He asked me
to stay with him, and when I wouldn't, he asked for reasons, and I
gave him a reason. Not that I mentioned the hundred and forty lost at
Colon. For if he took it (and I guessed pretty near he did) he'd paid
it back with a long leeway by sharing the Mituas business with me,
when the whole thing was his. I thought the less said the better. If
he was nervous to know what was my mind about that point, why, I
thought it was good for him to be nervous. I gave for a reason that I
was thinking to go back to Greenough on Long Island Sound.
"Greenough!" he says. "It's next to where Abe Dalrimple lives?
Adrian's the name of his town."
I says:
"What do you know of it, Craney?"
"I went there with Abe Dalrimple," he says, "and left him there
planting lobster pots. That wouldn't do for me. None of it in mine.
Abe's got no more ambition than to dodge the next kettle Mrs.
Dalrimple throws at him, but me, I'm ambitious, I got to spread out.
I'm a romantic man, Tommy. That's my secret. That's the key of me.
Give me largeness. Give me space for my talents. What do you want
with Greenough? You stay with me and I'll show you who's the natural
lord of all lands that's fertile and foolish.
Pages:
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94