"'Tomorrow or never, Young Fellow,' he says to me. Tomorrow or not at all.'
"'All right,' I said. 'But could I have five dollars in advance so I can get a clean shirt or something?'
"'After the game tomorrow,' he said. Then he just walked away from me like I was nothing."
"How rude," said Elephant.
"The least he could have done would have been to let you take a shower in the locker-room," said Lisa.
"Well, I got to clean up," admitted Rube. "Howard took me to his rooming house and gave me something to eat. They let me sleep on an extra cot they had. And the next day we went to the Ball Park and I was introduced to the players and given a uniform that was too small for me. The Keokuk team was shagging balls while I warmed up, and they kept making comments about green rookies and bushers and nitchies and such; and how they'd knock me out of the box in the first inning; and how I should have stayed home with my Mommy. Ooh, I felt terrible. I had an awful headache and I was exhausted! Still, I was determined to show them that I could make good, and I went out there and won that game six against one!
"With that," continued the shadow, "I felt sure I'd be offered a contract. So after the game, I went to Mr. Frisbee and said, 'Welp, I showed you I could deliver the goods. Can we talk about a contract now?'
"'Oh,' he says to me. 'Keokuk is in last place. Wait until Oskaloosa comes in this weekend. They are in second place. They are a rough team, and if you can beat them, then we'll talk.'
"'Can't I get any money—any advance money—on my contract?' I asked him.
"'You haven't got a contract,' he said.