Young Lonigan - James T. Farrell [33]
“Frank, it isn’t a joint . . . And you jus’ wait. You’ll be sorry and wish you were back at St. Patrick’s just like Father Gilhooley said we’d all remember our days there,” his sister said.
“Weary didn’t hear him say that. When Gilly was talking of that, I heard him snoring,” Bill said, and they laughed.
Peggy Nugent said you shouldn’t speak of a priest like that, or something awful might happen to you. You should always say Father Gilhooley. She smiled, and everybody could see she thought it was thrilling to call him Gilly.
“Well, he has gills like a fish,” Bill said.
“How disrespectful,” Lucy Scanlan said, twinkling her blue eyes.
Weary made faces at his sister. Tubby reiterated that he was glad to get out of jail because he felt that he had to say something. He was blushing.
They laughed, and TB said he, too, was darn glad to get out of the pen, and they laughed again.
“I’ll be glad to get to high school,” said well-behaved Dan Donoghue, and just as he did, Bill aimed a peanut at Tubby. Connell told him to cut it out, and Bill asked what in a very innocent voice.
He and Tubby carried on a side-dialogue.
“You will, Dan? Why?” asked Fran Lonigan.
“Oh, I just will,” said Dan.
“Well, I don’t know if I’m glad or not,” said Fran.
“What school do you think you’ll go to, Studs?” asked Lucy, smiling with her sweet baby-face.
“None.”
“William, you know you’re going to high school,” his sister said sternly, as if she were an adult scolding him.
“Yeah, I suppose I don’t know what I’m gonna do,” said Studs.
“You most certainly do not,” said she.
“We’ll see,” said he, trying to save his scattering dignity.
“Father will see!” said she with finality.
He scowled, felt unmanned, felt that Weary was sneering at him as if he was a weak sister. He looked at his meaningless long trousers.
Weary said with great braggadocio he wasn’t going to high school and his sister protested. Tall Jim Clayburn said he thought going to school was sensible and necessary if you wanted to get ahead. He said he thought that Sister Bertha had once told them the truth when she said you needed education and stick-to-it-iveness to get ahead in life. Lucy said Jim was so sensible, and she had a devilish look in her eyes. Dan commenced to agree with Jim, but his brother interrupted him:
“Say, did you see High Collars?”
“Yeah, I saw him walkin’ with Dorothy and his wife,” Tubby said, glad to get back in the conversation.
“He wouldn’t let her come to the party. He told Mother that Dorothy needed her proper rest,” said Fran Lonigan.
“He’s an old mean thing,” said Lucy.
“The poor kid! She’s all right, and awfully sweet, but she can’t ever do anything on account of her father. Sometimes she tells me about it, and cries,” exclaimed Fran Reilley.
“I wouldn’t want an old man like him,” TB said.
They looked at TB, because his old man was nothing to brag about.
“Anyway, he didn’t wear his silk hat tonight,” Dan said.
“I wonder if he uses perfume?” TB said.
“I’ll bet he wears ladies’ underwear,” contributed Bill Donoghue.
The guys haw-hawed, and the girls giggled modestly after stating that Bill’s language was not exactly nice.
They talked on, and wondered what they would do. Bill goofed Tubby, because Connell looked like a smoke, and Bill said that now Tubby was graduated, he shouldn’t find no trouble becoming a Pullman porter. TB said that every time he saw Tubby he thought it would rain because of dark clouds all around. Tubby hock-hocked in imitation of Muggsy, and the girls said Tubby was too frightful for words.
Jim Clayburn went to the baby grand, and Bill said that they would now listen to Good Old Stick-To-It-Iveness. Jim played, and they crowded around, singing, but they couldn’t get any harmony because Bill bellowed and Tubby and Muggsy tried to be funny. They sang Alexander’s Rag Time Band, The River Shannon Flowing, It’s a Long Way to Tipperary, Dear Old Girl, Dance and Grow Thin, and Bell Brandon. Then Jim started In My Harem. Bill got in the center of the floor and did a shocking hula-hula that was so funny they nearly