Part 76 (1/2)

”Very well, thanks.... See here, Mr. Patch, I've got a party up-stairs.

They'll think it's rude if I stay away too long. What was it you wanted to see me about?”

For the second time that evening Anthony's mind made an abrupt jump, and what he said was not at all what he had intended to say.

”Un'erstand you kep' my wife out of the movies.” ”What?” Bloeckman's ruddy face darkened in parallel planes of shadows.

”You heard me.”

”Look here, Mr. Patch,” said Bloeckman, evenly and without changing his expression, ”you're drunk. You're disgustingly and insultingly drunk.”

”Not too drunk talk to you,” insisted Anthony with a leer. ”Firs' place, my wife wants nothin' whatever do with you. Never did. Un'erstand me?”

”Be quiet!” said the older man angrily. ”I should think you'd respect your wife enough not to bring her into the conversation under these circ.u.mstances.”

”Never you min' how I expect my wife. One thing--you leave her alone.

You go to h.e.l.l!”

”See here--I think you're a little crazy!” exclaimed Bloeckman. He took two paces forward as though to pa.s.s by, but Anthony stepped in his way.

”Not so fas', you G.o.ddam Jew.”

For a moment they stood regarding each other, Anthony swaying gently from side to side, Bloeckman almost trembling with fury.

”Be careful!” he cried in a strained voice.

Anthony might have remembered then a certain look Bloeckman had given him in the Biltmore Hotel years before. But he remembered nothing, nothing----

”I'll say it again, you G.o.d----”

Then Bloeckman struck out, with all the strength in the arm of a well-conditioned man of forty-five, struck out and caught Anthony squarely in the mouth. Anthony cracked up against the staircase, recovered himself and made a wild drunken swing at his opponent, but Bloeckman, who took exercise every day and knew something of sparring, blocked it with ease and struck him twice in the face with two swift smas.h.i.+ng jabs. Anthony gave a little grunt and toppled over onto the green plush carpet, finding, as he fell, that his mouth was full of blood and seemed oddly loose in front. He struggled to his feet, panting and spitting, and then as he started toward Bloeckman, who stood a few feet away, his fists clenched but not up, two waiters who had appeared from nowhere seized his arms and held him, helpless. In back of them a dozen people had miraculously gathered.

”I'll kill him,” cried Anthony, pitching and straining from side to side. ”Let me kill----”

”Throw him out!” ordered Bloeckman excitedly, just as a small man with a pockmarked face pushed his way hurriedly through the spectators.

”Any trouble, Mr. Black?”

”This b.u.m tried to blackmail me!” said Bloeckman, and then, his voice rising to a faintly shrill note of pride: ”He got what was coming to him!”

The little man turned to a waiter.

”Call a policeman!” he commanded.

”Oh, no,” said Bloeckman quickly. ”I can't be bothered. Just throw him out in the street.... Ugh! What an outrage!” He turned and with conscious dignity walked toward the wash-room just as six brawny hands seized upon Anthony and dragged him toward the door. The ”b.u.m” was propelled violently to the sidewalk, where he landed on his hands and knees with a grotesque slapping sound and rolled over slowly onto his side.

The shock stunned him. He lay there for a moment in acute distributed pain. Then his discomfort became centralized in his stomach, and he regained consciousness to discover that a large foot was prodding him.

”You've got to move on, y' b.u.m! Move on!”

It was the bulky doorman speaking. A town car had stopped at the curb and its occupants had disembarked--that is, two of the women were standing on the dashboard, waiting in offended delicacy until this obscene obstacle should be removed from their path.