ThatnighttheboysplannedtheirfirstjobontheRube。WehadorderedaspecialPullmanfortraveltoToronto,andwhenIgottothedepotinthemorning,thePullmanwasawhiteflutteringmassofsatinribbons。Also,therewasabrassband,andthousandsofbaseballfans,andbarrelsofoldfoot—gear。TheRubeandNanarrivedinacabandwereimmediatelymobbed。
Thecrowdroared,thebandplayed,theenginewhistled,thebellclanged;andtheairwasfullofconfettiandslippers,andshowersofricelikehailpatteredeverywhere。AsomewhatdishevelledbrideandgroomboardedthePullmanandbreathlesslyhidinastateroom。Thetrainstarted,andthecrowdgaveonelastrousingcheer。OldSpearsyelledfromthebackplatform:
``Fellers,an’fans,youneedn’tworrynoneaboutleavin’theRubean’hisbridetothetendermerciesofthegang。Ahundredyearsfromnowpeoplewilltalkaboutthishoneymoonbaseballtrip。Waittillwecomeback——an’say,jesttoputyouwise,nomatterwhatelsehappens,we’recomin’backinfirstplace!’’
ItwassurelyamerrypartyinthatPullman。
ThebridalcoupleemergedfromtheirhidingplaceandheldasortofreceptioninwhichtheRubeappearedshyandfrightened,andNanresembledajoyous,flutteringbirdingray。Ididnotseeifshekissedeverymanontheteam,butshekissedmeasifshehadbeenwantingtodoitforages。
MillykissedtheRube,andsodidtheotherwomen,tohisinfiniteembarrassment。Nan’seffectuponthatcrowdwasmostsingular。Shewassweetnessandcapriceandjoypersonified。
Wesettleddownpresentlytosomethingapproachingorder,andI,forone,withverykeenearsandalerteyes,becauseIdidnotwanttomissanything。
``Iseethelambsa—gambolin’,’’observedMcCall,inavoicelouderthanwasnecessarytoconveyhismeaningtoMullaney,hispartnerintheseat。
``Yes,itdoseemasiftherewasjoyaboundin’
hereabouts,’’repliedMulwithfervor。
``It’smorespring—timethansummer,’’saidAshwell,``an’everythinginnatureisrunnin’inpairs。Therearethesheepan’thecattlean’thebirds。Iseetwokingfishersfishin’overhere。
An’there’sacoupleofhoney—beesmakin’honey。
Oh,honey,an’byGeorge,ifthereain’ttwobutterfliesfoldin’theirwingsroundeachother。Seethedandelionskissin’inthefield!’’
ThenthestaidCaptainSpearsspokeupwithanappearanceofsincerityandatonethatwasnothingshortofremarkable。
``Reggie,seethesunshineasleepuponyonbank。Ain’titlovely?An’thatwhitecloudsailin’thitheramidtheblue——howspontaneous!
Joyisa—broado’erallthisboo—tifullandtoday——Oh,yes!An’love’swingshovero’erthelittlelambsan’thebullfrogsinthepondan’thedickybirdsinthetrees。Whatsweetnesstolieinthegrass,thelapofbounteousearth,eatin’applesintheGardenofEden,an’chasin’awaythesnakesan’dreamin’ofThee,Sweet—h—e—a—r—t————’’
SpearswassingingwhenhegotsofarandtherewasnotellingwhathemighthavedoneifMullaney,unabletostandtheagony,hadnotjabbedapininhim。Butthatonlymadewayfortheeffortsoftheotherboys,eachofwhomtriedtooutdotheotherinpokingfunattheRubeandNan。Thebigpitcherwastoogloriouslyhappytonotemuchofwhatwentonaroundhim,butwhenitdawneduponhimhegrewredandwhitebyturns。
Nan,however,wasmorethanequaltotheoccasion。PresentlyshesmiledatSpears,suchasmile!Thecaptainlookedasifhehadjustpartakenofanintoxicatingwine。Withaheightenedcolorinhercheeksandadangerousflashinherroguisheyes,NanfavoredMcCallwithalook,whichwasasmuchastosaythatsherememberedhimwithadearsadness。Shemadeeyesateveryfellowinthecar,andthenbringingbackhergazetotheRube,asifgloryingincomparison,shenestledhercurlyblackheadonhisshoulder。Hegentlytriedtomoveher;butitwasnotpossible。
Nanknewhowtomeettheridiculeofhalfadozenoldlovers。Onebyonetheyburiedthemselvesinnewspapers,andfinallyMcCall,foronceutterlybeaten,showedawhitefeather,andsankbackoutofsightbehindhisseat。
Theboysdidnotrecoverfromthatshockuntillateintheafternoon。AsitwasaphysicalimpossibilityforNantorestherheadalldayuponherhusband’sbroadshoulder,theboystowarddinnertimecameoutoftheirjealoustrance。I
heardthemplottingsomething。Whendinnerwascalled,abouthalfofmyparty,includingthebrideandgroom,wentatonceintothedining—car。
Timethereflewbyswiftly。Andlater,whenwewereoncemoreinourPullman,andIhadgotteninterestedinagameofcardswithMillyandStringerandhiswife,theRubecamemarchinguptomewithaveryredface。
``Con,Ireckonsomeoftheboyshavestolenmy——ourgrips,’’saidhe。
``What?’’Iasked,blankly。
Heexplainedthatduringhisabsenceinthedining—carsomeonehadenteredhisstateroomandstolenhisgripandNan’s。IhastenedatoncetoaidtheRubeinhissearch。Theboyssworebyeverythingunderandbeyondthesuntheyhadnotseenthegrips;theyappearedverymuchgrievedatthelossandpretendedtohelpinsearchingthePullman。Atlast,withtheassistanceofaporter,wediscoveredthemissinggripsinanupperberth。TheRubecarriedthemofftohisstateroomandweknewsoonfromhisuncomplimentaryremarksthatthecontentsofthesuitcaseshadbeenmixedandmanhandled。Buthedidnothuntforthejokers。
WearrivedatTorontobeforedaylightnextmorning,andremainedinthePullmanuntilseveno’clock。Whenwegotout,itwasdiscoveredthattheRubeandNanhadstolenamarchuponus。
Wetracedthemtothehotel,andfoundthematbreakfast。Afterbreakfastweformedamerrysight—seeingpartyandrodealloverthecity。
Thatafternoon,whenRaddyletTorontodownwiththreehitsandtheboysplayedamagnificentgamebehindhim,andwewon7to2,IknewatlastandforcertainthattheWorcesterteamhadcomeintoitsownagain。ThennextdayCairnswonaclose,excitinggame,andfollowingthat,onthethirdday,thematchlessRubetoyedwiththeTorontos。Elevenstraightgameswon!Iwasintheclouds,andneverhadIseensobeautifulalightasshoneinMilly’seyes。
FromthatdayTheHoneymoonTripoftheWorcesterBaseballClub,asthenewspapersheraldedit——wasatriumphantmarch。WewontwooutofthreegamesatMontreal,brokeevenwiththehard—fightingBisons,tookthreestraightfromRochester,andwononeandtiedoneoutofthreewithHartford。Itwouldhavebeenwonderfulballplayingforateamtoplayonhomegroundsandweweredoingthefullcircuitoftheleague。
Spearshadcalledtheturnwhenhesaidthetripwouldbeahummer。NanHurtlehadbroughtuswonderfulluck。
ButthetrickstheyplayedonWhitandhisgirl—
fanbride!
