登陆注册
15445700000079

第79章 CHAPTER 15(3)

And she drives me out of my own home in the rain, for me to get money for her; more money, and she takes it. She took that money from me that I earned. 'Twasn't hers; it was mine, I earned it--and not a nickel for car fare. She don't care if I get wet and get a cold and DIE. No, she don't, as long as she's warm and's got her money." He became more and more indignant at the picture he made of himself. "I ain't going to stand it much longer," he repeated.

"Why, hello, Doc. Is that you?" exclaimed Heise, opening the door of the harness shop behind him. "Come in out of the wet. Why, you're soaked through," he added as he and McTeague came back into the shop, that reeked of oiled leather. "Didn't you have any umbrella? Ought to have taken a car."

"I guess so--I guess so," murmured the dentist, confused.

His teeth were chattering.

"YOU'RE going to catch your death-a-cold," exclaimed Heise. "Tell you what," he said, reaching for his hat, "come in next door to Frenna's and have something to warm you up.

I'll get the old lady to mind the shop." He called Mrs.

Heise down from the floor above and took McTeague into Joe Frenna's saloon, which was two doors above his harness shop.

"Whiskey and gum twice, Joe," said he to the barkeeper as he and the dentist approached the bar.

"Huh? What?" said McTeague. "Whiskey? No, I can't drink whiskey. It kind of disagrees with me."

"Oh, the hell!" returned Heise, easily. "Take it as medicine. You'll get your death-a-cold if you stand round soaked like that. Two whiskey and gum, Joe."

McTeague emptied the pony glass at a single enormous gulp.

"That's the way," said Heise, approvingly. "Do you good."

He drank his off slowly.

"I'd--I'd ask you to have a drink with me, Heise," said the dentist, who had an indistinct idea of the amenities of the barroom, "only," he added shamefacedly, "only--you see, I don't believe I got any change." His anger against Trina, heated by the whiskey he had drank, flamed up afresh. What a humiliating position for Trina to place him in, not to leave him the price of a drink with a friend, she who had five thousand dollars!

"Sha! That's all right, Doc," returned Heise, nibbling on a grain of coffee. "Want another? Hey? This my treat. Two more of the same, Joe."

McTeague hesitated. It was lamentably true that whiskey did not agree with him; he knew it well enough. However, by this time he felt very comfortably warm at the pit of his stomach. The blood was beginning to circulate in his chilled finger-tips and in his soggy, wet feet. He had had a hard day of it; in fact, the last week, the last month, the last three or four months, had been hard. He deserved a little consolation. Nor could Trina object to this. It wasn't costing a cent. He drank again with Heise.

"Get up here to the stove and warm yourself," urged Heise, drawing up a couple of chairs and cocking his feet upon the guard. The two fell to talking while McTeague's draggled coat and trousers smoked.

"What a dirty turn that was that Marcus Schouler did you!" said Heise, wagging his head. "You ought to have fought that, Doc, sure. You'd been practising too long." They discussed this question some ten or fifteen minutes and then Heise rose.

"Well, this ain't earning any money. I got to get back to the shop." McTeague got up as well, and the pair started for the door. Just as they were going out Ryer met them.

"Hello, hello," he cried. "Lord, what a wet day! You two are going the wrong way. You're going to have a drink with me. Three whiskey punches, Joe."

"No, no," answered McTeague, shaking his head. "I'm going back home. I've had two glasses of whiskey already."

"Sha!" cried Heise, catching his arm. "A strapping big chap like you ain't afraid of a little whiskey."

"Well, I--I--I got to go right afterwards," protested McTeague.

About half an hour after the dentist had left to go down town, Maria Macapa had come in to see Trina. Occasionally Maria dropped in on Trina in this fashion and spent an hour or so chatting with her while she worked. At first Trina had been inclined to resent these intrusions of the Mexican woman, but of late she had begun to tolerate them. Her day was long and cheerless at the best, and there was no one to talk to. Trina even fancied that old Miss Baker had come to be less cordial since their misfortune. Maria retailed to her all the gossip of the flat and the neighborhood, and, which was much more interesting, told her of her troubles with Zerkow.

Trina said to herself that Maria was common and vulgar, but one had to have some diversion, and Trina could talk and listen without interrupting her work. On this particular occasion Maria was much excited over Zerkow's demeanor of late.

"He's gettun worse an' worse," she informed Trina as she sat on the edge of the bed, her chin in her hand. "He says he knows I got the dishes and am hidun them from him. The other day I thought he'd gone off with his wagon, and I was doin' a bit of ir'ning, an' by an' by all of a sudden I saw him peeping at me through the crack of the door. I never let on that I saw him, and, honest, he stayed there over two hours, watchun everything I did. I could just feel his eyes on the back of my neck all the time. Last Sunday he took down part of the wall, 'cause he said he'd seen me making figures on it. Well, I was, but it was just the wash list.

All the time he says he'll kill me if I don't tell."

"Why, what do you stay with him for?" exclaimed Trina. "I'd be deathly 'fraid of a man like that; and he did take a knife to you once."

"Hoh! HE won't kill me, never fear. If he'd kill me he'd never know where the dishes were; that's what HE thinks."

"But I can't understand, Maria; you told him about those gold dishes yourself."

"Never, never! I never saw such a lot of crazy folks as you are."

"But you say he hits you sometimes."

"Ah!" said Maria, tossing her head scornfully, "I ain't afraid of him. He takes his horsewhip to me now and then, but I can always manage. I say, 'If you touch me with that, then I'll NEVER tell you.' Just pretending, you know, and he drops it as though it was red hot. Say, Mrs.

