To Have And Have Not

TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT
'You make sick easy,' the first Vet said, 'What
outfit were you in?'
It wouldn't mean anything to you, punch drunk/
the tall man said.
'Have a drink?' Richard Gordon asked the tall
man.
'Thanks/ the other said. Tm drinking.'
'Don't forget us/ said one of the two men Gordon
had come in with.
'Three more beers/ said Richard Gordon, and the
negro drew them and pushed them over* There was
not elbow room to lift them in the crowd and Gordon
was pressed against the tall man.
'You off a ship?' asked the tall man.
'No, staying here* You down from the Keys?5
'We came in to-night from Tortugas/ the tall man
said. 'We raised enough hell so they couldn't keep
us there.'
'He's a red/ the first Vet said.
'So would you be if you had any brains/ the tall
man said. They sent a bunch of us there to get rid
of us but we raised too much hell for them.' He
grinned at Richard Gordon.
'Nail that guy/ somebody yelled, and Richard
Gordon saw a fist hit a face that showed close to him.
The man who was hit was pulled away from the bar
by two others* In the clear, one man hit him again,
hard, in the face, and the other hit him in the body,
He went down on the cement floor and covered his
head with his arms and one of the men kicked him
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