Horseshoes
THE series ended Tuesday, but I had stayed in Philadelphia anextra day on the chance of there being some follow-up stuff worthsending. Nothing had broken loose; so I filed some stuff aboutwhat the Athletics and Giants were going to do with their dough,and then caught the eight o'clock train for Chicago.Having passed up supper in order to get my story away and grabthe train, I went to the buffet car right after I'd planted mygrips. I sat down at one of the tables and ordered a sandwich.Four salesmen were playing rum at the other table and all thechairs in the car were occupied; so it didn't surprise me whensomebody flopped down in the seat opposite me.I looked up from my paper and with a little thrill recognized mycompanion. Now I've been experting round the country with ballplayers so much that it doesn't usually excite me to meet oneface to face, even if he's a star. I can talk with Tyrus withoutgetting all fussed up. But this particular player had jumped fromobscurity to fame so suddenly and had played such an importantthough brief part in the recent argument between the Macks andMcGraws that I couldn't help being a little awed by hisproximity.It was none other than Grimes, the utility outfielder Connie hadbeen forced to use in the last game because of the injury toJoyce--Grimes, whose miraculous catch in the eleventh inning hadrobbed Parker of a home run and the Giants of victory, and whoseown homer--a fluky one--had given the Athletics another World'sChampionship.I had met Grimes one day during the spring he was with the Cubs,but I knew he wouldn't remember me. A ball player never recalls areporter's face on less than six introductions or his name onless than twenty. However, I resolved to speak to him, and hadjust mustered sufficient courage to open a conversation when hesaved me the trouble."Whose picture have they got there?" he asked, pointing to mypaper."Speed Parker's," I replied."What do they say about him? " asked Grimes. "I'll read it toyou," I said:Speed Parker, McGraw's great third baseman, is ill in a localhospital with nervous prostration, the result of the strain ofthe World's Series, in which he played such a stellar rle.Parker is in such a dangerous condition that no one is allowed tosee him. Members of the New York team and fans from Gotham calledat the hospital to-day, but were unable to gain admittance to hisward. Philadelphians hope he will recover speedily and willsuffer no permanent ill effects from his sickness, for he wontheir admiration by his work in the series, though he was on arival team. A lucky catch by Grimes, the Athletics' substituteoutfielder, was all that prevented Parker from winning the titlefor New York. According to Manager Mack, of the champions, theseries would have been over in four games but for Parker'swonderful exhibition of nerve and----""That'll be a plenty," Grimes interrupted. "And that's just whatyou might expect from one o' them doughheaded reporters. If allthe baseball writers was where they belonged they'd have to buildan annex to Matteawan."I kept my temper with very little effort--it takes more than apeevish ball player's remarks to insult one of our fraternity;but I didn't exactly understand his peeve."Doesn't Parker deserve the bouquet?" I asked."Oh, they can boost him all they want to," said Grimes; "but whenthey call that catch lucky and don't mention the fact that Parkeris the luckiest guy in the world, somethin' must be wrong with'em. Did you see the serious?""No," I lied glibly, hoping to draw from him the cause of hisgrouch."Well," he said, "you sure missed somethin'. They never was aserious like it before and they won't never be one again. It wentthe full seven games and every game was a bear. They was one biginnin' every day and Parker was the big cheese in it. Just asConnie says, the Ath-a-letics would of cleaned 'em in four gamesbut for Parker; but it wasn't because he's a great ballplayer--it was because he was born with a knife, fork and spoonin his mouth, and a rabbit's foot hung round his neck."You may not know it, but I'm Grimes, the guy that made the luckycatch. I'm the guy that won the serious with a hit--a home-runhit; and I'm here to tell you that if I'd had one-tenth o'Parker's luck they'd of heard about me long before yesterday.They say my homer was lucky. Maybe it was; but, believe me, itwas time things broke for me. They been breakin' for him all hislife.""Well," I said, "his luck must have gone back on him if he's in ahospital with nervous prostration.""Nervous prostration nothin'," said Grimes. "He's in a hospitalbecause his face is all out o' shape and he's ashamed to appearon the street. I don't usually do so much talkin' and I'm ravin'a little to-night because I've had a couple o' drinks; but----""Have another," said I, ringing for the waiter, "and talk somemore.""I made two hits yesterday," Grimes went on, "but the crowd onlyseen one. I busted up the game and the serious with the one theyseen. The one they didn't see was the one I busted up a guy's mapwith--and Speed Parker was the guy. That's why he's in ahospital. He may be able to play ball next year; but I'll bet myshare o' the dough that McGraw won't reco'nize him when he showsup at Marlin in the spring.""When did this come off?" I asked. "And why?""It come off outside the clubhouse after yesterday's battle," hesaid; " and I hit him because he called me a name--a name I won'tstand for from him.""What did he call you?" I queried, expecting to hear one of thedelicate epithets usually applied by conquered to conqueror onthe diamond."'Horseshoes!'" was Grimes' amazing reply."But, good Lord!" I remonstrated, "I've heard of ball playerscalling each other that, and Lucky Stiff, and Fourleaf Clover,ever since I was a foot high, and I never knew them to startfights about it.""Well," said Grimes, "I might as well give you all the dope; andthen if you don't think I was justified I'll pay your fare fromhere to wherever you're goin'. I don't want you to think I'mkickin' about trifles--or that I'm kickin' at all, for thatmatter. I just want to prove to you that he didn't have nolicense to pull that Horseshoes stuff on me and that I only givehim