8 2
PARTISAN REVIEW
maybe you think that he'll show you his
10
card, and in the place
marked 'Occupation' it'll say: 'woman-killer'? No; he'll come in the
night and murder you." The compassion with which Kohoutek's mother
spoke was boundless.
"Why would he kill me?" the Postmaster, Kohoutek's grandfather,
defended himself. "I'm not a woman."
"I know," Kohoutek's mother said slowly and almost calmly, "I
know that you're all thinking about me, and that you can't wait for me
to die."
"Please don't get upset." The pastor's wife had been silent up to this
point, sitting motionless with her head bowed and her gaze fixed on her
empty plate; now, however, she sat up straight and sparks danced in her
handsome eyes. "Please don't get upset; no one wants you dead or
wishes you any harm."
"I know, 1 know," twittered Kohoutek's mother, "you and your hus–
band don 't wish me anything bad; but how can a stranger be let into the
house without a second thought?"
"Now you've made your mother cry!" roared Kohoutek's father all
of a sudden. "Your mother's weeping because of you; do I really have to
kill you to stop you doing that again?
00
it one more time," he added
more quietly, "and it'll be your head I come after."
"Don't you raise your hand to him, OudCls." Out of the blue
Kohoutek's mother came to his defense. "You know how long it took
him to get over the scarlet fever."
Translated from the Polish
by
Bill Johnston
