He wore his Sunday clothes, very thick
and hot for the weather, an unstarched white shirt, and a blue necktie
with big white dots, like a little boy's, tied in a flowing bow. Cuzak
began at once to talk about his holiday--from politeness he spoke in
English.
"Mama, I wish you had see the lady dance on the slack-wire in the street
at night. They throw a bright light on her and she float through the air
something beautiful, like a bird! They have a dancing bear, like in the
old country, and two three merry-go-around, and people in balloons, and
what you call the big wheel, Rudolph?"
"A Ferris wheel," Rudolph entered the conversation in a deep baritone
voice. He was six foot two, and had a chest like a young blacksmith. "We
went to the big dance in the hall behind the saloon last night, mother,
and I danced with all the girls, and so did father. I never saw so many
pretty girls. It was a Bohunk crowd, for sure. We did n't hear a word of
English on the street, except from the show people, did we, papa?"
Cuzak nodded. "And very many send word to you, Antonia. You will
excuse"--turning to me--"if I tell her." While we walked toward the house he
related incidents and delivered messages in the tongue he spoke fluently,
and I dropped a little behind, curious to know what their relations had
become--or remained. The two seemed to be on terms of easy friendliness,
touched with humor.
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