Fathers and sons -- Fiction; Runaway wives -- Fiction; Sportswriters -- Fiction
Perhaps Christy would be a good name for him. Christopher Mathewson
Neale had a fine resounding swing to it. Still maybe Matty wouldn't turn
out to be a great pitcher after all. Peter was tremendously confident
about him, but it might be best to wait until time had tested him. After
a World's Series or something like that one could be absolutely certain.
No good taking chances until then. It was still within the bounds of
possibility that Matty might be a bloomer and it would hardly be fair to
name the child after somebody in the Three I League.
Finding a tree and a bench Peter sat down to continue his speculations.
How about a newspaper name? Greeley Neale wouldn't be so bad. Yes, it
would. Everybody would be sure to make it Greasy Neale. A prizefight
name offered possibilities. Nelson Neale, for instance, had
alliteration. Peter had given the lightweight a name--the Durable Dane
was his invention--and it seemed no more than a fair exchange to take
his in return. Still he had never been convinced that Nelson was a
really first class man. He had neither speed nor a punch. It was just
stamina which carried him along. The youngster ought not to go through
life head down. Besides a name like that would serve to remind Peter of
his return from Goldfield and the flight of Maria.
Just then a sound came from the carriage. It was a gurgle. Peter pushed
back the hood. The baby looked at him fixedly and Peter fancied that
there was a certain trace of emotion in the small face. Surprise seemed
to be indicated. And it was not altogether agreeable surprise for as
Peter returned the stare the baby's right eyebrow went up and the left
one didn't.
"God!" said Peter, "he is Peter Neale."
But there must be more ceremony than that. Peter looked around to see
that he and the baby were alone. Then he spoke to him distinctly
although emotionally. He realized now that his intuition had been sound
when he had said way back weeks ago at the Newspaper Club. "My son has
just been born." He had never had any doubt about his physical
paternity but that did not seem important. It was spiritual kinship
which counted and an eyebrow like that was a thing of the spirit.
"You're my son all right," said Peter, "and you're going to have my
name. Peter Neale, that's your name."
He thought it would complicate things to go into the question of whether
he should be Peter Neale, Jr. or Peter Neale, 2nd. The Peter Neale was
the important part of it. "I guess maybe you can do a lot more with that
name than I have, but I've made it a good newspaper name. You can make
it a better one maybe. We'll wait and see." He reached out and took the
small hand of Peter Neale and shook it. The prayer which went with it
was silent. "O God, give him some of the breaks and I will." That
completed the christening. It was all that young Peter ever got.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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