what was comin' to him.""Go ahead and shoot," said I."Give us some more o' the same," said Grimes to the passingwaiter. And then he told me about it.Maybe you've heard that me and Speed Parker was raised in thesame town--Ishpeming, Michigan. We was kids together, and thoughhe done all the devilment I got all the lickin's. When we wasabout twelve years old Speed throwed a rotten egg at the teacherand I got expelled. That made me sick o' schools and I wouldn'tnever go to one again, though my ol' man beat me up and thetruant officers threatened to have me hung.Well, while Speed was learnin' what was the principal products o'New Hampshire and Texas I was workin' round the freight-house anddrivin' a dray.We'd both been playin' ball all our lives; and when the townorganized a semi-pro club we got jobs with it. We was to draw twobucks apiece for each game and they played every Sunday. Weplayed four games before we got our first pay. They was a hole inmy pants pocket as big as the home plate, but I forgot about itand put the dough in there. It wasn't there when I got home.Speed didn't have no hole in his pocket--you can bet on that!Afterward the club hired a good outfielder and I was canned. Theywas huntin' for another third baseman too; but, o' course, theydidn't find none and Speed held his job.The next year they started the Northern Peninsula League. Welanded with the home team. The league opened in May and blowed upthe third week in June. They paid off all the outsiders first andthen had just money enough left to settle with one of us twoIshpeming guys. The night they done the payin' I was out to myuncle's farm, so they settled with Speed and told me I'd have towait for mine. I'm still waitin'!Gene Higgins, who was manager o' the Battle Creek Club, lived inHoughton, and that winter we goes over and strikes him for a job.He give it to us and we busted in together two years ago lastspring.I had a good year down there. I hit over .300 and stole all thebases in sight. Speed got along good too, and they was severalbig-league scouts lookin' us over. The Chicago Cubs bought Speedoutright and four clubs put in a draft for me. Three of'em--Cleveland and the New York Giants and the BostonNationals--needed outfielders bad, and it would of been a pipefor me to of made good with any of 'em. But who do you think gotme? The same Chicago Cubs; and the only outfielders they had atthat time was Schulte and Leach and Good and Williams andStewart, and one or two others.Well, I didn't figure I was any worse off than Speed. The Cubshad Zimmerman at third base and it didn't look like they was anydanger of a busher beatin' him out; but Zimmerman goes and breakshis leg the second day o' the season--that's a year ago lastApril--and Speed jumps right in as a regular. Do you thinkanything like that could happen to Schulte or Leach, or any o'them outfielders? No, sir! I wore out my uniform slidin' up anddown the bench and wonderin' whether they'd ship me to Fort Worthor Siberia.Now I want to tell you about the miserable luck Speed had rightoff the reel. We was playin' at St. Louis. They had a one-runlead in the eighth, when their pitcher walked Speed with one out.Saier hits a high fly to centre and Parker starts with the cracko' the bat. Both coachers was yellin' at him to go back, but hethought they was two out and he was clear round to third basewhen the ball come down. And Oakes muffs it! O' course he scoredand the game was tied up.Parker come in to the bench like he'd did something wonderful."Did you think they was two out?" ast Hank."No," says Speed, blushin'."Then what did you run for?" says Hank."I had a hunch he was goin' to drop the ball," says Speed; andHank pretty near falls off the bench.The next day he come up with one out and the sacks full, and thescore tied in the sixth. He smashes one on the ground straight atHauser and it looked like a cinch double play; but just as Hauserwas goin' to grab it the ball hit a rough spot and hopped a mileover his head. It got between Oakes and Magee and went clear tothe fence. Three guys scored and Speed pulled up at third. Thepapers come out and said the game was won by a three-bagger fromthe bat o' Parker, the Cubs' sensational kid third baseman. Gosh!We go home to Chi and are havin' a hot battle with Pittsburgh.This time Speed's turn come when they was two on and two out, andPittsburgh a run to the good--I think it was the eighth innin'.Cooper gives him a fast one and he hits it straight up in theair. O' course the runners started goin', but it looked hopelessbecause they wasn't no wind or high sky to bother anybody. Mowreyand Gibson both goes after the ball; and just as Mowrey was setfor the catch Gibson bumps into him and they both fall down. Tworuns scored and Speed got to second. Then what does he do but tryto steal third--with two out too! And Gibson's peg pretty nearhits the left field seats on the fly.When Speed comes to the bench Hank says:"If I was you I'd quit playin' ball and go to Monte Carlo.""What for?" says Speed."You're so dam' lucky!" says Hank."So is Ty Cobb," says Speed. That's how he hated himself!First trip to Cincy we run into a couple of old Ishpeming boys.They took us out one night, and about twelve o'clock I said we'dhave to go back to the hotel or we'd get fined. Speed said I hadcold feet and he stuck with the boys. I went back alone and Hankcaught me comin' in and put a fifty-dollar plaster on me. Speedstayed out all night long and Hank never knowed it. I says tomyself: "Wait till he gets out there and tries to play ballwithout no sleep!" But the game that day was called off onaccount o' rain. Can you beat it?I remember what he got away with the next afternoon the same asthough it happened yesterday. In the second innin' they walkedhim with nobody down, and he took a big lead off first base likehe always does. Benton throwed over there three or four times toscare him back, and the last time he throwed, Hobby hid the ball.The coacher seen it and told Speed to hold the bag; but he didn'tpay no attention. He started leadin' right off again and Hobbytried to tag him, but the ball slipped out of his hand and rolledabout a yard away. Parker had