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Show Why We Cry Butch and Fenn Stories 123 little ringing, and all the kids converge on the planewreck to grab a piece of broken propellor. I can see Butch over there leaning on Fenn's bat, watching the mob. He knows that if enough kids gather with nothing much to do, somebody will end up crying, and he can do a little research. For a while I was afraid he'd taken it a bit too far, because he was following Lannie and Cling around while they bullied the kids out of nickels for cigarettes. Down by the swings they stand in the way until they get a nickel, or they hold the teeter-totter so some kid is held aloft until he pays the toll or starts crying. If he starts crying, they drop him so he slams into the ground and finds himself two inches shorter. It's kind of strange that to find kids crying Butch has to go to all the playgrounds. Finally, I see what is going to happen. Lannie and Cling are working the little crowd pretty hard, throwing kids aside like coats. Somebody is going to get pantsed. Max and Grant have repaired the plane and have it ripping around again, angrily in its circle. Max is trying not to give Grant his turn. They are pushing each other around like two pilots in a bad plane movie. Over and under everything is the awesome buzzing of the plane, and somebody is going to get pantsed. Lannie and Cling take turn holding kids down and pulling their pockets inside out, gathering only a little change. Then, bored, they settle on Keith Gurber. They drag him away a |