ing auctioned off. The
Cleveland club went as high as ten thousand five hundred dollars for my
contract, but the Giants went to eleven grand, and I was sold to them.
At that time, that was the highest price ever paid for a baseball
player.

"I reported to the New York Giants in September of 1908, as soon as the
American Association season was over. I was eigh ..."

"It still feels a little odd to have you 'remembering' things from years
that have not yet been," interrupted Hootsey.

"Let him finish the story," admonished Elephant.

"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.'

"'Well I'll be ...' he began, then, 'Who are you with?'

"'Why, I'm with the New York Giants,' I said with pride.

"And boy, for years after that, whenever the Giants would come to
Chicago, I'd go out to that firehouse. I'd sit out front and talk for
hours. The firemen would have all the kids in the neighborhood there ...
and all the families that lived around would stop by ... and it was
really wonderful. Everybody was so nice and friendly. Gee, I used to
enjoy that. It was a great thrill for me.

"Actually, every single day of all the years I spent in the Big Leagues
was a thrill for me. It was like a dream come true. I was in the Big
Leagues for eighteen years, you