Chicago world. (Chicago, Ill.) 1918-????, 1949-11-19
BOOKS POETRY and STORIES

After that he took another. Then
Gladys showed him a nariiuana
He reached out for it. Just in time
she pulled it out Of his grasp. He
could never quite make it, and his
dizziness prevented his outracing
her. Pretty soon he began to get
angry. He cursed her, staggering
alter her about the large room,
falling over chairs, against the big
table IN the middle Of the floor.
AT one time or another she ap-
parently felt sorry for him and al
lowed him to overtake her. He
twisted her arm until she relin-
gulShed the cigarette, then wan
dered back to the couch, where he
sat putting on it. GLADYS was
laughing at him joyously, because
ne was to tell that the thing had
not been it.
Striking match, she sat beside
him and set fire to it. Then she
encouraged him to inflale the
smoke. Her arms went about him
like binding rope. For a young
boy, she reasoned, he had a lot to
offer. In way she hated to see
him go down the drain the man
ner he was now destined, but what
the hell. People had to live, They
do It anyway they can damning the
other fellow, for the things they
wanted and desired themselves.
Why should she be any different
from all the rest? She could not
perceive any point in it. Besides,
the boy needed someone to love
him. He'd learn about life that
way. 1t was the order of the day,
fast, rugged. He'd have to be the
same in order to survive. This
mad, crazy, teen-age world revolv-
ed around that axis.
Yet - thirty-five year old
woman falling for seventeen year
old school boy
Gladys shook the thought out of
her head. She poured James more
gin and urged him to drink it. He
was tight enough to do it, tight
enough to do anything he wanted.
it occurred to him that
there was something he desired to
do, which he lacked nerves to get
done otherwise. When he felt
good enough, he set out for school
to do it.
The following day he woke with
head which felt the size Of a
Mack truck. He opened his eyes.
4 brilliant blare of electric light
ut him full force. Throwing an
arm across his face, he rose into
/ sitting position on the bed and
shook his head with futile hope
If clearing it Of the throbbing pain.
Suddenly an enormous hand
slapped his face. He rolled upon
he floor. His head spun dizzily
n a mad, crazy whirl. Tears pop
bed into his eyes so that he could
lot see his antagonist Neverthe-
ess, he crawled to his feet and
made an uncertain attempt to de-
end himself. Then he recognized
he boom Of his fathers angry
7oice, danning him. Another
stunning blow staggered him. Like
drunken Whitehead he went tot
ering across the room hard
against the opposite wall. His feet
slid from beneath him, but in the
md he made it back to them.
His father grapped his throat.
He choked him. All the while he
aged violently about James hood
umish behavior in the school. It
was more than the older man could
stand, and because of it, he was
destined to lash his son merci1ess-
y, for every misdeanor he had ever
lone and gone by without due
"Why?" asked the bewi1dered
boy. What had he done to deserve
this sort of. treatment? he won
1ered. Previously his father had
been pretty liberal with him. For
that reason, it was exceedingly diff
ficu1t for James to adjust himself
to being disciplined now.
"Why?" screamed the father.
9Th tell you why Because
you're no good. Because you drink
liquor, run around with bad
crowds, associate with all kinds Of
women that aren't good for any
thing but cleaning the city dump !;
because you smoke REFERS an d
NJ, Joae,,,+