The Amboy Dukes by Irving Shulman

you,” Mitch said. “You must be a bunch of heels. Why’d you guys chalk up the shul? You guys know I got a brother in the Army? You know he was wounded in the Liri Valley and is still in the hospital? How do you think he feels about you guineas coming into Brownsville and marking up our shuls?”
    “We didn’t do nothing.” The second Puerto Rican tried to edge away, but Crazy blocked him.
    “That’s what you say,” Black Benny said. “You look like the guys who must’ve done it. What the hell else would you be doing out here?”
    “We’re coming from a party in Canarsie. Honest.”
    “So why’d you go around chalking up shuls?”
    “We didn’t!”
    Crazy Sachs approached them and grabbed one of them by the tie and yanked him forward. “You calling us liars?” The Puerto Rican struggled to break free, and Crazy hit him a short jab in the stomach that knocked the wind out of him.
    That was the signal. Frank went for the fellow he had tripped and kicked him in the right shin. As the fellow winced and doubled up with pain Frank’s knee caught him under the chin and he was knocked cold before he even hit the sidewalk. Then Black Benny kicked him in the face, and they turned to gang up on the other two boys, who were trying to defend themselves. Bull Bronstein was slugging one of them with looping roundhouse rights and lefts, and finally they were down, bleeding from their noses and mouths.
    “You see, you bastards,” Crazy panted, “what happens when you get tough! Now I am gonna finish you off!”
    He drew his spring knife and approached one of them and jabbed him in the arm and ripped down. The boy screamed with pain, and Crazy kicked him in the face. Then he started to run and the Dukes ran after him.
    “You stupid son of a bitch,” Mitch said to Crazy, “what did ya cut him for?”
    “Because he’s a guinea and painted swastikas on shuls.”
    “Aw, shut up!” Mitch replied, and saved his breath for running.
    They ran for a couple of blocks, and when they felt safe they turned back up Douglass Street to Pitkin Avenue. Crazy was walking in front and singing to himself, and every once in a while he would skip a couple of steps and shake his head. Then he walked along with one foot on the sidewalk and one in the gutter and told them that he was crippled. Frank turned away from him with repugnance and dislike.
    “Boy,” Crazy said as they stood on the corner, “we sure had us a time tonight. Getting laid and everything. Though we shouldn’t have let her get away with the dough.”
    Frank looked at him. “Can’t you stop talking?”
    “What the hell’s eating you?” Crazy replied. “I’m not botherin’ you.”
    Suddenly Frank hit him flush in the mouth and knocked him to the sidewalk. Crazy was dazed and shook his head, but before he could get up Frank hit him another smashing blow in the jaw, and as he fell prone Frank kicked him twice in the kidneys. Crazy was through.
    “That,” Frank said to them, “is what he gets for fooling around with my sister.”
    “Did he do that?” Larry asked him quietly.
    “The son of a bitch, he did. This morning the kid was looking out of the window and she was wearing her nightgown, and Crazy saw her and did something. He can’t do that to my sister.”
    Mitch helped Crazy to his feet, and Frank turned to him. “I’m warning you,” he said to Crazy, “if you ever bother my sister I’m gonna cut you into ribbons. Understand?”
    Crazy rubbed his jaw. “You hit me when I wasn’t lookin’.”
    “I’ll clout you again, you goon.” Frank drew back his fist, but Black Benny held him. “You just don’t bother my sister. If I ever catch you looking at her I’ll ruin you. I’m just warning you and I’m not kidding.” Then Frank shook Benny’s hands from his arm and walked down Amboy Street to his tenement.
    He felt lousy. Almost one o’clock in the morning and his eyes ached and he didn’t know how the hell he was going to get up in the