adventures. If I didnt have these two legs Id be over in England mak-
ing a fortune in the factories like the rest of the Irishmen, like your
father. No, not like your father. I hear he left you high and dry, eh? I
dont know how a man in his right mind can go off and leave a wife
and family to starve and shiver in a Limerick winter. School, Frankie,
school. The books, the books, the books. Get out of Limerick before
your legs rot and your mind collapses entirely.
The horse clops along and when we get to the coal yard we feed
and water him and give him a rubdown. Mr. Hannon talks to him all
the time and calls him Me oul segosha, and the horse snuffles and
pushes his nose against Mr. Hannons chest. Id love to bring this horse
home and let him stay downstairs when were up in Italy but even if I
could get him in the door my mother would yell at me that the last
thing we need in this house is a horse.
The streets going up from the Dock Road are too hilly for Mr.
Hannon to ride the bicycle and carry me, so we walk. His legs are sore
from the day and it takes a long time to get up to Henry Street.He leans
on the bicycle or sits on the steps outside houses, grinding down on the
pipe in his mouth.
Im wondering when Ill get the money for the days work because
Mam might let me go to the Lyric Cinema if I get home in time with
my shilling or whatever Mr. Hannon gives me. Now were at the door
of Souths pub and he tells me come in, didnt he promise me a
lemonade?
Uncle Pa Keating is sitting in the pub.Hes all black as usual and hes
sitting next to Bill Galvin, all white as usual, snuffling and taking great
slugs out of his black pint. Mr. Hannon says, Howre you? and sits on
the other side of Bill Galvin and everyone in the pub laughs. Jaysus, says
the barman, look at that, two lumps of coal and a snowball. Men come
in from other parts of the pub to see the two coal-black men with the
lime-white man in the middle and they want to send down to the Lim-
erick Leader for a man with a camera.
Uncle Pa says,What are you doing all black yourself, Frankie? Did
you fall down a coal mine?
I was helping Mr. Hannon on the float.
Your eyes look atrocious, Frankie. Piss holes in the snow.
Tis the coal dust, Uncle Pa.
Wash them when you go home.
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