Oakhurst Collegiate School - Acorn Yearbook (Cincinnati, OH)

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THE ACORN 1'7 throw the ball to third, it slipped and rolled towards the pitcher's box. Jack sprang forward, for he knew that in about four more seconds the man would reach third, and instantly threw the ball, not knowing whether the man was safe or out, until at last the umpire raised his hand and yelled, nOut! The game was over and they had won! Jack could not believe it until the coach rushed up and wrung his hand, declaring, much to Jacks embarrassment, that he had won the day. Needless to say, the boys quickly gathered around him; even Emerson, who felt pretty low-spirited, came up to him and said: HNice work, old man; nice work! tHELEN PAYNE, 1914.

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13 THE ACORN whistled softly to himself, for he wondered whether now he had really found something worth while. Jack made some poor plays that afernoon, as well as some good ones, and felt encouraged when the coach said he might play the next day. He played many more times but was finally placed only as a subii on the team. Emerson was the big manli in the senior class and was a line pitcher, one to be relied upon, and so far had pitched every game in the last year. Finally the day came when the big game of the season was to be played. Pittsfield was to play a team from a school across the river and the loss of that game meant the loss of the seasonys championship. Excitement ran high, for all knew what depended on this game and their adversaries were pretty hard to beat. The grandstand was well crowded when, amid the cheers and yells 0f the crowd and schools, both teams walked out, looking very gay in their gray suits with bright-colored stockings and letters. Emerson played fairly well but seemed to be a little upset. He pitched eight innings and the score was 3 t0 4 in Pittsfieldis favor. All knew now that on this inning everything depended. In the First half Emerson struck out and his side did not score a run. Not knowing what to do, the coach consulted with the manager and they decided they would give Jack a try because he could keep steady and put his curved halls over, their adversaries would probably not score and then their side would win by one run, Groans from his team greeted Jack as he started slowly to walk to the pitchers box, and remarks that now they were surely gone, but he was so deep in thought he did not hear them. Someone yelled, liBatter up i and a boy walked up quickly and took his place. The First ball went rather well, but the umpire called, Ball one ! Then it was 'lStrike one! Then three more balls, at which the umpire called, 'Take your baseP Jack was in despair. The next boy struck out, at which a quiver of delight ran over Jack, and he was resolved he would beat that team. The man at first stole to second, but that was not Jacks fault. So after the next man reached first and the one following him had hit a beauty right to Derrick, playing left field, who missed it but did not let the man on second make a run, the bases were full with only one out. Jack and the catcher having talked it over and rearranged some signals, Jack decided that if the batter hunted, which he was in the habit of doing, he would force the rest to move up. Then he could run up quickly and throw home, while the catcher threw to third, and so make a double play and therefore not score. Surely enough the plan seemed to work, for the man 'bunted, Jack ran up, threw to home and put the man way out. But alas! As the catcher was about to

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18 THE ACORN SOME ASPECTS OF T HE FLOOD , O the world in general, the recent hood with all its horrors has been ,4 relegated to history, but to those in the Hooded region, it is still very, very real, and were it not for the all-saving sense of humor, which will crop out, no matter how serious the event, the suHerers would have been an extinct species long ago. In Piqua, Ohio, one daily paper was presumably put out of business, but two days after the deluge, there appeared at the various subscribers doorsteps a printed sheet so small as almost to deserve the use of the microscope, which announced bravely that it had come back to stay and that it was the ltFirst Flood Edition. This paper cheerily sought out the funny episodes, and dedicated a whole page to the task of making people laugh. Verity, the twenty-fifth of March was moving ,day, but unfortunately people generally prefer to have some say in the manner in which the move is made, so they were most ungrateful at the high-handed way Her Highness, the water, changed their habitations. In Piqua, two nights in succession people went scut- tling up the hills, west of town, like bugs out of a burning log, and returned to find their respectable dwellings standing upon their heads, 01' balancing freak- ishly upon their corners. A day or so later an advertisement like this seemed quite natural: FOR SALE. Buff-colored house, resting upon corner of Greene and Spring Streets. Apply, etc. A perfectly good house it was, too, although slightly unbalanced. A man living near Piqua had just completed a snug little house, when it was transplanted Over night to an empty lot across the street, Nothing daunted, the man immediately bought the lot, moved his household goods into his new home, and took up his abode on the new site. Another house was picked up and deposited in three neat sections several blocks from its original abiding place. A week later a chicken coop belonging to the building was discovered some distance down the river, with all the chickens caekling happily as they went about their business. They had laid twenty eggs during the excitement! The first night of the flood, when the water was rising over the town by leaps and bounds, and people were being swept down stream before help could get to them, a man whose stinginess is proverbial, was heard calling despairingly from his porch roof. A neighbor called over to find out his plight, so as to send suitable aid. The reply was thus: Oh, help! help! There goes my best tin pail down the street and I cant catch it.