"I am sorry," said Rube. "But it is a memory to me, and a prediction to
you. I will try to be more careful about naming years if I can remember
to be. But in any event, I was eighteen years old at the time, and
already the most valuable player in the Big Leagues! Excuse me if I
seem to boast, but I feel that I am justified this time. I was the hero
of the hour.
"Still, I came up too late in the season to make a trip to Chicago with
the Giants that year, but the next season we made our first trip to
Chicago the second week in June. And the first thing I did, as soon as I
got there, was to make a beeline for that firehouse.
"The only one there when I first got there was the Lieutenant. I walked
up to him and said, 'Lieutenant, do you remember me?'
"'Never saw you before in my life,' he said.
"'Well, remember about three years ago you caught me sleeping back of
that stove there?'
"'Oh, are you that kid from Cleveland that said he's a ballplayer?'
"'Yes!' I told him. 'Remember me? My name is Marquard. Richard
Marquard.'
"'Of course,' he said, not really interested. 'What are you doing here?'
"'I am in the Big Leagues,' I explained. 'I told you when I got to the
Big Leagues I was coming out to visit you.
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