Chains : $b lesser novels and storiesDreiser, Theodore
General
Chains : $b lesser novels and stories
Dreiser, Theodore
American fiction -- 20th century; Short stories, American
“But since he wanted it I went into the idea thoroughly with this
fellow Klippert. He was very clever, that man, honest and thorough and
business-like and disinterested, in so far as I could see. I liked him,
and so did Osterman, only Osterman wanted him to keep out of sight of
his wife until he was ready to act. Klippert made a regular business of
his problem and went all over the United States studying institutions
of the kind. Finally he came back with figures on about fifty or sixty
and a plan which was the same as that outlined to me by Osterman and
which I incorporated in his will, and there it ended for the time
being. He didn’t want to sign it right away for some reason, and there
it lay in my safe until—well, let me tell you how it was.
One Saturday morning—it was a beautiful day and I was thinking of
going out to the club to play golf—I received a long distance call
from Osterman asking me to get hold of Klippert and another fellow by
the name of Moss and bring them out to Shell Cove, along with the will
for him to sign. He had made up his mind, he said, and I have often
wondered if he had a premonition of what was going to happen.
“I remember so well how excited Klippert was when I got him on the
wire. He was just like a boy, that fellow, in his enthusiasm for the
scheme, and apparently not interested in anything except the welfare of
those orphans. We started for Shell Cove, and what do you think? Just
as we got there—I remember it all as though it had happened yesterday.
It was a bright, hot Saturday afternoon. There were some big doings on
the grounds, white-and-green and white-and-red striped marque tents,
and chairs and swings and tables everywhere. Some of the smartest
people were there, sitting or walking or dancing on the balcony. And
there was Osterman walking up and down the south verandah near the main
motor entrance, waiting for us, I suppose. As we drove up he recognized
us, for he waved his hand, and then just as we were getting out and
he was walking towards us, I saw him reel and go down. It was just
as though some one had struck him with something. I realized that it
must be paralysis or a stroke of apoplexy and I chilled all over at
the thought of what it might mean. Klippert went up the steps four at
a time, and as we all ran down the verandah they carried him in and
I telephoned for a doctor. Klippert was very still and white. All we
could do was to stand around and wait and look at each other, for Mrs.
Osterman and her sons were there and were taking charge. Finally word
came out that Mr. Osterman was a little better and wanted to see us, so
up we went. He had been carried into an airy, sunny room overlooking
the sea and was lying in a big white canopied bed looking as pale and
weak as he would if he had been ill for a month. He could scarcely
speak and lay there and looked at us for a time, his mouth open and a
kind of tremor passing over his lips from time to time. Then he seemed
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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