The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-02-25
AFTERNOON WITH DRAKE
CHAPTER XII

T guess I'm kind of peculiar. Drake. I don't know very well lust how to have fun You know Il live way out there and I don't zee anybody mean in my free lime"
 Take some time. You don't work all night do you? We'll get dates"
 Molly's bouncing gait had an al most hypnotic effect. It was hard to teep the eye from resting on some ,hining buckle or patent-leather trimming of the harness which rose md fell with her pace. Paris began so feel sleepy After while he be- gan to see behind his half-closed lids something like a luminous thread stretching on and on ahead of them. It moved and Whined faintly, and little figures ran and danced along the silvery trans parent line. They were like the people he knew; Drake, himself Louise Gordon, Cassandra, and over and over again tiny images of Renee, like long screen of linked paper dolls The figures fell about and postured and gri- maced They seemed not to like him. He wanted to call out to them, but they seemed very far
 "Hey, sit up" Drake pushed him with his elbow. 'Darned if you didn't go to sleep"
 TT guess I did. I was even dreaming"
 q guess you and me had better stick together a little bit, Paris. Good gosh, you got to have some body
 We will; you bet"
 q want to get married and all that kind Of thing some day, but I want to have all the good times kind of tired even having a good time"
 'I expect so.' Paris slipped back Into an awkward feeling of childish inexperience again He didn't know what to say exactly.
 Madison Geer and all that crowd, Jesse Alexander and Babe Fuller and the rest of 'em, get drunk lot"
 Gee, you know never did have drink"
 Well, no use taking one either kid. I expect to stay off drinking Don't do you any good"
 Paris nodded and tried to look judicious. "Um, yes, expect so,"
 Drake chuckled. You sounded just like a doctor then. You know, I expect you1l be a good doctor. Wouldn't surprise me at all,'
 Well, darn your old skin. ] expect to be-"
 Drake looked very serious. You know, Paris, I wouldn't tell this to another soul on earth, cause I know everybody thinks I'm kind of wild and that I run around an awful lot, and that I ain't steady. But I'm going to surprise some people around this old town. I'm going to settle down hard when I do settle, and" he cut a quick sideWise look at Paris, "Im go- ing to make Louise proud of me.
 Is she in love with you, too? Now, I mean
 T don't know. You cant tell anything about Louise"
 Well, of course she is. If she wasn't I expect you'd know that in hurry"
 Drake blinked at this unex- pected perspicacity.
 Say, guess that's right. I never thought about that Gee get up there, Molly. We don't want to spend our lives out here mo, sir, never thought of that! How d'you happen to think about it?"
 Paris waved his hand with wise little gesture of deprecation. It implied a wide knowledge of the ways of women of which this was the merest sample.
 Paris, you know Preston Hill out there west Of town?'
 "Yes, of course. Why?"
 T want to buy it."
 Good gracious. Drake! What for? It's just hill"
 Kings Row has got to grow, hasn't it? That's the best direc- ton for it to go. Wouldn't that be a good place to builG houses you know looking down across