Yes, sir, I really sort of wished things hadn't worked out this way. Even if it did ruin Sam and get me re-elected, which it was just about certain to do.
Unless something went wrong…
11
It rained during the night, and I slept pretty good like! almost always do when it rains. Along about ten the next morning, when I was having a little second breakfast because I hadn't eaten much the first time but a few eggs and some pancakes and sausage, Rose Hauck called.
She'd been trying to reach me for quite a while, but hadn't been able to because of Myra's gossiping about Sam Gaddis. Myra talked to her for a couple of minutes, and then passed the phone to me.
"I'm afraid something's happened to Tom, Nick," Rose told me-just as if she didn't know what had happened to him. "His horse came home without him this morning."
"Is that a fact?" I said. "You think maybe! should go out and start looking for him?"
"Well, I just don't know, Nick," she hesitated. "If Tom is all right, he might be pretty mad if I sent the sheriff after him."
I said that was for sure, all right. Tom didn't like anyone butting in on his affairs. "Maybe he holed up somewhere on account of the rain," I said. "Maybe he's waitin' for it to dry up a little before he starts home."
"I'll bet that's it," she said, making her voice relieved. "He probably didn't have cover for the mare so he sent her home by herself."
"That's probably the way it was, all right," I said. "After all, he didn't tell you he was coming home last night, did he?"
"No, no, he didn't. He never tells me how long he's going to be gone."
"Well, don't worry none about it," I said. – "Not yet, anyways. If Tom ain't home by tomorrow, why then I'll start lookin' for him."
Myra was making wild faces and motions, as if to say, what is it all about? I passed her the phone and there was some more jibber-jabbering, and she wound up asking Rose to come have supper with us. "Now, you just must come, dear, because I've got all kinds of news to tell you. You can get a ride in with the mailman about four, and I'll have Nick drive you home afterward."
She hung up, shaking her head and murmuring, "Poor Rose. That poor, dear, sweet woman."
I said, "Why, Rose ain't poor, honey. That's a right good farm her and Tom has."
"Oh, shut up!" she said. "If you'd have been half a man, you'd have done something about Tom Hauck long ago! Put him in jail where he belongs instead of leaving him free to beat up that poor little helpless wife of his!"
"Why, I couldn't do that," I said. "I couldn't interfere between a man and his wife."
"No, you couldn't. You couldn't do anything! Because you're not half a man!"
"Well, now I don't know about that," I said. "I ain't saying you're wrong, but I sure ain't saying-"
"Oh, shut up!" she said again. "Lennie's more of a man than you are. Aren't you, Lennie, darling?"-she smiled at him-"you're Myra's brave strong man, aren't you? Not an old cowardly calf like Nick."
Lennie slobbered out a laugh, pointing a finger at me. "Cowardly calf, cowardly calf! Sheriff Nick's a cowardly calf!"
I looked at him, and he stopped laughing and pointing. He turned real quiet, and kind of pale.
I looked at Myra, and her smile stiffened and faded. And she was almost as pale and silent as Lennie.
"N-Nick-" She broke the long silence with a trembly laugh. "W-What's the matter?"
"Matter?" I said.
"The way you're looking. Like you were about to kill Lennie and me both. I-! never saw you look that way before."
I forced a laugh, making it sound easy and stupid. "Me? Me kill someone? Aw, now!"
"But-but you-"
"I guess maybe I was thinking about the election. Thinking maybe it wasn't a very good idea to be pokin' fun at me with the election comin' up."
She nodded her head quickly, and frowned at Lennie. "Of course, we'd never carry on like that in public. But-but probably it isn't a good idea. Even if we were just joking."
I thanked her for her understandin', and started for the door.
She followed me for a step, still kind of anxious; shook up from the scare I'd accidentally given her.
"I don't think you have to worry about getting elected, dear. Not with all the talk that's going on about Sam Gaddis."
"Well, I never believe in takin' chances," I said. "I always figure a fella ought to lean over backwards and put his shoulder to the wheel, and not count his chickens until they're hatched."
"Mrs. Robert Lee Jefferson said her husband said that you said you didn't believe the stories about Sam Gaddis."
"I don't. I don't believe a god-danged word of 'em," I said.
"But-she also said that he said that you said you were going to speak up for Mr. Gaddis. She said that he said that you said you were going to be on the speakers' platform with him come Sunday-week."
I told her she'd spoken the truth, and that was a fact. "You talk to her again, you tell her that when she said that Robert Lee said that I said I was going to speak up for Sam Gaddis, she was a thousand per cent right."
"You fool!-" She caught herself. "But Gaddis is running against you, dear. Why should you do anything for him?"
"Now, that's quite a question, ain't it?" I said. "Yes, sir, that is quite a question. Reckon I'd tell you the answer if I didn't figure you'd have so much fun cypherin' it out."
"But-"
"Reckon I'd better be rushing back to my office," I said. "No tellin' what's been happening while I was away."
I went on down the stairs, pretending like I didn't hear her when she called to me. I went in my office and sat down with my boots upon the desk. And I slanted my hat over my eyes, and kind of dozed for a little while.
It was awfully peaceful. The mud was keeping most folks indoors, and the painters were taking the day off because of the wet, so there wasn't a lot of slamming and banging and calling back and forth from them. A fella could really rest for a change, and catch up the sleep that he didn't get at night.
I rested and slept until noon, when I went upstairs for dinner.
Myra had got over her scare, and was about back to normal. She looked at me and said she could see I'd had a very busy morning, and she hoped I wasn't wearing myself out.
"Well, I'm trying not to," I said. "A fella like me, with the whole county depending on him for law and order, has got to watch out for his health. Which sort of reminds me. About me takin' Rose Hauck home tonight-"
"You're going to do it!" Myra snapped. "You're going to, so just don't try to get out of it!"
"But suppose Tom's there? Suppose he's mad about me bringin' his wife home, an'-an'-"
I squirmed, letting my eyes fall, but I could still see Myra glaring at me. At last she spoke, her voice shaky with hate and disgust.
"You-you thing, you! You miserable excuse for a man! I'll tell you this, Nick Corey! If Tom is there and you let him hurt Rose, I'll make you the sorriest man in the county!"