"'Howard Wakefield did,' I said.
"'Well,' says the guy behind the counter, 'Wakefield is in back shooting billiards. We'll soon settle this!'
"I'd like to go back and see him,' I said.
"'Don't you go back there,' he shouted. 'Don't even think about going back there! You'll drive everybody out. Did you ever take a bath?'
"'Of course I did,' says I. 'But I've bummed my way here and I haven't had a chance to clean up yet.'
"So he goes into the back and in a minute Howard comes out 'Cripes!' he says. 'What happened to you?'
"I was explaining it to him when in came Mr. Frisbee, the manager, and I was introduced to him. 'I received your telegram,' I said. 'I didn't have enough money to come first class or anything like that, but here I am.'
"'Keokuk is here tomorrow,' says the manager, 'and we'll pitch you.'"
"'We'll pitch you?'" echoed Hootsey. "What a mean thing for him to say!
Imagine, just pitching you out after all your effort to get there!"
"No, no," explained the shadow. "He meant that he wanted me to pitch the next day. But I was all tuckered out and hardly ready to do that. I really wanted to have a bath and get some sleep.