“What’s the use of bread and butter, if you can have cake and ought to have it?” Iredell came back at him.
“Cake is good,” agreed Joe, “but the point is that if a man has agreed to take bread and butter, it’s up to him to stand by his agreement. A man’s word is the best thing he has, and if he is a man he’ll hold to it.”
“You seem to be taking a lot for granted, Joe,” said Burkett, a little stiffly. “Who is talking of breaking his word? We’ve got a right to talk about our contracts, haven’t we, when we think the owners are getting the best end of the deal?”
“Sure thing,” said Joe genially. “It’s every man’s privilege to kick, but the time to kick is before one makes an agreement, not when kicking won’t do any good.” 140
“Maybe it can do some good,” said Curry significantly.
“How so?” asked Joe innocently. “No other club in the American or National League would take us if we broke away from the Giants.”
“There are other leagues,” remarked Iredell.
“Surely. The minors,” replied Joe, again purposely misunderstanding. “But who wants to be a busher?”
“There’s the All-Star League that’s just forming,” suggested Burkett, with a swift look at his two companions.
“‘All-Star,’” repeated Joe, a little contemptuously. “That sounds good, but where are they going to get the stars?”