按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
Mick climbed back to the place where she had been sitting
before。 She wanted to think for a long time about two or three
certain people； to sing to herself； and to make plans。 But that
Ralph was still hollering and there wouldn't be any peace for
her at all。
Boldly she began to climb down toward the ladder propped
against the edge of the roof。 The slant was very steep and
there were only a few blocks of wood nailed down； very far
apart from each other； that the workmen used for footholds。
She was dizzy； and her heart beat so hard it made her tremble。
Commandingly she talked out loud to herself： 'Hold on here
with your hands tight and then slide down until your right toe
gets a grip there and then stay close and wiggle over to the
left。 Nerve； Mick； you've got to keep nerve。'
Coming down was the hardest part of any climbing。 It took her
a long time to reach the ladder and to feel safe again。 When
she stood on the ground at last she seemed much shorter and
smaller and her legs felt for a minute like they would crumple
up with her。 She hitched her shorts and jerked the belt a notch
tighter。 Ralph was still crying； but she paid the sound no
attention and went into the new； empty house。
Last month they had put a sign out in front saying that no
children were allowed on the lot。 A gang of kids had been
scuffling around inside the rooms one night； and a girl who
couldn't see in the dark had run into a room that hadn't been
floored and fallen through and broken her leg。 She was still at
the hospital in a plaster parish cast。 Also； another time some
tough boys wee…weed all over one of the walls and wrote
some pretty bad words。 But no matter how many Keep Out
signs were put up； they couldn't run
31
kids away until the house had been painted and finished and
people had moved in。
The rooms smelled of new wood； and when she walked the
soles of her tennis shoes made a flopping sound that echoed
through all the house。 The air was hot and quiet。 She stood
still in the middle of the front room for a while； and then she
suddenly thought of something。 She fished in her pocket and
brought out two stubs of chalk—one green and the other red。
Mick drew the big block letters very slowly。 At the top she
wrote EDISON； and under that she drew the names of DICK
TRACY and MUSSOLINI。 Then in each corner with the
largest letters of all； made with green and outlined in red； she
wrote her initials—M。K。 When that was done she crossed
over to the opposite wall and wrote a very bad word—
PUSSY； and beneath that she put her initials； too。
She stood in the middle of the empty room and stared at what
she had done。 The chalk was still in her hands and she did not
feel really satisfied。 She was trying to think of the name of
this fellow who had written this music she heard over the
radio last whiter。 She had asked a girl at school who owned a
piano and took music lessons about him； and the girl asked her
teacher。 It seemed this fellow was just a kid who had lived in
some country in Europe a good while ago。 But even if he was
just a young kid he had made up all these beautiful pieces for
the piano and for the violin and for a band or orchestra too。 In
her mind she could remember about six different tunes from
the pieces of his she had heard。 A few of them were kind of
quick and tinkling； and another was like that smell in the
springtime after a rain。 But they all made her somehow sad
and excited at the same time。
She hummed one of the tunes； and after a while in the hot；
empty house by herself she felt the tears come in her eyes。 Her
throat got tight and rough and she couldn't sing any more。
Quickly she wrote the fellow's name at the very top of the list
—MOTSART。
Ralph was tied in the wagon just as she had left him。 He sat up
quiet and still and his fat little hands held on to the sides。
Ralph looked like a little Chinese baby with his square black
bangs and bis black eyes。 The sun was in his32
face； and that was why he had been hollering。 Bubber was
nowhere around。 When Ralph saw her coming he began
tuning up to cry again。 She pulled the wagon into the shade by
the side of the new house and took from her shirt pocket a
blue…colored jelly bean。 She stuck the candy in the baby's
warm； soft mouth。
'Put that in your pipe and smoke it；' she said to him。 In a way it
was a waste； because Ralph was still too little to get the real
good flavor out of candy。 A clean rock would be about the
same to him； only the little fool would swallow it。 He didn't
