乐文小说网

第13部分（第1页）

〃He　only　ate　from　you　fellas；〃　Toot…Toot　said。　He　shook　his　head　in　disbelief；　then　bent　laboriously　over；　picked　up　what　the　mouse　had　disdained；　and　popped　it　into　his　own　toothless　maw；　where　he　be　gan　the　job　of　gumming　it　into　submission。　〃Now　why　he　do　dat？〃

〃Ive　got　a　better　one；〃　Harry　said。　〃Howd　he　know　Percy　was　off？〃

〃He　didnt；〃　I　said。　〃It　was　just　coincidence；　that　mouse　showing　up　tonight。〃

Except　that　got　harder　and　harder　to　believe　as　the　days　went　by　and　the　mouse　showed　up　only　when　Percy　was　off；　on　another　shift；　or　in　another　part　of　the　prison。　We　…　Harry；　Dean；　Brutal；　and　me　…　decided　that　it　must　know　Percys　voice；　or　his　smell。

We　carefully　avoided　too　much　discussion　about　the　mouse　itself　…　himself。　That；　we　seemed　to　have　decided　without　saying　a　word；　might　go　a　long　way　toward　spoiling　something　that　was　special；　and　beautiful；　by　virtue　of　its　strangeness　and　delicacy。　Willy　had　chosen　us；　after　all；　in　some　way　I　do　not　understand；　even　now。　Maybe　Harry　came　closest　when　he　said　it　would　do　no　good　to　tell　other　people；　not　just　because　they　wouldnt　believe　but　because　they　wouldnt　care。

4。

Then　it　was　time　for　the　execution　of　Arlen　Bitterbuck；　in　reality　no　chief　but　first　elder　of　his　tribe　on　the　Washita　Reservation；　and　a　member　of　the　Cherokee　Council　as　well。　He　had　killed　a　man　while　drunk　…　while　both　of　them　were　drunk；　in　fact。　The　Chief　had　crushed　the　mans　head　with　a　cement　block。　At　issue　had　been　a　pair　of　boots。　So；　on　July　seventeenth　of　that　rainy　summer；　my　council　of　elders　intended　for　his　life　to　end。

Visiting　hours　for　most　Cold　Mountain　prisoners　were　as　rigid　as　steel　beams；　but　that　didnt　hold　for　our　boys　on　E　Block。　So；　on　the　sixteenth；　Bitterbuck　was　allowed　over　to　the　long　room　adjacent　to　the　cafeteria　…　the　Arcade。　It　was　divided　straight　down　the　middle　by　mesh　interwoven　with　strands　of　barbed　wire。　Here　The　Chief　would　visit　with　his　second　wife　and　those　of　his　children　who　would　still　treat　with　him。　It　was　time　for　the　good…byes。

He　was　taken　over　there　by　Bill　Dodge　and　two　other　floaters。　The　rest　of　us　had　work　to　do　…　one　hour　to　cram　in　at　least　two　rehearsals。　Three；　if　we　could　manage　it。

Percy　didnt　make　much　protest　over　being　put　in　the　switch　room　with　Jack　Van　Hay　for　the　Bitterbuck　electrocution；　he　was　too　green　to　know　if　he　was　being　given　a　good　spot　or　a　bad　one。　What　he　did　know　was　that　he　had　a　rectangular　mesh　window　to　look　through；　and　although　he　probably　didnt　care　to　be　looking　at　the　back　of　the　chair　instead　of　the　front；　he　would　still　be　close　enough　to　see　the　sparks　flying。

Right　outside　that　window　was　a　black　wall　telephone　with　no　crank　or　dial　on　it。　That　phone　could　only　ring　in；　and　only　from　one　place：　the　governors　office。　Ive　seen　lots　of　jailhouse　movies　over　the　years　where　the　official　phone　rings　just　as　theyre　getting　ready　to　pull　the　switch　on　some　poor　innocent　sap；　but　ours　never　rang　during　all　my　years　on　E　Block；　never　once。　In　the　movies；　salvation　is　cheap。　So　is　innocence。　You　pay　a　quarter；　and　a　quarters　worth　is　just　what　you　get。　Real　life　costs　more；　and　most　of　the　answers　are　different。

