The Studs Lonigan Trilogy - James T. Farrell [117]
And only five years ago—life was short—Paul had been a boy like that, innocent; and his steps had mingled with the feet of other boys and girls as they marched out of the school-rooms upstairs. And he had romped and shouted as the children without were now doing.
HAIL MARY, FULL OF GRACE, THE LORD IS WITH THEE, BLESSED ART THOU AMONGST WOMEN, AND BLESSED IS THE FRUIT OF THY WOMB, JESUS .. .
Mary, please spare me a mother’s agony, please, oh, please, save the fruit of my womb, my Paul, my precious baby son.
HAIL MARY, FULL OF GRACE...
CHAPTER SIX
I
Mike stared out of the poolroom window. His face was a gaze of primal obtuseness. An elevated train rumbled out of the Fifty-eighth Street elevated station. An automobile whizzed by.
“Hello, Mike!” said Slug Mason entering, his smeary-lipped mouth cracking in a smile.
Mike greeted Slug with an idiot grin. Slug lit a cigarette, shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned back on his heels.
“Smoke?” asked Mike, holding out his greasy, sweaty paw.
“Say, it looks like there’s gonna be some sun out this morning,” Slug said, with faulty pronunciation, as he studied the street outside and the blue September sky that was slowly being shattered with sunlight.
Mike lit one of his own cigarettes.
“Jesus, was we all cockeyed las’ night... but say, Mike, I fixes the lads with some flaming jazz-babies!”
“Push-push,” mumbled Mike, lust, like thick, ugly sweat, oozing from his eyes.
Slug beamed patronizingly.
“Push-push!”
“Yeah, Mike, I’ll bet you know your stuff.”
II
“Wheeeee!” shouted Young Rocky Kansas as he crashed through the narrow entrance door, removing his jacket coat.
“Wheeeeeeeee!” echoed skinny, toothpick Harry Pochon, following upon Young Rocky’s heels past the shoe-shining stand, which stood where Charlie Bathcellar had had his barber chairs.
“Time on table number one, Greek!” Young Rocky shouted.
“Come on, time on, you dumb Greek bastard!” parroted Pochon.
Mike’s face clenched with hate. Slowly, he turned and went to the counter. He punched a card on the time clock.
“These eighteen-year-old punks needs their snouts punched in to teach ‘em a lesson,” Slug said.
A slow gleam of assent was born on Mike’s face. He shrugged, and placed a hat on the cleaning block. He commenced to brush the hat.
Slug watched the youngest Sullivan girl trip stiff-leggedly by.
“Nice,” Mike babbled, with clumsy, pawing, emphatic gestures. They laughed in mutual understanding.
III
Bob Connell entered, wearing a loud gray summer suit with bell buttons. Big Rocky Kansas followed him, walking muscle bound and like a tame bear. He was a bushy-browed lad of about twenty-one, with broad shoulders. He smiled with intoxicating good-nature, and, sticking a cigar in his bucolic face, ranged himself alongside Slug. Slug ignored Bob’s cloying salutation; he said Rocky looked like a politician, smoking that cigar. They heard the click of the pool balls. Big Rocky yelled hello to his kid brother.
“Say, last night, Gleen Reaves and me had some red hot mamas dated up. Cost us five bucks at Kling Hing Lo’s Chop House. But, boy, did those broads know how to sock. Say, fellahs, I tell you, I never danced with the broad who socked like mine did. Why she dry .. .” Bob said with enthusiasm, cutting off his words, and answering the call from Young Rocky.
“Say, that punk has only got fifty cards in his deck,” Slug said, pronouncing his t's as d's.
“Hell, he is only young, sixteen. He hasn’t lost his cherry,” Big Rocky said.
“Look! Look!” Mike said, pointing at a passing broad.
IV
“Well, Studs, you’re a man now,” grinned Slug.
“That doesn’t mean nothing,” replied bleary-eyed Studs.
“Say, you’re right there. It’s true,” Slug said.
“Most things are just plain crap to me,” Studs said.
“Ain’t they though?” said Slug, saying “though” as if it were “dough.”
“My head!” said Studs, feeling his right temple.
“Well, you was polluted last night,” Slug said.
Studs nodded agreement.
“Say, Paulie’s in bad shape. He was prayed for in Church this morning.”
“He’s a good lad.”
“Gee, I hope he pulls through. But he