plenty o' time to get back; but,instead o' that, he starts for second. Hobby picked up the balland shot it down to Groh--and Groh made a square muff.Parker slides into the bag safe and then gets up and throws outhis chest like he'd made the greatest play ever. When the ball'sthrowed back to Benton, Speed leads off about thirty foot andstands there in a trance. Clarke signs for a pitch-out and pegsdown to second to nip him. He was caught flatfooted--that is, hewould of been with a decent throw; but Clarke's peg went prettynear to Latonia. Speed scored and strutted over to receive ourhearty congratulations. Some o' the boys was laughin' and hethought they was laughin' with him instead of at him.It was in the ninth, though, that he got by with one o' the worstI ever seen. The Reds was a run behind and Marsans was on thirdbase with two out. Hobby, I think it was, hit one on the groundright at Speed and he picked it up clean. The crowd all got upand started for the exits. Marsans run toward the plate in thefaint hope that the peg to first would be wild. All of a suddenthe boys on the Cincy bench begun yellin' at him to slide, and hedone so. He was way past the plate when Speed's throw got toArcher. The bonehead had shot the ball home instead o' to firstbase, thinkin' they was only one down. We was all crazy,believin' his nut play had let 'em tie it up; but he comestearin' in, tellin' Archer to tag Marsans. So Jim walks over andtags the Cuban, who was brushin' off his uniform."You're out!"says Klem. "You never touched the plate."I guess Marsans knowed the umps was right because he didn't makemuch of a holler. But Speed sure got a pannin' in the club-house."I suppose you knowed he was goin' to miss the plate!" says Hanksarcastic as he could.Everybody on the club roasted him, but it didn't do no good.Well, you know what happened to me. I only got into one game withthe Cubs--one afternoon when Leach was sick. We was playin' theBoston bunch and Tyler was workin' against us. I always hadtrouble with lefthanders and this was one of his good days. Icouldn't see what he throwed up there. I got one foul durin' theafternoon's entertainment; and the wind was blowin' ahundred-mile gale, so that the best outfielder in the worldcouldn't judge a fly ball. That Boston bunch must of hit fifty of'em and they all come to my field.If I caught any I've forgot about it. Couple o' days after that Igot notice o' my release to Indianapolis.Parker kept right on all season doin' the blamnedest things youever heard of and gettin' by with 'em. One o' the boys told meabout it later. If they was playin' a double-header in St. Louis,with the thermometer at 130 degrees, he'd get put out by the umpsin the first innin' o' the first game. If he started to steal thecatcher'd drop the pitch or somebody'd muff the throw. If he hita pop fly the sun'd get in somebody's eyes. If he took a swellthird strike with the bases full the umps would call it a ball.If he cut first base by twenty feet the umps would be readin' themornin' paper.Zimmerman's leg mended, so that he was all right by June; andthen Saier got sick and they tried Speed at first base. He'dnever saw the bag before; but things kept on breakin' for him andhe played it like a house afire. The Cubs copped the pennant andSpeed got in on the big dough, besides playin' a whale of a gamethrough the whole serious.Speed and me both went back to Ishpeming to spend thewinter--though the Lord knows it ain't no winter resort. Ourhomes was there; and besides, in my case, they was a certain girllivin' in the old burg.Parker, o' course, was the hero and the swell guy when we gothome. He'd been in the World's Serious and had plenty o' dough inhis kick. I come home with nothin' but my suitcase and ahard-luck story, which I kept to myself. I hadn't even went goodenough in Indianapolis to be sure of a job there again.That fall--last fall--an uncle o' Speed's died over in the Sooand left him ten thousand bucks. I had an uncle down in the LowerPeninsula who was worth five times that much--but he had goodhealth!This girl I spoke about was the prettiest thing I ever see. I'dwent with her in the old days, and when I blew back I found shewas still strong for me. They wasn't a great deal o' variety inIshpeming for a girl to pick from. Her and I went to the danceevery Saturday night and to church Sunday nights. I called on herWednesday evenin's, besides takin' her to all the shows that comealong--rotten as the most o' them was.I never knowed Speed was makin' a play for this doll till alonglast Feb'uary. The minute I seen what was up I got busy. I tookher out sleigh-ridin' and kept her out in the cold till she'dpromised to marry me. We set the date for this fall--I figuredI'd know better where I was at by that time.Well, we didn't make no secret o' bein' engaged; down in thepoolroom one night Speed come up and congratulated me. He says:"You got a swell girl, Dick! I wouldn't mind bein' in your place.You're mighty lucky to cop her out--you old Horseshoes, you!""Horseshoes!" I says. "You got a fine license to call anybodyHorseshoes! I suppose you ain't never had no luck?""Not like you," he says.I was feelin' too good about grabbin' the girl to get sore at thetime; but when I got to thinkin' about it a few minutes afterwardit made me mad clear through. What right did that bird have totalk about me bein' lucky?Speed was playin' freeze-out at a table near the door, and when Istarted home some o' the boys with him says:"Good night, Dick."I said good night and then Speed looked up."Good night, Horseshoes!"he says.That got my nanny this time."Shut up, you lucky stiff!" I says. "If you wasn't so dam' luckyyou'd be sweepin' the streets." Then I walks on out.I was too busy with the girl to see much o' Speed after that. Heleft home about the middle o' the month to go to Tampa with theCubs. I got notice from Indianapolis that I was sold toBaltimore. I didn't care much about goin' there and I wasn'tanxious to leave home under the circumstances, so I didn't reporttill late.When I read in the papers along in April that Speed had beentraded to Boston for a couple o' pitchers I thought: "Gee! Hemust of lost his rabbit's