“Doggone it. what are we goin to do now?”
“What do you mean no money?” Slim said, and Sheila said, “I don’t like to tell you and Slopjaw, and everybody, and Pic here, but I went and lost my job day before yesterday because they’re tearin down the building where the restaurant was down on Madison avenue and puttin up a new office building.”
“Office building?” Slim yelled. “Did you say office building? What’s they goin to do with a office building? Ain’t nobody get to eat in no office building.”
“You talk silly,” Sheila said, and look at him sad. “Why shoo, all they’ve got to do is go round the corner to eat in a restaurant.”
“Then they put up another office building there and then where do you go?” said Slim, and then heaved a sigh. “Doggone it. what are we goin to do now?” He turned off the record, and looked round the kitchen, and began walkin up and down in it, and worried himself to death. I seed then how Slim had worried before about a lots of things. His face dragged down awesome and his eyes jess went starin straight ahead and his bones of his face stuck out from his cheeks and made him look old. Poor Slim, I never forget that look on his face when I think about him now. “Dog-gone,” he jess say, over and over, “dog-gone.” Then he look at Sheila and she didn’t know it but his face flinch a little bit like if they was pain way down deep in his heart, and he come back to say “Dog-gone!” and be starin straight ahead after that, and for a long awesome time. Lord, Lord, Slim always tried so hard to explain to me and ever’body else the things on his mind, like he done then. “Dog-gone it, are we goin to be beat all the time or ever make a livin around here? When will our troubles end? I’m tired of bein poor. My wife is tired of bein poor. I guess the world is tired of bein poor, because I’m tired of bein poor. Lord a mercy who’s got some money? I know I ain’t got some money and that’s for sure, now look” and show his empty pocket.
