U.S.A_ - John Dos Passos [159]
it away."
There was a big drunken guy in a dirty undershirt
looked like a ship's stoker reeling round the room. He got hold of Liz's hand and made her dance with him. His big arms tattooed blue and red folded right round her. Charley could see he was mauling and pul ing at her dress as he danced with her. "Quit that, you son of a bitch," she was yel ing. That made Charley sore and he went up and pul ed the big guy away from her. The big guy turned and swung on him. Charley ducked and hopped into the center of the floor with his dukes up. The big guy was blind drunk, as he let fly another hay-maker Charley put his foot out and the big guy tripped and fel on his face upsetting a table and a little dark man with a black mustache with it. In a second the dark man was on his feet and had whipped out a machete. The Chinks ran round mewing like a lot of damn gul s. The proprietor, a fat Spaniard in an apron, had come out from behind the bar and was yel in', "Git out, every last one of you." The man with the machete made a run at Charley. Liz gave him a yank one side and before Charley knew what had happened she was pul ing him through
the stinking latrines into a passage that led to a back door out into the street. "Don't you know no better'n to git in a fight over a goddam whore?" she was saying in his ear. Once out in the street Charley wanted to go back to get his hat and coat. Liz wouldn't let him. "I'l get it for you in the mornin'," she said. They walked along the street together.
"You're a damn good girl; I like you," said Charley."Can't you raise ten dol ars and make it al night?""Jez, kid, I'm broke.""Wel , I'l have to throw you out and do some more hustlin', I guess . . . There's only one fel er in this world gets it for nothin' and you ain't him."
-400-They had a good time together. They sat on the edge of the bed talking. She looked flushed and pretty in a fragile sort of way in her pink shimmy shirt. She showed him a snapshot of her steady who was second engineer on a tanker. "Ain't he handsome? I don't hustle when he's in town. He's that strong . . . He can crack a pecan with his biceps." She showed him the place on his arm where her steady could crack a pecan.
"Where you from?" asked Charley.
"What's that to you?"
"You're from up North; I can tel by the way you talk."
"Sure. I'm from Iowa, but I'l never go back there no more . . . It's a hel of life, bo, and don't you forget
. . . 'Women of pleasure' my foot. I used to think I was a classy dame up home and then I woke up one morning and found I was nothing but a goddam whore."
"Ever been to New York?"
She shook her head. "It ain't such a bad life if you keep away from drink and the pimps," she said thoughtful y.
"I guess I'l shove off for New York right after Mardi Gras. I can't seem to find me a master in this man's town."
" Mardi Gras ain't so much if you're broke."
"Wel , I came down here to see it and I guess I'd better see it." It was dawn when he left her. She came downstairs
with him. He kissed her and told her he'd give her the ten bucks if she got his hat and coat back for him and she said to come around to her place that evening about six, but not to go back to the " Tripoli" because that greaser was a bad egg and would be laying for him.
The streets of old stucco houses inset with lacy iron balconies were brimful of blue mist. A few mulatto women in bandanas were moving around in the courtyards. In the market old colored men were laying out fruit and
-401-green vegetables. When he got back to his flop the Panama woman was out on the gal ery outside his room holding out a banana and cal ing "Ven, Pol y . . . Ven, Pol y," in a little squeaky voice. The parrot sat on the edge of the tiled roof cocking a glassy eye at her and chuckling softly. "Me here al night," said the Panama woman with a tearful smile.
"Pol y no quiere come." Charley climbed up by the shutter and tried to grab the parrot but the parrot hitched away sideways up to the ridge of the roof and al Charley did was bring a tile down on his head. "No quiere come," said the Panama woman sadly. Charley grinned at her and went into his room, where he dropped on the bed and fel asleep. During Mardi Gras Charley walked round town til