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He told him about the catastrophe. And about the shocking fact that
it or something? You need money so you don't have to think about money.
were kids."
direction of the bundle of rags on the stony hillside.
life. And then he pictured Buzzard's face when he discovered that Arthur,
was I sitting in this lousy two-bit town for? I thought, let the whole placeknees. And as for the piece, they all bring guns on their first time in the
the gun in it, and put it on the railroad tie.
Arthur smiled in embarrassment, ran his fingers through his hair,
was like the buttons on his mother's blouse--they were amber, he remembered,us left, and only two legs for both, and they're yours. Who else but you?
the shimmer, spat, and turned away.
heard the familiar rumble from both sides. There was nothing on the left
the stench was coming from himself. The odor was disgusting, but somehow
Yes, he would have made a good stalker. What the hell, do I feel sorry
thinks that it was Burbridge who pulled him out of it. The hell he did! You
that forever, but he forced himself to get up on his knees, throw off thehave been better for that swamp to be here. Look at Arthur go, he thought.
probably would have called him Pretty Boy Artie. We used to have another
clearly as if they were in the palm of his hand. Right in front, two hundredit, that he wanted to go up to it, to touch it, pat it, and suddenly the
too short. There's nobody left but you. I dragged lots of young ones in
Redrick, Burbridge hasn't been here in a long time, and it's gotten out of
"What are you staring at them for?" Redrick asked softly. "Don't worry,
"That was death," Redrick murmured and coughed. He felt his face. It
his sweet Artie, his one and only son, that his pride and joy had gone intoface once more.
happened, they arrested me, say. Would that be bad? Definitely. Why bad?
ravine--as though all that had not happened.
"We'll leave it here for now. God willing, we'll come back and pick it "Easy, easy," Redrick said. "There's no hurry."
gasped, grabbed his head, crouched, and fell into the dry grass. Redrick
They don't have the guts for it, or something. All right, you don't believe
"Want some?" he offered, wiping the neck of the flask. "For courage?"
direction of the bundle of rags on the stony hillside.
All the reference points corresponded, but Redrick felt no
cheek. He gnashed his teeth in anger over their bad luck. He lay therehis face, looking small, scrawny, and forlorn, like a wet stray kitten.
"Let's go," he said. Arthur turned his tense face to him. "See those
disappeared completely in the fog. And there was something in the fog.unconscious on the sidewalk and Redrick chased the other three for four
when he came home, hungry, gloomy, with red wild eyes. And Redrick would
with horror
"Forward! Forward!" he shouted, unable to hear himself.
against Noonan's and said: "We're off, we're off." Then Noonan nodded,
"What do you need it for?"he thought. How am I going to crawl with it? A mile on all fours. All right,
business. Keep your secrets to yourself." He suddenly remembered the gun and
face once more.
laughed and gave Arthur a poke in the shoulder.ago by the treads and wheels of heavy vehicles. To the right was a white
repeating. "Forward!" He could not hear a thing any more. Once he saw
Noonan's a fool: Redrick, Red, you violate the balance, you destroy the
air was filled with the fresh, piercing odor of ozone, and that the steam
"You pour. Just a little for pops, just cover the bottom."
"Money never stinks. I know that for sure now. But getting Mosul to be
"Yes, I know," Noonan said and drained his glass.have been better for that swamp to be here. Look at Arthur go, he thought.
winking among yourselves, and leading me by the nose, dragging me, hauling
it, and named the locations of abandoned cottages that were being sold for ahead down, could not stand it. He yelled his lungs out.