— The eagle yes and that chimney sticking up out of your…
— Ventilator Dan part of the shelter’s generator-driven forced air system that what the hell do you mean carrying things out!
— And a big console television and, is something wrong? I could ride you over, my car’s…
— No no mine’s right out front here I’m, I don’t believe it but what’s happened already today I’m, where my keys… looming, slapping pockets like a man infested — must have left them in the car… and the inside door threatened its hinges.
— Ow…!
— Well get out of the way!
— Yes well what ahm, sorry Vern here, what are you doing out here.
— Me? Nothing Mister Whiteback I’m…
— And what’s all this trash on the floor pick it up, is it yours? And you, what do you…
— I just came to ask when’s rehears…
— There aren’t any, there are no opera rehearsals they’ve been postponed you’ve been told that, even when there are you’re not supposed to wear your costume to school you’ve been told that too, now…
— This ain’ a costume Mister Whiteback it’s my clothes.
— You call tails and horns and, and those reflectors you call that clothes? Your mother know you come to school like this?
— Who?
— Your mother, your mother!
— She’s ugually asleep.
— If you come to school like this again you’ll be sent home to wake her up. Now you, what are you doing here they weren’t supposed to send you down, they said they were sending down that what’s that boy’s name, Percival…
— I don’t know all I saw was Buzzie.
— That’s the one yes the one you call Buzzie, where is he.
— I don’t know, he sat here a second when they brought him in then he ran up the hall there.
— Well why didn’t you, what were you sent down for.
— Well see Mister Whiteback I needed this here typewri…
— Playing with a school typewriter? do you know how much they cost?
— No I wasn’t playing with it see I just had this here thing which I had to type it so…
— You’ll take typing when you get to ninth grade, until then don’t touch one again. Have you picked up all this trash you dropped?
— I couldn’t help it I was just…
— Look ow, sorry Whiteback damn, Dan? still here? Can you give me that ride?
— I’m coming yes…
— My car, somebody stole my car right out front there. You out this way…? they came down the corridor, pulled, pushed the doors — get over there fast but I still don’t believe it… and behind them a hand severed a minute’s remnant on the clock beyond the shelter of the lockers.
— Holy, look what time it is the bell’s going to ring, didn’t they finish that telephone booth yet?
— There’s still this one guy there, boy did you just see my father hey?
— Did I see him he almost knocked me down, here…
— What’s he so pissed off at.
— How do I know he said somebody stole his car here, hold this stuff a second while I, wait quick lend me a dime.
— What do you mean a dime look at all the quarters you…
— I need to make this call what do you think, I’m giving them fifteen cents extra free?
— Who you calling up, your buddy Major Sheets to tell him you got his forks stuck in the freight office which you’re scared to go get them? Boy if Whiteback finds out…
— Why should he, I mean this deal’s all fixed up and paid why should he find out anything unless the freight office calls them about all this here ammunition boy I never heard anything so dumb, I mean you get this rifle association to send you this here free ammunition which you haven’t even got something to shoot it off with boy I never…
— Okay how did I know they’ll send it by freight hey look, there goes the phone guy…
— Give me the dime then will you? he came up the range of lockers juggling his armload wrapped in a battered newspaper, dredging the handkerchief wad from his pocket — hurry up… he got in with the heap on his lap thumbing the pages of Alaska Our Wilderness Friend for a torn envelope with a telephone number, jammed the wad into the mouthpiece and dialed. — Hello…? the door clattered closed — is Mister Bast there…? Who me? I’m his, I’m this here business friend of his is he still at the city? See I have this urgent matter which I have to discuss my portforlio with him to… No I said I have this here urgent mat… he went where…? No but look lady, he… no but holy… no but how could he be someplace accepting some reward see we have this here ouch, boy hello…?
The line rang with three more piercing notes. — Mercy! they could burst an eardrum, hello? I said Mister Bast is abroad somewhere just a minute, Julia? The card that came yesterday with a picture of a mountain, where, hello…?
— Who in heaven’s name…
— Well I never! The oddest voice, it sounded like someone talking under a pillow. I thought he said he was a business friend of James, the most awful shrill sounds on the telephone line and then it sounded like a loud bell ringing and he simply hung up. I thought we asked Edward to have them take it out.
— No the stock Anne, the stock, we asked him to sell our telephone stock. Once that’s done I may take it out myself.
— I hope he can find someone who wants to buy it though I must say, I’d feel a little bit guilty. It’s like selling some poor soul shares in a plague, my ear is still ringing. Who was it that called here this morning.
— Some wretched woman who had a wrong number. She asked me to name the second president of the United States, when I told her Abraham Lincoln she congratulated me.
— Oh I think Lincoln came later, didn’t he? When Uncle Dick came back from Andersonville prison…
— I’m certainly quite aware of that, I simply said Lincoln for a little joke but it didn’t disturb her in the least. She told me I’d won a free dance lesson.
— It sounds like that woman who’s called for Edward with an accent like the grocery boy’s. Tell him Ann called about the strike, that’s all she says and Ann, if you please. Tell him to look in this week’s paper…
— It’s probably someone from the union, they called last week sounding quite put out.
— Well I’m not surprised, they’ve been put out at James since the Chicago theater strike after the war.
— I certainly never blamed James for that, and after he had that tooth replaced he never did play quite the same.
— Now that was just something Thomas said, Julia, getting back at James for his remark about all those years Thomas practiced clarinet, that the reed had loosened something in his head. James’ teeth never were right once Doctor Teakell weakened them.
— But Father thought he was an excellent dentist, what…
— I know he weakened my teeth Julia, it’s almost a wonder I still have them he was doing it all in exchange, you know, for the lessons Father gave his son. He was Father’s only student who appeared every week without two quarters, of course learning to play violin he couldn’t very well…
— He could never have learned to play the kazoo, I remember Father saying that boy couldn’t carry a tune in a bushel basket.
— Yes and Doctor Teakell put the blame all on Father, I have a lower here in back that’s bothered me on and off for years. Whenever I feel it everything stops, I can hear that scraping on the violin and I wonder what’s, what’s become of them all sometimes I hear so many things, I hear Father’s step out on the veranda when it gets dark and, like it is now and then I recall this house doesn’t even have a veranda… and from far the wail of a siren rose as though brought into being by that concentration, rose and was lost until, unsought and unheard, it passed again close toward the break of another day.