Well Al they can do all the pitching thats did on the trip after this and we will see if Mcgraw and Callahan likes there kind of pitching because I wont be on the trip no more after we get to australia and may be I will be back in Chicago by the time you get this letter and I wisht now I had of went back on the boat from Honk Honk to the U.S. and may be I would of been in Chicago now with Florrie and little Al.
Instead of that here I am in the middle of the Ocean some wheres and broke and got to borry money to get home and makeing a trip a round the world with a bunch thats so cheap that if it costed a nichol to get in to heaven they would go to the other place provide it Satin would leave them in on a pass. Only I wont be on no trip after we get to australia.
But look at me Al spending xmas with these bums here where ever it is wear at and I might of been home spending xmas right with Florrie and little Al and they can take there base ball and keep it for all of me and I will go in to some business where a mans treated right. A fine Mary xmas this is hey Al.
III
on the Ship bord. Dec. 27.
Friend Al: Well Al the boys is playing shovvel bord and I hope there in joying themself and steve Evans was just in my room a little wile a go and wanted I should be his pardner in the game and I says Do you think Im going to hang a round and play games with a bunch of cheap stiffs like them that give a man his own shirt for a xmas present. I says All as I want is for us to hurry up and get to australia and the sooner as we get there I will quit the trip and start home.
Then Evans says Well you know I did not have nothing to do with giveing you your shirt and I want you should play pardners with me and may be we can give some of them cheap stiffs a good triming and show them up and I says no not under no condision I will play shovvel bord or nothing else with a bunch like them cheap stiffs and he says Well you will half to play base ball with them next summer and then I told him a bout me having made my mind up to quit base ball and go in to some busness where a man gets treated sqare and he says What busness was you going in to and I says I haven’t deside it and then Evans give me a pretty good idear Al and may be I will take it up but I got all winter to think about what do I want to do.
But Evans says I should ought to get a job on 1 of the news papers and write some of my pones for them and may be they would send me out to the ball pk. and have me write some of my pones a bout the ball game and then I could get back at some of these no good bums by rosting them in the paper.
Evans says of coarse the paper what ever 1 give me the job probily would not pay me more then twict what Comiskey pays me the 1st yr. but after that when the paper seen I was OK they would probily raze me clear up and give me as much is the reporters gets. And besides that if I was working on a news paper I would not never half to be worring a bout how long my arm was going to last but all as I would half to think a bout would be how long is my brains going to last and Evans says they should ought to last a life time if I did not work them no harder then when I was pitching and he ment I dont need nothing but my fast ball when I am working right.
But I dont know yet what Im going to do and may be I will open up a billard rm. in Chicago and I guess it would be a gold mind on acct. of how poplar I am with the fans and why not after the showing up I give the cubs. but any way Im going to quit the trip when we get up to australia and go home to Florrie and little Al where I bellong and a mans a sucker to ever leave your home when you got a wife and baby let a lone the bills Florries probily ran up on me wile I been a way.
Well Al we stoped off at thursday ilands yest. and was there 3 hrs. and I and Evans palled a round to gather and I would not have nothing to do with no body but him on acct. of he being the only 1 that wasent in on that dirty trick of giveing me my own shirt for a present and Evans him self says it was a dirty trick because they couldent be no other kind of a trick played with that shirt.
Wear a hole day behind time Evans says because we come to thursday ilands Friday and the reason they call it thursday ilands is on acct. of the boats being do there thursday but he says wear libel to make up time before we get to australia because its down grade the rest
