Show r Jj j J I WATCH THE TE CURVES I 1113 RICHARD HOFFMANNS HOFFMANN S by Richard Hoffmann SYNOPSIS Following his hla father fathera criticism of his hla Idl Idle gel lit ur lity and th the tae withdrawal of finan anan financial eta cial assistance Hal flat Ireland Inland eon aon of a wealthy banker ands him himself practical ly IJ without funds funda but with the promise of ot a situation In San Francisco which h he be must reach from New York He lie takes tak with a cross country auto party on a ahara expense basis bails Other members of the tha party Include an all attractive girl Barry Trafford middle middle- aged ed Olle Kerrigan Slater Sister Anastasia a nun nuns I and an Individual whom h he In In- dislikes Martin Crack Barrys Bar Dar rJ rya rys reticence anno annoys him To Kerrigan b he takes takee at once but he distrusts Crack He lie ands his hla Intimacy with Kerrigan Ker rigan ripen ripening ripening- Inc and makes mak a little progress with Carry Barry Through a mil mil- understanding understanding- at a stopping place lint Hal Halla la is directed to Dur Barrys Barry's room instead of ot his hla own and the they exchange kl kisses Next day daJ he tell tells her hr he loves her She answers that she aha mustn't love lov him without t giving CiTing any reason Crack brutally bru bru- tally insults Kerrigan Hal forces him to apologise abjectly and his hla feeling of et enmity and disgust toward Crack la Is Barry Hal lIal that n nut next day dy aha h will reveal the shadow of despair that hangs bane over her ber CHAPTER VI Continued VI-Continued Continued 14 14 One day Barry Darrl went wont on as at U making make mak ing log sure lure it should bould all be as a. simple and clear dear for him as a. It was WI for her her father brought broucht a man to live In tn their house house house-a a pleasant quiet sort Bort of man a good deal younger than her father but hut older than she he The man was away a 8 good deal deat but even when he was wa at home the girl hardly saw him except at lit breakfast and dinner in to the evening he used to tG read his hla paper while she he and her father played cards cardl and talked as they thel always had I Theo Then one day dal her father told her that the man had naked asked him his hI con sent cent to their belr marriage the marrIage the girls girl's and the lodgers lodger's Her Der father had given ItHe It no He treated it so 80 much as AI an ordinary matter that even eren without warning the girl had no DO real feeling about it one way wal or the other And her father wanted It So they were married quietly quiet Quiet- ly 11 right away she being Just under seventeen and her husband a little past thirty For more than a year ear there was hardly any difference in her life she give up tip her beaus beans counted her husbands husband's laundry and sewed on his hll buttons as al she che did for her father fattier It was like a 8 sort lort of dream not dream not ba happy pl not unhappy that unhappy that doesn't seem worth breaking down because you OU know It ItIs ItIs Is fa a dream and aDd that you'll wake up soon loon Then her father was Will taken Ill Ill- very verI so SG so that the doctor octor told her herche hershe hershe she che must think of his dying She couldn't couldn't not not possibly It possibly it filled flied her with such luch panic It filled her so 80 dreadfully so 10 desperately that she che chenever never wondered what would happen between her and he her her husband One night her ber father called her to him he be asked her to promise that she che would stick to her husband no matter what happened do what be lie wanted her to todo todo todo do no matter what it was never leave him nor disobey him for ten years earL She promised and then In his weakness weakness weak weak- ness and fever feer her father forgot about It and begged her to promise all over again It was so IG terribly Important to him really hIm really terribly terror terribly terror mixed up In It It And while she che stayed watching him after shed she'd promised her father died A dog deg barked In the still hot town and the dark sleeping silence of the plains lay lal out and away before them forever under the starless black of the sky ski Later Laler said uld Barry Darrl quietly when she Bhe began to tG believe that It had bad happened hap she Ibe told her husband she would try to love him If If It he would wait try walt try to ty love him for the friendship and trust her father must have bave had for him Mm to make her promise that Her ner husband laughed at her as If she were a fool he be saId Bald lie lle made you remise that because he wanted to tG keep his respectability In h I h 1 with him and I 1 Ican Ican can have It back whenever I lUke like like lie He showed her Iler a paper a sort lort of receipt that was wal practically a confession or of something her father had bad done dono before hed he'd come here he In to another bank bank bank-an an acknowledgment that her ber husband had hat covered caTered It U up for him That was four years ear ago Her ner contract contract con con- tract e still has six lIs years ears to run am and what hall shaIl be when it ends ends ends- pier Her husbands husband's hus bus husbands husband's bands band's plans ar art finite to enough enough to tomake make money monel for