(xx) Death of Bernice

Well sir, it's late afternoon as we enter the small house halfway after the next block now, and here in the living room we find Mrs. Victor Gook and young Mr. Rushgook. The latter is standing beside the dev important moving his overcoat, adding just this moment arrived home, and his mother, glancing at him, observed...

You look sad. I am. You have a bad mark in your algebra? Uh-uh. What's the matter? Bernice died today. Who? Bernice Howard's sister. What you talking about? Howard who? Mr. Goebbox's horse, Howard. Oh, give me a start there for a second.

Oh. His sister died, hm? I passed away this morning at exactly two minutes after 11. Too bad. Yes. Was it an old horse? 16. That's pretty old, isn't it, for a horse? Yes. How old is Howard?

Fourteen. Bernice was his elder sister. Uh, when did you hear the news? Just now. I was coming along the alley on my way home from Catlin's vacant lot. And when I went past Mr. Gumpox's shanty, where he keeps his garbage wagon, I saw both him and Howard standing outside.

He drew me off to one side and told me what happened. Drew, you're off to one side to Howard, wouldn't you hear? Well, I expect Howard wouldn't have understood if he had heard, but it was kind of a decent thing to do.

Hmm. Mr. Gumpox is quite upset. Was anything in particular that has mattered? What's her name? Bernice. Bernice? She's never been very well delicate kind of situation. I understand everybody in Howard's family is delicate. Howard certainly is.

They're way he stands with his head hanging down by his knees, the person I think he was going to fall down any second. He will one of these days. Howard got any other brothers and sisters besides this, Bernice?