Ashwell,whowasacapitalactor,disguisedhimselfasaconductorandpretendedtotrytoejectWhitandNanfromthetrain,urgingthatlove—makingwasnotpermitted。SomeoftheteamhiredacleveryoungwomantohunttheRubeupatthehotel,andclaimoldacquaintancewithhim。PoorWhitalmostcollapsedwhentheyoungwomanthrewherarmsabouthisneckjustasNanenteredtheparlor。UpontheinstantNanbecamewildasalittletigress,andittookmuchexplanationandeloquencetoreinstateWhitinheraffections。
AnothertimeSpears,thewilyoldfox,succeededindetainingNanonthewaytothestation,andthetwomissedthetrain。AtfirsttheRubelaughedwiththeothers,butwhenStringerremarkedthathehadnoticedagrowingattachmentbetweenNanandSpears,mygreatpitcherexperiencedthefirstpangsofthegreen—eyedmonster。Wehadtoholdhimtokeephimfromjumpingfromthetrain,andittookMillyandMrs。
Stringertosoothehim。IhadtowirebacktoRochesterforaspecialtrainforSpearsandNan,andeventhenwehadtoplayhalfagamewithouttheservicesofourcaptain。
SofaruponourtripIhadbeenfortunateinsecuringcomfortableroomsandthebestoftransportationformyparty。AtHartford,however,Iencountereddifficulties。IcouldnotgetaspecialPullman,andthesleeperweenteredalreadyhadanumberofoccupants。Aftertheladiesofmypartyhadbeenassignedtoberths,itwasnecessaryforsomeoftheboystosleepdoubleinupperberths。
Itwaslatewhenwegotaboard,theberthswerealreadymadeup,andsoonwehadallretired。
InthemorningveryearlyIwasawakenedbyadisturbance。Itsoundedlikeasqueal。Iheardanastonishedexclamation,anothersqueal,thepatteringoflittlefeet,thenhoarseuproaroflaughterfromtheballplayersintheupperberths。
Followingthatcamelow,excitedconversationbetweentheporterandsomebody,thenanangrysnortfromtheRubeandthethudofhisheavyfeetintheaisle。Whattookplaceafterthatwasguess—workforme。ButIgatheredfromtheroarsandbawlsthattheRubewasaftersomeoftheboys。Ipokedmyheadbetweenthecurtainsandsawhimdiggingintotheberths。
``Where’sMcCall?’’heyelled。
Macwasnowhereinthatsleeper,judgingfromthevehementdenials。ButtheRubekeptondiggingandproddingintheupperberths。
``I’ma—goin’tolickyou,Mac,soIreckonyou’dbettershowup,’’shoutedtheRube。
Thebigfellowwasmadasahornet。Whenhegottomehegraspedmewithhisgreatfence—
railsplittinghandsandIcriedoutwithpain。
``Say!Whit,letup!Mac’snothere……
What’swrong?’’
``I’llshowyouwhenIfindhim。’’AndtheRubestalkedondowntheaisle,atragicallycomicfigureinhispajamas。InhissearchforMachepriedintoseveralupperberthsthatcontainedoccupantswhowerenotballplayers,andtheseprotestedinaffright。ThentheRubebegantoinvestigatethelowerberths。Arowofheadsprotrudedinabobbinglinefrombetweenthecurtainsoftheupperberths。
``Here,youIndian!Don’tyoulookinthere!
That’smywife’sberth!’’yelledStringer。
Bogart,too,evincedgreatexcitement。
``Hurtle,keepoutoflowereightorI’llkillyou,’’heshouted。
WhattheRubemighthavedonetherewasnotelling,butashegraspedacurtain,hewasinterruptedbyashriekfromsomewomanassuredlynotofourparty。
``Getout!youhorridwretch!Help!Porter!
Help!Conductor!’’
Instantlytherewasadeafeningtumultinthecar。Whenithadsubsidedsomewhat,andIconsideredIwouldbesafe,Idescendedfrommyberthandmademywaytothedressingroom。
SprawledovertheleatherseatwastheRubepommellingMcCallwithheartygoodwill。Iwouldhaveinterfered,haditnotbeenforMac’sdemeanor。Hewashalffrightened,halfangry,andutterlyunabletodefendhimselforevenresist,becausehewaslaughing,too。
``Dog—goneit!Whit——Ididn’t——doit!IswearitwasSpears!Stopthumpin’menow——orI’llgetsore……Youhearme!Itwasn’tme,Itellyou。Cheeseit!’’
