“Go ahead and play. You used to be good at it and maybe it will come
back to you.”
Well, to make a long story short, I give in. I oughtn’t to of never
tried it, as I hadn’t pitched a shoe in sixteen years, and I only
done it to humor Hartsell.
Before we started, Mother patted me on the back and told me to do my
best, so we started in and I seen right off that I was in for it, as
I hadn’t pitched a shoe in sixteen years and didn’t have my distance.
And besides, the plating had wore off the shoes so that they was
points right where they stuck into my thumb and I hadn’t throwed
more than two or three times when my thumb was raw and it pretty near
killed me to hang on to the shoe, let alone pitch it.
Well, Hartsell throws the awkwardest shoe I ever seen pitched and
to see him pitch you wouldn’t think he would ever come nowheres
near, but he is also the luckiest pitcher I ever seen and he made
some pitches where the shoe lit five and six feet short and then
schoonered up and was a ringer. They’s no use trying to beat that
kind of luck.
They was a pretty fair size crowd watching us and four or five other
ladies besides Mother, and it seems like, when Hartsell pitches, he
has got to chew and it kept the ladies on the anxious seat as he
don’t seem to care which way he is facing when he leaves go.
You would think a man as old as him would of learnt more manners.
Well, to make a long story short, I was just beginning to get my
distance when I had to give up on account of my thumb, which I
showed it to Hartsell and he seen I couldn’t go on, as it was raw
and bleeding. Even if I could of stood it to go on myself, Mother
wouldn’t of allowed it after she seen my thumb. So anyway I quit and
Hartsell said the score was nineteen to six, but I don’t know what it
was. Or don’t care, neither.
Well, Mother and I went home and I said I hoped we was through with
the Hartsells as I was sick and tired of them, but it seemed like she
had promised we would go over to their house that evening for another
game of their everlasting cards.
Well, my thumb was giving me considerable pain and I felt kind of out
of sorts and I guess maybe I forgot myself, but anyway, when we was
about through playing Hartsell made the remark that he wouldn’t never
lose a game of cards if he could always have Mother for a partner.
So I said:
“Well, you had a chance fifty years ago to always have her for a
partner, but you wasn’t man enough to keep her.”
I was sorry the minute I had said it and Hartsell didn’t know what
to say and for once his wife couldn’t say nothing. Mother tried to
smooth things over by making the remark that I must of had something
stronger than tea or I wouldn’t talk so silly. But Mrs. Hartsell had
froze up like an iceberg and hardly said good night to us and I bet
her and Frank put in a pleasant hour after we was gone.
As we was leaving, Mother said to him: “Never mind Charley’s
nonsense, Frank. He is just mad because you beat him all hollow
pitching horseshoes and playing cards.”
She said that to make up for my slip, but at the same time she
certainly riled me. I tried to keep ahold of myself, but as soon as
we was out of the house she had to open up the subject and begun to
scold me for the break I had made.
Well, I wasn’t in no mood to be scolded. So I said:
“I guess he is such a wonderful pitcher and card player that you
wished you had married him.”
“Well,” she said, “at least he ain’t a baby to give up pitching
because his thumb has got a few scratches.”
“And how about you,” I said, “making a fool of yourself on the roque
court and then pretending your back is lame and you can’t play no
more!”
“Yes,” she said, “but when you hurt your thumb I didn’t laugh at you,
and why did you laugh at me when I sprained my back?”
“Who could help from laughing!” I said.
“Well,” she said, “Frank Hartsell didn’t laugh.”
“Well,” I said, “why didn’t you marry him?”
“Well,” said Mother, “I almost wished I had!”
“And I wished so, too!” I said.
“I’ll remember that!” said Mother, and that’s the last word she said
to me for two days.
We seen the Hartsells the next day in the Park and I was willing to
apologize, but they just nodded to us. And a couple days later we
heard they had left for Orlando, where they have got relatives.