Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1935-09-26

leaguered gloom on whatever his COM
panion chose to talk about. But Just
in walking beside him, Kerrigan's air
of unacquisitive well-being, of conf
dence in the propriety to his soul of
anything that might happen, brought
Hals hopes little away from the
dominion of bafflement and left his
uneasy brooding to wait.
They went on up the street. Down a
half-respectable alley with a wrecking
car and some stacks of old tires in
1t, they came to door that had
"Office" printed on the dark glass and
Kerrigan knocked briskly. A crack
opened, revealing bright light ON I'M
stirred layers of tobacco smoke be-
yond screen, and dim strip of face
that held one steady eye.
"Pete here?" said Kerrigan.
mo"
Like to see where he works." said
Kerrigan.
He don't work nights"
"Frisby sent us. I've got his penny"
The strip Of face vanished and the
door swung wider.
1t was small, unpublished room with
perhaps four tables and short bar,
a mirror behind that, and on display
there museum collection of old, la
beled, but empty bottles.
They sat down at table, and
dark, competent young man waited
without speaking. Kerrigan turned to
him pleasantly. whats the bourbon
sitchation?" he said. There was no par
ticular in which you could have said
the young mans expression yielded to
.Kerrigan's friendly ease, yet it did
change; and he said, 1--WE got some
stuff here in Kentucky bottles, but
you wouldn't call it bourbon"
Kerrigan looked at Hal. "Rye, them"
he said.
Fine" said Hal.
Kerrigan looked up and said Rye"
The young man stood there watch
ing Kerrigan steadily; he said, "Want
some bourbon?"
"Bourbon?" said Kerrigan, with just
the right mixture of interest anu in
credulity.
Half minute" the young man said
crisply and disappeared through
door beside the bar.
"Now there you are" said Hal sin
cerely. IF I lived to be hundred, I'd
never have the gift. Here it is fifteen
minutes after you decide you want a
drink in strange town. and you not
only get it but get something special,
almost without asking for it. I need
lessons"
The young man came back with a
veteran bottle, three-quarters full. Ker-
rigan read the stained label reverently
while they waited for glasses and wa
ter 1t was bourbon, and not of this
decade either and even before they
tasted it they had tacitly acknowledged
that this time was ripe for something
more than nightcap. Kerrigan hooked
a chair toward him with his toe and
swung his feet up on it before he said,
on relaxed key, Its a good trip:
and there's more of it coming to us
yet"
Hope not more of it only" said
Hal.
"There's a toast no bourbon's too
good for" Kerrigan said quickly, al
most as if there were something a lit
tie foolish about saying it. "a good
trip" he went on, Gin spite of some
thing funny, something queer going on
that" He stopped as Halls look
mr. rt1 Ivy oh ,ho
all about it," he said.
Il don't know a thing about it,"
said Hal, 'but every so often it gives
me scunner, makes me feel some
thing might be going to happen"
"Y'know," Kerrigan began, watching
the young bartender pass to answer
knock at the door, 1--WE had gifts once,
a couple of ten-thousand years ago,
when we were roaring around Middle
Europe in bearskins, looking out for
ourselves and making darn few mis-.
takes-we had gifts then that have
got good and rusty since. Sometimes
we get some use out of em-in
lunches, intuitions; sometimes one of
those rusty gadgets will get contact
try to do it's job-and our civilized, so.
called minds can't make out what that
humping is in the cellar; it makes us
uncomfortable. If you could harness
that, even without understanding it,
The bartender came to their table
and leaned his hands on it, looking
down at it's ring-stained surface.
There's somebody wants in" he
said. Says he knows you two" He
looked at Kerrigan.
kerrigan glanced at Hal in dubious
expectance, then up at the young man
again. Don't know anybody here" he
said, giving his head shake that was
not quite final. "No. Tell him he's
made mistake; or-wait, I'll look al
him." He dropped his feet and heaved
himself up reluctantly.
Just talking about it had brought
that unsubstantial whisper of pre-
monition somewhere near again; Hal
cursed it, and the interruption thai
left him there alone with it.
Behind the screen the doorlatch
clicked and there was moment OF
silence. Then without surprise OF
Measure Kerrgan's voice caid uIVb1