He went into the drugstore and lighted a ciga-
rette at the cigar counter. None of his friends were
there-only the high-school crowd. Feeling self-
conscious, he spoke. feebly to one of Harry's girls
and left.
The movie looked good-Leslie Howard in
Of
Human Bondage.
Albert started toward the window.
But sticking his hand in his pocket, he realized that
he had no money and turned away.
He walked slowly up the street. He would get
money from his mother and see the movie later. At
the corner he met Jim Morgan and they stood talk-
ing. It was four-thirty, the factories were out, and
the streets were crowded.
"Well, what do you know?" Albert said.
Jim answered with bravado, out of the corner of
his thin mouth. "Not a thing, pal, not a thing. What
do you know?"
Albert did not reply, but spat into the street. A
short swarthy man came up to them, holding out a
red box. "Any safeties today, gentlemen, fifty a
dozen?"
"What the hell for?" Albert asked. Jim burst into
a shrill laugh, looking admiringly at Albert. He
grabbed Albert's elbow and said, "Come on, that
calls for a beer."
"I can't, I'm broke," Albt:rt said glumly.
"I'll stake you."
"I've got to get home," Albert said. "Maybe I'll
see you tonight, what's up?"
"Seven-thirty, right here. Playa little pool. We'll
be seeing you
t"
"IVIaybe," Albert said, and went home, feeling
tired.
Emily Baxter, Mrs. Tom Cates and Ella Netters
were in the front room smoking and talking with
his mother. Albert said hello and sat in the corner,
reading Van Gogh's life. They talked about high
school politics. Albert listened for a while and then
took his book out on the porch.
"You got two letters," his mother said sweetly,
coming after him and handing them to him.
Albert said "Thanks" and glanced at them. One
was from an insurance company. He opened it first,
read the headings: Independent at Sixty
I,
crumpled
it up, and tossed it in the yard.
The other letter was from Jerry. After all these
months he had got a job as assistant manager of a
chain clothing store. It wasn't exactly a fellowship
in philosophy, but it sure felt good to have some
dough coming ir.. once more. He was going to stick
with this compc.ny, work hard, get transferred to
Chicago and rise in the world, and as for dear old
Ashley, he was going to wrap his Phi Beta Kappa
key in his diploma and send it to Prexy telling him
where to shove it. By god he had walked around
like a god damned tramp long enough, reading
Plato. Now he was going after the cash.
Albert put the letter into his shirt pocket, think-
3°
ing that Jerry had turned pretty sour. He wondered
if Jerry and Ruth Sawyer would get married now.
He braced his feet on the railing, tilted his chair
back, and smoked. Why hadn't Elizabeth written?
Maybe he had been too stern with her. At Ashley
in the spring, he thought, it would be hellish tire-
some to have somebody a hundred miles away baw!-
ing you out. Perhaps he should write her courteously
and kindly, emphasizing that he wanted her to live
htr life to the full?
He decided against it. The paper boy came
by
whistling, and the evening paper banged on the
porch. Albert opened it and read until dinnertime.
At .dinner he asked his mother: "Do you have
any change?"
"How much do you need?"
"A dollar."
Handing it to him, she said, "I suppose you're
going to spend it on that girl across the street."
He sneered. "No, I'm buying General Motors
stock."
"I don't know what you see in that girl," she said
meekly.
"Pleasant company."
"Or rather I
do
know what you see-"
He shoved his chair back and jumped up. "Who
gives a damn
I
Can I have a dollar or can't I!"
"I don't care," she wailed.
To comfort her he dried the dishes. Then he put
the dollar in his pocket and went out on the porch.
Leota was sitting in the swing. Albert waved to her.
Some boys were knocking out flies and grounders
on the vacant lot. When the ball rolled into the
street he got it, threw it back, and went on across.
"Hello!" she called, as he approached. "Won't
you come up ?" She moved over in the swing, making
room for him.
"vVere you doing something?"
"Just reading a story in the
Cosmopolitan.
But
it's too dark now."
"Nice night."
"Swell."
They swung lightly. The first few stars were
showing in the gray path of sky between the tall
trees. They heard the yelling boys, and down the
street the racket of a flock of blackbirds. All the
people were on the porches or in the yards sprink-
ling the grass.
Albert felt good. Leota told a boring story about
her work in the grocery store. It reminded him of
one about his sophomore year at college.
When he had finished they sat breathing the cool
air and thinking their own thoughts. Suddenly Albert
said: "Man, that has killed god and love in order
to be free
I"
"\Vhat?" she asked.
He repeated slowly. "It's a kind of a quotation,"
he added.
She looked down. "Let's don't talk of all that. I
OCTOBER,
1936
