“Completely over the falls. I wanted to be sure you’d recovered. That’s why I called up. I knew
that if you’d let them put anybody else in the room in my place then you really were crazy. But
you didn’t, I knew you wouldn’t. Well, I did have just a trace of doubt that was because you
talked so crazy here. I have to admit I had just a second when I wondered. I’m sorry about that,
Gene. Naturally I was completely wrong. You didn’t let them put anyone else in my spot.”
“No, I didn’t let them.”
“I could shoot myself for thinking you might. I really knew you wouldn’t.”
“No, I wouldn’t.”
“And I spent my money on a long-distance call! All for nothing. Well, it’s spent, on you too. So
start talking, pal. And it better be good. Start with sports. What are you going out for?”
“Crew. Well, not exactly crew. Managing crew. Assistant crew manager.”
“Assistant crew manager!”
“I don’t think I’ve got the job—”
“Assistant crew manager!”
“I got in a fight this after—”
“Assistant crew manager! ” No voice could course with dumfoundment like Finny’s “You are
crazy!”
“Listen, Finny, I don’t care about being a big man on the campus or anything.”
“Whaaat?” Much more clearly than anything in Mr. Ludsbury’s study I could see his face now,
grimacing in wide, obsessed stupefaction. “Who said anything about whoever they are!”
“Well then what are you so worked up for?”
“What do you want to manage crew for? What do you want to manage for? What’s that got to do
with sports?”
The point was, the grace of it was, that it had nothing to do with sports. For I wanted no more of
sports. They were barred from me, as though when Dr. Stanpole said, “Sports are finished” he
had been speaking of me. I didn’t trust myself in them, and I didn’t trust anyone else. It was as
though football players were really bent on crushing the life out of each other, as though boxers
were in combat to the death, as though even a tennis ball might turn into a bullet. This didn’t
seem completely crazy imagination in 1942, when jumping out of trees stood for abandoning a
torpedoed ship. Later, in the school swimming pool, we were given the second stage in that