第11部分(第1/7 頁)

That　mouse。　That　goddam　mouse。　Delacroix　loved　it；　but　Percy　Wetmore　sure　didn't。

Percy　hated　it　from　the　first。

2。

The　mouse　came　back　just　about　three　days　after　Percy　had　chased　it　down　the　Green　Mile　that　first　time。　Dean　Stanton　and　Bill　Dodge　were　talking　politics；　which　meant　in　those　days；　they　were　talking　Roosevelt　and　Hoover　…　Herbert；　not　J。　Edgar。　They　were　eating　Ritz　crackers　from　a　box　Dean　had　purchased　from　old　Toot…Toot　an　hour　or　so　before。　Percy　was　standing　in　the　office　doorway；　practicing　quick　draws　with　the　baton　he　loved　so　much；　as　he　listened。　He'd　pull　it　out　of　that　ridiculous　handtooled　holster　he'd　gotten　somewhere；　then　twirl　it　（or　try　to；　most　times　he　would　have　dropped　it　if　not　for　the　rawhide　loop　he　kept　on　his　wrist）；　then　re…holster　it。　I　was　off　that　night；　but　got　the　full　report　from　Dean　the　following　evening。

The　mouse　came　up　the　Green　Mile　just　as　it　had　before；　hopping　along；　then　stopping　and　seeming　to　check　the　empty　cells。　After　a　bit　of　that　it　would　hop　on；　undiscouraged；　as　if　it　had　known　all　along　it　would　be　a　long　search；　and　it　was　up　to　that。

The　President　was　awake　this　time；　standing　at　his　cell　door。　That　guy　was　a　piece　of　work；　managing　to　look　natty　even　in　his　prison　blues。　We　knew　just　by　the　way　he　looked　that　he　wasn't　made　for　Old　Sparky；　and　we　were　right　…　less　than　a　week　after　Percy's　second　run　at　that　mouse；　The　Pres's　sentence　was　muted　to　life　and　he　joined　the　general　population。

〃Say！〃　he　called。　''There's　a　mouse　in　here！　What　kind　of　a　joint　are　you　guys　running；　anyway？〃　He　was　kind　of　laughing；　but　Dean　said　he　also　sounded　kind　of　outraged；　as　if　even　a　murder　rap　hadn't　been　quite　enough　to　knock　the　Kiwanis　out　of　his　soul。　He　had　bee