J R

— I said come along! Now where’s, all right stop pushing, now where’s…

— Bast look, sorry… his arm was seized from behind, — if you’ve got a couple of dollars for a cab…

— But, yes but wait what did she mean about a money museum she, here, she said a bank somewhere but…

— Look there’s a bank out here every two blocks every God damned one of them’s a money museum forget it, take them to a movie and Bast? Didn’t mean to be that unpleasant look I’ve got to talk to you some time when I’m…

— Yes well, yes whenever you…

— We going with you Mister Bast?

— Like where’s he going hey.

— The movies hey, we going to the movies?

— Come on look out, here comes the manager…

— One at a time in the revolving door, one at a… I said one!

— There’s a movie hey. Over there.

— Is that it over there Mister Bast? Where it says playthings of what’s that hey.

— A carte blanche invitation to ecstasy…

— Is that it Mister Bast?

But he stood staring in the other direction where the street’s traffic stopped for a cab exchanging fares until its door slammed and their heads, inclining, showed through the rear window, and everything moved again, and the wind picked up a little from behind.

— Look. You can see her tits.

— You cannot they pasted something over them.

— So? peel it off, hey look at this. Relive the pulsating moment of climax…

— No subject is taboo! No act is forbidden! What’s taboo hey. Hey. Look at this one. A generation in heat…

— Look at that pair of knockers!

— Excuse me…

— What?

— I thought, have we met somewhere? My name is Gall…

— I don’t, not that I remember I…

— Hey! Women wrestling in a tub of eels hey.

— Look at this one what they’re doing. What are they doing?

— Karate.

— Naked?

— They may not let you take them in.

— Here? Oh, no I wasn’t, we were just looking for…

— There’s a Western up in the next block, want to take them to that? I’ve got to kill some time till four o’clock anyhow, maybe I’ll remember where I know you from…

— We’re not seeing these women wrestling these eels?

— Wait for the light…!

— Where we going now? I thought we’re going to the movies.

— That one Mister Bast? His soul seared by the flames of passion, his eyes scorched by the fires of hell…

— Seven, eight, nine, stay in line now.

— Seven eight nine, stay in line, it rhymes. Seven eight…

— Quietly!

— Didn’t you pay for me? Gall pursued.

A child fired a derringer point blank in their faces. Flames climbed curtains and drapery.

— Quick her tit! Did you see it?

— That’s her elbow dopey.

— Shhhh…

Unmade beds, plates, broken glasses, bottles, chairs tipped and candles flaming haphazard, underclothing and sequined smalls, feather boas, a bearskin blanket snatched away.

— Look!

— That’s just her under of her arm.

— Shhhhhhh…!

Dawn, finally, and church bells faded under the hollow clop, clop, clop of horses entering the empty street. Dinner by frontier candlelight, moans and petting in the pea patch, gunfire, the fluttering pennon of the cavalry troop, sunlight, darkness, bonfires, gunfire, crowds filling the streets, milling toward the platform hung with flags and bunting in red, white, and blue.

— I’d shoot him down myself but I ain’t carrying a gun.

— What time is it!

— Please, it’s almost over…

— Mister Bast please just till he shoots him, please…?

— Shhut up down there!

— Please…?

They stumbled into each other looking back over their shoulders, erupted into the lobby in a crash of gunfire, the street on a gust of wind. — So when this one guy shot at this other guy this first guy thought he was shooting at him so he shot him.

— Who.

— Who shot him.

— Shot who.

— We should have went to see those women wrestling those eels.

— Wait for the light! Here stay together now, this way…

— Look out hey quit pushing…

— Straight ahead, watch those stairs…!

— Wait up hey my shoelace is…

— I said hurry!

— No but can I just get a newspa…

— Can I get a candy bar Mis…

— No! I said watch the stairs…

— But where we suppose to…

— Anywhere just get on the train! six, seven how many, I said stay together!

— Boy I almost lost my sneaker back there you sitting here Mister Bast?

— Look just find a seat anywhere and, there’s one over…

— No that’s okay just let me get my stuff up on my, could you move your foot a second? Just so I can get my knee, there. Who was that guy we took to the movies, is that some friend of yours?

— I’ve never seen him in my life no, now…

— Boy he squeezed right in like he’s this real old friend of yours what did he…

— I said I don’t know! He thought he knew me and wanted some help with a book or something, now…

— Okay don’t get mad, I just…

— And look, haven’t you got a handkerchief?

— Me? sure just a second… he wedged a sneaker into the seat ahead burrowing the sweater’s burst elbow into the ribs beside him, coming up with a discolored wad — here.

— No I mean you. Use it.

— Oh. He blew his nose hard and then wiped the back of his hand across it. — Are you a college graduate Mister Bast?

— I went to a conservatory.