Evening star., 1936-06-07


too widely. Afterwards he said: you wouldn't
throw some water into that mule of mine
would you, Tony?"
Tony went out with his wooden leg clump-
ing loud on the wooden floor, softly in the
patio dust. Durante found the hammock in
the corner of the patio. He lay down in it and
watched the color of sunset flush the mists
of desert dust that rose to the zenith. The
water was soaking through his body; hunger
began, and then the rafting of pans in the
kitchen and the cheerful cry of Tonys voice:
What you want, Dick1 got some pork. You
don't want pork. Ill make you some good
Mexican beans. Hot. All ha, know that old
Dick. l have plenty of good wine for you,
Dick. Tortillas Even Julia can't make tor
tillas like me i. And what about nice
young rabbit1'
"All blowed full of buckshot?" growled
Durante.
mo, no. kill them with the rife"
You kill rabbits with a rifle?" repeated
Durante, with a quick interest.
ITS the only gun have" said Tony.
'If | catch them in the sights, they are
dead >. A wooden leg cannot walk very far.
-. must kill them quick. You see? They
come close to the house about sunrise and flop
their ears shoot through the head"
"Yeah2 Yeah1' muttered Durante.
Through the head?" He relaxed, scowling.
He passed his hand over his face, over his
head.
Then Tony began to bring the food out into
the patio and lay it out on a small wooden
table; a lantern hanging against the wall of
the house included the table in dim half
circle of light. They sat there and ate. Tony
had scrubbed himself for the meal. His hair
was soaked in water and sleeked back over
his round skull. A man in the desert might be
willing to pay five dollars for as much water
as went to the soaking of that hair.
Everything was good. Tony knew how to
cook and he knew how to keep the glasses
filled with his wine. "This is old wine. This
is my fathers wine Eleven years DID," said
Tony. "You look at the light through it. You
see that brown in the red? That's the soft that
time puts in good wine, my father always
said"
What killed your father" asked Durante.
Tony lifted his hand as though he were
listening or as though he were pointing out
thought.
The desert killed him. found his mule.
1t was dead. too. There was leak in the
canteen. My father was only five miles away
when the buzzards showed him to me"
Five miles2 Just an hour. t. . Good Lord!'
said Durante. He stared with big eyes. Just
dropped down and died?' he asked.
NO." said Tony. when you die of thirst,
you always die just one way. =. First you
tear off your shirt, then your undershirt.
That's to be cooler. :. And the sun comes
and cooks your bare skin. . And then you
think :. there is water everywhere, if you
dig down far enough. You begin to dig. The
dust comes up your nose You start screaming.
You break your nails in the sand. You wear
the flesh off the tips of your fingers, to the
bone" He took a quick swallow of wine.
Without you seen man die OF thirst, how
d'you know they start to screaming" asked
Durante.
They got screaming look when you find
them," said Tony. Take some more wine.
The desert never can get to you here. My
father showed me the way to keep the desert
away from the hollow We live pretty good
here? No?"
Yeah" said Durante, loosening his shirt
collar. yeah, pretty good"
4.