Peter: A Novel of Which He is Not the HeroSmith, Francis Hopkinson
General
Peter: A Novel of Which He is Not the Hero
Smith, Francis Hopkinson
Bank tellers -- Fiction; New York (N.Y.) -- Fiction; Wall Street (New York, N.Y.) -- Fiction
“And what are you going to do first, my darling?” she asked at last,
finding that Jack answered only in monosyllables or remained silent
altogether.
“I am going to see Uncle Arthur in the morning,” he answered quickly,
uncovering his brooding thoughts. “It won't do any good, perhaps, but I
will try it. I have never asked him for a cent for myself, and I won't
now. He may help Corinne this time, now that Garry is dead. There
must be some outside money due Garry that he has not been able to
collect--commissions on unfinished work. This can be turned in when it
is due. Then I am going to Uncle Peter, and after that to some of the
people we trade with.”
Breen was standing by the ticker when Jack entered. It was a busy day in
the Street and values were going up by leaps and bounds. The broker was
not in a good humor; many of his customers were short of the market.
He followed Jack into his private office and faced him.
“Funeral's at one o'clock Sunday, I see,” he said in a sharp voice, as
if he resented the incident. “Your aunt and I will be out on the noon
train. She got back this morning, pretty well bunged up. Killed himself,
didn't he?”
“That is not the doctor's opinion, sir, and he was with him when he
died.”
“Well, it looks that way to me. He's busted--and all balled up in the
Street. If you know anybody who will take the lease off Corinne's hands,
let me know. She and the baby are coming to live with us.”
Jack replied that he would make it his business to do so, with pleasure,
and after giving his uncle the details of Garry's death he finally
arrived at the tangled condition of his affairs.
Breen promptly interrupted him.
“Yes, so Corinne told me. She was in here one day last week and wanted
to borrow ten thousand dollars. I told her it didn't grow on trees.
Suppose I had given it to her? Where would it be now. Might as well have
thrown it in the waste-basket. So I shut down on the whole business--had
to.”
Jack waited until his uncle had relieved his mind. The state of the
market had something to do with his merciless point of view; increasing
irritability, due to loss of sleep, and his habits had more. The
outburst over, Jack said in a calm direct voice, watching the effect of
the words as a gunner watches a shell from his gun:
“Will you lend it to me, sir?”
Arthur was pacing his private office, casting about in his mind how to
terminate the interview, when Jack's shot overhauled him. Garry's sudden
death had already led him to waste a few more minutes of his time than
he was accustomed to on a morning like this, unless there was business
in it.
He turned sharply, looked at Jack for an instant, and dropped into the
revolving chair fronting his desk.
Then he said in a tone of undisguised surprise:
“Lend you ten thousand dollars! What for?”
“To clear up some matters of Garry's at Corklesville. The Warehouse
matter has been closed out, so Corinne tells me.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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