Page 43 - The Great Gatsby

32 The Great Gatsby yatsby's past 33

he was a man of good family and education. I said to myself, telephone rang in her house and excited young officers asked
"Therc's the kind of man you'd like to take home and introduce to take her out.
to your mother and sister. "' He paused. 'I see you're looking When I carne opposite her house that morning, 1 saw her
at my shirt buttons.' sitting in her little white car with an officer l'd never seen before.
I hadn't been looking at chem, but I did now. He was looking at her in such a romantic way that l've never
'Finest examples of human teerh,' he informed me. forgotten it. His name was Jay Gatsby, and I didn't see him again
'Well!' I said. 'That's a very interesting idea.' for over tour years.
'Yes.' He went on, 'Gatsby's very careful about women. He T h en one night that winter her mother found her packing a
would never even look at a friend's wife.' bag to go to NewYork and say goodbye to an officer who was
Soon after Gatsby's return, Mr Wolfshiem finished his going overseas. Her family stopped her going, but she didn't
coffee, said goodbye and left us. speak to them for weeks. Ayear and a half later, she marriedTom
'Who is he? ' I asked Gatsby. 'An actor? A dencisc?' Buchanan. He hired a whole floor of Louisville's best hotel for his
'Meyer Wolfshiem? No, he's a gambler. You remernber thc guests, and the day before the wedding he gave her a necklace
1919 World Series? Wolfshiem's the man who paid eighr of rhe which cost three hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
Chicago players to !et the orher team win. He made a lot of 1 was her best friend by then, and the night befo re the wedding
money out of it.' 1 went into her room just before dinner. 1 found her lying on her
'Why isn't he in prison?' bed as lovely as the June night in her flowered dress - and as
'They can 't gcr him, old sport. He 's a smart man.' drunk as a monkey. She had a bottle of wine in one hand and a
At thar moment l saw Tom Buchanan across the crowded letter in the other.
room. He carne over to our table and l introduccd him to 'Congratulate me; she called out. 'Never had a drink before,
Gatsb y. They shook hands, and to my surprise Gatsby looked but oh, how I do enjoy it!'
quite uncornfortable. T o m and I said a few words to each 'What's the matter, Daisy?' 1 was scared, 1 can tell you; l'd
other, and wben I rurned back to Gatsby, he was no longer never seen a girl like that before.
there. 'Here, my dear: She felt drunkenly around on the floor, and
picked up the necklace. 'Give it back to whoever it belongs to.
One October day in nineteen-seventeen ... And tell them ali, Daisy's changed her mind!'
(said Jordan Baker that afrernoon, sitting up very straight in che She began to cry - she cried and cried. 1 rushed out and
tea-garden at rhe Plaza Hotel) found her mother's servant girl. We locked the door and got
... 1 was walking past Daisy Fay's house. Daisy into a cold bath. She wouldn't let go of the letter and kept
Daisy was just eighteen then, two years older than me, it in the bath with her, until it carne to pieces like snow. But
and by far the most popular girl in Louisville - ali day long the she didn't say another word. We put ice on her forehead and