Page:They Knew What They Wanted.pdf/176

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142
THEY KNEW WHAT THEY WANTED

he says, “this chap served in France an’ won the Croy de Gaire an’ the Distinguished Service Cross.” An’ right there the guy jumps up an’ says: “Don’t you pay no attention to that stuff,” he says, “I don’t want no credit for no services I ever performed for no gover’ment that tells me I got to go to jail to stand up for my rights.”

Father McKee

Do you want to go to jail?

Joe

There’s worse places, I tell you. I been there before, too. That guy in Quincy got the limit an’ I’d like to shake hands with him, I would. Tony says this is a free country. Well, Tony ought to know. He’s a bootlegger.

Tony

[Indignantly]: Hah!

Joe

What I say is: about the only freedom we got left is the freedom to chose which one of our rights we’ll go to jail for.

Father McKee

[Super-sententiously]: Joe . . .