Falconer+-+John+Cheever

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Falconer 104 to carry, but I knew how kind he was being to me, and that’s the way I feel today.” There was applause—exactly the noise of water striking stone— but unlike the indecipherable noise of water, its intent was clearly grateful and polite. Farragut remembered applause most vividly when he had heard it outside the theater, hall or church where it sounded. He had heard it most clearly as a bystander waiting in a parking lot on a summer night, waiting for the show to break. It had always astonished and deeply moved him to realize that so diverse and warlike a people could have agreed on this signal of enthusiasm and assent. The warden passed the public address system to the commissioner. The commissioner had gray hair, wore a gray suit and a gray tie, and reminded Farragut of the grayness and angularity of office filing cabinets in the far, far away. “Your Eminence,” he said, reading his speech from a paper and evidently for the first time. “Ladies and gentlemen.” He frowned, raised his face and his heavy eyebrows at this error of his speech writer. “Gentlemen!” he exclaimed. “I want to express my gratitude and the gratitude of the governor to the cardinal, who for the first time in the history of this diocese and perhaps in the whole history of mankind has visited a rehabilitation center in a helicopter. The governor sends his sincere regrets at not being able to express his gratitude in person, but he is, as you must all know, touring the flood-disaster areas in the northwestern part of the state. We hear these days”—he picked up a head of steam—“a great deal about prison reform. Best sellers are written about prison reform. Professional so-called penologists travel from coast to coast, speaking on prison reform. But where does prison reform begin? In bookstores? In lecture halls? No. Prison reform, like all sincere endeavors at reform, begins at home, and where is home? Home is prison! We have come here today to commemorate a bold step made possible by the Fiduciary University of Banking, the archdiocese, the Department of Correction and above all the prisoners themselves. All four of us together have accomplished
Falconer 105 what we might compare—compare only, of course—to a miracle. These eight humble men have passed with honors a most difficult test that many well-known captains of industry have failed. Now, I know that you all have, unwillingly, sacrificed your right to vote upon coming here—a sacrifice that the governor intends to change —and should you, at some later date, find his name on a ballot I’m sure you will remember today.” He shot his cuff to check the time. “As I present these coveted diplomas, please refrain from applause until the presentation is completed. Frank Masullo, Herman Meany, Mike Thomas, Henry Phillips…” When the last of the diplomas had been presented, he lowered his voice in a truly moving shift from secular to spiritual matters and said, “His Eminence will now celebrate mass.” At exactly that moment Jody came out of the boiler room behind the bench, genuflected deeply at the cardinal’s back and took his place at the right of the altar, the consummate figure of a tardy acolyte who has just taken a piss. Adiutorium nostrum in Nomine Domini. The raptness of prayer enthralled Farragut as the raptness of love. Misereatur tui omnipotens Deus et dismissis pecatis tuis. Misereatur vestri omnipotens Deus et dismissis pecatis vestris perducat vos ad vitam aeternam. Indulgentiam, absolutionem, et remissionem pecatorum nostrorum tribuat nobis omnipotens et misericors Dominus. Deus tu conversus vivificabis nos. Ostende nobis, Domine misericordiam tuam. On it drummed to the Benedicat and the last Amen. Then he performed another large cross and returned to the helicopter, followed by his retinue, including Jody. The props kicked up a cloud of dust and the engine ascended. Someone put a recording of cathedral bells on the public address system and up they went to this glorious clamor. Oh, glory, glory, glory! The exaltation of the bells conquered the scratching of the needle and a slight warp in the record. The sound of the chopper and the bells filled heaven and earth. They all cheered and cheered and cheered and some of them cried. The sound of the bells
Page 3 and 4:
FALCONER JOHN CHEEVER
Page 5 and 6:
