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Show page 184 Snook and Monk dressed h a s t i l y , in silence. They fumbled with buttons, avoided each o t h e r ' s eyes. Jerry Weeks said nothing to them, had only an empty feeling, and a memory of Spot running and jumping and barking and s i t t i n g upright when the high school band played the national anthem. He realized that hating Snook and Monk d i d n ' t make much sense, only made his stomach ache. He looked out at the wide surface of the river, almost without seeing i t. Finally he took his clothes and shoes and moved off under the bluff, into underbrush. He wiped his eyes with his s h i r t - t a i l , scrubbing them too much, u n t i l they were red. He waited for Snook and Monk to head off up the slag road, then went to his new bike and t r a i l e d them several yards a l l the way up to a level where they a l l could mount. After they a l l were riding, Jerry Weeks pedaled i n d i f f e r e n t l y , not wanting to be up with Snook and Monk, not wanting to hear t h e i r excuses and other s i l l y t a l k . But he heard i t anyway, as far back as he was. Snook's words were loud, intended for Jerry as well as Monk: "I didn't know there was a l l i g a t o r s in the r i v e r ." "Me n e i t h e r , " said Monk. "Glad I wasn't the one done i t ." "Don't t r y to put i t on me!" Snook snapped. "You was the one started talking i t ." "I a i n ' t going to t e l l nobody how i t happened, are you?" Monk said. "You b e t t e r not," Snook cautioned him, emphasizing every word. "We a i n ' t t o blame, anyhow." Monk agreed with him. "We d i d n ' t know, did we, Snook?" |