ier place for a
diamond that the portion of it upon which we played, and which was known
as the Piazza de Sienna, could not be imagined. Under the great trees
that crowned the grassy terraces about the glade that afternoon
assembled a crowd such as few ball players had ever played before, among
the notables present being King Humbert of Italy, the Prince of Naples,
Prince Borghese and family, Count Ferran, Princess Castel del Fino,
Count Gionatti, Senora Crispi, wife of the Prime Minister, and her
daughter, Charles Dougherty and ladies, the class of the American
College at Rome, members of the various diplomatic corps, tourists and
others.

We were greeted by three rousing cheers and a tiger from the American
College boys and then, after fifteen minutes of fast practice, we began
the first professional ball game ever played in Rome, a game that both
teams were most anxious to win. Crane and Earle and Tener and Daly were
in the points. The game was a remarkable one throughout, the fielding on
both sides being gilt-edged, and the score a tie at the end of the
second inning, each side having two runs. Double plays, clean hitting
and sharp fielding marked the next few innings, and it was not until the
seventh inning Burns crossed the plate with the winning run for the
Chicagos, the score standing 3 to 2. After this we played an exhibition
game of two innings, that was marked by fast work throughout, and were
heartily cheered as we lifted our caps and left the grounds.

Shortly after the noon hour the next day, which was Sunday, we started
for Florence, the day being a cold and cheerless one, arriving there at
8:30 and finding quarters at the Hotel de Europe, not a stone's throw
from the right bank of the Arno. It was too chilly for any gas-light
trips that evening, and we retired early, but the next morning after an
early breakfast we started in to make the most of the little time that
we had at our disposal, and before the time set for play that afternoon
we had taken flying peeps at the beautiful Cathedral of St. Maria, the
home and studio of Michael Angelo, the palace of the Medicis and the
Pitti and Uffizi galleries, both of which are rich in paintings, the
works of the great masters.

We played that afternoon upon the Cascine or racecourse of Florence, in
the midst of beautiful surroundings and in the presence of a crowd that
was small but select, royalty having several representatives on the
grounds. The game was a