[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

Klan, aren t you? I thought the Klan did things. That s how it was out West. If the Klan rode out, all the
niggers shut the doors and turned out the lights.
 What sort of action do you think we ought to take, Lou? Ed said, trying to lace his voice with sarcasm,
and falling flat.
 I say we drive up to Plymouth bold as you please and get us some.
 We d have to run that by the Cyclops, Lou, Ed said.
 Didn t you listen to his speech? I say we go up there right now, tonight, and show them niggers the Klan
means business in this town.
The others were all looking at Ed. Ed looked down at the unconscious Negro, poking at his legs with his
toe.
 Okay, he finally said.  Hell, why not? He leaned into the open back window of the cab.  Head north
on Bryant, Tom.
Nobody said anything. The truck turned onto Bryant, and drove into the old Jewish neighborhood that
had been taken over by the Negroes when they had first started coming in large numbers after the war.
 All right, Lou, Ed said.  You want action, you ve got it. Things are real lively up in the North Side.
It was true. Lights burned in the houses up here, and there was traffic and people walking around on the
street. Everyone looked nicely dressed. In fact, there seemed to be some kind of promenade going on.
Driving past the doorways of the taverns they heard snatches of music. It all made Lou feel a little uneasy,
but excited, too. He d been out along Plymouth Avenue a couple of times with the boys, and he d had
fun playing cards or visiting some of the girls he and the boys knew. Those nights the North Side had
been like a relief to him. People out laughing, having a good time. Lou hadn t thought about what color
anybody was. Now, though, he could see it, all right. He couldn t see anything but.
 Okay, Lou, Ed said as the truck slowed just past Colfax.  Your idea, so you get first pick for
yourself.
 Just grab somebody off the street? There s too many people around! They passed a nigger cop, who
walked slowly, twirling his nightstick.
 Ain t you ever gone huntin ? Arn said.  You ve got to figure things out and do them carefully.
 Like Arn did when he fell asleep in that tree last fall, Mike Hansen said.
 That s where he got that bad back.
 He did it carefully, though.
 Aww, shut up, all of you! Just then the tied-up man groaned underneath the flour sack. Arn bent town
and hit him again with the sap.
 Come on, Lou, Ed said in a taunting voice.  This is your chance to do something, just like we talked
about. You re not turning yellow on us, are you?
 I ain t yella! Lou said, getting up.
 That s the way. We ll park up ahead and keep an eye on you.
Lou got out of the truck. He felt a little sick inside. He passed a tavern and thought, if he went inside and
called home, Danny might be there. If the phones were working, that is. Some nights they didn t work.
But there were taxicabs, he could call one of those. Yeah, Lou thought, but that costs money. Yeah, but
if I stay with these boys and don t catch anybody, they ll take two fins off me. They know I ve got
it on me, too. The whole thing made him mad, and he remembered suddenly how he had felt paying
Kelly that fine, and looked up and saw the whole street full of niggers and decided he would go through
with it after all, just to show them. He pulled his collar up like Ed told him and tugged at the brim of his
hat and walked past Rostek s on the corner of Plymouth and Emerson. It was crowded in there, the
waiters were running around taking orders to their customers, and Lou smelled crisp potato pancakes
and the sweet-sour smell of red cabbage and was suddenly homesick, remembering how it was to walk
home from confession on Saturday afternoon and stop for cannelloni and prosciutto to take home for
supper.
No, no, Lou, he told himself, you re in with these fellows and you ve got to prove yourself. He
began looking around, and his eyes rested on a man on the other side of the street, young and good
looking, wearing a straw hat and a seersucker suit. He had stopped to light a cigarette and now he
started walking north on Emerson, away from the crowds. Yes, that one, Lou thought, that one wasn t [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]