ForallhisprotestingMacreceivedagoodthumping,andIdoubtednotintheleastthathedeservedit。Thewonderoftheaffair,however,wasthefactthatnooneappearedtoknowwhathadmadetheRubesofurious。Theporterwouldnottell,andMacwasstrangelyreticent,thoughhissmilewasonetomakeafellowexceedinglysuresomethingoutoftheordinaryhadbefallen。
ItwasnotuntilIwashavingbreakfastinProvidencethatIlearnedthetruecauseofRube’sconduct,andMillyconfidedittome,insistingonstrictconfidence。
``Ipromisednottotell,’’shesaid。``Nowyoupromiseyou’llnevertell。’’
``Well,Connie,’’wentonMilly,whenIhadpromised,``itwasthefunniestthingyet,butitwashorridofMcCall。Yousee,theRubehaduppersevenandNanhadlowerseven。Earlythismorning,aboutdaylight,Nanawokeverythirstyandgotuptogetadrink。Duringherabsence,probably,butanywaysometimelastnight,McCallchangedthenumberonhercurtain,andwhenNancamebacktonumbersevenofcourseshealmostgotinthewrongberth。’’
``NowondertheRubepunchedhim!’’Ideclared。
``Iwishweweresafehome。Something’llhappenyetonthistrip。’’
IwasfaithfultomypromisetoMilly,butthesecretleakedoutsomewhere;perhapsMactoldit,andbeforethegamethatdayalltheplayersknewit。TheRube,havingrecoveredhisgoodhumor,mindeditnotintheleast。Hecouldnothavefeltill—willforanylengthoftime。Everythingseemedtogetbackintosmoothrunningorder,andtheHoneymoonTripbadefairtowindupbeautifully。
But,somehoworother,andaboutsomethingunknowntotherestofus,theRubeandNanquarreled。Itwastheirfirstquarrel。MillyandItriedtopatchitupbutfailed。
WelostthefirstgametoProvidenceandwonthesecond。Thenextday,aSaturday,wasthelastgameofthetrip,anditwasRube’sturntopitch。SeveraltimesduringthefirsttwodaystheRubeandNanabouthalfmadeuptheirquarrel,onlyintheendtofalldeeperintoit。
ThenthelaststrawcameinafoolishmoveonthepartofwilfulNan。ShehappenedtomeetHenderson,herformeradmirer,andinaflashshetookupherflirtationwithhimwhereshehadleftoff。
``Don’tgotothegamewithhim,Nan,’’I
pleaded。``It’sasillythingforyoutodo。Ofcourseyoudon’tmeananything,excepttotormentWhit。Butcutitout。Thegangwillmakehimmiserableandwe’lllosethegame。There’snotellingwhatmighthappen。’’
``I’msupremelyindifferenttowhathappens,’’
shereplied,witharebellioustossofherblackhead。``IhopeWhitgetsbeaten。’’
ShewenttothegamewithHendersonandsatinthegrandstand,andtheboysspiedthemoutandtoldtheRube。Hedidnotbelieveitatfirst,butfinallysawthem,lookeddeeplyhurtandoffended,andthengrewangry。Butthegong,soundingatthatmoment,drewhisattentiontohisbusinessoftheday,topitch。
Hisworkthatdayremindedmeofthefirstgameheeverpitchedforme,uponwhichoccasionCaptainSpearsgotthebestoutofhimbymakinghimangry。ForseveralinningsProvidencewashelplessbeforehisdelivery。Thensomethinghappenedthatshowedmeacrisiswasnear。Awagofafanyelledfromthebleachers。
``HoneymoonRube!’’
Thiscrywastakenupbythedelightedfansanditrolledaroundthefield。ButtheRubepitchedon,harderthanever。Thentheknowingbleacheritewhohadstartedthecrychangeditsomewhat。
``Nanny’sRube!’’heyelled。
This,too,wenttherounds,andstilltheRube,thoughredintheface,preservedhistemperandhispitchingcontrol。AllwouldhavebeenwellifBudWiler,comedianoftheProvidenceteam,hadnothituponawaytorattleRube。
``Nanny’sGoat!’’heshoutedfromthecoachinglines。EveryProvidenceplayertookitup。
TheRubewasnotproofagainstthat。Heyelledsofiercelyatthem,andglaredsofuriously,andtoweredsoformidably,thattheyceasedforthemoment。ThenheletdrivewithhisfaststraightballandhitthefirstProvidencebatterintheribs。Hiscomradeshadtohelphimtothebench。TheRubehitthenextbatterontheleg,andjudgingfromthecrackoftheball,Ifanciedthatplayerwouldwalklameforseveraldays。
TheRubetriedtohitthenextbatterandsenthimtofirstonballs。Thereafteritbecameadodgingcontestwithhonorsaboutequalbetweenpitcherandbatters。TheProvidenceplayersstormedandthebleachersroared。ButIwouldnottaketheRubeoutandthegamewentonwiththeRubeforcinginruns。
Withthescoreatie,andthreemenonbasesoneoftheplayersonthebenchagainyelled``Nanny’sGoat!’’
StraightasastringtheRubeshottheballatthisfellowandboundedafterit。Thecrowdroseinanuproar。Thebaserunnersbegantoscore。
Ileftmybenchandranacrossthespace,butnotintimetocatchtheRube。IsawhimhittwoorthreeoftheProvidencemen。Thenthepolicemengottohim,andarealfightbroughtthebigaudienceintothestampingmelee。BeforetheRubewascollaredIsawatleastfourblue—coatsonthegrass。
Thegamebrokeup,andthecrowdspilleditselfinstreamsoverthefield。Excitementranhigh。ItriedtoforcemywayintothemasstogetattheRubeandtheofficers,butthiswasimpossible。IfearedtheRubewouldbetakenfromtheofficersandtreatedwithviolence,soIwaitedwiththesurgingcrowd,endeavoringtogetnearer。Soonwewereinthestreet,anditseemedasifallthestandshademptiedtheiryellingoccupants。
Atrolleycarcamealongdownthestreet,splittingthemassofpeopleanddrivingthemback。
AdozenpolicemensummarilybundledtheRubeupontherearendofthecar。Someoftheseofficersboardedthecar,andsomeremainedinthestreettobeatoffthevengefulfans。
Isawsomeonethrustforwardafranticyoungwoman。Theofficersstoppedher,thensuddenlyhelpedheronthecar,justasIstarted。I
recognizedNan。ShegrippedtheRubewithbothhandsandturnedawhite,fearfulfaceupontheangrycrowd。
TheRubestoodinthegraspofhiswifeandthepolicemen,andhelookedlikearuffledlion。
Heshookhisbigfistandbawledinfar—reachingvoice:
``Icanlickyouall!’’
Tomyinfiniterelief,thetrolleygatheredmomentumandsafelypassedoutofdanger。ThelastthingImadeoutwasNanpressingclosetotheRube’sside。ThatmomentsawtheirreconciliationandmyjoythatitwastheendoftheRube’sHoneymoon。
THERUBE’SWATERLOO
ItwasaboutthesixthinningthatIsuspectedtheRubeofweakening。Forthatmatterhehadnotpitchedanythingresemblinghisusualbrandofbaseball。ButtheRubehaddevelopedintosuchawonderintheboxthatittooktimeforhislet—downtodawnuponme。AlsoittookatipfromRaddy,whosatwithmeonthebench。
``Con,theRubeisn’thimselftoday,’’saidRadbourne。``Hismind’snotonthegame。Heseemshurriedandflustered,too。Ifhedoesn’texplodepresently,I’madubatcallin’theturn。’’
Raddywasthebestjudgeofapitcher’scondition,physicalormental,intheEasternLeague。
ItwasaSaturdayandwewereontheroadandfinishingupaserieswiththeRochesters。Eachteamhadwonandlostagame,and,asIwasclimbingclosetotheleadersinthepennantrace,IwantedthethirdanddecidinggameofthatRochesterseries。TheusualbigSaturdaycrowdwasinattendance,noisy,demonstrativeandexacting。
InthissixthinningthefirstmanupforRochesterhadfliedtoMcCall。ThenhadcomethetwoplayssignificantofRube’sweakening。
Hehadhitonebatterandwalkedanother。Thiswassufficient,consideringthescorewasthreetooneinourfavor,tobringtheaudiencetoitsfeetwithahowling,stampingdemandforruns。
``Spearsiswiseallright,’’saidRaddy。
IwatchedthefoxyoldcaptainwalkovertotheRubeandtalktohimwhileherested,areassuringhandonthepitcher’sshoulder。ThecrowdyelleditsdisapprovalandUmpireBatescalledoutsharply:
``Spears,getbacktothebag!’’
