Consequently, when the Tin Box was searched, the Day after the Masons
had marched out to the Cemetery, it contained a little of everything
except Assets.
Annie was the name of the Daughter.
On the Clean-up she received enough to put her through the School.
When Bob arrived at the Hospital, in a State of Conflagration, Annie
was waiting in the starched Uniform to tackle her first real Case.
For days and nights he rambled through the ghostly labyrinths of
Delirium, Annie holding him by the Hand and lifting the cool Draughts
to his parched Lips.
He mumbled and raved about the decisions of the Umpire in the game
between the Academy and the Knitting Works.
He gave Annie his entire performance of Ralph Rackstraw in "Pinafore"
for the benefit of the Library Fund, including Cues.
He scolded his Aunt Mary for doing her own Housework and told the
Colored Men how to lay the Cement Walk down through the Grape Arbor.
He promised his Father not to play Poker any more and vowed to his
Mother that she was a better Chef than the one up at Del's.
But his sub-conscious Self was so considerate of Elphye that he never
brought in her Name at all, at all.
Sometimes he would get back to the Ticker, but he was ready to leave
it any time to go fishing in the Crick with the Lads from the other
side of the Tracks.
Through the final Crisis he played tag with the Grim Reaper and just
escaped being It.
The Sun was slanting into the little white Room when he crawled feebly
back to Earth and tried to get his Bearings.
Annie was looking right at him, relieved and smiling and happy. She
had won her first game in the Big League.
He noticed that she was not slashed up the side or down the back, had
no metallic Insteps, carried her own Hair, and was in no way concealed
behind the usual pallid Veneering.
He remembered dimly that she had been with him on the Underground.
Then he recalled a previous Existence in which the Dripped Absinthe
was a Breakfast and the Cigarette a Luncheon and Elphye was trotting
in her Glads and he had a Swell Bet down on Tin Bucket Preferred. The
whole Lay-Out seemed unreal and remote and entirely disconnected with
Friend Nurse.
He inquired the Day of the Week, and when he learned it was Next Month
he started to get right up and put on his Things.
Annie quietly spread him back on the Pillow and laid down the Law
regarding Rest and Quiet.
Then he begged her to ring up McCusick & Co. and get the latest Bucket
Preferred.
He said he had plastered his last Samoleon and, not being there to
watch the Board and concentrate his wonderful Trading Instinct on
every jiggle of the Dial, there was no telling what the Bone-Heads had
done to him.
You see, he had no recollection whatever of going Short, for he had
been in a Walking Delirium at the time and crazy as a Cubist.
Annie said it was wrong to Gamble and he was not to read the Papers or
fuss with Visitors until Doc gave the word.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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