She started to pass him, but he grabbed her by the shoulders. His face
was white and drawn and his eyes were the eyes of a madman. He lifted
her up bodily and almost threw her on the divan, crying, "By God! You
stay here!"
Jim turned just as Woods rushed and with a mighty swing to the side of
the head, sent him crashing into the corner. Dazed as he was, he half
struggled to his feet, and when I saw him reach beneath his coat, I
sprang on him and wrenched the revolver from his hand.
Disheveled and half-stupefied, he rose and glared at us like an angry
bull. Slowly he straightened his tie and brushed back his hair. He
glanced over at Helen, who was sobbing on the sofa.
"Two of you--eh? A frame-up." All the hatred in the world gleamed in
his eyes, as he looked at Jim. "If you don't let Helen come to me,
Felderson, I'll kill you; so help me God, I'll kill you!" Then he
picked up his coat and hat and walked out of the room.
Jim went slowly to the door and into the hall. He looked tired and
old. I heard the outer door slam behind Frank Woods and a motor start.
Then I went out to Jim.
CHAPTER THREE
I COULD KILL HIM
I was on my way back to Jim's after having gone home to change my
clothes. Jim had asked me to stay with him that evening and, to tell
the truth, I was glad to do it, partly because of the threat Woods had
made and partly because of the way Helen looked at Jim when she passed
us in the hall on the way to her bedroom. Being a lawyer, I have
naturally made a pretty close study of character, and if I ever saw
vindictiveness on the face of any human, it was on Helen's at that
moment.
I said nothing about the affair to mother while I was home, for she has
been very frail ever since my father's death and I thought there was no
use in needlessly upsetting her. There would be plenty of time to
discuss the matter after Helen left Jim.
Again and again I recalled the struggle of the afternoon and again and
again, Helen's face, distorted with anger, reappeared. Finally I
decided to drive the car over to Mary Pendleton's and ask her to come
spend the night with Helen. In her overwrought, hysterical condition,
Helen was capable of doing almost anything.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account