U.S.A_ - John Dos Passos [437]
"Check," said Charley, who was jumping up and down on the deck to shake off the water. While Charley was rubbing himself down with a towel below, he could hear the girls chattering and giggling in their stateroom. He was so embarrassed when he sat down next to Harry who was a little drunk and sil y so that he drank off a half a tumbler of rye and lost eighty dol ars. He was glad to see that it was Harry who won. "Lucky at cards, unlucky in love," he kept saying to himself after he'd turned in. A week later Gladys took Charley to see her parents
-299-after they'd had tea together at his flat chaperoned by Taki's grin and his bobbing black head. Horton B. Wheat-ley was a power, so Farrel said, in the Security Trust Company, a redfaced man with grizzled hair and a smal silvery mustache. Mrs. Wheatley was a droopy woman
with a pretty Alabama voice and a face faded and pouchy and withered as a spent toybal oon. Mr. Wheatley started talking before Gladys had finished the introductions:
"Wel , sir, we'd been expectin' somethin' like that to hap-pen. Of course it's too soon for us al to make up our minds, but I don't see how I kin help tel in' you, ma boy, that I'd rather see ma daughter wedded to a boy like you that's worked his way up in the world, even though we don't know much about you yet, than to a boy like Harry who's a nice enough kid in his way, but who's never done a thing in his life but take the schoolin' his father provided for him. Ma boy, we are mighty proud, my wife and me, to know you and to have you and our little girl . . . she's al we've got in this world so she's mighty precious to us . .
."
"Your parents are . . . have been cal ed away, I be-lieve, Mr. Anderson," put in Mrs. Wheatley. Charley nodded. "Oh, I'm so sorry. . . . They were from St. Paul, Gladys says . .
."
Mr. Wheatley was talking again. "Mr. Anderson, Mother, was one of our most prominent war aces, he won his spurs fightin' for the flag, Mother, an' his whole career seems to me to be an example . . . now I'm goin' to make you blush, ma boy. . . . of how American democracy
works at its very best pushin' forward to success the most intel igent and bestfitted and weedin' out the weaklin's.
. . . Mr. Anderson, there's one thing I'm goin' to ask you to do right now. I'm goin' to ask you to come to church with us next Sunday an' address ma Sundayschool class. I'm sure you won't mind sayin' a few words of in-spiration and guidance to the youngsters there."
-300-Charley blushed and nodded. "Aw, Daddy," sang Gladys, putting her arms around both their necks, "don't make him do that. Sunday's the only day the poor boy gets any golf. . . . You know I always said I never would marry a Sundayschool teacher." Mr. Wheatley laughed and Mrs. Wheatley cast down
her eyes and sighed. "Once won't hurt him, wil it, Char-ley?""Of course not," Charley found himself saying. "It would be an inspiration."
Next day Charley and Mr. Wheatley had lunch alone
at the University Club. "Wel , son, I guess the die is cast," said Mr. Wheatley when they met in the lobby. "The Wheatley women have made up their minds, there's nothin' for us to do but bow to the decision. I certainly wish you children every happiness, son. . . ." As they ate Mr. Wheatley talked about the bank and the Tern inter-ests and the merger with Askew-Merritt that would a little more than double the capitalization of the new Tern Aviation Company. "You're surprised that I know al about this, Charley . . . that's what I'd been thinkin', that boy's a mechanical genius but he don't keep track of the financial end . . . he don't realize what his holdin's in that concern mean to him and the financial world."
"Wel , I know some pretty good guys who give me the lowdown," said Charley.
"Fair enough, fair enough," said Mr. Wheatley, "but now that it's in the family maybe some of ma advice, the result of twenty years of bankin' experience at home in Birmingham and here in this great new dazzlin' city of Detroit . . ."
"Wel , I sure wil be glad to take it, Mr. Wheatley," stammered Charley. Mr. Wheatley went on to talk about a lot on the water-front with riparian rights at Grosse Pointe he was plan-ning to turn over to the children for a weddingpresent and how they ought to build on it right away if only as an