We　had　a　tailors　dummy　down　in　the　tunnel　for　the　run　to　the　meatwagon；　and　we　had　Old　Toot…Toot　for　the　rest。　Over　the　years；　Toot　had　somehow　bee　the　traditional　stand…in　for　the　condemned；　as　time…honored　in　his　way　as　the　goose　you　sit　down　to　on　Christmas；　whether　you　like　goose　or　not。　Most　of　the　other　screws　liked　him；　were　amused　by　his　funny　accent　…　also　French；　but　Canadian　rather　than　Cajun；　and　softened　into　its　own　thing　by　his　years　of　incarceration　in　the　South。　Even　Brutal　got　a　kick　out　of　Old　Toot。　Not　me；　though。　I　thought　he　was；　in　his　way；　an　older　and　dimmer　version　of　Percy　ish　to　kill　and　cook　his　own　meat　but　who　did；　all　the　same；　just　love　the　smell　of　a　barbecue。

We　were　all　there　for　the　rehearsal；　just　as　we　would　all　be　there　for　the　main　event。　Brutus　Howell　had　been　〃put　out；〃　as　we　said；　which　meant　that　he　would　place　the　cap；　monitor　the　governors　phoneline；　summon　the　doctor　from　his　place　by　the　wall　if　he　was　needed；　and　give　the　actual　order　to　roll　on　two　when　the　time　came。　If　it　went　well；　there　would　be　no　credit　for　anyone。　If　it　didnt　go　well；　Brutal　would　be　blamed　by　the　witnesses　and　I　would　be　blamed　by　the　warden。　Neither　of　us　plained　about　this；　it　wouldnt　have　done　any　good。　The　world　turns；　thats　all。　You　can　hold　on　and　turn　with　it；　or　stand　up　to　protest　and　be　spun　right　off。

Dean；　Harry　Terwilliger；　and　I　walked　down　to　The　Chiefs　cell　for　the　first　rehearsal　not　three　minutes　after　Bill　and　his　troops　had　escorted　Bitterbuck　off　the　block　and　over　to　the　Arcade。　The　cell　door　was　open；　and　Old　Toot…Toot　sat　on　The　Chiefs　bunk；　his　wispy　white　hair　flying。

〃There　e…stains　all　over　dis　sheet；〃　Toot…Toot　remarked。　〃He　mus　be　tryin　to　get　rid　of　it　before　you　fellas　boil　it　off！〃　And　he　cackled。

〃Shut　up；　Toot；〃　Dean　said。　〃Lets　play　this　serious。〃

〃Okay；〃　Toot…Toot　said；　immediately　posing　his　face　into　an　expression　of　thunderous　gravity。　But　his　eyes　twinkled。　Old　Toot　never　looked　so　alive　as　when　he　was　playing　dead。

I　stepped　forward。　〃Arlen　Bitterbuck；　as　an　officer　of　the　court　and　of　the　state　of　blah…blah；　I　have　a　warrant　for　blah…blah；　such　execution　to　be　carried　out　at　twelve…oh…one　on　blah…blah；　will　you　step　forward？〃

Toot　got　off　the　bunk。　〃Im　steppin　forward；　Im　steppin　forward；　Im　steppin　forward；〃　he　said。

〃Turn　around；〃　Dean　said；　and　when　Toot…Toot　turned；　Dean　examined　the　dandruffy　top　of　his　head。　The　crown　of　The　Chiefs　head　would　be　shaved　tomorrow　night；　and　Deans　check　then　would　be　to　make　sure　he　didnt　need　a　touch…up。　Stubble　could　impede　conduction；　make　things　harder。　Everything　we　were　doing　today　was　about　making　things　easier。

〃All　right；　Arlen；　lets　go；〃　I　said　to　Toot…Toot；　and　away　we　went。

〃Im　walkin　down　the　corridor；　Im　walkin　down　the　corridor；　Im　walkin　down　the　corridor；〃　Toot　said。　I　flanked　him　on　the　left；　Dean　on　the　right。　Harry　was　directly　behind　him。　At　the　head　of　the　corridor　we　turned　right；　away　from　life　as　it　was　lived　in　the　exercise　yard　and　toward　death　as　it　was　died　in　the　storage　room。　We　went　into　my　office；　and　Toot　dropped　to　his　knees　without　having　to　be　asked。　He　knew　the　script；　all　right；　probably　better　than　any　of　us。　God　knew　hed　been　there　longer　than　any　of　us。

〃Im　prayin；　Im　prayin；　Im　prayin；〃　Toot…Toot　said；　holding　his　gnarled　hands　up。　They　looked　like　that　famous　engraving；　you　probably　know　the　one　I　mean。　〃The　Lord　is　my　shepherd；　so　on　n　so　forth。〃

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