00:00a pursuit race by ernest hemmingway william campbell had been in a pursuit race with a burlesque show ever since pittsburg
00:11in a pursuit race in bicycle racing riders start at equal intervals to ride after one another they ride very fast because the race is usually limited to a short distance and if they slow their riding another rider who maintains his pace will make up the space that separated them equally at the start
00:31as soon as a rider is caught and passed he is out of the race he must get down from his bicycle and leave the track if none of the riders are caught the winner of the race is the one who has gained the most distance
00:45the most pursuit races if there are only two riders one of the riders is caught inside of six miles the burlesque show caught william campbell at kansas city
00:58william campbell had hoped to hold a slight lead over the burlesque show until they reached the pacific coast as long as he preceded the burlesque show as advance man he was being paid when the burlesque show caught up with him he was in bed he was in bed when the manager of the burlesque troop came into his room
01:17and after the manager had gone out he decided that he might as well stay in bed it was very cold in kansas city and he was in no hurry to go out he did not like kansas city
01:29he reached under the bed for a bottle and drank made his stomach feel better mr turner the manager of the burlesque show had refused to drink william campbell's interview with mr turner had been a little strange
01:43mr turner had knocked on the door campbell had said come in when mr turner came into the room he saw clothing on a chair an open suit-case the bottle on a chair beside the bed and some one lying in the bed completely covered by the bed-clothes
01:59mr campbell mr campbell mr turner said you can't fire me william campbell said from underneath the covers it was warm and white and close under the covers
02:10you can't fire me because i've got down off my bicycle you're drunk mr turner said oh yes william campbell said speaking directly against the sheet and feeling the texture with his lips
02:24you're a fool mr turner you're a fool mr turner you're a fool mr turner said he turned off the electric light the electric light had been burning all night it was now ten o'clock in the morning you're a drunken fool
02:34when did you get into this town i got into this town last night william campbell said speaking against the sheet he found he liked to talk through a sheet
02:45did you ever talk through a sheet don't try to be funny you aren't funny i'm not being funny i'm just talking through a sheet you're talking through a sheet all right
02:57you can go now mr turner campbell said i don't work for you any more you know that anyway i know a lot william campbell said he pulled down the sheet and looked at mr turner
03:10i know enough so i don't mind looking at you at all do you want to hear what i know no good said william campbell cause really i don't know anything at all i was just talking he pulled the sheet up over his face again
03:26i love it under a sheet he said mr turner stood beside the bed he was a middle-aged man with a large stomach and a bald head and he had many things to do
03:37you ought to stop off here billy and take a cure he said i'll fix it up if you want to do it i don't want to take a cure william campbell said i don't want to take a cure at all i'm perfectly happy all my life i have been perfectly happy
03:54how long have you been this way what a question william campbell breathed in and out through the sheet how long have you been stewed billy haven't i done my work
04:07sure i just ask how long have you been stewed billy i don't know but i've got my wolf back he touched the sheet with his tongue i've had him for a week
04:17the hell you have oh yes my dear wolf every time i take a drink he goes outside the room he can't stand alcohol the poor little fellow
04:29he moved his tongue round and round on the sheet he's a lovely wolf he's just like he always was william campbell shut his eyes and took a deep breath you've got to take a cure billy mr turner said
04:43you won't mind the keely it isn't bad the keely william campbell said it isn't far from london he shut his eyes and opened them moving the eyelashes against the sheet i just love sheets he said
04:58he looked at mr turner listen you think i'm drunk you are drunk no i'm not you're drunk and you've had d t s no william campbell held the sheet round his head
05:12dear sheet he said he breathed against it gently pretty sheet you love me don't you sheet it's all in the price of the room just like in japan no he said listen billy dear sliding billy i have a surprise for you i'm not drunk i'm hot to the eyes
05:32no said mr turner take a look william campbell pulled up the right sleeve of his pajama jacket under the sheet then shoved the right forearm out look at that on the forearm from just above the wrist to the elbow were small blue circles round tiny dark blue punctures
05:51the circles almost touched one another that's the new development william campbell said i drink a little now once in a while just to drive the wolf out of the room
06:03they got a cure for that sliding billy turner said no william campbell said they haven't got a cure for anything you can't just quit like that billy turner said he sat on the bed
06:17be careful of my sheet william campbell said you can't just quit at your age and take to pumping yourself full of that stuff just because you got in a jam
06:28there's a law against it if that's what you mean no i mean you got to fight it out billy campbell caressed the sheet with his lips and his tongue dear sheet he said i can kiss the sheet and see right through it at the same time
06:43cut it out about the sheet you just can't take to that stuff billy william campbell shut his eyes beginning to feel a slight nausea
06:53he knew that this nausea would increase steadily without there ever being the relief of sickness until something were done against it
07:01it was at this point that he suggested that mr turner have a drink mr turner declined william campbell took a drink from the bottle it was a temporary measure mr turner watched him
07:14mr turner had been in this room much longer than he should have been he had many things to do although living in daily association with people who use drugs he had a horror of drugs and he was very fond of william campbell
07:29did not wish to leave him he was very sorry for him and he felt a cure might help he knew there were good cures in kansas city but he had to go he stood up
07:41listen billy william campbell said i want to tell you something you're called sliding billy that's because you can slide i'm just called billy that's because i never could slide at all i can't slide billy i can't slide it just catches every time i try it it catches
07:59he shut his eyes i can't slide billy it's awful when you can't slide yes said sliding billy turner yes what william campbell looked at him you were saying
08:13no said william campbell i wasn't saying must have been a mistake you were saying about sliding no it couldn't have been about sliding but listen billy and i'll tell you a secret stick to sheets billy keep away from women and horses
08:29anOULD
08:32hey he stopped eagles eagles billy if you love horses you'll get horse and if you love eagles you'll get eagle eagles he stopped and put his head under the sheet
08:43i got to go said sliding billy turner if you love women you'll get a dose william campbell said if you love horses yes you said then said what about horses and eagles oh yes and if you love sheets
08:59he breathed on the sheet and stroked his nose against it i don't know about sheets he said i just started to love this sheet i have to go mr turner said i got a lot to do that's all right william campbell said everybody's got to go
09:16i'd better go all right you go are you all right billy i was never so happy in my life and you're all right i'm fine you go along i'll just lie here for a little while around noon i'll get up
09:32but when mr turner came up to william campbell's room at noon william campbell was sleeping and as mr turner was a man who knew what things in life were very valuable it did not wake him
