It AS RAINING t morning, and still very dark. reetcar café finise and in for a cup of coffee. t café oter and stingy man called Leo. After ty street, t: along ter tton mill, and in a corner a man o trap and raised t flap up over tle ear; often as o t look into alking. to him:
quot;Son! ;
urned back and to of th a big nose and faded orange hair.
quot;;
t to of the paper sack. his face was shallow, freckled, and his eyes were round child eyes.
quot;Yeaer?quot;
turned o the boy shrank back uneasily.
quot;Say! s t;
t .
t;I love you.quot;
All along ter t knoo do. er at Leo, and Leo ctle jeer. tried to laug the man was serious and sad.
quot;I did not mean to tease you, Son,quot; ;Sit do;
Cautiously, out of tioned ter to see o t and did not notice a cup of coffee on ter and a little jug of cream.
quot;; Leo said.
to tool. urned flap of t ;It is important,quot; and broug someto see.
quot;Look very carefully,quot; he said.
tared, but to look at very carefully. tograp blurred, so t only t and tood out clearly.
quot;See?quot; the man asked.
ture in anding on a beac. t made omac iced.
quot;Got a good look?quot; ;You ever seen ;
t motionless, staring slant t;Not so I kno;
quot;Very ; tograp to . quot;t ;
quot;Dead?quot; the boy asked.
Slo to ;Nuuu --quot; ;I ;
ter before t pick it up to drink. Instead doting ed t. tilted the mug and sipped.
quot;Some nigo sleep ; said Leo. quot;Prominent transient dro e deat;
tried to signal to Leo. looking o question soundlessly: quot;Drunk?quot; But Leo only raised urned ao put some pink strips of bacon on traiger. t blink, but from time to time te gravity over ed t of the paper sack.
quot;I am talking about love,quot; t;it is a science.quot;
tool. But t let him go away.
quot;tograp ss and luxuries. It never crept into my brain t s satisfied. But do you know w ;
quot;Mgneeo; said Leo.
t take ;S me. I came in one nigy and s me.quot;
quot;it; the boy asked.
Gently ter. quot;urally, Son. A run off like t alone.quot;
t, t rain black and endless in treet outside. Leo pressed do;So you ;
For t time t Leo. quot;Please dont be vulgar. Besides, I speaking to you.quot; urned back to trusting and secretive undertone. quot;Lets not pay any attention to ;
tfully.
quot;It ; tinued. quot;I am a person . tty girl. One ter anot t is t o finisself up or fit in ion of terwards laying around loose in me. I was a man w;
Very sloain dra ted and t -- to tremble.
quot;t ty-one years old and sy. I met a filling station and it cant tell you. All I oget was finis;
topped suddenly and stroked o a steady and reproacone: quot;Im not explaining t. iful feelings and loose little pleasures inside me. And ttle pieces of myself t complete. No;
quot; he boy asked.
quot;O; ;I called t is immaterial.quot;
quot;Did you try to make ;
t seem to ;Under tances you can imagine ;
Leo took trips of it beted eyes, and a pinc blue s. give refills on coffee free. te breakfast t tter Leo kneingier reated t to himself.
quot;And you never got ;
t knoo tain y and doubt. e; it ill strange to o be out in tohe black, queer early morning.
quot;Yes,quot; t;I took a number of steps to get around trying to locate to tulsa to every too me, and I ed doulsa, Atlanta, Cter part of trying to lay ;
quot;But t; said Leo.
quot;Dont listen to ; tially. quot;And also just forget t important. matters is t around to o me.quot;
quot;?quot; the boy asked.
tilted o take a sip of beer. But as rils fluttered sligaleness of t drink. quot;Love is a curious to begin first I t only of getting time on I tried to remember do you know w ;
quot;No,quot; the boy said.
quot;ried to t see ake out ures and look. No good. Not?quot;
quot;Say Mac!quot; Leo called doer. quot;Can you imagine t;
Slorated and fixed on ttle face of the paper boy.
quot;But a sudden piece of glass on a sideune in a music box. A s nig migreet and I . You follo;
quot;A piece of glass. . .quot; the boy said.
quot;Anyto remember up a kind of s remembering dont come to a man face for corners around side tead of me combing tryside to find o c;
t; part of try ;
quot;Oo; t;I al. It I boozed. I fornicated. I committed any sin t suddenly appealed to me. I am loato confess it but I is all curdled in my mind, it errible.quot;
tapped er. For a feion, tringy neck covered o palm in an attitude of prayer. traig and tremulous and old.
quot;It it ; ;And I started my science.quot;
Leos mout;ell none of ting any younger,quot; doailed old Romeo!quot;
quot; ; the boy asked.
t;Peace,quot; he answered.
quot;;
quot;It is o explain scientifically, Son,quot; ;I guess tion is t s finally got tangled up toget. Peace. A queer and beautiful blankness. It land and ternoon. All evening I just stayed t is o me.quot;
treetcar . ttees before t outside. t silently over ts. Leos clock icking on the wall.
quot;It is ten carefully. I meditated on love and reasoned it out. I realized time. And ;
t moutly open and answer.
quot;A ; t;it science, o go by, take t dangerous and sacred experience in Gods eart correct, Son?quot;
quot;Yea; tly.
quot;tart at t t is so miserable? Do you know ;
t. le little shake and his green eyes gazed down unblinking and grave.
quot;Son, do you know ;
t small and listening and still. Slowly he old man leaned closer and whispered:
quot;A tree. A rock. A cloud.quot;
It ill raining outside in treet: a mild, gray, endless rain. tle ble and t a Leo, ttle paper boy.
quot;tland,quot; ;At time my science ated and I started very cautious. I reet and take it a goldfisrated on t. I graduated from one to anotting tecland to San Diego --quot;
quot;A; screamed Leo suddenly. quot;S up! S up!quot;
till ; rembling and and brig;For six years noer, Son. I can love anyto t it even. I see a street full of people and a beautiful ligc a traveler on tranger and all loved! Do you realize ;
tiffly, iger edge. Finally ;Did you ever really find t lady?quot;
quot;? say, Son?quot;
quot;I mean,quot; timidly. quot;;
turned a time tered look. ed ter, drank doo side. t;No, Son. You see t is t step in my science. I go cautious. And I am not quite ready yet.quot;
quot;ell!quot; said Leo. quot;ell ;
tood in t;Remember,quot; of t . quot;Remember I love you,quot; nod. And tly behind him.
t speak for a long time. tle forefinger around ty cup. t looking at Leo he finally asked:
quot;as ;
quot;No,quot; said Leo sly.
t;t;
quot;No.quot;
t Leo, and little face e, and s;as ic?quot; t. quot;Leo? Or not?quot;
But Leo anseen years, and o be a critic of craziness. toransients to satisfy tions of ting cig.
So t flap of and as urned to leave t seemed safe to could not be laughed down and despised:
quot; of traveling.quot;
Scan Notes, v3.0: Proofed carefully, italics and special cers intact. Cises to quot;American Quotesquot;.