Well as long as I was down town I thought I might as well look up some of my other friends so I happened to remember a pal of mine that use to work in the Gas Co. so I dropped in there and asked for him but he wasn’t there no more so I asked for whoever was in charge and they showed me to an old bird that must of began to work for them the day they struck gas and I told him my name and who I was and he said about the only thing open was meter readers so I said “Read them yourself” and come away.
That’s the kind of birds we have got here Al but they can’t all be that way and the next time I will wait for them to come to me before I go around and lay myself libel to insults from a bunch of pro German spys or whatever you have a mind to call them.
Well they’s a saloon on Adams St. that it use to be a big hang out for the fans so I dropped in there before I started home but they wasn’t nobody in there that I knew them or they knew me and the bunch that was in there didn’t even know their own name but they was all trying to sing tenor and that’s about the way it is in all the saloons you drop in to these days and they all seem to think that every day is June 30. Well I couldn’t stand for the noise and everybody with their arm around each other tearing off Smiles so I come home and Florrie asked me how I had came out and I told her and she says it looked like I better go back in to baseball. So I said if I do go back it will be because they give me a $5,000.00 contract in the stead of the $2,500.00 I was getting when I quit and enlisted and between you and I Al that’s the lowest figure I would sign up for and of course I wouldn’t have no trouble getting that if I give Comiskey the word that I was thinking about pitching baseball again. But nothing doing in baseball for me Al when I know I can get in to some big business with a future in it and won’t never half to worry about my arm or catching cold in it or nothing and be home every night with the kiddies. But if I did sign up to a $5,000.00 contract in baseball it would mean our income would be around $8,000.00 per annum as Florrie is kicking out pretty close to $250.00 per mo. clear profit in her beauty parlor.
Well Florrie said if I couldn’t get no $5,000.00 from the White Sox or find no job that suited me she would give me a job herself so I said “What doing pairing finger nails over in your studio?” So she said “No indeed I would hire you as nurse for little Al and the baby in place of the one we have got.” So I said I wouldn’t mind being a nurse for little Al as I and him can have a fine time playing together and I would make a man out of him but I wouldn’t sign no contract to take care of little Florrie for no amt. of money as it would mean I would half to stay awake 24 hrs. per day as this little bird don’t never close her eyes and I only wished they was a few umpires like her in the American League and maybe a man could get something like a square deal. I have often heard people that had babys brag about how good they was and slept all the wile except when they was getting their chow but little Florrie ain’t no relation to them or neither is little Al as he was just as bad when he was a baby and when I hear these storys about these here perfect babys I begin to think that the husbands and wifes that owns them is the same kind that never had a cross word since they been married.
But jokeing to 1 side Al I don’t see how the Swede stands it being up all day and then up again all night and sometimes I wished I could help her out by walking the floor with the kid nights but the Dr. said I wasn’t to do nothing that might strain my bad arm till I was sure it was OK
Chi, Dec. 12.
Friend Al: Well Al yesterday was the American League meeting and I happened to be down town so I dropped in to the hotel where the meeting was at just to see some of the boys as they’s always a bunch of them hangs around in the hopes that 1 of the club owners will smile at them or something and any way I dropped in the lobby and the 1st bird I seen was Bobby Roth that was with us a few yrs. ago and played the outfield for Cleveland last yr. So I says “Hello Bobby.” So he said “Hello Jack.” Well it was the 1st time I seen him since I quit baseball for the army but I guess he hadn’t never heard that I was in the war or something and any way he didn’t say nothing about it but finely he said he supposed I would be back with the White Sox next yr. so then I told him I had made it up in my mind to quit the game and go in to business and he said he was sorry to hear it. So I said “Yes you are
