Pretty Maids All in a Row 191 He could see it almost enveloping them. He grinned, to himself, knowing only too well what they felt. He saw their breasts outlined under their clothes. They w-ere both stacked. Was that the rips? Jeannie had on a cute yellow blouse. Pale yellow. Sally a pink sweater. A very light pink. It looked great on her. Her breasts pointed right out at the world. Ponce stared at them, imagining the glory of fondling them, or at least seeing them, bared. He was growing warm. He saw Peggy Linski. He saw his Trig book. . . .
36
Tiger, in his office, was thoughtfully perusing his list and making little amendments, here and there. He mused, lovingly, doing it all with great care. His interoffice phone buzzed and he picked it up, hoping it wouldn’t be Hetty to say she just couldn’t come. He was looking forward to seeing her, so much. She would make his day. Sometimes she did cancel out, involved as she managed to get from time to time, in that library, between the stacks. He prayed.
“Hello—?” He said, in his gentle way.
It was Proffer—again. Ironically enough, he was relieved.
“Listen, I’m sorry to bother you, boy—”
“That’s O.K.”
“I just wanted to tell you—” Tiger heard the banal voice, dropping down to a low, confidential tone, “This Surcher—” He held.
“Yeh?” Tiger urged, completing the artwork beside Mona’s name.
“He’s had the colored kids down to see him this morning, you know—”
“I know—”
It was an extra half-star, in fact, she wound lip with.
“Well—” Proffer’s voice went very low, “He's had Jim Green in there with him for a hell of a long time now—”
192 Pretty Maids All in a Row “How long?”
“Over an hour—at least—”
Tiger had put the pencil down. His forehead wore a distinct frown.
“Where you calling from. Harry?” He asked.
“The Teachers’ Room—”
“Uh huh.”
Tiger checked his watch. Any minute, the Librarian was due.
“Nothing—I guess—” Proffer said.
“Don’t worry about it.” Tiger said.
“I was surprised—”
“And so am I—” Tiger paused. He was. “But don’t jump to conclusions—It may mean nothing—” He paused. “Nothing at all.” He hoped.
“It’s going to raise Holy Hell—”
“Wait awhile—”
“Harry—just wait a while—”
“I thought things had been going too well! Boy, that School Board’s gonna clobber us! Did I tell you the talk at the Legion last night?”
Tiger tried hard to imagine the lofty heights it had reached. It staggered his efforts.
“Uh uh, Harry,” He said to the prospective TV/Radio retail outlet.
“Well—let me tell you—you’d be amazed at the anticolored feeling it’s generated.”
“Generated?” Tiger couldn’t help venture, however aware it would bounce right off Proffer.
“And that was before this development—” The banal voice went on in his ear.
“What development?”
“Well—Jim Green, I mean—”
“Listen, It’s not yet a development—”
“Yeh, but—listen—”
“Is it?”
“O.K. It isn’t—” and—“I know how you feel—”
Tiger just had to smile at that.
“You’ll just have to wait and see—Harry boy—”
“Right—we’ll see—” Proffer said.
Tiger glanced at his watch again.
Pretty Maids All in a Row 193 “Well, Harry—We’ll see—Sit tight and see.”
“I’ll keep right On top of things, Mike—Г11 contact you as soon as anything breaks—Be there?”
“Until noon.”
“O.K., boy.”
And he hung up.
Tiger sat back in his chair. He was hurt. Was Surcher really chasing Jim Green? How had he got so fogged? Was he a Bircher too? Dumbhead Proffer had sounded happy about it, underneath it all. He pictured him last night, at the Legion, assuring them that he had never wanted to bring that bunch in. The wizard. The pure dismal wizard. Well, luckily, the whole town wasn’t that way. So, even if something was up—if the boy;«^zs a suspect—Tiger winced, dumbfounded now at Surcher’s blunder—or, more precisely, apparent blunder. For, as he had told Proffer—Proffer! The Wonder, Sawyersviile’s own Wonder. Tiger ruminated, contemplating an even earlier retirement, for the wonder. He sighed, not exactly chipper. He would have to check with Surcher. He shook his head, slowly. He certainly was disappointed in him.
Hetty Nectar walked in.
She looked superb—as usual.
“Hi—” She greeted him.
“Well Hi—”
“Am I late?”
“Never.”
“Whew! What a day? Brother!”
She sat down on a chair, near the desk.
“Rough one?”
“Listen—Just Imagine—Those detectives have been around me all morning—more or less. Questions, questions, about a whole sheaf of pupils’ reading habits—and other habits. ImagineГ
Tiger nodded, imagining.
“What an awful affair!” She said to him, pulling out a cigarette, “How can anything be the same again?”
Tieer nodded.
“You said it.”
“Well, how are you?” She queried.
“Not too bad.”
“Busy?”
“I try to be.”
“You one-man show.”
Her eyes twinkled. Tiger always loved the way her eyes twinkled. They made his want to twinkle. Was it the Irish in her? Her personality was exuberant. She was a positive creature. The life force registered in the highest reaches, it bubbled over in her. He had rarely encountered such a positive person. She had the fiercest grip on life. His feelings toward her were utterly positive. Would this delightfully positive redheaded creature ever wind up with a husband? Already she was pushing twenty-four, wasn’t she? Didn’t she want one? Certainly, he knew quite a few who would want her. Would she want them? Maybe—all of them. He grinned, within. Certainly, she could handle them. She had a catalog with her. She wore a pretty fawn skirt, a pretty open-necked blouse, a soft cardigan. Cash-mere? It was something. It looked very soft. Tiger wondered. It went so well with her hair. Perfect. Tiger wished he could touch it.
“Thank you! Tiger”
“How’s everything?”
“I miss you.”
“You know how it is.”
She crossed her legs. Tiger admired them. Who was the genius responsible for stockings? Once again, for the hundredth time at least, he found himself wondering that. What legs she had for those stockings! He kept on admiring them.