Athalie

g, but business had been bad at the Hotel Greensleeve, and Athal

of unoccupied chambers to peer about in the dusty obscurity, then noiselessly closing them, he would slink away down th

local loafers wandered into the bar with the faint stench of fertilizer clinging to their boots, he sh

s pale eyes, now faded almost colourless, had become weak and red-rimmed,

n-"Eatin' their heads off I tell you, Pete! What good is all this here sch

, he had dreamed of college for him, and of a career-in letters perhaps-something dignified, leisurely, profound beyond his own limits. And of a modest corner somewhere within th

awakened him. Nor had his wife's death been more real than the half-strangled anguish of a dreamer, tossing in darknes

partly because he had no spending money, no clothing to maintain his boyish self-respect

as unqualified to control anybody

ld the boy to the home anchorage-of any feeling of responsi

out explanation or any home interference, except for the constant disputes and

it but he was slightly afraid of her. And it was from her

nd the house deserted, and Jack smelling

I shall tell father,

ue; the boy no longer cared what anybody might think as l

s time hanging around it. Sometimes he came home reeking of oil and

lost her awe of him. His weakness of character, his failings, and the fact th

reversal of their relations. And one night, still more or less

ter considerably startled him, and he sat up in his ragged n

own spooks!" he said. "Wh

o talk with

t ab

ou

at there eyeing h

ngraciously; and stretched

ated herself on

ase don't

now about men, anyway? Don'

sked you

a kid then. But a

ght feeling of shame which always invaded his sullen, defiant disc

, he also cared more for her than he ever

ough the maze of adolescence, with no guide, nobody to warn or coun

n born with: it was environment and

don't understand. There isn't any harm in my smoking a cig

there

Sis.... And, say! I'm n

ha

the good of algebra and physics and chemistry and hist

busi

ing around the garage. I can

ou ask

me do what I please. I gues

en his only son came slouching

his father remained seated on the shabby veranda, his head sunken

oy's career. Maybe they caused him pain. But if there was pain it faded gr

nty-in his mind, in his eyesight-and sometimes the vagueness was in his speech. He had noticed that-for, sometimes the

ice out of his sore and faded eyes when Greensle

ttomed arm-chair-a little untidy figure, more or less caved in from chest to abdomen,

out of school, and always stopping on impulse of sympathy to salute him with,

ecame remote, and the children understood that they were at liberty to go, which they did, dancing happily away into the

to Peter Greensleeve. Also, more often, he mix

year had caused him discomfort, bothered

ography and typewriting, going every day to

too, desired to learn. And if their father understood very clearly

or twice he came to ask his father for money, but there was none to g

duck-hunters. Athalie often saw them stamping around in the bar, the lamplight glistening on their oil-skins and

nd a hot peach turnover awaiting her, constructed for her by the slovenly cook, and kept

e noticed Mr. Ledlie reading his newspaper in the office a

, duck-hunters from New York, but they we

ped books on a chair under the noisy wall-clock. Then, at hazard, she wande

trolled over toward the stove to warm her snow-wet

e the leather shooting clothes of a duck-hunter; on the floor beside him lay his cap, oil-skins, hip-boots, and

st disturbed or embarrassed. She looked calmly a

get dry?" she asked

He took his hands from his pocket

I'm dr

have an

-drake, two redheads, a black

ere you

ilver

s your

Nost

stop shooti

he local limi

r, reflectively. When she looked up, so

hungry?"

assed, then laug

t you a turnov

nding. Rather vaguely she comprehended this civility toward her

ly presented the pastry, then drew a chair up in

ith those hunters fro

my father and thre

out still

ent over to

re," remarked Athalie.

N

d teach you if you are

k to-morrow morning.... How d

a boat. Everybody here knows how to manage a cat-boat....

l if I

w very dark in the bar-room, and the light

ing over their peach pastry, and inspecting each

wardrobe for years. Her dull, thick gold hair curled crisply over the edges of th

ascinated and unembarrassed at this golden

eep this hotel?" he

e Greensleeve. Wh

iley,

is the

li

go to

m back for t

ly. "Oh, that's so. Christmas

ave a new pair of guns, some books

," said

te, some glimmer of the real state of affairs illuminat

her hands on a soiled and ragged and crumpled

vacation," said the boy, awkwardly. "I do

t is pl

re for the summer vacation

ffered no reason why his mother might not care for the Hotel Greensleeve.

d two bay-men, their oil-skins shining with salt-spray, guns glistening. Thud! went the s

the men in oil-skins,-"how did

t his father had caught sight of

le,-"are you little Red-Riding Hood or the Princess Far

alie Gre

ful. Would you mind saying to Mr. Greensleeve that there is much moaning on the bar,

ha

ously and distractingly pretty. I was joking, that's

d her shoulders: "I didn't mean to tease you on such short acquain

up at him in

shall know I am forgiv

he boy's eye, and smiled again, most

laughingly and looking at his son,

he gunners, "let the little girl go and find h

, behind the desk, was still reading his soiled newspaper, which he continued to do until Athalie cried out something in a frightened voice.

to Athalie and to her sisters. There was some confusion and crowding in the hallway, wha

he regretted his moderation. However, the taking off of Greensleeve

oy lingered behind the others and then hurried back to where Athalie was standing, white

"I am sorry," he said. "I hope you will not be v

e business rather awkwardly, he finally contrived to snap a strap-

alie," he murm

ely confused eyes for a moment. But

htly. "I'll surely, surely come back to

before he returned to