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Show page 143 occupants, Curly, Red, and two farmers, Jake and Milton, all playing cards. "You got good company, boy," Posh said. "Curly and Red are two old road buddies, hustlers and petty thieves. They're doing ninety days. They a i n ' t r e a l l y bad, though. Jake and Milton i s cousins. They a i n ' t really bad, either; they just butchered the wrong cow." He nudged Lonnie inside and sx^ung shut the heavy door. Red, bristlyjawed, pugnosed, six feet of cinderladen muscle, said, "I knowed that piece of cornbread over the door would catch another fish." Lonnie looked up, saw the piece of hard, dry cornbread dangling from a s t r i n g , gave a leap, grabbed i t , and began eating i t. "That's f i s h bait, boy," Red said. "Ain't no f i s h in here," said Lonnie. Red laughed. "Yeah, t h a t ' s what they a l l say. Ain't that right, Curly?" "A f i sh is anybody gets in j a i l , " Curly explained. "What you in for?" Lonnie mumbled, "Don't know." "Ain't that a crying shame, he don't know," Curly said. He had a receding chin and flabby cheeks. "Come on, kid, open up. You t a t t l e to revenuers or something?" Lonnie was saved from further embarrassment by Tolliver*s voice from the dumbwaiter shaft near a shower stall: "The boy grabbed up the brother-in-law's shotgun and hid i t . He |