And Cap'n Jonadab was a Spiritu'list on his mother's side.

It ended by my agreein' to give the Jimmie chase one more try.
"'But it's got to be the last,' I says.

'When you get to number seventeen don't you say you think the old man meant to say "seventy" and stuttered.' "Number 17 Blank Street was a little combination fruit and paper store run by an Eyetalian with curly hair and the complexion of a molasses cooky.

His talk sounded as if it had been run through a meat chopper.
All he could say was, 'Nica grape, genta'men?
On'y fifteen cent a pound.
Nica grape?
Nica apple?
Nica pear?
Nica ploom ?' "'Kelly ?' says Jonadab, hollerin' as usual.

'Kelly! d'ye understand?
K-E-L-Kel L-Y-ly, Kelly.