The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-06-16
CAST OF CHARACTERS
CHAPTER XIV

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 Joe was grim these days, and Terry was silent. Her bland gaiety was impotent against this. Joe went out each day when Terry departed for work, and if he had nothing definite to attempt, he walked with her to the streetcar. He would have sat beside her in.silence all the way to the mill If the carfare were not an extravaganza. He was waiting for her when she alighted from the car at night, and they walked home together. When they arrived home he went furiously to work, either Tightening or entirely re- lieving every task. He did not stay to do the work alone because he did not spend a minute alone there all the day.
 He walked, walked, all the day. He went to the employment offices of the plants, where the No Men Wanted" signs were waiting, leering at him. He lay in waiting for bosses he knew and accosted them cheeri- ly, uttering a set formula and hear ing set reply. He ranged mean streets downtown, eyeing people at work hungrily, resentfully, hatefully
 You know the things that Joe did; possibly you have done them ! yourself.
 If you have, and were mean time living on the bounty of woman, small gay needful per- son whom you set out to rescue and help and have only dragged into privation and dread, if you have ex- hausted her vocabulary of encour- agement until you winced at the familiar words, always beholding your incompetence to cope with life, the hollowness of her original estimate of you .. then perhaps you know what Joe thought, as well as I did. could not begin to tell you his thoughts unless you had some closer inkling than vague words.
 His mind was in the grip of a slow and morbid fever which showed only in the quiet grimness of his eyes. Terry looked at him and wGs frightened more at his eyes than all the menace of their plight. This was something she could not cope with either, could not beguile him out of not all her witchery could prevail against that grim stolidity.
 "Darling,' she cried, "close your eyes. Kiss me =. Now pretend"
 "Pretend What?"
 "Oh, pretend ye're just married and you love me and we're rich and going to have a house and little car and a garden in the back =. ."
 The grimness cracked a little. Tn back of what? The car?"
 No, in back of the house! We'll have something else in the back of the car. Guess"
 "Tools?"
 "No, no .. Babies!"
 Ee scrutiniZed her swiftly, but she shook her head, smiling. No, darling. said, pretending Some great day-therell be a Terry and a Joe, and then another Joel"
 But there was no charm for him in the illusion. A shadow had passed over so swiftly and broken the spell. He smiled for her, but his eyes told the truth. And she was afraid, for this was Joe whom she could not handle.
 Once when Joe was walking on the street small but shiny and brand new roadster drew up at the curb just ahead and the driver got out to run into house. He recog- niZed Joe and waited. It was Tom my Withers, bit older, sure of himself prosperous looking, jaunty even in Joe Murray's sight after avoiding him so long. It was his big moment
 How do you like the new gon- dola, Joe?"
 Joe looked at him moment, then looked at the car. Nice. Where did you get it?"
 Withers was waiting for the ques- tion. Just bought it."
 'H'm,' said Joe
 Lined up a job at the new broad casting station plant on Marshall street. Maintenance work. Steady, same old wage scale. You picked the wrong trade, fellow"
 "You're an electrician?"
 Always was"
 Huh! Lucky break; not the trade said Joe. Glad somebody S getting It."
 'Thanks!" And before going in side Withers added, Flows the missus?"
 "Good!" said Joe, and walked on.
 A small incident, but significant Small incidents make big thoughts if not always right thoughts. Withers, whom Joe had once beaten ignominiously, waiting jauntily to show off before Joe, to patronize him. To patronize Joe Murray. Joe grimly, glumly, taking 1t, and though saying very litle, irresistibly impressed, depressed. And then walking, walking. This man, Joe
 He walked by night too. Not in the streets, on his lean legs, in corporeal reality, but in the mind, during the reaches of the night when Terry slept soundly in weari- ness beside him and there was no weariness to drug Joe. He walked far, alone. He walked even where he had no right, he knew, but far off things beckoned now, in a way which was an enchantment he could not withstand.
 And when he had gone far, a certain distance, he was not alone any longer. So much had things changed, even to that extent; what