hearing so intmtly ht misses his a« until tht expectant silmct crashes his
ears.
NIGHT CLERK
Hastily, gambling on yes."
Yes, Sir.
ERIE
Bitingly.
Sorry if I'm keeping you up, Sport.
With an aggritvtd air.
Hughie was a wide-awake guy. He was always waiting for me to
roll in. He'd say, "Hello, Eric, how'd the bangtails treat you?" Or,
"How's luck?" Or, "Did you make the old bones behave?" Then I'd
cell him how I'd done. He'd ask, "Wha t's new along the Big Stem?"
and I'd tell him the latest off the grapevine.
Ht grins with affedionatt corukscension.
It used to hand me a laugh to hear old Hughie crackin' like a sport.
In all the years I knew him, he never bet a buck on nothin'.
&cusingly.
Bue it ain't his fault. He'd have took a chance, but how could he with
his wife kccpin' cases on every nickel of his salary? I showed him lots
of ways he could cross her up, but he was too scared.
Ht chuckks.
The biggest knockout was when he'd kid me about dames. He'd
crack, "Wha t? No blonde co-night, Eric? You must be slippin' ." Jeez,
you never sec a guy more bashful with a doll around than Hughie
was. I used to introduce him to the tramps I'd drag home with me.
I'd wise them up co kid him along and pretend they'd fell for him.
In two minutes, they'd have him hanging on the ropes. His facc'd
be red and he'd look like he wanted to crawl under the desk and
hide. Some of them dolls was raw babies. They'd make him pretty
raw propositions. He'd stutter like he was paralyzed. But he ate it up,
just the same. He was tickled pink. I used to hope maybe I could
nerve him up to do a little chcatin'. I'd offer to fix it for him with
one of my dolls. Hell, I got plenty, I wouldn't have minded. I'd tell
him, "Just let that wife of yours know you're chcatin', and she'll have
some respect for you." But he was too scared.
288 Hughie
Ht pauses-boast.folly.
Some queens I've brought here in my time, Brother-frails from the
Follies, or the Scandals, or the Frolics, that'd knock yow eye out!
And I still can make 'cm. You watch. I ain't slippin'.
Ht looks at the Night Cltrk expecting reassurance, but the Cltrk's mind
has slipped away to tht clanging bounce of garbage cans in the outer
night. He is thinking: � job I'd like. I'd bang those cans louder than
they do! I'd wake up the whok damned dty!"Erie mutttrs disgustedly to
himself.
Jesus, what a dummy!
Ht makes a move in the dir«rion of tht elevator, off right front­
gu,omily.
Might as well hit the hay, I guess.
NIGHT CLERK
Comes to-with the ntartSt approach to feeling ht has shown in many
a Jong night-approvingly.
Good night, Mr. Smith. I hope you have a good resc.
But Erie stops, glancing around the dtsmed lobby withforlorn distaste,
jiggling the room key in his hand.
£RI£
What a crummy dump! What did I come back for? I shoulda stayed
on a drunk. You'd never guess ic, Buddy, but when I first come here
this was a classy hotel-and clean, can you believe it?
He scowls.
I've been carnpin' here, off and on, fifteen years, but I've got a good
notion to move out. It ain't the same place since Hughie was took
to the hospital.
Gloomily.
Hell with going to bed! I'll just lie there worrying-
He turns back to the desk. The Cltrk's face would express despair, but
the last rime ht was abk to feel despair was back around World War
days whm the rost ofliving got so high and ht was out ofajobfar thrtt
months. Erie !tans on the dtsk-in a dejected, confain,tial tone.
Believe me, Brother, I never been a guy to worry, but this time I'm
on a spot where I got to, if I ain't a sap.
Hughie 289