Part 17 (1/2)

After rus.h.i.+ng season was over, he rarely entered that fraternity house, chumming mostly with Carl, but finding friends in other fraternities or among non-fraternity men. He was depressed and gloomy, although his grades for the first term had been respectable. Nothing seemed very much worth while, not even making his letter on the track. He was gradually taking to cigarettes, and he had even had a nip or two out of a flask that Carl had brought to the room. He had read the ”Rubaiyat,” and it made a great impression on him. He and Carl often discussed the poem, and more and more Hugh was beginning to believe in Omar's philosophy. At least, he couldn't answer the arguments presented in Fitzgerald's beautiful quatrains. The poem both depressed and thrilled him. After reading it, he felt desperate--and ready for anything, convinced that the only wise course was to take the cash and let the credit go. He was much too young to hear the rumble of the distant drum. Sometimes he was sure that there wasn't a drum, anyway.

He was particularly blue one afternoon when Carl rushed into the room and urged him to go to Hastings, a town five miles from Haydensville.

”Jim Pearson's outside with his car,” Carl said excitedly, ”and he'll take us down. He's got to come right back--he's only going for some booze--but we needn't come back if we don't want to. We'll have a drink and give Hastings the once-over. How's to come along?”

”All right,” Hugh agreed indifferently and began to pull on his baa-baa coat. ”I'm with you. A shot of gin might jazz me up a little.”

Once in Hastings, Pearson drove to a private residence at the edge of the town. The boys got out of the car and filed around to the back door, which was opened to their knock by a young man with a hatchet face and hard blue eyes.

”h.e.l.lo, Mr. Pearson,” he said with an effort to be pleasant. ”Want some gin?”

”Yes, and some Scotch, too, Pete--if you have it. I'll take two quarts of Scotch and one of gin.”

”All right.” Pete led the way down into the cellar, switching on an electric light when he reached the foot of the stairs. There was a small bar in the rear of the dingy, underground room, a table or two, and dozens of small boxes stacked against the wall.

It was Hugh's first visit to a bootlegger's den, and he was keenly interested. He had a high-ball along with Carl and Pearson; then took another when Carl offered to stand treat. Pearson bought his three quarts of liquor, paid Pete, and departed alone, Carl and Hugh having decided to have another drink or two before they returned to Haydensville. After a second high-ball Hugh did not care how many he drank and was rather peevish when Carl insisted that he stop with a third. Pete charged them eight dollars for their drinks, which they cheerfully paid, and then warily climbed the stairs and stumbled out into the cold winter air.

”Brr,” said Carl, b.u.t.toning his coat up to his chin; ”it's cold as h.e.l.l.”

”So 'tis,” Hugh agreed; ”so 'tis. So 'tis. That's pretty. So 'tis, so 'tis, so 'tis. Isn't that pretty, Carl?”

”Awful pretty. Say it again.”

”So 'tis. So 'tish. So--so--so. What wush it, Carl?”

”So 'tis.”

”Oh, yes. So 'tish.”

They walked slowly, arm in arm, toward the business section of Hastings, pausing now and then to laugh joyously over something that appealed to them as inordinately funny. Once it was a tree, another time a farmer in a sleigh, and a third time a Ford. Hugh insisted, after laughing until he wept, that the Ford was the ”funniest G.o.dd.a.m.ned thing” he'd ever seen. Carl agreed with him.

They were both pretty thoroughly drunk by the time they reached the center of the town, where they intended getting the bus back to Haydensville. Two girls pa.s.sed them and smiled invitingly.

”Oh, what peaches,” Carl exclaimed.

”Jush--jush--Jush swell,” Hugh said with great positiveness, hanging on to Carl's arm. ”They're the shwellest Janes I've ever sheen.”

The girls, who were a few feet ahead, turned and smiled again.

”Let's pick them up,” Carl whispered loudly.

”Shure,” and Hugh started unsteadily to increase his pace.

The girls were professional prost.i.tutes who visited Hastings twice a year ”to get the Sanford trade.” They were crude specimens, revealing their profession to the most casual observer. If Hugh had been sober they would have sickened him, but he wasn't sober; he was joyously drunk and the girls looked very desirable.

”h.e.l.lo, girls,” Carl said expansively, taking hold of one girl's arm.

”Busy?”

”Bish-bishy?” Hugh repeated valiantly.

The older ”girl” smiled, revealing five gold teeth.