"Yes, suh. I heard you the firs' time you said it."
The negro was on his knees fumbling with the knot. Something in his tone irritated Coyne—caused him to feel that he was not being taken seriously.
"I suppose a lot of members quit—eh?" said he.
"Yes, suh," replied Jasper with a flash of ivory. "Some of 'em quits oncet a month, reg'leh."
"But you never heard of a case where a player gave all his clubs away, did you?" demanded Coyne.
"Some of 'em breaks clubs," said Jasper; "but they always gits new shafts put in. Some of 'em th'ow 'em in the lake; but they fish 'em out ag'in. But—give 'em away? No, suh! They don' neveh do that."
"Well," said Coyne, "when I make up my mind to do a thing I do it right. I've given away every club I owned."
Jasper lifted his head and stared upward, mouth open and eyelids fluttering rapidly.
"You—you given yo' clubs away!" he ejaculated. "Who'd you give 'em to, suh?"
"Oh, to the caddies," was the airy response. "Made a sort of general distribution. One club to each kid."