round in Marshalltown, and we felt that we had every reason to
feel elated when at the end of the ninth inning the score stood at 18 to
3 in their favor.

So disgusted were the visitors and their followers over the showing that
we had made in spite of their best endeavors that they at once proceeded
to arrange another game for the next day, cancelling another date ahead
in order to do so.

Speaking of this second game my father says: "The rules of the game at
that time made the playing of a 'Ryan dead ball' compulsory, and this it
was the province of the home club to furnish, and this was the sort of a
ball that was played with the first day. To bat such a ball as this to
any great distance was impossible and our fielders were placed well in
for the second game, just as they had been in the first, but we soon
discovered that the balls were going far beyond us, and on noting their
positions when our turn to bat came we found their fielders placed much
further out than on the day before. My first impression was that the
great flights taken by the ball were due to the tremendous batting, but
later on I became convinced that there was something wrong with the
ball, and called for time to investigate the matter.

"On questioning our unsophisticated management I discovered that the
visitors had generously (?) offered to furnish the ball for the second
game, as we had furnished the ball for the first, and had been allowed
to do so. We later learned that they had skinned the liveliest kind of a
'Bounding Rock' and re-covered it with a 'Ryan Dead Ball' cover. This
enabled them to get ahead at the start, but after we had learned of the
deception we held them down so close that they won back but a very small
share of the money that they had lost on the game of the day before,
though they beat us by a score of 35 to 5.

"Let me say right here, too, that the visitors had their own umpire with
them, and he was allowed to umpire the game. He let Al Spalding do about
as he pleased, and pitch as many balls as he wished without calling
them, and once when I was at the bat and he could not induce me to hit
at the wild ones that he was sending in he fired a vicious one straight
in my direction, when, becoming irritated in my turn, I dropped the bat
and walked out in his direction with a view of administering a little
proper punishment to the frisky gentleman. He discovered what was
coming, however, and meekly crawled back, piteously beg