Part 19 (1/2)
”How old?”
”Two.”
”She's a darling! What's her name?”
”Name's Annie.”
”Named after you?”
”Sure!”
”You wouldn't mind if I gave her a peppermint to suck?”
”Would you mind some candy, Annie?”
”_Candy_!” shrieked the child.
Joe dove into his bulging pocket and produced a good hard white one.
Annie s.n.a.t.c.hed it up and sucked joyously.
”Thank the man, Annie.”
”Thank you.”
”Is this your only one, Mrs.--”
”Ca.s.sidy's my name! No, I've buried two others.”
”From this house?”
”No, we keep movin'--” Mrs. Ca.s.sidy laughed a little.
Joe made a grim face.
”Jump your rent, eh?”
Mrs. Ca.s.sidy shrugged her shoulders.
”What can poor people do?”
”But hasn't Mr. Ca.s.sidy a job?”
”He has when he has it--but it's b.u.m work. Slave like a n.i.g.g.e.r and then laid off for six months, maybe.”
”What kind of work is that?”
”'Longsh.o.r.e--he's a 'longsh.o.r.eman.”
”And when he's unemployed you have a hard time, don't you?”