``Now,MisterUmpire,ain’tIhurrin’allI
can?’’queriedSpearsasheleisurelyambledbacktofirst。
TheRubetossedalong,dampweltofhairbackfromhisbigbrowandnervouslytoedtherubber。
Inotedthatheseemedtoforgettherunnersonbasesanddeliveredtheballwithoutglancingateitherbag。Ofcoursethisresultedinadoublesteal。Theballwentwild——almostawildpitch。
``Steadyup,oldman,’’calledGreggbetweentheyellsofthebleachers。HeheldhismittsquareovertheplatefortheRubetopitchto。Againthelongtwirlertookhisswing,andagaintheballwentwild。ClancyhadtheRubeintheholenowandthesituationbegantogrowserious。
TheRubedidnottakehalfhisusualdeliberation,andofthenexttwopitchesoneofthemwasaballandtheotherastrikebygraceoftheumpire’sgenerosity。Clancyrappedthenextone,anabsurdlyslowpitchfortheRubetouse,andbothrunnersscoredtotheshrilltuneofthehappybleachers。
IsawSpearsshakehisheadandlooktowardthebench。Itwasplainwhatthatmeant。
``Raddy,IoughttotaketheRubeout,’’Isaid,``butwhomcanIputin?Youworkedyesterday——
Cairns’armissore。It’sgottobenursed。
AndHenderson,thatladies’manIjustsigned,isnotinuniform。’’
``I’llgoin,’’repliedRaddy,instantly。
``Notonyourlife。’’IhadashardatimekeepingRadbournefromoverworkingasIhadingettingenoughworkoutofsomeotherplayers。
``IguessI’lllettheRubetakehismedicine。I
hatetolosethisgame,butifwehaveto,wecanstandit。I’mcurious,anyway,toseewhat’sthematterwiththeRube。Maybehe’llsettledownpresently。’’
ImadenosignthatIhadnoticedSpears’
appealtothebench。Andmyaggressiveplayers,nodoubtseeingthesituationasIsawit,sangouttheirvariouscallsofcheertotheRubeandofdefiancetotheirantagonists。ClancystoleofffirstbasesofarthattheRube,catchingsomebody’swarningtoolate,madeabalkandtheumpiresenttherunnerontosecond。TheRubenowplainlyshowedpainfulevidencesofbeingrattled。
HecouldnotlocatetheplatewithoutslowingupandwhenhedidthataRochesterplayerwallopedtheball。Prettysoonhepitchedasifhedidnotcare,andbutforthefastfieldingoftheteambehindhimtheRochesterswouldhavescoredmorethantheeightrunsitgot。WhentheRubecameintothebenchIaskedhimifhewassickandatfirsthesaidhewasandthenthathewasnot。SoIlethimpitchtheremaininginnings,asthegamewaslostanyhow,andwewalkedoffthefieldabadlybeatenteam。
ThatnightwehadtohurryfromthehoteltocatchatrainforWorcesterandwehaddinnerinthedining—car。Severalofmyplayers’wiveshadcomeoverfromWorcestertomeetus,andwereinthedining—carwhenIentered。Iobservedaprettygirlsittingatoneofthetableswithmynewpitcher,Henderson。
``Say,Mac,’’IsaidtoMcCall,whowaswithme,``isHendersonmarried?’’
``Naw,buthelookslikehewantedtobe。Hewasinthegrandstandtodaywiththatgirl。’’
``Whoisshe?Oh!alittlepeach!’’
AsecondglanceatHenderson’scompanionbroughtthiscomplimentfrommeinvoluntarily。
``Con,you’llgetitasbadastherestofthismushybunchofballplayers。We’reallstuckonthatkid。ButsinceHendersoncameshe’sbeenafrosttoallofus。An’it’sputtheRubeinthedumps。’’
``Who’sthegirl?’’
``That’sNanBrown。ShelivesinWorcesteran’isthecraziestgirlfanIeverseen。Flirt!
Well,she’sgotthemallbeat。SomebodyintroducedtheRubetoher。Hehasbeenmooneyeversince。’’
Thatwasenoughtowhetmycuriosity,andI
favoredMissBrownwithmorethanoneglanceduringdinner。WhenwereturnedtotheparlorcarItookadvantageoftheopportunityandremarkedtoHendersonthathemightintroducehismanager。Hecomplied,butnotwithamiablegrace。
SoIchattedwithNanBrown,andstudiedher。
Shewasapretty,laughing,coquettishlittleminxandquitebaseballmad。Ihadmetmanygirlfans,butnonesoenthusiasticasNan。Butshewaswholesomeandsincere,andIlikedher。
BeforeturninginIsatdownbesidetheRube。
Hewasveryquietandhisfacedidnotencouragecompany。Butthatdidnotstopme。
``Hello,Whit;haveasmokebeforeyougotobed?’’Iaskedcheerfully。
Hescarcelyheardmeandmadenomovetotaketheprofferedcigar。Allatonceitstruckmethattherusticsimplicitywhichhadcharacterizedhimhadvanished。
``Whit,oldfellow,whatwaswrongtoday?’’
