WHEN YOU WERE A BOY

Excerpt: ?Fat Day was captain and pitcher. He was captain because, if he was not, he wouldn?t play, and inasmuch as he owned the ball, this would have been disastrous; and he was pitcher because he was captain. In the North Stars were other pitchers?seven of them! The only member who did not aspire to pitch was Billy Lunt, and as catcher he occupied a place, in ?takin? ?em off the bat,? too delightfully hazardous for him to surrender, and too painful for anybody else to covet. The organization of the North Stars was effected through verbal contracts somewhat as follows: ?Say, we want you to be in our nine.? ?All right. Will you lemme pitch?? ?Naw; Fat?s pitcher, ?cause he?s captain; but you can play first.? ?Pooh! Fat can?t pitch?? ?I can, too. I can pitch lots better?n you can, anyhow.? (This from Fat himself.) ?W-well, I?ll play first, then. I don?t care.? Thus an adjustment was reached."