“Certainly.”
“Better have a drink.”
“No, I’m on the water wagon—just now.”
“When you get worrying about nothing, the thing to do is to have a drink.”
The phone rang and he answered it, squeezing the receiver close to his ear:
“Yes… I can’t talk now… Yes… At half-past five then. It’s now about four… I’ll explain why when I see you… Good-by.” He hung up. “My office,” he said with affected nonchalance… “Won’t you have a little drink?”
“No, thanks.”
“Never worry. Enjoy yourself.”
“It’s hard to be visiting in a house and know somebody doesn’t like you.”
“But she does like you. Told me so herself the other day.”
While Skiddy packed they discussed the question. He was a little hazy and extremely nervous, and a single question asked in the proper serious tone would send him rambling along indefinitely. As yet Basil had evolved no plan save to stay with Skiddy and wait for the best opportunity of coming into the open.
But staying with Skiddy was going to be difficult; he was becoming worried at Basil’s tenacity. Finally he closed his suitcase with one of those definite snaps, took down a large drink quickly and said:
“Well, guess I ought to get started.”
They went out together and Skiddy hailed a taxi.
“Which way are you going?” Basil asked.
“Uptown—I mean downtown.”
“I’ll ride with you,” volunteered Basil. “We might—we might have a drink in the—Biltmore.”
Skiddy hesitated. “I’ll drop you there,” he said.
When they reached the Biltmore, Basil made no move to get out.
“You’re coming in with me, aren’t you?” he asked in a surprised voice.
Frowning, Skiddy looked at his watch. “I haven’t got much time.”
Basil’s face fell; he sat back in the car.
“Well, there’s no use my going in alone, because I look sort of young and they wouldn’t give me anything unless I was with an older man.”
The appeal succeeded. Skiddy got out, saying, “I’ll have to hurry,” and they went into the bar.
“What’ll it be?”
“Something strong,” Basil said, lighting his first cigarette in a month.
“Two stingers,” ordered Skiddy.
“Let’s have something really strong.”
“Two double stingers then.”
Out of the corner of his eye Basil looked at the clock. It was twenty after five. Waiting until Skiddy was in the act of taking down his drink he signalled to the waiter to repeat the order.
“Oh, no!” cried Skiddy.
“You’ll have to have one on me.”
“You haven’t touched yours.”
Basil sipped his drink, hating it. He saw that with the new alcohol Skiddy had relaxed a little.
“Got to be going,” he said automatically. “Important engagement.”
Basil had an inspiration.
“I’m thinking of buying a dog,” he announced.
“Don’t talk about dogs,” said Skiddy mournfully. “I had an awful experience about a dog. I’ve just got over it.”
“Tell me about it.”
“I don’t even like to talk about it; it was awful.”
“I think a dog is the best friend a man has,” Basil said.
“Do you?” Skiddy slapped the table emphatically with his open hand. “So do I, Lee. So do I.”
“Nobody ever loves him like a dog,” went on Basil, staring off sentimentally into the distance.
The second round of double stingers arrived.
“Let me tell you about my dog that I lost,” said Skiddy. He looked at his watch. “I’m late, but a minute won’t make any difference, if you like dogs.”
“I like them better than anything in the world.” Basil raised his first glass, still half full. “Here’s to man’s best friend—a dog.”
They drank. There were tears in Skiddy’s eyes.
“Let me tell you. I raised this dog Eggshell from a pup. He was a beauty—an Airedale, sired by McTavish VI.”
“I bet he was a beauty.”
“He was! Let me tell you—”
As Skiddy warmed to his subject, Basil pushed his new drink toward Skiddy, whose hand presently closed upon the stem. Catching the bartender’s attention, he ordered two more. The clock stood at five minutes of six.
Skiddy rambled on. Ever afterward the sight of a dog story in a magazine caused Basil an attack of acute nausea. At half-past six Skiddy rose uncertainly.
“I’ve gotta go. Got important date. Be mad.”
“All right. We’ll stop by the bar and have one more.”
