Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1937-12-24
COCKPIT
By James Gould Cozzens

Fearing got down. Then, in decency,
Fearing would have to come in early
in the afternoon, and he could so
swimming again today.
Although he could just as we'll send
boy out for coffee, Mr.. NOrtz had
the habit at half past four, of going
into the mill batey to little stall, fire.
quented by the men, where son of
old Juan Cuyo's who had lost hand
in the sugar mill machinery, sold his
rum and coffee under a flare.
Pedro noted that Nortz was not well
and in so nothing let fall a phrase that
bothered the latter: "You got bad
mind"
Nortz knew he oughtn't to drink
rum. He knew his weakness.
1t was the sort of thing ne was help
less against, for it struck him at so
vulnerable a spot that there was no
escaping its misery, no escaping its in
tervention between him and-yes,
Ruth. No matter what he said or did,
he couldn't stand hurting people. So
sensitive to pain himself, it sickened
him in others; the possibility of his
inflicting it paraly2ed him in nerveless
distress. He couldn't. He knew he
couldn't.
What was life going to be without
Ruth, though?
"You know that man at Santa Cata-
lima Meestair Micks shot? What do
you think about that? Do you think
people go around firing cane without
some reason? Some one paying
them? Why would he want to do
that? What good did it do him if
he burned all the way to Habana."
81 don't know, Pedro. People do
funny things"
"Not so funny as that. Unless"
Pedro lowered his voice, cit was mis-
take"
"What do you mean?"
"That it was an accident, and Mr..
Micks said"
"All right, Pedro; don't go handling
that stuff around. guess you know
Mr.. Micks doesn't make mistakes"
"You know" said Pedro, "who it
was that got shot?"
"How the devil should I know ?
Somebody told me his name was Mar
tinez."
"Juan Martinez" said Pedro solemn
ly. "You know who he VAST"
Certainly not"
"He was foreman on Mr.. Micks'
work down at Santa Catalina"
ooh, he was?"
"Just so, senior. You know that
SOMEBODY took gasoline from down
there three-four days before, and Mr..
Micks, he had a row with Martinez %
Nonsense! Congo Gomez saw the
shooting"
eyes Mr.. Micks is good to that
Quita, who is Congo Gomez's woman"
"Don't spread that stuff around
Nortz walked across the electric.
lighted batey and into the warm glare
of the mill. He was going to have
supper that night up at the Micks', he
remembered, and he chung to it, hold
ing Ruth's face like lovely tailsman
to exercise his welter of problems and
annoyances.
"Come right back here, Edith"
So her mother hadn't gone to
Zacarias yet!
"I'm all right, Mummy. Everyone's
waiting to go swimming, and Mrs
Arnold and Mrs. Micks are waiting fol
you, 1 expect. See they're blowing
the horn"
\ "What have you got on?"
"a bathing suit, Mummy" fretteG
Edith.
NO." said Mrs. Fletcher decidedly
"you aren't going to ride through Sar
Mario that way. I won't have it,"
Ruth does," pleaded Edith.
Don't tell me what Ruth does! II
she wants to make an exhibition OF
herself that's her business. But nc
daughter of mine is going to-"
Ramon and Ruth appeared from the
Micks' patio. She wore a pair of brie1
heavy, blue serge shorts with a wei
belt and a tight jersey in broad blue
/. and gray bands. A plain white rubber
cap she swung by the strap.
"Hello, Mrs. Fletcher" said Ruth
Edith ready YETI"
"She will be when she gets some
clothse on" said Mrs. Fletcher.
II thought you were all going Il
Zacarias."
Edith delayed US by coming out tx
ride down in a bathing suit
"Phewl" whistled Ramon, almost in