AN INSIDE ST .ORY
281
Gabriel paused for effect.
"Man, what happened then?" asked Paddles, interested in part
by the intense harshness of Gabriel's tone.
"'Then we had intercourse for the rest of the night,''' said
Gabriel in a tone which was sweet, and tender, and soft, and
imme–
diatdy thereafter resumed his previous tone, harsh and contemptuous.
"'Next morning we left the f--n room, and the f--n hotel,
I kissed the f--n dame good-by and took the f--n bus back to
this f--n camp and now I have to wait a f--n month before
I get out of this f--n concentration camp again!' "
"What's so funny about that story?" asked Paddles, bored and
tired.
"Who said it was funny?" said Gabriel. "Are
all
stories sup–
posed to be funny?"
Paddles said nothing.
They moved through the darkened
Vienna Woods
and closed
the door and shivered a little in the dead street of after-midnight.
"Man," said Paddles to Gabriel as a way of saying good night,
"some one of these days you are going to have to blow that horn!"
At the round sky's imagined circles, blow
Your trumpets, Angels, and arise, arise
Before the fission foams up to the sky's
White upon white upon light and untouched snow:
Now let your trumps declare. once more, once more!
That love is the fulfiUing of the law!
