A crǎd c’lects, ītñ oṛnjz n bnanaz, tẹrñ of ɖ scinz, dvîdñ, śẹrñ. Wn yuñ grl hz īvn a bascit v strwḅriz, bt ś dz nt īt ɖm. “R’nt ɖe dir!” Ś stérz at ɖ tîni pôntd frūts az f ś wr afred v ɖm. Ɖ Ostrełn soljr lafs. “Hir, g on, ɖr’z nt mor ɖn a mǎʈfl.” Bt h dz’nt wont hr t īt ɖm, îɖr. H lîcs t woć hr litl frîtnd fes, n hr puzld îz liftd t hiz: “R’nt ɖe a prîs!” H pśz ǎt hiz ćst n grinz. Old fat wimin in velvit bodsz—old dusti pincŭśnz—līn old hagz lîc wòrn umbrelaz wɖ a qiṿrñ bonit on top; yuñ wimin, in muzlinz, wɖ hats ɖt mt hv groun on hejz, n hî pôntd śuz; men in cāci, sêlrz, śabi clarcs, yuñ Juz in fîn cloʈ sūts wɖ padd śoldrz n wîd trǎzrz, “hospitlbôz” in blu—ɖ sún dscuvrz ɖm—ɖ lǎd, bold ḿzic holdz ɖm tgɖr in wn big nót fr a momnt. Ɖ yuñ wnz r larcñ, pśñ ć uɖr on n of ɖ pevmnt, dojñ, nujñ; ɖ old wnz r tōcñ: “So I sd t ’im, f y wonts ɖ doctr t yrslf, feć ’im, sz I.”

“An’ bî ɖ tîm ɖe wz cct ɖr wz’nt so mć az y cd pt in ɖ pām v mi ’an!”

Ɖ onli wnz hu r qayt r ɖ ragid ćildṛn. Ɖe stand, az clos p t ɖ ḿziśnz az ɖe cn gt, ɖer handz bhnd ɖer bacs, ɖer îz big. Oceźṇli a leg hóps, an arm wagz. A tîni staġrr, oṿcm, trnz rnd twîs, sits dǎn soḷm, n ɖen gts p agn.

“E’nt it luvli?” ẃisprz a smōl grl bhnd hr hand.

N ɖ ḿzic brecs intu brît pìsz, n jônz tgɖr agn, n agn brecs, n z dzolvd, n ɖ crǎd scatrz, muvñ slǒli p ɖ hil.

At ɖ cornr v ɖ rod ɖ stōlz bgin.

“Ticlrz! Tupns a ticlr! ’Ūl ‘av a ticlr? Ticl ’m p, bôz.” Litl soft brūmz on wîr handlz. Ɖe r īgrli bòt bî ɖ soljrz.

“Bai a goliwog! Tupns a goliwog!”

“Bai a jumpñ donci! Ol alîv-ǒ!”

“Su-pirịr ćuwñgum. Bai smʈñ t d, bôz.”

“Bai a rôz. Gv ’r a rôz, bô. Rozz, ledi?”

“Fevrz! Fevrz!” Ɖe r hard t rzist. Luvli, strīmñ feɖrz, emṛld grīn, scarlit, brît blu, cnẹri yelo. Īvn ɖ bebiz wer feɖrz ʈredd ʈru ɖer bonits.

N an old wmn in a ʈri-cornrd pepr hat crîz az f it wr hr fînl partñ’dvîs, ɖ onli we v sevñ yrslf or v brññ him t hiz snsz: “Bai a ʈri-cornrd ’at, mî dir, an’ pt it on!”

It z a flayñ de, haf sún, haf wind. Ẃn ɖ sún gz in a śado flîz ovr; ẃn it cmz ǎt agn it z fîri. Ɖ men n wimin fīl it brnñ ɖer bacs, ɖer brests n ɖer armz; ɖe fīl ɖer bodiz xpandñ, cmñ alîv… so ɖt ɖe mc larj imbresñ-jsćrz, lift p ɖer armz, fr nʈñ, swūp dǎn on a grl, blrt intu laftr.

