Candy;

by Robb White

  "Maybe he isn't sick yet but knows that he's going to be," Tony said quietly. "There was a boy with me in the home for the blind who wasn't blind, but he knew that he was going to be soon."

  "That must be it, because he doesn't act sick at all/' Candv declared as she raised sails and sat listlessly, waiting for the boat to drift far enough out to catch the wind.

  "Well, if he's going to get sick, I'd think he'd want somebody there to help him. Does anybody live near him who would come and help?"

  ''No." Candy started to tell Tony that the man was on an island, but decided that that would be breaking her promise a little.

  Then Tony said, ''He's on an island, isn't he?"

  Candy was startled. "What makes you think so?"

  "It doesn't sound like the other places we've been. I can hear the ocean from two directions, and it sounds like I can hear it all the way around."

  "Yes, it's an island, Tony."

  "Is he on it all by himself?"

  "Yes, and it's way away from any land with people on it."

  The wind was blowing across them now, but Candy let the sails slat.

  "Candy, I couldn't do much," Tony said slowly, "but I could help him a little if he got sick, couldn't I?"

  "Yes."

  "If I couldn't really help him, I could at least build a big fire so people would see the smoke and come get him, couldn't I?"

  "Yes. Or you could shoot the rockets he said he had."

  "I could give him water to drink and food, if he wanted it. I could do a lot of things, couldn't I?"

  "Yes, you could, Tony."

  "Maybe when he gets sick I could help him get in his boat. Then if he told me which way to go I could get him to Beach-ton, couldn't I?"

  "He hasn't got a boat."

  "Hasn't he got any way to get off the island?"

  "No."

  Tony sat in silence. Candy pulled the sheets in until the Faraway began to sail.

  **Candy/' Tony said at last, *'if I was on that island and you took the boat away, what could he do? He'd have to let me stay, wouldn't he?''

  She looked at him, wondering. *Tes, he would."

  ''Would he be mean to me, do you think?"

  Candy thought for a moment. ''No. No, he wouldn't, Tony/'

  "And if I was on the island, I could help him when he gets sick."

  She looked back at the island. It again looked deserted. "I couldn't just sail back and put you ashore, Tony. He wouldn't let me do that."

  Tony's face changed. Some httle muscles in his jaw began to jump, and he pressed his hps together. In a low voice he said, "Could I swim back?"

  "Would you?" she asked.

  "I-think so."

  "I could take you in real close, Tony."

  He nodded.

  "And if you went the wrong way, I could come get you."

  He nodded again.

  Candy looked at his face. "I didn't know vou were so brave, Tony."

  "I'm not. I'm scared inside, but I'll try, if you think I can make it."

  "All right. I'll go around to windward so it'll help blow you toward the island."

  She tacked and worked the Faraway up to windward. She kept watching the shore of the island but saw no sign of Dr. Daniels. At last she let the sheets run.

  "Are vou readv?" Tony asked.

  "If you are." '

  He let his breath out slowly. "I guess I am." Then he turned his head as though looking at her. "It'll feel funny for me to help somebody else. I never have since I've been blind."

  'Tind out how to shoot the rockets first, Tony. And Til watch out for them."

  '^All right. Have I got far to go?"

  ''Not far, and there's a beach."

  "If I keep going toward the noise, Fll get there, won't I?"

  "Yes, and the waves aren't high."

  "Get me started right," he said, as he leaned over and reached out for the scupper rail.

  "Hang on to the boat until you get used to it. And if you get tired or anything just wave and Fll come right away, Tony."

  Awkwardly he lay down and rolled first his legs then his whole body down into the water. For a second a look of terror swept across his face, then he grinned up at her. "Warm," he said. "Is it very deep where I am?"

  "Not much over your head."

  He turned loose with one hand and pointed. "Is that the way I go?"

  He was pointing straight at the little beach. "That's perfect, Tony. Now listen, as soon as you're all right on the beach Fm going back to the Bay. First, Fll find out if Mr. Carruthers has thought of a better place for you to stay. If he has, Fll come right back. If he hasn't, I won't be back until day after tomorrow. You tell the man that Fm going to have to break my promise again."

  "All right. Here I go."

  "Good-by, Tony."

  "Good-by, Candy."

  He turned loose with both hands and began to swim. For the first few yards he went the wrong way, but before she could say anything he turned and headed straight for the beach.

  Candy, something trembling inside her, watched him as he swam steadily away from the boat. Occasionally he would stop and raise his head, listening, then he would swim some more.

  She was watching Tony so hard that she didn't see Dr. Daniels walk out from under the trees and on to the edge

  of the water where Tony would reach shore. He stood there, his arms folded, the droopy pipe in his teeth.

  Tony reached shallow water and started wading. With his hands out in front of him, feeling, he walked out of the sea. He turned then and waved to her. Candy waved back and then, for the first time, saw Dr. Daniels.

  For an instant she couldn't move a muscle. Then, as she saw Tony turn as though listening to Dr. Daniels, Candy snapped the sheets in and stood the Faraway on her beam end. Cracking on, she drove the boat straight away from the green, quiet little island.

