says You are crazy sharper this time. But Lazlo comes back in that old country lingo amp; pretty soon they was slangin each other for all they was worth if the noise ment anything. I wish I knew what they was sayin cause it sounded lively.
Then Lazlo ups amp; swings on him which proves Gyoola was rite on account of Gyoola would make 3 of him. I give him credit Gyoola didnt swing back he is a gentleman. I got my arms round my roomie at last amp; hauled him to bed.
By the time he was in the bunk he got the upper this trip he had went from fightin drunk to cryin drunk carryin on about how Gyoola is a fine fellow but deseeved amp; changelings amp; I dont know what all. His yams what I could make out of em is wilder than anything I ever heered old Jacob tell who was a slave before the States War.
Well when I climed into the lower they was somethin in the bed with me. I thot it was roaches but it was cloves of garlic I found when I pulled one out. I says How did this get here and Lazlo answers back I put em there amp; you leave em. I want no track with your heathen superstishun I says amp; do you know what he does next? He hands me down a crucifix like the Papists use amp; says Take this then. Thank you I will keep the garlic I tell him amp; he shuts up.
More of the team is down with whatever it is Del has. If it hadnt come on so sudden Id call it hookworm. They are all washed out amp; listiess like people with the worm suckin on em. But I heered somewheres the yankee parts o the country dont have hookworm so it cant be that.
It is a terrible thing to happen to us because with Ty and Wahoo Sam and the rest the Tigers whale the ball against the best of teams amp; how are we supposed to stay with em with half the players sick amp; the rest draggin? If we lose they will blame the pitchers they always do.
Love to you and Ma and your Kate,
Your brother Rip
P.S.-Got your telegram in New York. I am glad to hear Sally says she is proud of me.
Detroit
September 12, 191-
Dear Willie,
I am commencing to wonder if maybe I am the crazy one amp; not Laszlo after all. It is on account of what I seen or rather didnt see in the hotel this morning. It is a fine place much fancier than the ones we stayed at in Boston or New York. One wall of the lobby is a mirror I suppose to make it seem bigger then it is not that it needs to because it dont.
We come in erly in the morning draggin our tails some because tho you can sleep in a Pullman its not near as good as a bed. Players amp; reporters amp; such was mingled with porters totin our bags amp; a few o what the Reverend would call scarlet wimmin. You neednt mention them last to Ma or Sally either.
Anyways to make a long story short while we was all checkin in amp; the clerks was yellin for bellhops amp; the like I happen to look round in the mirror to see if my new Panama which you must see was strait on my head. It was but what should I spy in the glass but a little boys suit without a little boy in it if you iake my meaning. There was nothin like that in our crowd only Zoltan smiling at me. His teeth is uncommon white amp; long amp; sharp. Like I say he was smilin but not real frendly like I didnt think.
I says If that dont beat all amp; point out what I seen to Laslo who was standing by me cause were roomies as you recollect. And he looks too amp; dam me if his eyes dont near roll back in his head. But when he catches Zoltan lookin our way he makes out like everything is alrite. Hes good. Remember me not to play poker against him.
Nobody else seemed to notice nothin amiss.
When we was up in our room Laslo rounds on me amp; says this is the last proof now do you see what sort of feind it is? It is a vampire. What on earth is that I ask amp; he tells me more then I bargined for. Seems this vampire crechur is a kind o blood-suckin hant the bohunks has which ifn you fail to kill itll leech a man to death.
We got to kill it Laslo says all rile up. I says Well that may be a good idear but how do you aim to go about it? It dont sound easy from what he says amp; I know from old Jacob as how hants is never easy to be rid of. But bein a bohunk hisself Laslo has a skeme which may work.
I hope so. The Browns is ragged enuf with all the blood in em amp; purely hopeless without. The Tigers done trounced us today amp; look like doin it again tomorrow. We had 3 reglars out o the lineup. This has got to stop so I am with Laslo all the way tho there is likely to be some risk. But no hant is a match for a good Southern man. I will tell you how we done in my next letter.
Love to you from yr Brother
Rip
P.S.-If it goes rong give the picture of me in uniform to Sally to remember me by. Dont read this part to Ma. The more I think the scareder I get.
Detroit
September 14, 191-
Dear Willie,
The Lord be praised the deed is like they say done. Laszlo and I is well tho the thing turned out much more tighter than either one of us reckoned it wld. What we done was take down all the garlic amp; other heathen charms Laszlo been usin to keep the hant away amp; the crucifix too amp; wait for it or rather Zoltan I mean to pay us a call. Nite before last he didnt either on account of he suspected a snare or because he was eatin somewheres else. The whole team is so peaked these days I couldnt cipher out which ones was fed on last.
Well we left the hoodoos down again last nite amp; sat up waiting for whatever was going to happen. We did not want to be caut napping for sure! As we had done this the nite before too amp; slept a little of the day, I confess I was yawnin.
Then lookin out the winder I seen the bat what had been seen round before. I reckon thats what it was anyways for it seen me too amp; flied closer. I just had time to give Laszlo the sign amp; let him get out of sight longside the winder afore it come up.
I dont quite know how to tell what happened next. I was lookin into its eyes amp; its like I heered a voice in my head saying Let me in let me in. And I couldnt of said No even if I wanted to which at the time I didnt. That vampire hant charmed me with them red opticks of it’s just like a snake charmin a bird down out of a tree for it to swaller.
Laszlo said after I was like a machine when I up and opened the winder. I dont hardly recollect one way or the other. All I remember is them eyes. In my head I heered that voice again Give me your neck it was sayin. amp; I twisted my chin to one side like a shote which dont know its about to be slaughtered.
Then its like there was a scream only it werent a noise at all only in between my ears. Laszlo had sprang out from where he was hidin amp; landed the hant a smart one with his crucifix. We didnt know what that would do neither him or me but we found out right quick. They was a thump a real one this time amp; insted of the bat at my neck there was Zoltan on the floor naked as the day he was bom only I reckon he werent bom at all when you think about it.
He was still part hant tho. I had thunk his teeth was long before well now he had a set the bobcat we ketched last winter would of been proud of. He was smilin like a wild crechur amp; I got to tell you them eyes still dragged at me somethin fierce.
Not at Laszlo. I reckon the cross saved him. Maybe them Catholics is not as rong as we think. Anyways he hauls out a railroad spike amp; slams it into Zoltan’s chest. I heard that shreek again in my mind amp; I reckon in Laszlo’s too on account of his hands was shakin but he did not let go. He shoved that spike in harder amp; deeper.
Zoltan’s mouth was open so wide I thot itd go clean round to the back of his head. I was moving like a man in a dream still but when Laszlo cussed at me I done the last thing we planned out which was fling a whole garlic down his I mean Zoltan’s trap. I dont know if that shifted him or the spike but then he give a last riggle amp; his eyes well if they was lamps youd say they was blowed out. All a sudden I was alrite again.
Laszlo and me the both of us yelled then on account of it wasnt no little boy on the spike any more but a bat the same size Zoltan had been amp; just as dead too. amp; then the bat melted away like snow in a thaw amp; there was nothin on the rug excepting the spike which Laszlo had dropped and the garlic.