bim him Bud and power for hIm la is the tho ways walS he be finds The four tour years year have been mostly a sort o off schooling for that with a few little little little- try Slit She paused only an Instant Id like Uke to help bep her but heres here's no nG V way Y you OU see Ice Disillusion at nineteen n doesn doesn't seem to drown nineteen years of love and reverence and a a-a a a superstition about promises about a sort eort of honor hono even In dishonor The black spread pread of darkness ss before before be be- fore tore them was oppressive stealthy Ino in o 0 pir and Hal tightened his arms arm armsto armsto to make sure lure she be was waa still there him He lie had shut abut the mean mun tags lags of the story o out oat t of his hI mind bu but he b. have hue let even the words word come In the In-the the deliberate simple Impe words that that hat softly Infected his hI unacknowledged edged fears Now he must say what would slip clip the secreted leashes on their on going n together over the near elu elu- Ive sire threshold of enchantment Then Barry said cald steadily That the tory story Hal al What do you IOU think Its It's Improbable said Hal Dal at once and banal and wickedly Irrelevant to what my heart and the whole world Is II full nil of Barry Dury- Witty n his arms she turned quickly and nd stopped topped back his words with her ber smooth urgent lips He lIe could feel her breast move with her breathing close lose against his his almost almost feel her pulses ulses Join hI to use one rhythm for tor what In that transported moment wasa was a single surging of life lite Then her tips lips evaded him her cheek pressed hard agaInst his and he be heard beard her ber whIsper whisper- Ing ng You Tou see lee Im I'm not strong enough brave enough to tell you you arent aren't the he person with whom J I want to spend the he rest of my life anyway anyhow anyhow- that bat you wont won't always alway be the only person lerson no matter maller what can happen In n this whole wide green world or In heaven leaven or In hell belL My own darling I love you That's all there Is To sayI say aay I love you most or best or dearest makes the word cheap and It can never nev- nev er r be cheap again I can never use It t again except again except for you I love you and I haven't been strong or honest or r brave for you 0 O d a O G-d G d she said in ina a final cry perhaps rm Im glad I haven't been With sudden frantic strength she tore ore herself out oat of his hll arms and was gone one from him Into the waiting wailing dark dark- ness less CHAPT CHAPTER R VII Sunday It was was was' only quarter to six alo but Sister SIster Sis- Sis ter er AnastasIa was waiting for Hal at athe atthe atthe the he head of the stairs the serenity of her cool framed close-framed face concerned con corned with sorrow as AI she he watched hIm ilm She has hns told you you Hal sold said quietly quiet- quiet ly 11 y when he came to her Sister Anastasia bowed her head a little ittle and whispered Yes And what do you think The nun looked up at him as If U UDal Hal reminded her of some ome one only a little forgotten after a long time lime I cannot tei ell teU myself what I think think she che said laId But Dut I feel feel feel-feel feel very verl sawn Hal Dal glanced down the stairs into the deserted lobby lobby before before he be said Sister she ahe must tell me where I can f l She Is I. Beautiful In Her Spirit She Must Not Be B. Driven Closer to to- to find this thIs husband husband and I must see ee him himm I can buy him or or-or or or I 1 can can can- but I needn't tell you that I can buy bUl him He lie Is for sale She will not tell you lOU you said laid Sister AnastasIa Anastasta a saddened by her helpless helpless- ness She would not Dot tell me All ah will say Illy Is la that he be Is not waiting for tor her ber In California I shall find him said Hat HaL She asked me to ask a favor of you said ald the nun as If she hadn't heard him and Hal nal drew an on uncomfortable uncomfortable breath I think you rou will do dG doIt doit It for her She did not sleep last night I will do anything In the world for her said sahl Hal except one thin thing It It Is not the one thing said laId Sister AnastasIa It Is only ony that you will for today today for for twenty four hours not hours not speak of your love not ask her to speak of hers She must rest rest Inside Inside she oho must rest to find where she che t i. i now that you are lire together She Is nearer neuer to to to-to to despair than than than-than than she should be She Is b beautiful In her spirit she must not Dot be driven closer to to- to Hal Ilal gave gaTe her a quick a acute ute glance and raw aw that she che believed what she had started to tG fay day oy lIe He looked down the stairs again the tile sleeping quiet of the shabby hotel grown subtly perilous peril peril- ous OUI then he returned his hll look to the nuns nun's and saId cald I promise She he had bad known he would and known that it would solve nothing below the surface of today Our bags bars are ready read If If it-if if you like to take them down she said cald That Is II s the room room there And she moved to the stairs not stairs not because be cause of connivance In tn anything she ie shouldn't watch but because she che ly 11 trusted him to G care for