They Shoot Horses, Don't They? Read Free

necessities.
    James and Ruby danced over beside us. ‘Did you tell her?’ he asked, looking at me. I nodded.
    ‘Wait a minute,’ Gloria said, as they started to dance away. ‘What’s the big idea of talking behind my back?’
    ‘Tell that twist to lay off me,’ James said, still speaking directly to me.
    Gloria started to say something else but before she could get it out I danced her away from there. I didn’t want any scenes.
    ‘The son of a bitch,’ she said.
    ‘He’s sore,’ I said. ‘Now where are we?’
    ‘Come on,’ she said, ‘I’ll tell him where he gets off—’
    ‘Gloria,’ I said, ‘will you please mind your own business?’
    ‘Soft pedal that loud cussing,’ a voice said. I looked around. It was Rollo Peters, the floor judge.
    ‘Nuts to you,’ Gloria said. Through my fingers I could feel the muscles twitching in her back, just like I could feel the ocean surging through the balls of my feet.
    ‘Pipe down,’ Rollo said. ‘The people in the box can hear you. What do you think this is a joint?’
    ‘Joint is right,’ Gloria said.
    ‘All right, all right,’ I said.
    ‘I told you once already about the cussing,’ Rollo said. ‘I better not have to tell you again. It sounds bad to the customers.’
    ‘Customers? Where are they?’ Gloria said.
    ‘You let us worry about that,’ Rollo said, glaring at me.
    ‘All right, all right,’ I said.
    He blew his whistle, stopping everybody from moving. Some of them were barely moving, just enough to keep from being disqualified. ‘All right, kids,’ he said, ‘a little sprint.’
    ‘A little sprint, kids,’ the master of ceremonies, Rocky Gravo, said into the microphone. The noise of his voice in the amplifiers filled the hall, shutting out the pounding of the ocean. ‘A little sprint around the track you go—Give,’ he said to the orchestra, and the orchestra began playing. The contestants started dancing with a little more animation.
    The sprint lasted about two minutes and when it was finished Rocky led the applause, and then said into the microphone:
    ‘Look at these kids, ladies and gentlemen after 216 hours they are as fresh as a daisy in the world’s championship marathon dance a contest of endurance and skill. These kids are fed seven times a day—three big meals and four light lunches. Some of them have even gained weight while in the contest—and we have doctors and nurses constantly in attendance to see that they are in the best of physical condition. Now I’m going to call on Couple No. 4, Mario Petrone and Jackie Miller, for a specialty. Come on, Couple No. 4 there they are, ladies and gentlemen. Isn’t that a cute pair? …’
    Mario Petrone, a husky Italian, and Jackie Miller, a little blonde, went up to the platform to some applause. They spoke to Rocky and then began a tap dance that was very bad. Neither Mario nor Jackie seemed conscious that it was bad. When it was over a few people pitched money onto the floor.
    ‘Give, people,’ Rocky said. ‘A silver shower. Give.’
    A few more coins hit the floor. Mario and Jackie picked them up, moving over near us.
    ‘How much?’ Gloria asked them.
    ‘Feels like about six-bits,’ Jackie said.
    ‘Where you from, kid?’ Gloria asked.
    ‘Alabama.’
    ‘I thought so,’ Gloria said.
    ‘You and I ought to learn a specialty,’ I said to Gloria. ‘We could make some extra money.’
    ‘You’re better off without knowing any,’ Mario said. ‘It only means extra work and it don’t do your legs any good.’
    ‘Did you all hear about the derbies?’ Jackie asked.
    ‘What are they?’ I asked.
    ‘Some kind of a race,’ she said. ‘I think they’re going to explain them at the next rest period.’
    ‘The cheese is beginning to bind,’ Gloria said.

… that for the crime of murder in the first degree

chapter five
    I N THE DRESSING ROOM Rocky Gravo introduced Vincent (Socks) Donald, one of the promoters.
    ‘Lissen, kids,’ Socks said, ‘don’t none of