登陆注册
15445700000092

第92章 CHAPTER 18(4)

"He was in here yesterday afternoon, and we had a drink or two at Frenna's. Maybe he's been in there to-day."

"Oh, won't you go in and see?" said Trina. "Mac always came home to his supper--he never likes to miss his meals--and I'm getting frightened about him."

Heise went into the barroom next door, and returned with no definite news. Frenna had not seen the dentist since he had come in with the harness-maker the previous afternoon.

Trina even humbled herself to ask of the Ryers--with whom they had quarrelled--if they knew anything of the dentist's whereabouts, but received a contemptuous negative.

"Maybe he's come in while I've been out," said Trina to herself. She went down Polk Street again, going towards the flat. The rain had stopped, but the sidewalks were still glistening. The cable cars trundled by, loaded with theatregoers. The barbers were just closing their shops.

The candy store on the corner was brilliantly lighted and was filling up, while the green and yellow lamps from the drug store directly opposite threw kaleidoscopic reflections deep down into the shining surface of the asphalt. A band of Salvationists began to play and pray in front of Frenna's saloon. Trina hurried on down the gay street, with its evening's brilliancy and small activities, her shawl over her head, one hand lifting her faded skirt from off the wet pavements. She turned into the alley, entered Zerkow's old home by the ever-open door, and ran up-stairs to the room. Nobody.

"Why, isn't this FUNNY," she exclaimed, half aloud, standing on the threshold, her little milk-white forehead curdling to a frown, one sore finger on her lips. Then a great fear seized upon her. Inevitably she associated the house with a scene of violent death.

"No, no," she said to the darkness, "Mac is all right.

HE can take care of himself." But for all that she had a clear-cut vision of her husband's body, bloated with sea- water, his blond hair streaming like kelp, rolling inertly in shifting waters.

"He couldn't have fallen off the rocks," she declared firmly. "There--THERE he is now." She heaved a great sigh of relief as a heavy tread sounded in the hallway below. She ran to the banisters, looking over, and calling, "Oh, Mac! Is that you, Mac?" It was the German whose family occupied the lower floor. The power-house clock struck nine.

"My God, where is Mac?" cried Trina, stamping her foot.

She put the shawl over her head again, and went out and stood on the corner of the alley and Polk Street, watching and waiting, craning her neck to see down the street. Once, even, she went out upon the sidewalk in front of the flat and sat down for a moment upon the horse-block there. She could not help remembering the day when she had been driven up to that horse-block in a hack. Her mother and father and Owgooste and the twins were with her. It was her wedding day. Her wedding dress was in a huge tin trunk on the driver's seat. She had never been happier before in all her life. She remembered how she got out of the hack and stood for a moment upon the horse-block, looking up at McTeague's windows. She had caught a glimpse of him at his shaving, the lather still on his cheek, and they had waved their hands at each other. Instinctively Trina looked up at the flat behind her; looked up at the bay window where her husband's "Dental Parlors" had been. It was all dark; the windows had the blind, sightless appearance imparted by vacant, untenanted rooms. A rusty iron rod projected mournfully from one of the window ledges.

"There's where our sign hung once," said Trina. She turned her head and looked down Polk Street towards where the Other Dentist had his rooms, and there, overhanging the street from his window, newly furbished and brightened, hung the huge tooth, her birthday present to her husband, flashing and glowing in the white glare of the electric lights like a beacon of defiance and triumph.

"Ah, no; ah, no," whispered Trina, choking back a sob.

"Life isn't so gay. But I wouldn't mind, no I wouldn't mind anything, if only Mac was home all right." She got up from the horse-block and stood again on the corner of the alley, watching and listening.

It grew later. The hours passed. Trina kept at her post.

The noise of approaching footfalls grew less and less frequent. Little by little Polk Street dropped back into solitude. Eleven o'clock struck from the power-house clock; lights were extinguished; at one o'clock the cable stopped, leaving an abrupt and numbing silence in the air. All at once it seemed very still. The only noises were the occasional footfalls of a policeman and the persistent calling of ducks and geese in the closed market across the way. The street was asleep.

When it is night and dark, and one is awake and alone, one's thoughts take the color of the surroundings; become gloomy, sombre, and very dismal. All at once an idea came to Trina, a dark, terrible idea; worse, even, than the idea of McTeague's death.

"Oh, no," she cried. "Oh, no. It isn't true. But suppose --suppose."

She left her post and hurried back to the house.

"No, no," she was saying under her breath, "it isn't possible. Maybe he's even come home already by another way.

But suppose--suppose--suppose."

She ran up the stairs, opened the door of the room, and paused, out of breath. The room was dark and empty. With cold, trembling fingers she lighted the lamp, and, turning about, looked at her trunk. The lock was burst.

"No, no, no," cried Trina, "it's not true; it's not true."

