It AS RAINING t morning, and still very dark. reetcar café  finise and  in for a cup of coffee. t café oter and stingy man called Leo. After ty street, t: along ter tton mill, and in a corner a man o trap and raised t flap up over tle ear; often as o  t look into alking.  to him:

    quot;Son! ;

    urned back and to   of th a big nose and faded orange hair.

    quot;;

    t to of the paper sack. his face was shallow, freckled, and his eyes were round child eyes.

    quot;Yeaer?quot;

    turned o the boy shrank back uneasily.

    quot;Say! s t;

    t .

    t;I love you.quot;

    All along ter t knoo do. er at Leo, and Leo ctle jeer. tried to laug the man was serious and sad.

    quot;I did not mean to tease you, Son,quot; ;Sit do;

    Cautiously, out of tioned ter to see o t and did not notice  a cup of coffee on ter and a little jug of cream.

    quot;; Leo said.

    to tool. urned flap of t  ;It is important,quot;  and broug someto see.

    quot;Look very carefully,quot; he said.

    tared, but to look at very carefully. tograp  blurred, so t only t and tood out clearly.

    quot;See?quot; the man asked.

    ture in anding on a beac. t made omac iced.

    quot;Got a good look?quot; ;You ever seen ;

    t motionless, staring slant t;Not so I kno;

    quot;Very ; tograp to . quot;t ;

    quot;Dead?quot; the boy asked.

    Slo to ;Nuuu --quot; ;I ;

    ter before t pick it up to drink. Instead  doting ed t. tilted the mug and sipped.

    quot;Some nigo sleep ; said Leo. quot;Prominent transient dro e deat;

    tried to signal to Leo.  looking o question soundlessly: quot;Drunk?quot; But Leo only raised urned ao put some pink strips of bacon on traiger.  t blink, but from time to time te gravity over  ed t of the paper sack.

    quot;I am talking about love,quot; t;it is a science.quot;

    tool. But t   let him go away.

    quot;tograp ss and luxuries. It never crept into my brain t s satisfied. But do you know w ;

    quot;Mgneeo; said Leo.

    t take ;S me. I came in one nigy and s me.quot;

    quot;it; the boy asked.

    Gently ter. quot;urally, Son. A  run off like t alone.quot;

    t, t rain black and endless in treet outside. Leo pressed do;So you ;

    For t time t Leo. quot;Please dont be vulgar. Besides, I  speaking to you.quot; urned back to trusting and secretive undertone. quot;Lets not pay any attention to ;

    tfully.

    quot;It ; tinued. quot;I am a person . tty girl. One ter anot t is t  o finisself up or fit in ion of terwards laying around loose in me. I was a man w;

    Very sloain dra ted and t -- to tremble.

    quot;t ty-one years old and sy. I met  a filling station and  it  cant tell you. All I  oget was finis;

    topped suddenly and stroked o a steady and reproacone: quot;Im not explaining t.  iful feelings and loose little pleasures inside me. And ttle pieces of myself t complete. No;

    quot; he boy asked.

    quot;O; ;I called  t is immaterial.quot;

    quot;Did you try to make ;

    t seem to ;Under tances you can imagine  ;

    Leo took trips of it beted eyes, and a pinc blue s.  give refills on coffee free. te breakfast t tter Leo kneingier reated t to himself.

    quot;And you never got ;

    t knoo tain y and doubt. e; it ill strange to o be out in tohe black, queer early morning.

    quot;Yes,quot; t;I took a number of steps to get  around trying to locate  to tulsa  to every too me, and I ed doulsa, Atlanta, Cter part of trying to lay ;

    quot;But t; said Leo.

    quot;Dont listen to ; tially. quot;And also just forget t important.  matters is t around to o me.quot;

    quot;?quot; the boy asked.

    tilted o take a sip of beer. But as rils fluttered sligaleness of t drink. quot;Love is a curious to begin  first I t only of getting   time  on I tried to remember  do you know w ;

    quot;No,quot; the boy said.

    quot;ried to t  see ake out ures and look. No good. Not?quot;

    quot;Say Mac!quot; Leo called doer. quot;Can you imagine t;

    Slorated and fixed on ttle face of the paper boy.

    quot;But a sudden piece of glass on a sideune in a music box. A s nig migreet and I . You follo;

    quot;A piece of glass. . .quot; the boy said.

    quot;Anyto remember  up a kind of s remembering dont come to a man face for corners around side tead of me combing tryside to find o c;

    t; part of try ;

    quot;Oo; t;I al. It  I boozed. I fornicated. I committed any sin t suddenly appealed to me. I am loato confess it but I  is all curdled in my mind, it errible.quot;

    tapped er. For a feion, tringy neck covered o palm in an attitude of prayer. traig and tremulous and old.

    quot;It  it ; ;And  I started my science.quot;

    Leos mout;ell none of ting any younger,quot;  doailed old Romeo!quot;

    quot; ; the boy asked.

    t;Peace,quot; he answered.

    quot;;

    quot;It is o explain scientifically, Son,quot; ;I guess tion is t s finally  got tangled up toget. Peace. A queer and beautiful blankness. It land and ternoon. All evening I just stayed t is o me.quot;

    treetcar . ttees before t outside. t silently over ts. Leos clock icking on the wall.

    quot;It is ten carefully. I meditated on love and reasoned it out. I realized  time. And ;

    t moutly open and  answer.

    quot;A ; t;it science, o go by, take t dangerous and sacred experience in Gods eart correct, Son?quot;

    quot;Yea; tly.

    quot;tart at t t is so miserable? Do you know ;

    t. le little shake and his green eyes gazed down unblinking and grave.

    quot;Son, do you know ;

    t small and listening and still. Slowly he old man leaned closer and whispered:

    quot;A tree. A rock. A cloud.quot;

    It ill raining outside in treet: a mild, gray, endless rain. tle ble and t a Leo, ttle paper boy.

    quot;tland,quot; ;At time my science ated and I started very cautious. I reet and take it  a goldfisrated on t. I graduated from one to anotting tecland to San Diego --quot;

    quot;A; screamed Leo suddenly. quot;S up! S up!quot;

    till ; rembling and  and brig;For six years noer, Son. I can love anyto t it even. I see a street full of people and a beautiful ligc a traveler on tranger and all loved! Do you realize ;

    tiffly, iger edge. Finally ;Did you ever really find t lady?quot;

    quot;?  say, Son?quot;

    quot;I mean,quot; timidly. quot;;

    turned a time tered look. ed ter, drank doo side. t;No, Son. You see t is t step in my science. I go cautious. And I am not quite ready yet.quot;

    quot;ell!quot; said Leo. quot;ell ;

    tood in t;Remember,quot;  of t . quot;Remember I love you,quot;  nod. And tly behind him.

    t speak for a long time. tle forefinger around ty cup. t looking at Leo he finally asked:

    quot;as ;

    quot;No,quot; said Leo sly.

    t;t;

    quot;No.quot;

    t Leo, and  little face e,  and s;as ic?quot; t. quot;Leo? Or not?quot;

    But Leo  anseen years, and o be a critic of craziness. toransients  to satisfy tions of ting cig.

    So t flap of  and as urned to leave  t seemed safe to  could not be laughed down and despised:

    quot; of traveling.quot;

    Scan Notes, v3.0: Proofed carefully, italics and special cers intact. Cises to quot;American Quotesquot;.