From the day
Perspective: The Teenager · Sound
The roar of the elevated train is nothing compared to the rattling gears of my Land’s Lord board game, but the street-corner chatter about that subway party train killing an electrician is all I hear. Some blockhead at the station said the poor man got flustered and crushed, which really puts a dampener on the "Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis" tune I’ve been whistling all morning. I’m feeling fit as a fiddle in my stiff collar despite the grisly news, especially since Ma finally gave me a nickel for a fresh loaf of bread. The city is a bully mess of clanging bells and steam, but if I can ignore the grit, this autumn air tastes like nothing but progress.