Iasked,quietly,withmyhandonhisarm。
``Mr。Connelly,Iwantmyrelease,IwanttogobacktoRickettsville,’’herepliedhurriedly。
ForthespaceofafewsecondsIdidsometallthinking。Thesituationsuddenlybecamegrave。
IsawthepennantfortheWorcestersfading,dimming。
``Youwanttogohome?’’Ibeganslowly。
``Why,Whit,Ican’tkeepyou。Iwouldn’ttryifyoudidn’twanttostay。ButI’lltellyouconfidentially,ifyouleavemeatthisstageI’mruined。’’
``How’sthat?’’heinquired,keenlylookingatme。
``Well,Ican’twinthepennantwithoutyou。IfIdowinitthere’sabigbonusforme。IcanbuythehouseIwantandgetmarriedthisfallifIcapturetheflag。You’vemetMilly。Youcanimaginewhatyourpitchingmeanstomethisyear。That’sall。’’
Heavertedhisfaceandlookedoutofthewindow。
Hisbigjawquivered。
``Ifit’sthat——why,I’llstay,Ireckon,’’hesaidhuskily。
ThatmomentboundWhitHurtleandFrankConnellyintoafarcloserrelationthantheonebetweenplayerandmanager。Isatsilentforawhile,listeningtothedrowsytalkoftheotherplayersandtherushandroarofthetrainasitspedonintothenight。
``Thankyou,oldchap,’’Ireplied。``Itwouldn’thavebeenlikeyoutothrowmedownatthisstage。Whit,you’reintrouble?’’
``Yes。’’
``CanIhelpyou——inanyway?’’’
``Ireckonnot。’’
``Don’tbetoosureofthat。I’maprettywiseguy,ifIdosayitmyself。Imightbeabletodoasmuchforyouasyou’regoingtodoforme。’’
ThesightofhisfaceconvincedmethatIhadtakenawrongtack。ItalsoshowedmehowdeepWhit’stroublereallywas。Ibadehimgoodnightandwenttomyberth,wheresleepdidnotsoonvisitme。Asaucy,sparkling—eyedwomanbarredWhitHurtle’sbaseballcareeratitsthreshold。
Womenarejustasfataltoballplayersastomeninanyotherwalkoflife。Ihadseenastrongathletegrowpalsiedjustatascornfulslight。It’sagreatworld,andthewomenrunit。SoIlayawakerackingmybrainstooutwitaprettydisorganizer;andIplottedforhersake。Married,shewouldbeoutofmischief。ForWhit’ssake,forMilly’ssake,formine,allofwhichcollectivelymeantforthesakeofthepennant,thiswouldbethesolutionoftheproblem。
IdecidedtotakeMillyintomyconfidence,andfinallyonthestrengthofthatIgottosleep。InhemorningIwenttomyhotel,hadbreakfast,attendedtomymail,andthenboardedacartogoouttoMilly’shouse。Shewaswaitingformeontheporch,dressedasIlikedtoseeher,inblueandwhite,andsheworevioletsthatmatchedthecolorofhereyes。
``Hello,Connie。Ihaven’tseenamorningpaper,butIknowfromyourfacethatyoulosttheRochesterseries,’’saidMilly,withagaylaugh。
``Iguessyes。TheRubeblewup,andifwedon’tplayaprettysmoothgame,younglady,he’llnevercomedown。’’
ThenItoldher。
``Why,Connie,Iknewlongago。Haven’tyouseenthechangeinhimbeforethis?’’
``Whatchange?’’Iaskedblankly。
``Youareaman。Well,hewasagawky,slouchy,shyfarmerboywhenhecametous。Ofcoursethecitylifeandpopularitybegantoinfluencehim。ThenhemetNan。ShemadetheRubeaworshipper。Ifirstnoticedachangeinhisclothes。Heblossomedoutinanewsuit,whitenegligee,neattieandastylishstrawhat。
Thenitwasevidenthewasmakingheroicstrugglestoovercomehisawkwardness。Itwasplainhewasstudyingandcopyingtheotherboys。
He’swonderfullyimproved,butstillshy。He’llalwaysbeshy。Connie,Whit’safinefellow,toogoodforNanBrown。’’
``But,Milly,’’Iinterrupted,``theRube’shardhit。Whyishetoogoodforher?’’
``Nanisanatural—bornflirt,’’Millyreplied。
``Shecan’thelpit。I’mafraidWhithasaslimchance。Nanmaynotseedeepenoughtolearnhisfinequalities。IfancyNantiredquicklyofhim,thoughtheonetimeIsawthemtogethersheappearedtolikehimverywell。Thisnewpitcherofyours,Henderson,isahandsomefellowandsmooth。Whitislosingtohim。Nanlikesflash,flattery,excitement。’’
``McCalltoldmetheRubehadbeendowninthemoutheversinceHendersonjoinedtheteam。
Milly,Idon’tlikeHendersonawholelot。He’snotintheRube’sclassasapitcher。WhatamI
goingtodo?Losethepennantandabigsliceofpursemoneyjustforaprettylittleflirt?’’
``Oh,Connie,it’snotsobadasthat。Whitwillcomearoundallright。’’
``Hewon’tunlesswecanpullsomewires。I’vegottohelphimwinNanBrown。Whatdoyouthinkofthatforamanager’sjob?Iguessmaybewinningpennantsdoesn’tcallfordiplomaticgeniusandcunning!ButI’llhandthemafewtricksbeforeIlose。MyfirstmovewillbetogiveHendersonhisrelease。
IleftMilly,asalways,oncemoreabletomakelightofdiscouragementsanddifficulties。
MondayIgaveHendersonhisunconditionalrelease。HecelebratedtheoccasionbyverifyingcertainrumorsIhadheardfromothermanagers。
Hegotdrunk。Buthedidnotleavetown,andI
heardthathewasnegotiatingwithProvidenceforaplaceonthatteam。
Radbournepitchedoneofhisgilt—edgedgamesthatafternoonagainstHartfordandwewon。
AndMillysatinthegrandstand,havingcontrivedbyclevernesstogetaseatnexttoNanBrown。MillyandIwereplayingavastlydeepergamethanbaseball——agamewithhearts。Butwewereplayingitwithhonestmotive,forthegoodofallconcerned,webelieved,andonthesquare。
Isneakedalooknowandthenupintothegrandstand。MillyandNanappearedtobegettingonfamously。ItwascertainthatNanwasflushedandexcited,nodoubtconsciouslyproudofbeingseenwithmyaffianced。AfterthegameIchancedtomeetthemontheirwayout。Millywinkedatme,whichwashersignthatallwasworkingbeautifully。
IhunteduptheRubeandbundledhimofftothehoteltotakedinnerwithme。Atfirsthewasglum,butafterawhilehebrightenedupsomewhattomypersistentcheerandfriendliness。
Thenwewentoutonthehotelbalconytosmoke,andthereImademyplay。
``Whit,I’mpullingastrokeforyou。Nowlistenanddon’tbeoffended。Iknowwhat’sputyouoffyourfeed,becauseIwasthesamewaywhenMillyhadmeguessing。You’velostyourheadoverNanBrown。That’snotsoterrible,thoughI
daresayyouthinkit’sacatastrophe。Becauseyou’vequit。You’veshownayellowstreak。
You’velaindown。
``Myboy,thatisn’tthewaytowinagirl。
You’vegottoscrap。MillytoldmeyesterdayhowshehadwatchedyourloveaffairswithNan,andhowshethoughtyouhadgivenupjustwhenthingsmighthavecomeyourway。Nanisalittleflirt,butshe’sallright。What’smore,shewasgettingfondofyou。Nanismeanesttothemanshelikesbest。Thewaytohandleher,Whit,istomasterher。Playhighandmighty。Gettragical。Thengrabherupinyourarms。Itellyou,Whit,it’llallcomeyourwayifyouonlykeepyournerve。I’myourfriendandsoisMilly。
We’regoingouttoherhousepresently——andNanwillbethere。’’
TheRubedrewalong,deepbreathandheldouthishand。IsensedanotherstageintheevolutionofWhitHurtle。
``IreckonI’vetakenbaseballcoachin’,’’hesaidpresently,``an’Idon’tseewhyIcan’ttakesomeotherkind。I’monlyarube,an’thingscomehardforme,butI’ma—learnin’。’’
Itwasaboutdarkwhenwearrivedatthehouse。
``Hello,Connie。You’relate。Goodevening,Mr。Hurtle。Comerightin。You’vemetMissNanBrown?Oh,ofcourse;howstupidofme!’’
