Show r 2 Seconds ds To Go 1 ICO e TI r 13 By NORMAN S. S dR ER BORTNER I WONDERED why fhy I shouldn't let Carl Bullard drown It wasn't that I hated dated him He was a nice enough fellow Just a boy of course and too s 's sentimental and too soft and too rich If only he be hadn't married married mar mar- ried sled Constance Id I'd have s saved ved him himIn himIn himin In half a minute but hut for that Instead Instead Instead In In- stead I watched the water swirl over his head head and and wondered No one could know what I had done that done that I had killed him almost as much as if I had pushed him Wm down and held him under the sur sur- face How could they ever know I was quiet and still on the edge of the V pier with my feet teet dangling in the cool water and a cigarette between en my fingers Behind I me sat Carl Bul- Bul lards lard's wife talking G This Thic inis calmly with some Weeks Week's of f her guests and n behind her the Best shore shoreline of Carl Bullards Bullard's land Fiction stretched away serene serene serene se se- se- se rene and smooth to Carl Bullards Bullard's roomy house on the opposite side of Carl Bullards Bullard's cove And I stared down between my toes at Carl Bullards Bullard's white body Intha in inthe th the tha water He had looked straight at me as ashe ashe ashe he went down It was a queer tortured tortured tortured tor tor- tor- tor pleading sort of a look as if he be knew exactly what was happening happen happen- ing to him and was trying to tell me with his eyes He had opened his Ws mouth to cry out shipped a full tull gasp of water into that boyish chest of his and gone down with hardly more than a ripple Cramps I guess Id I'd seen the same thing before before before be be- fore but not so quick The cove was twelve feet deep at atthe atthe atthe the end of the pier and greenly translucent to the yellow sandy bot bot- tom It seemed almost too clear clear- too innocent innocent to to kill a man man but but I knew it was happening I could see Carl Bullards Bullard's slow convulsive thrashing He was not yet way half-way down How long would it be before he touched the sand Two seconds Ten But how eternally long a second second sec see V ond and can be Constance had warned him Said It was too soon after lunch Said he ought to wait a while But he had laughed In that small-boy small way he had and chucked her under the chin And then he had run across the pier to Jump in over my head I could still feel the little breeze of his passing It was cold on my wet back It was the chucking chin-chucking I think that made me sit still while he sank Constance was not a woman to be chucked under the chin You wouldn't sing swing in a. a church would you That's what I mean Fm rm a fine one to talk about churches but that's what Constance J 71 t 1 tl 0 t t G. G 11 q qI 0 1 I r 11 9 i I O I A 1 How ow long would it be before he touched the sand Two second Ten But Dut how bow eternally Ion long a second can be does to me Yesterday I saw her for forthe forthe forthe the first time in three years and Its It's worse with me now than it was then Jien A lot worse Deeper Not boy- boy girl and stuff any more Man and woman And she's married to Carl Carll Bullard She would have married me if things had gone right They hadn't though hough I thought a year in Buenos BuenosAires Aires Aires at at an unbelievable salary salary- would give me my start Instead of that three years in Buenos Buenas Aires and amazing bad luck at any and andall andall andall all forms of gambling gave me a taste for living and little to live on Three years There had been letters between us the first few months Gee I miss you Connie Wish Nish my year was up I miss you too Aleck Seems like a year already Keep writing often UT the letter slowed down a after ter tera B BUT a while and then stopped alto alto- gether My fault I know I coul couldn't t keep lying to her about the money I was supposed to be saving it It was well in my second year ear that I heard shed she'd been married The news filtered down to me one way or another I didn't mind then I had other diversions Three years ears is a long time Almost Almost Almost Al Al- most as long as it was taking Carl Bullard to reach the yellow sand He was near It now and not clearly outlined Just a slow-moving slow blur Three years was enough to give me a lifetimes lifetime's fill of everything Somehow Constance heard I had come back and she wrote to me me Just a friendly welcome-back welcome note That meant she held no hard feel- feel Ings The girl boy-and-girl stuff was done with And yet I suddenly wanted tose her talk with her I found her here at the cove She was still sun the Constance Constance Constance Con Con- stance I remembered if a little subdued subdued subdued sub sub- dued a little settled and satisfied But there was something in her eyes when she looked at me that made me rue wish Id I'd never gone away from her A glow Not Just ness More than that It was the glow in her eyes that kept me at the cove I wouldn't have stayed at the Bullard place except except except ex ex- for that A flock of guests as dull and chattering chattering chattering chat chat- as guests always are A husband husband husband hus hus- band who kept grinning at her like a gawky boy and patting her arm armand armand armand and chucking her under the chin The glow in her eyes whenever eyes whenever she looked at me made me-made made up for all of that I wanted to take my stare from rom Carl Bullards Bullard's body body now now nearly on the sand sand and and look over my shoulder shoulder shoulder der toward Constance I wanted to see those glowing eyes again meeting meeting meeting meet meet- ing mine But I didn't move Instead I thought of something very interesting If I were to sit still only a little longer the pier and the house and the cove cove and and a great deal more would more would belong to Con Con- stance Shed She'd be wealthy and with a glow in her eyes when she looked at me Three years in the Argentine for nothing and three minutes on Carl Bullards Bullard's pier pier for for everything I I wanted Why shouldn't I let Carl Bullard drown ITS IT'S ITS IT'S TS T'S STRANGE when youre you're tense and still how all your senses become sharp beyond normality While I watched the white greenish blur that was Carl Bullard the feminine voices behind me which before had been unintelligible became became became be be- came clear and distinct Constance talking to her guests That water looks so good she said I wish I could go in Why dont don't you Connie I wondered wondered wondered won won- dered why you Sh h Doctors orders There was a pause Connie I You don't dont dont don't- You might as well wen know now as later I guess It'll be in Decem Decem- ber her Haven't you noticed the way Ive I've put on weight Why my dear we had no ideal But now I know why Carl has beeso been bee so attentive And that sparkle in your eyes Connie All the signs The sparkle In her eyes The glow Carl Bullards Bullard's body was on the sand at last tumbling awkwardly shapelessly My cigarette dropped into the tha water I heard It hiss And then I dived in without taking time to stand Carl Bullards Bullard's grip nearly broke my arm |