Concerning Sally Part 60

"I asked you what Charlie has been doing. What mischief has he been up to? I am pretty sure he has been misbehaving himself since he has been in college. How? Has he been in bad company?"

"W--w--well, y--y--yes," Horry stammered, getting rather red, "I th--th--think h--he h--h--has."

"Do you mean women, Horry?"

Horry's face went furiously red at that question. "N--n--n--no,"--he was in such a hurry to say it that he was longer than usual about it,--"n--n--n--noth--th--thing of th--th--that k--k--kind, th--th--that I kn--n--now of. G--g--g--gam--m--"

"Gambling, Horry?" Sally asked the question calmly, as if she merely wanted to know. She did want to know, very much, but not merely.

Knowing was the first step.

"Y--y--yes," Horry answered. He seemed very much relieved. "H--h--he has g--g--gam--m--mbled almost ev--v--ver s--s--since h--he's b--b--been th--th--there," he added. And he went on in as much haste as he could manage, which was not so very much. Neither he nor Harry had been in Charlie's confidence. Most of the fellows didn't care a rap, of course, and didn't pay attention; but--but Harry and he had cared and--and--they had--and Horry got very red again and stopped in confusion.

Sally smiled upon him. "Thank you for caring, Horry," she said gently. "Was that what you seemed to have on your mind all last summer? I thought you wanted to tell me something."

He nodded.

"I wonder why you didn't. I should have been grateful."

"C--c--couldn't b--bear to. We d--d--did t--tell D--D--d.i.c.k.

C--c--came d--d--down on p--p--purpose. J--j--just b--bef--f--fore he g--g--got m--married. I s--s--s'pose he f--f--forg--got a--ab--b--bout it."

"He must have," sighed Sally. "It isn't like d.i.c.k. Now, if you will tell me all you know, I will promise not to forget about it."

Accordingly, Horry unburdened his soul of the whole story, so far as he knew it, and Sally listened in silence, only nodding now and then.

What was there to be said? Horry was grateful for her listening and for her silence and he stuttered less as he went on.

"There!" he concluded. "N--now you kn--n--now all I d--do. I'm p--p--pumped dry, Sally, and I'm g--glad to g--g--get it off my m--mind."

"Thank you," said she; and she relapsed into silence and fell to looking out again.

Horry sat still, waiting for her to say something more; but she did not and he got up, at last.

"If y--you h--have n--noth--th--thing more t--to ask me, S--Sally--"

Sally turned toward him quickly. "Horry," she said, interrupting him, "do you know where Charlie goes--to gamble?" It was an effort for her to say it.

"Y--yes," he replied, blushing furiously again, but not avoiding her eyes. "I've b--b--been th--there."

"Oh, Horry! And aren't you ashamed?"

"N--n--not es--s--specially. O--only w--w--went once, t--to l--l--look on, you know. Th--thought I'd l--like to s--see the p--p--place once.

I didn't p--play." Horry shook his head. "I h--haven't g--g--got the b--bug. Kn--n--new I w--was safe."

Sally seemed to be puzzled. "The bug? Do you mean--"

"The f--f--fever, Sally," he answered, laughing at her bewilderment; "the sickness--disease of ga--ga--gambling. It's j--j--just as much a dis--s--ease as the small-pox. Or c--con--sumption. Th--that's b--b--better, bec--c--cause it lasts l--l--onger and it g--gets w--w--worse and w--worse."

Sally sighed. "I suppose it is like that. It must be." She looked at him thoughtfully for so long a time that Horry began to get red once more and to fidget on his chair. "There must be a cure for it if we could only find it," she murmured. "Horry," she said suddenly, "do you suppose Harry would be willing to keep track of Charlie's movements--without Charlie's knowing, I mean? For a while?"

"Kn--n--now he w--would."

"And would he telegraph me when Charlie goes into that place again--and just as soon as he can find out? I ought to know as early in the evening as possible--by six or seven o'clock."

"H--he w--will if he c--c--can f--f--find out in t--t--time.

W--w--wouldn't always b--be s--so easy. I'll t--take c--care of that, Sally."

"Thank you. I shall be very grateful to you both."

Sally went out to Doctor Sanderson's the next afternoon. Fox saw her coming and went to meet her.

"How is Patty, Fox?" she asked. She jumped lightly out of the carriage and stood beside him.

He seemed distinctly disappointed at the question. "So that is what you came for," he replied. "I hoped it might have had something to do with me." He sighed. "Patty's all right, I think. Are you going up to see her?"

Sally shook her head. "I came to see you, Fox. I want to ask your advice."

"That changes the face of nature," he returned cheerfully. "Will you come into the office--or anywhere else that you like."

They went into Fox's office and he got her settled in a chair.

"That's the most generally comfortable chair. It's my consultation chair. I want my patients to be as comfortable as possible before they begin."

Sally laughed a little. "Now, you sit down and put on your professional expression."

"It is not difficult to look sympathetic with you, in advance, Sally."

"It is really a serious matter." She was silent for a moment. "Fox,"

she said then abruptly, "Charlie has been gambling."

"Yes."

"You aren't surprised?"

"No."

"And he has used Patty's money, I don't doubt."

"Yes."

"_Fox!_" she cried impatiently. "Did you know all this before? If you did, I think you might have told me."

"No," he replied gently, "I did not know it. I only suspected it. You had as much reason to suspect it as I had."

Sally shook her head. "I didn't know all the circ.u.mstances--about Patty's money, for instance. I'm afraid she gave it to him. I don't know how much."

"Neither do I."

"I must find out and pay her." She was silent again, leaning her chin on her hand and gazing at Fox. "How can I find out, Fox?"