Show WATCH m THE CURVES RICHARD HOFFMANN e O Copyright by b Richard Richard Hoffmann win Service SYNOPSIS Following hit hi lather fathera bitter criticism elm cism of hi his hi dl die II lift life f. f and the withdrawal withdrawal withdrawal with with- of financial assistance Ifs Hal Ireland Ire Ir land only only- son ion of ot a wealthy banker find and himself practically without fund but with the promise of a situation In San Francisco which city h he mut must t reach from Nw New York within a des den Bit site Dit time limit He Ile taker take passage with witha a cross country auto party on a share hart bar e aspens expense basis baI With five ave other members mom mem bens bers of or the party an attractive girl Barry narry Trafford middle aged aged Giles Oile Kerrigan Slater Sister a nun nuni and an Individual whom he h. Instinctively dislikes Martin Crack he h. starts start hl hit hla Journey Journy Barrys Barry's reticence annoys annoy him To Kerrigan h he takes taken at once one but h he heIs e Is la unable to shake off oft a feeling of or un un- easiness L He lIa distrusts t Crack although anding his hla Intimacy with Kerrigan ripening and he h. makes make a little tittle progress pros ress reu with Barry Darry CHAPTER IV 8 Thursday Hal 1101 had hod some Borne reaching hit hIs friend next morning and It was nearly nearly near ly b one when he brought Kerrigan down dote n from their room to see Bee what hed he'd got Really ought to look at lit It first firs t through an old snapshot negative said hat Hal Your eyes do better If you tak take e these things gradually It was a great grent locomotive of a ca caa ear eara cara car car- r- r a certain high erectness the small 1 hubs huts and the spindly spokes proclaiming proclaim ing venerability but deep green feen and bright brass the pale taupe of the upholstery up the miniature lamps beside the doors doom with a little red star In each earh side glints made Its venerability that of an aristocrat who could Ignore the fickleness of styles Kerrigan looked and his eyes eyell softened affectionately Shades of Dempsey and he breathed What Is III It A Martin day horn her without the wings Nineteen twenty three said Bald Hal lIal Belonged to the mother of one of the directors and never been driven over forty Cared for like an only child Look at st that upholstery Kerrigan looked and stroked Kings ride on fabric loss less rich he said They left the engine In to It It I 1 spose But why wily Texas TUlls license plates Only ones ones they had handy Thought It'd be Interesting to drive from Mich Mleh Michigan igan Igon to California with Texas plates ard a New York driving license But the motors motor's sweet sweets sweet sweets sweet's a nut The solid multiple chunk of ot the closing door drew an exclamation of awe from Kerrigan He lie said You dont don't think Ill I'll be embarrassed rid riding ing tag up so high find you see Bee more of the country said Hal lIat Right over over the heads of the crowds crowd that gather true true Its It's a wonder were we're alive Tell me more how much does the museum want for It Three hundred And the tires look at the tires made tires made of they are and practically ne new And everything works the speedometer even the cigar lighter the railing up on top Widows Widow's walk No that's the laundry yard 11 IlaL at Colonel If I 1 didn't know yo YOI i t iso tso so 10 well Id I'd almost think you were making fun of of-of of of I there there said ran gan Youve You've gone and bought us its a acar acar car and dont don't know what to call rail It Spose the others had come rome he before fore It was named The Ignominy I We better bet hett ter go up and throw out a horn from the quart an old old dog fancier lefi ter In my pocket this morning Jot Got ot to christen It If Prink Drink said IBId Hal Ital At noon what dyoll think I am amt Kerrigan's eyes were merry Ju Just t about what you seem he said cald takIng taking tak Ing Hal's Hals elbow and turning him round had become the cars car's name by the time the travelers were ready to start They were shown IU In his timeless green and brins brass dl distinction John smiled loftily rocking hack buck on 1111 his hll heels as ns If Ir he wert were taking the air on the deck of Clr his yacht and Mrs made a s little ex ex- cla mm Ion of surprise her hands In front of her as 81 If to he sure ure she wouldn't touch the paint and gave rave Hal Hala llala a look of Interest and res respect Oh Its It's elegant she ahe said Oh Ob my Its It's beautiful Barry arr and end Sister Anastasia la came up op and Barrys Barry's look ran out to Hal lIal In unguarded unguarded un un- guarded confidence She came to hl hU hi side to tn admire and her tow low voice said Ah Ab Its It's a sweet tet old thIn thing It said Hal Ilal showing her his bis pleasure Mm Im she said be fun wont won't It And Anet we can un light lIht the little carriage lamps cant can't we wet Hal lIal chuckled at her more delightedly than he meant to Ret Bet we 1 can cnn he aid said And you shall have hae era em tu ro kep when when we get there She looked at his lips lilli then up st at still ill II eyes securely eyes securely expectantly on the poInt of letting him pass another of the Intangible defenses defences But Dut then theo she be said IBid sly ely dont don't we I