11

Properties

description

# Chapter 11 ## Overview This is Chapter 11 of a literary work, extracted from lines 1902 to 2017 of the source text. It is part of the larger collection [More Classics](arke:01KFXT0KM64XT6K8W52TDEE0YS), which includes canonical Western literature. The chapter is divided into four textual chunks for processing and analysis, and was extracted on January 27, 2026, by an automated system. ## Context The chapter is narrated in the first person and forms part of a larger narrative likely drawn from J.D. Salinger’s *The Catcher in the Rye*, given the distinctive voice and references to characters such as Holden Caulfield’s brother D.B. and his late sibling Allie. The text reflects on adolescent relationships, emotional intimacy, and social alienation. It is preserved within the [More Classics](arke:01KFXT0KM64XT6K8W52TDEE0YS) collection, which includes digitized versions of significant literary works, and originates from a file titled *Rye.pdf*. ## Contents The chapter centers on the narrator’s memories of Jane Gallagher, a girl he knew during a summer in Maine. He recalls their close, non-physical relationship—playing tennis, golf, and checkers—and describes her idiosyncrasies with affection, such as her habit of leaving her mouth slightly open and her love of poetry. A pivotal moment occurs when Jane becomes distressed in the presence of her stepfather, Mr. Cudahy, leading to an emotional scene on her porch where the narrator comforts her with a chaste kiss. The memory haunts him as he worries about her current date with his roommate, Stradlater. The chapter ends with the narrator leaving his hotel lobby to visit Ernie’s, a nightclub in Greenwich Village once frequented by his brother D.B. before he moved to Hollywood, which the narrator disapprovingly calls “prostituting himself.”

