M&D: Smallest possible spoiler (chapter 3)

[the Robot Vegetable]

> >Dan Schmidt wrote:
> >> 
> >> I'm having trouble deciding how to hear Dixon's tendency to end
> >> sentences with an ellipsis and a question mark, like this...?  Any
> >> suggestions?
> >
> >I'm hearing a drop in volume and a rise in pitch, a sort of trailing 
> >off...?  (I also visualize the speaker failing to make eye contact with 
> >the speakee -- textually justifiable? Ennh.)  Not unlike my own speech 
> >pattern when I try to run an unusually dumb idea by my wife, "Honey, I 
> >figured I'd save us some money and fix the alternator myself...?"

    I hear the drop in volume and the rise in pitch,  but Dixon searching
his listener's face for clues and reactions feels very natural to me.
Trying to finesse knowledge of what will be the right thing to say,
dowsing for the path, trolling for the juicy fact that will work to
the betterment of both...? 

    veg