sound. People stood silently in dooreps.

        t Jake ared back at the hairy back of his hand.

        At t block. It omobiles. Rusted piea iubes still littered trailer , and near-by ly covered h vas.

        Jake approactle younguns in overalls stood before ted on a box, a Negro man droe suns eaced ce.

        Jake cick hem slowly.

        ?fit?’

        t    fingers between ongue.    all I knon.’

        heres he now?’

        largest wagon.’

        Jake slipped off ie as affed it into . to set in t. Above tops tood smoking a cigarette by op of ared at Jake h gray, flabby eyes.

        "You the manager?’

        *Utersons my name.’

        I e about this ms paper.’

        *Yea    no greenhorn. I need a experienced meic.’

        I got plenty of experience, Jake said.

        you ever done?’

        tve omobile assembly ss of different things.’

        Patterson guided oly covered flying-jinny.

        tionless i te afternoon sun. tatically, pierced by t bars. t Jake ery s dingy rump and tic, s peeled from ts. tionless merry-go-round seemed to Jake like something in a liquor dream.

        I    a experienced meco run tterson said.

        ?I    do t all right.’

        If s a terson explained. Youre in ctra. Besides looking after t to keep t to be sure t everybody gets on icket. You got to be sure t tickets are O.K. and not some old dance-icket. Everybody s to ride t niggers ry to put over on you o keep time.’

        Patterson led o ted out ts. ed a lever and to cut t of topped, Jake asked a feions and operated the meism himself.

        t on me, Patterson said o t. I alo break in a ne?’

        tomorroernoon. e run six days and nig four and sting up at to e about t t takes about a er to fold up for t.    about pay? twelve dollars.’

        Jake nodded, and Patterson    a dead-we, boneless y fingernails.

        It e    lot. t te moon. Dusk softeline of treet. Jake did

        not return immediately t ain smells, certain voices ance, made op s noy street. ically, jerking from one dire to anot very lig aking pla ored so tinuously in em set in a rea. reets reet, and as Jake o rise o    do a teleptled ably, crossing urkisaself.

        ?Rese is t precious floy. Yeah.’

        It o talk. the sound of his voice gave him pleasure.

        tones seemed to ec eaco return to tes quiet room and tell s t were in his mind.

        It o    to talk e. But he was lonesome.

        treet before he ing evening.

        Occasionally men passed along treet very close to alking in monotoo eac rising around t ep. irls passed by toget numbly for some time, and at last    to    and walked on.

        eavers Lane rembling pat tirely dark and t on t steps ions from a neigo see by. A    of a er into treet. A fe splashe peaceful sound

        of a chair slowly rog.

        Jake stopped before a    toget steps. A pale yello no ss and ed. One of tall and loose-jointed.

        t and trousers.

        raw    on his knee.

        hey, Jake said.

        tared at h mill-sallow, dead-pan faces.

        t did not s. Jake pulled target from    and passed it around.

        dotom step and took off    good to .

        no of time.’

        Jake picked bet t to tell it to somebody.’

        treet ttes ill air. A little youngun passing along treet stopped and opened bis fly to make er.

        tent around ts Sunday, tell all t.’

        Its not t kind. Its better. Its truth.’

        kind?’

        Jake sucked aser a wrikes here?’

        Once, said tall man. trikes around six years ago.’

        happened?’

        t and dropped tub of te to t quit ed ty ts a    t. t reets all day. So t out trucks, and in a oo get a job.’

        Jake turned so t    teps

        above    o raise o look into t it make you mad? he asked.

        how do you mean—mad?’

        t.

        Camigo t door    room tand. In ted    sleeping in a car.

        I rucks, tall man said.

        t makes no difference.    Im trying to tell youis plain and simple. tards s quiet. See? So s and. t it and see    people and ricket-legged young-uns, dont it make you mad? Dont it?’

        Jakes face    rao laugh.

        Go on and snicker. Sit t your sides open.’

        t t one. Jake brus from t and put on s igorted s all yood for. I    til you rot! As iffly doreet, ter and catcalls still followed him.

        treet ered on a er, fondling t.    e and ed urgently to go bad sit    and dy store    afternoon ed a basket of fruit y ts, so t    of the

        store t seemed a funny oo take a hem off hungrily.

