by Mark Adams
Patrick joined the baseball team of Cool Quicky’s Bar. Baldy Eagle was catcher, Whoz Zon first, Siggum Bulldog second, Uppen Adam shortstop, Zoapy Suds third and Connie Mack pitcher. Pat played right field, Don Loudman center field and Jock Stapling in left field.Junior Bobcats was left out.
Junior didn’t like being left out and just sat under the big oak tree in his front yard and watched the streetcars go by. His mother tried to cheer him up but he missed his good friend.
His father rode the T&I streetcar to the tony Village of Ottawa Hills where he owned the Katz Meow James. (James was an upscale name for a gym)
One day he took Junior to spend the day at the Katz Meow James. Woodward High School’s gymnastic team and Ottawa Hills High School’s jamesnastic team were having a tournament.
There were all kinds of equipment and different events. Woodward won because the judges disqualified Ottawa Hills when they learned their star balance beam jamesnast, Ura Ringer, was an Olympic champion.
Junior Bobcats decided to be a balance beam gymnast and practiced day after day on the T&I streetcar railroad track in his front yard.
While walking on the track he noticed a prized lucky stone. From that day on Junior always carried his lucky stone.
One day Junior Bobcats was crossing the tracks and thinking about being a balance beam star. He didn’thear or see the streetcar coming. As Junior ran across the second track the front wheels of the streetcar nipped off the end of his tail.
Surprised by losing part of his tail Junior Bobcats quickly turned around to see what happened and the back
wheels of the streetcar nearly cut off his head.
That night Junior Bobcats told his father the lucky stone kept him from losing his head but his father said, “It was a warning never to lose your head over a piece of tail.”
This tale and bit of succinct advice was told to thirteen year old Adam by his blue collar emigrant father Joseph Markowski when Adam’s mother Jadwiga thought it was time for a father and son talk.
The Small Child Within
The Polish child in Adam’s father told him this rhyme in Ohio.
One, two, three.
Mother caught a flea.
Flea died
Mother cried.
One, two, three.
The small child in Judeline’s nanny told her the exact rhyme in South Africa but in Zulu.
End of Tales
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Mark Adams
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