cination of capital and pooday. he sees America as a crazy house.

    o rob to live.

    arving and y o get to eat. ed.

    so muc mean and ugly and somet t tem of t on a lie. And alts as plain as t-kno cant see it.’

    ttle on ttled an avalanc o sleep, and amped it

    so  the floor shook.

    I been all over talk. I try to explain to t  do? Lord God!’

    o t deepened tingling in  spread up ints of green and blue and burning yello;the only one.’

    ranger no longer. By no, every alley, every fence in all town.

    ill  t lot to anotaying aly limit, until at last it oions tings rip of eland bordered by roted ston gin, or a bottling plant. t part factory s in to throwing game was always crowded.

    From tton candy.

    , but gradually ties inually o anot stood out on en acurday o keep t,  s of racted appearance.

    o four rooms and t y per person. t on toop. In , sour smell. Sooty, cains  the

    y. reet ligside tion inside. ed ted to read. ted him.

    If ayed at lessly  on t ty ends of aste of grime lingered in  error. Usually  of bootleg les from t s. tles made lost, eerie ecil after they had sounded.

    But usually  stay at  out into ty streets. In t dark ars . Sometimes ted buildings came t of ted at tes for t. Young girls in sers and print dresses came out into treet. t carrying their dinner pails.

    Some of t to a streetcar caf for Coca-Cola or coffee before going

    for t side they were deaf.

    I In treetcar Jake drank Coca-Cola alked. ter daen , and ed body very straiguck tle finger out from ily ted acill laug imes fougs h crazed violence and sobbed aloud.

    After sucurned to t eased o pusinks, tact of hed his jangled nerves.

    Because of to up early in took from tcase .  to treet.

    First o t a sack of ales. t to Singers room. Altoe he ales.

    alk, and ted t in treets or h relief.

    t table. Jake urned to Singer.

    Yeao a sudden question.

    Some of us are Communists. But not allof us------. Myself, Im not a member of tParty. Because in t place I never kne one of them.

    You can bum around for years and not meet Communists.

    Around  to join—and if t. And you just dont take off for Ne one—and tle teetotaler  t I  against ts. t is I dont talin and Russia. I e every damn country and government t even so maybe I ougojoined up s first place. Im not certain one  do you think?’

    Singer wrinkled e on   know.

    But t cant settle doer kno  to act And some of us go nuts. too muco do and you dont knoart It makes you crazy. Even me—Ive done t w

    t seem rational Once I started an organization myself. I picked out ty lint-alked to til I t tto ion.  to start riots—stir up all trouble we could.

    Our ultimate goal  a real freedom, a great freedom made possible only by tice of tto, quot;Action,quot; signified talism. In titution (draain statutes dealt to from quot;Actionquot; to quot;Freedomquot; as soon as our hrough.’

    Jake scroublesome cavity in a tooter a moment inued:quot;titution ten do follo out on a cour to organize component units of ty. it do you reckon I found?   ion? eous fury overcome planned action so t t me? as it destruction, murder, revolution?’

    Jake leaned fory-seven dollars and ty cents from treasury to buy uniform caps and free Saturday suppers. I caugting around table, rolling their heads, and a ham and a gallon of gin in easy reach.’

    A timid smile from Singer folloburst of lauger a ill laugoo long. Singer looked up at ted time— tes and matcel and distributed ts. It ime.

    But Jake still lauger.  ts. ense and as of his coming

    meal. o.

    ith each word he raised his upper lip like a ravenous animal.

    Roast beef  bread.

    And a big ell you about Mr. Clark Patterson, tleman y years, and all day s in railer playing solitaire and smoking reefers. -order joint nearby and every day  h------’

    Jake stepped back so t Singer could leave t dooro lead. As tairs inued to talk y.  his brown, wide eyes on Singers face.

    ternoon  and mild. tayed indoors. Jake  back  of  on t of to fill tle on t able by t. c t afternoon merge he darkness of evening.

    t made dark, silent he room.

    But at nigension came in  away  facing eacher.

    Nervousness made Jakes lips tco sootlessness and desire overcame o talk again to Singer. to t last took so te o us! truturned into lies. take Jesus.  it is o pass to enter t

    just o Jesus during t t turned every able and I   me and  t at a table and------And look  tion -bellied, perfumed Pekingese dog.

    t  freedom. t a real revolution. t so t try  every man  of Nature— mean t ty per cent of to rob ty per cent of to live.

    t mean for one rico s t of ten t  ric mean tyrants o get try in suc millions of people are ready to do anyt, lie, or  to ink like a skunk to all who know.’

    t up, alarmed, Jake tried to speak again and t dorembling lips s ts t seems to me. All we？

    can do is go around telling trut kno be any use for figo do is let them know.

    All ts needed. But how? huh?’

    t took on motion. t ions doo a serror rained   t  roared  last  t. tes face  and very far away. Jake closed his eyes.

    t morning e. Singer  of coffee on table.  it ime for ooreet t racted arted to tention en in brigters dra ty, and drink th.

    reet. No one es of puzzled deliberation ook from  a te carefully beneation:e t me omorro noon, ednesday, November . Or t day.

    At t day ed before the wall. .

    Noiently to to look : up and doreets. No one came. After an o leave for t day ed, also.

    ter rain. treaked so t no inued, gray and bitter and cold.

    ICK, Bubber said. I come to believe  rue t it like to never quit raining. Mrs. ells rode to scernoon to stay on t porc marbles on t oime and Bubber began to talk about ttle Lord Jesus and ted Santa Claus to bring  and cold and gray. t some of tory people o move out of t looked like t suddenly stopped. t sun   and sticky and ter clot and a pocketful of rocks.

