Alice Adams Booth Tarkington (ebook reader txt) đ
- Author: Booth Tarkington
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Her laughter continued as he turned away, but other sounds came from within the house, clearly audible with the opening of a door upstairsâ âa long and wailing cry of lamentation in the voice of Mrs. Adams. Russell paused at the steps, uncertain, but Alice waved to him to go on.
âOh, donât bother,â she said. âWe have lots of that in this funny little old house! Goodbye!â
And as he went down the steps, she ran back into the house and closed the door heavily behind her.
XXIIIHer motherâs wailing could still be heard from overhead, though more faintly; and old Charley Lohr was coming down the stairs alone.
He looked at Alice compassionately. âI was just cominâ to suggest maybe youâd excuse yourself from your company,â he said. âYour mother was bound not to disturb you, and tried her best to keep you from hearinâ how sheâs takinâ on, but I thought probably you better see to her.â
âYes, Iâll come. Whatâs the matter?â
âWell,â he said, âI only stepped over to offer my sympathy and services, as it were. I thought of course you folks knew all about it. Fact is, it was in the evening paperâ âjust a little bit of an item on the back page, of course.â
âWhat is it?â
He coughed. âWell, it ainât anything so terrible,â he said. âFact is, your brother Walterâs got in a little troubleâ âwell, I suppose you might call it quite a good deal of trouble. Fact is, heâs quite considerable short in his accounts down at Lamb and Company.â
Alice ran up the stairs and into her fatherâs room, where Mrs. Adams threw herself into her daughterâs arms. âIs he gone?â she sobbed. âHe didnât hear me, did he? I tried so hardâ ââ
Alice patted the heaving shoulders her arms enclosed. âNo, no,â she said. âHe didnât hear youâ âit wouldnât have matteredâ âhe doesnât matter anyway.â
âOh, poor Walter!â The mother cried. âOh, the poor boy! Poor, poor Walter! Poor, poor, poor, poorâ ââ
âHush, dear, hush!â Alice tried to soothe her, but the lament could not be abated, and from the other side of the room a repetition in a different spirit was as continuous. Adams paced furiously there, pounding his fist into his left palm as he strode. âThe dang boy!â he said. âDang little fool! Dang idiot! Dang fool! Whynât he tell me, the dang little fool?â
âHe did!â Mrs. Adams sobbed. âHe did tell you, and you wouldnât give it to him.â
âHe did, did he?â Adams shouted at her. âWhat he begged me for was money to run away with! He never dreamed of putting back what he took. What the dangnation you talking aboutâ âaccusing me!â
âHe needed it,â she said. âHe needed it to run away with! How could he expect to live, after he got away, if he didnât have a little money? Oh, poor, poor, poor Walter! Poor, poor, poorâ ââ
She went back to this repetition; and Adams went back to his own, then paused, seeing his old friend standing in the hallway outside the open door.
âAhâ âIâll just be goinâ, I guess, Virgil,â Lohr said. âI donât see as thereâs any use my tryinâ to say any more. Iâll do anything you want me to, you understand.â
âWait a minute,â Adams said, and, groaning, came and went down the stairs with him. âYou say you didnât see the old man at all?â
âNo, I donât know a thing about what heâs going to do,â Lohr said, as they reached the lower floor. âNot a thing. But look here, Virgil, I donât see as this calls for you and your wife to take on so hard aboutâ âanyhow not as hard as the way youâve started.â
âNo,â Adams gulped. âIt always seems that way to the other party thatâs only looking on!â
âOh, well, I know that, of course,â old Charley returned, soothingly. âBut look here, Virgil: they may not catch the boy; they didnât even seem to be sure what train he made, and if they do get him, why, the ole man might decide not to prosecute ifâ ââ
âHim?â Adams cried, interrupting. âHim not prosecute? Why, thatâs what heâs been waiting for, all along! He thinks my boy and me both cheated him! Why, he was just letting Walter walk into a trap! Didnât you say theyâd been suspecting him for some time back? Didnât you say theyâd been watching him and were just about fixing to arrest him?â
âYes, I know,â said Lohr; âbut you canât tell, especially if you raise the money and pay it back.â
âEvery cent!â Adams vociferated. âEvery last penny! I can raise itâ âI got to raise it! Iâm going to put a loan on my factory tomorrow. Oh, Iâll get it for him, you tell him! Every last penny!â
âWell, ole feller, you just try and get quieted down some now.â Charley held out his hand in parting. âYou and your wife just quiet down some. You ainât the healthiest man in the world, you know, and you already been under quite some strain before this happened. You want to take care of yourself for the sake of your wife and that sweet little girl upstairs, you know. Now, good night,â he finished, stepping out upon the veranda. âYou send for me if thereâs anything I can do.â
âDo?â Adams echoed. âThere ainât anything anybody can do!â And then, as his old friend went down the path to the sidewalk, he called after him, âYou tell him Iâll pay him every last cent! Every last, dang, dirty penny!â
He slammed the door and went rapidly up the stairs, talking loudly to himself. âEvery dang, last, dirty penny! Thinks everybody in this family wants to steal from him, does he? Thinks weâre all yellow, does he? Iâll show him!â And he came into his own room vociferating, âEvery last, dang, dirty penny!â
Mrs. Adams had collapsed, and Alice had put her upon his bed, where she lay tossing convulsively and
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