Cleveland

Cleveland is a minor, offstage presence in a recollection about sneaking moonshine from a bar. The brief exchange sketches him through the drink associated with him and the fact that he noticed when any went missing.

The Bar’s Moonshine

The narrator remembers that Rodent used to sneak small tankards of Cleveland’s shine from the bar. The recollection links Cleveland to both the liquor and the place where it was kept, without establishing further details about his role there.

Rodent as Lookout

Rodent denies being the one who took the shine, saying he only kept watch. He recalls warning Rodent that the theft was a bad idea because Cleveland always knew when some of the drink had gone missing; Rodent, meanwhile, looked guilty whenever he did something he was not supposed to do. The narrator adds that Rodent still got him to share the stolen drink. Cleveland’s vigilance thus supplies the risk around which the old escapade—and the exchange’s affectionate teasing—turns.