OCR Text |
Show page 154 "Always go along with you Washington boys," Pruitt said. "You boys put out good-priced booze. Like to go out and meet my wife, Judy?" Rathburn said he d i d n ' t have time, that he would meet her on the next t r i p. "I got the p r e t t i e s t wife in Virginia," P r u i t t said. "There's no t e l l i n g how far I ' l l go with a wife like Judy. She has sense. She pulled me outa the poolhall c l a s s ." "I like to hear you t a l k , " Rathburn said. He s e t t l e d back and l i t one of P r u i t t 1 s big cigars. "You know, things will be good now. You go along truthful and honest with us, you'll be a m i l l i o n a i r e ." P r u i t t f e l l for t h i s and began loosening up. He resembled Edward G. Robinson in Robinson's prime, wore brownish red suits, smoked h i s cigars with the bands on them. He was just the opposite of Rathburn, who was quiet, anonymous, in slate gabardine. Rathburn handled himself in the quiet, confident way of successful prizefighters, kept his emotions usually under complete control. P r u i t t ' s emotions were on his sleeve, and he had a slow twitch of his right eye that gave him away; he was always too t a l k a t i v e, too eagerly Insecure. The worst thing about him,to Rathburn, was t h a t his t a l k was t r i v i a. "The senate investigation committee really put a show on in your town, d i d n ' t i t ? " P r u i t t f i n a l l y said. "Some witnesses squirmed, t r i e d to act like they were a cross between a Mary Knoll a t h l e t i c d i r e c t o r and a good Samaritan. And some of 'em r a t t l ed the mike like they had the hives." I t jfrgmCaCed K5C'!IW&kH« "We don't let that kind of stuff |