carnival, part 2

"popo the lizard, i believe?" "not me." answers johnny, a knife up his sleeve "if you insist!" the inspector bows "the building is surrounded anyhow" norma the egyptian blows rings of smoke the inspector is gone, but it's no joke johnny is white, the first wind of fear if only hoko the strongman were here! there is only abdul, the moroccan cobra "johnny," he whispers, 'it's all over don't know why they want you and don't care tell the boys in the hole i played fair" johnny's eyes are heavy as midnight sand his knife in a flash appears in his hand but abdul has already pulled the trigger and johnny's world grows bigger and bigger fifi-la-fou takes a pinch of snuff johnny was soft, he wasn't so tough he never answered to her love potion now it's time to cross the ocean the statue of liberty winks in the fog at madame alhambra and her little dog the turkish consul leans on the rail as fifi and hoko and norma grow pale norma looks down at the cold gray sea "these tall buildings terrify me" hoko says, "in a building like that a man must need a tall hat" fifi-la-fou, with her caviareyes unravels the ambassadors disguise "this is the boy who can help us," she whispers she takes from her bag her fingernail clippers the ambassador's homburg is already raised his speech is not slurred and his eyes are not glazed drunk with power, he accosts the trio "did we meet in algiers, or cairo, or rio..." fifi replies, as cool as you please "no. monsieur, we are poor apaches cast far from our home of wild dance and red wine to this terrible gotham, so metallic and sibylline" 'your despair is justified, madamoiselle you have cast yourself up on the shores of hell these buildings that burn like witches dens are more human than the breathing citizens these yankees are truly a nation of slugs and care for nothing but money and drugs" fifi blushes like a summer rose hoko and norma glance down at their toes when johnny harris fell through the ice he hollered once, and he hollered twice folks stood around with gaping jaws as he struggled desperately in death's claws adults and children of all ages stood like pictures in the bible's gray pages apothecary williams stroked his mustache and said, "let's not do anything rash" and paula simpson, whose eyes were life stared as silent as a bowie knife flipped through the icy air at him - the music got louder but the sights grew dim the voices of the human race broke like waves through a single face this is it - this is it - this is it - but johnny held on and would not quit then on the outskirts a stranger appeared with an old brown hat and a yellow beard walked on the ice like it was desert sand and reached down with a long red hand johnny lay gasping at the edge of the pond among the folks of whom he was not now so fond the stranger glanced at their dissolving fear and then proceeded to disappear