Page:Manhattan Transfer (John Dos Passos, 1925).djvu/164

152 "Ellie I don't understand how you can live with him among all these people. You're so lovely. I just dont see you in all this."

"It was easy enough before I met you And honestly Jojo's all right. He's just a peculiar very unhappy person."

"But you're out of another world old kid You ought to live on top of the Woolworth Building in an apartment made of cutglass and cherry blossoms."

"Stan your back's brown all the way down."

"That's swimming."

"So soon?"

"I guess most of it's left over from last summer."

"You're the fortunate youth all right. I never learned how to swim properly,"

"I'll teach you Look next Sunday bright and early we'll hop into Dingo and go down to Long Beach. Way down at the end there's never anybody You dont even have to wear a bathingsuit."

"I like the way you're so lean and hard Stan Jojo's white and flabby almost like a woman."

"For crissake don't talk about him now."

Stan stood with his legs apart buttoning his shirt. "Look Ellie let's beat it out an have a drink God I'd hate to run into somebody now an have to talk lies to 'em I bet I'd crown 'em with a chair."

"We've got time. Nobody ever comes home here before twelve I'm just here myself because I've got a sick headache."

"Ellie, d'you like your sick headache?"

"I'm crazy about it Stan."

"I guess that Western Union burglar knew that Gosh Burglary, adultery, sneaking down fireescapes, cattreading along gutters. Judas it's a great life."

Ellen gripped his hand hard as they came down the stairs stepping together. In front of the letterboxes in the shabby hallway he grabbed her suddenly by the shoulders and pressed her head back and kissed her. Hardly breathing they floated down the street toward Broadway. He had his hand under