Properties
- end_line
- 4658
- extracted_at
- 2026-01-27T17:18:35.105Z
- extracted_by
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- start_line
- 4612
- text
- 4415 a brace on. It didn't have much to do with the farm--I admit it--but it was nice. It's nice
4416 when somebody tells you about their uncle. Especially when they start out telling you
4417 about their father's farm and then all of a sudden get more interested in their uncle. I
4418 mean it's dirty to keep yelling 'Digression!' at him when he's all nice and excited. I don't
4419 know. It's hard to explain." I didn't feel too much like trying, either. For one thing, I had
4420 this terrific headache all of a sudden. I wished to God old Mrs. Antolini would come in
4421 with the coffee. That's something that annoys hell out of me--I mean if somebody says
4422 the coffee's all ready and it isn't.
4423 "Holden. . . One short, faintly stuffy, pedagogical question. Don't you think there's
4424 a time and place for everything? Don't you think if someone starts out to tell you about
4425 his father's farm, he should stick to his guns, then get around to telling you about his
4426 uncle's brace? Or, if his uncle's brace is such a provocative subject, shouldn't he have
4427 selected it in the first place as his subject--not the farm?"
4428 I didn't feel much like thinking and answering and all. I had a headache and I felt
4429 lousy. I even had sort of a stomach-ache, if you want to know the truth.
4430 "Yes--I don't know. I guess he should. I mean I guess he should've picked his
4431 uncle as a subject, instead of the farm, if that interested him most. But what I mean is,
4432 lots of time you don't know what interests you most till you start talking about something
4433 that doesn't interest you most. I mean you can't help it sometimes. What I think is, you're
4434 supposed to leave somebody alone if he's at least being interesting and he's getting all
4435 excited about something. I like it when somebody gets excited about something. It's nice.
4436 You just didn't know this teacher, Mr. Vinson. He could drive you crazy sometimes, him
4437 and the goddam class. I mean he'd keep telling you to unify and simplify all the time.
4438 Some things you just can't do that to. I mean you can't hardly ever simplify and unify
4439 something just because somebody wants you to. You didn't know this guy, Mr. Vinson. I
4440 mean he was very intelligent and all, but you could tell he didn't have too much brains."
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4441 "Coffee, gentlemen, finally," Mrs. Antolini said. She came in carrying this tray
4442 with coffee and cakes and stuff on it. "Holden, don't you even peek at me. I'm a mess."
4443 "Hello, Mrs. Antolini," I said. I started to get up and all, but Mr. Antolini got hold
4444 of my jacket and pulled me back down. Old Mrs. Antolini's hair was full of those iron
4445 curler jobs, and she didn't have any lipstick or anything on. She didn't look too gorgeous.
4446 She looked pretty old and all.
4447 "I'll leave this right here. Just dive in, you two," she said. She put the tray down
4448 on the cigarette table, pushing all these glasses out of the way. "How's your mother,
4449 Holden?"
4450 "She's fine, thanks. I haven't seen her too recently, but the last I--"
4451 "Darling, if Holden needs anything, everything's in the linen closet. The top shelf.
4452 I'm going to bed. I'm exhausted," Mrs. Antolini said. She looked it, too. "Can you boys
4453 make up the couch by yourselves?"
4454 "We'll take care of everything. You run along to bed," Mr. Antolini said. He gave
4455 Mrs. Antolini a kiss and she said good-by to me and went in the bedroom. They were
4456 always kissing each other a lot in public.
4457 I had part of a cup of coffee and about half of some cake that was as hard as a
4458 rock. All old Mr. Antolini had was another highball, though. He makes them strong, too,
4459 you could tell. He may get to be an alcoholic if he doesn't watch his step.
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