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THE PRIESTHOOD.I DID NOT THINK I WAS CUT OUT FOR THAT KIND OF LIFE.
AT BRADFORD STREET I GOT MY FIRST BICYCLE BUT MINUS THE FRONT WHEEL_I VENT TO THE DUMP,SCROUNGED A RIM AND ENOUGH SPOKES TO PUT IT TOGETHER.I HAD THIS AS TRANSPORTATION IN GRAMMAR AND HIGH SCHOOL,AND IT WAS STILL IN EXCELLENT CONDITION.WHEN I LEFT HOME FOR THE MARINE CORPS.
I CADDIED AT THE BILOXI GOLF CLUB FOR MANY YEARS AND DID ODD JOBS FOR MARGARET.I FINALLY GOT A STEADY JOB AT $ 5.00 A WEEK WORKING FOR JACOB HUSLEY,TAKING ORDERS AND DELIVERING GROCERIES ALL OVER BILOXI BEFORE AND TER SCHOOL AND ON SATURDAYS.
I LEARNED TO PLAY GOLF ON THE BILOXI LINKS AND ON VACANT LOTS.IN 1927 BROTHER WILLIS FINISHED HIGH SCHOOL AFTER A BRILLIANT RECORD IN BASEBALL. DURING FOUR YEARS HE WAS LEADING IN BATTING AND ONLY MADE!TWO ERRORS IN HIS HIGH SCHOOL CAREER.HE WAS ALSO MANAGER OF THE FOOTBALL ^SAM .HE MADE FRIENDS WITH A COUPLE FROM FOSTORIA,OHIO,AND WENT THERE TO LIVE AND WORK WITH THEM AFTER HE GRADUATED.THEY OWNED THE FOSTORIA SCREW MACHINE COMPANY THERE AND WERE VERY RICH.
MARGARET MOVED TO CROESUS STREET ABOUT A HALF BLOCK FROM OUR CORNER FOR A FEW YEARS BEFORE BUYING A HOUSE AT "756 CHURCH (NOW HAISE),STREET WHERE SHE AND HER SON HARRY LIVE AT PRESENT.MY FATHER ALSO BUILT THIS ROUSE.
AT OUR BRADFORD STREET HOUSE WE RAISED CHICKENS AND HAD A LARGE GARDEN IN WHICH WE HAD GROWN A COTTON PLANT.I USED TO LOVE SPLITTING AND CHOPPING FIRE WOOD FOR OUR STOVES.WE USED KEROSENE LAMPS FOR LIGHT.THOSE LAMPS ARE WORTH A SMALL FORTUNE IN ANTIQUE SHOPS TODAY.MY FATHER SPLIT LOGS INTO PICKETS FOR OUR FENCES.
WE PLAYED "PITCH AND CATCH " BASEBALL QUITE OFTEN.WILLIS HAD A KNUCKt-LE BALL THAT WAS REALLY SOMETHING.01IE DAY KE THREW THIS KNUCKLE BALL,AND I WAS SO FASCINATED IN LOOKING AT THE STITCHES ON THE BALL THAT I FORGOT TO CATCH IT.AS A RESULT IT HIT ME IN THE PIT OH MY STOMACH AND ALMOST KNOCKED ME OUT.BELIEGTE'KEJI .NEVER TRIED TEAT ONE AGAIN.THE FASCINATION OF SEEING A BASEBALL COMING AT YOU WITHOUT A HINT OF A SPIN.UP-DOWN-RIGHT-OR LEFT IS OUT OF THIS WORLD.YOU COULD,AS THEY SAY,LITERALLY "COUNT THE STITCHES.".
WHEN I WAS IN THE SIXTH OR SEVENTH GRADE AT GORENFLO SCHOOL I WAS PART OF THE 56 INCH TEAM WHICH WON THE CHAMPIONSHIP IN THAT HEIGHT FOR ? THAT YEAR.THE TEAM WAS COMPOSED,I BELIEVE,OF MYSELF AT GUARD,JOE MORRIS AT CENTER,ALTON BELLANDE AND CARL HARVEY AT FORWARD,WITH ALTON BROUSSARD OR LOREN BOSARGE AT THE OTHER GUARD POSITION.
IN MY LAST YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL I Y/AS NO.7 MAN ON OUR BASKETBALL TEAM. IN FOOTBALL I WAS ON THE SECOND TEAM PLAYING OPPOSITE KO ELWOOD KELLY AND BUTCH HELVESTON.I MUST HAVE TAUGHT THEM A THING OR TWO BECAUSE THAT YEAR THEY MADE ALL-STATE TACKLE AND ALL-STATE GUARD.ONE OF OUR SAYINGS WAS "KO KELLY WITH THE CAST-IRON BELLY1,'.HE AND I USED TO EO SOME FRIENDLY WRESTLING. I WAS A FAIRLY GOOD BASEBALL PLAYER,EXCEPT WHEN IT CAME TO PLAYING SHORTSTOP.I WANTED TO PLAY IN THE OUTFIELD,BUT COACH GADDY KEPT PUTTING ME IN AT SHORTSTOP.OUR SECOND TEAM WAS PLAYING A GAME ONE DAY IN THE STADIUM WHERE THE TOLEDO KUDHENS HAD THEIR WINTER TRAINING CAMP IN BILOXI, WHEN COACH GADDY AND THE FIRST TEAM ARRIVED.THEY HAD BEEN PRACTICING AT THE OLD NAVAL RESERVE FIELD NEAR BY.I WAS THE FIRST ONE UP AT BAT AND GOT A CLEAN SINGLE PAST FIRST BASE.WHILE AT FIRST I NOTICED THAT THE CATCHER DROPPED THE BALL EVERYTIME,SO ON TEE THIRD PITCH I HEADED FOR SECOND AND MADE IT EASILY.I DECIDED TO TRY A STEAL TO THIRD,AND I PLAYED AS FAR OFF SECOND BASE AS I COULD WITHOUT GETTING CAUGHT.AS SOON AS THE PITCHER STARTED HIS THROW I HEADED FOR THIRD AND MADE IT WITHOUT HAVING TO SLIDE.
I COULD NEVER FIGURE OUT SIGNALS,BUT I ASSUMED COACH GADDY HAD A HIT-AND-RUN ON,SO WHEN THE PITCHER STARTED HIS THROW,I HEADED FOR HOME,HELL BENT FOR LEATHER AND WAS ABOUT TWELVE FEET FROM HOME. THE BATTER HAD DONE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO HELP ME.FAKING A QUICK TURN TO THIRD I MADE A COMPLETE
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