description_generated_at

2026-01-27T17:22:13.289Z

description_model

Qwen/Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507

description_title

Chapter 11

end_line

2017

extracted_at

2026-01-27T17:12:16.499Z

extracted_by

structure-extraction-lambda

source_file

01KFYTG9MG93RTB6YAW34V48XG

start_line

1902

text

1821 11 1822 All of a sudden, on my way out to the lobby, I got old Jane Gallagher on the brain 1823 again. I got her on, and I couldn't get her off. I sat down in this vomity-looking chair in 1824 the lobby and thought about her and Stradlater sitting in that goddam Ed Banky's car, and 1825 though I was pretty damn sure old Stradlater hadn't given her the time--I know old Jane 1826 like a book--I still couldn't get her off my brain. I knew her like a book. I really did. I 1827 mean, besides checkers, she was quite fond of all athletic sports, and after I got to know 1828 her, the whole summer long we played tennis together almost every morning and golf 1829 almost every afternoon. I really got to know her quite intimately. I don't mean it was 1830 anything physical or anything--it wasn't--but we saw each other all the time. You don't 1831 always have to get too sexy to get to know a girl. <!-- [Page 42](arke:01KFYTAC95YDZBE3GK7R0VJKTR) --> 1832 The way I met her, this Doberman pinscher she had used to come over and relieve 1833 himself on our lawn, and my mother got very irritated about it. She called up Jane's 1834 mother and made a big stink about it. My mother can make a very big stink about that 1835 kind of stuff. Then what happened, a couple of days later I saw Jane laying on her 1836 stomach next to the swimming pool, at the club, and I said hello to her. I knew she lived 1837 in the house next to ours, but I'd never conversed with her before or anything. She gave 1838 me the big freeze when I said hello that day, though. I had a helluva time convincing her 1839 that I didn't give a good goddam where her dog relieved himself. He could do it in the 1840 living room, for all I cared. Anyway, after that, Jane and I got to be friends and all. I 1841 played golf with her that same afternoon. She lost eight balls, I remember. Eight. I had a 1842 terrible time getting her to at least open her eyes when she took a swing at the ball. I 1843 improved her game immensely, though. I'm a very good golfer. If I told you what I go 1844 around in, you probably wouldn't believe me. I almost was once in a movie short, but I 1845 changed my mind at the last minute. I figured that anybody that hates the movies as much 1846 as I do, I'd be a phony if I let them stick me in a movie short. 1847 She was a funny girl, old Jane. I wouldn't exactly describe her as strictly beautiful. 1848 She knocked me out, though. She was sort of muckle-mouthed. I mean when she was 1849 talking and she got excited about something, her mouth sort of went in about fifty 1850 directions, her lips and all. That killed me. And she never really closed it all the way, her 1851 mouth. It was always just a little bit open, especially when she got in her golf stance, or 1852 when she was reading a book. She was always reading, and she read very good books. 1853 She read a lot of poetry and all. She was the only one, outside my family, that I ever 1854 showed Allie's baseball mitt to, with all the poems written on it. She'd never met Allie or 1855 anything, because that was her first summer in Maine--before that, she went to Cape Cod- 1856 -but I told her quite a lot about him. She was interested in that kind of stuff. 1857 My mother didn't like her too much. I mean my mother always thought Jane and 1858 her mother were sort of snubbing her or something when they didn't say hello. My 1859 mother saw them in the village a lot, because Jane used to drive to market with her 1860 mother in this LaSalle convertible they had. My mother didn't think Jane was pretty, 1861 even. I did, though. I just liked the way she looked, that's all. 1862 I remember this one afternoon. It was the only time old Jane and I ever got close 1863 to necking, even. It was a Saturday and it was raining like a bastard out, and I was over at 1864 her house, on the porch--they had this big screened-in porch. We were playing checkers. I 1865 used to kid her once in a while because she wouldn't take her kings out of the back row. 1866 But I didn't kid her much, though. You never wanted to kid Jane too much. I think I really 1867 like it best when you can kid the pants off a girl when the opportunity arises, but it's a 1868 funny thing. The girls I like best are the ones I never feel much like kidding. Sometimes I 1869 think they'd like it if you kidded them--in fact, I know they would--but it's hard to get 1870 started, once you've known them a pretty long time and never kidded them. Anyway, I 1871 was telling you about that afternoon Jane and I came close to necking. It was raining like 1872 hell and we were out on her porch, and all of a sudden this booze hound her mother was 1873 married to came out on the porch and asked Jane if there were any cigarettes in the house. 1874 I didn't know him too well or anything, but he looked like the kind of guy that wouldn't 1875 talk to you much unless he wanted something off you. He had a lousy personality. 1876 Anyway, old Jane wouldn't answer him when he asked her if she knew where there was 1877 any cigarettes. So the guy asked her again, but she still wouldn't answer him. She didn't <!-- [Page 43](arke:01KFYTAB1NM5HASZZ1BC464V4J) --> 1878 even look up from the game. Finally the guy went inside the house. When he did, I asked 1879 Jane what the hell was going on. She wouldn't even answer me, then. She made out like 1880 she was concentrating on her next move in the game and all. Then all of a sudden, this 1881 tear plopped down on the checkerboard. On one of the red squares--boy, I can still see it. 1882 She just rubbed it into the board with her finger. I don't know why, but it bothered hell 1883 out of me. So what I did was, I went over and made her move over on the glider so that I 1884 could sit down next to her--I practically sat down in her lap, as a matter of fact. Then she 1885 really started to cry, and the next thing I knew, I was kissing her all over--anywhere--her 1886 eyes, her nose, her forehead, her eyebrows and all, her ears--her whole face except her 1887 mouth and all. She sort of wouldn't let me get to her mouth. Anyway, it was the closest 1888 we ever got to necking. After a while, she got up and went in and put on this red and 1889 white sweater she had, that knocked me out, and we went to a goddam movie. I asked 1890 her, on the way, if Mr. Cudahy--that was the booze hound's name--had ever tried to get 1891 wise with her. She was pretty young, but she had this terrific figure, and I wouldn't've put 1892 it past that Cudahy bastard. She said no, though. I never did find out what the hell was the 1893 matter. Some girls you practically never find out what's the matter. 1894 I don't want you to get the idea she was a goddam icicle or something, just 1895 because we never necked or horsed around much. She wasn't. I held hands with her all 1896 the time, for instance. That doesn't sound like much, I realize, but she was terrific to hold 1897 hands with. Most girls if you hold hands with them, their goddam hand dies on you, or 1898 else they think they have to keep moving their hand all the time, as if they were afraid 1899 they'd bore you or something. Jane was different. We'd get into a goddam movie or 1900 something, and right away we'd start holding hands, and we wouldn't quit till the movie 1901 was over. And without changing the position or making a big deal out of it. You never 1902 even worried, with Jane, whether your hand was sweaty or not. All you knew was, you 1903 were happy. You really were. 1904 One other thing I just thought of. One time, in this movie, Jane did something that 1905 just about knocked me out. The newsreel was on or something, and all of a sudden I felt 1906 this hand on the back of my neck, and it was Jane's. It was a funny thing to do. I mean 1907 she was quite young and all, and most girls if you see them putting their hand on the back 1908 of somebody's neck, they're around twenty-five or thirty and usually they're doing it to 1909 their husband or their little kid--I do it to my kid sister Phoebe once in a while, for 1910 instance. But if a girl's quite young and all and she does it, it's so pretty it just about kills 1911 you. 1912 Anyway, that's what I was thinking about while I sat in that vomity-looking chair 1913 in the lobby. Old Jane. Every time I got to the part about her out with Stradlater in that 1914 damn Ed Banky's car, it almost drove me crazy. I knew she wouldn't let him get to first 1915 base with her, but it drove me crazy anyway. I don't even like to talk about it, if you want 1916 to know the truth. 1917 There was hardly anybody in the lobby any more. Even all the whory-looking 1918 blondes weren't around any more, and all of a sudden I felt like getting the hell out of the 1919 place. It was too depressing. And I wasn't tired or anything. So I went up to my room and 1920 put on my coat. I also took a look out the window to see if all the perverts were still in 1921 action, but the lights and all were out now. I went down in the elevator again and got a 1922 cab and told the driver to take me down to Ernie's. Ernie's is this night club in Greenwich 1923 Village that my brother D.B. used to go to quite frequently before he went out to <!-- [Page 44](arke:01KFYTAC8XHND386Z8NVDWA4Y5) --> 1924 Hollywood and prostituted himself. He used to take me with him once in a while. Ernie's 1925 a big fat colored guy that plays the piano. He's a terrific snob and he won't hardly even 1926 talk to you unless you're a big shot or a celebrity or something, but he can really play the 1927 piano. He's so good he's almost corny, in fact. I don't exactly know what I mean by that, 1928 but I mean it. I certainly like to hear him play, but sometimes you feel like turning his 1929 goddam piano over. I think it's because sometimes when he plays, he sounds like the kind 1930 of guy that won't talk to you unless you're a big shot.

title

11