Show BY RICHARD COI HOFFMANN HOMAN SERVICE CHAPTER IX 15 15 Tuesday W WHEN HEN daylight b began besan an to heat bent the sky outside Hal Ual still lay awake and sweating on his bis bed with only his coat coot off o. lie had meant not to doze so 10 that Crack Crock In fn the next nest room shouldn't have havea a chance to send Bend his telegram without without with with- out Hals Hal's knowing It lie Ue couldn't think of Barry narry except as he he- had last lut seen her her golden golden head a little bowed staring Blaring over ever her satin knees Into the corner And though he tie kept putting the dark portrait from him he found himself later regarding It again intently without knowing how It had come back or why Then the light was broader over oer the wide street lIe He heard the creakIng creak creak- Ing tug of Cr Cracks Crack's ck's bed next door light steps and then the running of wa wa- wa ter tar Crack wouldn't send the telegram telegram telegram tele tele- gram now before he found an open office somewhere In Las Vegas Vegan probably where with where with luck luck luck- they would eat eat breakfast With luck What did so slight a thing as luck on the road matter It didn't But Bat yes It did There was Sister Anas- Anas Anastasia tasla tasia and her ber serene beautiful acceptance acceptance acceptance ac ac- ac- ac of sorrow She counted most In this day rather as If It she ahe had always counted most and Hal Hol 1 I had not seen lIeen It for the glare and dazzle of his Hal Dal washed l without refreshment and went down to unlock tin Un He ne sat on the running board eat eat- ing lug one of Mrs oranges when Kerrigan came down brown browneyes browneyes browneyes eyes bright In a combination of greeting and alertness for signs sIgna of news Dont look as If It you'd slept well he said his voice dubious In disappointment Plenty said laid HaL naL as tired as BB I expected Hal Ual watched him tasting tasting still still through that Internal numbness numbness- his Ills rich affection for the quick kind eye the tough cheeks with their labyrinth of minute red veins the straight lips Ups with their Implication tion of readiness and gusto Then the came out out not wholly awake awake but bustling In tandem al al- al ready Then came Crack his bag baa In one hand haud golf ball loose In the theother theother other he pushed the ball bail nervously nervously nerv nerve Into his side pocket as he made his Insecure good morning to tonaL Hal IlaL And after him came Sister Anastasia and and Darry Barry The cool peace of the nuns nun's face was softly animated In the prospect of this last lost day between her and her brother and Hal knew Barry hadn't told her everything Barry Darry simply groom groomed d as is ever In her creaseless gave him of nothing nothIng nothIng-nothing nothing The defensive mistrust of the journey was her brief look no suggestion of a smile framed her curt good morning even enn Docs Doc's lead lend was held short asIf as asIf asIf If to keep him from friendliness put behind him the hundred hun bun dred and thirty odd miles to Las Vegas In less than two hours and a half The telegraph office omee was across and down the street from the place where they stopped to breakfast Hal Dal saw laW Cracks Crack's careless careless care care- less looking for tor It It saw him find It and stand for an Indecisive moment before starting toward It list Hal drank orange Juice fulce and wolfed a bowl of cereal at the counter It was natural nat ural enough he should pay his bill billand billand billand and saunter out to the street when Crack should return In the telephone booth next door he called the telegraph office and putting a shade of flat fiat slowness In his voice he had bad the girl accept him promptly as the person who'd just fust handed in a telegram for FrederIck Frederick Fred Fred- erick crick Ireland In New York Hal said Id like Uke to make It U clearer In that part where it he be claims ha he Is son Ion account trouble which will explain after yoU yon wireS wire S I want to say Claims he Is II your IOn son because asks credit for five live hundred dollars to cover ex expenses expenses ex Including transportation to San Francisco stop After that It goes on the same Wire Martin Crack Grand Orand Hotel Dotel and what youve you've got there Hal Ual went back with a certain small maU grim elation to look at Ras Rna I oil ott gauge Poor old Pop free honest anger for tor a little while wouldn't hurt him much wouldn't be bo new to him and his bis prompt denial denial de do nial of parenthood would give I e Hal Dat more time In Los Angeles When his numbed mind began bean to ad to old disciplines It might try t t tell him that the idea of his hI r flat Dal Hal Irelands Ireland's taking Irelands taking the soft throat of another human being In is his hla bands hand and extinguishing the life Ute that breathed that them that It was wu fantastic preposterous Would I Crack dead still lUll look old-fashioned old I and ond tidy Indolent and secret sex ler less and Immature subtly and slyly hateful If t f you yon beat a basking viper vi 11 per dead in the dust with a stick It didn't look pitiable at all surely California welcomed them officially oil om dally daily at It its its agricultural tine station where here th the th luggage had tn Ii