Бетти Смит - Maggie-Now

Eventually, his curiosity made him ask Biddy what it was all about. She was appalled at his ignorance.

"And you living in the yard this year or more past and you don't know? Why 'tis graft, yes, it is, what The Boss is collecting. From the aitch houses. They can't run without paying. The madams pay the cops so the cops won't run them in. She cops pay our Boss so he won't snitch on them to the Big Cheese."

"And who is the Big Cheese?"

"The feller what takes half the graft The Boss collects from the cops what collects from the madams."

"Can't The Boss be arrested for that?"

"And who would artist him?"

"A cop.,' "They can't because all the cops is in on the graft, too, and who would arrest them?"

One October night, Patsy was sitting on the stone bench smok [S4, ing his stub-stem clay pipe when he saw a big cop heft himself up the stoop. He was used to the cops coming but this was different. This was a cop coming on Wednesday night. The other cops came on Friday night.

The big cop pressed the button. Moriarity opened the door and put out his hand. Instead of putting something into it, the cop shook it warmly. The Boss, surprised, pulled his hand away and wiped it on his coat.

"Excuse me," said the Cop. "t live in East New York but me beat is in Manhattan."

Patsy was alerted. There was something about that voice

. .

"What the hell are you doing here then, in my precinct?

Go see the commissioner if you want a transfer."

"I came to see about. ." Patsy lost the rest because the big cop's voice dropped to a w Lisper. But he vitas sure he heard his name mentioned. "And this is his address,"

concluded the cop in his normal voice. The Boss leaned down over the stoop.

"Boy?" Patsy looked up. The Boss waited. Patsy got to his feet. Still The Boss waited. Patsy took the pipe from his mouth. Then Moriarity spoke. "Patrick, the officer wants to see you. Take him to your room."

Patsy was up the ladder in a htlrry. He lit the kerosene lamp while the big cop, with many a sigh and a wheeze, hefted himself up the ladder. The cop removed his helmet. There was that nimbus of red around his 'ribald head…. The cop looked around for a place to sit. His feet hurt so. But there was only one chair in the room and he was too polite to take it without an invitation. Finally Patsy sat on the cot and the'r,ig man took the chair. He sighed in relief.

He introduced himself: 'I'm the feller vv hat licked you back in County Kilkenny nearly two years ago." yes, Patsy had known it was Big Red. And what did he want of him now, Patsy wondered.

"I don't hold it against meself that I licked you. I

thought it was right at the time. And I'm hoping that you'll let bygones be bygones being's everything turned out fine in the end."

Patsy's heart leaped up. Everything turned out fine, Big Red said. Could that mean that Maggie Rose was in America now with

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her big brother and Big Red had come to ask Patsy to marry his sister? Yes. That's what he must have come for.

And he'd marry Maggie Rose. Yes, he would!

"Yes. It all turned out fine for you and for me sister.

You've got a good job and me baby sister. ."

Eagerly, Patsy leaned forward and put his hand on Big Red's knee. He was so happy he could hardly speak.

"Maggie Rose! Where is she? How is she?"

"She's happy as a lark." He smiled tenderly. "She's expecting."

"Expecting? Expecting what?"

"Sure and you must have heard? She married a few months after you left."

"Who. . who married?" croaked Patsy.

"Me sister. 'Twas from her husband I got your address."

"What husband?"

"Hers. You know him. The feller what sold you the ticket to run away from me to America?" Big Red laughed. "He was quite a ketch,[hear, the wav he came ten miles on his bicycle twice a week to court her."

"He married her on me own wheel?" said Patsy, bewildered. "And the money given me for it stolen?"

"How's that?" asked Big Red, equally perplexed.

"The I,iverpool sport?"

"I can't tell you what make 'twas."

"So she is married," said Patsy drearily.

"That she is. And happy, she writes me. Ah, I did you wrong," said Big Red humbly, 'crossing the sea to come between you. Many's the Novena I did for it. Ach, why was we all against you? I was the worst. But me own mother did her best to make the trouble and your mother, God rest her sotll, wouldn't listen to me…"

"Me mother?' interrupted Patsy. "You said, 'God rest.

.'?"

That's how Patsy found out his mother had died. It was almost too much to bear. In a few minutes he knew he'd lost his Maggie Rose and his mother forever. Big Red kept talking, hoping to get him over the first shock.

He assured the boy his mother had not died alone. Her oldest boy, Neeley, who had gone to Australia before Patsy was born, ~ Sly 1

had returned to her a few months before her death; Neeley's wife having died and his children long since scattered or married.

Patsy held in his grief. He didn't want Big Red to see him weep. Men wept only before women; not before other men. When Patsy could hold back his grief no longer, he excused himself to Big Red, saying he needed to w ash his face. He went down and washed in the horse trough. His tears mingled freely with the water from the tap. He thought as he wept: Had I but stayed a while longer, he thought in anguish, l could have held Maggie Rose to me and now with me mother gone, the way would have been clear f or Maggie Rose and me. Not that I'd have me mother die. But if she had to go.

.

He dried his face with the rough towel that had been issued him at the house and knelt before the trough to say his prayer for the dead. The horses shifted weight in the dark stable and made the straw rustle and Patsy was glad for the company of the sound. The big yellow cat weaved toward him, arched its back and leaned against his thigh for an instant, then sat close to him, lifted a paw and started to wash itself. Patsy felt less alone for the closeness of the cat.

When he got back to his room, Big Red had Patsy's suit and shirt, tie, socks and shoes laid out. He urged Patsy to dress up.

"'Tis not right you spend the evening alone," said Big Red. "The last thing me Lottie said to me when I left the house was: 'You bring him home with you, hear? Don't let the poor boy stay alone with his sorrow the night long.' Ah, you'll like me Lottie," said Big Red. "She'll take your mother's place in a way."

Patsy went because he didn't want to be alone. Big Red held his arm. He thought the awareness of another human being would help Patsy a little. He held him the only way he knew how: the way he held a man he was arresting his right hand clasped firmly about Patsy's upper left arm, Patsy pulled close to him and propelled to walk a few steps before Big Red. It looked like an arrest, Big Red being in uniform. But that's the way he walked with his Lottie too, whether he was in uniform or not. People on the street reacted.

Those whose pleasure came from the ill luck of others thought: I don't know what he did hut I'm glad they caught him. Kinder

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people thought: The poor thing! So young, to go wrong. I

hope they're easy on him.

The Moriarity household watched him leave with the policeman. Biddy watched from behind the bars of the basement diningroom window. The Boss and The Missus watched from behind the lace curtains of the parlor and Mary watched alone from the music room. They sat` how pale and drawn his face looked under the street light.