Marie, crying and scolding and
rocking the vociferous infant, interrupted herself to tell him
that she wanted a ten-cent roll of cotton from the drug store,
and added that she hoped she would not have to wait until next
Christmas for it, either. Which bit of sarcasm so inflamed Bud's
rage that he swore every step of the way to Santa Clara Avenue,
and only stopped then because he happened to meet a friend who
was going down town, and they walked together.
At the drug store on the corner of Second Street Bud stopped
and bought the cotton, feeling remorseful for some of the
things he had said to Marie, but not enough so to send him back
home to tell her he was sorry. He went on, and met another friend
before he had taken twenty steps.
This friend was thinking of buying a certain second-hand
automobile that was offered at a very low price, and he wanted
Bud to go with him and look her over. Bud went, glad of the
excuse to kill the rest of the forenoon.
They took the car out and drove to Schutzen Park and back. Bud
opined that she didn't bark to suit him, and she had a knock in
her cylinders that shouted of carbon. They ran her into the
garage shop and went deep into her vitals, and because she jerked
when Bud threw her into second, Bud suspected that her bevel
gears had lost a tooth or two, and was eager to find out for
sure.
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