| Show owl t e ur V by RICHARD HOFFMANN copyright by bichard SYNOPSIS following his fathers bitter cratl ariti clem efm of hs his idle life and ana the with drapal of financial at assistance hal ireland jand only son of a wealthy banker binds ada himself pra practically without funds hut but with the promise of a situation in san francisco city he must reach from new york within a lefi efi nate time limit he fie takes passage with a cross country auto party on a share with five other basis members expense ti pense ot of the party an attractive girl eirl barry trafford Tra flord middle aged giles kerrigan sister anastasia Anast asla a nun ani and individual whom he instinctively in n dislikes martin crack he starts his lourney journey barrys reticence annoys him to kerrigan he takes at once CHAPTER II 11 continued 4 that faint visit of was finished now with every one awake cram stretching and resettling or was it finished had it simply returned to its hiding filding to wait again A silly billy thought whit what could there there be ominous in this shabby car except the way miller drove the flat strap of concrete curved flipped and ran on into pennsylvania lod and found the steel cities mrs airs pul cipher gave the impression of knowing it was a con conspiracy spi racy entered into by her husband among others that kept them from harrisburg while the visibility was good john halfheartedly beart edly tried to get her to admit that the bridge tights lights contained in ID glass stars were beautiful but she would nL her voice as she asked kerrigan what river this was rang grim in familiarity with martyrdom arid and her oh when he told her it was the susquehanna implied she might tomorrow find out it had been the tiber or the yang tze and she robbed of the something was at work clearing the moody sluggishness from hals head A drifting sense of loneliness of melancholy that had seemed to belong with the broad river slowly mourning the sunset ran away out of his spirit he was after all a human being with faculties compactly contained in a fit and nd useful body and with rights to big own character he was on his way to california to a job and to the confusion of his father sullenness was nonsense wasteful nonsense premonition was nonsense what could happen that he want to have happen why make a whole fertile week blank by wanting nothing to happen by ignoring his power to make things happen his father had said hal know people among other ether things among almost all other things well he would arrive on the coast knowing at least seven and ready to dare the old man to believe any two of them ile he thought vividly of the trafford girl behind him her eyes though he see them now still solemnly absorbed in their own defensive continence var far far worse luck there could have been than this of catching a car that carried anyone so well favored so challenging in looks as well as in manner be smiled at thought of the challenge I 1 un designed perhaps but still a challenge thal lenge prouder manners than that tad had been altered altred and with less incentive Ce cen tive look out you blue and gold vixen n it makes ma kes me mad to be made mad d and I 1 shall keep books on you flom now 0 on n cut but kerrigan first for bior himself for the c character er disguised under that scholarly Khol arly remoteness of his brown eyes i laa tor for the trafford ord girls proprietor alb 1 P in him her air almost of imply impi y 7 ng ig that they knew f each other already Z careful 1 I ireland first thing you know lu be glad youve come ada kanda thought ahou ailt wed put up at har bourg bu rg tonight zise hl said miller sleepily 9 yes sightless 06 on tile the dim headlight V be am us 3 that revealed time curves barely in ai Is burgr said mrs ber in suspicion and crack shyly s sald bald we went bent attro through kgb hir har rg a half h hour our ago bud 1111 ler cr chuckled as it if at something bever r and an turned k to kerrigan his leavea face sleepily pleased in the aror tile dashboard li Is that thai ehor he said ay e 8 sald kerrigan ikan h he amiller said B 11 chuckled chuc kleL 1 hats a good one aley alev arll aw 1111 shouted ted a sharp at burm bill 1111 as tile the white wlllie costs of a came cam falln I 1 g swiftly at the front from toad oil mille w r tel rp aptel d ills his look to the and t pl iha wheel hard but concen conc rn hl hc sah s I 1 b i lw tit P the road 1 1111 III 10 see a e I 1 tit t hlll 1111 ll ll fit lit acet hiiva ives fixed im i ii 1 isid wl grinning k iha chin in his liand hand and turned it frontward louis look where youre going like a dear old party lie he muttered ill IH find you a factory it if only watch where youre going thanks said hal with a lau lauh laugh h think nothing of it said Kerri kerrigan gand pleasure if you can keep those eyes or whatever they are turned ahead I 1 might still be young when we get to the coast spose hed let you drive said kerrigan doubt it said ual hal snapped his fingers as it if hed just remembered something hu hu hungry he said som I 1 said mrs airs we ought to stop for supper lets say the next town said kerrigan yes sald said mrs airs awful hungry said john so as they entered the next place there were hopeful stirrings StAr rings and estl mates of the degree of civilization shown by the buildings there whirlwind kerrigan said to miller A garage for princes all white inside and a mechanic in a white monkey sult suit like it there and lilse like you in another moment a spasm seized shooting out his arm and making him cry whoa I 1 eat it says look that sign eat it looks clean said mrs airs pher mistrustfully cleans a horse chestnut shell maam said kerrigan shall we try it yes yes yes said quickly so BO that no DO one could beat him with doubts they got out stiffly the ladles and went in ila hal and kerrigan NA k A whit what could there be ominous in this shabby car except the way miller drove stayed to hear bear the momentous plan in ferment behind millers bleary eyes with crack leaning 0 quietly against the car to listen ysee said miller its mountains on the road pretty soon and be kinda nice to get them valves fixed fore we get to em good idea said kerrigan A kitty an and d so well said miller chuckling at hav ing figured it out by himself why dont I 1 go back to that garridge and kinda took look around and see what it looks looka like while you folks start batin rhen it if I 1 like the looks and the price is right ill leave her there and we can put up in this place he g grotins round the gears portentously and the car lumbered lumber ed up on the opposite curb as he turned around by tacit consent they watched him go slowly down the street when he turned into end of it they the garage at the far moved to the lunchroom door the ladles had disappeared pher stood at th cashiers desk choos ing a cigar from the box bos