foot!" Because, even if the Cubs didn'tcop again, they'd have a city serious with the White Sox and geta bunch o' dough that way. And they wasn't no chance in the worldfor the Boston Club to get nothin' but their salaries.It wasn't another month, though, till Shafer, o' the Giants, quitbaseball and McGraw was up against it for a third baseman. Nextthing I knowed Speed was traded to New York and was with anotherwinner--for they never was out o' first place all season.I was gettin' along all right at Baltimore and Dunnie liked me;so I felt like I had somethin' more than just a one-yearjob--somethin' I could get married on. It was all framed that theweddin' was comin' off as soon as this season was over; so youcan believe I was pullin' for October to hurry up and come.One day in August, two months ago, Dunnie come in the club-houseand handed me the news."Rube Oldring's busted his leg," he says, "and he's out for therest o' the season. Connie's got a youngster named Joyce that hecan stick in there, but he's got to have an extra outfielder.He's made me a good proposition for you and I'm goin' to let yougo. It'll be pretty soft for yQu, because they got the pennantcinched and they'll cut you in on the big money.""Yes," I says; "and when they're through with me they'll ship meto Hellangone, and I'll be draggin' down about seventy-five bucksa month next year.""Nothin' like that," says Dunnie. "If he don't want you nextseason he's got to ask for waivers; and if you get out o' the bigleague you come right back here. That's all framed."So that's how I come to get with the Ath-a-letics. Connie give mea nice, comf'table seat in one corner o' the bench and I had thepleasure o' watchin' a real ball club perform once everyafternoon and sometimes twice.Connie told me that as soon as they had the flag cinched he wasgoin' to lay off some o' his regulars and I'd get a chance toplay.Well, they cinched it the fourth day o' September and our nextengagement was with Washin'ton on Labor Day. We had two games andI was in both of 'em. And I broke in with my usual lovely luck,because the pitchers I was ast to face was Boehling, a nastylefthander, and this guy Johnson.The mornin' game was Boebling's and he wasn't no worse than someo' the rest of his kind. I only whiffed once and would of had atriple if Milan hadn't run from here to New Orleans and stole oneoff me.I'm not boastin' about my first experience with Johnson though.They can't never tell me he throws them balls with his arm. He'sgot a gun concealed about his person and he shoots 'em up there.I was leadin' off in Murphy's place and the game was a littledelayed in startin', because I'd watched the big guy warm up andwasn't in no hurry to get to that plate. Before I left the benchConnie says:Don't try to take no healthy swing. Just meet 'em and you'll geta long better."So I tried to just meet the first one he throwed; but when Istuck out my bat Henry was throwin' the pill back to Johnson.Then I thought Maybe if I start swingin' now at the second oneI'll hit the third one. So I let the second one come over and theumps guessed it was another strike, though I'll bet a thousandbucks he couldn't see it no more'n I could.While Johnson was still windin' up to pitch again I started toswing--and the big cuss crosses me with a slow one. I lunged atit twice and missed it both times, and the force o' my wallopthrowed me clean back to the bench. The Ath-a-letics was alllaughin' at me and I laughed too, because I was glad that much ofit was over.McInnes gets a base hit off him in the second innin' and I asthim how he done it."He's a friend o' mine," says Jack, "and he lets up when hepitches to me."I made up my mind right there that if I was goin' to be in theleague next year I'd go out and visit Johnson this winter and getacquainted.I wished before the day was over that I was hittin' in thecatcher's place, because the fellers down near the tail-end ofthe battin' order only had to face him three times. He fanned meon three pitched balls again in the third, and when I come up inthe sixth he scared me to death by pretty near beanin' me withthe first one."Be careful!" says Henry. "He's gettin' pretty wild and he'sliable to knock you away from your uniform.""Don't he never curve one?"I ast."Sure!" says Henry. "Do you want to see his curve?""Yes," I says, knowin' the hook couldn't be no worse'n the fastone.So he give me three hooks in succession and I missed 'em all; butI felt more comf'table than when I was duckin' his fast ball. Inthe ninth he hit my bat with a curve and the ball went on theground to McBride. He booted it, but throwed me out easy--becauseI was so surprised at not havin' whiffed that I forgot to run!Well, I went along like that for the rest o' the season, runnin'up against the best pitchers in the league and not exactlymurderin' 'em. Everything I tried went wrong, and I was smartenough to know that if anything had depended on the games Iwouldn't of been in there for two minutes. Joyce and Strunk andMurphy wasn't jealous o' me a bit; but they was glad to taketurns restin', and I didn't care much how I went so long as I wassure of a job next year.I'd wrote to the girl a couple o' times askin' her to set theexact date for our weddin'; but she hadn't paid no attention. Shesaid she was glad I was with the Ath-a-letics, but she thoughtthe Giants was goin' to beat us. I might of suspected from thatthat somethin' was wrong, because not even a girl would pick theGiants to trim that bunch of ourn. Finally, the day before theserious started, I sent her a kind o' sassy letter sayin' Iguessed it was up to me to name the day, and askin' whetherOctober twentieth was all right. I told her to wire me yes or no.I'd been readin' the dope about Speed all season, and I knowedhe'd had a whale of a year and that his luck was right with him;but I never dreamed a man could have the Lord on his side asstrong as Speed did in that World's Serious! I might as well tellyou all the dope, so long as you wasn't there.The first game was on our grounds and Connie give us a talkin' toin the clubhouse beforehand."The shorter this serious is," he says, "the better for us. Ifit's a long serious