“What they mine here?”
“Lead and zinc.”
“So what are you gonna do if yuh don’t mine?”
“I’m going to be a ball player,” the kid said firmly.
“That so?” Westlake said, displaying white teeth. “Well... what’s you’re favorite team?”
“The St. Louis Cardinals. I like Stan Musial.”
“Good ballplayer.”
“Yeah, you bet.”
“Who’s your favorite?” the kid asked.
“Ever hear of Josh Gibson?”
“Yeah, I have. Are all those stories about him true?”
“It depends what you’ve heard.” Westlake took a deep breath. “Nice country around here, you know.”
“Yeah, it is,” the youngster agreed. “So, yuh headed to Joplin, Missouri, are yuh?”
“That’s right.”
“My pa tells me that there’s so many mine shafts in these parts, that you can walk underground from here, clean all the way to Joplin.”
A few of the playe
