Well we finely got out to the pk. and they wasn’t no chance for a real practice on acct. of the mud but Gleason found a dry spot over in 1 corner and marked off the pitching distants and had us all throw a few and honest Al my old super never felt better in my life and I cut loose a couple that pretty near knocked Schalk for a gool but Gleason finely come up and stopped me and told me to not go to strong the 1st day. Well I watched this Belden wile he throwed a few and I was standing along side of Cicotte and he was watching him to so I asked him what he thought of him. So Cicotte said “He looks like he will make a mighty valuable man for us as when he is in there pitching Schalk can set on the bench and rest as he won’t never get nothing past the batter.”
Well we finely come out of the pk. and started back towards the hotel and the 1st thing you know they was a machine come hunking up behind us and it was Miss Krug the St. Louis heiress that’s stopping at the hotel and she slowed up and asked if anybody wanted a ride. Well Al she was looking right at me but I pretended like I didn’t understand but I just give her a kind of a smile and the next thing you know Belden had ran out and jumped in the drivers seat with her and away they went.
How is that for nerve Al when it was me she was looking at and this other bird that’s been in the league about 5 minutes you might say jumps in and rides with her and I bet the little gal felt pretty sick when she seen what she had got wished on to and she didn’t come in for supper tonight as I suppose she thought some of the boys would make fun of her though she needn’t have no fears on that score as if any of them tried it I would knock them for a gool.
Mineral Wells, March 29.
Friend Al: Well old pal I guess they’s no more question about me makeing good and sticking with the club and you will say the same thing when I tell you what Gleason said yesterday. We played a game out to the pk. between the 1st and 2nd clubs and the game was to go 7 innings and Gleason told me I could pitch a part of it for the 2nd club so my arm was feeling so good that I asked him to let me work 4 of the 7 innings. Well Al when I got through the 1st club had 1 hit and never found out where 2nd base was located. So when it was over Gleason come up to me and said “Well Jack I don’t know what the war done to you but I never seen you look better then that in the spring and right now you look like the best man I have got down here pitching.” He said “Now don’t go and swell up but keep working hard and do like I tell you and you may turn out to be the bird I need to round out my pitching staff.” Well the club was going over to play Ft. Worth and Dallas Saturday and Sunday and I thought of course we would all go along but after my showing yesterday Gleason figured he wouldn’t take no chances so he left me here to work out with Faber and Wolfgang wile the rest of the boys is gone. He said “I wouldn’t pitch you in either of them games after working you yesterday and I want you to do a little work here with these other 2 boys and behave just like I was here watching you.” So I said “What and the he‑ll could a man do only behave himself in this town?” Well he said “I mean for you to not try and eat for the whole club just because they are not here to eat for themself.”
So you see Al it looks like I had made good right from the start this time and that means they will half to come acrost with more jack before long as Gleason promised before I come south that he would give me more then my contract calls for if I show him the right kind of
