tripe yuh been pullin'--Aw, dat's all right. On'y it's
dead, get me? Yuh don't belong no more, see. Yuh don't get de stuff.
Yuh're too old. [_Disgustedly._] But aw say, come up for air onct in a
while, can't yuh? See what's happened since yuh croaked. [_He suddenly
bursts forth vehemently, growing more and more excited._] Say! Sure!
Sure I meant it! What de hell--Say, lemme talk! Hey! Hey, you old Harp!
Hey, youse guys! Say, listen to me--wait a moment--I gotter talk, see.
I belong and he don't. He's dead but I'm livin'. Listen to me! Sure I'm
part of de engines! Why de hell not! Dey move, don't dey? Dey're speed,
ain't dey? Dey smash trou, don't dey? Twenty-five knots a hour! Dat's
goin' some! Dat's new stuff! Dat belongs! But him, he's too old. He
gets dizzy. Say, listen. All dat crazy tripe about nights and days; all
dat crazy tripe about stars and moons; all dat crazy tripe about suns
and winds, fresh air and de rest of it--Aw hell, dat's all a dope
dream! Hittin' de pipe of de past, dat's what he's doin'. He's old and
don't belong no more. But me, I'm young! I'm in de pink! I move wit it!
It, get me! I mean de ting dat's de guts of all dis. It ploughs trou
all de tripe he's been sayin'. It blows dat up! It knocks dat dead! It
slams dat off en de face of de oith! It, get me! De engines and de coal
and de smoke and all de rest of it! He can't breathe and swallow coal
dust, but I kin, see? Dat's fresh air for me! Dat's food for me! I'm
new, get me? Hell in de stokehole? Sure! It takes a man to work in
hell. Hell, sure, dat's my fav'rite climate. I eat it up! I git fat on
it! It's me makes it hot! It's me makes it roar! It's me makes it move!
Sure, on'y for me everyting stops. It all goes dead, get me? De noise
and smoke and all de engines movin' de woild, dey stop. Dere ain't
nothin' no more! Dat's what I'm sayin'. Everyting else dat makes de
woild move, somep'n makes it move. It can't move witout somep'n else,
see? Den yuh get down to me. I'm at de bottom, get me! Dere ain't
nothin' foither. I'm de end! I'm de start! I start somep'n and de woild
moves! It--dat's me!--de new dat's moiderin' de old! I'm de ting in
coal dat makes it boin; I'm steam and oil for de engines; I'm de ting
in noise dat makes yuh hear it; I'm smoke and express trains and
steamers and factory whistles; I'm de ting in gold dat makes it money!
And I'm what makes iron into steel! Steel, dat stands for de whole
ting! And I'm steel--steel--steel! I'm