Page 154

By Jack Joseph Smith

155 Where is Murphy? He's fucking or something, over the fucking hill, gaid Wedel| Sabastians A good Irish tune will bring hin around, said Beavers Just then Murphy came out of the bushes dragging a sweet little thing by her fegble hands! Who are all those assholes? Why Murf; thebe’ the Notre-Dame boys, replied Dandys Anyone with any brains knowss that any good Irishmen dosen't go to schools. Murf, I resent that, said Beavers Fuck you Beavers Did you bring those idiots with yous. Murf, are you going to cook the stakes? I asked him, with just a bit of laughter in wy eyesy Of course-I'm cooking the stakess Dandy says your a lousy cook, and that he is going to do the honorse What fucking honnor, jagg off? Then you don't care who cooks the stakes? Who gives:a ehit? Okey, Murf on the stakes, It's written down, Right Beavers Written down Written downs Anyway, Murf dosen't mind being from the side of the tracks, that does the cookings : Screw you Besver, Now your not getting a fucking stakes’ * I was just’ shitting you Murf, Honest to Gods Blood thick stakes were put on the fire and we were going higher and higher with hunger and songs’ Dusk was aproaching and the flames drew ue in a circle around the:

Original Scan

Page 154

AI Interpretation

GPT

Murphy comes out of the bushes dragging a girl behind him, gets pulled into the steak dispute, and by dusk the fire, hunger, songs, and tightening circle of bodies give the whole picnic a rough tribal shape.

The roughness matters more than plot here: the page is about men organizing themselves through food, taunts, and possession. Dusk and the fire pull everyone inward, and the social order starts looking less casual and more like a test.

Claude

Blood-thick steaks on the fire, dusk gathering, hunger and song; the page closes on girls in black walking back and forth as mystery, young men's heads bent unless in conversation, desire flashing in the eyes of a giggle.