The Studs Lonigan Trilogy - James T. Farrell [38]
Danny O’Neill said that he had a good one on Three-Star Hennessey.
“Spill it,” said Dan Donoghue.
“Well, it’s funny; it’s a good one,” said Danny. Danny laughed like the goofy punk that he was.
“Well, for Christ sake, out with it before we take your pants down,” said Johnny O’Brien, who acted as if he were a big guy like Studs and Dan.
“Well, Hennessey was under the Fifty-eighth Street elevated station... and gee, it’s funny... !”
“Well, then, shoot it while you’re all together,” said Studs.
“Well, he was under the Fifty-eighth Street elevated station.”
“Yeh, we heard that,” said Johnny O’Brien... lookin’ up through the cracks to see if he could get an eyeful when the women walked up and down stairs
“Yeh, and we know what he was doing. That’s nothing new,” said Johnny.
“He once had a race with Paulie, and they both claimed the other had fouled,” said Studs, and they laughed.
“But this time it’s funny... You see, a dick caught him and shagged him down the alley. Three-Star got away, because nobody could catch him anyway, but the guys told me it was funny, him legging it, with his stockings hanging... and he didn’t even have time to button up,” said Danny.
They gabbed and laughed. Bill Donoghue interrupted the discussion on this latest of Hennessey’s exploits to say: “That’s a warnin’ for you, TB.”
“Say... I don’t do that,” said TB.
“No!” said Studs ironically.
“What you got them pimples on your forehead from?” asked Johnny O’Brien.
“Why, you’re gettin’ so weak that young O’Neill here can toss you,” Studs said.
TB and Danny were made to wrestle. O’Neill dumped McCarthy with a crotch hold. TB squirmed, and O’Neill tried to turn and pin him with another crotch and a half-nelson, but Muggsy slid free. He was just getting behind O’Neill, when he was shoved by Bill and Studs. He squawked about dirty work being done him, and called Danny names, threatening to get him alone sometime. The guys told Muggsy that just for that he would get the clouts. They held him from behind, and encouraged Danny to sock him in the puss. Then they made Danny jerk open his buttons. It was fun.
“Jiggers!” yelled Johnny O’Brien.
Across the street, where Johnny pointed, they saw TB’s old man, a tough, red-mustached, Irish police sergeant. They legged it to O’Brien’s basement by a circuitous route and peered up from the basement window in time to see the old man finish slapping TB around. He bawled out Monk, kicked him in the slats, and told him to go on home.
When the coast was clear, they came out and sprawled on the grass, laughing over Muggsy’s punishment. He was a goop, anyway.
They gassed. Studs suddenly reflected:
“You know, Hennessey must have some screws loose.”
“Just some? That loogin is all loose, his bean is all screwy,” said Johnny O’Brien.
“He’s a sap. The squirrels call him brother,” said Bill.
“He’s got bats in the belfry,” said Dan.
A banana man lazily shoved his cart across Fifty-seventh
Street, shouting, droning, sing-songing: Bannano-oe!
The guys had great fun listening to Bill mimic the dago. They sat around and chewed the fat. Studs said:
“You know, even my old lady warns me to keep away from Three-Star.”
“Hell, so does mine,” O’Brien said.
“Is Hennessey the bull artist?” said Danny O’Neill.
“But you know, sometimes he’s good-hearted,” said Tubby.
“Say, he’d steal your stockings without touching your shoes if he had half a chance. He’d even steal ‘em if they were stiff and full of holes,” Johnny O’Brien said.
“He’s cookoo,” said O’Neill.
“Well, Tubby, you’re older and he thought you’d make a good friend and maybe stick up for him some time, that’s why he treated you. He needs someone to protect him because there’s gangs of guys always out to get him, and nearly every guy his size in the neighborhood has cleaned on him,” said O’Brien.
“Sometimes he will get the livin’ hell pounded out of him,” Dan Donoghue said.
“Yeh,” said Studs.
“He deserves all he gets, though, the little degenerate,” said Dan.
“He should have been a nigger or a hebe instead of Irish,” said O’Brien. Johnny added that Hennessey had even been caught in a basement with his half-wit sister.