The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1927-12-30
CHAPTER XIV

to expand with humor.
ANY idea who it is?''
Dunno, sub. But / think''-
Croesus lowered his voice and
looked carefully about the room
Il think it was that lady from
Mistuh Carmody's office"
A faint touch of color Redeemed
Bib's cheeks. He finished knotting
his scarf, donned his coat and went
to the little telephone alcove in
the upstairs hail. His voice was
scarcely more than whisper.
"Hello?'' W 20
Hello Bob?"
Eyes, Kathleen
Mr.. Carmody wants to speak
with youlI'1I connect"
Just a minute. I'd rather talk
with YOU -
Now, Bob"
ST. would-really. There are lots
of things
Il can't now, Bob. Mr.. Carmody
I is waiting
when, them"
"Lunch?"
"Oh! Great. Ill be-" Then the
telephone was blank and an instant
later he heard click and Car
mody's silken voice came to him
over the wire.
"Terry?''
yves. sir"
Coming down this way today?"
II can, SIR
How about sparing me a few
minutes during the morning.
Eyes, SIR
AT once?'
Yes, SIR
Good"
The connection broke. That was
Carmody's way: superbly courte-
Gus and embarrassingly definite.
But Bob was not at all averse. His
problems in the Borden home was
becoming acute and the birth of a
personal interest in Lois had
rather complicated matters. He felt
the {urge toward a definite step;
the eAlaction of the past three
M was cankerous, and if John
m.y wished to see him
t word with Croesus that
ls ,,,di not be home until dinne:
ns mo Nthen swung down town
,1ins u stsp little less regular
NJ, MN the shNffling stride which he
s nah err in the state peniten-
1 naa ao IL s st;lSI walked with eyes
dnwncast and Nxed, but he was
aom mnoanc,n a to understand freedom
VA nanasionallv he changed his
M pace if only Tor TIE snssr uesn'
b of knowing that he couu.
Kathleen was at per desk when
ha nassed through her office, but
IS che refused to talk With him. He
stood regarding her for a moment,
and there came over hifl .ne SUI
tie difference which exiSea III ms
relations with her and WIN Los
Borden.
For three months he haa peen
in intimate contact with Los, ye.
not until recently had he seiiseu
her as a woman. From the very put
4 set, on the other hand, he had *
Il perienced sex consciousness (.
4 of Kathleen Shannon. 1t was, per
II haps, because she gave understand
ing rather than sympathy; because
! she, too. knew the dreary combat
of prison problem in ones per-
sonaI life; because she spoke the
language that he understood-or
perhaps it was merely because she
was young and vibrant with life
and very beautiful in a manner
more vivid and picturesque. There
was iron in her blood and her
nearness infused Bob Terry with
sense of power which he never
experienced with others.
He looked up to Kathleen, but it
was not the impersOnal worship
which he had accorded Lois in the
old days before he had been sent
to prison. Kathleen was disturb
ingly real, amazing desirable.
And they belonged on the same
plane. Therein lay the difference
in the quality of his feeling toward
the two girls. Lois was creature
of lofty attitudes; Kathleen was a
human of his own kind. He smiled
with a touch of boyishness as he
pushed open Carmody's door and
entered.
The slender man arose and adj
yanced with hand outstretched.
Bob's fingers, themselves not large,
completely enclosed Carmody's
hand, and he had the feeling that
he could crush every bone in the
lawyers hand by a mere contrac-
tion of the palm. Yet there was
something in Carmody's eye which
had prevented many men from that
mot gross threat of physical re-
prisal, but promise of dosiger IN
case of enmity.
Carmody pressed cigaret upon
his visitor, installed him in COM
Portable chair, and spoke socially
"I'ye been waiting, Terry?"
For what sir?s
"Your answer to my offer
Bob hesitated. The man opposite
cast spell over him. He was SO
powerful in his weakness. He had
triumphed so superbly over the
handicap of physical frailty. BOD
recalled the hero worship in the
fine. eyes of Todd Shannon when
that grizzled veteran of two pris-
ons had spoken Of him-and there
is a halo about a sinister reputa-
ton. ;.
II don't know, Mr.. Carmody-"
Listen to me- Terry--and ! am
trying to be FRIENDLY: Aren't you
rather letting things drift a bit too
10ug2" CO..