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Shangri-La, issue 5, March-April 1948
Page 4
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If it hadn't been for his eyes, as I told Ann on the way home, I would have looked at him more carefully. I had been so impressed by the fear in his eyes that I couldn't even remember how he looked. However, I was sure that I'd know him if I ever saw him again. And I did. And I knew him right away, though it must have been more than three months later. It was late this time, too---it was always late when I saw him. This time, it was the night of our Annual Founder's Day dinner. After dinner, about ten of the fellows and four or five of the younger alumns dove out to the Lake. There was nothing happening, so we came back to town. Then, everyone went home, except Al and me. We went to the White Castle to get a couple hamburgers. Dee and one of her sorority sisters were there, so Al suggested we all go back to the Lake. Dee and this other girl were all for it, so back we went, finding only one place still open, a greasy little beer hall. This place was filled with young farmers and their girls. Al and Dee were playing the slot machine and the other girl was in the toilet and I was sitting in a booth, staring at the table, wondering why the hell I wasn't home in bed, when someone sat down across from me. It was Morton. He clutched his right wrist tightly, the way you do when you've smashed a finger. We looked at each other a minute. Then he released his grip and extended his right hand, palm downward, across the table. Now I had thought about Morton quite often since that night at the Ramble. In my mind he was a figure of mystery. "The wind is blowing on my eye." Those words stirred me strangly. When I repeated them, even to myself, I almost burst into crazy, hysterical laughter. But "The dew is settling on the back of my hand!!" That merely left me flat. I began to see the truth. Morton was saying it again. "The dew is settling on the back of my hand." "Well," I said, "why in hell don't you turn it over?" Al and Dee came back to the booth just then, and Morton had to get up so that they could sit down. He walked away quickly, and I didn't even watch where he went. - 4 -
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If it hadn't been for his eyes, as I told Ann on the way home, I would have looked at him more carefully. I had been so impressed by the fear in his eyes that I couldn't even remember how he looked. However, I was sure that I'd know him if I ever saw him again. And I did. And I knew him right away, though it must have been more than three months later. It was late this time, too---it was always late when I saw him. This time, it was the night of our Annual Founder's Day dinner. After dinner, about ten of the fellows and four or five of the younger alumns dove out to the Lake. There was nothing happening, so we came back to town. Then, everyone went home, except Al and me. We went to the White Castle to get a couple hamburgers. Dee and one of her sorority sisters were there, so Al suggested we all go back to the Lake. Dee and this other girl were all for it, so back we went, finding only one place still open, a greasy little beer hall. This place was filled with young farmers and their girls. Al and Dee were playing the slot machine and the other girl was in the toilet and I was sitting in a booth, staring at the table, wondering why the hell I wasn't home in bed, when someone sat down across from me. It was Morton. He clutched his right wrist tightly, the way you do when you've smashed a finger. We looked at each other a minute. Then he released his grip and extended his right hand, palm downward, across the table. Now I had thought about Morton quite often since that night at the Ramble. In my mind he was a figure of mystery. "The wind is blowing on my eye." Those words stirred me strangly. When I repeated them, even to myself, I almost burst into crazy, hysterical laughter. But "The dew is settling on the back of my hand!!" That merely left me flat. I began to see the truth. Morton was saying it again. "The dew is settling on the back of my hand." "Well," I said, "why in hell don't you turn it over?" Al and Dee came back to the booth just then, and Morton had to get up so that they could sit down. He walked away quickly, and I didn't even watch where he went. - 4 -
se não fosse por seus olhos, como eu disse a Ann no caminho de casa, eu o teria observado melhor. Eu estivera tão impressionado pelo medo em seus olhos que não conseguia nem me lembrar de sua aparância. No entanto, eu tinha certeza de que o reconheceria se o visse novamente. E eu reconheci. Soube que era ele de imediato, mesmo que tenha se passado mais de trê meses. Já era tarde dessa vez também - estava sempre tarde quando o via. Dessa vez, era a noite do nosso jantar anual do Dia do Fundador. Depois do jantar, cerca de dez companheiros e quatro ou cinco do alunos mais jovens se dirigiram ao Lago. Não havia nada acontecendo, então voltamos à cidade. Assim , todo mundo foi para casa, exceto AI e eu. Nós fomos ao Castelo Branco pegar alguns hamburguers. Dee e uma de suas irmãs da república estavam lá, então AI sugeriu que voltassemos para o Lago. Dee e essa outra garota se empolgaram com a ideia, então voltamos, achando apenas um lugar ainda aberto, uma casinha de cerveja cordurosa. Esse lugar estava lotado de jovens fazendeiros e suas garotas . Al e Dee estavam jogando no caça-niquel e a outra garota estava no toalet e eu estava sentado em uma cabine, encarando a mesa, me perguntado porquê cargas d'água eu não estava em casa na minha cama, quando alguem se sentou em minha frente. Era Morton. Ele agarrou seu pulso direito firmemente, do jeito que você faz quando esmaga um dedo. Olhamos um para o outro por um minuto. Então ele soltou seu aperto e extendeu sua mão direita, palma para baixo, através da mesa. Eu pensava sobre Morton com relativa frequência desde a noite no Ramble. Na minha cabeça ele era uma figura de mistério. "O vento está soprando no meu olho." Essas palavras mexeram comigo de maneira (estranha). Quando eu as repeti, até mesmo para mim mesmo, quase cheguei a loucura, rindo histericamente. Mas "O sereno está se alojando nas costas da minha mão!!" Isso simplesmente me deixou desanimado. Eu comecei a ver a verdade. Morton estava repetindo. "O sereno está se alojando nas costas da minha mão." "Bom," eu disse, "por que infernos você não a vira ao contrário?" Al e Dee então voltaram para a cabine e Morton teve que se levantar para que eles pudessem setar. Ele saiu rapidamente, e eu nem vi para onde ele foi.
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