Properties
- end_line
- 4451
- extracted_at
- 2026-01-27T17:18:33.089Z
- extracted_by
- structure-extraction-lambda
- start_line
- 4395
- text
- 4208 "And how," I said. I sat down next to her on the bed again. I was sort of out of
4209 breath. I was smoking so damn much, I had hardly any wind. She wasn't even out of
4210 breath.
4211 "Feel my forehead," she said all of a sudden.
4212 "Why?"
4213 "Feel it. Just feel it once."
4214 I felt it. I didn't feel anything, though.
4215 "Does it feel very feverish?" she said.
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4216 "No. Is it supposed to?"
4217 "Yes--I'm making it. Feel it again."
4218 I felt it again, and I still didn't feel anything, but I said, "I think it's starting to,
4219 now." I didn't want her to get a goddam inferiority complex.
4220 She nodded. "I can make it go up to over the thermoneter."
4221 "Thermometer. Who said so?"
4222 "Alice Holmborg showed me how. You cross your legs and hold your breath and
4223 think of something very, very hot. A radiator or something. Then your whole forehead
4224 gets so hot you can burn somebody's hand."
4225 That killed me. I pulled my hand away from her forehead, like I was in terrific
4226 danger. "Thanks for telling me," I said.
4227 "Oh, I wouldn't've burned your hand. I'd've stopped before it got too--Shhh!"
4228 Then, quick as hell, she sat way the hell up in bed.
4229 She scared hell out of me when she did that. "What's the matter?" I said.
4230 "The front door!" she said in this loud whisper. "It's them!"
4231 I quick jumped up and ran over and turned off the light over the desk. Then I
4232 jammed out my cigarette on my shoe and put it in my pocket. Then I fanned hell out of
4233 the air, to get the smoke out--I shouldn't even have been smoking, for God's sake. Then I
4234 grabbed my shoes and got in the closet and shut the door. Boy, my heart was beating like
4235 a bastard.
4236 I heard my mother come in the room.
4237 "Phoebe?" she said. "Now, stop that. I saw the light, young lady."
4238 "Hello!" I heard old Phoebe say. "I couldn't sleep. Did you have a good time?"
4239 "Marvelous," my mother said, but you could tell she didn't mean it. She doesn't
4240 enjoy herself much when she goes out. "Why are you awake, may I ask? Were you warm
4241 enough?"
4242 "I was warm enough, I just couldn't sleep."
4243 "Phoebe, have you been smoking a cigarette in here? Tell me the truth, please,
4244 young lady."
4245 "What?" old Phoebe said.
4246 "You heard me."
4247 "I just lit one for one second. I just took one puff. Then I threw it out the
4248 window."
4249 "Why, may I ask?"
4250 "I couldn't sleep."
4251 "I don't like that, Phoebe. I don't like that at all," my mother said. "Do you want
4252 another blanket?"
4253 "No, thanks. G'night!" old Phoebe said. She was trying to get rid of her, you could
4254 tell.
4255 "How was the movie?" my mother said.
4256 "Excellent. Except Alice's mother. She kept leaning over and asking her if she felt
4257 grippy during the whole entire movie. We took a taxi home."
4258 "Let me feel your forehead."
4259 "I didn't catch anything. She didn't have anything. It was just her mother."
4260 "Well. Go to sleep now. How was your dinner?"
4261 "Lousy," Phoebe said.
- title
- Chunk 2