Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-10-13

one of the close-mouthed kind, Maria.
But durin' this last sick turn of hers
she went kind of looney in the head
and all one night she KEEP mumblin'
things. such as oh, Herm! Please
come back, like you said you would.
see one Of my rugs. You'll understand
STUFF like that the whole night.
That's how I know"
when was thts?" asks Herm.
"Bout three weeks ago." says Todd.
"jest about three weeks. 1t was. She
git around, anyway. Some Of the
neighbors was lookin' out fer her. I
guess she'll pull through. What want
to know, though, Herm Pickett, is
this: What you gofn' to do fer us?"
For us?" repeats Herm, starin' at
Yep" says Todd. Fer Maria and
Huh" says Herm, indulgin' in a
hard. throaty chuckle. II thought SOL!
Well, Lonnie, all intend doing for
you is going to happen right now. Tn
block"
With that he reaches to one side Of
his desk and presses a button. Course,
Mr.. Todd puts up more or less of a
howl. but inside of minute the big
special cop has him by the collar and
is draggin' him toward the sidewalk.
Herm never gives him another look
as Lonnie is yanked out kickin' and
splutterin'. All Mr.. Pickett does is sit
there gain at the wall, his pudgy
fingers grippin' the chair arms:
he, you heard? You see the sort Of
skunk I am?"
l expect 1t wouldn't have been Just
the thing to have grinned at him. But
I wanted to. The idea of Herm Flick
EFT. that I'd rated about as had an
egg as you could find along Broad
day, gettin' stirred up over a little
old back number romance such as he
shows on the screen nearly every
night! Yet 1 couldn't put it to him
that way. So I switches to another
line.
II didn't know you was a state Of
Maine. Herm,' says 1.
Yep" says he. II was born in Sc
taugus. same as Maria. We went to
the same little red schoolhouse two
miles back in the woods. And she
was all true, what Lonnie said about
my promising to go back for her
mant to do it, too. when / left to
play the drum down at Peake's Is
land that summer. But I drifted q
good ways Off. You know. got mix
ed up with the show game. Worse
than that. had to shoot a man once
come near being stretched for it,
And there's been women, One Of 'em
near ended me with a knife down in
Santa Fee. A Mexican girl. But that
was years ago. Up here-Well. what's
the use? You wouldn't believe 1t, but
late years. since I've been doing so
we'll, I've been thinking a lot about
Maria Todd. and wondering. It's kept
me from-from q lot Of things. Not
that I'm playing myself for any
saint. but I'm different from what
most folks think. It's time, I sup
pose. I'm fifty. Fifty-three. Think
Of that, McCabe! And Maria Todd,
who used to have cheeks like peaches
and cream. and hair like so much
sunshine-Maria'll be over fifty, too.
And all this time she-she's been
waiting for me. Shorty, do you
know what I'm going to do?"
admitted didn't.
sTm going back for her." says
Herm. am going tonight-now."
expect must have gawped at him
foolish. The idea Of Herm Pickett as
a bridegroom sort of stunned me.
"Ain't it little late. Herm?" I sug-
gests.
Maybe" says he. "That'll be up to
her. Let's see. ! can make the II
o'clock express, can't IT.
And as / rode home that night ]