With time on his hands, Blount squared himself at his desk and began to
set his railroad house in order. Now that the dreadful step was
practically taken, he was free to wind up the business of his office,
leaving things in order for his successor. Once he had thought that he
could not stay in the capital or in the West after the cataclysm. But
now the manlier thought prevailed. A hard fate was making him his
father's betrayer; but beyond the betrayal, with the bare duty done, he
would take his place as his father's son, proving his love and loyalty
by going down with him to any depth of infamy into which the cataclysm
might drag him.
Since there was much to be done in the winding-up task, the forenoon
fled quickly, and the hands of the small paper-weight clock on the desk
were pointing to a quarter of two when Blount snapped the rubber band
upon the final file of referred papers. There were other odds and ends
to be set in order, but he determined to let them wait until he had
eaten. A scant half-hour in the club grill-room was all he allowed
himself, and at a quarter past two he was back at his desk, preparing to
make the cleaning-up task complete. Between four and five, Judge
Hemingway had said; and Blount began on one of the odds and ends, which
was the writing of his letter of resignation from the railroad service.
Pages:
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346