U.S.A_ - John Dos Passos [6]
-11-out with a package of chewing gum in his hand. Playing hockey again. Fainy had an impulse to yel at him, but something froze it . . . Main with its elms and street cars, blocks of stores round the corner of Church, and then the fire department. Fainy looked for the last time into the dark cave where shone entrancingly the brass and copper curves of the engine, then past the cardboard fronts of the First Congregational Church, The Carmel Baptist Church, St. Andrew's Episcopal Church built of brick and set catercornered on its lot instead of straight with a stern face to the street like the other churches, then the three castiron stags on the lawn in front of the Commercial House, and the residences, each with its lawn, each with its scrol saw porch, each with it hydrangea bush. Then the houses got smal er, and the lawns disappeared; the cab trundled round past Simpson's Grain and Feed Ware-house, along a row of barbershops, saloons and lunch-rooms, and they were al getting out at the station. At the station lunchcounter Uncle Tim set everybody up to breakfast. He dried Mil y's tears and blew Fainy's nose in a big new pockethandkerchief that stil had the tag on the corner and set them to work on bacon and eggs and coffee. Fainy hadn't had coffee before, so. the idea of sit-ting up like a man and drinking coffee made him feel pretty good. Mil y didn't like hers, said it was bitter. They were left al alone in the lunchroom for sometime with the empty plates and empty coffee cups under the beady eyes of a woman with the long neck and pointed face of a hen who looked at them disapprovingly from behind the counter. Then with an enormous, shattering rumble, sludgepuff sludge . . . puff, the train came into the station. They were scooped up and dragged across the platform and through a pipesmoky car and before they knew it the train was moving and the wintry russet Connecticut landscape was clattering by.
-12-THE CAMERA EYE (2)
we hurry wal owing like in a boat in the musty
stablysmel ing herdic cab He kept saying What would you do Lucy if I were to invite one of them to my table?
They're very lovely people Lucy the colored people and He had cloves in a little silver box and a rye whisky smel on his breath hurrying to catch the cars to New York and She was saying Oh dol y I hope we wont be
late and Scott was waiting with the tickets and we had to run up the platform of the Seventh Street Depot and al the little cannons kept fal ing out of the Olympia and everybody stooped to pick them up and the conductor Al aboard lady quick lady they were little brass cannons and were bright in the sun on the platform of the Seventh Street Depot and Scott hoisted us al up and the train was moving and the engine bel was ringing and Scott put in your hand a little handful of brass tiny cannons just big enough to hold the smal est size red firecracker at the battle of Manila Bay and said enough to hold the smal est size red firecracker at the battle of Manila Bay and said Here's the artil ery Jack
and He was holding forth in the parlor car Why
Lucy if it were necessary for the cause of humanity I would walk out and be shot any day you would Jack
wouldn't you? wouldn't you porter? who was bringing appolinaris and He had a flask in the brown grip where
-13-the silk initialed handkerchiefs always smelt of bay rum and when we got to Havre de Grace He said Re-member Lucy we used to have to ferry across the Susque-hanna before the bridge was built and across Gunpowder Creek too
MAC
Russet hil s, patches of woods, farmhouses, cows, a red colt kicking up its heels in a pasture, rail fences, streaks of marsh.
Wel , Tim, I feel like a whipped cur . . . So long as I've lived, Tim, I've tried to do the right thing, Pop kept repeating in a rattling voice. And now what can they be asayin' about me?
"Jesus God, man, there was nothin' else you could do, was there? What the devil can you do if you haven't any money and haven't any job and