    Ralp up in  crooked on ful. Spareribs he sky was a wonderful blue.

    e ed for you a long time, Mick, Bubber said. here you been?’

    S steps t a time and ter to rack. Practicing on the gym.’

    Every afternoon sayed after sco play.

    team ball games. today s on t getting a co sit at a piano  of knocks and trouble. Ses togetil t sed. It . After t t some sets of c  in une   almost any piece no ter t copying tunes. ed out tiful ne  feeling she had ever known.

    Sed to learn o read music already ten down.

    Delores Bros a  Delores did not knoions sed to knoaug t scales, tes, and suchose.

    Mick slammed tcove. quot;t to eat?’

    t I can do for you, Portia said. Just cornpones and margarine. As se ser to he swallows.

    Quit acting so greedy. Nobody going to snatc out your hand.’

    till  of t  in  and noes Bubber would o ook aim and made a loud pow sound.

    Dont monkey rigger, said Spareribs.  got the gun loaded.’

    Mick finiso do. z ting on  porcers o see o him, heil!’

    But  take it as a joke.  into   t o  ely s good friends. t in t t Vocational -time jobs.   yards imes se at nigics and ory est boy at Vocational. Often, no she was in high

    scoo, t eacogeteacners to assemble a motor.  up ics ime on alked slo stood out on  someth her.

    I  his gold piece, Spareribs said.

    gold piece?’

    a gold piece in ts w Jews do.’

    S it mixed up, ss Cat. Catol for a baby soon as its born. Some day to start a war and kill everybody else.’

    Nuns give me a funny feeling, Spareribs said. It scares me .’

    S doeps and laid  into t side room. Sc side room. Mister Singer ries and plans and music  about  niger ty o imes, or  of to o go into ten to it many times and try to join it into ts of te place. Sill feel like she was locked up by herself.

    Spareribs stuck y o aring off at space. She slapped him.

    is a nun? Bubber asked.

    A Cat comes up over her head.’

    Sired of o t pictures in tional Geographic.

    Pographe wild jungles in Africa.

    You kids see t Ralp get out in treet, she said.

    Bubber rested tory back h you.’

    It  kid o read.  o read stories by o read to him.

    kind you  time?’

    Pick out some stories o eat in t one a  t in t and coming to t of all different kinds of candy and tcory o eat in it.’

    Ill look for one, said Mick.

    But Im getting kinda tired of candy, Bubber said. See if you cant bring me a story . But if you cant find none of tory.’

    So leave ared.

    tared too. tood still and looked at Baby ilson coming doeps of reet.

    Aint Baby cute! said Bubber softly.

    Maybe it , sunny day after all t er cloto ternoon like ture s years soiree costume—tle pink-gauze skirt t stuck out s and stiff, a pink body , pink dancing stle pinkpocketbook. ite and gold—and so small and clean t it almost  to creet in a cute   turn ohem.

    Come over  your little pink pocketbook------’

    Baby passed treet h her head

    o one side. S to speak to them.

    trip of grass betreet, and ill for a second and turned a handspring.

    Dont pay no mind to ries to so Mister Brannons cafe to get candy. s it free.’

    Bubber rested too creet  pulling traggly bangs of  sure is a cute little pink pocketbook, he said.

    alks about alented s Baby in the movies.’

    It oo late to go look at tional Geograp ready. Ralpuned up to cry and sook   o a kid Bubbers age t ime from summer.

    All last summer Baby  in t pink soiree costume and danced in treet. At first tc soon t tired of it. Bubber c to dance.  on to cimes—but summer  seemed neo him again.

    I sure do wisume, Bubber said.

    kind do you ?’

    A real cool costume. A real pretty one made out of all different colors. Like a butterfly. ts  for Cmas. t and a bicycle!’

    Sissy, said Spareribs.

    Bubber o ook aim at a reet. Id dance around inmy costume if I  every day to sc on t steps and kept  a sissy like Spareribs said.  loved pretty things.

    Ster not let old Spareribs get a.

    A persons got to fig, she

    said sloiced a lot of times t tter the kid really is.

    Younger kids are aloug. Im pretty  of top of me. Bubber —ty t  guts underneat. If all true Ralp to be a real strong one  around. Even t seventeen montoug Ralphs face already.’

    Ralpalked about. Spareribs sat do off  in o tease him.

    A! Mick said. You knoo you if you start o cry. You just better c’

    Everyt. t  block ting. Bubber leaned up against a tree and o be dreaming about somet of t ime to eat soon.

    Lookit, Bubber said suddenly. ty in tume.’

    Baby o same prissy, dainty ell t s her.

    Please, Baby------ Bubber said ed topass ttle pink pocketbook and toucume.’

    Baby started o  listen. S letting Bubber play  tle.

    Bubber still o ended like  to Baby again—in a soft, sad voice like tle kitty.  Please,  Baby—come here, Baby------’

    oo quick for Mick to stop  seen rigger he

    gun. Baby crumpled doo t eps and couldnt move or scream. Spareribs had his arm up over his head.

    Bubber  didnt realize. Get up, Baby,  mad h you.’

    It all  time. Sy sidewalk.

    le op of  in turned doohe ground.

    So mucood o oo. t to get to the house.

    S the eyes. I seen her face.’

    Mick ongue stuck in ried to ask was Baby killed. Mrs.

    ilson came running doy parlor o t again. Sreet, crying and pulling a ring on and off or  in to Baby. Mick follo as a church.

    Baby looked like a pretty little doll on t for t seem . tor bent over and looked at er ook Baby out on a stretc into th her.