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Show 104 "Not finished." Koontz gazed a moment and then looked away. "Quite a deal. Plumbing, shelves -- know the alcove where they hang a scroll? The tokonoma." Ha pronounced the word evenly, tightly; Sid was struck with admiration. "Your Japanese is improving." "Should be, sir. I speak it a good bit now." "Where?" Mot in the orderly room." "No sir. With..; my girl," He looked at the ground, shyly. "I'm not supposed to have told that either." Sid laughed. "I'm loaded with unrequisitioned information. Rack to Smead." "From what this fellow said, the bar's a killer: sinks, counters, mirrors. And a rail." Again he paused. "So? Granted the Major wouldn't allow it, but the Colonel -• "This rail - " "Sergeant, I'm not fond of Smead either, but Jesus: what a worker says about his house. Mone of the Japanese like the way we're living, but they brought it on." "To remodel it, sir, when people are hungry -- " "They don't eat bar-rails. Resides, they ought to be happy: gives 'em a job." He lifted his chin. "As you should know." Koontz had not expected the turn to the personal, and was taken aback. He openad his lips to answer, but whatever defensa he might offer suddenly presentad itself as an attempt to justify Kimiko and, therefore himself. He was trapped on |