`` they float , '' it growled , `` they float , georgie , and when you 're down here with me , you 'll float , too- '' george 's shoulder socked against the cement of the curb and dave gardener , who had stayed home from his job at the shoeboat that day because of the flood , saw only a small boy in a yellow rain-slicker , a small boy who was screaming and writhing in the gutter with muddy water surfing over his face and making his screams sound bubbly .