All the Sad Young MenFitzgerald, F. Scott (Francis Scott)
General
All the Sad Young Men
Fitzgerald, F. Scott (Francis Scott)
American fiction -- 20th century; Short stories, American
She wasn't sure yet. If she waited here till twilight, the nurse might
still bring him in from his walk. She remembered a tragic confusion in
the midst of which some one had told her that Chuck was dead, but if
that was so, then why was his room waiting, with his small brush and
comb still on the bureau, and why was she here at all?
"Mrs. Hemple."
She looked up. The weary, shabby figure of Doctor Moon stood in the
door.
"You go away," Luella said dully.
"Your husband needs you."
"I don't care."
Doctor Moon came a little way into the room.
"I don't think you understand, Mrs. Hemple. He's been calling for you.
You haven't any one now except him."
"I hate you," she said suddenly.
"If you like. I promised nothing, you know. I do the best I can. You'll
be better when you realize that your baby is gone, that you're not going
to see him any more."
Luella sprang to her feet.
"My baby isn't dead!" she cried. "You lie! You always lie!" Her flashing
eyes looked into his and caught something there, at once brutal and
kind, that awed her and made her impotent and acquiescent. She lowered
her own eyes in tired despair.
"All right," she said wearily. "My baby is gone. What shall I do now?"
"Your husband is much better. All he needs is rest and kindness. But you
must go to him and tell him what's happened."
"I suppose you think you made him better," said Luella bitterly.
"Perhaps. He's nearly well."
Nearly well--then the last link that held her to her home was broken.
This part of her life was over--she could cut it off here, with its
grief and oppression, and be off now, free as the wind.
"I'll go to him in a minute," Luella said in a far-away voice. "Please
leave me alone."
Doctor Moon's unwelcome shadow melted into the darkness of the hall.
"I can go away," Luella whispered to herself. "Life has given me back
freedom, in place of what it took away from me."
But she mustn't linger even a minute, or Life would bind her again and
make her suffer once more. She called the apartment porter and asked
that her trunk be brought up from the storeroom. Then she began taking
things from the bureau and wardrobe, trying to approximate as nearly as
possible the possessions that she had brought to her married life. She
even found two old dresses that had formed part of her trousseau--out
of style now, and a little tight in the hips--which she threw in with
the rest. A new life. Charles was well again; and her baby, whom she had
worshipped, and who had bored her a little, was dead.
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.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account