按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
king in empty cells。
〃Boss Edgebe！〃 The。 President called。 〃Do you think that little bastard knows Wetmore isn't here？ I do； by God！〃
I felt about the same 。。。 but I wasn't going to say so out loud。
Harry came out into the hall； hitching up his pants the way he always did after he'd spent a refreshing few minutes in the can； and stood there with his eyes wide。 Toot…Toot was also staring； a sunken grin doing unpleasant things to the soft and toothless lower half of his face。
The mouse stopped in what was being its usual spot； curled its tail around its paws； and looked at us。 Again I was reminded of pictures I had seen of judges passing sentence on hapless prisoners 。。。 yet； had there ever been a prisoner as small and unafraid as this one？ Not that it really was a prisoner； of course； it could e and go pretty much as it pleased。 Yet the idea would not leave my mind； and it again occurred to me that most of us would feel that small when approaching God's judgment seat after our lives were over； but very few of us would be able to look so unafraid。
〃Well； I swear；〃 Old Toot…Toot said。 〃There he sits； big as Billy…Be…Frigged。〃
〃You ain't seen nothing yet； Toot；〃 Harry said。 〃atch this。〃 He reached into his breast pocket and came out with a slice of cinnamon apple wrapped in waxed paper。 He broke off the end and tossed it on the floor。 It was dry and hard and I thought it would bounce right past the mouse； but it reached out one paw； as carelessly as a man swatting at a fly to pass the time； and batted it flat。 We all laughed in admiration and surprise； an outburst of sound that should have sent the mouse skittering； but it barely twitched。 It picked up the piece of dried apple in its paws； gave it a couple of licks； then dropped it and looked up at us as if to say； Not bad； what else do you have？
Toot…Toot opened his cart； took out a sandwich； unwrapped it； and tore off a scrap of bologna。
〃Don't bother；〃 Dean said。
'What do you mean？〃 Toot…Toot asked。 〃Ain't a mouse alive'd pass up bologna if he could get it。 You a crazy guy！〃
But I knew Dean was right； and I could see by Harry's face that he knew it； too。 There were floaters and there were regulars。 Somehow； that mouse seemed to know the difference。 Nuts； but true。
Old Toot…Toot tossed the scrap of bologna down； and sure enough； the mouse wouldn't have a thing to do with it； sniffed it once and then backed off a pace。
〃I'll be a goddamned son of a bitch；〃 Old Toot…Toot said； sounding offended。
I held out my hand。 〃Give it to me。〃
〃What … same sammitch？〃
〃Same one。 I'll pay for it。〃
Toot…Toot handed it over。 I lifted the top slice of bread； tore off another sliver of meat； and dropped it over the front of the duty desk。 The mouse came forward at once。 picked it up in its paws； and began to eat。 The bologna was gone before you could say Jack Robinson。
〃I'll be goddamned！〃 Toot…Toot cried。 〃Bloody hell！ Gimme dat！〃
He snatched back the sandwich； tore off a much larger piece of meat … not a scrap this time but a flap … and dropped it so close to the mouse that Steamboat Willy almost ended up wearing it for a hat。 It drew back again； sniffed （surely no mouse ever hit such a jackpot during the Depression … not in our state； at least）； and then looked up at us。
〃Go on； eat it！〃 Toot…Toot said； sounding more offended than ever。 〃What's wrong witchoo？〃
Dean took the sandwich and dropped a piece of meat … by then it was like some strange munion service。 The mouse picked it up at once and bolted it down。 Then it turned and went back down the corridor to the restraint room； pausing along the way to peer into a couple of empty cells and to take a brief investigatory tour of a third。 Once again the idea that it was looking for someone occurred to me； and this time I dismissed the thought more slowly。
〃I'm not going to talk about this；〃 Harry said。 He sounded as if he was half…joking； half…not。 〃First of all； nobody'd care。 Second； they wouldn't believe me if they did。〃
〃He only ate from you fellas；〃 Toot…Toot said。 He shook his head in disbelief； then bent laboriously over； picked up what the mouse had disdained； and popped it into his own toothless maw； where he be gan the job of gumming it into submission。 〃Now why he do dat？〃
〃I've got a better one；〃 Harry said。 〃How'd he know Percy was off？〃
〃He didn't；〃 I said。 〃It was just coincidence； that mouse showing up tonight。〃
Except that got harder and harder to believe as the days went by and the mouse showed up only when Percy was off； on another shift； or in another part of the prison。 We … Harry； Dean； Brutal； and me … decided that it must know Percy's voice； or his smell。
We carefully avoided too much discussion about the mouse itself … himself。 That； we seemed to have decided without saying a word； might go a long way toward spoiling something that was special； and beautiful； by virtue of its strangeness and delicacy。 Willy had chosen us； after all； in some way I do not understand； even now。 Maybe Harry came closest when he said it would do no good to tell other people； not just because they wouldn't believe but because they wouldn't care。
4。
Then it was time for the execution of Arlen Bitterbuck； in reality no chief but first elder of his tribe on the Washita Reservation； and a member of the Cherokee Council as well。 He had killed a man while drunk … while both of them were drunk； in fact。 The Chief had crushed the man's head with a cement block。 At issue had been a pair of boots。 So； on July seventeenth of that rainy summer； my council of elders intended for his life to end。
Visiting hours for most Cold Mountain prisoners were as rigid as steel beams； but that didn't hold for our boys on E Block。 So； on the sixteenth； Bitterbuck was allowed over to the long room adjacent to the cafeteria … the Arcade。 It was divided straight down the middle by mesh interwoven with strands of barbed wire。 Here The Chief would visit with his second wife and those of his children who would still treat with him。 It was time for the good…byes。
He was taken over there by Bill Dodge and two other floaters。 The rest of us had work to do … one hour to cram in at least two rehearsals。 Three； if we could manage it。
Percy didn't make much protest over being put in the switch room with Jack Van Hay for the Bitterbuck electrocution； he was too green to know if he was being given a good spot or a bad one。 What he did know was that he had a rectangular mesh window to look through； and although he probably didn't care to be looking at the back of the chair instead of the front； he would still be close enough to see the sparks flying。
Right outside that window was a black wall telephone with no crank or dial on it。 That phone could only ring in； and only from one place： the governor's office。 I've seen lots of jailhouse movies over the years where the official phone rings just as they're getting ready to pull the switch on some poor innocent sap； but ours never rang during all my years on E Block； never once。 In the movies； salvation is cheap。 So is innocence。 You pay a quarter； and a quarter's worth is just what you get。 Real life costs more； and most of the answers are different。
We had a tailor's dummy down in the tunnel for the run to the meatwagon； and we had Old Toot…Toot for the rest。 Over the years； Toot had somehow bee the traditional stand…in for the condemned； as time…honored in his way as the goose you sit down to on Christmas； whether you like goose or not。 Most of the other screws liked him； were amused by his funny accent … also French； but Canadian rather than Cajun； and softened into its own thing by his years of incarceration in the South。 Even Brutal got a kick out of Old Toot。 Not me； though。 I thought he was； in his way； an older and dimmer version of Percy ish to kill and cook his own meat but who did； all the same； just love the smell of a barbecue。
We were all there for the rehearsal； just as we would all be there for the main event。 Brutus Howell had been 〃put out；〃 as we said； which meant that he would place the cap； monitor the governor's phoneline； summon the doctor from his place by the wall if he was needed； and give the actual order to roll on two w