Leṃned! A hol tanc v it standz on a tebl cuvrd wɖ a cloʈ; n lemnz lîc bluntd fiśz blob in ɖ yelo wōtr. It lcs solid, lîc a jeli, in ɖ ʈic glasz. Ẃ c’nt ɖe drinc it wɖt spilñ it? Evrbdi spilz it, n bfr ɖ glas z handd bac ɖ last drops r ʈroun in a rñ.

Rnd ɖ îscrīm cart, wɖ its strîpt ōnñ n brît bras cuvr, ɖ ćildṛn clustr. Litl tuñz lic, lic rnd ɖ crīm trumpits, rnd ɖ sqerz. Ɖ cuvr z liftd, ɖ wŭdn spūn plunjz in; wn śuts wn’z îz t fīl it, sîḷntli scrunćñ.

“Let ɖz litl brdz tel y yr fyćr!” Ś standz bsd ɖ cej, a śrivld êjlis Itałn, claspñ n unclaspñ hr darc clwz. Hr fes, a treźr v delic̣t carvñ, z taid in a grīn-n-gold scarf. N insd ɖer prizn ɖ luv-brdz flutr twdz ɖ peprz in ɖ sīdtre.

“Y hv gret streñʈ v caṛctr. Y wl mari a red-herd man n hv ʈri ćildṛn. Bwer v a blond wmn.” Lc ǎt! Lc ǎt! A motrcar drivn bî a fat śofr cmz ruśñ dǎn ɖ hil. Insd ɖr a blond wmn, pǎtñ, līnñ fwd—ruśñ ʈru yr lîf—bwer! bwer!

“Lediz n jntlṃn, I am an ōx́nir bî pṛfeśn, n f ẃt I tel y z nt ɖ truʈ I am laybl t hv mî lîsns tecn awe fṛm m n a hevi impriznmnt.” H holdz ɖ lîsns acrs hiz ćst; ɖ swet porz dǎn hiz fes intu hiz pepr colr; hiz îz lc glezd. Ẃn h tecs of hiz hat ɖr z a dīp pucr v angri fleś on hiz fōrhed. Nbdi baiz a woć.

Lc ǎt agn! A hyj b’rūś cmz swññ dǎn ɖ hil wɖ tū old, old bebiz insd. Ś holdz p a lês paṛsol; h sucs ɖ nob v hiz cen, n ɖ fat old bodiz rol tgɖr az ɖ credl rocs, n ɖ stīmñ hors līvz a trel v mńr az it amblz dǎn ɖ hil.

Undr a tri, Pṛfesr Leṇd, in cap n gǎn, standz bsd hiz banr. H z hir “fr wn de,” fṛm ɖ Lundn, Paris n Bruslz Xbiśn, t tel yr fortyn fṛm yr fes. N h standz, smîlñ incurijmnt, lîc a clumzi dntist. Ẃn ɖ big men, rompñ n swẹrñ a momnt bfr, hand acrs ɖer sixpns, n stand bfr him, ɖe r sudnli sirịs, dum, timid, olmst bluśñ az ɖ Pṛfesr’z qc hand noćz ɖ printd card. Ɖe r lîc litl ćildṛn còt pleyñ in a fbidn gardn bî ɖ ǒnr, stepñ fṛm bhnd a tri.

Ɖ top v ɖ hil z rīćt. Hǎ hot it z! Hǎ fîn it z! Ɖ publichǎs z opn, n ɖ crǎd presz in. Ɖ muɖr sits on ɖ pevmnt-éj wɖ hr bebi, n ɖ faɖr brñz hr ǎt a glas v darc, brǎniś stuf, n ɖen saṿjli elboz hiz we in agn. A rìc v bir flots fṛm ɖ publichǎs, n a lǎd clatr n ratl v vôsz.

Ɖ wind hz dropt, n ɖ sún brnz mor firsli ɖn evr. Ǎtsd ɖ tū swñdorz ɖr z a ʈic mas v ćildṛn lîc flîz at ɖ mǎʈ v a swītjar.

N p, p ɖ hil cm ɖ ppl, wɖ ticlrz n goliwogz, n rozz n feɖrz. P, p ɖe ʈrust intu ɖ lît n hīt, śǎtñ, lafñ, sqīlñ, az ɖo ɖe wr biyñ pśt bî smʈñ, far b’lo, n bî ɖ sún, far ahd v ɖm—drwn p intu ɖ fl, brît, daẓlñ redịns t… ẃt?