The bartender knew Skiddy and they talked for a few minutes, for time seemed of no account now. Skiddy had a drink with his old friend to wish him luck on a very important occasion. Then he had another.
At a quarter before eight o’clock Basil piloted Leonard Edward Davies De Vinci from the hotel bar, leaving his suitcase in care of the bartender.
“Important engagement,” Skiddy mumbled as they hailed a taxi.
“Very important,” Basil agreed. “I’m going to see that you get there.”
When the car rolled up, Skiddy tumbled in and Basil gave the address to the driver.
“Good-by and thanks!” Skiddy called fervently. “Ought to go in, maybe, and drink once more to best friend man ever had.”
“Oh, no,” said Basil, “it’s too important.”
“You’re right. It’s too important.”
The car rolled off and Basil followed it with his eye as it turned the corner. Skiddy was going out on Long Island to visit Eggshell’s grave.
IV
Basil had never had a drink before and, now with his jubilant relief, the three cocktails that he had been forced to down mounted swiftly to his head. On his way to the Dorseys’ house he threw back his head and roared with laughter. The self-respect he had lost last night rushed back to him; he felt himself tingling with the confidence of power.
As the maid opened the door for him he was aware subconsciously that there was someone in the lower hall. He waited till the maid disappeared; then stepping to the door of the coat room, he pulled it open. Beside her suitcase stood Jobena, wearing a look of mingled impatience and fright. Was he deceived by his ebullience or, when she saw him, did her face lighten with relief?
“Hello.” She took off her coat and hung it up as if that was her purpose there, and came out under the lights. Her face, pale and lovely, composed itself, as if she had sat down and folded her hands.
“George was looking for you,” she said indifferently.
“Was he? I’ve been with a friend.”
With an expression of surprise she sniffed the faint aroma of cocktails.
“But my friend went to visit his dog’s tomb, so I came home.”
She stiffened suddenly. “You’ve been with Skiddy?”
“He was telling me about his dog,” said Basil gravely. “A man’s best friend is his dog after all.”
She sat down and stared at him, wide-eyed.
“Has Skiddy passed out?”
“He went to see a dog.”
“Oh, the fool!” she cried.
“Were you expecting him? Is it possible that that’s your suitcase?”
“It’s none of your business.”
Basil took it out of the closet and deposited it in the elevator.
“You won’t need it tonight,” he said.
Her eyes shone with big despairing tears.
“You oughtn’t to drink,” she said brokenly. “Can’t you see what it’s made of him?”
“A man’s best friend is a stinger.”
“You’re just sixteen. I suppose all that you told me the other afternoon was a joke—I mean, about the perfect life.”
“All a joke,” he agreed.
“I thought you meant it. Doesn’t anybody ever mean anything?”
“I like you better than any girl I ever knew,” Basil said quietly. “I mean that.”
“I liked you, too, until you said that about my kissing people.”
He went and stood over her and took her hand.
“Let’s take the bag upstairs before the maid comes in.”
They stepped into the dark elevator and closed the door.
“There’s a light switch somewhere,” she said.
Still holding her hand, he drew her close and tightened his arm around her in the darkness. “Just for this once we don’t need the light.”
Going back on the train, George Dorsey came to a sudden resolution. His mouth tightened.
“I don’t want to say anything, Basil—” He hesitated. “But look—Did you have something to drink Thanksgiving Day?”
Basil frowned and nodded.
“Sometimes I’ve got to,” he said soberly. “I don’t know what it is. All my family died of liquor.”
“Gee!” exclaimed George.
“But I’m through. I promised Jobena I wouldn’t touch anything more till I’m twenty-one. She feels that if I go on with this constant dissipation it’ll ruin my life.”
George was silent for a moment.
“What were you and she talking about those last few days? Gosh, I thought you were supposed to be visiting me.”
“It’s—it’s sort of sacred,” Basil said placidly… “Look here; if we don’t have anything fit to eat for dinner, let’s get Sam to leave the pantry window unlocked tonight.”
Published in The Saturday Evening Post (5 January 1929).
