The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1946-02-16
CHAPTER XIX

TT horribly suggested a macabre
l. modern ballet. At the apex OF
two shafts of light Ben knelt;
swung forward, paused-sank back.
Swung forward, paused; an arc OF
desperate rhythm. Stretched Imply
fiat along the ground, Randall's
body looked unnaturally elongated
Mag stood at his head; tall, frozen.
Hidden In the heavy curtain OF
night around them Kitty closed her
eyes but q shutter In her mind stay
ed open and she kept on seeing Ben
arch forward, back, across the black
angle that the two Seatons made
against the light.
She lived In nightmare time
again, fluid yet static. She was sur
rounded by things that couldn't be
real and yet were. Mays voice fay
ing her before Pegs friends, threat
ening her outside in the dark, and
through her, Randall. Again her
mind finally made o connection be-
tween the sound Of a running mo-
tor but no car appearing and sent
her flying toward the garage and
Randall. What she found set her to
screaming for Ben, hopelesSly and
desperately.
"All right, all right" he had
called back as he came. You're
waking the dead. What Ny Godl"
It was Peg who snapped up
the kitchen shades and let the
light stream out. She called the
doctor. Someone drove a car up the
drive so that Its headlights glared
on Randall's crumpled body. And
Ben began the artificial respiration
they'd all practiced in First Aid. UNI
able in their hearts to believe they'd
ever use It.
WITTY never knew who took her
N in the house. The party had dis
appeared like smoke. Peg was up
stairs, trying to explain it all away
to Jane.
Mac came in.
We'll" he said, that's the time
you didn't fall sunny side up"
Kitty looked at him and noticed
that his face was pale to grayness
before she answered. She remem-
bered, as the pictures flashed past
yet again in her mind, that Macs
big figure hadn't been among the
shadows Of the men who worked
over Randall, forcing in the oxy'
gen, forcing out the poisonous
monoxide from the exhaust Of
Ben's car.
LET me tell you something" said
Kitty in a tight voice curiously older
in tone than 1t had been an hour
ago, I'm tired Of being the one
who slips on the banana peel so that
everybody else can laugh and feel
better"
Good God who's laughing2"
Nobody, and they'd better not.
You're not: you're angry because
1t made you Squeamish to see
Randall - well, to see Randall.
And you're worried, too"
II suppose you mean Mag. But
how about"
did you know she threatened
to divorce Randall? Where would
that leave your"
And where" said Mac, would
1t leave your Listen, my pretty,
why turn on ne?"
Because you're part Of the mud.
die, thought Kitty with the new
part Of her mind that worked too
clearly. Because you asked without
wanting and responded little
without caring. And 1t might have
gone on, still without meaning, IL
Collins hadn't come.
'.I'm an accidentl" kitty cried
out loud. And everything that's
happened TO me has been an ac-
cident. I'm sick Of It'll ! was sorry
for Randall, natural I was. 1t
was one muddler to another. But
these people who were here to-
night - they were shocked, but
they've gone home and by now
they've had Q drink and they feel
better and they're buzzingl About
me, about Mag, about Randall.
It's their fault, tool Don't you sup
pose Mag knew they always called
her poor Mage And that she knew
they knew she had q new coat every
fourth year instead Of every second
year? And that they sat and sewed
the Seatons' troubles in the seams
of every pair Of Red Cross pajama
pants they made2 Randall knew it,
too. So he took q drink and Mag
said something sharp and All
these nice respectable one car and
. mortgage peoplel They were all
ways swfully kind. bpt they
talked too much. They've almost
killed Randall Seaton--"
"Walt q minute" said Mac. IF
you don't like Il here why don't