ItwasatryingmomentforMillyandme。A
littlepallorshowedundertheRube’stan,buthewasmorecomposedthanIhadexpected。Nangotupfromthepiano。Shewasallinwhiteanddeliciouslypretty。Shegaveaquick,gladstartofsurprise。Whatareliefthatwastomytroubledmind!EverythinghaddependeduponarealhonestlikingforWhit,andshehadit。
MorethanonceIhadbeenproudofMilly’scleverness,butthisnightashostessandanaccompliceshewonmyeverlastingadmiration。
ShecontrivedtogivetheimpressionthatWhitwasafrequentvisitoratherhomeandverywelcome。Shebroughtouthisbestpoints,andinherskillfulhandshelostembarrassmentandawkwardness。
BeforetheeveningwasoverNanregardedWhitwithdifferenteyes,andsheneverdreamedthateverythinghadnotcomeaboutnaturally。ThenMillysomehowgotmeoutontheporch,leavingNanandWhittogether。
``Milly,you’reamarvel,thebestandsweetestever,’’Iwhispered。``We’regoingtowin。It’sacinch。’’
``Well,Connie,notthat——exactly,’’shewhisperedbackdemurely。``Butitlookshopeful。’’
Icouldnothelphearingwhatwassaidintheparlor。
``NowIcanroastyou,’’Nanwassaying,archly。
Shehadswitchedbacktoherfavoritebaseballvernacular。``YoupitchedaswellgamelastSaturdayinRochester,didn’tyou?Not!Youhadnosteam,nocontrol,andyoucouldn’thavecurvedasaucer。’’
``Nan,whatcouldyouexpect?’’wasthecoolreply。``Yousatupinthestandwithyourhandsomefriend。IreckonIcouldn’tpitch。Ijustgavethegameaway。’’
``Whit!——Whit!————’’
ThenIwhisperedtoMillythatitmightbediscreetforustomovealittlewayfromthevicinity。
ItwasontheseconddayafterwardthatIgotachancetotalktoNan。Shereachedthegroundsearly,beforeMillyarrived,andIfoundherinthegrandstand。TheRubewasdownonthecardtopitchandwhenhestartedtowarmupNansaidconfidentlythathewouldshutoutHartfordthatafternoon。
``I’msorry,Nan,butyou’rewayoff。We’ddowelltowinatall,letalonegetashutout。’’
``You’reafinemanager!’’sheretorted,hotly。
``Whywon’twewin?’’
``Well,theRube’snotingoodform。TheRube————’’
``Stopcallinghimthathorridname。’’
``Whit’snotinshape。He’snotright。He’sillorsomethingiswrong。I’mworriedsickabouthim。’’
``Why——Mr。Connelly!’’exclaimedNan。Sheturnedquicklytowardme。
Icrowdedonfullcanvasofgloomtomyalreadylongface。
``I’mserious,Nan。Thelad’soff,somehow。
He’sinmagnificentphysicaltrim,buthecan’tkeephismindonthegame。Hehaslosthishead。
I’vetalkedwithhim,reasonedwithhim,alltonogood。Heonlygoesdowndeeperinthedumps。
Somethingisterriblywrongwithhim,andifhedoesn’tbrace,I’llhavetorelease————’’
MissNanBrownsuddenlylostalittleofherrichbloom。``Oh!youwouldn’t——youcouldn’treleasehim!’’
``I’llhavetoifhedoesn’tbrace。Itmeansalottome,Nan,forofcourseIcan’twinthepennantthisyearwithoutWhitbeinginshape。ButIbelieveIwouldn’tmindthelossofthatanymorethantoseehimfalldown。Theboyisamagnificentpitcher。Ifhecanonlybebroughtaroundhe’llgotothebigleaguenextyearanddevelopintooneofthegreatestpitchersthegamehaseverproduced。Butsomehoworotherhehaslostheart。He’squit。AndI’vedonemybestforhim。He’sbeyondmenow。Whatashameitis!Forhe’sthemakingofsuchasplendidmanoutsideofbaseball。Millythinkstheworldofhim。Well,well;therearedisappointments——
wecan’thelpthem。Theregoesthegong。Imustleaveyou。Nan,I’llbetyouaboxofcandyWhitlosestoday。Isitago?’’
``Itis,’’repliedNan,withfireinhereyes。
``YougotoWhitHurtleandtellhimIsaidifhewinstoday’sgameI’llkisshim!’’
