I don't know the full story behind that but repetitive, rhythmic sound, makes me think they are talking about the old mans breathing.
But i'm not sure
Answer:
Writers in the first half of the 20th century were heavily influenced by world war
1. Americans were also heavily influenced by the great depression and the disillusionment of capitalism. This is why many wrote about poor characters and rags to riches stories, like the Great Gatsby, or they were about people going to Europe like Hemingway often wrote.
Explanation:
That is an Americanism.
The correct standardized British form of the verb get is Get-Got-Got, however, in the US, gotten is the more used form of the past participle making it Get-Got-Gotten.