we're goin' to have trouble, because McGraw'sgot five pitchers he can work and we've got about three; so Iwant you boys to go at 'em from the jump and play 'em off theirfeet. Don't take things easy, because it ain't goin' to be nosnap. Just because we've licked 'em before ain't no sign we'll doit this time."Then he calls me to one side and ast me what I knowed aboutParker."You was with the Cubs when he was, wasn't you?" he says."Yes," I says; "and he's the luckiest stiff you ever seen! If hegot stewed and fell in the gutter he'd catch a fish.""I don't like to hear a good ball player called lucky," saysConnie. "He must have a lot of ability or McGraw wouldn't use himregular. And he's been hittin' about .340 and played a hang-upgame at third base. That can't be all luck.""Wait till you see him," I says; "and if you don't say he's theluckiest guy in the world you can sell me to the Boston BloomerGirls. He's so lucky," I says, "that if they traded him to theSt. Louis Browns they'd have the pennant cinched by the Fourth o'July."And I'll bet Connie was willin' to agree with me before it wasover.Well, the Chief worked against the Big Rube in that game. We beat'em, but they give us a battle and it was Parker that made itclose. We'd gone along nothin' and nothin' till the seventh, andthen Rube walks Collins and Baker lifts one over that little oldwall. You'd think by this time them New York pitchers would knowbetter than to give that guy anything he can hit.In their part o' the ninth the Chief still had 'em shut out andtwo down, and the crowd was goin' home; but Doyle gets hit in thesleeve with a pitched ball and it's Speed's turn. He hits a foulpretty near straight up, but Schang misjudges it. Then he liftsanother one and this time McInnes drops it. He'd ought to of beenout twice. The Chief tries to make him hit at a bad one then,because he'd got him two strikes and nothin'. He hit at it allright--kissed it for three bases between Strunk and Joyce! And itwas a wild pitch that he hit. Doyle scores, o' course, and thebugs suddenly decide not to go home just yet. I fully expected tosee him steal home and get away with it, but Murray cut into thefirst ball and lined out to Barry.Plank beat Matty two to one the next day in New York, and againSpeed and his rabbit's foot give us an awful argument. Mattywasn't so good as usual and we really ought to of beat him bad.Two different times Strunk was on second waitin' for any kind o'wallop, and both times Barry cracked 'em down the third-base linelike a shot. Speed stopped the first one with his stomach andextricated the pill just in time to nail Barry at first base andretire the side. The next time he throwed his glove in front ofhis face in self-defense and the ball stuck in it.In the sixth innin' Schang was on third base and Plank on first,and two down, and Murphy combed an awful one to Speed's left. Hedidn't have time to stoop over and he just stuck out his foot.The ball hit it and caromed in two hops right into Doyle's handson second base before Plank got there. Then in the seventh Speedbunts one and Baker trips and falls goin' after it or he'd ofthrew him out a mile. They was two gone; so Speed steals second,and, o' course, Schang has to make a bad peg right at that timeand lets him go to third. Then Collins boots one on Murray andthey've got a run. But it didn't do 'em no good, because Collinsand Baker and McInnes come up in the ninth and walloped 'em whereParker couldn't reach 'em.Comin' back to Philly on the train that night, I says to Connie:"What do you think o' that Parker bird now?""He's lucky, all right," says Connie smilin'; "but we won't holdit against him if he don't beat us with it.""It ain't too late," I says. "He ain't pulled his real stuffyet."The whole bunch was talkin' about him and his luck, and sayin' itwas about time for things to break against him. I warned 'em thatthey wasn't no chance--that it was permanent with him.Bush and Tesreau hooked up next day and neither o' them had muchstuff. Everybody was hittin' and it looked like anybody's gameright up to the ninth. Speed had got on every time he comeup--the wind blowin' his fly balls away from the outfielders andthe infielders bootin' when he hit 'em on the ground.When the ninth started the score was seven apiece. Connie andMcGraw both had their whole pitchin' staffs warmin' up. The crowdwas wild, because they'd been all kinds of action. They wasn't nodanger of anybody's leavin' their seats before this game wasover.Well, Bescher is walked to start with and Connie's about ready togive Bush one hook; but Doyle pops out tryin' to bunt. Then Speedgets two strikes and two balls, and it looked to me like the nextone was right over the heart; but Connolly calls it a ball andgives him another chance. He whales the groove ball to the fencein left center and gets round to third on it, while Bescherscores. Right then Bush comes out and the Chief goes in. Hewhiffs Murray and has two strikes on Merkle when Speed makes abreak for home--and, o' course, that was the one ball Schangdropped in the whole serious!They had a two-run lead on us then and it looked like a cinch forthem to hold it, because the minute Tesreau showed a sign o'weakenin' McGraw was sure to holler for Matty or the Rube. Butyou know how quick that bunch of ourn can make a two-run leadlook sick. Before McGraw could get Jeff out o' there we had twoon the bases.Then Rube comes in and fills 'em up by walkin' Joyce. It wasEddie's turn to wallop and if he didn't do nothin' we had Bakercomin' up next. This time Collins saved Baker the trouble andwhanged one clear to the woods. Everybody scored but him--and hecould of, too, if it'd been necessary.In the clubhouse the boys naturally felt pretty good. We'd coppedthree in a row and it looked like we'd make it four straight,because we had the Chief to send back at 'em the followin' day."Your friend Parker is lucky," the boys says to me, "but it don'tlook like he could stop us now."I felt the same way and was consultin' the time-tables to seewhether I could get a train out o' New York for the West nextevenin'. But do you think Speed's luck was ready to quit? Notyet! And it's a wonder we didn't