Page 33

By Jack Joseph Smith

Even Mr. Bau, who like all other great men was a bit shook, when Hyde the second explained the Gibbons problem. Mr. B. streightened up. "Tell him to piss on his neck." As far as I am concerned the fifty gallons of piss collefted account decay for the Gibbons today. He's a bum. Eating the same old stake and onion. So, that's the ending. But to see the whole picture is truely the great American irony. The best place to begin some sort of realizatation is at the death of Denny. No. It was when Hanchy proposed the bank job to Harry. They argued all night. Gibbons said; "the plan is perfect which is why we are to weak." Gibbons left the table of frenchfries thick in stack deep laid down in old cream gold laced plates. Still the grace of the fields. But he used to see it, and enjoy it, now he could only look at it. Gibbons shook his head. It was no good, but he prayeted. "Summer is gone and sun shine on the medow." It was low and sqakie. Like a riddle definately all known still going on to the fit. Now that the death of Denny has been mentioned we call him Young Ben who is around along but only comes up once.

Original Scan

AI Interpretation

GPT

The narrator links Gibbons's present decline to the proposed bank job, recalling his judgment that a perfect plan exceeds their strength.

Gibbons can still look at the fields but no longer enjoy them. The narrator proposes beginning at Denny's death, then identifies him as Young Ben.

Claude

Mr. Bau's verdict on Gibbons is 'Tell him to piss on his neck', and the narrator calls him 'a bum. Eating the same old stake and onion', naming the whole picture 'the great / American irony.' The story's true start is placed 'when Hanchy proposed the bank job to Harry', with Gibbons saying 'the plan is perfect which is why we are to weak', and the page ends with Gibbons, who 'prayeted' in the typed text, saying 'Summer is / gone and sun shine on the medow' and the naming of Denny as Young Ben.

The page steps back from the action to judge and to reframe, as the narrator openly revises where the story begins. Loss runs through it: Gibbons 'used to see' and 'enjoy' the grace of the fields but 'now he could only look at it', and his prayer is 'low and sqakie. Like a riddle'. Typed interlinear revisions such as 'decay' over 'today' leave the drafting process visible on the page.