So Boley went back.
He didn't remember much about it, except that the
owner's uncle had made him promise never, never to tell
anyone about it, because it was orders from the Defense
Department, you never could tell how useful a time ma-
chine might be in a war. But he did get back, and he
woke up the next morning with all the signs of a hangover
and the sheets kicked to shreds around his feet.
He was still bleary when he staggered down to the
coffee shop for breakfast. Magill the pitching coach, who
had no idea that he was going to be granddaddy to Magill
the series-winning manager, came solicitously over to
him. "Bad night, Boley? You look like you have had a
bad night."
"Bad?" repeated Boley. "Bad? MagiU, you have got no
idea. The owner's uncle said he would show me some-
thing that would learn me a little humility and, Magill, he
came through. Yes, he did. Why, I saw a big bronze tablet
with the names of the Series winners on it, and I saw"
And he closed his mouth right there, because he re-
membered right there what the owner's uncle had said
about closing his mouth. He shook his head and shud-
dered. "Bad," he said, "you bet it was bad."
Magill coughed. "Gosh, that's too bad, Boley. I guess
I mean, then maybe you wouldn't feel like pitching an-
other couple of inningswell, anyway one inningtoday,
because"
Boley held up his hand. "Say no more, please. You
want me to pitch today, Magill?"
"That's about the size of it," the coach confessed.
"I will pitch today," said Boley. "If that is what you
want me to do, I will do it. I am now a reformed char-
acter. I will pitch tomorrow, too, if you want me to pitch
tomorrow, and any other day you want me to pitch. And
if you do not want me to pitch, I will sit on the sidelines.
Whatever you want is perfectly all right with me, Magill,
because, Magill, Ihey! Hey, Magill, what are you doing
down there on the floor?"
So that is why Boley doesn't give anybody any trouble
any more, and if you tell him now that he reminds you
of Dizzy Dean, why he'll probably shake your hand and
thank you for the complimenteven if you're a sports-
writer, even. Oh, there still are a few special little things
about him, of coursenot even counting the things like
how many shut-outs he pitched last year (eleven) or how
many home runs he hit (fourteen). But everybody finds
him easy to get along with. They used to talk about the
change that had come over him a lot and wonder what
caused it. Some people said he got religion and others
said he had an incurable disease and was trying to do
