Bradbury, Ray - SSC 10 by The Anthem Sprinters (and Other Antics) (v2.1) Read Free Book Online Page B

would jump straight up if he heard.
    Finn
    I
won't tell him.
    Father (looking
sharp) Do you know him?
    Finn (pulling
his horns in) Now that you mention it, no
. . .
    Father (baffled)
    It
was over in a trice and Noonan gone. Said he'd stop this and stop
that and stop two of those and three of the next-worst.
I can't tell you what he
said he'd stop, of course, but stop it was, all up and down the line.
    finn has backed over to the
counter to hide the sign with his back. He is edgy.
    Finn Think of that.
    Father I am thinking
of it, Finn.
    finn has the
"machine," the sign, in his hands behind his back now.
    What's that
behind your back, Finn?
    Finn
    Why,
Father, it's —
    Crash! The damn thing has fallen to the floor, finn turns to look at the shards. He bends
to pick them up.
    Why,
it's kind of a— jigsaw puzzle, Father.
    Father I like puzzles.
    Finn Ah, you couldn't work this one—
    Father Let me try.
    finn reluctantly puts the
pieces on the bar. That don't look so difficult, now, Finn.
    Ftnn (to himself) More's the pity.
    Father Eh?
    Finn Will you have a drink while you work it,
Father?
    Father (working)
    This
piece would seem to go here . . . Eh? Yes, Finn, bless you, man . . . and this piece here. . . .
    FINN pours. FATHER LEARY tinkers.
    ... as I was saying. Noonan now . . . right on the
street! Nothing wrong really, I
suppose, confessing him in the open, God's
everywhere . . . but still ... it shook me ... why should old Tom? Stop this I will! he said, and stop that! and stop the others! (He tinkers with
the bits) Put this piece over here .
. . and move this about . . . There ... it seems to be a word, Finn.
    Finn (mock
surprise) Fancy that.
    leary shoves
some more bits about.
    Father S would seem to be the first letter of the puzzle.
    Finn Are you
sure?
    Father 5 ... T —that's
a T, ain't it? (He moves a last shard in
place)
    0           . . . P.
    Finn (brightly) "Stop!"
    Father (disquieted)
    I can
read, Finn.
    Finn
    I've
always spoke well of your education, sir.
    Father (musing)
    "Stop,"
Finn. Stop. Have you heard that word before in the last three minutes?
    Finn You may
have used it, sir.
    Father Tom
Noonan, didn't he use it, too?
    Finn
    We
mustn't talk of it, Father. The vows of the confessional—
    Father Finn!
    Finn (quietly) Yes, sir?
    Father Was Tom
Noonan in here lately?
    Finn
    Of recent date, Father?
    Father Date,
hell, man. The last hour?
    Finn
    Well,
in and out, Father.
    Father Which is
it, in or out?
    Finn It became a
trifle circuitous, Father, to coin a word.
    Father Circuitous? Do
you infer he weaved in circles, then?
    Finn
    I
only infer, Father, he made one arc coming and another going. Six arcs in all, Father.
    Father Broken
down, you say he arrived three times—
    Finn
    And
left just as many—
    Father In how long
a time?
    Finn
    It
was remarkable for its shortness, Father. He came and went, arrived and departed, came through the entrance
and looked for the exit.
    Father (toying
with the reconstructed sign) How do you account for his behavior, Finn?
    Finn His wife
had been nagging him, sir.
    Father And?
    Finn
    And
he had been drinking hard at it, down the road, I suppose, at Rooney's pub.
    Father Goon.
    Finn
    And
they heaved him out, no doubt, and he came up this way seeking more of the Same or the Usual, begging your pardon, Father. And when he came in the door, I can
only figure he saw this sign, sir.
    Father
    This sign made him go out and in three times, and then run to me to confess in broad daylight?
    Finn
    Yes,
sir. I figure for thirty years now, Noonan's wife
has yelled at him, STOP this, STOP that! STOP the next best
and the least- worst and the
half-between. "STOP!" she yells. But
mostly STOP DRINKING! It adds up, down the years.
Well, today, Noonan hears "STOP!"
from Rooney's bar, too, STOP! no more ale,
whisky, or whatever, STOP! and threw him out! So he comes up here, shell-shocked, it's reached the point,
after thirty years of his wife screaming and Rooney yelling. And he comes in