start starts r Because that miserable fella Crack Isn't here said ald Hat lIaL and the brief confidence con conn that had lain between their eyes lost Itself Barry turned her back on the others otherl slipped her hand lightly Inside liars liar arm arm and he crooked It as II they took a slow Ilow step or two tw away How lIow long do you think It should take to Los Angeles Barry am askel him Hal lIal returned the gravity of her eyes all the while conscious of the casual resting of her hand on his hll arm as II If tf sensation paused throughout his bIll body except Just there where she touched him And he wasn't sure lure he wholly matched her casualness as II he said I 1 t had hadn't it figured It closely Its It's Its about abouL twenty five hundred miles Six days would be fairly brisk Why Barry Do you yon want to hurry Her lIer look coolly dl disavowed any plea for herself You Tou wont won't say 1111 anything If I tell you fOU why Sister Anastasia her low mention of It was quite se II lyric tender a as II the nuns nun's had been been been- Is II going to the Coast Cout She has hILI a Hit brother the Santa SenJa Barbara mission lies lie's dyl dying g. g He Ile w wants want's nil her there b II fore before he dies to dies to forgive him for something wrong he thinks he did t to her a long longtime longtime longtime time ago alto She's Shell so BO patient so BO good so 10 humble Isn't the word because that sometimes means things not always brave true and tine fine She wouldn't say I anything any any- thing to you but Its It's so 10 much to her ber Im I'm sure Bure she Bhe hasn't hl heard anything for fora a along long Ion time She doesn't know whether hes he's dead now DOW Hal lIal wanted to keep her hand touching touching touch ing his hili arm until he found the remark that would open some BOrne small slit silt of Intimacy Intimacy In In- In her thoughtful faintly anxious ant ant- ious bus look But ut all he be said Bald w. w was D n h n that tha t Crack She watched him an Instant longer as III If it she Bhe expected him to say something something some some- thing else Then she Bhe looked down at hi hi mouth her hand band slipped Blipped from his bis armand armand arm armand and she Bhe turned round And d n d-n n me too he said to himself himself him him- self Belf for letting that minute get away from me What Is It comes over you IOU Ireland you IOU yokel yoken Lunch was not only eaten but digested dt di Bested the luggage was wall all up on the widows widow's walk under a spanking new tarpaulin and still BUll Crack hadn't come A high clock somewhere round the C o. o tl 1 ra rat A t l J r I Ii t LW l Had to Telegraph New York Bull Bud ness fleas The Answer Was Slow Comb Back corn corner r struck four times Hal 1101 squatting squat ting Sing on roof root murmured down to to Kerrigan an H 11 1 1 with him lets Let's leave his bag and his hili fare tare an and d shove off Casually Barry said MId I 1 dont don't think thin k that'd be fair fair to to leave him do you yon Why not noU said MId Hal lIal If It we make a couple of hundred miles before be bedtime bedtime bed bed- d- d time we might be one night less o othe on n the road Conviction hacked backed up Barrys Barry's casual looking at Kerrigan and Hal's Hals o ob obstinacy Y nd cy rose But nut suppose suppose- Barry arry began a an and Kerrigan Interrupted Here he comes to Barry Marry lifted floe Doc under her arm an angot and d got Into the car without hurry as 88 1 If Jr f her stand about Crack hadn't reap really 7 mattered to her Hal vaulted to th the e pavement as 88 Crack came ClIme up and said to him Any day this week young youn g fella fells Where the devil have you been blen r Crack flushed Awfully sorry sorry h he bot s said Bald I 1 got delayed awful sorry Ills His III s hand came from his jacket pocket IO ket an and d he dropped his look modestly t to o watch the golf hall golf ball fall to th e pavement and bounce up to his hand ban d again Then as If Hal Ital were the only one to share an understanding of th the e ways of the world he said lId hind Had to tn telegraph New York Business The Th e answer was slow com comin In back lie He wasn't as Oil you young nit as 88 he superficially dally looked Hal lIal decided It wasn't t only his old fashioned air straight air straight straight- brush brushed Id I'd hair and jacket buttoned high big highto h to the small opening that opening that gave him bin t maturity And whatever bemused hl his hi light drowsy eyes remained private e to them not wholly through shyness Telegraph h New York Y on business an and d wait for an on answer It went through Hal's Hals mind quickly y and vividly like something be ha had d thought of before and forgotten and there was no pause before he be said laid Get In no Your bags bag's up Crack looked hooked up at the rack then along the length of the car Immune to hurry Nice Noce car car be he said laid shyly as If U be he knew something about It that Hal lIal didn't They had bad gone 20 miles miltS westward when gave a lost loat wall wail of dismay That man that tha tha that man IDID asked Good Gad Oad sir what man Kerrigan his d des es- es lies not here John said Bald We left leU him behind Aeration rising That driver That Miller Our fares All previous discussion of the mat matt ter-of ter Millers