American fiction -- 20th century; Sea stories; Short stories, American
Peter, by and by, began to have a notion that Sarah wasn't enjoying
herself. There was a party in one of the booths--Peter could not see
them without turning, but he had a feeling in the back of his head that
they were paying more attention to Sarah than she liked. But perhaps
he was wrong about it. What with the lights and the music and the
dancing, he was beginning to feel like rolling out a little song
himself--a little more maybe about the _Boundin' Biller_--but Sarah
suddenly started to draw on her gloves. And she looked tired; and
Peter hurried to pay the bill and tip the waiter--fifty cents. The
waiter thanked him with more respect than Peter would have thought was
in him.
Peter was jumping up to put Sarah's coat on her before his waiter could
do it, when a strange waiter came over with a glass of champagne and
set it on the table before Sarah.
"The gentleman wishes to know if the young lady will have a glass of
wine with him."
Some joker, of course. Peter smiled till he saw that Sarah was looking
frightened.
"Who sent it?" asked Peter.
The waiter looked over to the booth which Peter had had in mind
earlier. Peter looked over that way. A head darted out and back into
the corner of the booth. Peter's eyebrows lowered and his eyes
narrowed. It looked like a familiar sail.
"Did he say anything about a drink for me?" asked Peter.
The waiter started to smile and then said "No, sir," very quickly.
Peter picked up the glass delicately.
"Do you want to drink this wine, Sarah?"
"Oh, Peter!"
"It's all right--I knew you didn't," assured Peter.
He stepped over to the booth. He was right about the man in the
corner--it was Henston.
More than the shipping of goods was discussed in the shipping-room, and
there was more than that glass of wine in Peter's mind when he looked
in on Henston in the booth. There was a sales-girl who had lost her
job in Pentle's. It was Henston who had taken advantage of his
position to start her on the wrong road.
"The young lady," said Peter to Henston, "don't want to drink your
health."
"Too bad--she drank it before," said Henston.
Peter had hard work to keep the wine from spilling.
"If you don't believe me, ask her," said Henston.
"What's that?" Peter said that to gain time to get his balance.
"I said, Ask her."
"You--you squid, you!"
Peter whipped the glass of wine into Henston's face and with that
reached across for him. The two men nearest to Peter in the booth
stood up to stop him. Peter reached a hand to the collar of each,
stepped back, and brought their faces crashing together.
"It's my fight and his--keep out, you!" said Peter, and swept them back
and down into their seats.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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