Properties
- end_line
- 2464
- extracted_at
- 2026-01-27T17:15:40.756Z
- extracted_by
- structure-extraction-lambda
- start_line
- 2414
- text
- 2311 me. "What'sa matter?" she said.
2312 "Nothing's the matter." Boy, was I getting nervous. "The thing is, I had an
2313 operation very recently."
2314 "Yeah? Where?"
2315 "On my wuddayacallit--my clavichord."
2316 "Yeah? Where the hell's that?"
2317 "The clavichord?" I said. "Well, actually, it's in the spinal canal. I mean it's quite a
2318 ways down in the spinal canal."
2319 "Yeah?" she said. "That's tough." Then she sat down on my goddam lap. "You're
2320 cute."
2321 She made me so nervous, I just kept on lying my head off. "I'm still recuperating,"
2322 I told her.
2323 "You look like a guy in the movies. You know. Whosis. You know who I mean.
2324 What the heck's his name?"
2325 "I don't know," I said. She wouldn't get off my goddam lap.
2326 "Sure you know. He was in that pitcher with Mel-vine Douglas? The one that was
2327 Mel-vine Douglas's kid brother? That falls off this boat? You know who I mean."
2328 "No, I don't. I go to the movies as seldom as I can."
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2329 Then she started getting funny. Crude and all.
2330 "Do you mind cutting it out?" I said. "I'm not in the mood, I just told you. I just
2331 had an operation."
2332 She didn't get up from my lap or anything, but she gave me this terrifically dirty
2333 look. "Listen," she said. "I was sleepin' when that crazy Maurice woke me up. If you
2334 think I'm--"
2335 "I said I'd pay you for coming and all. I really will. I have plenty of dough. It's
2336 just that I'm practically just recovering from a very serious--"
2337 "What the heck did you tell that crazy Maurice you wanted a girl for, then? If you
2338 just had a goddam operation on your goddam wuddayacallit. Huh?"
2339 "I thought I'd be feeling a lot better than I do. I was a little premature in my
2340 calculations. No kidding. I'm sorry. If you'll just get up a second, I'll get my wallet. I
2341 mean it."
2342 She was sore as hell, but she got up off my goddam lap so that I could go over and
2343 get my wallet off the chiffonier. I took out a five-dollar bill and handed it to her. "Thanks
2344 a lot," I told her. "Thanks a million."
2345 "This is a five. It costs ten."
2346 She was getting funny, you could tell. I was afraid something like that would
2347 happen--I really was.
2348 "Maurice said five," I told her. "He said fifteen till noon and only five for a
2349 throw."
2350 "Ten for a throw."
2351 "He said five. I'm sorry--I really am--but that's all I'm gonna shell out."
2352 She sort of shrugged her shoulders, the way she did before, and then she said,
2353 very cold, "Do you mind getting me my frock? Or would it be too much trouble?" She
2354 was a pretty spooky kid. Even with that little bitty voice she had, she could sort of scare
2355 you a little bit. If she'd been a big old prostitute, with a lot of makeup on her face and all,
2356 she wouldn't have been half as spooky.
2357 I went and got her dress for her. She put it on and all, and then she picked up her
2358 polo coat off the bed. "So long, crumb-bum," she said.
2359 "So long," I said. I didn't thank her or anything. I'm glad I didn't.
- title
- Chunk 6