Show FOUR FLIGHTS UP TO HEAVEN by FREDERICK LAING LAIG P LL ea tm THE THE landlady was smiling at them 1 uke like the tha wolf wall in red bed Riling hood you look kinda young to be a married couple oh we arent married yet peggy blur blurted t ed out she felt bills fingers tig tighten ate n on her a arm rm so y you oil better show us that apartment b before fore she changes her mind bearded be added she g lanced glanced up at him with a nervous little smile feeling ashamed wishing she lot let him read her thoughts the landlady laughed and peggy laughed louder than shed wanted to we wa want two rooms bill said two r rooms 0 oms and a decent kitchen and not facing on the street please too in many any trucks to in greenwich village to suit me 1 I adore the village peggy said quickly the trouble was the words seemed to jump out before she knew what she was going to say bill stared up at a long crack in the belling cel ling sure we adore the village she pinched him when the landlady looking and he gave her hair a tug and everything was all right again they followed the landlady up the stairs she had just the Aft thing for them she said A couple cwi PM kids like you wont mind walking up lour flights oh no peggy answered then she glanced at bill well would we bill looked up at the caming again oh no she kne knew w what he was thinking and it wa was 3 true she want to live in a place that had elevators bad enough to have hitcome him come home talking about them every night bad enough to have to answer the neighbors questions with my husband oh he i er sells elevators she c could 0 uld see them lifting their eye b brows rows elevators pardon me tor for smiling mrs bill but I 1 never knew any one had to sell elevators I 1 always thought they just happened no definitely not a place with elevators she want to be reminded of her husbands business every time she went in and out of the house were k the land ladys short bowed legs leading them up the stairs briskly showing them how easy it was to climb four flights find it nice and quiet here im sure the gentleman who has it now has been there three years and hes a writer A writer peggy had bad land kind of a tunny funny feeling all of a sudden like shed gone up in an elevator too fast A writer thai tha was what shed always thought shed marry some day or maybe an artist somebody like that pe pegy peggy gy Is intrigued they hey were walking up the last flight now and some one sili upstairs stairs opened a door dont let him be any better looking than bill she begged As it happened he he vas bust us t a pale young man with glasses we toe stood there in his slacks tin anaf cr blue shirt and he looked well on second glance he looked different nobody would ever take him tor for a life guard what shod shed thought BUI bill was that first time when met on the beach come right in the young man waved something at them it turned out to be a monkey wrench ol of all things dont mind me im just the plumber peggy laughed it was so unexpected it made her feel good the plumber she said as their eyes met imagine some plumber the landlady taid said gratitude he said look ing at peggy 1 I do her a favor and she makes fun of my plumbing I 1 1 I think its nice it if a man knows how to fix the plumbing peggy said she glanced irom from the thin hands to the thin pale lace face 1 I really do he looked pleased im a painter too he told her look I 1 painted this china closet what do you think ol of the shade it made her feel so flattered to have a writer showing oft off tor for her benefit its a lovely color she told him and then she could feel bills eyes on her it bill yeah bill said dryly blue peggy winced well that proved he color blind its the same shade as your hat this writer was saying she blushed think oi of a mans noticing that yeah bill said the way he said it it exactly a compliment the top ot of the doorway as they went in together this Is a dog house he said peggy was in such a daze she thought he said dolls house at first arst it she said excitedly and then seeing Ms his expression what A dog house he said look I 1 can almost touch the ceiling cel ling listen peggy ive learned something about buildings in the elevator business do you know how old this house Is why it was a dump when they built the brooklyn bridge peggy gasped ile he heard youl suddenly all the thrill was gone and her heart felt like eke lead her eyes were blinking as she turned and went back into the living room bill BIB followed behind her stooping with an exaggerated wariness Rs as he went through the doorway her fingers were twisting the engagement ga ring nervously around 0 xa 0 X ta k K k 14 J f d 4 1 I think its nice if a man knows how to fix the plumbing peggy said she file glanced from the thin hands to the thin pale face 1 I really do if you yant want to see the apartment the landlady began sharply then she pulled a smile over her false teeth this heres the kitchen c hen bill said you mean the apartment opens into the kitchen behind his glasses the young mans light bight blue eyes were looking amused oh get used to it and give your friends something to talk about iles hes some little talker himself he the landlady said 1 I think hes wonderful peggy said laughing he certainly knew hoto how to make a person feel perfectly at ease then she kot got a face sh she e began to feel miserable it if only he look like that like a she tried to push the thought out of her mind but it came cama right back again like a disappointed salesman im sure make a mistake if you dont buy our elevators mr kotch the landlady led them into the living room and when peggy saw it her heart sat up and begged her eyes drank in the bookcase that covered a whole wall the original paintings on an untrained unframed canvas the oversized fireplace with bluee painted masks above it and there was a table with a typewriter and a lots of papers piled up in careless stacks what darling taste you have she almost bald it but she thought about bill just in the nick of time the bedrooms in there the landlady said she let peggy and bill go into the bedroom by themselves bills head almost bumped and around one thing sure she bhe going to marry an elevator salesman or any other kind ol of a salesman lor for that matter listen honey bill sq said gloomily if 11 you really like the place it matter nothing mattered now really just to get out to get away to get out of 0 everything as painlessly as possible 1 I guess you have to be a writer or something to appreciate it she told him forcing out the words she glanced at the pale young man and managed to smile A writer or an artist 11 0 H I 1 dont know the young man protested with a shrug what kind of st ual do you write bill asked grudgingly huh the young man said the landlady laughed him hes no writer hes my son and she added proudly he sells vacuum cleaners run out of the room run down the stairs she told tola herse hermeli her seli 11 but 1 bills arm went around her ders steadying her and his arm felt strong and tender my man Is a salesman too shel she sai said dAnd and she held her head up hei he sells elevators |