Thursday, December 19, 2013
open up in Denver will you Jack?- -mebbe I can get to my brother’s
safe.” I certainly agreed. When we arrived in Denver I took him by the
arm to Larimer Street to pawn the penitentiary suit. The old Jew
immediately sensed what it was before it was half unwrapped. “I don’t
want that damn thing here, I get them every day from the Canon City
boys.” All of Larimer Street was overrun with ex-cons trying to sell
their prison-spun suits. George ended up with the thing under his arm in
a paper bag and walked around in brand new Levis and sports shirt. We
went to Neal’s old Glenarm bar---on the way George threw the suit in an
ashcan---and called up Ed White. It was evening now. “Yo” chuckled Ed
White. “Be right over.” In ten minutes he came loping into the bar with
Frank Jeffries. They were both returned from France and tremendously
disappointed with their Denver lives. They loved George and bought him
beers. He began spending all his penitentiary money left and right.
Again I was back in the soft dark Denver night with its holy alleys and
crazy houses. We started hitting all the bars in town, roadhouses out on
West Colfax, Five Points Negro bars, the works. Frank Jeffries had been
waiting to meet me for years and now for the first time we were
suspended together in front of a venture. “Jack, ever since I came back
from France I ain’t had any idea what to do with myself. Is it true
you’re going to Mexico? Hot-damn, could I go with you? I can get a
hundred bucks and once I get there sign up for the GI Bill in Mexico
City College.” Okay, it was agreed, Frank was coming with me. He was a
rangy bashful shock-haired Denver boy with a big conman smile and slow
easy-going Gary Cooper movements. “Hot-damn!” he said and stuck his
thumbs on his belt and ambled down the street, swaying from side to side
but slowly. His father was having it out with him. He had been opposed
to France and now he was opposed to the idea of going to Mexico. Frank
was wandering around Denver like a bum because of his fight with his
father. That night after we’d done all our drinking and restrained
George from getting his nose opened up in Hot Shoppe on Colfax---a
fellow came in with two girls and we addressed him as “Hat” and wanted
to meet the girls and George leaped for him---Frank
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