Paul Bryant's Reviews > The Bostonians

Ransom's the name -Basil Ransom. Status, bachelor. Occupation : general brokerage, whatever the hell that means. Occupation at the moment - just having fun. Let me tell you about my evening. It was last evening. The one before this one.

What a politico-literary gathering that was. The drinks were loaded and so were the dolls. I narrowed my eyes and poured a stiff Manhattan and then I saw...Verena Tarrant! What a dame, a big, bountiful babe in the region of 38-23-36. One hell of a region. She was talking up some of that feminism thing like they do these days, and she was giving out that sexy librarian vibe. She was so hot I had to stand back for fear of being burned. My cousin Olive Chancellor introduced us. "I’ve heard of you” she said. “They say you're wanted in fifteen states.” “Could be” I quipped. “But notwithstanding, as of this particular instant in time I want to be wanted in just one state, the state I’m in now, this one, right here, right now, you dig sister?” I hoped she followed the complicated syntax of my sentence. Some of these feminists don’t. I’ve noticed that. There was a hint of first edition Proust coming off of her underclothing. It was driving me crazy. She said, "Johnny, feminism is a deadly game. You have a few laughs and you go home. You can’t win." My eyes narrowed even further (they were narrow to begin with, but women like that. I’ve noticed.) “I like a challenge” I said. I felt my way towards another subjunctive clause. I was sure I'd find Verena somewhere in the middle of it.