Tomorrow Once Again by Edward L. Mckenna

Author:Edward L. Mckenna [Mckenna, Edward L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: PerditusLiber, Gambling, Fiction
ISBN: OCLC: 5397863
Publisher: Farrar & Rinehart, New York
Published: 1931-04-15T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER X

THE next week, Frank won most of the money—between five and six dollars. When the time came to divide the expenses, he threw his winnings on the table.

“Here, share that among you,” he said. “I’m paying for this party.”

“Oh, no, you’re not. We don’t believe in that, Frank,” Cole told him.

Frank shrugged, and put his money back into his pocket. As they set out along the narrow boardwalk, Cole lumbered alongside him.

“Say, Frank. Larry and I been talking.… Like to have you with us this summer. That’ll make you and Larry and Ed and Pinkie and me. Cost you fifteen or twenty dollars.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Of course, you can suit yourself, about it. Steve isn’t in; he has a rotten job, and he’s never got a nickel. But Steve is as welcome as the flowers in May, any time. And so are you.”

177

“Thanks, Bill. I’ll be delighted. I haven’t got that much on me right now—Let’s see——”

“Oh, quit that. Any time. This year’s installment is paid. I got plenty. Thought you might rather do it that way. Then you could sort of feel that the place is your own, and use it whenever you like. Come down for a swim, and so on.”

“Yeah. I’ll give you the money tomorrow.”

“Hey, now. I don’t want it now, do you hear? Save it, and give it to me when I go on my vacation.”

“No, you better take it, while I have it.”

“Here, for heaven’s sake. Give me that five bucks you were throwing around before we left. There, that’s right. Now you owe ten dollars, by January first, next. Want a receipt?”

Frank grinned.

“Now, here’s a key to the place.”

“Much obliged, Bill.”

“Larry and Steve and I bought the place, four years ago I—uh—a couple of us bought Steve out, later. We took Eddie in, a couple of years back.”

“Eddie is a nice boy, Bill.”

“Yes, Acetylene welder.”

“You don’t say.”

“Never think it, would you, except for his build.

178

He makes a lot of jack. Never says a rough word. At that, he’s a wild man, Eddie is.”

“Yeah?”

“Oh, you’ll see. Wait till the weather gets warmer.”

Frank did see. As the summer progressed, the custom was to.invite girl-friends down for Sunday afternoons. Lots of them were perfectly nice girls, at least so far. Of course, there weren’t any chaperons, and they used to wander in about two o’clock in the afternoon, and stay for dinner, and help wash the dishes, and the men would take them home on the last boat, or the last train. Many of them were quite young, seventeen or eighteen, office girls and stenographers, and teachers just in or just out of training school. Pre-war flappers is what they were, informal, and not fastidious, nor overclever. Some of them would go a long way, and some still further; some of them were quite definite in their reserve. This last class was just as popular as the others, if they were otherwise attractive.

They made no pretense at ignorance of basic facts; many of them, however, didn’t parade their knowledge.

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