The Iceman Cometh Page #4

quick, Rocky,

before he changes

his mind.

I'll take a cigar

when I go in the bar.

What are you havin'?

Oh, nothin',

I'm on the wagon.

What's the damage?

15 cents.

That must be some booze.

It's cyanide

cut with carbolic acid,

to give it a mellow flavor.

Here's luck.

I guess I'll get back

in the bar

and catch

a couple of winks

before opening up time.

One-drink guy.

No hope till

Harry's birthday party,

unless Hickey

shows up.

If Hickey

do come later,

you wake me up

if you have to bat me

with a chair.

(laughing)

Who's Hickey?

A hardware drummer.

He's an old friend

of Harry Hope's

and all the gang.

He's a grand guy.

Comes here twice

a year regularly

on a periodical drunk,

and blows in

all his dough.

He doesn't run into anyone

he knows in his business here.

Oh, yes, that's what

I want, too, Larry.

But like I told you

last night,

I gotta stay undercover.

You did a lot of hinting,

but you didn't

tell me anything.

Well, you can guess,

can't you?

So what kind

of joint is this, anyway?

This?

This is

"No Chance Saloon,".

"Bedrock Bar,."

"End of The Line Caf,."

"The Bottom of the Sea

Rathskeller."

Don't you notice

the beautiful calm

in the atmosphere?

That's because

this is the last harbor.

No one here has to worry about

where they're going next,

'cause they can

go no further.

Although even here

they keep up

the appearance of life

with a few harmless

pipe dreams

about their yesterdays

and tomorrows.

What's your

pipe dream, Larry?

Oh, I'm the exception...

I haven't any left,

thank God.

Don't complain

about this place,

you couldn't find a better

for lying low.

Oh, I'm glad of that.

I got, uh,

knocked off base

by that business

in the coast.

Since then it's been no fun

dodging around the country

thinking every guy you see

might be a dick.

You're safe here,

cops ignore this dump.

(sighs)

They think it's

as harmless as a graveyard.

And be God, you know,

they're right.

And it's been lonely as hell.

Christ, I'm glad

I found you, Larry.

You know, I kept,

I kept saying to myself:

If I can just find Larry,

he's the one guy in the world

who can understand.

"Understand" what?

All I've been through.

Oh...

Oh, now you're thinking,

"This guy has a hell of a nerve.

I haven't seen him

since he was a kid."

Well, I've never

forgotten you, Larry.

You're the one

friend of mother's

who ever paid any

attention to me.

I remember you used

to ask me questions,

you took what I said

seriously?

I guess I got the feeling

in the years you lived with us,

you'd sort-of, you know,

taken the place of my old man.

I don't suppose

you remember it.

Ah, I remember it

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