@@@@@"It was beautiful thereYou know you can't
@@@@@"It was beautiful thereYou know you can't beat America for beautiful country
"You can say that again, brother," Gallagher snorted suddenly
It was just his way of talking, Goldstein decidedHe didn't mean any harm"Did you ever go out on boats, Gallagher?" he asked mildly
Gallagher raised himself on an elbow"Aaah, I went canoeing once in a while out on the Charles, past West RoxburyUsed to go with my wife He said it first, and then thought about itHis face altered for an instant, assumed a numb stricken cast
"Oh, I'm sorry," Goldstein breathed Gallagher felt some irritation at getting sympathy from a Jew"Forget it," he added, a little meaninglesslyBut he was becoming tender again, dissolving in a bath of self-pity and pleasant gentle sorrow"Look," he said abruptly, "you got a kid, ain't ya?"
Goldstein nodded"Oh, yes," he answered eagerly"My boy is three years old nowWait, I'll show you a picture of him With some effort, he rolled over on the cot and withdrew his wallet from his back pocket"This isn't a good picture of him," Goldstein apologized, "he's really one of the handsomest children you could imagineWe've got a big picture at home of him that we had a professional photographer take, and honestly you couldn't beat it
Gallagher stared at the pictureyeah, he's a cute kid, all right He was a little bewildered, uncomfortable with the praise that welled clumsily out of his mou