“With flourishes,” admits Hank. “She learns yuh stage actin’.”
“I’ve allus hankered to be a contortionist,” says Peewee. “Yuh don’t suppose she teaches yuh how to bend, do yuh?”
“Does that come under the headin’ of dramatic?”
“It shore would, if Peewee ever bent,” says I. “He lays on his back now to pull on his boots. But what in hell is a dramatic teacher doin’ in San Pablo?”
“It ain’t clear to me jist yet,” says Hank “Judgment Jones and her kinda holds several pow-wows, and it’s somethin’ to do with the church. Judgment has been tryin’ to raise money enough to buy himself some fresh pants, or a pulpit or a bell, or somethin’ needful for Christianity. He ain’t flourished yet, as yuh might say. He said he’d have some news for me in a short time.”
“That woman is pretty,” says Peewee. “You better keep away from her, Hank.”
“I’m a married man—and I’m satisfied.”
“Satisfied that yo’re married?”
“Thoroughly convinced,” said Hank sadly. “Oh, it’s all right with me, but when I see a damned old hi-ree-glyphic like Zibe Hightower shinin’ around her, grinnin’ like a Hallowe’en cat, I git hot. I said to him, ‘You ought to have more sense, you danged old shadder of a vanished age.’ And he says, ‘I’m single, ain’t I?’
“I told him he was worse than single—that he was minus one, and he got hot. Said jist because I was happily married, I was tryin’ to keep him from marriage bliss. Marriage bliss! And Mrs. Judgment Jones is kinda on the warpath, too. She thinks Judgment is showin’ this here D. T. woman too much attention. She told Mrs. Zeke Hardy that she knowed Judgment was smitten, ’cause for the first time in years and years he washed the back of his neck. She said the only reason Judgment faces the devil is ’cause he’s ashamed to turn around on account of his neck. Oh, I dunno. The whole town is kinda stirred up.”