The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1946-02-27

TnE STORY, leo KAbateck,
lately, has signed q contract 10
handle the legal end Of racketeer
Virgil nOggiO'a vast enterprises.
Kabaeeck n not entirely happy
about the Arrangement but The
fees are large and, besides, Bog
giO holds an discriminating paper
With his signature.
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CHAPTER V
TUE FIRST thing I did was rush to
4 the bank, cash the check, and
open an account. Il was only when
I had the crisp new check book
safely In my pocket that I really
felt that everything was the way I
wanted It to be, Somehow I'd been
afraid that Boggio might change his
mind at the last minute and stop
payment, Now Il was too late.
one Of the strangest things about
the human mind is Its remarkable
adaptability to new circumstances.
This minute was one of the high
lights Of my existence and I should
have been half crazy with Joy. And
here was, walking calmly down
the street and making plans for the
future.
After awhile I realized I was
famished, so I went into q drug
store. I sat down at the counter, or.
dered ham sandwich and a cup of
coffee, and then laughed at myself.
I'd just been thinking about the
adaptability Of the human mind and
yet I'd unconsciously followed the
same impulse of leaner days. with
a check book and two hundred
bucks in cash In my pocket, should
have gone to the best joint In town
to celebrate, and here I was in a
drugstore swarming with twenty
five dollar week salesclerkS.
The boy showed the sandwich at
me, Something to drink" he in
Quired.
Coffee" said.
No wonder we were on oppo-
site sides of the counter I al
ways order my coffee together
with my lunch, and invariably the
soda jerks ask me If I'll have
something to drink. Today let
1t go. was in too mellow a
frame of mind to make cracks.
In fact l looked at the fellow
with sort Of genial tolerance
! There was only narrow counter
between us but 1t separated eight
cen bucks week from two hun
dred and fifty. And We were both
about the same age, and bet I
didn't start out with any more
advantages than he had. But for
the grace Of God :" murmur-
ed to myself.
Anything wrong with the sand
wich?" he asked.
mo, buddy" said, ITS fine"
AT dinner that evening, Mrs.
IA Watkins sprung the news on
my fellow boarders. Mr.. Kaba-
teck is leaving us tomorrow" she
said. And I'm sure we'll all be
sorry to see him 60"
I bet they'd be sorry. Salemson
would be PROSTATE with grief.
They all stopped eating for a mo-
ment and looked at me. You'd have
thought was moving out of the
White House instead of that lousy
two by four excuse for room. Gam
sic was the first to break the silence.
We'll, Leo" he said. Il hope it'll
be a move for the better"
Yes" I said. In a way"
BY the blank look on my face
they couldn't tell whether l was
moving of my own free will or
whether Mrs. Watkins was so tired
of my being constantly in arrears
that she'd politely shown me the
door. You could see they were
all dying to ask me questions but
didn't know how to begin. Ruskin
nervously cleared his throat.
"A new job, maybe?"
"Uhuh."
This was lots of fun. I was being
coy on purpose, and the way I had
to be coaxed to give out information
you'd have thought that each word
was a pearl dropping from my lips.
The least inquisitive of the bunch
was Mcneil. He'd just grunted and
continued eating. But could see
that Salemson was dying. Finally
she was unabel to restrain herself
any longer.
Are you remaining in the city?"
she asked.
That was just like her. he
was too genteel to come out with
the direct question: Where are
you moving tor" and had to use
a circumlocution. l thought I'd
make her sit up and take notice.
You'll probably find me at the
Columbus Towers" I said, casu-
ally.
If I'd suddenly started taking
off my clothes and paraded around
| the table in the nude Salennsnn'S