364
PARTISAN REVIEW
"Like I told you," Jesse began the same speech he always gave
when Cade was out of work, "I would do anything for you on ac–
count of your brother. He saved my life in the goddam army and
I ain't never going to forget that."
Cade made his little expression of boredom which was to pinch
the bridge of his nose.
"But you got to work sometimes!" Jesse exploded. "I don't
get enough for two!"
Cade grimaced, and did not let go the bridge of his nose be–
cause he knew this irritated Jesse almost as much as his picking did,
but Jesse could not criticize him for just holding his nose, and that
made
him
all
the angrier.
"And you stay out of them arcades too!" Jesse said to Cade.
"Spending the money looking at them pictures," Jesse began. "For
the love of. ..." Suddenly Jesse stopped short.
"For the love of what?" Cade jumped him. He knew the reason
that Jesse did not finish the sentence with a swear word was he
went now to the Jesus Saves Mission every night, and since he had
got religion he had quit being quite so' friendly to Cade as before,
cooler and more distant, and he talked, like today, about how good
work is for everybody.
"That old man at the trucking office should have never told
you you had a low IQ," Jesse returned to this difficulty of Cade's
finding work.
But this remark did not touch Cade today.
"Jesse," Cade said, "I don't care about it."
"You don't care!" Jesse flared up.
"That's right," Cade said, and he got up and took out a piece
of cigarette from his pants cuff, and lit a match to the stub. "I don't
believe in IQs," Cade said.
"Did you get that butt off the street?" Jesse wanted to know,
his protective manner making his voice soft again.
"I ain't answering that question," Cade told him.
"Cade, why don't you be nice to me like you used to be," Jesse
said.
"Why don't
I
be nice to
you!"
Cade exclaimed with savagery.
Suddenly frightened, Jesse said, "Now simmer down." He was
always afraid when Cade suddenly acted too excited.
