[legendsport]

Montreal, PQ - May 21, 1917:

"Come on Jock, give it a ride!"

Jack took a deep breath, squeezed the bat and stepped back into the batter's box. He looked over his shoulder and winked at the kid doing the shouting - sophomore first baseman Hector Brown. Jack, a senior, was wrapping up his final season of high school baseball. And he was having a good year.

He waggled the bat a bit and waited. The pitcher went into his overly-elaborate windup (Jack's father - a former pitcher - had always stressed economy of motion on the ballfield) and delivered a nice, fat fastball over the heart of the plate. Jack swung from the heels, felt the hickory make solid contact with the baseball and sent it on a rising line into the left field corner.

As he raced around first base, Jack saw that the left fielder had underestimated the speed of the liner and taken a bad angle. Jack opened up his stride and rounded second at a tear. Long skating sessions had left Jack with fantastic "wind" - or stamina - and he went around third at full tilt. The left fielder had finally gotten to the ball and threw to the shortstop who was firing the ball as Jack headed for home.

"Watch out meat wagon! I'm coming home!" he shouted as he dipped his shoulder and slammed into the catcher at full speed. Several years of hockey had made Jack a heavy-hitter in the more traditional sense of the phrase and he wiped the catcher out, touching home plate as the ill-fated receiver sprawled in the dirt with a dazed look on his face.

"Sorry, kid," Jack muttered as he trotted past, grabbing his bat on the way.

Hector slapped him on the back, saying, "Nice hit, Jock," Jock being the nickname he'd earned while playing hockey and carried over into baseball.

In the dugout Jack ran his hand over his hickory bat. Rufus had had it made especially for him and it was fine - and hard. Jack found himself musing about a hickory hockey stick. Hmm...


Egypt, GA - May 24, 1917:

The old Hupmobile sputtered to a stop in front of the Barrell home and Rufus climbed out, rushing around to open the door for his wife.

Rollie, watching from the kitchen window, saw how angry his mother looked. "Uh-oh, you better be on your best behavior," he said over his shoulder to Dan and Fred who were wrestling on the floor. "Ma has a bee in her bonnet."

As his parents walked in, Rollie noted with a smirk that Dan and Fred were now standing sheepishly, straightening their clothes.

"Don't think I don't know you two were fighting," Alice said. "You better straighten up - I'm in no mood for poorly behaved children today."

Rollie looked at his father and asked, "So?"

Rufus shook his head. "They won't let him out. He's going down to some new camp here in Georgia for training."

Alice, looking spitting mad, added, "They pointed out that we could 'go visit' him."

Rollie shook his head, "That independent streak of his sure causes a lot of trouble."

"Indeed it does," agreed Rufus.

Rufus went on to explain that the Army had stood on the falsified birth certificate and the major to whom they'd spoken had also pointed out that Jimmy would be 17 in less than three weeks, so there was little sense in cutting him loose since the boy had reiterated that he'd just enlist again anyway.

He would be training at Camp Gordon. Rumor was that the Army was going to build a brand-new division there and that it would be going to France sometime the next year. Alice burst into tears when Rufus mentioned that.

"I have a terrible feeling about this, Rufus," she moaned. Rufus gave her a hug and Rollie pushed his brothers out of the room.

When Alice had recovered Rollie took his father aside.

"I got a telegram from the golfing board."

Rufus smiled, "About the Open, right? I couldn't be more proud of you Rollie - to get an invite as an amateur is very, very impressive."

Rollie frowned and said, "Yeah, it was about the Open. They cancelled it. Because of the war."

Rufus shook his head. "Like I said, this war is turning everything upside down."


Springfield, GA: June 3, 1917:

Joe Barrell was pacing... again. His brother Rollie and father Rufus shared a bemused look.

"You're going to wear a rut in the floor, Joe," Rufus said with a smile.

It had been almost five hours since Edna Barrell had gone into labor. Her father, Joe's former boxing trainer, Rube Farmer, tapped an unlit cigar on his leg. Edna's mother Bess and Joe's mother Alice were in the room with Edna and the midwife. Rounding out the group in the front room of Joe & Edna's small home was Cooter Daniels. "Joe, you're as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rockin' chairs," Cooter said with a smile. Cooter's brother Possum was on a scouting trip and Joe figured Cooter had to hold up the Daniels' family's reputation on his behalf.

As a cry of pain came from the bedroom, Rollie noted quietly, "I sure am glad I'm not a woman," and got a stern look and a quiet "hush" from Rufus.

"Have you thought of what you're going to name this young'un?" Rube asked Joe.

Joe nodded, "Yeah, we figured on Rufus if it's a boy and Gloria for a girl."

Rufus shook his head. "Now why would you want to saddle this poor kid with a name like mine?" he asked.

Joe smiled and said, "Hell, Pop. You have nine sons and didn't name a single one of us after yourself. I'm just giving you your due."

Cooter pointed out that his nephew was named Rufus, to which Joe shrugged and said, "Yeah, but he's a Daniels. This kid is going to be 100% Barrell."

A few minutes later a baby's cry was heard... and then a minute later, another one.

Joe raised an eyebrow and Rufus smiled.

Alice Barrell came out of the bedroom a moment later. "Meet your son," she said as she handed the baby to Joe.

Joe beamed as he said, "He's so small."

"They don't stay small long - enjoy it while you can," Alice said, then turned and pointed to the bedroom door where Edna's mother appeared... with another baby.

"Here's your daughter!" Bess Farmer said.

Soon a stunned Joe was holding a baby in each arm. "Twins?" he asked quietly as Rollie stood and started handing out cigars - two each, one for each of the newest Barrells.

Alice punched Rufus in the arm, "Hey, there grampa," she said and then as he turned to her with a look of wonder on his face, she kissed him.