Miller's dismissal and Hals llala had fares flown past possession of ot the Johns John's ears earll It turned out And as Kerrigan explained It among eager filter oh's oh and ah's of understanding Hal 1101 became aware that he had undertaken responsibility of ot a sort here Where forty eight hours hourI ago he hadn't hadn t given gIen n Continental whether any of them got anywhere or not he was now beIng being being be be- ing trusted to land them all In Los Lol Angeles safe ARfe soon Boon and at no further expense It gave him an odd feeling near near- the pit of his hIli stomach stomach not not to tobe tobe tobe be defined at all before all before he forgot It i. Dusk came early because of ot the shredded cotton comforter of ot cloud low tow under the sky and when they turned south Bouth at Coldwater for the Indiana border there was a warm smell rain amell- amell ing lag breeze breexe It was dark when they got gotto gotto gotto to Fort Wayne and while they were at supper there was a splatter of ot rain flew at the window It was all agreed to push on a little farther giving the weather of night nighta a chance to make up Its mind And promptly It made up Its mind to drench water down upon the world A pair of brilliant headlights moved toward them through the dark dork rain a truck and trailer enormous with wide and a line Une of little littlegreen littlegreen littlegreen green crystals along Its side aide hat Hal eased the accelerator farther bending forward to keep track of the roads road's edge edle Then made mode startling as 88 physical assault for all Its quiet Cracks Crack's whisper whisper whis whis- per sounded behind him Stop t- t brakes easy ensyl There was Willi nothing to 10 sec see nothing nothing but Hal ilal gave the brake brake- pedal Intermittent touches cursing the groundless authority In that whisper as 88 he did It The headlights thundered past and there In the streaked rain glare close ahead a figure In a gleamIng gleamIng gleam- gleam Ing lug poncho rode a bicycle Hal lIal swung aside for him feeling a confused emptiness emptiness emp emp- s hold his chest for an Instant telling himself he was finished with that uneasy premonition that sense of ot portent He Ile partly turned his head to ask Crack How the deuce did yon rou see Bee him Crack didn't answer at once ODO after a little his hIli whisper came drowsing again In shy satisfaction I I 1 I Just sorta saw aorta saw him It was Willi near ten o'clock when they thel came to Huntington and they would have been ready rendy to spend the night there even If at the first corner they had bad not seen a white sign proclaim Tourists on the lawn of an old oldhouse house bouse The cheerful untidy young woman told Kerrigan In loud surprise that she had two double rooms and three singles and failed to keep entirely en en- calm before the coincidence that these accommodations would fit them With the luggage down and In Hal 1101 managed to divert her mind to thoughts of where the nearest garage was one was one where he might find a mechanic mechanic me me- and anda a grease gun JUn Ill be right back bock Hal 1101 said Bald to Ker Ker- rigan See that everybody e gets settled set Bet tied and book an 00 early call call five five five- thirty say But Dut he wasn't right back The elderly night man at the garage found everything everything every every- thing pretty dry and was delighted to have some Borne one to talk to Hal 1101 got away In just under an hour bour The rain had bad stopped the air was refreshed good food almost cool and the waning moon rode silent over the last hurried shreds of cloud Hal 1101 found himself possessed of a juvenile eagerness to get back to the house house house-an an eagerness out of all proportion to the chances chancel of Barrys Barry's being up out of proportion to the Importance of any slight scene Icene of challenge and adroitness that mIght be between them If she were He lie tried the door and found 1 It locked A dim figure came toward the net curtained window and Ha 1111 ha hato had to put down a quick resurgence o ot of excitement The door swung timidly open and the untidy young womans woman's stage whisper scraped round Its Ita edge all In bed bpd I 1 waited up for forI I you Ill I'll just lock up and show you where your room Is la I was telling I Daddy how lucky It was you all could Just fit fit some BOrne of you IOU married and all alt Daddys Daddy's a great one for talking You'll Toul see him In the morning lie He likes strangers Oh no but youre you're going so BO early arent aren't you you yon wont won't see lee him And so 80 on halfway up the stairs where she Bhe suddenly Interrupted her herself elt to hiss a harsh at IlaL lIaL There was waB a low light over oYer the land land- Ing lug Eyebrows raised head nodding she stabbed her finger several Beveral times at the first door Good night she whispered loud loudly like a conspirator Hal lIal wished be he weren't so 10 wide wideawake a awake wake hed he'd be sorry In the morning He Ile o opened ned the door gently gentl hoping Kerrigan was waB too deeply asleep to be disturbed But the light from the street lamp striking upward on 00 the white celing revealed a broad and unoccupied double bed against the walL wail Good thought Hal 1101 Ill I'll read lie He pressed the door shut with less care |