From the day
Perspective: The Teenager · Sound
The brassy, syncopated roar of "Alexander's Ragtime Band" blares from the neighbor’s phonograph, competing with the deafening chug of a motorcar outside. My knuckles ache from shuffling the Rook deck as I watch the pump attendant scrawl **$0.15** on the chalkboard for a gallon of fuel; pop is going to have a fit when he sees the price of keeping that machine running. I spotted a bloke trying to act all high-and-mighty with his new electric starter, so I tipped my cap and asked, "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" It was a lousy joke, but the way he looked at my scuffed boots made me want to crank the gramophone loud enough to drown out the whole world.