come down off the roof and be opened for an Inspection Drop ping the bags to Kerrigan and Crack Hal lIal didn't resist tho the temptation temp temp- tation which the last lut two offered That That he said laid to Crack In a voice casual enough but plainly audible that s Kerrigan's and that when when Crack reached for It It- It that your He De knew Barry Darry wouldn't turn but Sister Anastasia and Kerrigan both looked up at him as If he had cursed cursed and and he be had bad to drop his eyes eles to hide bide deep self self- d disgust In the middle of Mrs statistics on the thyroid Hollywood ladles ladies took to keep their figures John broke Into frustrated sounds Bounds lie He snapped his fingers In ira a a. a moment moment mo mo- ment meat and said tit It said that way tit It Hal lIal half turned toward John with witha a feeling near absolute tenderness for him and said These darn signs seem seem to point In any anI direction for Los Angeles What place U Is this know Pasadena said Crack warily You Tou can run out to Hollywood this way If it you yon want And be he added the Insinuation of his voice voles unsure unsure of Its Ita own shyness you drop us op us off oft there on the W way Do that said Hal Dal briskly It awed him a little to think again what might happen if Crack used that us when they were alone Guiding to Cracks Crack's directions di dl hint Hal made a final attempt to fancy how It would be to be-to to put Barrys Barry's bag down on the sidewalk and leave her there with her her- hus hug band Something might move wove and give him a remembrance other than chance to round out your collection of e experience how would you do da Jour your man IMn In In I Knife I mean Or Ot gun gun What Would depend Kerrigan sail 1811 cautiously Why Interest said lInt Hal Interest A bad poke try trl something else elu quick Look here said Mid Kerrigan alt sit Un tug ting forward with a slight Jounce lounce of or decision do you yon mind If Jt I 1 ask If it youre you're making a fool ot of yourself yourself your your- self No said laId Hal pretending cool cool- ness Not a bit nut But you ou dont don't I expect me sue to be an nn authority do you fOU Or do you fOU think Im I'm such sucha a fool that I make one of ot myself consciously I dont don't like butting Into other peoples people's business s It Kerrigan went on The curse of the world Is I. people trying to run other people And Im I'm not asking you this for fun tun or 01 because I like Uke to hear heal myself myself my my- self talk Hat Hal looked at Kerrigan's complete com corn quiet gravity and felt the disrespect of being stretched on the bed while his senior sat solicitously forward He ne raised lf from the pillows and swung his hIs' feet to the floor Im sorry Colonel I dont don't see lee why you OU should bould give a curse about m my business Im I'm thankful thank ful fui that you do Hed He'd tell Kerrigan Kerri gan gsa all aU about It It everything That might be good to do perhaps telling tell lag ing him hi his hI blood and his brain would rouse their coma Kerrigan began soberly If you dont don't want to tell me what's happened happened hap hap- say Bay so But Dat If you OU want to break It out I want to hear It And I said want to to not willing willingto to Colonel I want to tell you yon said Bald Hal Bat a a. a gentleness on his mind us 1 well as on his bis voice I I 1 I mat Jutt wanted t to wait walt that was was all Here hen It if if you'll listen heres here's here's heres the whole thing start to to to finish h. h Hal told him a story so orderly and sac simple that he surprised himself him him- self self from from the first hoor ln NewYork New NewYork NewYork York when Larsen had bad been so sure surl Barry Darry and Crack were together from his first sense of something wrong that rode with them In the car car through to watching Barry Darry go up the walk to the hotel In Holly wood And all the while he spoke Barry sat eat In shining green satin nUn holding herself herselt hard bard on that bed four hundred and nd more hot miles mUel away staring darkly into the shabby shab thab- b by corner Would she move move It If he told t too o how he meant to go to Crack later to be alone with him Could he having told It It keep keet Kerrigan Ker Iter- rigan from the disquieting duty of opposing him uselessly him uselessly That It it It- It said laid Hal Dal in quiet conclusion And I cant can't tell you cant can't cant can't tell myself what myself what It THE STORY FROM THE OPENING CHAPTER Following hi hIs father fathers criticism of hit his Idl dl Hf lire lIfe and withdraws withdrawal of financial assistance Hal flat Ireland son on of or a a a. wealthy wealth banker practically without rund but with the promise ot of or a. a situation I. I lo In San Francisco which ha he must reach from tram New York at t one once takes take passage with a country cross auto party part on a share hue expense balls bails Four Your of his hla companion companions are a young young- attractive girl BarQ Trafford middle aged Giles Gil Kerrigan Sister Anastasia a nun I and sail an Individual whom ha h. Instinctively dislikes dislike Martin Crack Barr Barry Barrys reticence an annoy no bitTo To Kerrigan ha h. takes take at once Through a misunderstanding hat Hal I Is Ii directed to Barry's Barrys bedroom