It AS RAINING t m, and still very dark. reetcar café    finise and    in for a cup of coffee. t café oter and stingy man called Leo. After ty street, t: aloon mill, and in a er a man o trap and raised t flap up over tle ear; often as o    t look into alking.    to him:

        "Son! ;

        urned bad to     of th a big nose and faded e hair.

        ";

        t to of the paper sack. his face was shallow, freckled, and his eyes were round child eyes.

        "Yeaer?"

        turned o the boy shrank baeasily.

        "Say! s t;

        t .

        t;I love you."

        All alo knoo do. er at Leo, ale jeer. tried to laug the man was serious and sad.

        "I did not mean to tease you, Son," ;Sit do;

        Cautiously, out of tioer to see o t and did not notice    a cup of coffee on ter and a little jug of cream.

        "; Leo said.

        to tool. urned flap of t    ;It is important,"    and broug someto see.

        "Look very carefully," he said.

        tared, but to look at very carefully. tograp    blurred, so t only t and tood out clearly.

        "See?" the man asked.

        ture in anding on a beac. t made omac iced.

        "Got a good look?" ;You ever seen ;

        t motionless, staring slant t;Not so I kno;

        "Very ; tograp to . "t ;

        "Dead?" the boy asked.

        Slo to ;Nuuu --" ;I ;

        ter before t pick it up to drink. Instead    doti. tilted the mug and sipped.

        "Some nigo sleep ; said Leo. "Promira dro e deat;

        tried to signal to Leo.    looking o question soundlessly: "Drunk?" But Leo only raised urned ao put some pink strips of ba er.    t blink, but from time to time te gravity over    ed t of the paper sack.

        "I am talking about love," t;it is a sce."

        tool. But t     let him go away.

        "tograp ss and luxuries. It never crept into my brain t s satisfied. But do you know w ;

        "Mgneeo; said Leo.

        t take ;S me. I came in one nigy and s me."

        "it; the boy asked.

        Gently ter. "urally, Son. A    run off like t alone."

        t, t rain blad endless i outside. Leo pressed do;So you ;

        For t time t Leo. "Please dont be vulgar. Besides, I    speaking to you." urned back to trusting aive uone. "Lets not pay any attention to ;

        tfully.

        "It ; tinued. "I am a person . tty girl. Oer anot t is t    o finisself up or fit in ion of terwards laying around loose in me. I was a man w;

        Very sloain dra ted and t -- to tremble.

        "t ty-one years old and sy. I met    a filling station and    it    t tell you. All I    oget was finis;

        topped suddenly and stroked o a steady and reproae: "Im not explaining t.    iful feelings and loose little pleasures inside me. And ttle pieyself t plete. No;

        " he boy asked.

        "O; ;I called    t is immaterial."

        "Did you try to make ;

        t seem to ;Uances you    imagine    ;

        Leo took trips of it beted eyes, and a pinc blue s.    give refills on coffee free. te breakfast t tter Leo kneingier reated t to himself.

        "And you never got ;

        t knoo tain y and doubt. e; it ill strao o be out in tohe black, queer early m.

        "Yes," t;I took a number of steps to get    around trying to locate    to tulsa    to every too me, and I ed doulsa, Atlanta, Cter part    to lay ;

        "But t; said Leo.

        "Dont listen to ; tially. "And also just fet t important.    matters is t around to o me."

        "?" the boy asked.

        tilted o take a sip of beer. But as rils fluttered sligaleness of t drink. "Love is a curious to begin    first I t only of getting     time    on I tried to remember    do you know w ;

        "No," the boy said.

        "ried to t    see ake out ures and look. No good. Not?"

        "Say Mac!" Leo called doer. " you imagi;

        Slorated and fixed on ttle face of the paper boy.

        "But a sudden piece of glass on a sideune in a music box. A s nig migreet and I . You follo;

        "A piece of glass. . ." the boy said.

        "Anyto remember    up a kind of s remembering dont e to a man face for ers around side tead of me bing tryside to find o c;

        t; part of try ;

        "Oo; t;I al. It    I boozed. I fornicated. I itted any sin t suddenly appealed to me. I am loato fess it but I    is all curdled in my mind, it errible."

        tapped er. For a feion, tringy neck covered o palm in an attitude of prayer. traig and tremulous and old.

        "It    it ; ;And    I started my sce."

        Leos mout;ell none of ting any younger,"    doailed old Romeo!"

        " ; the boy asked.

        t;Peace," he answered.

        ";

        "It is o explain stifically, Son," ;I guess tion is t s finally    got tangled up toget. Peace. A queer aiful blankness. It land and ternoon. All evening I just stayed t is o me."

        treetcar . ttees before t outside. t silently over ts. Leos clock ig on the wall.

        "It is ten carefully. I meditated on love and reaso out. I realized    time. And ;

        t moutly open and    answer.

        "A ; t;it sce, o go by, take t dangerous and sacred experien Gods eart correct, Son?"

        "Yea; tly.

        "tart at t t is so miserable? Do you know ;

        t. le little shake and his green eyes gazed down unblinking and grave.

        "Son, do you know ;

        t small and listening and still. Slowly he old man leaned closer and whispered:

        "A tree. A rock. A cloud."

        It ill raining outside i: a mild, gray, endless rain. tle ble and t a Leo, ttle paper boy.

        "tland," ;At time my sce ated and I started very cautious. I reet and take it    a goldfisrated on t. I graduated from oo anotting ted to San Diego --"

        "A; screamed Leo suddenly. "S up! S up!"

        till ; rembling and    and brig;For six years noer, Son. I    love anyto t it even. I see a street full of people and a beautiful ligc a traveler er and all loved! Do you realize ;

        tiffly, iger edge. Finally ;Did you ever really find t lady?"

        "?    say, Son?"

        "I mean," timidly. ";

        turned a time tered look. ed ter, drank doo side. t;No, Son. You see t is t step in my sce. I go cautious. And I am not quite ready yet."

        "ell!" said Leo. "ell ;

        tood in t;Remember,"    of t . "Remember I love you,"    nod. And tly behind him.

        t speak for a long time. tle forefinger around ty cup. t looking at Leo he finally asked:

        "as ;

        "No," said Leo sly.

        t;t;

        "No."

        t Leo, and    little face e,    and s;as ic?" t. "Leo? Or not?"

        But Leo    anseen years, and o be a critic of craziness. toras    to satisfy tions of ting cig.

        So t flap of    and as uro leave    t seemed safe to    could not be laughed down and despised:

        " of traveling."

        Sotes, v3.0: Proofed carefully, italid special cers intact. Cises to "Ameri Quotes".
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