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By Root 24815 0

’Brien hung outside in the alley to give jiggs. They got milk, tomatoes, eggs, catsup, and butter. Kenny got most of the loot, because Kenny had a style of his own. Studs got one bottle of milk; he had been a little leery about getting caught, and in a hurry, or he could have hooked some tomatoes. He whewed with relief when they all got safely over to the vacant lot at Fifty-eighth and Indiana. No one was hungry, so they wondered what they would do with their haul. Kenny lammed a bottle of milk against the wall of the three-story gray brick house where O’Connell lived. Red Kelly said it was a shot for the lanky bastard. They flung the other bottles of milk against the wall, and watched the milk trickling into the sandy prairie. Johnny O’Brien saw goofy Andy Le Gare. Johnny flung a tomato, and it smacked Andy square in the mush. Wiping his face with a dirty handkerchief, and stuttering curses, Andy came over. He socked Johnny, who was a year older and bigger than him. They fought and Johnny gave Andy three dirty socks. He was too big for Le Gare, but the fool kept on fighting, getting himself smacked. Benny Taite suddenly gave jiggers. The janitor from the O’Connell building and the one from the building they had looted were coming across the prairie after them.

“The Germans are comin’!” Paulie yelled.

“Boushwah!” Kenny yelled at the janitors.

He flung his last tomato and it caught one of the janitors in the neck. The other guys flung their eggs and tomatoes, and then rocks. They legged it, yelling like a band of movie Indians. They ditched the janitors around Fifty-fifth, and marched on toward Fifty-third. They laughed, and Weary said they could have licked the lousy foreigners anyway, only it was more fun getting shagged. They decided to get the two of them on Hallowe’en. Kenny said every day was Hallowe’en. They laughed. Kenny said they were in little Jewrusalem now, and they could probably catch a couple of Jew babies.

Two hooknoses, about Studs’ size, did come along. Andy and Johnny O’Brien, the two youngest in the gang, stopped the shonickers.

“Sock one of ‘em, Andy,” Studs said.

“Sa-ay, Christ Killer!” Johnny said to his man.

“We ain’t done nothin’,” the guy pleaded.

“Where you from?” asked Red Kelly.

“Fifty-first and Prairie.”

“That’s a Jew neighborhood,” said Red.

“No!”

Red called him a liar, and said that all Jew neighborhoods were a disgrace, and that was enough.

Andy and Johnny each shoved one of the Jews.

They started to mosey on.

“No you don’t, big-nose!” said Red, catching Johnny’s man. Weary grabbed the other.

“You’re the guy that got tough with me, ain’t you?” said Andy.

“I ain’t never seen you before.”

“Don’t let ‘im get out of it, Andy. Take ‘im back in the alley,” said Davey.

The two Jews were dragged back in the alley.

“Now, if you two sons of Abraham ain’t yellow like the rest of your race, fight,” said Red Kelly.

They said they didn’t want to fight.

Red said they had to.

“Go ahead. These kids are smaller than you and you’ll get a fair fight as long as you don’t do no dirty work.”

They begged to be let off.

“Oh, you don’t want to fight. You’re yellow. Well, you dirty yellow... There, take that,” said Andy.

They heard the smack. It was a beaut.

“And this for you, Jewboy,” said Johnny.

Johnny’s man fell to his knees.

Benny Taite was behind him.

“Take that for killin’ Christ,” said Benny.

Johnny dragged him to his feet.

“That a boy. One eye’s closed, Johnny kid,” Davey said, encouraging Johnny.

Johnny’s victim was down and wouldn’t get up. Kenny got a few yards off, made noises, whistled, and sang:

Fire, fire, false alarm

Baby da-dumped

In papa’s arm .. .

Fire, fire, false alarm.

He came up whizzing, snorting, yelling that he was the hose cart.

“House on fire! House on fire! House on fire!”

They laughed.

“Now it’s out!” he said.

They laughed.

Johnny’s victim tried to wipe his face with his handkerchief. Davey booted him. He rolled back, got up, and ran. Red tore after him, and aimed a good swift kick, but missed and fell on his ear. He cursed the Jew.

Andy’s victim had been fighting back all the while. It was a good fight, even, with them trading sock for sock. Then the fellow