ariosto
Celestial Navigator
- Joined
- May 19, 2001
- Posts
- 5,961
***
http://www.ariosto.homestead.com/gantry2.jpg
Corn City Kansas (pop 3177), August 2 1934...
... and we shall all gather together under the eye of the DIVINE CREATOR on JUDGEMENT DAY and he shall SMITE the WICKED and give succor to the BLESSED...
Gantry paused, his clear blue eyes fixed on the horizon where a few dust devils swirled laconicaly to break up the absolute flat monotony of it all.
Succor yes indeed, there were a few of the blessed in this hick town he'd like to have succor him!
He looked in the cracked rearview mirror of the old Ford panel truck and grinned, white even teeth in a tanned rugged face topped with an unruly mane of curly dark hair. Inspite of a salting of grey at the temples Elmer Gantry, Evangelist Extraordinary, appeared nowhere near his fifty years of life. A life dedicated to conning the rubes, making a quick buck and fucking everything that came his way...in skirts that is. Queers were a special target of his sermons, but not tonight.
Tonight was the Grand Opening of his tent revival, nothing to heavy tonight. It would be a time for sizing up the schmuks who came, determining who to con and who to screw.
"You boys doin' all right out there?..I'd love to help but my leg...you know, shot up in the Great War...damn the Bosch to hell."
Ned and Fred Foote looked up from their work, putting up the Reverand's big tent in return for free tickets to tonights show and smiled through the sweat and dust that covered their homely faces.
"Dint know you cursed Reverand. Last pastor we had here said cursin was a powerful sin."
Gantry opened the car door and limped over to the two young brothers.
"Boys sometimes there's nothin like a good solid cursin long as you don't blaspheme. You aughta try it sometime.
Go ahead try it...say By Damn it's HOT!"
Ned and Fred looked at each other and grinned. The Reverand was allright and that was a fact.
*******************************************
As The Gantry Faith Renewal Revival was taking shape in a vacant lot on the west side of town a Grayhound bus from Chicago headed for LA pulled to a wheezing stop in front of Peevey's Drugstore which also served as the bus station and Western Union office.
Only one passenger got out and had it not been so breathlessly hot on Main Street she would have definately received a chorus of wolf whistles and raised eyebrows from the youths that hung around the store. As it was no one was on the street as Louise Trout aka Jezebel DuLac stepped off the bus with all her worldy goods in a small valise and all her wealth, about two dollars in bills, tucked in the well filled Ccups that surmounted a body that men said they'd die for.
But only one had...back in Chicago, which was why she was here.
And she was wondering if a place like Corn City could use a girl of her...ahhh, special talents.
A closed thread for AriO and myself.
http://www.ariosto.homestead.com/gantry2.jpg
Corn City Kansas (pop 3177), August 2 1934...
... and we shall all gather together under the eye of the DIVINE CREATOR on JUDGEMENT DAY and he shall SMITE the WICKED and give succor to the BLESSED...
Gantry paused, his clear blue eyes fixed on the horizon where a few dust devils swirled laconicaly to break up the absolute flat monotony of it all.
Succor yes indeed, there were a few of the blessed in this hick town he'd like to have succor him!
He looked in the cracked rearview mirror of the old Ford panel truck and grinned, white even teeth in a tanned rugged face topped with an unruly mane of curly dark hair. Inspite of a salting of grey at the temples Elmer Gantry, Evangelist Extraordinary, appeared nowhere near his fifty years of life. A life dedicated to conning the rubes, making a quick buck and fucking everything that came his way...in skirts that is. Queers were a special target of his sermons, but not tonight.
Tonight was the Grand Opening of his tent revival, nothing to heavy tonight. It would be a time for sizing up the schmuks who came, determining who to con and who to screw.
"You boys doin' all right out there?..I'd love to help but my leg...you know, shot up in the Great War...damn the Bosch to hell."
Ned and Fred Foote looked up from their work, putting up the Reverand's big tent in return for free tickets to tonights show and smiled through the sweat and dust that covered their homely faces.
"Dint know you cursed Reverand. Last pastor we had here said cursin was a powerful sin."
Gantry opened the car door and limped over to the two young brothers.
"Boys sometimes there's nothin like a good solid cursin long as you don't blaspheme. You aughta try it sometime.
Go ahead try it...say By Damn it's HOT!"
Ned and Fred looked at each other and grinned. The Reverand was allright and that was a fact.
*******************************************
As The Gantry Faith Renewal Revival was taking shape in a vacant lot on the west side of town a Grayhound bus from Chicago headed for LA pulled to a wheezing stop in front of Peevey's Drugstore which also served as the bus station and Western Union office.
Only one passenger got out and had it not been so breathlessly hot on Main Street she would have definately received a chorus of wolf whistles and raised eyebrows from the youths that hung around the store. As it was no one was on the street as Louise Trout aka Jezebel DuLac stepped off the bus with all her worldy goods in a small valise and all her wealth, about two dollars in bills, tucked in the well filled Ccups that surmounted a body that men said they'd die for.
But only one had...back in Chicago, which was why she was here.
And she was wondering if a place like Corn City could use a girl of her...ahhh, special talents.
A closed thread for AriO and myself.
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