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 idea. There was a fellow in town, staying with some relatives of his, who used to be in the National League, and we boys always walked backward to stare at him, whenever he passed. Well, the boy with the idea put it this way: he said, "Let's go and see if we can't get Mason to coach our club for a few weeks!" What Mason didn't know about base-ball, wasn't worth knowing, for he'd done some great work when he was on the diamond, had been short-stop,—and if anybody has to keep busy, and have his wits about him every second of the time, it's the short-stop in a base-ball game.

Well, sir, we didn't know whether he would be willing to help us out or not, but we appointed a committee to go and see him right then,—and we waited while they went.

They came back on the dead run, and said he'd be glad to do it, and wouldn't charge us a cent, either. You bet we had a regular jamboree celebrating, that afternoon.

So, from that time on, I was kept busy after school and Saturdays, and the month went mighty fast. Bob Stevens was away when we started in to train with our coach, and the day he got back,