understand any more about taste than he did about talking。
When you said you were so sick and tired of dragging him
around you had a good mind to throw him in the river； it was
the same to him as if you had been loving him。 Nothing much
made any difference to him。 That was why it was such an
awful bore to haul him around。
Mick cupped her hands； clamped them tight together； and
blew through the crack between her thumbs。 Her cheeks
puffed out and at first there was only the sound of air rushing
through her fists。 Then a high； shrill whistle sounded； and
after a few seconds Bubber came out from around the corner
of the house。
She rumpled the sawdust out of Bubber's hair and straightened
Ralph's cap。 This cap was the finest thing Ralph had。 It was
made out of lace and all embroidered。 The ribbon under bis
chin was blue on one side and white on the other； and over
each ear there were big rosettes。 His head had got too big for
the cap and the embroidery scratched； but she always put it on
him when she took him out。 Ralph didn't have any real baby
carriage like most folks' babies did； or any summer bootees。
He had to be dragged around in a tacky old wagon she had got
for Christmas three years before。 But the fine cap gave him
face。
There was nobody on the street； for it was late Sunday
morning and very hot。 The wagon screeched and rattled。
Bubber was barefooted and the sidewalk was so hot it burned
his feet。 The green oak trees made cool…looking black shadows
on the ground； but that was not shade enough。
'Get up in the wagon；' she told Bubber。 'And let Ralph sit in
your lap。
'
'I can walk all right。
'
The long summer…time always gave Bubber the colic。 He
didn't have on a shirt and his ribs were sharp and white。 The
sun made him pale instead of brown； and his little titties were
like blue raisins on his chest。
'I don't mind pulling you；' Mick said。 'Get on in。
'
*O。K。
'
Mick dragged the wagon slowly because she was not in any
hurry to get home。 She began talking to the kids。 But it was
really more like saying things to herself than words said to
them。
'This is a funny thing—the dreams I've been having lately。 It's
like I'm swimming。 But instead of water I'm pushing out my
arms and swimming through great big crowds of people。 The
crowd is a hundred times bigger than in Kresses' store on
Saturday afternoon。 The biggest crowd in the world。 And
sometimes I'm yelling and swimming through people；
knocking them all down wherever I go— and other times Fm
on the ground and people are trompling all over me and my
insides are oozing out on the sidewalk。 I guess it's more like
a
nightmare than a plain
On Sundays the house was always full of folks because the
boarders had visitors。 Newspapers rustled and there was cigar
smoke； and footsteps always on the stairs。
'Some things you just naurally want to keep private。 Not
because they are bad； but because you just want them secret。
There are two or three things I wouldn't want even you to
know about'
Bubber got out when they came to the corner and helped her
lift the wagon down the curb and get it up on the next
sidewalk。
'But there's one thing I would give anything for。 And that's a
piano。 If we had a piano I'd practice every single night and
learn every piece in the world。 That's the thing I； want more
than anything else。'
They had come to their own home block now。 Their house
was only a few doors away。 It was one of the biggest houses
on the whole north side of town—three storiesi*
high。 But then there were fourteen people in the family。 There
weren't that many in the real； blood Kelly family— but they
ate there and slept there at five dollars a head and you plight
as well count them on in。 Mr。 Singer wasn't counted in that
because he only rented a room and kept it straightened up
himself。
The house was narrow and had not been painted for many
years。 It did hot seem to be built strong enough for its three
stories of height。 It sagged on one side。
Mick untied Ralph and lifted him from the wagon。 She darted
quickly through the hall； and from the corner of her eye she
saw that the living…room was full of boarders。 Her Dad was
there； too。 Her Mama would be in the kitchen。 They were all
hanging around waiting for dinner…time。
She went into the first of the three rooms that the family kept
for themselves。 She put Ralph down on the bed where her Dad
and Mama slept and gave him a string of beads to play with。
From behind the closed door of the next room she could hear
the sound of voice