IV + 

It was nearly two o’clock when Tony left his woman. A lake wind was blowing hard and the snow fell heavily past the street lights. Tony muffled himself in his overcoat and pulled his cap low. He felt tired and disgusted. + 

At the corner near his home, he turned into Sicily Pete’s restaurant. Three Italians were playing cards at a table in the back. Up front a mechanical piano ground out “The Rosary.” + 

“Hello, Tony, how’s the boy?” said Pete. + 

“Not so good,” said Tony. + 

“You ain’t looking any too good, Tony,” said Pete. + 

Tony ran his hands over his face and stared at his image in the mirror behind the counter. Pale; circles under his eyes. + 

“Well, I guess I’ll live,” said Tony. + 

Pete smacked the counter with both hands. + 

“Love of God! Sure you’ll live. You be OK tomorrow morning. I know, Tony, my boy. Don’t forget I was a young fellow once. I know. I know.” + 

“Sure you know,” said Tony, sarcastic. + 

“Sure I do. You think I don’t know about that little red head. Hot stuff, Tony, my boy. Only don’t be a fool. Save some for tomorrow night.” + 

Pete laughed shaking all over and smacked the counter with his hands. + 

“What the hell’s wrong with you, Pete?” cried one of the card players. + 

“Never you mind. All right, Tony, what’ll you have?” + 

Tony couldn’t decide. Pete went to wait on one of the card players. The mechanical piano finished “The Rosary” on a discord. Tony went over and put a nickel in the slot. + 

“I got a combination to go and two Javas,” said Pete. The mechanical piano began to play “O Sole Mio.” + 

“I’ll take a combination,” said Tony, “and a cup of Java.” + 

“OK,” said Pete. “I got two combinations, one to go and three on the Java.” + 

“How’s business, Pete?” asked Tony. + 

“Oh, what you call so-so. Not good, not bad. I never get rich here.” + 

“Why don’t you put in a line of bottled goods?” said Tony, smiling. + 

Pete raised both hands over his head and brought them down hard on the counter. + 

“None of that for Sicily Pete. Oh no. Pete’s too smart for that. If the bulls don’t get you, why, some of them gangsters do. I know. One say, you buy from me; the other say, no, you buy from me. All the same. No matter who you buy from, bango!” + 

Pete brought Tony his combination and his coffee, and stood at the counter with him while he ate it. + 

“Tony,” said Pete, putting his head on one side, “you know you look like your old man. Other day when you was in here I say to the missus, ‘look, ain’t he just like his old man?’ Well, well. That is good. A boy should look like his old man. That is a good sign.” + 

“Knew the old man pretty well, didn’t you, Pete?” said Tony, finishing his coffee. + 

“Yes, pretty well. When he was a young fellow he was like you. Full of pep and always after the girls. But I don’t know, your mama she got hold of him, then he wasn’t like he used to be. He wasn’t like the same fellow. Pretty soon he died.” + 

Tony laughed. + 

“Hard on the old lady, ain’t you?” + 

“Love of God, no,” said Pete, an expression of acute misery on his face, “you don’t get me, Tony. I mean he got to be a good fellow, like me. Work, work, that’s all he knew. Well, work is a good thing. It keeps you out of trouble, but I don’t know.” + 

Pete wiped the sweat from his forehead and meditated. Tony flipped him a fifty-cent piece. The mechanical piano stopped on a prolonged, slurred discord. + 

“Well, I guess I’ll hit for home,” said Tony, “so long, Pete.” + 

“Good night, Tony,” said Pete, with one of his blandest smiles, “come in again.” + 

The wind struck Tony in the face as he left the restaurant. The streets were white and silent. Tony walked home slowly, tired and disgusted. + 

As he entered the flat he saw a dim light in the front room. He tried to sneak into his bedroom, but his mother heard him. She rose from her chair, a monstrous silhouette against the dim front room light. + 

“A fine time for you to come in, Antonio,” she said. “Have you been out again with them good-for-nothing loafers?” + 

“Yes,” said Tony, in a bad temper. + 

“So⁠ ⁠… !” said his mother, “you don’t even lie any more. Well, well! You are doing fine. Pretty soon you won’t come home at all, you bum.” + 

“You said a mouthful,” said Tony. + 

“Sure, you won’t listen to your mother. Some day you’ll remember what I told you. You loaf with crooks and bums long enough, you’ll see what will happen.” + 

“All right,” said Tony, going into his room and banging the door behind him. + 

His mother stood in the middle of the room for a minute, then she put out the light and sat in the dark, crying. + 