Falconer 3 Copyright Falconer Copyr
Page 7 and 8:
Falconer 5 eForeword During a writi
Page 9 and 10:
Falconer 7 Falconer
Page 11 and 12:
Falconer 9 but was manacled to nine
Page 13 and 14:
Falconer 11 the guard. But all of t
Page 15 and 16:
Falconer 13 They went up a sloping
Page 17 and 18:
Falconer 15 Farragut’s first visi
Page 19 and 20:
Falconer 17 “What,” she asked,
Page 21 and 22:
Falconer 19 with his, deeply thrill
Page 23 and 24:
Falconer 21 across his face. Her br
Page 25 and 26:
Falconer 23 gamy; he thought that p
Page 27 and 28:
Falconer 25 “Shall we change the
Page 29 and 30:
Falconer 27 She had begun to have t
Page 31 and 32:
Falconer 29 doing in Falconer. It w
Page 33 and 34:
Falconer 31 class. And willingness,
Page 35 and 36:
Falconer 33 churches, at some times
Page 37 and 38:
Falconer 35 convicts, and there wer
Page 39 and 40:
Falconer 37 It was half and half. H
Page 41 and 42:
Falconer 39 outstripped the human s
Page 43 and 44:
Falconer 41 planted with costly fir
Page 45 and 46:
Falconer 43 avoid excitement. It se
Page 47 and 48:
Falconer 45 water, wiped his ass on
Page 49 and 50:
Falconer 47 Liechtenstein. His back
Page 51 and 52:
Falconer 49 against the image of th
Page 53 and 54:
Falconer 51 will not go to the club
Page 55 and 56: Falconer 53 rise. This clowning was
Page 57 and 58: Falconer 55 twice a week. There’s
Page 59 and 60: Falconer 57 at him,” said Farragu
Page 61 and 62: Falconer 59 much a citizen. As a ta
Page 63 and 64: Falconer 61 find a church. In the p
Page 65 and 66: Falconer 63 shoulder—and I lay on
Page 67 and 68: Falconer 65 “You are not the most
Page 69 and 70: Falconer 67 took the funicular up,
Page 71 and 72: Falconer 69 Farragut was still limp
Page 73 and 74: Falconer 71 fall, Farragut stood at
Page 75 and 76: Falconer 73 forty-five-thousand-dol
Page 77 and 78: Falconer 75 won’t stuff their wiv
Page 79 and 80: Falconer 77 Now watch me smile. See
Page 81 and 82: Falconer 79 you outside the infirma
Page 83 and 84: Falconer 81 University. He would be
Page 85 and 86: Falconer 83 mileage he could expect
Page 87 and 88: Falconer 85 once, when he got off t
Page 89 and 90: Falconer 87 ice cream and coffee. A
Page 91 and 92: Falconer 89 experience of alienatio
Page 93 and 94: Falconer 91 one another doesn’t g
Page 95 and 96: Falconer 93 money was. They took Ca
Page 97 and 98: Falconer 95 anything but did I know
Page 99 and 100: Falconer 97 remembered the panic he
Page 101 and 102: Falconer 99 As the day of the cardi
Page 103 and 104: Falconer 101 Farragut got what he h
Page 105: Falconer 103 target and out the doo
Page 109 and 110: Falconer 107 He took off his robe a
Page 111 and 112: Falconer 109 It was an August day;
Page 113 and 114: Falconer 111 daughter of Ling Chou
Page 115 and 116: Falconer 113 thought, immeasurable,
Page 117 and 118: Falconer 115 “I don’t know the
Page 119 and 120: Falconer 117 PETER, HAS ARRANGED FO
Page 121 and 122: Falconer 119 squares and put this i
Page 123 and 124: Falconer 121 only get into the show
Page 125 and 126: Falconer 123 churches where a beref
Page 127 and 128: Falconer 125 another and the thin,
Page 129 and 130: Falconer 127 his thighs and his che
Page 131 and 132: Falconer 129 “No, no, no,” said
Page 133 and 134: Falconer 131 cashmere sweaters, sil
Page 135 and 136: Falconer 133 flames and a rush of s
Page 137 and 138: Falconer 135 about your willingness
Page 139 and 140: Falconer 137 was just big enough to
Page 141 and 142: Falconer 139 Wall, or the Amana Pri
Page 143 and 144: Falconer 141 with palms. She rams t
Page 145 and 146: Falconer 143 I ain’t going to sin
Page 147 and 148: Falconer 145 Farragut had stolen an
Page 149 and 150: Falconer 147 worse and then she sug
Page 151 and 152: Falconer 149 believe it. Like there
Page 153 and 154: Falconer 151 intended for his last
Page 155 and 156: Falconer 153 from the back. They we
Page 157 and 158:
Falconer 155 the room after a page
Page 159 and 160:
Falconer 157 there’s your piano a
Page 161 and 162:
Falconer 159 before I’ll be mista
Page 163 and 164:
Falconer 161 got no fear, no fear a
Page 165 and 166:
Falconer 163 his grave was no more
Page 167 and 168:
Falconer 165 of some stair. The bla
Page 169 and 170:
Falconer 167 At a distant corner un
Page 171 and 172:
Falconer 169 Farragut put his arms
show all

Falconer+-+John+Cheever

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?