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Show page 182 his bike, cut his handlebars to the l e f t and skidded on the crushed slag. He was the f i r s t undressed. Monk was next. Monk was a year older than Jerry Weeks, was spidery and energetic, and had oversized e a r s . Monk's admiration of Snook was something much talked about. Snook was a year older than Monk. Snook allowed Monk t o r e s e l l some of his agate marbles he alx^ays won and allowed Monk to keep a commission. So Snook and Monk were almost as solid as thieves, and good swimmers to boot, and as playful in water as they were on land. Spot the t e r r i e r was at the bank lapping water when Snook jumped in. Spot looked up and shied away, from Snook's splash. Snook returned to the bank and picked Spot up and threw him far out into the r i v e r . Spot started swimming toward shore the second he landed in the water. Jerry Weeks told Snook to leave Spot alone, but Snook caught Spot up again, wet and quivering, and threw him out again. Then he and Monk began a dogfight, leaving Spot to Jerry. J e r r y Weeks stepped out into deeper water. Spot swam toward Jerry, whining alarmingly. Snook and Monk quit their dogfight and swam toward shore. Jerry Weeks watched them both, pretending not t o , looked up at a small scrub oak growing on the edge of the bluff, held on t o Spot, and suddenly realized more than ever how beautiful the area was - the bluff with i t s colors of clay blue, real sand on shore, green trees bordering both sides of the slag road. Jerry Weeks knew that i t was small of him t o begin to hate Snook and Monk, and he t r i ed not t o . He remembered h i s f a t h e r ' s counsel, that hate destrovs yfciiK liaLBT. |
