and which only the strong and active would care to carry out if
pleasure in the strenuous sport were not its own great reward
Along the field the ball is urged, in ways presently to be explained,
and which only the strong and active would care to carry out if
pleasure in the strenuous sport were not its own great reward.
good physique, and the very first, and by far the most useful of
these, is walking
There are certain exercises that every athlete must take to have a
good physique, and the very first, and by far the most useful of
these, is walking.
usually in front of the observation stand, or a board wall or other
obstruction
The catcher, or back stop, as he is called by professionals, is
usually in front of the observation stand, or a board wall or other
obstruction. This is usually ninety feet from the home plate.
will recall the brothers of far-off days, and bring her into closer
sympathy–we must not say ‘love,’ for that is already strong enough
–with the exuberance of her boys
We want the mother, as well as the father, to read this book, for it
will recall the brothers of far-off days, and bring her into closer
sympathy–we must not say ‘love,’ for that is already strong enough
–with the exuberance of her boys.
side of the taw line and his side toward the players
When all is ready First Back takes a position, with one foot on either
side of the taw line and his side toward the players. Foot-an”-half
is the last to jump, and knowing what is expected of him, he leaps as
far as he can. Where his heels come down another line is drawn. To
this line First Back moves, placing a foot on either side. Now comes
the test of the leader. He can now take a foot and a half, using his
own foot for a rule, and jump from that point, but if any other boy
can make the leap from the old taw line, the leader becomes ‘it’ and a
new game is started.
all seriousness, before writing anything about boating, that every boy
should learn to swim before he undertakes to manage a boat, or even to
handle a raft
I must reserve for ‘Swimming’ a good long chapter, but let me say in
all seriousness, before writing anything about boating, that every boy
should learn to swim before he undertakes to manage a boat, or even to
handle a raft. It is surprising at what an early age this most
essential art is acquired, and once learned, it is never forgotten.
family equally inviting to fish
Worms, I mean bait worms, are not all of one family, nor is each
family equally inviting to fish. The red, fat fellows never come
amiss, but the light, flabby kind afford no great lure for even the
hungriest sort of a fish. The worm that keeps its tail a-wiggling
after he is on the hook, is just the thing. The manure worm, the marsh
worm, and a worm found at the root of the sweet flag, all make good
bait; but the best of all is the night-crawling earth-worm.
The lariat may be of any length from twenty to eighty feet. It
consists of a long, strong, flexible rope, with a running noose at the
end thrown. I have seen them made of hemp, horse hair and raw hide–
the latter are by far the best, provided they are flexible and soft
enough. The raw hide is cut and specially tanned, but for practice an
ordinary thin rope will do.
each trying to knock him off his perch
A taw line is drawn and from this the ducks are thrown at the drake,
each trying to knock him off his perch.
boy who has ridden a wheel knows
The pathway of the biker is not always straight and smooth, as every
boy who has ridden a wheel knows. The collision can always be avoided
by good eyes and reasonable speed, but no eyes are keen enough to
note, and no skill alert enough to avoid the broken glass, or the bits
of scrap iron that beset the path and puncture the tire.