"Howard Waldrop - The Sawing Boys" - читать интересную книгу автора (Waldrop Howard)

Every eight acts or so, Reverend Shapenote and the Mt. Sinai Choir got up and
sang sacred harp music, singing the notes only, with no words because their church
believed you went straight to Hell if you sang words to a hymn; you could only lift
your voice in song.
Luke lay with his hat over his eyes through two more acts. It was well into the
afternoon. People were getting hot and cranky all over the town.
As the next act started, Luke sat up. He looked toward the stage. Two giants in
coveralls and flannel shirts got up. Even from this far away, their voices carried clear
and loud, not strained: deep bass and baritone.
The words of "Eight More Miles To Home" and then "You Are My Sunshine"
came back, and for their last song, they went into the old hymn, "Absalom,
Absalom":


Day-Vid The King—He-Wept—and Wept Saying—Oh My Son—Oh my son…


and a chill went up Luke's back.
"That's them," said Rooster Joe, seeing Luke awake.
"Well," said Luke Apuleus, pulling his hat back down over his eyes as the crowd
went crazy, "them is the ones we really have to beat. Call me when they gets to the
Cowbell Quintet so we can be moseying up there."


I am being very relieved when Little Willie comes driving into town in the flivver; it
is looking much the worse for wear but seems to be running fine. He parks it on
Main Street at the far edge of the crowd and comes walking over to me and Chris
the Shoemaker.
"How are you standing this?" he asks.
 "Why do you not get up there, William," asks Chris. "I know for a fact you
warbled for the cheese up at the River Academy, before they let you out on the
technical."
"It was just to keep from driving an Irish buggy," says Little Willie. "The Lizzie
will go wherever you want it to. Tires patched. Gassed and lubered up. Say the
syllable."
Chris nods to Large Jake over at the edge of the crowd. Jake saunters back
towards the only two trucks in town, besides the Cardui vehicle, which, being too
gaudy even for us, Jake has already fixed while it is parked right in front of the stage,
for Jake is a very clever fellow for someone with such big mitts.
"Charlie Perro," says Chris, reaching in Miss Millie Dee Chantpie's purse, "how's
about taking these nippers here," handing me a pair of wire cutters, "and go see if
that blower wire back of the general mercantile isn't too long by about six feet when I
give you the nod. Then you should come back and help us." He also takes his
howitzer out of Miss Millie's bag.
"Little William," he says, turning. "Take Miss Millie Dee Chantpie to the car and
start it up. I shall go see what the Cardui Black Draught people are doing."
So it was we sets out to pull the biggest caper in the history of Brimmytown.


"That's them," said Rooster Joe. "The cowbells afore us."