Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 118, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 May 1911 — RECTOR WAS A FAN [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

RECTOR WAS A FAN

HEARD THE SCORE AMD CALLED FOR LONG METER DOXOLOGY. EVEN BISHOP FORGAVE HIM Echo of Great Struggle Between Cubs aft* White Box—How Zwilling Dieted to Reduce Hie WeightMost Freakish Catch. By HUGH 8. FULLERTON. : This is a story which is perfectly proper to tell, because one of the bishops of the Protestant Episcopal church laughed until tears rolled down his cheeks over it and forgave the rector concerned. The rector is in charge of a prominent Chicago church, and it so happened that he is and always win be a White Sox fan. , Isl the vestry are two more White Sox fans, who shall be called Smith and Brown, because they would never forgive the use of their real names. The story concerns the time that the Chicago Cubs, representing the National league, and the White Sox, champions of the American jgague, met to decide the world’s chApionship. There was civil war in Chicago that fall. The series divided families and caused neighborhood riots. Friends of a lifetime ceased to speak and good citizens blackened each others’ eyes in the' street because, foorsooth, one thought the Cubs would win and the other picked the White Sox. _ The rector and the two vestrymen had a box at all the games during the week —but, alas! for them, the final game of the wild and exciting series fell on Sunday and, worse than that, on a Sunday fbr which the rector had announced special matin services. But for the special serylces, Smith and Brown might have compromised their consciences and seen the game, but ' knowing the rector would note any absence on their part, they dutifully attended their church duties. The special service was two-thirds over when Brown was unable to stand it any longer. With Intensely solemn face he arose, tiptoed down the aisle and made a quiet exit Once outside, he dashed madly across the street to the drug store and reached a telephone. A few moments later he reentered church. Hlb face was wreathed with a beatific smile and, as he carefully parted his coat tails and resumed his seat, his chest overhung his body like a bay window, and the absolute contentment of his smiling countenance was only to be' rivaled by a calf chewing & dish rag. Smith’s pew was directly across the aisle. He was twitching with suppressed anxiety, and seeing Brown’s face, he could contain himself no longer, but stretched his neck across the aisle and whispered: ‘‘Who won?” His whisper was audible to half the church and the rector paused in his discourse. “The Sox,” replied Brother Brown, his smile spreading, and his exultant whisper penetrating even the choir loft r „ For an instant the rector was dazed. A murmur ran through the church.

Then the little rector regained his composure, and said, calmly: “And now that Brother Brown has told us who won, he might tell ns the score.” Brown did not heeitate. Swelling his chest further he proclaimed: “Eight to three.” , A titter ran over the congregation as thee rector, without raising his eyes, said: “We will now sing the long meter doxology three times.” “little Alexander” Zwiiling, cherubic looking (not acting) outfielder of the Chicago White Sox, is a native of Battle Creek, Mich. He probably could make more money traveling as an advertisement for the health foods of that place than he ever will at baseball. He looks like the picture of MeUlns* food babies, and is so plump and angelic appearing that the pitchers hate to strike him out. But Manager Hugh Duffy decided Zwiiling was too plump. One afternoon Little Alexander was thrown out at first on an infield bounder which Duffy thought he ought to have beaten to first, and he called the cherub. ! “Here, Zwiiling,” he remarked, “you’re too fat. Get some of that weight off and you'll go faster.” "Yes, I will—Tm dieting now,” remarked Zwiiling. Two weeks peased and Zwiiling looked plumper than ever.

Ton'll have to take seme of that weight off, or I'll send yon back to the minor leagues,” cautioned Duffy. ‘Tm dieting to take it off,” responded zwilling. « : -; "What are you taking?” asked Trained Buckner, who had not been consulted in the matter. Tm taking nearly a pint of olive oil every day," said Zwiiling, spiritedly, and wondered why “Buck” cot lapsed on the bench. Knowing baseball and being able to play it well does not make a man a good ball player. To be that he must know these things and at the same time know his opponents. The same thing applies to the other great American game, poker, as a stranger from a far land discovered during the world’s series. ' ' ; The stranger was a New York writer, dispatched to travel with the Cubs In those hysterical jumps to and from Philadelphia. He Am played poker from ooast to coast, but, though he knew the game and could play It, he had never played with the bunch of desperadoes that engages in the in-

terminable Cub game. In honor of the world’s series, Chance permitted the rules governing the limit, which jig A quarter during the season, to be broken, and they were playing that grand old suicidal game, of each ante a quarter, one dollar limit and all jacks, and raising two or three times before the draw. The New Yorker sat in to get bis part of the world’s championship spoil, and they observed him approaching. The third hand dealt he opened the pot for one bone right under the gun, and he*had three nine spots. Tom Needham calmly boosted it a dollar, and, after some study, Mordecai Brown gave it another tilt. The easterner with his threes, boosted again. Needham and Brown hoisted him. *3 The easterner, a trifle remained and pushed two hesitating and reluctant beans into the pot. Needham raised, Brown raised and Needham staid and drew two cards, while Brown held his pat and the stranger drew two without helping his nines. The stranger checked the bet, Needham bet a dollar, Brown raised him, Needham raised back and the. stranger with a sigh shoved bis three nines into the discard and swore softly at the “luck.” Brown raised, Needham raised, and Brown, after a second’s study, called. “Whatche got, Tom?” he demanded. “Pair of fives,” laughed Needham. “Just top you—pair of sevens,” Brown, taking down the pot. For a moment the stranger stared. Then he remarked: "This is no place for a poker player,” and crawled out Big Bill Lange, once the hero of Anson’s famous Colts, came east last fall for the first time in ll years, to see the first world’s championship series he ever beheld. While in Chicago he told the story of what he considered the most freakish catch ever made. “I made that catch on the old Eastr ern park grounds In Brooklyn," said Bill. “There may have been more wonderful catches, but I think that was the freakiest ever made and It saved us a ball game.” “The grounds at Eastern park were extremely long, and not very wide, and the center fielder could go a mile back without hitting a fence. If you remember, I used to have a way of coming in fast on a fly ball and sliding to It If I saw I could not reach it standing up. Well, in this game, Treadway was at bat, and when he got a good crack at a ball he would drive it a mile or so out to center or to right center, so I played way out They had a couple of runners on bases and a long hit meant that would beat us out. Instead of lifting the bah far out, as I expected to do, Treadway smashed a low, hard line hit straight in my direction. I thought I could reach the ball and went tearing in at top speed. 1 saw I could reach the ball without sliding, and kept on at as fast a gait as I could. 1 was .almost to the ball when my foot caught, some way, and I pitched forward onto my face. I lost sight of the ball entirely and threw out both arms to save myself. As I hit the ground my feet flew up behind me just as the ball went over my head. That ball hit right on my heels and popped at least 30 feet into the air. Ryan had been coming over fast to back me up if the ball got past me, and he trotted In and caught the ball before it could bit the ground and retired the side. All I ever got sore about was that 1 didn’t catch that ball between my heels." ■ , (Copyright, 1911, by Joseph B. Bowles.)

The Series Divided Families and Caused Neighborhood Riots.

The Vestry Fans.