Authors: Ellery Queen
The Glass Village (29 page)
Kowalczyk took it.
And Hemus turned away at once, and as he turned away the people of the town turned away, too. Men, women, and children went quickly back into the road, and some climbed into cars, and the Isbels climbed into the wagon behind the horses tethered at the trough, and some walked across the intersection, and soon they were all gone.
“I'll give you your text for your sermon Sunday, Mr. Sheare,” said Judge Shinn dryly. “âThe wicked flee when no man pursueth.'”
Samuel Sheare shook his head, smiling. “Josef, don't stand here gawpin' at it. It's their way of makin' amends. A conscience offerin'.”
But Kowalczyk eyed the money sullenly.
“It's all right, Joe,” said Johnny. “It's an old American custom. Kick a man between the legs and then get up a collection to buy him a truss.”
A grin spread over the bearded face. Kowalczyk pressed the basket into Mr. Sheare's astonished hand.
“You take,” he said.
And he turned and shuffled rapidly down the parsonage walk as if he were afraid the minister might come running after. He hurried up Four Corners Road and around the horse trough into Shinn Road, putting on Mr. Sheare's hat with a sort of fussy enjoyment as he went.
“Now that's nice,” said the minister slowly, looking down at the basket. “That's real nice.”
They went to the intersection. Kowalczyk was already passing Fanny Adams's house. He did not glance at it, but they noticed his steps quicken.
He began the long climb up the sun-drenched hill.
“What am I thinking of? Kowalczyk, wait!” shouted Judge Shinn. “Don't you want me to get somebody to drive you to Cudbury?”
But Josef Kowalczyk only walked the faster. They watched him until he was a speck against the blazing eastern sky.
As he topped the rise and disappeared over Holy Hill, two cars came rushing past him and bore down the hill toward the village. They were taxicabs from Cudbury.
“What did I tell you?” chuckled the Judge. “Out-of-town reporters, and they never even looked his way.”
“What's a tramp?” said Johnny.
“Indeed, indeed,” said the Judge absently. “Well, Mr. Sheare. Who was it remarked that only the poor know the luxury of giving?”
“A wise man,” Mr. Sheare murmured, “I'm sure. I thinkâyes!âI'll use this money to keep fresh flowers on Fanny Adams's grave. She was real fond of flowers.”
And the minister hurried smiling back across the parsonage lawn to tell his wife.
The Judge and Johnny sauntered over to the Shinn lawn and up the porch steps. They sat down in the rockers to wait for the newsmen.
“Ah, me,” said the Judge. “Fine, fine day in the making, Johnny.”
Johnny looked at the houses and the roads and the fields and the blue blue sky, and he breathed in with real pleasure.
“I've seen worse,” conceded Johnny Shinn.
All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 1954 by Little, Brown and Company
Copyright renewed by Ellery Queen
Cover design by Kat Lee
ISBN 978-1-5040-1704-6
This 2015 edition published by
MysteriousPress.com
/Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.
345 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014
EBOOKS BY ELLERY QUEEN
FROM
MYSTERIOUSPRESS.COM
AND OPEN ROAD MEDIA
