FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82  
83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   >>   >|  
e off with his dollar? He found balm and a tender stimulus in the morning air--an air for dreams and revolt. Boogles felt this as thousands of others must have felt it who were yet tamely issuing from subway caverns and the Brooklyn Bridge to be wage slaves. A block away from the office he encountered Jimmie Time, who seemed to await him importantly. He seethed with excitement. "I got one, too!" he called. "That tank drama he sent another note uptown to a restaurant where a party was, and he give me a case note, too." He revealed it; and when Boogles withdrew his own treasure the two were lovingly compared and admired. Nothing in all the world can be so foul to the touch as the dollar bill that circulates in New York, but these two were intrepidly fondled. "I ain't going back to change," said Jimmie Time. "Them other kids would cop it on me." "Have some cigarettes," urged Boogies, and royally bought them--with gilded tips, in a beautiful casket. "I had about enough of their helling," declared Jimmie, still glowing with a fine desperation. They sought the William Street Tunnel under the Brooklyn Bridge. It was cool and dark there. One might smoke and take his ease. And plan! They sprawled on the stone pavement and smoked largely. "Chee! If we could get out West and do all them fine things!" mused Boogies. "Let's!" said Jimmie Time. "Huh!" Boogies gasped blankly at this. "Let's beat it!" "Chee!" said Boogies. He stared at this bolder spirit with startled admiration. "Me--I'm going," declared Jimmie Time stoutly, and waited. Boogies wavered a tremulous moment. "I'm going with you," he managed at last. He blurted the words. They had to rush out to beat down his native caution with quick blows. "Listen!" said Jimmie Time impressively. "We got money enough to start. Then we just strike out for the peraries." "Like the guy in the story!" Boogies glowed at the adept who before his very eyes was turning a beautiful dream into stark reality. He was praying that his own courage to face it would endure. "You hurry home," commanded Jimmie, "and cop an axe and all the grub you can lay your hands on." Boogies fell from the heights as he had feared he would. "Aw, chee!" he said sanely. "And s'pose me stepmother gets her lamps on me! Wouldn't she bean me? Sure she would!" "Bind her and gag her," said Jimmie promptly. "What's one weak woman?" "Yah! She's a hellion and you know it."
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82  
83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Jimmie
 

Boogies

 

declared

 

dollar

 

beautiful

 

Brooklyn

 

Bridge

 
Boogles
 

blurted

 
managed

native

 

caution

 

stared

 

things

 

gasped

 
largely
 

blankly

 
Listen
 

stoutly

 

waited


wavered

 
tremulous
 

admiration

 

bolder

 

spirit

 

startled

 

moment

 
turning
 

sanely

 

stepmother


feared
 

heights

 
Wouldn
 

hellion

 

promptly

 

commanded

 

glowed

 

peraries

 

strike

 

endure


courage

 

praying

 

smoked

 
reality
 
impressively
 

called

 
excitement
 

importantly

 

seethed

 

uptown