The Studs Lonigan Trilogy - James T. Farrell [200]
“Say, Les, don’t you and Shrimp ever have the curiosity to find out how it would be to stay sober for one night?” Kelly asked.
“What the hell! All the tanks here couldn’t get drunk on one measly bottle.”
“Sorry, Haggerty, but the Alcohol Squad is A.W.O.L. this evening,” Stan Simonsky said.
“It’s swell out,” Studs said, looking at the twilight sky, wanting to forget things by talking and looking at the sky; only the sky made him remember all the more. A song came to him. Blue and broken-hearted—Blue because we’re parted.—There was a time I was jolly—You know the reason, I’m melancholy. The words only half-expressed his feelings. And he had had them ever since the dance. He had had them all his life.
“Say, you know, I think I’ll join the Navy,” Shrimp said, looking pointedly at Barney.
“Last week, Shrimp was joining the Marines,” Doyle said.
“Hell, Haggerty, with that caved-in chest you got, and with your guts pickled in alcohol, and a leg and a half in the grave, the Navy wouldn’t even take you for punkin’,” Barney sourly said.
“I’m organically all right. I’m just tired of hanging around here, without any job, so I thought I’d join up, see the world, building myself up physically so I wouldn’t end up with a balloon belly and false teeth like Keefe,” Shrimp said.
“I’m laughing,” Barney snapped.
Studs wasn’t interested in the gassing and kidding.
“If I was like Studs now, with an old man who’s well heeled, and gives him a good job, and has a business to leave him when he kicks the bucket. But, hell, all a guy can get is a thirty-five or forty-dollar-a-week job. You won’t find me wearing my can out that way,” Shrimp said, giving Barney the eye.
“Yeah, you should be a painter too, and in summer time climb a ladder so much that your pants rub blisters on your tail, the way it happened to me last summer,” Studs said. They laughed.
But Studs wished that Lucy would realize—see—that he could take care of her, give her things, make them .. happy together. Why did he have to be such a goofy damn fool with sloppy feelings?
“Haggerty, better go back to that wife of yours, and let her take care of you. She might love you, even if her taste is all in her mouth,” Keefe said.
“Shrimp is right. Now take me, what have I got to look forward to but always wrestling freight for the Continental Express Company?” Les whined.
“Will you bastards quit singing the blues? You’re young, and there’s plenty of gash in the world, and the supply of moon goes on forever,” Simonsky said.
Studs wished he had someone to talk it over with. He had almost talked with Fran or Loretta. But he had never been able to talk about things like that with anyone. If only things were the same with him and Helen Shires as they used to be when they were kids. Then he could talk about it with her.
“Haggerty, if you get in the Navy, you’ll end up like Mush Joss in the jug after deserting three times.”
“Mush was always a bum anyway,” Shrimp said, and he got the horse laugh.
“Mush was a funny guy. You know, he was a damn swell baseball player, and if he kept on he’d be in the big leagues now. He played a good game for one year with the Carmelites High School. Then he left school because the family didn’t have the jack to send him, and he just went to hell,” Red said.
“Studs, you know, I’m pulling Keefe’s leg. The bastard thinks he’s getting a job as sewer-pipe layer down at Grant Park. And today I spoke to a guy I know who’s assistant foreman and he told me I could count that job mine. Watch me get him,” Shrimp said in confidence.
“Yeah, I think I’ll join the Navy. No flunkey job for me. If anyone comes along, Barney can have them,” Shrimp said, looking at Barney; Barney whistled.
“Well, I been thinking I’d get into the political game,” Doyle said.
“You goddamn Irishman. Because your brother is assistant precinct captain without pay, you think you