Synopsis
Charles Bailey was the proprietor of a failing hardware store located at the poor end of Euclid Ave. in Cleveland. He had a son, James Bailey, an absent wife, and a lot of worries. One evening he thought he heard some noises in the storage shed behind his store. Investigation led him to find a small boy, dressed in tatters. The boy said his name was Billy Parsons.The boy was about the same size as his son James, so he took him in, fed him, and dressed him properly in his son’s clothes, and gave him a bed. The two boys liked each other on sight and bonded immediately, which very much pleased Mr. Bailey.The next morning Mr. Bailey started to make inquiries about Billy. He was surprised to find that Billy did not exist, as far as the authorities were concerned. There was no school record, no missing person, and so forth. There was no one looking for him. All that there was was Billy happily playing with James. Mr. Bailey regularized the situation by having Billy baptized in his church, Presbyterian, and registered in James’ school. Eventually he adopted Billy.James and Billy advanced in school both academically and athletically. They loved each other, trusted each other, and behaved as if their minds acted in concert. Billy started to get a bit larger than James, but both were fine, handsome, masculine specimens, and both were of exemplary intelligence.About the time that the pair took their school football team to the state championship, Mr. Bailey sold his store and quietly died. His estate was given equally to the two boys. Probably because of the championship, they were noticed by Woody Hayes, and offered football scholarships at Ohio State, which they accepted.They loved the university and not too long after their arrival the gang of two turned into a gang of three. The third member was Harriet Majors, the daughter of the once wealthy Majors of Grosse Pointe. In their innocent way both boys loved Harriet, who later married James.James flunked football. Coach Hayes took him aside and informed him that he could keep his scholarship, but that he should look at a different sport, such as golf. James did and became the best golfer in Ohio State history. But more about that later.Billy made the team as a freshman and made his mark by running for five touchdowns against a favored Michigan team. He finished his Ohio State career by winning the Heisman Trophy. He went professional and ended a sensational career by being elected to the Hall of Fame. He was a very popular man, a public figure, much in demand as an analyst, commentator, and for public appearances.James and Harriet settled down in Waltham where he was the genial Vice President – Sales of ALT (Applied Laser Technology). He also was reputed to be the best golfer in Massachusetts, much in demand to play with good amateurs.The story starts when Billy visits the Baileys. James goes out to run an errand and comes back home to find his wife in the arms of Billy.
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