The Studs Lonigan Trilogy - James T. Farrell [155]
XII
Los Angeles, Cal.
Dece. 25, 1922
Dear Dan:
I thought I drope you a few lines to let you know how we all are, and what a very fine Xmas we had an I hope yours was just as marry as my. Well Danny you know we are all settle out here now and it seem different from are last when my father was living. But you know when he lose his job be-cause he was a union man and they give the double + it break his heart and he was a man of sixty year and you know how that just kill him of broken heart. And we miss him but we had a marry Xmas like we know he would want us to and we had sun shines only we all miss my dad lots and it was very hot it was 81 not so bad is it for Dece. I gest its kinda cold in old Chi today but I gest you enjoy it anyways. It looks grate to see all the flower in bloob in Dece and the trees and grass as green as ever. We had lots of rain a cupple of weeks ago and it sure did come down hard when it rain here it is in Nove or Dece. And Dan, but after that seson is over we don’t see any rain all summer until the nex rainny seson. Well Dan in one of your letters you send me you told
some
me one said in about two mor month you won’t get letter frome me but don’t let that wurry you because you will always
me
hear frome the only one that won’t get a letter from me is the. one that don’t answer letter I send them. You my bes pal Danny O’Neill you are and a cupple other are the only one that have send me at all. I have sent a gril a number of letters to and I have got only one answer to them and I dont know what is the matter with him I mean Hoppy Shanks. I thought he was one of my best Pal. but Dan I gest you are the only true Pal I got and I’m sure glad its you. I’ve been writing a gril in Chi. I gest you know her. Her name is Catherine Heving and she sure is a fine gril and I got quiet a number of letters frome her. Well Dan I gest your getting ready for bed while I’m writing this little letter but I gest I can’t think of any mor so good night. You Pal.
Andy Le Gare
Happy New Year
P.S. Dan and please tell Stutz Lonigan that Andy Le Gare wish him a Marry Xmas and a Happy New Year Tell hime I wanted a send him a card but Dan I couldn’t send him one wishing him a Marry Xmas and a Happy New Year when I never know his address because Dan I am always ready to say Stutz Lonigan is the bes whitest guy of the older guy who hang around that pool roome dean of iniquieties and the only one of them guy who treat me decent when I was a kid and I like hime and want him to know that I wish hime a Marry Xmas and a Happy New Year and so Dan you please dont forget to tell hime that.
CHAPTER TWELVE
I
“Now, Mary, compose yourself! No news is often good news,” Lonigan said feebly to his wife who sat with her bowed head lowered in tears.
“He’s not worth crying over, getting drunk and acting like a pig!”
“Frances, after all, Bill is your brother, and this is Christmas day,” Lonigan said in a conciliatory manner.
He stared out the window at the snow flurrying lightly through the sunless Christmas day. There was a catch in his throat; the whole family had received communion at five o’clock mass, except Bill.
“A curse must have been put on him,” the mother exclaimed between wails.
“Mother!” Lonigan muttered, unable to say any more. He arose and patted her head. She sobbed that he was her boy and she had suffered a mother’s agony bringing him into this world.
“Oh!”
“Don’t worry, nothing has happened to him except that he’s probably drunk as a pig!” Fran said; she strode nervously back and forth across the parlor.
Mrs. Lonigan drew some rosary beads out of her apron pocket, kissed the crucifix attached to them, blessed herself with it and commenced whispering her rosary.
“Well, maybe I had better notify the police, at that,” Lonigan said, continuing to remain slumped in his rocker.
“Dad, he has his name and address in his wallet. I’m sure that if anything serious happened to him, we’d have heard about it,” Loretta said.
Lonigan looked gratefully at his youngest daughter.
“I warned you all along to make him go to Loyola and get in with the right kind of fellows instead of with drunken poolroom bums,