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绿里奇迹(英文版)-第24章

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As for The Pres; someone shoved him face…first into a vat of dry…cleaning fluid and held him there。 When the guards pulled him out again; his face was almost entirely gone。 They had to ID him by his fingerprints。 On the whole; he might have been better off with Old Sparky 。。。 but then he never would have had those extra twelve years; would he? I doubt he thought much about them; though; in the last minute or so of his life; when his lungs were trying to learn how to breathe Hexlite and lye cleanser。 
They never caught whoever did for him。 By then I was out of the corrections line of work; but Harry Terwilliger wrote and told me。 〃He got muted mostly because he was white;〃 Harry wrote; 〃but he got it in the end; just the same。 I just think of it as a long stay of execution that finally ran out。〃 
There e for us in E Block; once The Pres was gone。 Harry and Dean were temporarily reassigned; and it was just me; Brutal; and Percy on the Green Mile for a little bit。 Which actually meant just me and Brutal; because Percy kept pretty much to himself。 I tell you; that young man was a genius at finding things not to do。 And every so often (but only when Percy wasn't around); the other guys would show up to have what Harry liked to call 〃a good gab。〃 On many of these occasions the mouse would also show up。 We'd feed him and he'd sit there eating; just as solemn as Solomon; watching us with his bright little oilspot eyes。 
That was a good few weeks; calm and easy even with Percy's more than occasional carping。 But all good things e to an end; and on a rainy Monday in late July … have I told you how rainy and dank that summer was? … I found myself sitting on the bunk of an open cell and waiting for Eduard Delacroix。 
He came with an unexpected bang。 The door leading into the exercise yard slammed open; letting in a 
flood of light; there was a confused rattle of chains; a frightened voice babbling away in a mixture of English and Cajun French (a patois the cons at Cold Mountain used to call da bayou); and Brutal hollering; 〃Hey! Quit it! For Chrissakes! Quit it; Percy!〃 
I had been half…dozing on what was to bee Delacroix's bunk; but I was up in a hurry; my heart slugging away hard in my chest。 Noise of that kind on E Block almost never happened until Percy came; he brought it along with him like a bad smell。 
〃e on; you fuckin French…fried faggot!〃 Percy yelled; ignoring Brutal pletely。 And here he came; dragging a guy not much bigger than a bowling pin by one arm。 In his other hand; Percy had his baton。 His teeth were bared in a strained grimace; and his face was bright red。 Yet he did not look entirely unhappy。 Delacroix was trying to keep up with him; but he had the legirons on; and no matter how fast he shuffled his feet; Percy pulled him along faster。 I sprang out of the cell just in time to catch him as he fell; and that was how Del and I were introduced。 
Percy rounded on him; baton raised; and I held him back with one arm。 Brutal came puffing up to us; looking as shocked and nonplussed by all this as I felt。 
〃Don't let him hit me no mo; m'sieu;〃 Delacroix babbled。 〃S'il vous plait; s'il vous plait!〃 
〃Let me at im; let me at im!〃 Percy cried; lunging forward。 He began to hit at Delacroix's shoulders with his baton。 Delacroix held his arms up; screaming; and the stick went whap…whap…whap against the sleeves of his blue prison shirt。 I saw him that night with the shirt off; and that boy had bruises from Christmas to Easter。 Seeing them made me feel bad。 He was a murderer; and nobody's darling; but that's not the way we did things on E Block。 Not until Percy came; anyhow。 
〃Whoa! Whoa!〃 I roared。 〃Quit that! What's it all about; anyway?〃 I was trying to get my body in between Delacroix's and Percy's; but it wasn't working very well。 Percy's club continued to flail away; now on one side of me and now on the other。 Sooner or later he was going to bring one down on me instead of on his intended target; and then there was going to be a brawl right here in this corridor; no matter who his relations were。 I wouldn't be able to help myself; and Brutal was apt to join in。 In some ways; you know; I wish we'd done it。 It might have changed some of the things that happened later on。 
〃Fucking faggot! I'll teach you to keep your hands off me; you lousy bum…puncher!〃 
Whap! Whap! Whap! And now Delacroix was bleeding from one ear and screaming。 I gave up trying to shield him; grabbed him by one shoulder; and hurled him into his cell; where he went sprawling on the bunk。 Percy darted around me and gave him a final hard whap on the butt … one to go on; you could say。 Then Brutal grabbed him … Percy … I mean … by the shoulders and hauled him across the corridor。 
I grabbed the cell door and ran it shut on its tracks。 Then I turned to Percy; my shock and bewilderment at war with pure fury。 Percy had been around about several months at that point; long enough for all of us to decide we didn't like him very much; but that was the first time I fully understood how out of control he was。 
He stood watching me; not entirely without fear … he was a coward at heart; I never had any doubt of that … but still confident that his connections would protect him。 In that he was correct。 I suspect there are people who wouldn't understand why that was; even after all I've said; but they would be people who only know the phrase Great Depression from the history books。 If you were there; it was a lot more than a phrase in a book; and if you had a steady job; brother; you'd do almost anything to keep it。 
The color was fading out of Percy's face a little by then; but his cheeks were still flushed; and his hair; which was usually swept back and gleaming with brilliantine; had tumbled over his forehead。 
〃What in the Christ was that all about?〃 I asked。 〃I have never … I have never! … had a prisoner beaten onto my block before!〃 
〃Little fag bastard tried to cop my joint when I pulled him out of the van;〃 Percy said。 〃He had it ing; and I'd do it again。〃 
I looked at him; too flabbergasted for words。 I couldn't imagine the most predatory homosexual on God's green earth doing what Percy had just described。 Preparing to move into a crossbar apartment on the Green Mile did not; as a rule; put even the most deviant of prisoners in a sexy mood。 
I looked back at Delacroix; cowering on his bunk with his arms still up to protect his face。 There were cuffs on his wrists and a chain running between his ankles。 Then I turned to Percy 〃Get out of here;〃 I said。 〃I'll want to talk to you later。〃 
〃Is this going to be in your report?〃 he demanded truculently。 〃Because if it is; I can make a report of my own; you know。〃 
I didn't want to make a report; I only wanted him out of my sight。 I told him so。 
〃The matter's closed;〃 I finished。 I saw Brutal looking at me disapprovingly; but ignored it。 〃Go on; get out of here。 Go over to Admin and tell them you're supposed to read letters and help in the package room。〃 
〃Sure。〃 He had his posure back; or the crackheaded arrogance that served him as posure。 He brushed his hair back from his forehead with his hands … soft and white and small; the hands of a girl in her early teens; you would have th
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