Call It Sleep by Henry Roth

masses of black hair, and two busts of old men who wore ringlets under their skull caps and beards on their chins. With an expression of bleak hostility in their flat faces, they looked down at David. Barring the way to the window squatted a swollen purple plush chair, embroidered with agitated parrots of various hues. A large vapid doll with gold curls and a violet dress sat on the glass top of a cabinet. After his own roomy frontroom with its few sticks of furniture, David not only felt bewildered, he felt oddly warm.
    â€œIt’s inna closet in my modder’s bedroom.” Yussie continued. “Jost wait, I’ll show yuh.”
    He disappeared into the darkness of the adjoining bedroom. David heard him open a door, rummage about for a minute. When he returned, he bore in his hand a curious steel cage.
    â€œYuh know wat dis’s fuh?” he held it up to David’s eyes.
    David examined it more closely, “No. Wot d’yuh do wit’ it?”
    â€œIt c’n catch rats, dot’s wot yuh do wit’ it. See dis little door? De rat gizz in like dot.” He opened a thin metal door at the front of the cage. “Foist yuh put sompin ove’ hea, and on ’iz liddle hook. An’ nen nuh rat gizzin. Dey uz zuh big rat inna house, yuh could hear him at night, so my fodder bought dis, an’ my mudder put in schmaltz f’om de meat, and nuh rat comes in, an’ inna mawningk, I look unner by de woshtob, an’ooh—he wuz dere, runnin’ dis way like dot.” Yussie waved the cage about excitedly, “An I calls my fodder an’ he gets op f’om de bed an’ he fills op de woshtob and eeh! duh rat giz all aroun’ in it, in nuh watuh giz all aroun’. An’ nen he stops. An nen my fodder takes it out and he put it in nuh bag and trew it out f’om de winner. Boof! he fell inna guttah. Ooh wotta rat he wuz. My mudder wuz runnin’ aroun’, an aroun’ an after, my fodder kept on spittin’ in nuh sink. Kcha!”
    David backed away in disgust.
    â€œSee, I tol’ yuh I had sumtin tuh show yuh. See, like dot it closes.” He snapped the little, metal door. “We didn’t hea’ it, cause ev’ybody wuz sleepin’. Rats on’y come out innuh da’k, w’en yuh can’t see ’em, and yuh know w’ea dey comin’ f’om, dey comin’ f’om de cellah. Dot’s w’ea dey live innuh cellah—all rats.”
    The cellar! That explained it. That moment of fear when he turned the bottom landing before he went out into the street. He would be doubly terrified now.
    â€œWotta yuh doin?” They started at the intruding voice. It was Annie coming in. Her face was writhed back in disgust.
    â€œEee! Yuh stoopid lummox! Put it away. I’ll call mama!”
    â€œAaa, lemme alone.”
    â€œYuh gonna put it away?” she squealed.
    â€œAa, shit on you,” muttered Yussie sullenly. “Can’t do nuttin’.” Nevertheless, he carried the cage back to the bedroom.
    â€œW’y d’yuh let ’im show it tuh yuh fuh?” she demanded angrily of David. “Such a dope!”
    â€œI didn’ know wot it wuz,” he stammered.
    â€œYuh didn’ know wot it wuz? Yurra lummox too!”
    â€œNow g’wan.” Yussie returned from the bedroom. “Leave us alone.”
    â€œI will not,” she snapped. “Dis is my frontroom.”
    â€œHe don’ wanna play witchoo. He’s my frien!”
    â€œSo who wants him!”
    â€œSo don’ butt in.”
    â€œPooh!” She plumped herself in a chair. The steel brace clicked disagreeably against the wood.
    David wished she could wear long pants like a man.
    â€œComm on ove’ by de winder,” Yussie guided him through a defile in the furniture. “We mus’ be a fireman. We c’n put out de fire inna house.” He indicated the bureau. “Yuh