all go nuts durin' the next fewdays. If words could kill, Speed would of died a thousand times.And I wish he had!They wasn't no record-breakin' crowd out when we got to the PoloGrounds. I guess the New York bugs was pretty well discouragedand the bettin' was eight to five that we'd cop that battle andfinish it. The Chief was the only guy that warmed up for us andMcGraw didn't have no choice but to use Matty, with the wholething dependin' on this game.They went along like the two swell pitchers they was till Speed'sinnin', which in this battle was the eighth. Nobody scored, andit didn't look like they was ever goin' to till Murphy starts offthat round with a perfect bunt and Joyce sacrifices him tosecond. All Matty had to do then was to get rid o' Collins andBaker--and that's about as easy as sellin' silk socks to anEskimo.He didn't give Eddie nothin' he wanted to hit, though; andfinally he slaps one on the ground to Doyle. Larry made the playto first base and Murphy moved to third. We all figured Matty'dwalk Baker then, and he done it. Connie sends Baker down tosecond on the first pitch to McInnes, but Meyers don't pay noattention to him--they was playin' for McInnes and wasn't takin'no chances o' throwin' the ball away.Well, the count goes to three and two on McInnes and Matty comeswith a curve--he's got some curve too; but Jack happened to meetit and--Blooie! Down the left foul line where he always hits! Inever seen a ball hit so hard in my life. No infielder in theworld could of stopped it. But I'll give you a thousand bucks ifthat ball didn't go kerplunk right into the third bag and stop asdead as George Washington! It was child's play for Speed to pickit up and heave it over to Merkle before Jack got there. Ifanybody else had been playin' third base the bag would of duckedout o' the way o' that wallop; but even the bases themselves washelpin' him out.The two runs we ought to of had on Jack's smash would of beenjust enough to beat 'em, because they got the only run o' thegame in their half--or, I should say, the Lord give it to 'em.Doyle'd been throwed out and up come Parker, smilin'. The minuteI seen him smile I felt like somethin' was comin' off and I madethe remark on the bench.Well, the Chief pitched one right at him and he tried to duck.The ball hit his bat and went on a line between Jack and Eddie.Speed didn't know he'd hit it till the guys on the bench wisedhim up. Then he just had time to get to first base. They triedthe hit-and-run on the second ball and Murray lifts a high flythat Murphy didn't have to move for. Collins pulled the old bluffabout the ball bein' on the ground and Barry yells, "Go on! Goon!" like he was the coacher. Speed fell for it and didn't knowwhere the ball was no more'n a rabbit; he just run his fool headoff and we was gettin' all ready to laugh when the ball come downand Murphy dropped it!If Parker had stuck near first base, like he ought to of done, hecouldn't of got no farther'n second; but with the start he got hewas pretty near third when Murphy made the muff, and it was acinch for him to score. The next two guys was easy outs; so theywouldn't of had a run except for Speed's boner. We couldn't donothin' in the ninth and we was licked.Well, that was a tough one to lose; but we figured that Matty wasthrough and we'd wind it up the next day, as we had Plank readyto send back at 'em. We wasn't afraid o' the Rube, because hehadn't never bothered Collins and Baker much.The two lefthanders come together just like everybody'd doped itand it was about even up to the eighth. Plank had been goin'great and, though the score was two and two, they'd got their twoon boots and we'd hit ourn in. We went after Rube in our part o'the eighth and knocked him out. Demaree stopped us after we'dscored two more."It's all over but the shoutin'!" says Davis on the bench."Yes," I says, "unless that seventh son of a seventh son gets upthere again."He did, and he come up after they'd filled the bases with a boot,a base hit and a walk with two out. I says to Davis:"If I was Plank I'd pass him and give 'em one run.""That wouldn't be no baseball," says Davis--"not with Murraycomin' up."Well, it mayn't of been no baseball, but it couldn't of turnedout worse if they'd did it that way. Speed took a healthy at thefirst ball; but it was a hook and he caught it on the handle,right up near his hands. It started outside the first-base linelike a foul and then changed its mind and rolled in. Schang runaway from the plate, because it looked like it was up to him tomake the play. He picked the ball up and had to make the peg in ahurry.His throw hit Speed right on top o' the head and bounded off likeit had struck a cement sidewalk. It went clear over to the seatsand before McInnes could get it three guys had scored and Speedwas on third base. He was left there, but that didn't make nodifference. We was licked again and for the first time the gangreally begun to get scared.We went over to New York Sunday afternoon and we didn't do nosingin' on the way. Some o' the fellers tried to laugh, but ithurt 'em. Connie sent us to bed early, but I don't believe noneo' the bunch got much sleep--I know I didn't; I was worryin' toomuch about the serious and also about the girl, who hadn't sentme no telegram like I'd ast her to. Monday mornin' I wired heraskin' what was the matter and tellin' her I was gettin' tired ofher foolishness. O' course I didn't make it so strong asthat--but the telegram cost me a dollar and forty cents.Connie had the choice o' two pitchers for the sixth game. Hecould use Bush, who'd been slammed round pretty hard last timeout, or the Chief, who'd only had two days' rest. The rest of'em--outside o' Plank--had a epidemic o' sore arms. Conniefinally picked Bush, so's he could have the Chief in reserve incase we had to play a seventh game. McGraw started Big Jeff andwe went at it.It wasn't like the last time these two guys had hooked up. Thistime they both had somethin', and for eight innin's runs was asscarce as Chinese policemen. They'd been chances to score on bothsides, but the big guy and Bush was both tight in the pinches.The crowd was plumb nuts and yelled like Indians every