Youll understand when you grow up. Everything will come when you
grow up.
He lets out such a roar of a laugh I think hes going to collapse. Oh,
Mother o God, Francis.Youre a treasure.Whats up with you? Do you
have a bee up your arse? Tell me whats up.
Nothing, Mr.Timoney.
I think you have the long puss, Francis, and I wish I could see it. Go
over to the mirror on the wall, Snow White, and tell me if you have the
long puss. Never mind. Just tell me whats up.
Declan Collopy was at me last night and I got into a fight.
He makes me tell him about the Confraternity and Declan and my
uncle Pat Sheehan, who was dropped on his head, and then he tells me
he knows my uncle Pa Keating, who was gassed in the war and works
in the gas works. He says, Pa Keating is a jewel of a man.And Ill tell you
what Ill do, Francis. Ill talk to Pa Keating and well go to the
crawthumpers at the Confraternity. Im a Buddhist myself and I dont
hold with fighting but I havent lost it.Theyre not going to interfere
with my little reader, oh, by Jesus, no.
Mr.Timoney is an old man but he talks like a friend and I can say
what I feel. Dad would never talk to me like Mr. Timoney. Hed say,
Och, aye, and go for a long walk.
Uncle Pat Sheehan tells Grandma he doesnt want me to help with
the papers anymore, he can get another boy much cheaper and he
thinks I should be giving him some of my Saturday morning sixpence
anyway since Id never have the reading job without him.
A woman next door to Mr.Timoney tells me Im wasting my time
knocking on the door, Macushla bit the postman, the milkman and a
passing nun on the same day and Mr.Timoney couldnt stop laughing
though he cried when the dog was taken away to be put down.You
can bite postmen and milkmen all you like but the case of the passing
nun goes all the way to the bishop and he takes steps especially if the
owner of the dog is a known Buddhist and a danger to good Catholics
around him. Mr.Timoney was told this and cried and laughed so hard
the doctor came and said he was gone beyond recall so they carted
him off to the City Home, where they keep old people who are help-
less or demented.
Thats the end of my Saturday sixpence but Ill read to Mr.Timo-
ney money or no money. I wait down the street till the woman next
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