同类推荐
  • 黄帝素问灵枢集注

    黄帝素问灵枢集注

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 海上花魅影

    海上花魅影

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 素问经注节解

    素问经注节解

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 耕樵问答

    耕樵问答

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 元朝典故编年考

    元朝典故编年考

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 巾帼策

    巾帼策

    世人皆知苏小状元乃三代帝师之关门弟子,乃惊艳绝才之辈。其师兄风谨对其爱护有加,然世人皆道这师兄弟之间乃断袖情深。苏澈只想找到自己家族灭门惨案的真相,奈何身边有个腹黑的师兄太让人糟心。风谨:“小师弟,你要是个女人多好啊,师兄就娶了你便是,不用应付那些虚情假意的名门贵女。”苏澈:“……”师兄,你知不知你很欠揍?风谨:“小师弟,你说男子怎能美到你这种祸国殃民的地步呢?”苏澈嘴角抽搐:“……”忍不住想揍人了怎么办?风谨:“小师弟,不如我们私奔吧,你是男子师兄也不嫌弃!从此后我耕田你织布……啊!”“滚!”苏澈气急败坏将手里的折扇砸在了风谨的脸上掉头就走。风谨死皮赖脸的跟了上去:“小师弟,小师弟,师兄可是认真的,你考虑一下啊!”
  • 双世虐恋

    双世虐恋

    您是谁?为什么总是出现在我的梦境里?为什么您离我近在咫尺,还是远在千里,您的面容为什么总是那么地模糊。我是谁?那得问您'解铃还需要系铃人啊!我只问您,千古誓言,你是否早己忘却,庶女的百年等待只为等待与君相识一面你可曾记得您离走她对你所善之语。‘‘若是有缘,雪村前又重逢,你可安好?我愿用十年青春,换得一面相识。’’而您却说:‘‘若是有缘,便是天注定,我愿用十年青春,换你一世天真无邪。’’她不仅用了十年寿命,而是用了自己的生来等待您,而您百年音迅全无,何尝想过回来?我听后,泪水随着脸颊而下,滴在蓝玫瑰的花瓣上,光尘向夜空飞去。千年誓言,前世的缘,今世来还,梦惊醒换来的却是千古虐恋。
  • 椿城图

    椿城图

    人生一世何为恨,何为爱;得到多少又失去多少。
  • 琅琊王妃

    琅琊王妃

    从前有座山,山里有个尼姑庵,庵里住着一个小尼姑。有一天,小尼姑的师傅对她说:“妙玉啊,你天生富贵,命格如此,躲都躲不掉啊!”于是,小尼姑天天盼啊盼啊,就觉得天上有一天,会掉下一堆好吃的,她再也不用下山化缘啦。可是,事与愿违,妙玉等啊等啊,终于到了15岁,一天夜里,尼姑庵的小矮墙上掉下一个花美男,小尼姑觉得自己天生善良才会有福报,所以就把他救了。哪知道那男人竟对自己动了心,哭着闹着,要带自己走,小尼姑怕啊,这乱世,战火纷纷的,万一你把我卖了怎么办,于是,小尼姑坚决的拒绝了他。后来的后来,小尼姑后悔了,如果她早知道事情会变成那个样子,她一定一定,坚决不救他。
  • 葬山河

    葬山河

    君不羡天生无魂无魄无法修炼,却得师兄林海指点修炼万物篇,从此踏上诡异莫测的修仙路。魂海里暗藏古棺,古棺里葬下的蛇剑,眉间的青色印记,乱世之中追寻自己的身世之谜。葬器可葬仙,君不羡不是被葬掉的仙,他是葬仙的器!
  • 白色眷恋

    白色眷恋

    因为不满皇马6比2的比分,中国青年律师沈星怒砸啤酒瓶,结果电光火石间,他穿越成了佛罗伦蒂诺的儿子,且看来自09年的小伙子如何玩转03年的欧洲足坛
  • 漱溟

    漱溟

    上善若水,水善利万物而不争,处众人之所恶,故几于道。
  • 两校草争冰冷学霸

    两校草争冰冷学霸

    林梦茹是一个冰冷学霸。凌空是一个转校生,他转到林梦茹的班里并爱上了她。顾辰逸是一个学霸,他也转到了林梦茹班里,也爱上了她。之后,凌空和顾辰逸一起争林梦如这个冰冷学霸。但是,林梦茹的偶像是叶烁。
  • 火狮玫瑰

    火狮玫瑰

    [花雨授权]都是误会惹的祸!他莫名其妙地惹到一头随时准备喷火的火狮,一不小心就要受到拳脚攻击。缠上火狮就得付出代价,可是,爱就是爱上了,又有什么办法!玫瑰、礼物加香吻终于融化了火狮的心,抱得美人归喽!
  • 旧春归

    旧春归

    他,是一方巨贾,是医学圣手,拜师无量山上。她,是被流放的女囚,是大吏之后,埋名朵邑乡下。命运之手将他们聚拢,又拨离。他相思入疾,她独守三年。他白衣怒马,拔剑引弓,烈烈风雪中只为护她心切;她貌若天人,落月照花,低眉颔首,只愿一世跌进他的胸怀。天下大乱,权谋的旋涡中他为美人,只得夺江山。背负罪名的官宦之女与名动天下的燕王谋士在乱世硝烟中的生死虐恋。靖难之役,关乎天下大运,更关乎兰杜毋望的人生命运。在这一场宏大的等待之中,明月先生最终御马归来,超越生死的爱情必然开出花来。