time a flyball was caught or a strike called. They'd of got their money'sworth if they hadn't been no ninth; but, believe me, that wassome round!They was one out when Barry hit one through the box for a base.Schang walked, and it was Bush's turn. Connie told him to bunt,but he whiffed in the attempt. Then Murphy comes up andwalks--and the bases are choked. Young Joyce had been pie forTesreau all day or else McGraw might of changed pitchers rightthere. Anyway he left Big Jeff in and he beaned Joyce with a fastone. It sounded like a tire blowin' out. Joyce falls over in aheap and we chase out there, thinkin' he's dead; but he ain't,and pretty soon he gets up and walks down to first base. Tesreauhad forced in a run and again we begun to count the winner's end.Matty comes in to prevent further damage and Collins flies theside out."Hold 'em now! Work hard!" we says to young Bush, and he walksout there just as cool as though he was goin' to hit fungoes.McGraw sends up a pinch hitter for Matty and Bush whiffed him.Then Bescher flied out. I was prayin' that Doyle would end it,because Speed's turn come after his'n; so I pretty near fell deadwhen Larry hit safe.Speed had his old smile and even more chest than usual when hecome up there, swingin' five or six bats. He didn't wait forDoyle to try and steal, or nothin'. He lit into the first ball,though Bush was tryin' to waste it. I seen the ball go high inthe air toward left field, and then I picked up my glove and gotready to beat it for the gate. But when I looked out to see ifJoyce was set, what do you think I seen? He was lyin' flat on theground! That blow on the head had got him just as Bush waspitchin' to Speed. He'd flopped over and didn't no more know whatwas goin' on than if he'd croaked.Well, everybody else seen it at the same time; but it was toolate. Strunk made a run for the ball, but they wasn't no chancefor him to get near it. It hit the ground about ten feet back o'where Joyce was lyin' and bounded way over to the end o' the foulline. You don't have to be told that Doyle and Parker both scoredand the serious was tied up.We carried Joyce to the clubhouse and after a while he come to.He cried when he found out what had happened. We cheered him upall we could, but he was a pretty sick guy. The trainer said he'dbe all right, though, for the final game.They tossed up a coin to see where they'd play the seventh battleand our club won the toss; so we went back to Philly that nightand cussed Parker clear across New Jersey. I was so sore I kickedthe stuffin' out o' my seat.You probably heard about the excitement in the burg yesterdaymornin'. The demand for tickets was somethin' fierce and some of'em sold for as high as twenty-five bucks apiece. Our club hadn'tbeen lookin' for no seventh game and they was some tall hustlin'done round that old ball park.I started out to the grounds early and bought some New Yorkpapers to read on the car. They was a big story that SpeedParker, the Giants' hero, was goin' to be married a week afterthe end o' the serious. It didn't give the name o' the girl,sayin' Speed had refused to tell it. I figured she must be somedame he'd met round the circuit somewheres.They was another story by one o' them smart baseball reporterssayin' that Parker, on his way up to the plate, had saw thatJoyce was about ready to faint and had hit the fly ball to leftfield on purpose. Can you beat it?I was goin' to show that to the boys in the clubhouse, but theminute I blowed in there I got some news that made me forgetabout everything else. Joyce was very sick and they'd took him toa hospital. It was up to me to play!Connie come over and ast me whether I'd ever hit against Matty. Itold him I hadn't, but I'd saw enough of him to know he wasn't noworse'n Johnson. He told me he was goin' to let me hit second--inJoyce's place--because he didn't want to bust up the rest of hiscombination. He also told me to take my orders from Strunk aboutwhere to play for the batters."Where shall I play for Parker?" I says, tryin' to joke andpretend I wasn't scared to death."I wisht I could tell you," says Connie. "I guess the only thingto do when he comes up is to get down on your knees and pray."The rest o' the bunch slapped me on the back and give me all theencouragement they could. The place was jammed when we went outon the field. They may of been bigger crowds before, but theynever was packed together so tight. I doubt whether they was evenroom enough left for Falkenberg to sit down.The afternoon papers had printed the stuff about Joyce bein' outof it, so the bugs was wise that I was goin' to play. Theywatched me pretty close in battin' practice and give me a handwhenever I managed to hit one hard. When I was out catchin'fungoes the guys in the bleachers cheered me and told me they waswith me; but I don't mind tellin' you that I was as nervous as abride.They wasn't no need for the announcers to tip the crowd off tothe pitchers. Everybody in the United States and Cuba knowed thatthe Chief'd work for us and Matty for them. The Chief didn't haveno trouble with 'em in the first innin'. Even from where I stoodI could see that he had a lot o' stuff. Bescher and Doyle poppedout and Speed whiffed.Well, I started out makin' good, with reverse English, in ourpart. Fletcher booted Murphy's ground ball and I was sent up tosacrifice. I done a complete job of it--sacrificin' not onlymyself but Murphy with a pop fly that Matty didn't have to movefor. That spoiled whatever chance we had o' gettin' the jump on'em; but the boys didn't bawl me for it."That's all right, old boy. You're all right! " they said on thebench--if they'd had a gun they'd of shot me.I didn't drop no fly balls in the first six innin's--because nonewas hit out my way. The Chief was so good that they wasn'thittin' nothin' out o' the infield. And we wasn't doin' nothin'with Matty, either. I led off in the fourth and fouled the firstone. I didn't molest the other two. But if Connie and the gangtalked about me they done it internally. I come up again--withMurphy on third base and two gone in the sixth, and done mylittle whiffin' specialty. And still the only people that pannedme was the thirty thousand