InearlybrokemyneckoverbenchesandbatsgettingtoWhitwiththatmessage。Hegulpedonce。
ThenhetightenedhisbeltandshutoutHartfordwithtwoscratchsingles。Itwasagreatexhibitionofpitching。IhadnomeanstotellwhetherornottheRubegothisrewardthatnight,butIwassohappythatIhuggedMillywithinaninchofherlife。
ButitturnedoutthatIhadbeenalittleprematureinmyelation。IntwodaystheRubewentdownintothedepthsagain,thistimecleartoChina,andNanwassittinginthegrandstandwithHenderson。TheRubelosthisnextgame,pitchinglikeaschoolboyscaredoutofhiswits。
HendersonfollowedNanlikeashadow,sothatI
hadnochancetotalktoher。TheRubelosthisnextgameandthenanother。Wewerepushedoutofsecondplace。
Ifwekeptupthatlosingstreakalittlelonger,ourhopesforthepennantweregone。IhadbeguntodespairoftheRube。Forsomeoccultreasonhescarcelyspoketome。Nanflirtedworsethanever。ItseemedtomesheflauntedherconquestofHendersoninpoorWhit’sface。
TheProvidenceballteamcametotownandpromptlysignedHendersonandannouncedhimforSaturday’sgame。CairnswonthefirstoftheseriesandRadbournelostthesecond。ItwasRube’sturntopitchtheSaturdaygameandI
resolvedtomakeonemoreefforttoputthelove—
sickswaininsomethinglikehisoldfettle。SoI
calleduponNan。
Shewassurprisedtoseeme,butreceivedmegraciously。Ifanciedherfacewasnotquitesoglowingasusual。Icamebluntlyoutwithmymission。ShetriedtofreezemebutIwouldnotfreeze。Iwasouttowinorloseandnottobelightlylaughedasideorcoldlydenied。Iplayedtomakeherangry,knowingtherealtruthofherfeelingswouldshowunderstress。
ForonceinmylifeIbecameaknockerandsaidsomeunpleasantthings——albeittheyweretrue——
aboutHenderson。ShechampionedHendersonroyally,andwhen,asalastcard,IcomparedWhit’sfinerecordwithHenderson’s,notonlyasaballplayer,butasaman,particularlyinhisreverenceforwomen,sheflashedatme:
``Whatdoyouknowaboutit?Mr。Hendersonaskedmetomarryhim。Canamandomoretoshowhisrespect?Yourfriendneversomuchashintedsuchhonorableintentions。What’smore——heinsultedme!’’TheblazeinNan’sblackeyessoftenedwithafilmoftears。Shelookedhurt。Herpridehadencounteredafall。
``Oh,no,Nan,Whitcouldn’tinsultalady,’’I
protested。
``Couldn’the?That’sallyouknowabouthim。
YouknowI——IpromisedtokisshimifhebeatHartfordthatday。SowhenhecameI——Idid。
Thenthebigsavagebegantoraveandhegrabbedmeupinhisarms。Hesmotheredme;almostcrushedthelifeoutofme。Hefrightenedmeterribly。WhenIgotawayfromhim——themonsterstoodthereandcoollysaidIbelongedtohim。I
ranoutoftheroomandwouldn’tseehimanymore。AtfirstImighthaveforgivenhimifhehadapologized——saidhewassorry,butneveraword。NowIneverwillforgivehim。’’
Ihadtomakeastrenuousefforttoconcealmyagitation。TheRubehadmostcarefullytakenmyfooladviceinthematterofwooingawoman。
WhenIhadgotaholduponmyself,IturnedtoNanwhite—hotwitheloquence。NowIwastalkingnotwhollyformyselforthepennant,butforthisboyandgirlwhowereatoddsinthatstrangestgameoflife——love。
WhatIsaidIneverknew,butNanlostherresentment,andthenherscornandindifference。
Slowlyshethawedandwarmedtomyreason,praise,whateveritwas,andwhenIstoppedshewasagaintheradiantbewilderingNanofold。
``TakeanothermessagetoWhitforme,’’shesaid,audaciously。``TellhimIadoreballplayers,especiallypitchers。TellhimI’mgoingtothegametodaytochoosethebestone。Ifhelosesthegame————’’
Sheleftthesentenceunfinished。InmystateofmindIdoubtednotintheleastthatshemeanttomarrythepitcherwhowonthegame,andsoItoldtheRube。Hemadeonewildupheavalofhisarmsandshoulders,likeaneruptingvolcano,whichprovedtomethathebelievedit,too。
WhenIgottothebenchthatafternoonIwastired。Therewasabigcrowdtoseethegame;
theweatherwasperfect;Millysatupintheboxandwavedherscorecardatme;RaddyandSpearsdeclaredwehadthegame;theRubestalkedtoandfrolikeanimplacableIndianchief——butIwasnothappyinmind。Calamitybreathedintheveryair。
Thegamebegan。McCallbeatoutabunt;AshwellsacrificedandStringerlacedoneofhisbeautifultriplesagainstthefence。Thenhescoredonahighfly。Tworuns!Worcestertrottedoutintothefield。TheRubewaswhitewithdetermination;
hehadthespeedofabulletandperfectcontrolofhisjumpballanddrop。ButProvidencehitandhadtheluck。Ashwellfumbled,Greggthrewwild。Providencetiedthescore。
Thegameprogressed,growingmoreandmoreofanightmaretome。ItwasnotWorcester’sday。Theumpirecouldnotseestraight;theboysgrumbledandfoughtamongthemselves;Spearsroastedtheumpireandwassenttothebench;
Bogarttripped,hurtinghissoreankle,andhadtobetakenout。Henderson’sslow,easyballbaffledmyplayers,andwhenheusedspeedtheylineditstraightataProvidencefielder。
Inthesixth,afteradesperaterally,wecrowdedthebaseswithonlyoneout。ThenMullaney’shardraptoleft,seeminglygoodforthreebases,waspulleddownbyStonewithonehand。Itwasawonderfulcatchandhedoubleduparunneratsecond。Againintheseventhwehadachancetoscore,onlytofailonanotherdoubleplay,thistimebytheinfield。
WhentheProvidenceplayerswereatbattheirlucknotonlyheldgoodbuttrebledandquadrupled。ThelittleTexas—leaguehitsdroppedsafelyjustoutofreachoftheinfielders。Myboyshadanoffdayinfielding。Whathorrorthatofalldaysinaseasonthisshouldbetheoneforthemtomakeerrors!
