Leonard Catcher

Of course the home team elected to go into the field in the opening
inning. This brought "Just" Smith to the bat to start things moving.
Well, he proved to be the "round peg in the round hole," for what did
he do but tap the very first ball up for as pretty a single as any
one would want to see. This was certainly a good beginning. Joe
Danvers "whiffed out" after knocking several foul strikes. That was
one down, but the eager Scranton fans were saying to each other:

"Notice that our fellows don't seem to have any trouble as yet in
getting to Arthur Kinsey this fine afternoon! Oh! wait till they
limber up, and you'll see them knock him out of the box."

"Yes, just wait," some of the local rooters would call out, "and
see how he mows your fellows down in one, two, three style. Arthur
always starts in easy and stiffens up as he goes along. He has
pitched two games in an afternoon, and won both. They do say he
was better at the end of the eighteen innings than when he started.
Yes, please don't take snap judgment on our poor pitcher. There,
did you see how Joe Danvers nearly broke his back trying to hit
a ball that didn't come within a foot of the plate. He'll have
them all guessing pretty soon and eating out of his hand. The game
is long, my brother, don't settle it in the first inning."

Owen got in his little bunt, all right, and succeeded in advancing
the runner to second, as well as saving his own bacon. So there
were two on the bags, and as many down, when Hugh stepped up and took
a chance at the offerings of the wily Kinsey.