my grasp ... re-pinning them as he frantically wrested them
loose ... swearing and heaping obscenities on my head ... all the while,
I thought of those oyster-fries ... we had saved up a lard-tin full of
bacon grease to fry them in ... and fry after fry had been sizzled to a
rich, cracker-powdered brown in that grease ... a peculiar smell waxed
in the kitchen, however ... which we could never trace to its source ...
"a dead rat somewhere, maybe," suggested my father.

When we had used a third of the bacon grease, the dead rat's foot stood
up ... out of that can.

We discharged the contents of our stomachs in the sink.

This was the ridiculous incident that possessed my imagination while I
struggled with my father.

* * * * *

I had my father over on the bed. He fought to a sitting posture again
... got his finger in my eye and made me see a whorl of dancing sparks.
With irritation and a curse ... then both laughing hysterically and
sobbing ... I bore him back to his pillow....

The strength had gone entirely out of him ... now it came into his mind
that I was there trying to rob or kill him.

"Spare me, spare me!" he pleaded, "you can have everything in the house
... only don't kill me! My God!"

"Good Christ!" I groaned, as he beat upward, fighting again.

I let him rise, almost palsied with horror.

He perched on the edge of the bed, exhausted,--began groping with one
hand, in the air, idly.

"What is it? What do you want?"

"Give me my pants! I don't trust you. I want to go to the corner and get
a drink ... give me my pants!"

"Pop, look at me ... stop this nonsense ... you're safe ... I'm your
son, Johnnie!"

"That's all very well," he assented with an air of reserved cunning.

"Please believe me," I pleaded.

"All right ... you are my son ... only don't kill me," he responded
craftily.

"Father!... good God!"

He perceived by the emotion of my last exclamation, that at least I was
not ill-disposed toward him.

He clutched at the advantage.

"Promise to take care of me till Johnnie comes--he's just around the
corner," slyly.

"Pop, what is it you want? What can I do for you?"

"A curious greed flickered in his eyes.

"Get me a drink!"

"All right! I'll get it for you!"

"Let me think! There's none in the house ... none left, Emily said."

"But I brought some with me ... wait a minute." I went into the kitchen,
turned on the tap softly, filled a glass