Page 145

By Jack Joseph Smith

147 boy, At the same time everyone decided to get into ity and baseball bats suddenly appeared on the scene; The swinging of them took me even further up the hill,. but I felt myself somehow responsible, and so I began to yell outs. 111 take the big boy onj Just him and mes The rest stay out of it, Put the bats downs Come on big boys So he got up from the battered college boyy and waved his arms in the air bellowing for everyone to stop, His authority was evidently to the stronger side of mines Soon a circle began to form around ys; I ‘didn't Like this very much, as I wanted plenty of back room in case of emergencys The seme process once again took formy. but to my suprises he, this time, seemed mych faster, No sooner would I take advantage on the ypper side -of the hill, than he would scurry, fast as a little piggys above mes We-went round and round for awhile, until, a stout and well put together black faced women began to yells I'm yOur wom’ Thomas, and I want to see you stomp that white boys So stomp him, I says Stomp that white boy, Thomas; Stomp him Stomp that white boy, Thomas, Stomp I began to smile a littley. looking into his deep brown eyes, He looked over his shoulder sayings She's just crazy, that's all; Well, we're pretty redyndgnt, I saidg That don't sound like the word to me boys The word I'd yse, is Hpdioul ous: Wey pretty rbdiculous boys We're going around in circles . Aurm eS Wes sure iss Let there be no mistake about that, And all these big~dummy's are standing there watching us,. with serious faces on them)

Original Scan

Page 145

AI Interpretation

GPT

Baseball bats appear and a circle forms around the narrator and Thomas, but the showdown turns unexpectedly comic as Thomas's woman screams for him to stomp the white boy and both men begin to recognize how ridiculous the whole scene has become.

Violence pauses long enough for a brief mutual recognition to break the ritual of the crowd. The exchange with Thomas punctures the race-charged seriousness around them and lets absurdity do what threat alone cannot.

Claude

The hill-circle fight with Thomas is staged: Thomas's wife shouting stomp that white boy Thomas, Michael and Thomas circling with the high-ground advantage swapping until Thomas names the whole thing ridiculous — the only honest word on the hill.