Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1935-11-21
CHAPTER vII1-Continued

Hal turned toward Barry then ana,
hands deep in Jacket pockets, watched
her in gloomy detachment. 1t was as
If his mind were possessed by a local
anesthetic, numb and useless around
the small clear conduit that led from
his eyes to the springs Of superficial
action. Where had love, or whatever
it was, gone? When would the acid
of this shabby lesson In beauty eat
through, searching out each creyice in
his spread wounds like iodine, to sting
them deep? Tomorrow, after he had
left her at some Los Angeles hotel,
with Crack? Or tonight, soon, when he
was out of this room.
She and Crack married - bound,
linked, moving together across the
country, hiding their connection till
Hal should make himself vulnerable as
an abandoned puppy. Later he might
think of all the details of his opening
himself to her, with Crack somewhere
near by, browsing over "shy" secreted
schemes that amused him. He might
think of the smallest things he had
said as we'll as of the enormous things
he had asked her to bring to him. And
thinking Of those, and remembering
her dark, hard, unstirring acquiescence
here there would be richness of pain
at which to clench his teeth, in which
to learn how arrogance is cut down.
"There!" Crack exclaimed, darting
from the bureau. "Tell me what you
thinka that. Tell me if that starts
changin' your mind"
Hal took the telegram and read idly.
Under his fathers name and office adj
dress the message ran: young man
between twenty-five and thirty six feet
hundred sixty-fve pounds gray eyes
brown hair gray flannel suit made by
Selkirk in Oxford name Henry Ireland
nickname Hal travelling from New
York to Los Angeles in share expense
auto stop claims he is your son ac-
count trouble which will explain after
you wire Martin Crack at Grand hotel
on Santa Monica boulevard Hollywood
California If he is your son very i'm
portant please reply quick-Martin
Crack"
Hal pushed out his underlip care
lessly, looked up at Crack, and handed
the form back. ''Why not say what the
trouble is? Save you another wire"
''Listen, Ireland" said Crack, his dry
cheeks colored, his eyes shining and
white all around the irises, you're a
h,1p -
That's it, Hal told himself with quick
satisfaction: he's not human, any more
than little puff-headed viper in the
dust Is human. I'D like to save you
the trouble this Is gonna make for
you If"
"Oh, shut up," said Hal, wonderfully
keeping his voice in superficial con-
tempt. eff you've got to talk about it
any more, talk to her." 1t hurt much
more sharply than he'd eXpected-to
say that SO negligently; and his voice
was dull as he added, "I'm going"
He walked past Crack to the door,
opened it, and as he passed it from
one hand to the other behind his back,
he looked at Barry again. Still hug
ging her legs, her head still partly
bowed, her staring went on, hard and
dark and sullen, into the corner of the
ROOM jet of anguish sprang molten
from his dead sense of her inviola-
bility.
"And this is ALL" he said in slow,
moderate voice. Everything led here
to this"
She turned her head slowly, not rails
ing it, and looked at him, her scorn
dull and general, only incidentally for
him. Then her eyes went back to their
staring before she said, her voice
frankly husky, "This is ALL"
Crack followed him out the door,
was following him down the hall out
side as Hal heard the key turn the
lock behind him. SO she was ready to
move as soon as they left. To do
what? he wondered. Read go to sleep,
take up her staring again? As if it
mattered!
LISTEN" said Crack, a perverted in
timacy struggling in his voice. "I'll tell
you what I'll do. I'll"
you'll shut up" said Hal, and
turned into his room, locking the door
behind him lest he anticipate every
thing by throttling Cracks little life
out Of him there in the dark hall.