ing to say〃
〃I'm not trying to say anything。 I have said it。 And if you tell any of your 。。。friends 。。。 about this discussion; I'll say you made the whole thing up。〃 I looked at him all wide…eyed and earnest。 〃Besides; I'm trying to be your friend; Percy。 A word to the wise is sufficient; they say。 And why would you want to get into it with Delacroix in the first place? He's not worth it。〃
And for awhile that worked。 There was peace。 A couple of times I was even able to send Percy with Dean or Harry when Delacroix's time to shower had rolled around。 We had the radio at night; Delacroix began to relax a little into the scant routine of E Block; and there was peace。
Then; one night; I heard him laughing。
Harry Terwilliger was on the desk; and soon he was laughing; too。 I got up and went on down to Delacroix's cell to see what he possibly had to laugh about。
〃Look; Cap'n〃 he said when he saw me。 〃I done tame me a mouse!〃
It was Steamboat Willy。 He was in Delacroix's cell。 More: he was sitting on Delacroix's shoulder and looking calmly out through the bars at us with his little oildrop eyes。 His tail was curled around his paws; and he looked pletely at peace。 As for Delacroix … friend; you wouldn't have known it was the same man who'd sat cringing and shuddering at the foot of his bunk not a week before。 He looked like my daughter used to on Christmas morning; when she came down the stairs and saw the presents。
〃Watch dis!〃 Delacro