United States or Mali ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Often in his work he thought of stopping to take from the desk an old packet of letters, and reading them once more. But it was not yet time, and, moreover, he was continually interrupted. First, there came some one to his door with "Two dozen Congress-water for Mr. Bangs;" then one with "Mr. Bangs's boots," and another to tell Mr. Bangs that "the pup was big enough to take away."
But to us, who live here throughout the year, a week soon passes. And the end of the week following Emily Thomas's arrival at the Cy Whittaker place found the little girl still there and apparently no nearer being shipped to Indiana than when she came. Not so near, if Mr. Tidditt's opinion counts for anything. "Gone?" he repeated scoffingly in reply to Bailey Bangs's question.
Laurie telephoned to Bangs's favorite restaurant, to Epstein's office, to Sonya's hotel. At the restaurant he was suavely assured that Mr. Bangs was not in the place. At the office the voice of an injured office boy informed him that there wasn't never nobody there till half-past nine.
Down-dropped, they seemed to stare at something on the street below, but the girl's expression was not that of one who was looking at an object with interest. Instead, she seemed lost in a deep and melancholy abstraction. Laurie, a hair-brush in each hand, stared hard at the picture. "Isn't she charming!" he cried again. Bangs's reply revealed a severely practical side of his nature.
I'm glad of a chance to thank you. I hadn't touched a drop for six weeks before that, but you see " Mr. Bangs's metallic voice was heard in the outer office, and the two younger men started. "You bet I see!" said Quin sympathetically as he hurried out to inform the senior member of the firm that the junior member awaited his pleasure.
The habit of carrying the burden of others had been taken on too suddenly. Under the strain of it, his untrained mental muscles ached. It was the irony of fate that Sonya, looking at him with the clear brown eyes that were so much softer than Bangs's, and so much less beautiful than Doris's, should misinterpret his appearance, his emotion, and his reaction from the high spirits of the morning.
You're dawdling in cabarets and roadhouses and restaurants, when you might be doing Work " Bangs's voice capitalized the word "real work," he added fiercely, "work other fellows would give their souls to be able to do." He ended on a flat note, oddly unlike his usual buoyant tones, and sat still as if everything had been said.
Bangs's sole comment on the amazing disclosure; however, as an expression of concentrated and profound disgust it was quite sufficient. He spoke but once during the remainder of the trip to the "Center." Then, when his passenger begged to know if "that Whittaker man" had been well since she left, he shouted: "Yes EVER since," and relapsed into his former gloomy silence.
But he had been wonderfully patient with this friend of his heart. If it were true that the friendship was dying under the strain put upon it, and Laurie knew how possible this was, and how swift and intense were Bangs's reactions, life henceforth, however full it might be, would lack an element that had been singularly vital and comforting.
To Bangs's embarrassment, however, the boom suddenly swung inboard, swiped across the stern, causing him to duck hastily, and almost knocking the bonnet off the lady with the pug dog. Mr. Bangs had jibed the boat, greatly to his surprise. But no harm had been done, as the wind was light. Mr. Bangs laughed loudly. "Meant to tell you that was coming," he said. "She'll sail better this way.
Word Of The Day