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By Root 1523 0

floating as if they were icebergs in a sea that didn’t have any waves. And he thought it would be fine if he and Lucy could have wings and fly away past the sky; he thought about their flying away, flying right through clouds, and way past the other side of the sky, where there was nothing, and they flew through nothing until they came to some kind of a place with a palace, and servants, and everything they wanted to make them happy, and all Studs had to do to get the place, for himself and Lucy, was to clean up on a couple of big boloneys that owned it. But he called a stop to these thoughts, and told himself that Studs Lonigan was not the kind of a gee to have goofy thoughts like that. She said that it was awfully nice. Studs said that it was cooler in the park than it was outside. They glanced off at their left, and saw the playground, surrounded by shrubbery and an iron picket fence. From inside they could hear the shouts of playing children. They saw the swings, with the colored shirts and dresses of kids flashing, disappearing, flashing above the shrubbery, a momentary rhythm in the sunlight. It all sounded and seemed as if it belonged to the park. Lucy said that she thought it would be nicer to walk around than to go into the playground, because anyway, it was for little kids, and if they went in they’d get all hot and dirty, playing. Studs thought, too, that if old skinand-bones crabby Hall kicked him out for being too old right in front of Lucy, he would be so ashamed he could never look her in the face again. Studs deeply pondered the idea of not going to the playground, and said that it was a good idea; yes, he repeated, it was a good idea. As they crossed, their feet sank in the asphalt drive that was gooey on account of the heat, and they moved onto grass that was like velvet and bright with many colors from the sun. She took his hand; they walked, swinging hands, heads lowered, not saying anything to each other.

As they walked over to the wooded island, Studs felt, knew, that it was going to be a great afternoon, different from every other afternoon in his whole life. They walked on, not talking, but the way she held his hand made him feel good, and he repeated to himself that it was one of his days. They crossed the log bridge over onto the island ... a spread of irregularly wooded and slightly hilly ground with the sheep pen at one end of it. They walked on until they came to a full-leaved large oak that stood near the bank. It looked nice and they decided to climb it, and sit on one of the large branches. Studs helped her, and saw her clean wash bloomers. He was tempted, and wondered if he ought to try feeling her up. He remembered Marion Shires, and the other little kids, and wondered if he ought to, and how he might ask Lucy to have a show party with him. He got excited. But when they were up in the tree, and Lucy was laughing about her dirtied dress and the little scratch on her hand, he forgot all about these temptations. They sat, not having much to say, and he held her hand.

Below them, a man and wife moved, watching their baby stumble and giggle ahead of them. Lucy watched the kid, a piggish-faced child, and told Studs that it was awfully cute. She suddenly lowered her head, muttered shyly that she would probably never get married and have children. Studs was a little surprised, because girls like Lucy weren’t supposed to think about such things. He told himself that if she was like that Iris from Carter School it would be different, and he could understand it. But Lucy! He wondered if he ought to try feeling her up, and he tried to think up an answer for her; but his mouth was dry, and all he could think of was the lump in his throat. Three times he asked himself what he ought to say. He watched the group below disappear. He finally said that it had been a cute kid. Lucy said yes. Lucy said that she was never going to marry and become a mother, because she was going to join a convent and be a nun. She talked as if she was mad about something. Studs wondered what was the matter. He looked at her,