She dropped on her knees before the trunk, and tossed back the lid, and plunged her hands down into the corner underneath her wedding dress, where she always kept the savings. The brass match-safe and the chamois-skin bag were there. They were empty.

Trina flung herself full length upon the floor, burying her face in her arms, rolling her head from side to side. Her voice rose to a wail.

"No, no, no, it's not true; it's not true; it's not true.

Oh, he couldn't have done it. Oh, how could he have done it? All my money, all my little savings--and deserted me.

同类推荐
  • 旅舍早起

    旅舍早起

    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。
  • 全真坐钵捷法

    全真坐钵捷法

    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。
  • 舒文靖集

    舒文靖集

    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。
  • 求辅

    求辅

    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。
  • 太上灵宝净明法印式

    太上灵宝净明法印式

    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
  • 遗忘之爱

    遗忘之爱

    凌冬冬和哥哥相依为命,念完大学的她找到不错工作,却遭遇了霸道上司和办公室政治,深陷其中,又不可自拔地爱上这个有毒的男人,伤痕累累的她能重新开始追爱之旅吗...........
  • 周恩来与外交部长们

    周恩来与外交部长们

    周恩来是中国第一任外交部长,直接领导外交事业长达26年之久,是中国外交事业的奠基者。当代一些著名政治领导人,如斯大林、尼克松、艾登、尼赫鲁、西哈努克、尼雷尔、基辛格等,都赞颂周恩来是一个非凡的外交家。
  • 改造女配逆袭男神到碗里

    改造女配逆袭男神到碗里

    死而复生,记忆枷锁,重生后的相逢,改变过的体质,容貌,身材,攻略的是我男神……
  • 追逐世界尽头的孩子

    追逐世界尽头的孩子

    在地面相反的另一个世界,我已忘记了自己原本的名字。是谁在呼唤?是谁在哭诉?这个世界,已经变了!
  • 龙灵斗者

    龙灵斗者

    清龙大陆,一个以凝聚龙息、修练龙灵斗技为生涯的世界。作为一个穿越者,主角费尽苦心,凝聚九阶龙息,终于被冠上了少年天才的美誉,可是,他家老头子临终前给了他一个东西……就是那个可恶的东西,让他倾刻之间从一个天才陨落成了废物。那一刻,他绝望了,可绝望之后,他又发现了那个神秘之物也有不为人知的妙用之处,他的人生,从此风生水起,以“废物”之姿,横扫天下,大杀四方,誓将邪恶进行到底……
  • 存在最后的答案

    存在最后的答案

    宇宙的生命即将结束,幸存的智慧生物该如何面对,毁灭还是重生?穿越过去,寻找那存在于最后的答案!
  • 无限之九尾天狐

    无限之九尾天狐

    天生具有“灵视”天赋,身体内蕴藏着庞大灵力的叶观海穿越了,他突然发现自己被“轮回新世界”选中进入任务世界无限轮回。《滑头鬼之孙》,侍奉羽衣狐与百鬼夜行争斗,成为大阴阳师,恐怖电影院收无数女鬼幽魂成为式神。火影世界参加中忍考试,约会大作战封印“时间精灵”时崎狂三,捕捉精灵成为式神。《地下城与勇士》、《诛仙》、《圣斗士》、《fatezero》、《魔法禁书目录》、《拳皇》……间隙妖怪八云紫,血族贵族、花之暴君风见幽香、不死蓬莱人……叶观海语“只要是除了人类,就算是神明我也给你做成式神!
  • 什么样的爱情

    什么样的爱情

    爱情是什么样的?是幸福的。是痛苦的。是浪漫的。是平凡的。是简单的。是复杂的。其实每个人的爱情都是不一样,有幸福,也有痛快,有快乐,也有悲伤。可能爱之前是美好的,但爱之后却是悲哀的。可能你爱的人不一定是最好,但你一定要去珍惜那个爱你的人。下面就来说说我所知道的这些爱情。
  • 生死狙击之末世宿主

    生死狙击之末世宿主

    一觉醒来居然穿越到了生死狙击世界,而且还是末世,搞什么!还激活了什么末世系统成了宿主!咦?什么,你不是系统?那你是什么?能和你聊天吗?哦,可以啊,那你告诉我我为神马会穿越!!!
  • 我的书斋生活

    我的书斋生活

    《文化名家谈读书》所选的都是出自名家之手的优美散文,如朱湘的《书》、丰子恺的《读书》、鲁迅的《读书杂谈》、何其芳的《尽信书,不如无书》等,这些文章虽然都是描述书及读书的感受的,但各篇的观点又不尽相同。有的是写读书的甘苦,有的是写购书、藏书的体会。所有的这些甘苦和体会,都是作者从自身的经历、体会、经验,甚至性格、情趣中衍生而来的经验之谈。所以,这些观点都是积极的、向上的,都闪烁着真理的光辉。