Tender is the Night
“When he arrived seeking sanctuary the windows were open and great beams were busy at pulling up the dust from smoky carpets and cushions. Chasseurs tore through the corridors, liberated and disembodied, moving for the moment in pure space. The sit-down bar for women, across from the bar proper, seemed very small—it was hard to imagine what throngs it could accommodate in the afternoon.
The famous Paul, the concessionaire, had not arrived, but Claude, who was checking stock, broke off his wo...rk with no improper surprise to make Abe a pick-me-up.
Abe sat on a bench against a wall. After two drinks he began to feel better—so much better that he mounted to the barber’s shop and was shaved. When he returned to the bar Paul had arrived—in his custom-built motor, from which he had disembarked correctly at the Boulevard des Capucines.
Paul liked Abe and came over to talk.
“I was supposed to ship home this morning,” Abe said. “I mean yesterday morning, or whatever this is.”MoreLess
The famous Paul, the concessionaire, had not arrived, but Claude, who was checking stock, broke off his wo...rk with no improper surprise to make Abe a pick-me-up.
Abe sat on a bench against a wall. After two drinks he began to feel better—so much better that he mounted to the barber’s shop and was shaved. When he returned to the bar Paul had arrived—in his custom-built motor, from which he had disembarked correctly at the Boulevard des Capucines.
Paul liked Abe and came over to talk.
“I was supposed to ship home this morning,” Abe said. “I mean yesterday morning, or whatever this is.”MoreLess
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