As I am the Man among all here who has been in this Place the longest (the number of my Nights here being beyond TWENTY THOUSAND, and the Number of Souls who, coming to this place, have, through Cowardice and Flinching, since departed anon, by my latest count, nearing NINE HUNDRED), who shall Manage things here if not me, and I will be DAMNED and DAMNED GOOD if the current chaos shall be exploited by a SHARD-MAN as an excuse to loaf!
lieutenant cecil stone
Even the Lieutenant’s extreme self-confidence seemed affected by the recent confusion, for he did not grow any taller during this diatribe and seemed, even, to shrink a little.
roger bevins iii
The Lieutenant ordered Mr. Farwell back to work, back to whatever work had been assigned him, by whichever white person had assigned it, at which time Mr. Farwell seized the Lieutenant by the collar and threw him roughly down upon his back.
hans vollman
The Lieutenant demanded to know how Mr. Farwell dare touch a white man in anger, and commanded Farwell to let him up; Mr. Farwell refusing, the Lieutenant kicked Farwell in the chest, and Farwell flew back, and the Lieutenant leapt to his feet and, straddling Farwell, began beating him about the head with his fists. In desperation Farwell groped about for a nearby path stone and swung it into the Lieutenant’s head, causing the Lieutenant to fall to the ground and his tricorne to fly off. Farwell then positioned one knee upon the Lieutentant’s chest and used the stone to smash the Lieutenant’s skull into a flat pulpy mass, after which he stumbled away and sat on the ground disconsolately, head in hands, weeping.
roger bevins iii
The Lieutenant’s head quickly re-forming, he revived and, catching sight of the weeping Mr. Farwell, barked out that he was not aware a SHARD could weep, since to weep one must possess human emotions, and again ordered Mr. Farwell back to work, back to whatever work had been assigned him, by whichever white person had assigned it, and again Mr. Farwell seized the Lieutenant by the collar, and threw him down upon his back, and again the Lieutenant demanded to know how Mr. Farwell dare touch a white man in anger and commanded Farwell to let him up, and, Mr. Farwell again refusing, the Lieutenant again kicked Farwell in the chest—
hans vollman
And so on.
roger bevins iii
It was still going on as we fled the scene.
hans vollman
Showed no sign of abating.
roger bevins iii
Was proceeding with a fury that suggested the two might well fight on into eternity.
hans vollman
Unless some fundamental and unimaginable alteration of reality should occur.
roger bevins iii
CI.
Mr. Vollman and I ran-skimmed desperately toward our home-places.
roger bevins iii
Shaken.
hans vollman
Even we were shaken.
roger bevins iii
Even Mr. Bevins and I were shaken.
hans vollman
Brother, what are we to do? I called over.
Here we are, Mr. Vollman called back. Look at me. Here I am. Who is it—who is it that speaks? Who is it hears my speaking?
But we were shaken.
roger bevins iii
We came now upon the disreputable Barons, collapsed in a heap atop the Constantine sick-mound (an unremarkable limestone slab, cracked at one corner, marred by bird droppings over many decades— hans vollman
For someone, long ago, had planted a small tree overhead, to shade Constantine from the sun).
roger bevins iii
Get up, get up.
No f—–ing stopping. No f—–ing thinking.
eddie baron
I ain’t. I ain’t f—–ing thinking.
I just don’t feel good.
betsy baron
Look at me, look at me.
Remember that time we lived in that f—–ing beautiful field? With the kids? That, uh, spacious meadow?
In that tent? Remember that? After f—–ing Donovan evicted us from that s—–hole by the river? Those were the days, hah?
eddie baron
That was no f—–ing spacious meadow! You piece of s—–! That was where all the f—–ing scum of the earth came to s—– and drop their G——ed garbage!
betsy baron
But what a view, eh? Not many kids get that view. We could look out our tent-flap, and right there: the f—–ing White House.
eddie baron
But first you had to walk around the G——n trash heap. While watching out for those big f—–ing rats. And that gang of Hessian gropers that f—–ing lived in there.
betsy baron
They never groped you though.
eddie baron
Bulls—–! I had to burn one f—–er’s leg with a shovelful of hot coals! To get him off me! Came right in the f—–ing tent! In front of the f—–ing kids! No wonder they never come see us! We been here—how long we been here? A pretty f—–ing long time. And they never come once.
betsy baron
F—– them! Right? Those f—–ing ingrate snakes have no G——ed right to blame us for a f—–ing thing until they walk a f—–ing mile in our G——ed shoes and neither f—–ing one of the little s—–heads ever walked even— eddie baron
Eddie? No.
They was our kids.
We f—–ed it up.
betsy baron
No f—–ing sad s—–.
And no f—–ing stopping. No f—–ing thinking.
You know why?
We want to f—–ing stay! Got plenty of celebrating left to f—–ing do, right?
eddie baron
Eddie.
We’re f—–ing dead, Eddie.
Love you, you f—–ing f—–er.
betsy baron
No.
No no no. Don’t. Don’t do it.
Stay the f—– with me, kid.