The guardian., 1941-06-14
0l9 Larrabee Drive
By THAYER WALDO
tMcClrre Syndicate-WNU Service.J

~ "SD PA$hbJ SN0NhC0s
Chris wobbled over and plunked
down in a chair beside my desk.
"H'lo, boy, OF boy" he said fur
rily. Listen, c'mon N go down t.
Caliente wi me-"
waved him away. "Nutsl I've
got work to do"
"Shut up!" he bawled. DON
wanna hear any arguments. JUS
gotta pick up m girl frien'. C'mon
les go!"
1 didn't answer him right away.
was thinking. Chris could be plenty
stubborn, l knew, and if he started
out alone while he was this way
well, it looked like suicide party.
"All right" l said, putting the
typewriter's jacket on; "Tn 60.
Wait'll get coat and tie and hunt
up some dough-"
"Skip that. S my party m I'll
pay uh bills"
took the wheel. We'd gone a
dozen blocks before l remembered
Chris remark about girl.
Where's the dame live?" l asked
him. He produced a little red leath-
er book and started paving through
the leaves. l watched him a Sec
ond, then pulled to the curb and
took it away from him.
whats her name?" l demand
ed. Chris shook his head.
Don know. Swell blonde, but l
JUS been out wi her once. Ad-
dress's on-le's see-secon' page
f'm back, l guess"
thumbed over to there, saw only
one entry, and read it aloud:
"819 Larrabee Drive"
'Sure-'at's it, al ri'," he assent
ed cheerily. "Mus' be; soun's
f'miliar."
Along Wiltshire Boulevard he be-
gan fumbling in his pockets. The
next minute he slapped his hand
down on my knee and cried:
'Hey, stop minute! Gotta get a
pipe m t'bacca."
1 thought it best to humor him and
stopped the car. Chris tottered
back to the last intersection and re.
turned with three pipes and a hall
dozen sacks of tobacco. Back ir
the car, however, he merely sat ad
miring his purchases through half
shut eyes.
| The house numbered 8l9 on LARA
bee Drive was little gray bunga
low set back from the street.
parked in front.
"We're here. Get your towheac
and let's 60"
Then I realized he probably
couldn't make it alone, so I piled ou
and took him up the walk. The
front door was open, the screen dool
unlocked. l kept a grip on Chris
and pushed the bell button, won
dering what I'd say if the girls
mother or sombody came.
When three rings had been un
answered, l said to Chris:
Better think of someone else.
He reached for the screen dool
handle.
"Cer'nly not! Well jus go in N
| Wd4Is OIlS IL pC OdCh II q
1 didn't like the idea, but when
tried to hold him bak he began yell
ing. Explanations later seemed bet
ter than a rumpus right now, so
let him go in and followed.
The front room was homelike
Chris dropped his pipes and tobacc'
on couch and weaved away toward
the back of the house. I felt sort o
uneasy and asked:
"Say," you sure this is the righ
placer"
yeah" He sounded confident
"Well, l wish you'd snap out o
it and remember her name. This il
trespassing."
No answer. l sat down with ;
magazine and waited five minutes
for something more to happen. I
didn't, and when finally called ou
to Chris there was silence. 1 wen
to look for him. Through an opel
doorway in the hall, I saw hin
stretched across a single bed, ou
cold.
AS 1 started toward him, thu
screen door opened and closed ant
a masculine voice called: "Chris?'
l shut the door of the room he wa
in and walked out into the from
one. A small, gentle faced mai
with dark gray hair bent over tn,
couch, gathering up Chris smokes
He Strengthened with them in hi
arms and smiled at me.
''How d. do? l suppose you're
friend of Chris. l was so surprised
and happy to see his car out front
l thought probably he'd be too bus,
to remember Fathers Day, but
should have known better. And al
these fine pipes! Where is he?"
l silently thanked God for an in
spiration and said out loud:
"Why, back in the bedroom SCUM,
asleep, Mr.. Harkness. He just 60
through location trip in Arizoni
and drove right up here without
stop. 1t tagged him out, l think
I'd give him four or five hours"
Poor boyl should say | will
And have a nice hot dinner read,
when he wakes up. Would you ex
cuse me minute while l light up?'
"Oh, must run right along"