V
Jimmie Junior had been wakened by the uproar, and was whimpering; so
Lizzie hurried to quiet him, and Jimmie set the little smoky lamp on
the dresser, and went and sat on the bed beside her, holding her
hand in his. Both their hands were shaking in a way that was
amazing.
Every sound from the other room was plainly audible. Lacey was
pleading, and "Paul" commanded him to hold his tongue. There was a
scuffle, and then terrified moans, which died away. There began to
steal into the Higgins's bedroom a most ghastly odour; they could
not imagine what it was. And then they began to hear wild clamour
from Lacey Granitch, as if he were suffering in hell. It was awful
beyond words; the perspiration came out in beads on the faces of the
listeners, and Jimmie was just about making up his mind that it was
his duty to rush in and protest, or perhaps to climb out of the
window and make an effort to steal away and summon help, when the
door opened and the man called "Paul" came in, closing the door
behind him.
"It's all right," said he. "People always make a fuss when they're
given an anaesthetic, so don't let it frighten you." And he stood
there waiting, rigid, grim, while the sounds went on. Finally they
died away and silence fell--a long, long silence. He opened the
door and went back into the other room, and the two Jimmies were
left holding each other's shaking hands.
Now and then they heard a man speak in a low voice, or someone move
across the room; and always that ghastly, overpowering odour kept
creeping in, making them think they would die of suffocation, and
their three babies also. The suspense and horror had become almost
unbearable--when finally they began to hear Lacey Granitch again,
moaning, sobbing--most harrowing sounds. "My God! My God!" whispered
Lizzie, "What are they doing?" And when Jimmie did not answer, she
whispered again. "We ought to stop them! We ought to get help!"
But then once more the door opened, and "Paul" came in. "It's all
right now," he said. "He's coming out." Neither of the Jimmies had
the least idea what "coming out" meant, but they were reassured to
know that the masterful person at least was satisfied. They waited;
they heard Lacey vomiting, as it seemed--and then they heard him
cursing, in between his feeble gasps. He called the men the same
foul name that he had called Jimmie; and that somehow made the whole
affair seem better--it brought one down to earth again!
"Paul" went out and stayed for a while, and when he came back, he
said, "We're going now; and understand, there's nothing for you to
worry about. We shall leave the patient here, and as soon as we get
to a telephone, we'll notify the hospital to send an ambulance. So
all you have to do is to wait, and keep quiet and don't worry. And
here's something for the use of your house--"The man put out his
hand with a roll of bills, which Jimmie mechanically took--"and if
anybody asks you about what happened to-night, just say you didn't
see anything and don't know anything whatever about it. I'm sorry to
have troubled you, but it couldn't be helped. And now, good night."
And so the masterful young man went out, and they heard him and his
companions tramping down the porch-steps. They listened, until they
heard the automobile start up and disappear in the darkness. Then
from the next room they heard a moan.
Trembling with terror, Jimmie got up and stole to the door, and
opened it a tiny crack. The room was in utter darkness. "Get me some
water!" the voice of Lacey groaned; and Jimmie tiptoed back and got
the little smoky lamp, and came to the door again. He peered in, and
saw that Lacey was lying on the floor with a sheet over
him--everything but his head, which was resting on a pillow. His
face was yellow and twisted with pain. "Water! Water!" he sobbed;
and Jimmie rushed to get a glass and fill it from the pail. When he
brought it, Lacey first tried to drink, and then began to vomit;
then he lay, sobbing softly to himself. He saw Jimmie staring at
him, and his eyes filled with sudden hate and he whispered, "This is
what you got me in for, you damned little skunk!"
