Chicago (Ill.) -- Fiction; Didactic fiction; Domestic fiction; Married people -- Fiction; Psychological fiction; Wheat trade -- Fiction
"We're going to take an apartment on Michigan Avenue, near the
Auditorium," said Page, "and keep house. We've talked it all over, and
know just how much it will cost to live and keep one servant. I'm going
to serve the loveliest little dinners; I've learned the kind of cooking
he likes already. Oh, I guess there he is now," she cried, as they
heard the front door close.
Landry came in, carrying a great bunch of cut flowers, and a box of
candy. He was as spruce as though he were already the bridegroom, his
cheeks pink, his blonde hair radiant. But he was thin and a little
worn, a dull feverish glitter came and went in his eyes, and his
nervousness, the strain and excitement which beset him were in his
every gesture, in every word of his rapid speech.
"We'll have to hurry," he told Page. "I must be down there hours ahead
of time this morning."
"How is Curtis?" demanded Laura. "Have you seen him lately? How is he
getting on with--with his speculating?"
Landry made a sharp gesture of resignation.
"I don't know," he answered. "I guess nobody knows. We had a fearful
day yesterday, but I think we controlled the situation at the end. We
ran the price up and up and up till I thought it would never stop. If
the Pit thought Mr. Jadwin was beaten, I guess they found out how they
were mistaken. For a time there, we were just driving them. But then
Mr. Gretry sent word to us in the Pit to sell, and we couldn't hold
them. They came back at us like wolves; they beat the price down five
cents, in as many minutes. We had to quit selling, and buy again. But
then Mr. Jadwin went at them with a rush. Oh, it was grand! We steadied
the price at a dollar and fifteen, stiffened it up to eighteen and a
half, and then sent it up again, three cents at a time, till we'd
hammered it back to a dollar and a quarter."
"But Curtis himself," inquired Laura, "is he all right, is he well?"
"I only saw him once," answered Landry. "He was in Mr. Gretry's office.
Yes, he looked all right. He's nervous, of course. But Mr. Gretry looks
like the sick man. He looks all frazzled out."
"I guess, we'd better be going," said Page, getting up from the table.
"Have you had your breakfast, Landry? Won't you have some coffee?"
"Oh, I breakfasted hours ago," he answered. "But you are right. We had
better be moving. If you are going to get a seat in the gallery, you
must be there half an hour ahead of time, to say the least. Shall I
take any word to your husband from you, Mrs. Jadwin?"
"Tell him that I wish him good luck," she answered, "and--yes, ask him,
if he remembers what day of the month this is--or no, don't ask him
that. Say nothing about it. Just tell him I send him my very best love,
and that I wish him all the success in the world."
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