U.S.A_ - John Dos Passos [473]
"Just a little advice to a client. . . ." The judge sighed.
"Unfortunately I'm a family man."
"How long is this boom going to last?"
"I don't need to remind you what type of animal is born every minute."
"No need at al ," said Margo gruffly.
They were driving into the parkinglot behind the great new caramelcolored hotel. As she got out of the car Margo said, "Wel , I guess some of them can afford to lose their money but we can't, can we, judge?""Ma dear young lady, there's no such word in the bright lexicon of youth." The judge was ushering her into the diningroom in his fatherly way. "Ah, there are the boys now."
At a round table in the center of the crowded dining-room sat two fatfaced young men with big mouths wearing, pinkstriped shirts and nilegreen wash neckties and white suits. They got up stil chewing and pumped Margo's hand when the judge presented them. They were twins. As they sat down again one of them winked and shook a fat fore-finger.
"We used to see you at the Palms, girlie, naughty naughty."
"Wel , boys," said the judge, "how's tricks?""Couldn't be better," one of them said with his mouth ful . "You see, boys," said the judge, "this young lady wants to make a few smal investments with a quick turnover. . . ." The twins grunted and went on chewing. After lunch the judge drove them al down ta the
Venetian Pool where Wil iam Jennings Bryan sitting in an armchair on the float under a striped awning was talking to the crowd. From where they were they couldn't hear what he was saying, only the laughter and handclapping of the crowd in the pauses. "Do you know, judge," said one of the twins, as they worked their way through the fringes of the crowd around the pool, "if the old boy
-385-hadn't wasted his time with politics, he'da made a great auctioneer." Margo began to feel tired and wilted. She fol owed the twins into the realestateoffice ful of perspiring men in shirtsleeves. The judge got her a chair. She sat there tap-ping with her white kid foot on the tiled floor with her lap ful of blueprints. The prices were al so her white kid foot on the tiled floor with her lap ful of blueprints. The prices were al so high. She felt out of her depth and missed Mr. A to buy for her, held have known what to buy sure. Outside, the benches on the lawn were crowded. Bawling voices came from everywhere. The auction was beginning. The twins on the stand were waving their arms and banging with their hammers. The judge was striding around behind Margo's chair talking boom to anybody who would listen. When he paused for breath she looked up at him and said, " JudgeCassidy, could you get me a taxi?""Ma dear young lady, I'l drive you home myself. It'l be a pleasure.""O.K.," said Margo.
"You are very wise," whispered Judge Cassidy in her ear. As they were walking along the edge of the crowd one of the twins they'd had lunch with left the auctioneer's stand and dove through the crowd after them. "Miss Dowlin'," he said, "kin me an' Al come to cal ?
""Sure," said Margo, smiling. "Name's in the phonebook under Dowling.""We'l be around." And he ran back to the stand where his brother was pounding with his hammer. She'd been afraid she hadn't made a hit with the twins. Now she felt the tired lines smoothing out of her face.
"Wel , what do you think of the great development of Coral Gables?" said the judge as he helped her into the car. "Somebody must be making money," said Margo dryly. Once in the house she pul ed off her hat and told Ray-mond, who acted as butler in the afternoons, to make some martini cocktails, found the judge a cigar and then excused herself for a moment. Upstairs she found Agnes sitting in her room in a lavender negligee manicuring her nails at
-386-the dressingtable. Without saying a word Margo dropped on the bed and began to cry. Agnes got up looking big and flabby and gentle and came over to the bed. "Why, Margie, you never cry. . . .""I know I don't," sobbed Margo, "but it's al so awful. . . . Judge Cassidy's down, there, you go and talk to him. . . .""Poor little girl. Surely I wil but it's you he'l be wanting to see. . . . You've been through too much.""I won't go back to the chorus .