Page 213

The luxury linner was in the harbor. Animal and Jaqueline stood by the brass railing smiling with curved glasses of white liquor in their hands. A spring wind blessed Los Angeles after the last of the rains; and ruffed the sea somewhat as the long beach sky was cleared of clouds. Stuffed as these clouds were with the junk of chemical man, still, the endings of winters desert winds saw fit to bring space to this day. Down below on the pier mingled a group of a few women and about twenty men. The men were in bursts of laughter every ten seconds or so, and they were passing wine and marijuana. The group as a whole was dressed loudly, though each ones nature seemed set apart from the other, as in a stage play. One man was round and booming, with a dark face and eye- brows, and discolored teeth. He was the story teller announcing the results this unexpected voyage would bring. Another man with equally dark skin was sly, and he moved among the crowd that roared with lips curved for gossip and ears exactly leaned for the reaction. A few others were lean and handsome with yellow hair. They were athletes, and would scoff at themselves and others as they accepted the wine and passed it on. Still others were compounded with bored