empty.
the night was empty.
king john stood on the corner of the empty night.
jerry the joker came along, strumming his banjo and singing a happy tune.
he saw king john standing on the corner, looking sad.
hey john, old buddy, why the long face? jerry enquired friendlily.
the night is empty, jjohn replied, and so is my life, and my brain.
what kind of attitude is that? jerry responded piquantly. you need a little escitement in your life.
such as? john asked wearily.
let’s hold up a cigar store. that is always good for a little excitement, plus i could use the money to buy a new goldfish, as my old one died yesterday.
i don’t think so.
come on, brother, it will do you good. you got anything better to do?
i do not have anything to do, that is the problem.
then let’s do it.
oh, all right.
that’s the spirit. we will hold up gus the philosopher’s cigar store. he has it coming, because he spreads gloom wherever he goes and thinks he is better than everybody else.
and so king john and jerry the joker wended their way to gus the philosopher’s cigar store at 35th and broadway.
gus himself was behind the counter, as he usually was, as he did not like to pay help.
hello gus, what’s up? jerry greeted gus in his most innocent manner.
what do you bums want?
that is not very friendly, gus, and since you want to be like that, i think we will just take the contents of your cash register.
and jerry reached into his pocket for -
you punks! gus exclaimed. i have been waiting for you all my life!
and he smoothly produced a gun from under the counter and filled jerry’s guts as full of hot lead as carter has little liver pills.
king john turned tail and ran back to his corner as fast as his bow legs could carry him.
panting like an old yellow dog, he leaned on the lamppost and looked up at the night.
it was as empty as ever.
he wondered what would happen to the goldfish jerry would never get to buy, and if the police would give gus a hard time for shooting jerry, and what would happen to himself.
and to everybody and everything else that had ever lived, or would live.
the night had no answer.
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