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Back Come Again No More Save as PDF
Chapters (55)
  1. Cover
  2. Back Cover
  3. Title Page
  4. Contents
  5. PART I 
  6. 1.
  7. 2.
  8. 3.
  9. 4.
  10. 5.
  11. 6.
  12. 7.
  13. 8.
  14. 9.
  15. 10.
  16. 11.
  17. 12.
  18. PART II 
  19. 13.
  20. 14.
  21. 15.
  22. 16.
  23. 17.
  24. 18.
  25. 19.
  26. 20.
  27. 21.
  28. 22.
  29. 23.
  30. 24.
  31. 25.
  32. 26.
  33. 27.
  34. 28.
  35. 29.
  36. 30.
  37. PART III 
  38. 31.
  39. 32.
  40. 33.
  41. 34.
  42. 35.
  43. 36.
  44. 37.
  45. 38.
  46. 39.
  47. PART IV 
  48. 40.
  49. 41.
  50. 42.
  51. 43.
  52. 44.
  53. 45.
  54. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  55. Touchstone Reading Group Guide

The others took up the cry, shamed Vernon into peeling off his jacket and rolling up his sleeves. He was at least a half a foot shorter than Jake McCloskey but considerably heavier, with short legs, a wide back, long, simian arms. Jake pointed to the deep cleft in his own handsome jaw. “I promise I won’t hit you, but if you can land one here, you win.”

Earl announced that the two men would box three rounds of three minutes each and he would be the timekeeper. He rang an imaginary bell. Vernon shuffled off after Jake, fists held wrong side up like in the old daguerreotypes Emaline had seen of nineteenth-century boxers like John L. Sullivan. Jake let him get in close and throw as many punches as he wanted to throw, each deftly blocked or dodged. Vernon threw a haymaker at his head, Jake leaned back, let the punch whistle past his jaw, tapped Vernon two or three times in the face with his fingertips to show what he could do if he wanted to. After one round, Vernon’s shirt was soaked through and he was breathing heavily. After two rounds, he could hardly hold his arms up. Halfway through the third round, Jake threw a half dozen mock punches that tapped Vernon all the way from the belly to the top of his head. Then he danced out of reach, laughing. Vernon bent over, wheezing, waved an arm to show he couldn’t go on.

Earl announced that Jake was the winner by a technical knockout in the third round. Jake held up his arms, spun around, winked at Emaline. She turned her back on him. What made the man think he could get away with winking at her like she was some cheap floozy in a dime-a-dance joint? She noticed that the little trainer didn’t even look up while his fighter was showboating for the crowd. He sat with the cigarette dangling from his lower lip, staring into his coffee cup like it was a bill from the undertaker.

An hour later, the wind died abruptly and the dust began to filter out of the air. The farmers left the Arrowhead in twos and threes, pausing to brush the dust from their windshields before starting their jalopies.

Jake and Bucky were the last to leave. When Emaline went to clear their table, she found a dollar under Jake’s saucer, more than she made in tips that day from all her other customers put together.

16.