Between Rounds (Henry)
from the Collection « Four Million»
It was a beautiful May night and the windows of Mrs. Murphy's boarding house were open. A group of boarders were seated on the stoop, enjoying the warm evening air. Inside, Mrs. McCaskey was waiting for her husband to come home for supper.
When Mr. McCaskey arrived, he apologized for disturbing the boarders on the steps and went into his room. Mrs. McCaskey was surprised to find him in a good mood and began to scold him for his drinking habits. Mr. McCaskey responded with a witty retort and the two began to argue. The argument quickly escalated into a full-blown food fight, with the two hurling dishes and food at each other.
Suddenly, a loud scream was heard from downstairs. Mrs. Murphy's little boy, Mike, had gone missing. Everyone on the stoop was flustered and Major Griggs offered to search the city for the missing child. Mrs. Murphy was in hysterics, wailing for her lost son.
Old man Denny, who was reading a paper on the steps, asked when Mrs. Murphy had last seen Mike. Mrs. Murphy couldn't remember exactly, but she had looked all over the house and he was nowhere to be found.
Major Griggs hurried off to search for Mike, while Mr. Toomey and Miss Purdy stayed on the steps, holding hands in sympathy. The two old maids, Misses Walsh, asked if anyone had looked behind the clock.
Meanwhile, in the second floor front, Mr. and Mrs. McCaskey had stopped fighting and were leaning out of the window, listening to the commotion below. Mrs. McCaskey was moved by the thought of what it would be like if it were their own child that was lost. Mr. McCaskey, too, was touched by the thought and put his arm around his wife.
The search for Mike continued, with people rushing around and filling the air with rumours and speculation. Eventually, Mike was found asleep behind a roll of old linoleum under Mrs. Murphy's bed. Everyone was relieved and the search was called off.
Policeman Cleary, who had been listening to the crash of dishes coming from the McCaskey apartment, was surprised to find that they had been fighting for an hour and a quarter. He shook his head in admiration and strolled away.
Old man Denny, who had been reading his paper on the steps, hurried up to the house just as Mrs. Murphy was about to lock the door for the night.
The story ends with the boarders relieved that Mike had been found safe and sound. Mrs. McCaskey and Mr. McCaskey had also reconciled, with Mrs. McCaskey forgiving her husband for his bad behaviour.