depopulate Ada, Texas.”
“It could be, I say again.”
“Either because of something that is here … or because of something that isn’t here.”
“No need to take a spanner to your logic,” saidFlynn. “But may I ask you—politely enough, mind—what the hell do you mean?”
“Supposing the Government of the United States wanted this area depopulated?”
“For what?”
“I don’t know for what. Thermonuclear testing?”
“There’s an explosive idea.”
“To use the area as a radioactive-materials dump?”
“There’s a deeper idea.”
There was a crash from the other end of the counter.
A chili bowl was smashed on the floor.
No one—not the counterman, not the three young men—moved to do anything about it.
The four men were watching Flynn.
“We’re really cooking up some ideas here,” Flynn said. “But tell me, Ducey … do I recall the name right?”
“Yes. Ducey.”
“Don’t you have a letter in your pocket from the President of the United States sayin’ the whole thing is a mystery even to the government he runs?”
“It may be a mystery to him. The president has no idea what goes on in most branches of his government.”
“But something like this …”
“It wouldn’t be the first time agencies of the United States Government worked at cross-purposes.”
“Indeed it wouldn’t,” said Flynn. “Indeed not. No indeed.”
Flynn took out his wallet and placed a dollar bill on the counter.
“For the water,” he said to the counterman.
The counterman approached, staring at the dollar bill.
“I’ll see you in Austin tonight,” Ducey said.
“What makes you think I’m going back to Austin?”
“Because I saw you leave your hotel this morningwithout any luggage,” she answered. “As I was driving up.”
The counterman said, “What’s this?”
“A dollar,” said Flynn. “For the water.”
“Are you insulting me?” asked the counterman.
At the end of the counter, the three young men stood up. They began to approach.
One still had the opened knife in his hand.
“You want more than a dollar?” said Flynn.
He had put his wallet away.
The counterman slid the dollar toward Flynn.
“In Texas, mister,” the counterman said, “we don’t charge a thirsty man for a drink of water.”
“I see,” said Flynn.
“Take your dollar.”
“I will,” said Flynn.
He did.
Flynn stood up and found the three young men standing close to him.
The young man with the knife said, “Where’re you from, mister?”
“I guess you could say I’m from Ireland,” said Flynn.
“Ireland?” said the young man who had blushed.
The man with the knife said, “I knew you were a stranger, right enough.”
“Yeats was Irish,” said the blusher. “You know Yeats, the poet?”
“I do,” said Flynn. “I mean, humbly, I know his work.”
The blusher said:
“
I will arise and go now, and
go to Innisfree
,
And a small cabin build there
,
of clay and wattles made
.”
“Indeed,” said Flynn.
The young man who had said “Uh! Uh! Uh!” andtried to imitate Flynn’s lilt said, “G.B.S. was Irish, too.”
“G.B.S.?”
“George Bernard Shaw.”
“He was,” said Flynn. “Isn’t it marvelous what Irish ears have made of the English language?”
The man with the knife said, “How do you like Texas?”
“It’s a surprising place,” said Flynn. “I take it you gentlemen are not from Ada?”
They laughed.
“No one’s from Ada,” one said. “Not anymore. They split.”
“It looked a deserted place,” said Flynn. “What happened to it?”
“Everyone up and left.”
“But why?”
“Why not?”
Mostly they were looking at Ducey Webb.
“There must be a reason,” said Flynn.
“None we know of. They all just up and left.”
“This young lady is Ms. Ducey Webb,” said Flynn.
The blusher asked, “Are you an actress?”
“No,” said Ducey. “I work for the government.”
“Get out of here,” said the grunter, laughing.
The
“It could be, I say again.”
“Either because of something that is here … or because of something that isn’t here.”
“No need to take a spanner to your logic,” saidFlynn. “But may I ask you—politely enough, mind—what the hell do you mean?”
“Supposing the Government of the United States wanted this area depopulated?”
“For what?”
“I don’t know for what. Thermonuclear testing?”
“There’s an explosive idea.”
“To use the area as a radioactive-materials dump?”
“There’s a deeper idea.”
There was a crash from the other end of the counter.
A chili bowl was smashed on the floor.
No one—not the counterman, not the three young men—moved to do anything about it.
The four men were watching Flynn.
“We’re really cooking up some ideas here,” Flynn said. “But tell me, Ducey … do I recall the name right?”
“Yes. Ducey.”
“Don’t you have a letter in your pocket from the President of the United States sayin’ the whole thing is a mystery even to the government he runs?”
“It may be a mystery to him. The president has no idea what goes on in most branches of his government.”
“But something like this …”
“It wouldn’t be the first time agencies of the United States Government worked at cross-purposes.”
“Indeed it wouldn’t,” said Flynn. “Indeed not. No indeed.”
Flynn took out his wallet and placed a dollar bill on the counter.
“For the water,” he said to the counterman.
The counterman approached, staring at the dollar bill.
“I’ll see you in Austin tonight,” Ducey said.
“What makes you think I’m going back to Austin?”
“Because I saw you leave your hotel this morningwithout any luggage,” she answered. “As I was driving up.”
The counterman said, “What’s this?”
“A dollar,” said Flynn. “For the water.”
“Are you insulting me?” asked the counterman.
At the end of the counter, the three young men stood up. They began to approach.
One still had the opened knife in his hand.
“You want more than a dollar?” said Flynn.
He had put his wallet away.
The counterman slid the dollar toward Flynn.
“In Texas, mister,” the counterman said, “we don’t charge a thirsty man for a drink of water.”
“I see,” said Flynn.
“Take your dollar.”
“I will,” said Flynn.
He did.
Flynn stood up and found the three young men standing close to him.
The young man with the knife said, “Where’re you from, mister?”
“I guess you could say I’m from Ireland,” said Flynn.
“Ireland?” said the young man who had blushed.
The man with the knife said, “I knew you were a stranger, right enough.”
“Yeats was Irish,” said the blusher. “You know Yeats, the poet?”
“I do,” said Flynn. “I mean, humbly, I know his work.”
The blusher said:
“
I will arise and go now, and
go to Innisfree
,
And a small cabin build there
,
of clay and wattles made
.”
“Indeed,” said Flynn.
The young man who had said “Uh! Uh! Uh!” andtried to imitate Flynn’s lilt said, “G.B.S. was Irish, too.”
“G.B.S.?”
“George Bernard Shaw.”
“He was,” said Flynn. “Isn’t it marvelous what Irish ears have made of the English language?”
The man with the knife said, “How do you like Texas?”
“It’s a surprising place,” said Flynn. “I take it you gentlemen are not from Ada?”
They laughed.
“No one’s from Ada,” one said. “Not anymore. They split.”
“It looked a deserted place,” said Flynn. “What happened to it?”
“Everyone up and left.”
“But why?”
“Why not?”
Mostly they were looking at Ducey Webb.
“There must be a reason,” said Flynn.
“None we know of. They all just up and left.”
“This young lady is Ms. Ducey Webb,” said Flynn.
The blusher asked, “Are you an actress?”
“No,” said Ducey. “I work for the government.”
“Get out of here,” said the grunter, laughing.
The
Similar Books