the pro prie tor offered him the proprietor a decent little body v with a wide grin bird birdlike like one misdirected eye and a nodded welcome as desire to please they came in come far today noo york yo ru city said proudly noo york city aty of the man repented repeated touring g folks interest with polite ey ile he looked pleasantly at kerri zan iran traveling folks said kerrigan his hh rich voice gentle and friendly share expense said the man deeply im pressed even a little worried anil and iou say your drivers outside aint lie he going to eat iles hes gone one down to that garage at ai th end of town to see about repairs said kerrigan Hav Have eyou lyou got a good hotel here cheap why yes yes 1 I guess so said the proprietor he be looked at around at the others and back al ai kerrigan say he w went ent on diffident ly 1 I dont like to butt into you folks business but but has this feller got your grips an all with him yes said crack his indolence pierced by direct interest and our fares to Calli california ornia there was a moment of silence and the proprietors attention sharpened sharpe nei on kerrigan well he said you folks are probably all right but they was a party like lice you what dye call it share expense they was a party over Lewis lewistown town way got hung up by a bellert fel lert went to get some repairs they never did see him again an the Ch ambera commerce had to chip in to get a couple of em back knoo york kerrigan looked round at ual hal in grave inquiry in the newly empty silence ila hal felt barrys eyes on him and he turned to her ready to mock any share she took in this apprehension but she had no share in it her look full at liim him was warm and se cure in scorn without sympathy or appeal and the faint un taunting smile at her closed lips said fearlessly this will happen for all of you your dugga luggage ge and your money dont matter and if yours dont dodt why should these other peoples to you without haste her eyes confirmed his unimportance and turned away he swung around toward the door the thing having happened so quickly that the silence of awe was still fresh on the others ill go he said to kerrigan and without the faintest notion of what he gouid do only an angry urgency in him to do something he posted out by the screen door and helped it slam hard bird behind him one way or another ano you whatever you are pay for all this millers mind was too much drugged with chronic sleepiness and stupidity to think of running out with car luggage and fares but just suppose some habit of crookedness were channeled through his hia stupidity suppose hal looked more sharply at the glare of I 1 lights ats and his step brightened D n the girl the scoring for today was surely on her side tomorrow was haq another day hals gray eyes stirred with merriment to find fand his way past those solemn defenses of hers would be a zestful job to chasten that clear willful cussedness amounted to a ne de cassity now a duty as well as a pie pleasure as hal was walking out with decision when he cleared the last building and there in the white light of the yard stood the long suffering car with its corded bale of luggage behind hal flat gave a laugh half relief half triumph it would be fun to press that into her steady blue eyes when he got back through the plate glass of tile the office he could see miller talking to a man in a white monkey suit suil something in millers attitude was waa different not precisely an alertness but the sleepy suggestion of interest of purpose al most if I 1 go hal thought shell say my coming made him change his mind if I 1 just stand here watching he can is clean as if I 1 were back get away aw ily there eating the dinner for which my system decorously calls he fie stood another moment trying to define the change in Ail millers liers listless posture then alien he walked d carefully over gravel to the gar car carefully opened the thai of the office door his fits eyes watchful and climbed into the tonn eau on the floor behind the jump seat there was room in which to lie ile curled and hidden it was faintly exciting ilke like a ti imp we hal remembered when he be had listened behind a curtain in the dining room while his govern governess ess told the butler how she would punish him for being abeln late to his supper and what a fine ass hed look if miller found him blin there there were voices soon and the crunch of gravel under slow feet 1 I 1 kinda thought miller was sa saying ying it good hills over there was some remember where the but I 1 jus begun lie he chuckled in ID sleepy clever ness well goo good night said another voice and miller said sure the car tipped croaking crp aking toward one running board the baor slammed and 1111 millers lers short br breathing eathin sounded close oie oNe hal hai steel steeled steela 5 himself to be touched but then there was the hard catch and churning of the starter A lurch over tile the curb confused ills judgment of the direction in which sillier turned put out quickly the car was in high and running fast it was the open road under them and hals breath stood still for a suspended instant of dismay then he be was good anti and angry anger flooding his joints and h his Is purpose with warm lubricant cy by G d their best clothes probably and their money snatched from them by this animal this drugged ape As he raised himself from the hoor floor hal had a say sav ase age wonder whether Ker kerrigan rIgin would like to fill the hole in his collection of experience by killing miller ills next act suggested itself as glibly as it if hed done this sort of tiling often he doubled his right forefinger slid and kneel kneeling ln on OD one ol 01 the jump seats leaned forward and push pushed e d the knuckle against millers ribs miller start or or look around but the car began wearily to slow down pull up to the side hal said dis gust flattening out the anger in his voice miller obeyed gentis as if he be had been chauffeur to old ladles now said ila hal 1 I 1 want your wallet with all the money your license and your registration millers futile fingers tools took out the fat shabby wallet and spread its compartments to show everything hal put it into an inside pocket and took his knuckle from millers ribs slide into the other seat said hal miller obeyed with a strange sleepy air of gratitude hal stepped out of the and got into the front without looking ill at millers face ever been in jail hal asked him as the car started yes res said miller very low want to go again no said miller hal ran past a farm road backed the car into it and swung out on the highway again toward the town miller parted his lips with a sticky sound and cleared ns n s throat 1 I 1 was jus her up the road to kinda try out an see dont speak unless youre spoken to said ila hal quietly get icv it yes miller whispered TO BE CONTINUED |
