Part 27 (1/2)
”A 7”
”Right you are What cell?”
”6 K”
”An' this isBob,” a heavy bass comments from above
”Shut up, Curley, I'm on th' line I'm in 6 F, Aleck, top tier Call me up any time I'm in, ha, ha! You see, pipe's runnin' up an' down, an' you can talk to any range you want, but always to th' same cell as you're in, Cell 6, understand? Now if you wan' t' talk to Cell 14, to Shorty, you know--”
”I don't want to talk to Shorty I don't know him, Bob”
”Yes, you do You list'n what I tell you, Aleck, an' you'll be all right That'sBob, see? Now, I say if you'd like t' chew th' rag with Shorty, you jest tell ht Are you on? Knoho's Shorty?”
”No”
”Yo oughter That's Carl, Carl Nold Know _him_, don't you?”
”What!” I cry in astonishallery?”
”Sure thing Cell 14”
”Why didn't you say so at once? You've been talking ten minutes now Did you see him?”
”What's your hurry, Aleck? _You_ can't see 'im; not jest now, anyway
P'r'aps biot plenty o'
time A few years, _rather_, ha, ha, ha!”
”Hey, there, Horsethief, quit that!” I recognize ”Curley's” deep bass
”What do you want to make the kid feel bad for?”
”No harm meant, Curley,” Bob returns, ”I was jest joshi+n' him a bit”
”Well, quit it”
”You don' ain, his tones softened, ”I didn' mean t' hurt your feelin's I'er on that Say, I've got somethin' for you from Shorty, I mean Carl, you savvy?”
”What have you, Bob?”