that had paid for the privilege!My first fieldin' chance come in the seventh. You'd of thoughtthat I'd of had my nerve back by that time; but I was just asscared as though I'd never saw a crowd before. It was just aswell that they was two out when Merkle hit one to me. I staggeredunder it and finally it hit me on the shoulder. Merkle got tosecond, but the Chief whiffed the next guy. I was gave some crosslooks on the bench and I shouldn't of blamed the fellers ifthey'd cut loose with some language; but they didn't.They's no use in me tellin' you about none o' the rest ofit--except what happened just before the start o' the eleventhand durin' that innin', which was sure the big one o' yesterday'spastime--both for Speed and yours sincerely.The scoreboard was still a row o' ciphers and Speed'd had only afair amount o' luck. He'd made a scratch base hit and robbed ourbunch of a couple o' real ones with impossible stops.When Schang flied out and wound up our tenth I was leanin'against the end of our bench. I heard my name spoke, and I turnedround and seen a boy at the door."Right here!" I says; and he give me a telegram."Better not open it till after the game," says Connie."Oh, no; it ain't no bad news," I said, for I figured it was ananswer from the girl. So I opened it up and read it on the way tomy position. It said:"Forgive me, Dick--and forgive Speed too. Letter follows."Well, sir, I ain't no baby, but for a minute I just wanted to sitdown and bawl. And then, all of a sudden, I got so mad I couldn'tsee. I run right into Baker as he was pickin' up his glove. ThenI give him a shove and called him some name, and him and Barryboth looked at me like I was crazy--and I was. When I got out inleft field I stepped on my own foot and spiked it. I just had tohurt somebody.As I remember it the Chief fanned the first two of 'em. ThenDoyle catches one just right and lams it up against the fenceback o' Murphy. The ball caromed round some and Doyle got all theway to third base. Next thing I seen was Speed struttin' up tothe plate. I run clear in from my position."Kill him!" I says to the Chief. "Hit him in the head and killhim, and I'll go to jail for it!""Are you off your nut?" says the Chief. "Go out there and playball--and quit ravin'."Barry and Baker led me away and give me a shove out toward left.Then I heard the crack o' the bat and I seen the ball comin' amile a minute. It was headed between Strunk and I and looked likeit would go out o' the park. I don't remember runnin' or nothin'about it till I run into the concrete wall head first. They toldme afterward and all the papers said that it was the greatestcatch ever seen. And I never knowed I'd caught the ball!Some o' the managers have said my head was pretty hard, but itwasn't as hard as that concrete. I was pretty near out, but theytell me I walked to the bench like I wasn't hurt at all. Theyalso tell me that the crowd was a bunch o' ravin' maniacs and wasthrowin' money at me. I guess the ground-keeper'll get it.The boys on the bench was all talkin' at once and slappin' me onthe back, but I didn't know what it was about. Somebody told mepretty soon that it was my turn to hit and I picked up the firstbat I come to and starts for the plate. McInnes come runnin'after me and ast me whether I didn't want my own bat. I cussedhim and told him to mind his own business.I didn't know it at the time, but I found out afterward that theywas two out. The bases was empty. I'll tell you just what I hadin my mind: I wasn't thinkin' about the ball game; I wasdetermined that I was goin' to get to third base and give thatguy my spikes. If I didn't hit one worth three bases, or if Ididn't hit one at all, I was goin' to run till I got round towhere Speed was, and then slide into him and cut him to pieces!Right now I can't tell you whether I hit a fast ball, or a slowball, or a hook, or a fader--but I hit somethin'. It went overBescher's head like a shot and then took a crazy bound. It mustof struck a rock or a pop bottle, because it hopped clear overthe fence and landed in the bleachers.Mind you, I learned this afterward. At the time I just knowed I'dhit one somewheres and I starts round the bases. I speeded upwhen I got near third and took a runnin' jump at a guy I thoughtwas Parker. I missed him and sprawled all over the bag. Then, allof a sudden, I come to my senses. All the Ath-a-letics was outthere to run home with me and it was one o' them I'd tried tocut. Speed had left the field. The boys picked me up and seen toit that I went on and touched the plate. Then I was carried intothe clubhouse by the crazy bugs.Well, they had a celebration in there and it was a long timebefore I got a chance to change my clothes. The boys made a bigfuss over me. They told me they'd intended to give me fivehundred bucks for my divvy, but now I was goin' to get a fullshare."Parker ain't the only lucky guy!" says one of 'em. "But even ifthat ball hadn't of took that crazy hop you'd of had a triple."A triple! That's just what I'd wanted; and he called me lucky fornot gettin' it!The Giants was dressin' in the other part o' the clubhouse; andwhen I finally come out there was Speed, standin' waitin' forsome o' the others. He seen me comin' and he smiled. " Hello,Horseshoes!"he says.He won't smile no more for a while--it'll hurt too much. And ifany girl wants him when she sees him now--with his nose overshakin' hands with his ear, and his jaw a couple o' feetfoul--she's welcome to him. They won't be no contest!Grimes leaned over to ring for the waiter."Well," he said, "what about it?""You won't have to pay my fare," I told him."I'll buy a drink anyway," said he. "You've been a goodlistener--and I had to get it off my chest.""Maybe they'll have to postpone the wedding," I said."No," said Grimes. "The weddin' will take place the day aftertomorrow--and I'll bat for Mr. Parker. Did you think I was goin'to let him get away with it?""What about next year?" I asked."I'm goin' back to the Ath-a-letics," he said. "And I'm goin' tohire somebody to call me 'Horseshoes!' before every game--becauseI can sure play that old baseball when I'm mad."
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