第1部分(第4/7 頁)

actual　place　around　page　50。　I　was　appalled；　and　told　her　so　Q　was　twelve。　remember。　an　age　at　which　boys　first　dimly　begin　to　realize　that　they　know　everything）；　suggesting　that　reading　the　end　of　a　mystery　novel　before　you　actually　get　there　was　on　a　par　with　eating　the　white　stuff　out　of　the　middle　of　Oreo　cookies　and　then　throwing　the　cookies　themselves　away。　She　laughed　her　wonderful　unembarrassed　laugh　and　said　perhaps　that　was　so；　but　sometimes　she　just　couldn't　resist　the　temptation。　Giving　in　to　temptation　was　a　concept　I　could　understand；　I　had　plenty　of　my　own；　even　at　twelve。　But　here；　at　last；　is　an　amusing　cure　for　that　temptation。　Until　the　final　episode　arrives　in　bookstores；　no　one　is　going　to　know　how　The　Green　Mile　turns　out　。。。　and　that　may　include　me。

Although　there　was　no　way　he　could　have　known　it；　Ralph　Vicinanza；　mentioned　the　idea　of　a　novel　in　installments　at　what　was；　for　me；　the　perfect　psychological　moment。　I　had　been　playing　with　a　story　idea　on　a　subject　I　had　always　suspected　I　would　get　around　to　sooner　or　later：　the　electric　chair。　〃Old　Sparky〃　has　fascinated　me　ever　since　my　first　James　Cagney　movie；　and　the　first　Death　Row　tales　I　ever　read　（in　a　book　called　Twenty　Thousand　Years　in　Sing　Sing；　written　by　Warden　Lewis　E。　Lawes）　fired　the　darker　side　of　my　imagination。　What；　I　wondered；　would　it　be　like　to　walk　those　last　forty　yards　to　the　electric　chair；　knowing　you　were　going　to　die　there？　Mat；　for　that　matter；　would　it　be　like　to　be　the　man　who　had　to　strap　the　condemned　in　。。。　or　pull　the　switch？　What　would　such　a　job　take　out　of　you？　Even　creepier；　what　might　it　add？

I　had　tried　these　basic　ideas；　always　tentatively；　on　a　number　of　different　frameworks　over　the　last　twenty　or　thirty　years。　I　had　written　one　successf