Madden. Did you want to see Florence? [Mix pauses in his whistling.]
Mix. Sure. Nothin' important, though. Just about a little party she said you an' she was goin' t' take me on t'night. [He commences whistling cheerily the opening bars of his refrain.]
Madden [dully]. Sorry. I don't know anythin' about it.
[Mix stops whistling suddenly and looks down with dismay. Then, with his hands in his pockets, he slowly whistles the four descending notes at the end of the third bar and the beginning of the fourth. He stops and shakes his head, then slowly whistles a few more bars of the refrain, starting where he just left off, and letting himself drop into the morris chair on the descending note in the fifth bar. After another brief silence he finishes the refrain, but with a sudden return of the same quick, light mood in which he entered. The refrain over, he begins again at the beginning and whistles two or three more bars. Madden has meanwhile sat down at the table and is again going over the bills.]
Mix. Jim—ever get a piece runnin' in yer head so y' can't get it out? [Madden is looking vacantly down at the bills.] I s'pose I been w'istlin' that tune steady f'r three whole weeks. [He whistles three or four more bars of the same refrain.] Like it? [Madden does not appear to have heard him.] P'raps Florrie's got th' record f'r that on th' phornograph. Has she, Jim? It ain't been out long.
Madden [impatiently]. Oh, I don't know, Ed.
Mix [after whistling very softly a bar or two more]. I see some girl fell in the river.
Madden [startled]. What?
Mix. Yep. They was tryin' t' make her come to. No use. She was a goner all right.
Madden [rising from his chair. Trying to control himself.] Where was this?