To Have And Have Not

HARRY MORGAN-WINTER
the coast-guard cutter told her. 'We'll get them all
right.'
The coast-guard men had climbed up on the
stern and were standing dripping. 'Gome on. Let's
go/ one of them said. Tm getting cold.5
'Are you all right, Mrs. Tracy?' the sheriff said,
putting the blanket around her.
'All rie?' said Mrs. Tracy. 'All rie?' then clenched
both her hands and put her head back to really
scream. Mrs. Tracy's grief was greater than she
could bear.
The crowd listened to her and was silent and
respectful. Mrs. Tracy provided just the sound
effect that was needed to go with the sight of the
dead bandits that were now being covered with
coast-guard blankets by the sheriff and one of the
deputies, thus veiling the greatest sight the town had
seen since the Isleno had been lynched, years
before, out on the County Road and then hung up to
swing from a telephone pole in the lights of all the
cars that had come out to see it.
The crowd was disappointed when the bodies
were covered but they alone of all the town had
seen them. They had seen Mrs. Tracy fall into the
water and they had, before they came in, seen
Harry Morgan carried on a stretcher into the
Marine Hospital. When the sheriff ordered them
out of the yacht basin they went quietly and
happily. They knew how privileged they had
been.
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