        Singer     by t before able. t as Jake    it, urned on and tcer beside table. t on t seemed t te    e in. o table and puso one side.

        s, and o question Jake about    t on table. For ternoon, he said.

        tto    and find an octopus and put socks on it.’

        te smiled, but Jake could not tell if     t s tried to uand tumped. tly.

        I got a job ternoon    of so run the flying-jinny.’

        te seemed not at all surprised.    into t and broug a bottle of    t    room. t above ion of ure of iced many times before on t mugs—acraggling almost up to e    again the kaleidoscope of drunkenness.

        Excitement made acremble jerkily. ened a wide, searg gaze on Singer.

        I bet Im tos been mad— Im

        talking about really mean mad—for ten solid long years. I damn near got in a fig a little    seems to me like I mig dont know.’

        Singer pusotle and rubbed top of his head.

        You see, its like Im ted man. I been in some of t libraries in try. I read. I read all time. I read books t tell t trutcase I ein Veblen and sucers as tudy t. I knoed on every page. to begin h I like words.

        Dialectic materialism—Jesuitical prevarication— Jake rolled ty—teleological propensity.’

        te wiped ly folded handkerchief.

        But ting at is t make tand, w does he do?’

        Singer reac to t it firmly into Jakes bruised    drunk,    spilled drops of rousers. But listen! ion. ttle of grape s in t, are all products of profit and loss. A fello live    giving ao meanness.

        Somebody o a frazzle for every mout and every stitow.

        Everybody is blind, dumb, and blunt-upid and mean.’

        Jake pressed s to emples. s ions and    get trol of ted to go berserk. ed to get out and figly reet.

        Still looking at ient i, te took out e very carefully on a slip of paper, Are you Democrat or Republi? and passed table. Jake crumpled it in o

        turn around    even read.

        es face to steady    did not seem to move. t bro t    ized    to be riotous a calm again. to uand all t    to say and to er a weady again.

        You get it,    I mean.’

        From afar off t, silver ring of church bells.

        t    door and tle summer blue. It     Jake ay il he found a room.

        eput a mattress on t removing any of antly asleep.

        JL AR from treet, in one of tions of toor Be Mady Copeland sat in ine oclod t no ove. Doctor Copeland sat close to it, leaning fcove s    purple against ig ook on a bluis motionless in tion for a long time. Even ared from beacles, did not c o o tove to make out t. tonig ricate play of ideas and t as rong, true purpose be t    uood.

        Often at nig room ient    t disturbed. And after tary    sitting in tc    o side and from    tia came.

        Doctor Copeland kside    t t turning on t    t door.    step out on t stood in t reet. tor Copelands    from any ot    solidly of brid stucco.

        Around t yard t fence. Portia said good-bye to    te and knocked on the s door.

        his?’

        t togeto t.

        You ric lig dont seem natural ting in this.’

        Doctor Copelaable and t. ts me, he said.

        tcable tand—on te. Doctor Copeland    uprig first Portia sat stiffly, too.

        ter rong resemblao eaoses, t Portias skin was very ligo hers.

        It sure is roasting in o me you would

        let t when you cooking.’

        If you prefer o my office, Doctor Copeland said.

        I be all rig prefer.’

        Doctor Copeland adjusted    together?’

        Portia relaxed and slipped    out of s along just fine.’

        illiam still boards h you?’

        Sure ia said. You see—us . I buys all t of my money. And illie—ends to all of our curday Nigs.tJAKSUINDoctor Copeland sat    il s. t s—beloer in color t of    yelloer.

        fot w I brougia said. ?’

        Doctor Copeland al eaco be filtered t eaten.’

        Portia opened a paper sack scable. I done broug maybe    a piece of side meat, too. to be seasoned . You dont care if t cooked i, do you?’

        It does not matter.’

        You still do nair meat?’

        *No. For purely private reasons I am a vegetarian, but it does not matter if you ’
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