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That stopped any impulse to laugh"Really?"
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"Yes! I'll show you in a bit, one really can't
avoid it, it's in the television room and we
always watch OprahDon't we, Wireman?"
"Yes," he said, and glanced at the face of his
watch on the inside of his wrist
"But we don't have to watch it on the dot, because
we have a wonderful gadget called She paused,
frowned, and put a finger to the dimple in one
side of her plump chin"Vito? Is it Vito,
Wireman?"
He smiled"TiVo, isn't that a funny word? And
isn't it funny how formal we are? He's Wireman to
me, I'm Miss Eastlake to him - unless I'm upset,
as I sometimes am when things slip my mindWe're
like characters in a play! A happy one, where one
knows that soon the band will strike up and
everyone in the company will sing!" She laughed to
show what a charming idea it was, but there was
something a little frantic in itFor the first
time her accent made me think of Tennessee
Williams instead of Margaret Mitchell
Gently - very gently - Wireman said: "Maybe we
ought to go into the other room for Oprah nowI
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think you ought to sit downYou can have a
cigarette when you watch Oprah, and you know you
like that
"In a minute, WiremanWe have
so little company here"What
kind of artist are you, Edgar? Do you believe in
art for art's sake?"
"Definitely art for art's sake, ma'amThat's the kind Salmon Point likes best
What do you call it?"
"My art?"
"No, hon - Salmon Point
"Big Pink it shall beAnd I shall be Elizabeth to
youI had to, because she was earnest rather
than flirtyIn a moment or two we shall go to the
television room, but first She turned her
attention back to the play-table"Well, Wireman?
Well, Edgar? Do you see how I've arranged the
children?"
There were about a dozen, all facing the left side
of the schoolhouseLow student enrollment
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"What does it say to you?" she a
