Fathers and sons -- Fiction; Runaway wives -- Fiction; Sportswriters -- Fiction
There was no clock in the house and Peter had no notion of how long he
waited. Presently the child woke and began to cry petulantly. A search
for pins was resented and the wailing took on its characteristic vigor.
"Don't do that," said Peter. He picked the child up, carried it to the
window and back again without good results. Then he said, "Listen!"
Peter cleared his throat. "Rockabye, baby, on the tree top," he began
but to no avail. He wasn't very sure of the tune. There was only one
song of which he was confident. "Oh, Harvard was old Harvard when Yale
was but a pup," struck up Peter. "And Harvard will be Harvard still when
Yale is all gone up, And if any Eli son of a----."
Instinctively Peter began to hum the rest. It did not seem to him just
the sort of song he should sing to his baby. And yet it proved exactly
right. The child went off to sleep again and remained that way while
Peter disentangled it. A few minutes later Kate came in. "I was
thinking, Mr. Neale," she said, "that there was no clothes for the
child." She stepped across to the bed. "Oh, the little angel. Now the
deep sleep does be on him. I found some old things and brought them. I
hope he was no trouble to you."
"No," said Peter, mopping his forehead. "He wasn't so much trouble. Have
you got everything you need? I'm going to leave you some money for milk
and food and things. Can you stay with him right along now till your day
off?"
"I can that."
"Well, let's see. This is Tuesday. I'm going out for awhile. I won't be
back tonight. Maybe I won't be back tomorrow. Anyhow I'll be back before
Sunday. Take good care of him."
Peter had to steady himself going down the stairs to the street. He was
shaky and wringing with perspiration. He felt as if he had pitched a
nine inning game with the score nothing to nothing all the way. He just
had to get out of the house. The ache which had died down the night
before was back again. "I guess I've got to get drunk," thought Peter.
CHAPTER VII
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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