Jack Keefe Stories

out when he got a look at my shoulders and chest. I stepped on the scales and tipped the bean at 194 and he measured me at 6 ft. 1 and a half. Then he went all over me and poked me with his finger and counted my teeth and finely he made me tell him what different letters was that he held up like I didn’t know the alphabet or something. So when he was through he says “Well I guess you ain’t going to die right away.” He signed the paper and sent me to the room where the rest of the board was setting.

Well 1 of them looked up my number and then asked me did I claim exemptions. I told him yes and he asked me what grounds so I said “I sport a wife and baby and besides I don’t feel like it would be a square deal to Comiskey for me to walk out on him now.” So he says “Have you got an affidavit from your wife that you sport her?” So I told him no and he says “Go and get one and bring it back here tomorrow but you don’t need to bring none from Comiskey.” So you see Comiskey must stand pretty good with them.

So he give me a blank for Florrie to fill out and when she gets home we will go to a notary and tend to it and tomorrow they will fix up my excuse and then I won’t have nothing to think about only to get the old souper in shape for the big finish.

Your pal,
Jack.

Chicago, Aug. 8.

Dear Old Pal: Well old pal it would seem like the best way to get along in this world is to not try and get nowheres because the minute a man gets somewheres they’s people that can’t hardly wait to bite your back.

The 1st thing yesterday I went over to No. 5 board and was going to show them Florrie’s affidavit but while I was pulling it out of my pocket the man I seen the day before called me over to 1 side and says “Listen Keefe I am a White Sox fan and don’t want to see you get none the worst of it and if I was you I would keep a hold of that paper.” So I asked him what for and he says “Do you know what the law is about telling the truth and not telling the truth and if you turn in an affidavit thats false and we find it out you and who ever made the affidavit is both libel to prison?” So I said what was he trying to get at and he says “We got informations that your wife is in business for herself and makeing as high as $250.00 per month which is plenty for she and your boy to get along on.” “Yes” I said “but who pays for the rent of our flat and the hired girl and what we eat?” So he says “That don’t make no difference. Your wife could pay for them and that settles it.”

Well Al I didn’t know what to say for a minute but finely I asked him where the informations come from and he says he was tipped off in a letter that who ever wrote it didn’t sign their name the sneaks and I asked him how he knowed that they was telling the truth. So he says “Its our business to look them things up. If I was you I wouldn’t make no claim for exemptions but just lay quiet and take a chance.”

Then all of a sudden I had an idea Al and I will tell you about it but 1st as soon as it come to me I asked the man if this here board was all the board they was and he says no that if they would not excuse me I could appeal to the Dist. board but if he was me he wouldn’t do it because it wouldn’t do no good and might get me in trouble. So I said “I won’t get in no trouble” and he says “All right suit yourself.” So I said I would take the affidavit and go to the Dist. board but he says no that I would have to get passed on 1st by his board and then I could appeal if I wanted to.

So I left the affidavit and he says they would notify me how I come out so then I beat it home and called up Florrie and told her they was something important and for her to come up to the flat.

Well Al here was the idea. I had been thinking for a long time that while it was all OK for Florrie to earn a little money in the summer when I was tied up with the club it would be a whole lot better if we was both free after the season so as we could take little Al and go on a trip somewheres or maybe spend the winter in the south but of course if she kept a hold of her share in the business she couldn’t get away so the best thing would be to sell out to Miss Nevins for a good peace of money and we could maybe buy us a winter home somewheres with what she got and whats comeing to me in the worlds serious.

So when Florrie got home I put it up to her. I said “Florrie I’m sick in tired of haveing you tied up in business because it don’t seem right for a married woman to be in business when their husbands in the big league and besides a womans place is home especially when they got a baby so I want you to sell out and when I get my split of the worlds serious we will go south somewheres and buy