Galusha the Magnificent Part 54

In a week he received a second one, asking if he had gotten the first.

This simply HAD to be acknowledged, so he did so. He wrote that his friend was no longer interested in the stock concerning which he had inquired. Also he returned the check for the balance of the Tinplate payment--it had been lying in his bureau drawer ever since he brought it from Boston--but he made no mention of what he had done with the eighty-two hundred dollars in cash nor the five thousand which he had previously drawn. He did not refer to these sums at all. He requested that the check for the Tinplate balance be deposited to his account and sent it in the envelope with his letter to Thomas. Then he fearfully awaited the next blow.

It came, and in a new fas.h.i.+on, about a week later. He and Martha were in the sitting room after supper when the telephone bell rang.

"Pardon me, Miss Martha," said Galusha, "but wasn't that our--I should say your ring?"

Martha smiled. "I didn't notice," she said. "You're always thinkin' you hear our ring, Mr. Bangs. The last time you heard it and called me to the 'phone, it turned out to be Emulous Dodd, the undertaker. He said, 'I don't want you.' I told him I was thankful for that."

Her lodger shook his head. "I'm very sorry," he said. "These telephone calls down here--'Two long and three short' and--ah--the like--they do confuse me, I admit. I really can't seem to get accustomed to them.

Now... Oh, but that IS your ring, isn't it, Miss Martha?"

It was. Martha took down the receiver.

"Yes... yes," she said. "Yes, this is Phipps.... Oh, all right.... The girl says it's a long-distance call," she added, turning to Galusha.

"Who can be callin' ME from long distance?... Yes... yes.... This is Miss Phipps speakin' now.... Who?... Oh, Mr. Bangs? Yes, he's right here. It's for you, Mr. Bangs."

Galusha took the receiver from her hand. "Ah--h.e.l.lo!" he hailed. The wire buzzed and sang. Then, in his ear and with surprising clearness and nearness, a voice said, brusquely: "h.e.l.lo! h.e.l.lo, there! Is that you, Loosh?"

Galusha recognized the voice. He had not heard it for a long time, but he recognized it at once. And, recognizing it, something like panic seized him.

"h.e.l.lo!" shouted the voice again. "h.e.l.lo, Galusha! Is that you?"

Galusha glanced fearfully over his shoulder. Martha was gazing at him.

She looked alarmed.

"Oh, what is it, Mr. Bangs?" she asked. "It--it's not bad news, is it?"

"No--ah--no," he faltered. "I--I--"

"Eh? What's that?" demanded the voice in the receiver, impatiently.

"h.e.l.lo! Who is this, anyway?"

"Is there somebody sick or--or anything?" asked Martha. "No--no, Miss Martha. It's all right, really. Yes, indeed, I--Oh, quite right. Yes."

"But you look so frightened."

"Do I? Oh, not in the least. That is, I... Yes, yes, I hear. Yes, this is Bangs speaking."

"Oh, it is! Well, I'm glad you're speaking at last. You're Galusha Bangs, you say?"

"Yes. Yes, I--I think so."

"You THINK so! That's good! Don't you know whether you are or not?"

"I meant I--I thought I said so. I am Galusha Bangs. Yes."

"Good! Then we've settled so much. You know who I am, of course?"

Did he? Oh, if he only did not! He cast another alarmed glance in his landlady's direction. He wondered if the voice which was so distinctly audible in his ear could be heard and understood in the room. Oh, this was dreadful, dreadful!

"h.e.l.lO!" roared the voice again. "h.e.l.lo, Bangs! Are you there?"

"Oh, yes--ah--yes. I am here. Quite so--yes."

"Well, I'm glad. I thought you might have gone clamming or something.

Well, I asked if you knew who this was? Do you?"

Galusha swallowed, shut his eyes, and then faced the inevitable.

"It--it is Cousin Gussie, isn't it?" he faltered.

He heard, or imagined that he did, a little gasp of surprise from Miss Phipps. He did not dare look again in her direction.

"That's right," said the voice. "You're a good guesser. How are you, anyway?"

Galusha stammered that he was very well. He added that he was glad to see his relative. The relative promptly observed that his eyesight must be remarkably good.

"You know what I've called you up for, of course?" she added.

Martha had risen and was leaving the room on tiptoe.

"You and your cousin can talk better alone, I know," she whispered. "I want to see Primmie a minute, anyway."

Her lodger regarded her mutely. The expression of dumb misery on his face caused her to pause for an instant.

"You're SURE there's no bad news, Mr. Bangs?" she asked, anxiously.

He managed to smile, but the smile was not a convincing success.

"Oh, yes--ah--quite, quite," he protested. "It--it is--ah--extremely pleasant, really.... Yes--yes, Cousin Gussie, I am--I am still here."

"Oh, you are! Fine! I thought probably you had gone to dig another quahaug. Why don't you answer letters?"

Galusha glanced desperately at the kitchen door. Thank heaven, it was closed.

"I answered yours," he declared.

"You did not. You only half answered it. That idiot Barbour sent you a check for over fourteen thousand dollars. Of course, if I had been well and here he wouldn't have done any such fool thing. He says you told him to."

"Ah--did I?"

"Did you? Don't you know whether you did or not? Well, never mind.

You came up here on two separate occasions, so they tell me, and drew thirteen thousand of that in cash and took it away with you. Now what on earth did you do that for?"

Galusha did not answer. Cabot immediately demanded to know if he was still there. a.s.sured of this, he repeated his question.

"I--I wanted it," faltered Galusha.

"You WANTED it! Wanted thirteen thousand two hundred dollars in cash down there on the clam flats? What did you want it FOR?"