Buttheyweregame,andtheRubewasthegamestofall。Hedidnotseemtoknowwhathardluckwas,ordiscouragement,orpoorsupport。
HekepteverlastinglyhammeringtheballatthoseluckyProvidencehitters。Whatspeedhehad!Theballstreakedin,andsomebodywouldshuthiseyesandmakeasafety。ButtheRubepitched,on,tireless,irresistibly,hopeful,notforgettingtocallawordofcheertohisfielders。
Itwasoneofthosestrangegamesthatcouldnotbebetteredbyanylaborordaringorskill。
Isawitwaslostfromthesecondinning,yetsodeeplywasIconcerned,sotantalizinglydidtheplaysreelthemselvesoff,thatIgroveledthereonthebenchunabletoabidebymybaseballsense。
Theninthinningprovedbeyondashadowofdoubthowbaseballfate,incommonwithotherfates,lovedtobalancethechances,toliftupone,thentheother,tolendadeceitfulhopeonlytodashitaway。
Providencehadalmostthreetimesenoughtowin。Theteamletupinthatinningorgrewover—
confidentorcareless,andbeforeweknewwhathadhappenedsomescratchhits,andbasesonballs,anderrors,gaveusthreerunsandlefttworunnersonbases。Thedisgustedbleacherscameoutoftheirgloomandbegantowhistleandthump。TheRubehitsafely,sendinganotherrunovertheplate。McCallworkedhisoldtrick,beatingoutaslowbunt。
Basesfull,threerunstotie!WithAshwellupandoneout,thenoiseinthebleachersmountedtoahigh—pitched,shrill,continuoussound。Igotupandyelledwithallmymightandcouldnothearmyvoice。Ashwellwasadangerousmaninapinch。Thegamewasnotlostyet。Ahit,anythingtogetAshtofirst——andthenStringer!
AshlaughedatHenderson,tauntedhim,shookhisbatathimanddaredhimtoputoneover。
Hendersondidnotstandunderfire。Theballhepitchedhadnosteam。Ashcrackedit——squareonthelineintotheshortstop’shands。Thebleachersceasedyelling。
ThenStringerstrodegrimlytotheplate。Itwasahundredtoone,inthatinstance,thathewouldlosetheball。Thebleachersletoutonedeafeningroar,thenhushed。IwouldratherhavehadStringeratthebatthananyotherplayerintheworld,andIthoughtoftheRubeandNanandMilly——andhopewouldnotdie。
Stringerswungmightilyonthefirstpitchandstrucktheballwithasharp,solidbing!Itshottowardcenter,low,level,exceedinglyswift,andlikeadarkstreakwentstraightintothefielder’shands。Arodtorightorleftwouldhavemadeitahomerun。Thecrowdstrangledavictoriousyell。Icameoutofmytrance,forthegamewasoverandlost。ItwastheRube’sWaterloo。
Ihurriedhimintothedressingroomandkeptclosetohim。Helookedlikeamanwhohadlosttheonethingworthwhileinhislife。Iturnedadeafeartomyplayers,toeverybody,andhustledtheRubeoutandtothehotel。Iwantedtobenearhimthatnight。
TomyamazewemetMillyandNanasweenteredthelobby。Millyworeasweet,sympatheticsmile。Nanshonemoreradiantthanever。
Isimplystared。ItwasMillywhogotusallthroughthecorridorintotheparlor。IheardNantalking。
``Whit,youpitchedabadgamebut——’’therewastheoldteasing,arch,coquettishness——``butyouarethebestpitcher!’’
``Nan!’’
``Yes!’’
BREAKINGINTOFASTCOMPANY
Theymaysaybaseballisthesameintheminorleaguesthatitisinthebigleagues,butanyoldballplayerormanagerknowsbetter。Wherethedifferencecomesin,however,isinthegreaterexcellenceandunityofthemajorplayers,aspeed,adaring,afinishthatcanbeacquiredonlyincompetitionwithoneanother。
IthoughtofthiswhenIledmypartyintoMorrisey’sprivateboxinthegrandstandoftheChicagoAmericanLeaguegrounds。WehadcometoseetheRube’sbreakintofastcompany。
Mygreatpitcher,WhittakerHurtle,theRube,aswecalledhim,hadwontheEasternLeaguePennantformethatseason,andMorrisey,theChicagomagnate,hadboughthim。Milly,myaffianced,waswithme,lookingashappyasshewaspretty,andshewaschaperonedbyhermother,Mrs。Nelson。
Withme,also,weretwoveteransofmyteam,McCallandSpears,wholivedinChicago,andwhowouldhavetraveledafewmilestoseetheRubepitch。AndtheothermemberofmypartywasMrs。Hurtle,theRube’swife,assaucyandassparkling—eyedaswhenshehadbeenNanBrown。Todaysheworeanewtailor—madegown,newbonnet,newgloves——shesaidshehaddecoratedherselfinamannerbefittingthewifeofamajorleaguepitcher。
Morrisey’sboxwasverycomfortable,and,asIwaspleasedtonote,sosituatedthatwehadafineviewofthefieldandstands,andyetwerecomparativelysecluded。Thebleacherswerefilling。
SomeoftheChicagoplayerswereonthefieldtossingandbattingballs;theRube,however,hadnotyetappeared。
Amomentlaterametallicsoundwasheardonthestairsleadingupintothebox。Iknewitforbaseballspikedshoesclankingonthewood。
TheRube,lookingenormousinhisuniform,stalkedintothebox,knockingovertwochairsasheentered。Hecarriedafielder’sgloveinonehugefreckledhand,andabigblackbatintheother。
Nan,withmuchdignityandaverymanifestpride,introducedhimtoMrs。Nelson。
Therewasalittlechatting,andthen,uponthearrivalofManagerMorrisey,wemenretiredtothebackoftheboxtotalkbaseball。
Chicagowasinfourthplaceintheleaguerace,andhadafightingchancetobeatDetroitoutforthethirdposition。Philadelphiawasscheduledforthatday,andPhiladelphiahadagreatteam。
Itwasleadingtherace,andalmostbeyondallquestionwouldlandtheflag。Intruth,onlyonemorevictorywasneededtoclinchthepennant。
TheteamhadthreegamestoplayinChicagoanditwastowinduptheseasonwiththreeinWashington。Sixgamestoplayandonlyoneimperativelyimportanttowin!Butbaseballisuncertain,anduntilthePhiladelphianswonthatgametheywouldbeabandoffiends。
``Well,Whit,thisiswhereyoubreakin,’’I
said。``Now,tipusstraight。You’vehadmorethanaweek’srest。How’sthatarm?’’
``Grand,Con,grand!’’repliedtheRubewithhisfranksmile。``IwasalittleanxioustillI
warmedup。Butsay!I’vegotmoreupmysleevetodaythanIeverhad。’’
``That’lldoforme,’’saidMorrisey,rubbinghishands。``I’llspringsomethingontheseswelledQuakerstoday。Now,Connelly,giveHurtleoneofyouroldtalks——thelastone——andthenI’llringthegong。’’
Iaddedsomewordsofencouragement,notforgettingmyoldrusetoincitetheRubebyrousinghistemper。Andthen,asthegongrangandtheRubewasdeparting,Nansteppedforwardforhersay。Therewasalittlewhiteunderthetanonhercheek,andhereyeshadadarklingflash。