Instead of hi his own tier Her apparent unfrIendliness disappear and they exchange Th following da day Hal tells tell her ba he 10 loves love her bar She Sh answers answer that she be mustn't love lova him without C giving an any reason renon On bl his hll Insistence Barry Barr tell lell Hal ha that shortly before hi hi death her hen father had urged her to marr marry a anan Inan man many years year er older oilier than she he Trusting Trusting- her ber father Implicitly cb eb b. b did so 10 and on hi his hi deathbed her father secured her ber promise to stick tick to her hr husband hUband no matter maUer what for lor ten year years That wa was four tour years year ago and though ib she b know knows of at her husbands husband unworthiness she ah I la is determined to keep kep her hr promise while admitting ber her love Ion for tor Hal No argument Hal can make will move mova ber her That night though she to dissuade him he h. goes go to her In la her room room and and he b. secures again the th admission of 01 her ber lov love for tor him Crack appears appear and at one once make makes hi his bl position petition plain lie ne I Is I Barr Barry Barrys husband and her ber and Hal Ha together Ill his object I ii I black black- mall mail Hal lIal appalled at what ha h. can caD on only I consider BarrY Barry's duplicity laugh laughs at him and hi his threat to go to Hal hals father with the story tor to secure bush ush mone money and take takes an In anguishing leave lea of Barry BarrT the fixed image 0 of last night It might be the tho last time be he saw her lier Some little thing thing- should happen must happen to show him bins where he was But Dut It was wal nothing Hal Ua on the roof heard beard the good-bys good said below him and saw Barry Barp Bar y go a little apart with Sister An Anastasia tasla write something something some some- t thing hing on a slip of paper and give givet i It t to the nun before she kissed her tIer Her blue eyes eres came ame slowly lowly to his t the he hostile screens fixed against him Perhaps she watched an Instant longer than suited suited suit suit- ed her ber negligence but that was alL He knew she wouldn't speak and he looked awa away first bending over overto overto overto to take Doc Doca muzzle in his hand and shake It gently Bye Dye poodle he be said laid And then be he was WAI watching watch ing tug the ingenuous unsurprising grace of her boys boy stride take her away beside the terriers terrier's bright trotting And this might be the last beever he be ever saw of her bert I Good O G-d G d. d 1 why did that still sUlI mean nothing e C C C C C C e eThe The room was nondescript and comfortable Kerrigan in fn shirtsleeves shirtsleeves shirt shirt- sleeves by bl the window swept h his hla paper down when Hal Dal came In emil amU ing tug a faintly dl disturbed distorted welcome and said Well Veil here we are When shove off for Santa Barbara Darbara In a while said laid Hal Bat seeIng see see- lag Ing a priest who ho bo knows her het brother what's on on his mind bow how he la is and all You knew her brother was WAI dying He lie is Tats That's why she's in a rush bless bleu her heart She She's I going to call up op when she's ready rendy When do you have to b be hO on the job fob Colonel he be as ask d. d The End of the TraUt Trail he be said hi his eyes eles barely livened for tor a moment mo mo- ment No hurry Any time Ume this month Hal nal watched him consider an In opening for what be Lad to la say and carelessly thought to bead head It I off ort with Colonel If you got lot the I when I saw law Crack standing in her room and knew why he be could be there Since then It Its It's been like Uke coming ou out t of fever you yon know something's happened Inside you I but you yon dont don't know what I loved oved her I guess I dont don't hate her now now now-don't don't dont teem seem to be able to feel about her at alL I only hate him hat hate bate him even If hed he'd done nothing to me even if It be ho didn't hate bate me too So what whan said Kerrigan Hal Dal gave e a single flat laugh Nothing ha ho said except Im I'm keep my father tather out of or this dirty mess If It I have hue to to-If to if It kills me Kerrigan sat lat down and said Out Ou of what dIrt dirty mess meser Hal Dal looked at him sharply for tor a hint bint of the Joke foke but there was Will no Joke fake In Kerrigan's Kerrigan gravely gravel commanding com corn manding eyes I I mean wh why is I It suddenly dirty after Crack comes Into It IU Kerrigan Ken Kerri gan gab explained explain In a patient scholastic schol sebol antic manner You Yon knew she was wal married Who did you expect her ber husband to be beT beTI I II 1 didn't expect him to be a stealthy pale louse ora ofa of a man watch Ing tug us right there thero making his bU dirty plans while his luis luis-bis his girl got lot s a pros ros ro peel ready dy Kerrigan said Oh Vh lifting his bis bead head In slight ironic sion slon She made you JOu come to ber her roo room last night No said laid Hal Dal defensively As AI a matter of tact feet she ahe liked asked you yon not to Yes Tes but but but- nut Hut when you IOU came she didn't keep ont out When you yon were In In- aide side slip she didn't do the perfectly natural thing throw thing throw you through the tb window or scream |