第4部分(第5/7 頁)

he　corner　with　a　Wild　West　novel　in　his　lap　and　his　hat　pulled　down　over　his　eyes。　The　heat　wasn't　bothering　him；　nor　were　the　grunts；　thumps；　and　occasional　curses　from　the　infirmary　upstairs　（where　it　had　to　be　at　least　ten　degrees　hotter；　and　I　hoped　Percy　Wetmore　was　enjoying　it）。　I　didn't　bother　him；　either；　but　went　around　to　the　short　side　of　the　L；　where　the　newspapers　were　kept。　I　thought　they　might　be　gone　along　with　the　fans；　in　spite　of　what　Dean　had　said。　They　weren't；　though；　and　the　business　about　the　Detterick　twins　was　easily　enough　looked　out；　it　had　been　front…page　news　from　the　mission　of　the　crime　in　June　right　through　the　trial　in　late　August　and　September。

Soon　I　had　forgotten　the　heat　and　the　thumps　from　upstairs　and　old　Gibbons's　wheezy　snores。　The　thought　of　those　little　nine…year…old　girls　…　their　fluffy　heads　of　blonde　hair　and　their　engaging　Bobbsey　Twins　smiles　…　in　connection　with　Coffey's　hulking　darkness　was　unpleasant　but　impossible　to　ignore。　Given　his　size；　it　was　easy　to　imagine　him　actually　eating　them；　like　a　giant　in　a　fairy　tale。　What　he　had　done　was　even　worse；　and　it　was　a　lucky　thing　for　him　that　he　hadn't　just　been　lynched　right　there　on　the　riverbank。　If；　that　was；　you　considered　waiting　to　walk　the　Green　Mile　and　sit　in　Old　Sparky's　lap　lucky。

4。

King　Cotton　had　been　deposed　in　the　South　seventy　years　before　all　these　things　happened　and　would　never　be　king　again；　but　in　those　years　of　the　thirties　it　had　a　little　revival。　There　were　no　more　cotton　plantations；　but　there　were　forty　or　fifty　prosperous　cotton　farms　in　the　southern　part　of　our　state。　Klaus　Detterick　owned　one　of　them。　By　the　standards　of　the　nieen…fifties　he　would　have　been　considered　only　a　rung　above　shirttail　poor；　but　by　those　of　the