A Cool Million by Nathanael West Page A

sigh, “and they nailed Him. However, I like you; I can see you’re from
New England and I’m a New Hampshire man myself. I want to help you. You’ve been
indicted on three counts; suppose you plead guilty to one of the three and we
forget the other two.”
    “But I’m innocent,” repeated Lem again.
    “Maybe, but you
haven’t got enough money to prove it, and besides you’ve got some very powerful
enemies. Be sensible, plead guilty to the charge of disorderly conduct
and take thirty days in the workhouse. I’ll see that you don’t get more. Well,
what do you say?”
    Our hero was silent.
    “I’m giving you a fine break,” Mr.
Barnes went on. “If I wasn’t too busy to prepare the state’s case against you,
I probably could get you sent away for at least fifteen years. But you see,
elections are coming and I have to take part in the campaign. Besides I’m a
busy man, what with this and what with that…Do me a favor and maybe I can help
you some time. If you make me prepare a case against you I’ll get sore. I won’t
like you.”
    Lem finally agreed to do as the prosecuting attorney asked. Three days later he was
sent to the workhouse for thirty days. The judge wanted to give him ninety, but
Mr. Barnes lived up to his part of the bargain. He whispered something to the
judge, who changed the term to the thirty days agreed upon.
    A month later, when Lem was set free, he went directly to the savings bank for
his ninety dollars. It was his intention to draw out the entire amount, so that
he could get himself another set of false teeth and a glass eye. Without those
things, he could not hope to get a job.
    He presented his passbook at the
paying teller’s window. After a little wait, he was told that they could not
give him his money because it had been attached by Seth Abromovitz .
This was too much. It took all the manliness of our hero to suppress the tear
that started to his good eye. With the faltering step of an old man, he
stumbled out of the bank building.
    Lem stood
on the steps of the imposing edifice, and looked blankly at the swirling crowds
that eddied past the great savings institution. Suddenly he felt a touch on his
arm and a voice in his ear.
    “Why so blue, duckie ? How about a little fun?”
    He turned mechanically and to his
amazement saw that it was Betty Prail who had
solicited him.
    “You!” exclaimed both of the
hometown friends together.
    Anyone who had ever seen these two
youngsters on their way home from church in Ottsville would have been struck by
the great change that only a few years in the great world had made.
    Miss Prail was rouged most obviously. She smelled of cheap perfume, and her dress revealed
much too much of her figure. She was a woman of the streets, and an
unsuccessful one at that.
    As for our hero, Lemuel ,
minus an eye and all his teeth, he had acquired nothing but a pronounced stoop.
    “How did you escape Wu Fong?” asked Lem .
    “You helped me without knowing it,”
replied Betty. “He and his henchmen were so busy throwing you into the street
that I was able to walk out of the house without anyone seeing me.”
    “I’m glad,” said Lem .
    The two young people were silent,
and stood looking at each other. They both wanted to ask the same question, but
they were embarrassed. Finally, they spoke at the same time.
    “Have you…”
    That was as far as they got. They
both stopped to let the other finish. There was a long silence, for neither wanted
to complete the question. Finally, however, they spoke again.
    “…any money?”
    “No,” said Lem and Betty answering the question together as they had asked it.
    “I’m hungry,” said Betty sadly. “I
just wondered.” “I’m hungry, too,” said Lem .
    A policeman now approached. He had
been watching them since they met.
    “Get along, you rats,” he said
gruffly.
    “I resent your talking that way to a
lady,” said Lem indignantly.
    “What’s that?” asked the officer
lifting his club.
    “We