very expensive, but he wanted to apologize for not waking her to
tell her about the Lasky fight. He hadn't wanted to celebrate until
he had paid back the money to the relief office.
But when he got home, it wasn't the time for celebrating. Mike
Wilson's wife, Sara, was sitting on the sofa with her baby girl in
her arms. Her eyes were red from crying.
"Mike's gone," said Mae seriously. "It's been three days now."
"About a week after you left the docks, Jim, the foreman
stopped picking him for work," cried Sara. "I went to stay with my
brother. There wasn't room for Mike, so he's been sleeping in
Central Park." Sara looked straight at Jim. "He said he was going
to do some work for you. We were going to meet last night, but
Mike never came."
Silently, Mae pointed at the jar that contained their money. Jim
nodded. "Listen, Sara, you and Mae go and get something for the
baby's cough."
But Sara was crying. "Something's wrong. I know it is!"
Jim moved toward the front door. "I'll go and find him."
Hours later, Jim entered Central Park. As the sun sank, he knew
that the enormous park wasn't as empty as it looked. Since the
Crash of 1929, tens of thousands of New Yorkers were living in
cars, or on the streets, or in the subway. A lot of people had started
living in Central Park. Some of them built huts or tents from
any materials they could find. Others slept wherever they could.
They ate any food they could find or catch or steal.
Jim had heard that there had been a lot of sheep in Central
Park. Most had been moved away. Now, as he searched for Mike,
Jim saw park workers guiding the last sheep into enormous
wagons. Jim watched until a policeman on a horse waved at him
to move away.
The shadows became longer as night came, and soon trash can
fires were the only lights in the park. Jim went deeper into the
park, past huts and tents. The sound of wet coughs filled the air.
47
"Mike! Mike Wilson?" he called.
Suddenly, two running policemen shouted at him to get out of
the way. He looked to see where they were going and saw a crowd
of people around several policemen on horses. Jim heard angry
shouts and saw flames. He ran to the crowd and had to push his
way through a wall of people to reach the center.
A group of men had fought the police here, turning one of the
sheep wagons over and burning huts. The police were in control
again and were guiding the men away like sheep.
There were two policemen on horses near Jim. "We were just
trying to move the sheep," one of them told the other. "But one of
these guys started shouting at us. He was angry, very political.
Then they attacked us."
Jim closed his eyes and remembered all Mike's angry talk. He
knew this must be Mike. He began looking for his friend among
all the fallen men on the grass. He got closer to the wagon that lay
on its side.
"A guy tried to free the sheep," a policeman was saying. "The
horses were scared and the wagon turned over."
There was someone with his legs under the enormous wheels
of the wagon. A group of men lifted the wagon up, and that's
when Jim realized that there was a second man under the wagon,
lying in a pool of blood. It was Mike.
Jim's friend wasn't dead yet. Jim moved the hair from Mike's
eyes.
"Did you win?" Mike asked. His voice was soft and filled with
pain.
Jim nodded. "You're going to be OK, Mike," he said.
Mike managed a weak nod. "I know i t . . ."
But, in the cold and dark of New York's Central Park, as the
smoke from the burning huts blew over them and took away the
last of the light, both men knew that this wasn't true.
•
48
very expensive, but he wanted to apologize for not waking her totell her about the Lasky fight. He hadn't wanted to celebrate untilhe had paid back the money to the relief office.But when he got home, it wasn't the time for celebrating. MikeWilson's wife, Sara, was sitting on the sofa with her baby girl inher arms. Her eyes were red from crying."Mike's gone," said Mae seriously. "It's been three days now.""About a week after you left the docks, Jim, the foremanstopped picking him for work," cried Sara. "I went to stay with mybrother. There wasn't room for Mike, so he's been sleeping inCentral Park." Sara looked straight at Jim. "He said he was goingto do some work for you. We were going to meet last night, butMike never came."Silently, Mae pointed at the jar that contained their money. Jimnodded. "Listen, Sara, you and Mae go and get something for thebaby's cough."But Sara was crying. "Something's wrong. I know it is!"Jim moved toward the front door. "I'll go and find him."Hours later, Jim entered Central Park. As the sun sank, he knewthat the enormous park wasn't as empty as it looked. Since theCrash of 1929, tens of thousands of New Yorkers were living incars, or on the streets, or in the subway. A lot of people had startedliving in Central Park. Some of them built huts or tents fromany materials they could find. Others slept wherever they could.They ate any food they could find or catch or steal.จิมก็ได้ยินว่า เคยมีมากแกะกลางจอด ส่วนใหญ่ได้ถูกย้ายไป ขณะนี้ เขาค้นหาไมค์จิมเห็นคนสวนนำแกะล่าสุดเป็นอย่างมากเกวียน จิมดูจนตำรวจบนม้า waved ที่เขาการย้ายเก็บเงาเป็นยาวเป็นคืนมา และถังขยะได้ทันทีไฟมีไฟเฉพาะในสวนสาธารณะ จิมก็ลึกเข้าไปในตัวพาร์ค อดีตกระท่อมและเต็นท์ เสียงของ coughs เปียกน้ำเติมอากาศ47"ไมค์ Mike Wilson "เขาเรียกว่าตะโกนทันที ทนายสมชายทำงานสองที่เขาได้รับจากวิธีการ เขามอง ดูที่พวกเขาจะเห็นฝูงชนคนสถานตำรวจในหลายพื้นที่บนม้า จิมได้ยินโกรธการตะโกนและเห็นเปลวไฟ เขาวิ่งไปฝูงชน และมีการผลักดันของเขาทางผ่านกำแพงของคนถึงตัวกลุ่มผู้ชายก็สู้ตำรวจนี่ เปิดหนึ่งแกะเกวียนผ่านและกระท่อมเขียน ตำรวจอยู่ในการควบคุมอีกครั้ง และได้แนะนำคนไปเช่นแกะมีตำรวจในพื้นที่สองบนม้าใกล้จิม "เราไม่เพียงพยายามย้ายแกะ หนึ่งบอกหนึ่ง "แต่หนึ่งคนเหล่านี้เริ่ม shouting ที่เรา เขาไม่โกรธ ทางการเมืองมากแล้ว พวกเขาโจมตีเรา"จิมปิดตา และจดจำพูดโกรธของไมค์ทั้งหมด เขารู้นี้ต้องเป็นไมค์ เขาเริ่มมองหาเพื่อนของเขาระหว่างทั้งหมดลดลงคนบนหญ้า เขาได้ใกล้ชิดกับรถที่วางด้านความสามารถทำ"ผู้ชายพยายามแกะฟรี บอกตำรวจ "horses were scared and the wagon turned over."There was someone with his legs under the enormous wheelsof the wagon. A group of men lifted the wagon up, and that'swhen Jim realized that there was a second man under the wagon,lying in a pool of blood. It was Mike.Jim's friend wasn't dead yet. Jim moved the hair from Mike'seyes."Did you win?" Mike asked. His voice was soft and filled withpain.Jim nodded. "You're going to be OK, Mike," he said.Mike managed a weak nod. "I know i t . . ."But, in the cold and dark of New York's Central Park, as thesmoke from the burning huts blew over them and took away thelast of the light, both men knew that this wasn't true.•48
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