U.S.A_ - John Dos Passos [500]
me right this minute. I'm merely his agent. And in al the years I've been associated with Senator Planet upon ma soul and body I've never seen him put up a cent unless it was a sure thing."
Charley began to grin. "Wel , the old sonofabitch." Cassidy laughed. "You know the one about a nod's as good as a wink to a blind mule. How about a nice Virginia ham sandwich?"
They had another drink with the sandwiches. Charley got to feeling like talking. It was a swel day. Cassidy was a prince. He was having a swel time. "Funny," Charley said,
"when I first saw Miami it was from out at sea like this. I never would have thought I'd be down here shov-elin' in the dough. . . . There weren't al those tal buildin's then either. I was goin' up to New York on a coastin' boat. I was just a kid and I'd been down to New Orleans for the Mardi Gras and I tel you I was broke.
-365-I got on the boat to come up to New York and got to pal in' with, a Florida cracker . .
. he was a funny guy.
. . . We went up to New York together. He said the
thing to do was get over an' see the war, so him and me like a pair of damn fools we enlisted in one of those volun-teer ambulance services. After that I switched to aviation. That's how I got started in my line of business. Miami didn't mean a thing to me then."
"Wel , Flagler gave me ma start," said Cassidy. "And I'm not ashamed to admit it . . . buyin' up rightofway for the Florida East Coast. . . . Flagler started me and he started Miamah."
That night when they got in sunburned and a little
drunk from the day on the Gulf Stream they tucked al the options away in the safe in Judge Cassidy's office and went over to the Palms to relax from business cares. Margo wore her silver dress and she certainly looked stunning. There was a thin dark Irishlooking girl there named Eileen who seemed to know Cassidy from way back. The four of them had dinner together, Cassidy got good --and tight and opened his mouth wide as a grouper's talking about the big airport and saying how he was going to let the girls in on some lots on the deal. Charley was drunk, but he wasn't too drunk to know Cassidy ought to keep his trap shut. When he danced with Eileen he talked earnestly in her ear tel ing her she ought to make the boy-friend keep his trap shut until the thing was made public from the proper quarters. Margo saw them with their heads together and acted the jealous bitch and started mak-ing over Cassidy to beat the cars. When Charley got her to dance with him she played dumb and wouldn't answer when he spoke to her.
He left her at the table and went over to have some drinks at the bar. There he got into an argument with a skinny guy who looked like a cracker. Eddy Palermo, with an oily smile on his face the shape and color of an olive,
-366-ran over and got between them. "You can't fight this gentleman, Mr. Anderson, he's our county attorney. . . . I know you gentlemen would like each other . . . Mr. Pappy, Mr. Anderson was one of our leading war aces." They dropped their fists and stood glaring at each other with the little wop nodding and grinning between them. Charley put out his hand. "Al right, put it there, pal," he said. The county attorney gave him a mean look and put his hands in his pockets. "County attorney' s --t," said Charley. He was reeling. He had to put his hand against the wal to steady himself. And he turned and walked out the door. Outside he found Eileen who'd just come out of the ladies' room and was patting back her sleek hair in front of the mirror by the hatchecking stand. He felt choked with the whiskey and the cigarsmoke and the
throbbing hum of the band and the shuffle of feet. He had to get outdoors. "Come on, girlie, we're goin' for a ride, get some air." Before the girl could open her mouth he'd dragged her out to the parkinglot. "Oh, but I don't think we ought to leave the others," she kept saying. "They're too goddam drunk to know. I'l bring you back in five minutes. A little air does a little girl good, especial y a pretty little