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Show Flying - 60 the crickets out of his blankets and looks on. Tex is lying on his bed staring at the ceiling, saying nothing. The two men are joined by three or four more. Cne runs through the room waving a pair of black lace panties over his head and five or six are chasing him, leaping over beds and f ootlockers, scattering card games, ducking boots thrown by people who didn't want to be disturbed, yelling and screaming, running up and down the stairs. Thompson has the panties now and is so far staying out in front of the pack, ducking around the wooden posts, doubling back, avoiding their eager arms like a nimble half-back going all the way. All this goes en for ten or fifteen minutes until Thompson comes leaping over Tex's bed and stops beside it, ready to go again. In one continuous motion, Tex sits up. hits Thompson on the mouth as hard as he can and lies down again, the whole thing over before anyone can move. Thompson sits up, spitting blood and shaking his head, then gets to his feet and walks away. The others follow quietly. A radio in the next barracks is playing a Karty Robbins song. After lights out, John Henry, wandering back from the latrine, steps outside for a cigarette in the cool air and finds Tex sitting on the back steps under the pale glow of the night-light. They sit and watch the crickets crawl across the open |
