The Mouse on the Mile

This is the second installment of Stephen King's six-part serial novel The Green Mile, following The Two Dead Girls. Set primarily in 1932 at Cold Mountain Penitentiary's E Block, the story is narrated by Paul Edgecombe, the head guard of Death Row, who writes his account decades later from Georgia Pines, a nursing home.

Paul opens by describing an orderly named Brad Dolan who reminds him of Percy Wetmore, a former E Block guard who secured his position through a family connection to the state governor. Both men share a petty, mean-spirited temperament. Paul establishes his key timeline: John Coffey arrived on E Block in October 1932, condemned for the murder of the nine-year-old Detterick twins. Eduard Delacroix arrived before Coffey, and William "Wild Bill" Wharton arrived after. Before any of them, a small mouse appeared on the Green Mile, the lime-green corridor leading to the electric chair. Brutus "Brutal" Howell, one of the regular guards, nicknamed it Steamboat Willy. At this time, two other condemned men occupied cells: Arlen Bitterbuck, called The Chief, and Arthur Flanders, called The Pres.

The mouse becomes a recurring presence on the block, displaying unusual behavior: It accepts food only from the regular E Block guards, ignoring offerings from outsiders. Percy hurls his baton at the mouse during one appearance, barely missing, then chases it toward the restraint room, but it escapes under the door. Dean Stanton, one of the regular guards, tries to explain that causing commotion among condemned men is dangerous, since men under extreme strain can snap. Percy dismisses the advice. Dean later tells Paul that Percy fails to grasp a basic truth about Death Row: He has no real power over men who can only be electrocuted once. The guards also note that the mouse seems to know when Percy is absent, appearing only when he is off duty.

During one visit, Paul is staying late to talk with Bitterbuck, whose execution is approaching. The Chief asks whether heaven might mean returning to one's happiest time, and Paul affirms this, a comforting lie he does not regret. Old Toot-Toot, the prison's snack vendor, drops a piece of bologna for the mouse, but it ignores the offering. When Paul drops a piece of the same bologna, the mouse eats immediately.

The narrative turns to Bitterbuck's execution. On July 16, the guards rehearse the procedure with Toot-Toot standing in as the condemned man. Percy is assigned to the switch room, where he can observe but not participate. Paul explains the sequence: the reading of the warrant, the walk down the Green Mile, prayer in Paul's office, the procession to the electric chair, and the commands "Roll on one" (powering the generator) and "Roll on two" (sending the current). The actual execution on July 17 proceeds smoothly. Bitterbuck walks the Mile without resistance, faltering briefly at the sight of the witnesses, but Paul quietly encourages him to show how a Washita man faces death, and The Chief steadies himself. Two jolts of electricity are required. Afterward, Percy slaps the dead man's cheek and taunts him. Brutal confronts Percy, telling him the man has paid his debt.

Paul pauses to reflect on the act of writing, noting that it has revealed connections he had not consciously recognized, such as the mouse apparently searching for Delacroix before Delacroix even arrived. He asks the reader to hold in mind the image of John Coffey lying on his bunk, weeping silent tears that seem to express sorrow for the whole world.

After Bitterbuck's execution, Flanders's sentence is commuted to life imprisonment. Then, on a rainy Monday in late July, Delacroix arrives. Percy drags the small, shackled Frenchman onto the block, beating him with his baton. Delacroix had stumbled exiting the transport van, and his hand accidentally brushed the front of Percy's pants. Percy claims Delacroix tried to grab his genitals, using the incident as a pretext for violence. Paul catches the falling prisoner and shields him while Brutal pulls Percy away. Paul recognizes that Percy is dangerously out of control, but the guards cannot fire him because of his political connections and the economic desperation of the Great Depression.

After further incidents, Paul threatens Percy with a disciplinary report. Percy backs off. One night, the mouse enters Delacroix's cell and sits on his shoulder. Delacroix declares the mouse's name is Mr. Jingles, insisting it whispered the name to him, and asks for a box to keep it in. Percy reacts with surprising calm, suggesting Delacroix buy a cigar box from Toot-Toot and offering to bring cotton batting to line it. Paul only learns the reason for this change years later from Warden Hal Moores: After Percy complained about his treatment on E Block, Moores promised him a prominent position beside the electric chair during Delacroix's execution, making him appear to be in charge before the witnesses. In exchange, Percy agreed to stop causing trouble.

Mr. Jingles settles into life on the Mile, sleeping in a Corona cigar box lined with cotton and never soiling it. Delacroix demonstrates that Mr. Jingles can fetch a small wooden spool, chasing it across the cell and pushing it back. Harry Terwilliger, another guard, brings crayons, and Delacroix colors the spool. Delacroix performs the trick for every guard except Percy, his distrust permanent.

As events compress, Delacroix's execution date moves up by two days, and Wharton's arrival is delayed by a trial and medical tests for alleged epileptic seizures, which are determined to be faked. Paul wakes one morning with excruciating pain from a urinary infection, collapsing to his knees beside the woodpile. He considers calling in sick but remembers Wharton is arriving that day. Driving to Cold Mountain early, he finds Warden Moores distraught: Moores's wife, Melinda, has an inoperable brain tumor and will be dead by Christmas. Shaken, Paul forgoes sick leave, deciding he must be present for Wharton's arrival.

Harry, Dean, and Percy collect Wharton from the hospital, where the prisoner appears completely drugged and passive. None of the guards verify whether he is actually sedated. During the drive, Wharton sits motionless, shackled at wrists and ankles, though the wrist chains prove too long. At E Block, as Dean unlocks the door, Wharton erupts with a screaming Rebel yell, loops his wrist chain over Dean's head, and begins strangling him. Harry leaps onto Wharton's back but is flung off. Percy stands frozen, unable to act. Paul draws his revolver, but Wharton uses Dean as a human shield, one blazing blue eye daring Paul to shoot. The installment ends on this cliffhanger, with Dean being choked and Paul unable to fire. The story continues in Part Three, Coffey's Hands.