Show ake 0 0 r ar 0 I 1 1014 HI 0 ONE by ROBERT MORE C BLACKMON JUMP borner 9 6 1 I 1 VE told you it makes no differ ence to me ralph and I 1 it it really doesn doean t L dusk dimmed the coral gold harriet marne s hair dimmed blue of the light dotted buildings rising above the flat roofs which she and ralph pell stood it filled with deep shadow the narrow slot of the alley between them and the noise of the city was a screen about them thern isolating them from the rest of the world that a what you think now but you d get straight in your thinking in a few weeks or months or years then it would make a lot of differ ence across the alley ralph pell leaned bronzed arms on the low brick parapet of the other building and shook his head in slow delibera tion pink neon glow spilling into the alley from the street eight floors down glinted on his brown eves and made odd shadows in m his curly brown hair it changed to an im possible color the tan of his knitted sport shirt after that it would loulu always be there between us or rather it wouldn t be there he laughed harshly and reached down to feel through brown trouser fabric the device which substituted for the flesh and bone he had left on a field in normandy when gunfire from the ground met parachutes drifting silently in the darkness he would never forget that no ralph harriet s small fist struck the stained brick of the low parapet bordering her own flat roof as if to drive understanding across the dark drop of the alley between them it would never make any difference to me to me you would always be she groped momen harily for a word that would not sting normal his ILs voice was flat and bitter please ralph her voice rose a little sorry but I 1 d never be that even with two real legs he laughed shortly service medico says I 1 im m part of a mind as well as part of a man let s don t kid ourselves too much is riding on it it would al ways be there between us like well like this alley is between us now I 1 d have as much chance getting over it as I 1 would getting over this alley he glanced down at the eight story drop the sliver of pave ment below imagine me doing that be your age get wise to some facts the best thing tor for both of us to do is to forget we ever ah ahl he made a savage gesture let s talk about something else harriet said that quickly almost desperately let s talk about you peeping at me on my roof here this summer lets let s talk about you waiting down stairs to introduce yourself as the peeper let s talk about the places we have been together the things we have done let s talk about our meeting up here with the alley be tween us in the evening let s talk about her voice stopped for a moment on an odd sharp gasp let s talk about the big ape ing from the city zoo this afternoon lets let s ape escaping from the zoo zooa ralph pell stood tall and slender in the night I 1 haven t heard any thing flung about it you re sure surel you probably missed it har net riet laughed a little shrilly the ape is big and black and ferocious I 1 I 1 certainly wouldn t like to meet him up here on my roof alone with no one here to help me Good goodness she shivered audibly no chance of that there was amused tolerance in his grin the ape s probably back in his zoo cage and glad to get away from humans and I 1 didn dian t peep at you on your root roof I 1 looked it can t be a crime to look at softness and beauty and sweetness with so much hardness and ugliness and bitterness in the world it cant can t be a crime for a ah ahl lets let s talk about the apel he finished quickly harshly well I 1 like that harriet laughed she moved away from the para pet small and shapely in the night against the sky I 1 m cold ill have to get a wrap don t go away ill I 1 be back in a minute she ran ralph pell watched her cross the flat roof of the other budding building to the small structure that housed the stairway it was about forty feet away then he jammed his for a moment he was draftina drift ina down through the black normandy night a huge silk dome above him bracing himself for the blast from the ground the numbing shock ol 01 bullets striking his artificial foot toot struck the other parapet and slipped off he fell there was a quick breathtaking breath taking drop toward the pavement eight floors down then his arm struck brick brown fingers curled over a sharp edge gripping strain came on the arm as he stopped the fall and his weight all but tore his fingers loose small sharp sounds came from his lips and he got his good leg up hooked the heel over the edge of the parapet then lev ered the rest of him up he rolled over the parapet top and dropped to the flat gravel roof of the other kw 40 4 I 1 I 1 1 f 0 i J I cal JL j 1 POOR 1 flo it lt would never make any difference to me to me yon you would always be I 1 she groped momentarily for a word that would not sting hands down into his trouser pock ets swore softly and kicked at gray grav el on his own flat root roof with his foot balancing himself on the art arti limb I his ibs bs eyes were stormy his lips tight harriet was swell people that made it tough but positive she de served a whole man years or maybe only months or weeks from now she d look back and be glad that things turned out as they had she d realize that he was right and maybe she d understand why and well everything it was tough now but speared small figure ap 1 feared in the doorway of the stairway shed on the other roof even as she appeared a strange black shape came between them all but blocking her from his view then he heard her scream shrill and clear in the night ralph ralphl the apel the impact of the two words drove him forward until his knees struck the edge of the low brick parapet bordering the eight story drop into the alley between the two buildings he heard harriet scream again shouting tor for help would be use less by the time someone heard and understood and reached the other roof it would take many minutes to run downstairs cross to the other building and get to the roof in the meantime sweat came out on his face as he put his good foot up on the edge of the brick parapet and thrust his lean weight up with the other leg grunt ing with effort he flung himself out over the alley and toward the brick parapet of the other building root roof building and his heart beat was shaking him even as he struck he was up and running toward harriet and the black shape he came within reach laced fin gers into stiff course fur and jerked savagely to drag the black shape away from harriet the fur yielded with an ease that all but made him fall and he found himself holding the black furred pelt of a small ani ant mal there was felt sewn to the underside of the pelt and he lecog nihed the thing heyl this is the little black bearskin from your apartment he yelled at harriet mame marne standing before him hun in the darkness small and quiet heyl you made me jump that I 1 I 1 might have I 1 I 1 knew you wouldn t fall couldn coulden t fail fall harriet marne start ed laughing and crying at the same time it was just one more jump you had to make to prove oh ralph ralphl her lifted arms were slim and white in the night ralph pell dropped the pelt and there was no further need for words |