17
U niversit y o f O reg o n M o n t h l y
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An Aquatic Trinity
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1 M 7 T H E N ol’ T ra c y sa id th e y w ouldn’t ‘b'e no school th a t after-
a
noon I ’saw K irk lookin’ a t me and holding up tw o fingers';
* *
I knew w h a t th a t m eant—th e re w asn ’t m an y ' D eco ratio n
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d ay s-c o m e b u t w h at m e and K irk y a n d , H oO ty E ockw ood w e n t
sw im m in’—a n d he could su te ly ^ w im Wo; th e re w asn ’t no fake ab o u t
himi H e w an ted to g et th e E g e rso n kid besides H o b ty , b u t th e
E g erso n kid said he w as goin’ to m a tch w ith th e-sch o o l in th e p a
rad e to -th e cemetry-., K irk y to ld -h im he w as a b ab y fer m a rc h in g
and he said as how h e’d peach on us kids fjerngoin’ sw im m in’, b u t
When ^ irk y . told • me to ; hold his c o a t d er' a m inute, -th a t E g e tso n
kid said he w as jeS’ fbolin’. W h y K irk y could a’ licked th a t E g e r
son kid w ith one han d behind h im ; he could lick an y kid in school.,,
- A fter dinner u s kids m et in o u r b arn all dressed up and read y
to m arch to th e g rav eyard. H o o ty said he w ou ld n ’t» go, if he h ad to
w ear his shoes and s to c k in g b u t. I show ed hifn how he could hide
th em u n d er th e coal-shed* w here nobody’d find them . Me an ’ K irk y
h id o u r’n th e re t o p : .
T h e re ’s^a ro a d runfe from th e g rav e y ard to th e sw im m in’ hole,
it’s n earer t O g o b y th e stra ig h t road. W e -took th e long road cause
w e h ad lots of tim e and ’cause-m e an ’ K irk y w an ted to see H o o ty
m ake faces' a t th e Egers'on kid.
T h e p arad e h ad n ’t com e w hen w e reached th e fence b u t w e
w as b usy th in k in ’ how cheap th e Egers'on kid w ould feel w hen h e d
see .us sitting on th e fence sm okin’. H oO ty’s old lady .didn’t care if
he carried m atches, i n ’ it w asn ’t h ard .for m e Ao sw ipe th e cornsilk.
F in ally the parade did com e along, ^n’ ol’ T ra c y -w a s m arch in ’ at,
t6.e head of th e school, w ith the big flag over his shoulder. M e an ’
H o o ty dropped w hen we.sefen th e teacher, b u t K irk y ju s’ sa t th e re
w ith his feet doubled On th'e second--board/, puffing aw ay “ an ’ sittin ’
up s tra ig h t with? a kind of a queer S m ile'over his freckled face, an d
his p u g nqs^ lookin’ puggjfer th a n ever, a n ’--w hen th e E g erso n
T eller com e p ast Kitky.-tcd’ h im to look o u t o r th e w ind ud blow him
aw ay. ' ?Then K irk y dropped.' *