I tried to run a tally in my mind, and it looked to me like the best I could hope for was a near-draw with Sam Gaddis. That was the best, despite all the dirty talk that was going on about him. And if he was that strong now, in spite of the talk, how could I be sure he wouldn’t be even stronger in the run-off?

I ate some crackers and cheese for lunch, passing them around amongst the fellas I was talking to.

About two o’clock, I had to go out to the cemetery for Tom Hauck’s buryin’, but a passel of other folks went, too, by way of amusin’ themselves, so you couldn’t really say it was a waste of time.

I worked through the supper hour, eating some crackers and sardines and passing them around amongst the fellas I was talking to.

Finally, it got too late to work any longer. But by then, I was so keyed up from talking, so restless and high-strung that my nerves seemed to be standing on end. So instead of going home, I sneaked over to Amy Mason’s house.

We went back into the bedroom. She held me off for a minute, kind of cold and peevish-actin’,and then she seemed to change her mood suddenly. And we went to bed.

It happened pretty fast, considering how wore out I was. But afterwards my eyes drifted shut, and I seemed to sink down into a deep dark pit, and—

“Wake up!” Amy was shaking me. “Wake up, I said!”

I said, “Huh, whassa matter, honey?” And Amy said again that I was to wake up.

“Is that how little I mean to you? That you can fall asleep like a hog in a wallow with my arms around you? Or were you saving yourself for your precious Rose Hauck?”

“Huh? What?” I said. “For gosh sake, Amy—”

“Rose is staying at your place, is she not?”

“Well, sure,” I said. “But just on account of her husband’s death and buryin’. She—”

“And why didn’t you tell me she was staying there? Why did I have to find it out for myself?”

“But, looky,” I said. “Why the heck should I tell you? What’s it got to do with us? Anyways, you already knew all about me an’ Rose, an’ it didn’t seem to bother you none.”

She stared at me, her eyes sparkling with anger, and suddenly turned her back to me. Then, just as I was about to put my arm around her, she turned and faced me again.

“Just what do I already know about you and Rose? Tell me!”

“Aw, now, honey,” I said. “I—”

“Answer me!Just what do I know about you? I want to know!”

I said I’d just made a slip of the tongue, and there wasn’t anything to tell her about Rose and me. Because of course, she didn’t want to know about us. No woman that sleeps with a man wants to know that another woman is doin’ it, too.