and Merv.
As we approached the clearing edge, we saw the cabin light flare on and the loud complaints of the sleepy counselors. Complaints which were cut off instantly when they saw a lake-dripping Merv Loomis grabbing a towel from a coat hanger and Ed Nolan framed in the doorway.
“What’s up?” I heard Mick Curlerman ask in a thin voice.
Ed paid no attention. “Come on, get your clothes on, boy,” he ordered as Merv hastily dried himself.
“I have to—”
“Boy, you heard me,” Ed told him. “You better be out o’ here in time.”
Merv’s face was terrible in the bald cabin light. I’d never seen him without his glasses before; his eyes had that strange cast badly myopic eyes have in the absence of glasses. There was no color in his face except for purplish-looking lips. I thought he was sick for a moment until I realized that he’d been forced to walk naked and wet in the cold night air. I noticed for the first time how badly he shivered.
“Snap it up,” Ed ordered. Merv dressed quickly, his lips pressed together, his eyes looking fixedly at the floor.
“And what’s
that
, Loomis?” Ed Nolan demanded, pointing his flashlight toward Merv’s bunk.
Merv’s terrycloth bathrobe and Merv’s towel.
“You wore it down to the lake, hanh?” Ed sneered. “I always knew you were a damn
liar.”
Merv stared blankly at the bathrobe. “But—” His cheek twitched. “I swear to God I—”
“Never mind,” Ed snapped, “I’m not interested. Come on, come on, get dressed!”
“I tell you I wore that bathrobe down to the lake!”
“And I said get dressed!”
Merv shook badly as he finished putting on his clothes but no more than I did. It made my stomach turn to stand there looking at his confused expression as he dressed in jerky, erratic motions.
“Son-of-a-bitch” I heard Bob whisper, almost in a gasp.
Merv finished putting on a sweater and looked up dazedly at Ed.
“Awright, get your stuff together,” Ed told him.
“But how—”
“Loomis, I’m not here t’argue with ya. Either you get your stuff out o’ here or I will.”
The scene went on, endless in its horror, silent except for the creak of the floor boards as Merv moved around nervously, pulling clothes off hangers, folding them hastily, putting them into his trunk.
“Come on, come on,” Ed said impatiently, “I ain’t got all night.”
“I’m trying as—”
“Never mind the lip. Just
pack.”
Merv finished packing.
“Awright,” Ed said. “Pick it up and let’s go.”
Merv stared at him blankly. “But I can’t,” he said. “It’s too—”
“Ya want it tossed in the lake!” Ed snapped.
Merv bent over the trunk, his lips pressed together tightly. He tried to lift the big trunk but he couldn’t. He managed to get one corner up but even that slipped. He looked up in fright as Ed Nolan cursed loudly and lunged into the cabin. Then he backed off as Ed grabbed up the trunk as if it were a small, empty suitcase. Ed spun on sneakered soles and banged through the doorway, ordering over his shoulder, “Grab the rest of your things and come on!”
“What are you going to do with my trunk?” Merv asked in a panicky voice but Ed didn’t answer.
Sid went up the steps and into the cabin. “He’s just taking it up to the road, Loomis,” he said.
“But he said—”
“I know, I know,” Sid said quickly. “He won’t though. Come on, let’s go.”
I stood there numbly watching Sid help Merv gather up the rest of his things—a duffle bag of clothes, a small suitcase, a portable typewriter and some books. I saw how he avoided Merv’s eyes, I saw how his mouth was as tight and thin as Merv’s. Then they were out of the cabin and, as Merv started up the path, Sid turned in the doorway.
“Listen,” he told them in a quick, clipped voice, “I don’t want a word of this to get out, do you understand? Anyone who talks out of turn will have me on his tail the rest of the season. I’m not
As we approached the clearing edge, we saw the cabin light flare on and the loud complaints of the sleepy counselors. Complaints which were cut off instantly when they saw a lake-dripping Merv Loomis grabbing a towel from a coat hanger and Ed Nolan framed in the doorway.
“What’s up?” I heard Mick Curlerman ask in a thin voice.
Ed paid no attention. “Come on, get your clothes on, boy,” he ordered as Merv hastily dried himself.
“I have to—”
“Boy, you heard me,” Ed told him. “You better be out o’ here in time.”
Merv’s face was terrible in the bald cabin light. I’d never seen him without his glasses before; his eyes had that strange cast badly myopic eyes have in the absence of glasses. There was no color in his face except for purplish-looking lips. I thought he was sick for a moment until I realized that he’d been forced to walk naked and wet in the cold night air. I noticed for the first time how badly he shivered.
“Snap it up,” Ed ordered. Merv dressed quickly, his lips pressed together, his eyes looking fixedly at the floor.
“And what’s
that
, Loomis?” Ed Nolan demanded, pointing his flashlight toward Merv’s bunk.
Merv’s terrycloth bathrobe and Merv’s towel.
“You wore it down to the lake, hanh?” Ed sneered. “I always knew you were a damn
liar.”
Merv stared blankly at the bathrobe. “But—” His cheek twitched. “I swear to God I—”
“Never mind,” Ed snapped, “I’m not interested. Come on, come on, get dressed!”
“I tell you I wore that bathrobe down to the lake!”
“And I said get dressed!”
Merv shook badly as he finished putting on his clothes but no more than I did. It made my stomach turn to stand there looking at his confused expression as he dressed in jerky, erratic motions.
“Son-of-a-bitch” I heard Bob whisper, almost in a gasp.
Merv finished putting on a sweater and looked up dazedly at Ed.
“Awright, get your stuff together,” Ed told him.
“But how—”
“Loomis, I’m not here t’argue with ya. Either you get your stuff out o’ here or I will.”
The scene went on, endless in its horror, silent except for the creak of the floor boards as Merv moved around nervously, pulling clothes off hangers, folding them hastily, putting them into his trunk.
“Come on, come on,” Ed said impatiently, “I ain’t got all night.”
“I’m trying as—”
“Never mind the lip. Just
pack.”
Merv finished packing.
“Awright,” Ed said. “Pick it up and let’s go.”
Merv stared at him blankly. “But I can’t,” he said. “It’s too—”
“Ya want it tossed in the lake!” Ed snapped.
Merv bent over the trunk, his lips pressed together tightly. He tried to lift the big trunk but he couldn’t. He managed to get one corner up but even that slipped. He looked up in fright as Ed Nolan cursed loudly and lunged into the cabin. Then he backed off as Ed grabbed up the trunk as if it were a small, empty suitcase. Ed spun on sneakered soles and banged through the doorway, ordering over his shoulder, “Grab the rest of your things and come on!”
“What are you going to do with my trunk?” Merv asked in a panicky voice but Ed didn’t answer.
Sid went up the steps and into the cabin. “He’s just taking it up to the road, Loomis,” he said.
“But he said—”
“I know, I know,” Sid said quickly. “He won’t though. Come on, let’s go.”
I stood there numbly watching Sid help Merv gather up the rest of his things—a duffle bag of clothes, a small suitcase, a portable typewriter and some books. I saw how he avoided Merv’s eyes, I saw how his mouth was as tight and thin as Merv’s. Then they were out of the cabin and, as Merv started up the path, Sid turned in the doorway.
“Listen,” he told them in a quick, clipped voice, “I don’t want a word of this to get out, do you understand? Anyone who talks out of turn will have me on his tail the rest of the season. I’m not
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