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"Two bucks?" said Thunderbolt.
"Corn licker," said the stranger.

"Betcha I can outdrink you for a case 'gainst twenty bucks."
"You're on, nigger."

I didn't know what Thunderbolt was up to, but I knew he never
had twenty bucks in his life. I watched them each grab a fifth and
break it open, stand there facing one another in the center of the
store, and take a long drink. Now they kept looking and drinking
and wiping their mouths for about half a fifth in half an hour. You
could tell these boys were no beginners, so I went out and pulled the
shades down and put up a sign saying I'd be closed for about an hour
or so. By the time I'd finished that, those two had finished their fifths.

They were still matching tooth and nail on their second bottles
when things got rough. The drinking rules say neither man can sit
down or go to the head or anything, and the man that stands the
longest wins, of course. Now they had to match drink for drink and
it was coming up Thunderbolt'S turn.

"Your swig, nigger," the stranger said.

"Yes, Lawd, thank you," Thunderbolt answered as he put the
three-quarters full fifth to his mouth. He closed his eyes and tilted
his head back, and drained her, like a man that hadn't had water in
five days. I swear when he set that bottle down I saw fire come out
of his mou tho

The stranger scowled at Thunderbolt. He lifted his bottle and
started, but after about five gulps he dropped the bottle and spit the
rest on the floor. The stranger was pretty drunk, and he fell up
against my can goods display in the front of the store. He tried to
get up, but just lay on back and took a snooze with canned tomatoes
all over him.

About this time Thunderbolt doubled up on the floor and was
hollering somethin' about soap and water, and I thought this is a heck
of a time for a man to wash his face or hands. Besides, he didn't look
like he was gonna wash nothing. The hot-stove boys knew what to
do, though, and came back with a Pepsi bottle full of hot soap and
water. Old Thunderbolt grabbed it and threw it down, then up again
with what looked like a gallon of corn licker. I was simply just
wondering at the way those niggers knew what to do. I sorta had a
feeling this had happened before to them.

Anyhow, they picked up the stranger and carried him out to his
car to finish his nap, and come back in to get warm round the stove.
Thunderbolt was just laying in the middle of the floor in some real

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