King Cole Read Online Free Page B

I wanted a big church wedding and all that but he didn’t. He thinks that’s hooey. So I said I would… and here I…”
    “You did quite right. After the election, you can have a big church wedding.”
    “That’s what I told Fred. We got clear up to the door at the justice of peace’s… well, the… you know what I mean. And I backed out. I told Fred there’d be headlines and everything and you wouldn’t like it on account of the election and…”
    “I’m glad you showed some sense. What’s all the hurry, anyway?”
    “Why, we’re so crazy about each other, that’s why. We’ve got to do something. I guess it’s better to get married than to…”
    “Jean!”
    “Well, I’m telling you the truth.” She began to cry again. “Fred says goddamn the old election, and I say so, too.” She jumped up and ran out of the room, crying. Read heard her climb the stairs.
    He rang the bell. Boyle came in.
    “My coffee, please.”
    When Read had finished his coffee, Boyle brought him a stack of personal mail which had come that afternoon. He glanced through it hurriedly and picked out a small envelope with “Benton Military Academy” printed in the upper left-hand corner. It was from his son, who wrote once a week dutifully and, Read could not help thinking, painfully. He knew very little about his son, who was taciturn and at times a little sullen. He always seemed much older than his age. Read often told himself: “Why, when I was eighteen I was as callow as could be.” His son, Johnny, did not seem callow at all. He hardly ever had anything to say; he’d sit with a slightly superior smile on his face, making everybody uncomfortable. Jean said he was just bashful.
     
    Dear Dad:
    Well, here I am right on the dot. I’m in study hall writing this. We’re not supposed to write letters at this time but I’ve got all my lessons. So I guess it won’t hurt anything. It’s been very cold here and the ground is frozen. I knocked all the skin off my knuckles at football practice this afternoon as the ground is so hard. I guess you know we beat Stivers High 14 to 0. I caught a forward pass and made a touchdown. I had thirty hours of quad and the Prexy was so tickled he canceled it. I went out to get some sandwiches just before tattoo and got caught; hence the, quad. But I’m always hungry down here. They don’t feed you enough. Well, will close as study hour is almost up. Tell Jean hello and ask her if she got rid of that punk, Fred Martin, yet. He gets in my hair. 
    Your loving son,
    Johnny.
     
    Read smiled and glanced through the letter again. The phone rang in the hall and Boyle went to answer it. He came back in a moment.
    “For Miss Jean,” he said. “She took it on the extension.”
    “Mr. Martin?”
    “Yes, sir.”
    Read smiled to himself and got up.
    “Boyle, is Charley coming over tonight?”
    “Yes, sir.”
    “Tell him to take care of this mail. I’m going out.”
    “Will you want the Cadillac, Governor?”
    “Yes. O’Leary, too. Is he back yet?”
    “I think so, sir. Will you be dressing?”
    “Not tonight.”
    Boyle went out. In a moment, Jean burst into the room. Her eyes were shining. Read paused on his way to the hall.
    “Well?”
    “It was Fred. Oh, was he hot and bothered! He begged me to forgive him, Dad. Isn’t that swell? Oh, I’m so happy. Isn’t it great to be alive?”
    “You didn’t think so a few minutes ago.”
    “I do now.”
    Read looked at her a little enviously.
    “When you get a little older you won’t be up and down so much.”
    “So what? Give us a kiss, Dad. I’m sorry for what I said about the election. I want you to be elected, Dad, and you know I didn’t mean what I said. After all, I backed out on Fred on your account.”
    Read kissed her lightly.
    “I never pay any attention to you. It’s kisses one minute and screams the next. You ought to be more like your brother.”
    “That icicle!”
    “By the way, I got