Barry Batry Hal lIal knocked and Barry Durr opened thedoor the the- door to him hIm her her blue eyes deep and alone but sure lUre almost hopeful In their brave quiet He lie managed a free tree smile of greeting and said laid or my my- my DIetrIch B Bags Dals i was told there were bags She bu held out 1 her hand her arm IhO shoulder straightened from the good wIde her ber eyes pye with der her smile cheering In hI ban She took both bolh of oft hers b brought oUght R It to ber chee It Then s she 0 and turned her lips lip to Ibe let It g go III as If It were s aro him There were entrusting to G the bags she said poInting She stood by the door her go golden idea head high the thick bush bushof ot half curls touching her smooth faintly dipped met mether mether mether Before her cheeks He ne stopped lopped her brief acknowledgment of ot Intimacy with conscious sedateness she said as u U It Toil rou sec dont don't you you ahe had had b been n explaining l U It to everything him Ange Angeles will be the end of ot everything time lime of beauty left Theres There's a little We shouldn't waste wasta It In making malting ou ourselves our our- selves miserable over oyer what we caa cant can't t have Ills gray eyes stayed out of reach h of her appeal Barry he e sa saId Bald stead stead- lly lIy theres there nothing we can cant can't t nave bave have Kerrigan kept them waiting a little took her old place this Barry and Hal lIal played a 8 In the tho the stalking game with Crack round car In the sweetish pungency of or the waked exhaust Crack he felt was wal edging up to hint a desire to tG ride Inthe inthe in inthe besIde be be- the front seat and Crack sitting side him drowsily seeming to follow his bis Impossible groping for actuality Inthe In Inthe the fiction of Barrys Barry's marriage the marriage the prospect of It made Hal nal flinch lUnch and shudder Then without chagrin Cr Crack ck surrendered to lo Hats Hal's casual keeping the car between them bounced his golf ball once on the pavement and climbed Into the Hal couldn't remember having seen him recover his silly plaything In the speak-easy speak that other night perhaps he ho carried a sup sup- ply Hal Ilal wondered If U new golf balls gleaming In a box would now always alway remind him Mm of Crack Crock and his Then Kerrigan came And how are you yon caone colonel Hal al asked as they started Like the mouth of a factory chimney chimney chim chim- ney said Bald Kerrigan scrubbing the red filigree of his tough cheeks and blinking blinking blink bUnk ing cheerful appraisal of the morning Hows now that Mr Kerrigan the young man asked eager for a fresh token of his kindly old friends friend's wit Wh Why bless you yon said laId dear Mr Dir Kerrigan Kerr Kerri gan ran radiating goodwill toward all top hole Is the the- answer what else l' l lAnd And with that gay quip and a gleam of ot benign mischief in his nice old eyes he went off Uppity off In In the direction direction di dl of Mr MacGregor's carrot patch There was dust up already on the thelong thelong thelong long road and the high haze gathered as 81 the morning light lost its slant and andUs Us Its freshness Occasionally cattle catU trucks and the mule teams that still held tractors' tractors berths on the less frequent frequent frequent fre fre- quent farms gave no Im Impression of ot being out unduly early and the threshIng threshing thresh thresh- ing fag equipment in one of ot the roadside road roadside side fields looked as if It had been puffing put fing chaff chait all aU through the hot not night Nebraska was under slow change for forthe forthe forthe the farther West the stark dry railroad railroad rail rail- roar road and Its vertical fringe of pole line still leading the way to the eternal eternal eternal eter eter- nal horizon It was somewhere east of Cheyenne that bat Hal nal felt a silent allent unseen magic putting more momentous difference under the sky and accidentally he glanced up above up-above above the haze of the horizon hor hor- izon and Izon-and Izon and saw the source of It dim sloped eloped patches of white Incredibly big higy on the far peaks of a mountain range They stayed far away there still and lofty above the earths earth's haze and Has Ras- prodigious charge against them over the driven song of steel and rubber rubber rub rub- ber her became a small peevish crawling In Infinity Mountains said Crack quietly behind behind behInd be- be be be- hind Hal's Hals head as If It were a warning warn lag ing as If ft there were some necessity for new and subtle vigilance At the filling station where they stopped in Cheyenne Kerrigan I said What I want to arra arrange some day is this a personal archangel who'll mop down to you ou every so aG often when youre you're In a new town or an old one you rou like and say to you Dab Baby you need a tonic here you are In Cheyenne Chey Chey- Cheyenne enne enne I cant can't help hp that but If you'll youn pick any day of Its past that you'd like to see Ill I'll get you a ringside seat right In It Know now any archangels said Hat Hal aL What would you pick here herel Ever hear of the Gold Room No what was Vas that thaU Jim Allens Allen's Place said Kerrigan I almost wistfully the big ho hilly establishment out here In the days when you had to know your way around to tG support |