“Who’s there?” came a girl’s voice that sent a little shiver through him. Must be young.
“Is Mrs. McNiel in?”
“Yes,” came the lilting girl’s voice again. “What is it?”
“It’s a matter of business about Mr. McNiel’s accident.”
“About the accident is it?” The door opened in little cautious jerks. She had a sharpcut pearlywhite nose and chin and a pile of wavy redbrown hair that lay in little flat curls round her high narrow forehead. Gray eyes sharp and suspicious looked him hard in the face.
“May I speak to you a minute about Mr. McNiel’s accident? There are certain legal points involved that I feel it my duty to make known to you. … By the way I hope he’s better.”
“Oh yes he’s come to.”
“May I come in? It’s a little long to explain.”
“I guess you can.” Her pouting lips flattened into a wry smile. “I guess you wont eat me.”
“No honestly I wont.” He laughed nervously in his throat.
She led the way into the darkened sitting room. “I’m not pulling up the shades so’s you wont see the pickle everythin’s in.”
“Allow me to introduce myself, Mrs. McNiel. … George Baldwin, 88 Maiden Lane. … You see I make a specialty of cases like this. … To put the whole matter in a nutshell. … Your husband was run down and nearly killed through the culpable or possibly criminal negligence of the employees of the New York Central Railroad. There is full and ample cause for a suit against the railroad. Now I have reason to believe that the Excelsior Dairy Company will bring suit for the losses incurred, horse and wagon etcetera. …”
“You mean you think Gus is more likely to get damages himself?”
“Exactly.”
“How much do you think he could get?”
“Why that depends on how badly hurt he is, on the attitude of the court, and perhaps on the skill of the lawyer. … I think ten thousand dollars is a conservative figure.”
“And you dont ask no money down?”
“The lawyer’s fee is rarely paid until the case is brought to a successful termination.”
“An you’re a lawyer, honest? You look kinder young to be a lawyer.”
The gray eyes flashed in his. They both laughed. He felt a warm inexplicable flush go through him.
“I’m a lawyer all the same. I make a specialty of cases like these. Why only last Tuesday I got six thousand dollars for a client who was kicked by a relay horse riding on the loop. … Just at this moment as you may know there is considerable agitation for revoking altogether the franchise of the Eleventh Avenue tracks. … I think this is a most favorable moment.”
“Say do you always talk like that, or is it just business?”
He threw back his head and laughed.
“Poor old Gus, I always said he had a streak of luck in him.”
The wail of a child crept thinly through the partition into the room.
“What’s that?”
“It’s only the baby. … The little wretch dont do nothin but squall.”
“So you’ve got children Mrs. McNiel?” The thought chilled him somehow.
“Juss one … what kin ye expect?”
“Is it the Emergency Hospital?”
“Yes I reckon they’ll let you see him as it’s a matter of business. He’s groanin somethin dreadful.”
“Now if I could get a few good witnesses.”
“Mike Doheny seen it all. … He’s on the force. He’s a good frien of Gus’s.”
“By gad we’ve got a case and a half. … Why they’ll settle out of court. … I’ll go right up to the hospital.”
A fresh volley of wails came from the other room.
“Oh, that brat,” she whispered, screwing up her face. “We could use the money all right Mr. Baldwin. …”
“Well I must go.” He picked up his hat. “And I certainly will do my best in this case. May I come by and report progress to you from time to time?”
“I hope you will.”
When they shook hands at the door he couldn’t seem to let go her hand. She blushed.
“Well goodbye and thank you very much for callin,” she said stiffly.
Baldwin staggered dizzily down the stairs. His head was full of blood. The most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen in my life. Outside it had begun to snow. The snowflakes were cold furtive caresses to his hot cheeks.
The sky over the Park was mottled with little tiptailed clouds like a field of white chickens.
“Look Alice, lets us go down this little path.”
“But Ellen, my dad told me to come straight home from school.”
“Scarecat!”
“But Ellen those dreadful kidnappers. …”
“I told you not to call me Ellen any more.”
“Well Elaine then, Elaine the lily maid of Astalot.”
Ellen had on her new Black Watch plaid dress. Alice wore glasses and had legs thin as hairpins.
“Scarecat!”
“They’re dreadful men sitting on that bench. Come along Elaine the fair, let’s go home.”
“I’m not scared of them. I could fly like Peter Pan if I wanted to.”
“Why dont you do it?”
“I dont want to just now.”
Alice began to whimper. “Oh Ellen I think you’re mean. … Come along home Elaine.”
“No I’m going for a walk in the Park.”
Ellen started down the steps. Alice stood a minute on the top step balancing first on one foot then on the other.
“Scaredy scaredy scarecat!” yelled Ellen.
Alice ran off blubbering. “I’m goin to tell your mommer.”
Ellen walked down the asphalt path among the shrubbery kicking her toes in the air.
Ellen in her new dress of Black Watch plaid mummy’d bought at Hearn’s walked down the asphalt path kicking her toes in the air. There was a silver thistle brooch on the shoulder of the new dress of Black Watch plaid mummy’d bought at Hearn’s. Elaine of Lammermoor was going to be married. The Betrothed. Wangnaan nainainai, went the bagpipes going through the rye. The man on the bench has a patch over his eye. A watching black patch. A black watching patch. The kidnapper of the Black Watch, among the rustling shrubs kidnappers keep their Black Watch. Ellen’s toes dont kick in the air. Ellen is terribly scared of the kidnapper of the Black Watch, big smelly man of the Black Watch with a
