The Man Who Had All the Luck Read Online Free PDF Page B

of things and ending up nothing. He’s going to play baseball. And by ginger he’s been throwin’ against the target down the cellar seven days a week for twelve solid years! That’s concentration. That’s faith! That’s taking your life in your own hands and molding it to fit the thing you want. That’s bound to have an effect . . . and don’t you think they don’t know it!
    SHORY: Who knows it?
    PAT [ with a cry ]: I don’t like everybody’s attitude! [ Silence an instant. ALL staring at him. ] It’s still winter! Can he play in the winter?
    SHORY: Who are you talking about?
    DAVID [ going away—toward the right—bored and disgusted ]: Dad, he didn’t say . . .
    PAT: He doesn’t have to say it. You people seem to think he’s going to go through life pitching Sundays in the sand lots. [ To ALL.] Pitching’s his business; it’s a regular business like . . . like running a store, or being a mechanic or anything else. And it happens that in the winter there is nothing to do in his business but sit home and wait!
    J.B.: Well, yeh, Pat, that’s just what he ought to be doing.
    PAT: Then why does everybody look at him as though . . . ?
    He raises his hand to his head, utterly confused and ashamed for his outburst. A long pause like this.
    DAVID [ unable to bear it, he goes to PAT]: Sit down, Dad. Sit down. [ He gets a barrel under PAT, who sits, staring, exhausted. ]
    PAT: I can’t understand it. Every paper in the county calls him a phenomenon.
    As he speaks, DAVID , feeling PAT ’s pain, goes right a few yards and stands looking away.
    Undefeated. He’s ready for the big leagues. Been ready for three years. Who can explain a thing like that? Why don’t they send a scout?
    DAVID: I been thinking about that, Dad. Maybe you ought to call the Detroit Tigers again.
    AMOS [ peevishly. This has been in him a long time ]: He never called them in the first place.
    PAT: Now, Amos . . .
    DAVID [ reprimanding ]: Dad . . .
    AMOS: He didn’t. He didn’t call them. [ To PAT.] I want him to know!
    DAVID [ to PAT]: But last summer you said . . .
    PAT: I’ve picked up the phone a lot of times . . . but I . . . I wanted it to happen . . . naturally. It ought to happen naturally, Dave.
    SHORY: You mean you don’t want to hear them say no.
    PAT: Well . . . yes, I admit that. [ To DAVID.] If I call now and demand an answer, maybe they’ll have to say no. I don’t want to put that word in their head in relation to Amos. It’s a great psychological thing there. Once they refuse it’s twice as hard to get them to accept.
    DAVID: But, Dad, maybe . . . maybe they forgot to send a scout. Maybe they even thought they’d sent one and didn’t, and when you call they’ll thank you for reminding them. [ To ALL.] I mean . . . can you just wait for something to happen?
    SHORY [ claps ]: Pinochle? Let’s go. Come on, John! Pat! They start for the store door.
    J.B. [ glancing at his watch ]: My wife’ll murder me.
    SHORY: Why? Pinochle leaves no odor on the breath.
    PAT [ turning at ramp ]: I want you to watch us, Amos. Pinochle is very good for the figuring sense. Help you on base play. Open your coat.
    PAT follows SHORY and J.B. into the store. AMOS dutifully starts to follow, hesitates at the door, then closes it behind them and comes to DAVID .
    AMOS: Dave, I want to ask you something. [ He glances toward the door, then quietly. ] Take me over, will ya? [DAVE just looks at him. ] Do something for me. I’m standing still. I’m not going anywhere. I swear I’m gettin’ ashamed.
    DAVID: Ah, don’t, don’t, Ame.
    AMOS: No, I am. Since I started to play everybody’s been saying, [ Mimics. ] “Amos is goin’ someplace, Amos is goin’ someplace.” I been out of high school five years and I’m still taking spending money. I want to find a girl. I want to get married. I want to