll have some other
ed near the Graylegs' bench, and in a mo
ment had spread all through the stands.
By the time Gilligan n eared the plate It
himself. Before the flowers had withered you must remember he has been playing was one vast howL
on Silver King's grave a party of baseball
financiers had offered to give Jack a block
of stock- in a company they were to or
ganize, provided that he could persuade
the lone heir to selL It looked dubioua
"I hofe we make money, of course,'"
Miss Arnold said to the manager after she
ban a long time. All of us slide in time." "Who is the doc?" yelled a fan.
The papers say the pitchers know his Others picked It up.
weakness and are playing on it." "How are you, sawbones?" chirped
"Yes, they always get a fellow's goat boy la the front row.
sooner or later," said Martin. -
Miss Arnold smiled enigmatically .
"Supposing the pitchers didn't recog-
had smothered his delicately put sugges- nize Gilligan when he stepped to the plate
Uons about the sale of the club; "but one what then?" she asked,
object I shall have in. operating this ball Martin scratched his head, perplexed,
club will be to prove some of my pet the- "You got me," he finally conceded. "I
ories about the game. I can sell it at any don't quite get your meaning. How are
time." you going to keep anyone from knowing
Martin looked at the handsomely him. Red' is the best known ball player
gowned young woman inquiringly. in the country."
"Where'd you get old IilacsZT another
demanded of Manager Martin. "He needs
a shave!"
But not a smile broke the placid surface
protests before the season Is over' she
added defiantly.
The newspaper sport writers and para
graph era reveled in the Incident and lt
far-reaching possibilities for fun. Jack
Martin probably was the only man in the
league who did not appreciate the joka,
AH around the circuit the fans addressed
him as "whiskers," and out of town papers
always referred to him as the pettlooAt
manager.
The increase of Jack's grouch furnished
"Do you remember the time Landis, the
catcher of the Seagulls, failed to touch our
player Evans, I believe it was at the
plate, and then chased him to the bench,
touched him, and the umpire called him
"Call- him over here and I'll explain,
said Miss Arnold.
Martin beckoned to Gilligan, who came batter. "Whoever
to the box, smiling broadly and gallantly grow m ?"
doffing his cap.
"Mr. Gilligan," began
Miss Arnold. "I have a di eating that Gilligan
theory which, if it works should stand his ground,
out. will enable you to "Take them off or I'll
hit the ball, today at put you off the field,"
least" '.
"Red's" smile broad
ened into a grin.
"Theoretical hits ddn't
count for much on the
score card, miss." he
said. "But I ain't pass-
of Gilligan's face as he strode to the plate an excellent opportunity for the proposed
and deliberately tapped the end of his bat a took company to further Its plans. The
on the rubber. Over on 'the Graylegs' promoters appealed to Martin frequently.
bench the players were tossing up their "They are making a fool out of you,"
bats and raising a general commotion. one of the baseball financiers suggested at
"Take those curtains off I" demanded a night conference, "and If you don't get
the umpire of Gilligan. "What do you this woman to sell you'll be made a boob
think this is, a burlesque show?" of and lose your grip on the gama"
"They're mine, ain't they?" argued the "She won't sell, and that's all there Is
told you .1 couldn't to it" said Jack, "I'm Just as sore as yoa
ATA. but whllt'a faJInw 4 A k .
From the box Miss Arnold waved her under contract? I can't quit"
hand encouragingly, in-
reiterated the umpire.
"There's no rule forc
ing a ball player ' to
share," was Gilligan's
answer, as he faced the
pitcher.
Before the argument
Ing up any chances to could proceed further the
come back. Tell me the
scheme."
"They-say the pitchers
all know your weak
ness." i
"I guess that's right
agreed Gilligan.
pitcher, hearing no can
of "time," turned loose
the ball. It came over
the plate, squarely in
Gilligan's groove, and
he swung viciously,
driving the ball , into
"Now, Mr. Gilligan, if deep center for two
; " 1
"Mr. President," she said, "your note
would have been unnecessary had yon
read the afternoon papers."