  When she looked back at last. Dr. Daniels had Tony's elbow and was leading him slowly back among the palm trees.

  Mr. Carruthers was fishing from his rowboat off the Point when Candy reached the Bay. She went over alongside and dropped sail.

  ''See you found a hidin' place for him," Mr. Carruthers said. ''If you hadn't, I w^s going to suggest old man Tartiere."

  "We went there," Candy said. "He's dead."

  "You don't say! What a bleedin' pity, Candy. Ah, such a fine old gentleman he was. Then what'd you do with the blind lad?"

  '1 hid him," Candy said.

  "Where?"

  Candy looked over at him. "Mr. Carruthers, I can't tell you," she said.

  "That's perfectly all right. Candy. But it won't do at all if you left him out in the islands."

  "He'll be all right where he is."

  Mr. Carruthers pulled in his fishing line slowly and looked at the bare hook. "Y'know, Candy, I had some conversation with the lady from the institute and she's about convinced me that you and I are up to no good keeping Tony out of that place."

  Candy stared at him, shocked and hurt. "You aren't against Tony, too, are you, Mr. Carruthers?" she asked.

  ''Not I, lass. Vm for him all the way, but that lady has got some ver' sound reasoning in her arguments. Very sound. You should talk to her a bit, Candy."

  "I don't want to/' she said stubbornly. "Tony knows that he hates those institutions.''

  Mr. Carruthers coiled up his fishing line and unshipped his oars and settled them in the locks. ''Ah, well," he said, "maybe Jenkins'll solve the entire problem for us."

  "I hope so. You want to sail in with me, and tow your boat?"

  "Good idea. I hate rowin'." He shipped his oars again and tossed Candy a towline.

  As Candy got under way again a strong feeling of 'sadness came down on her. She felt that now she had even lost the help of Mr. Carruthers. He wasn't actually against Tony, but he had changed. He, like her father and all the rest, wanted to make Tony go to that institution.

  They had sailed a long way v^thout saying a word when Mr. Carruthers said casually, "Y'kno
w, for several days past I think I've seen an occasional wisp of smoke risin' from one of the islands."

  "Have you?" Candy asked, trying to keep her voice calm, but inside she was turning cold.

  "Course it might've been clouds."

  "Might've been a whale blowing."

  "Haven't seen a whale around here in years."

  "That doesn't mean that there aren't any whales," Candy argued. She didn't want to talk about the smoke any more so she said, "Did you know that whales don't ever go to sleep, Mr. Carruthers? I read that in a book."

  "Is that so? I'm glad I'm no blarsted whale. So you wouldn't know anything about that smoke comin' up east of Pebble?"

  "I haven't even seen any," Candy said truthfully.

  Candy knew that his eyes were watching her from under the shaggy eyebrows as he said, "Might borrow a sailboat one of these days and go look into it."

  'Til lend you the Faraway," Candy said.

  ''Now that's very kind of you. Perhaps in the mornin'?"

  'Tve got to take care of Tony in the morning."

  ''Some other time then. Ah, look! See that smoke?"

  Candy turned her head slowly and looked back at the islands. A faint wisp of grayness wavered and died as it rose against the blue background of the sky. She watched it for a long time. Then, turning back, she said, "I don't see any smoke, Mr. Carruthers."

  'Tour eyes are younger than mine so you must be right," he decided.

  Then, for the rest of the way, they talked about changing the position of the battens in the mainsail. Mr. Carruthers thought that they should be lowered an inch or two, but Candy didn't see how that could make the sail shape out any better.

  He climbed back into his boat and rowed her ashore when she anchored.

  "Talk to that lady some, Candy," he advised her, as she helped him haul his boat up on the sand.

  "Maybe. But not right now. I haven't had anything to eat since breakfast."

  Candy said good-by and then walked slowly home. She was suddenly tired, and very hungry, and sad. As she thought about it she kept feeling more and more that maybe she was doing something wrong. She couldn't see how, because she thought it was right not to let them take Tony and put him in a place he hated. But something kept nagging at her—a feeling that she was in trouble.

  Maybe, she thought, it's only that I broke my promise to Dr. Daniels. But, she decided, that wasn't all.

  When Candy reached her block, she stopped abruptly at the comer. In her yard her mother was showing a lady in a dark blue dress what the hurricane had done.

  They hadn't seen her yet, and Candy stood there, thinking.

  Then, slowly, she walked on. She might as well face it, she decided, for she was sure that the lady in the blue dress was from the institute.

  ''Hello, darling,'' her mother said. "Where ve you been?"

  ''Sailing, Mommy," Candy said.

  "It's way past lunehtime."

  "I know. I'm sorry."

  "Candy, this is Mrs. Morton."

  Candy held out her hand. "How do you do?"

  The lady had a sweet, gentle face and her eyes were always smiling.

  "Mrs. Morton wants to talk to you. Candy," her mother said.

  "I know," Candy said. "About Tony." '

  Mrs. Morton nodded. "But aren't you starving? Sailing always makes me ravenous."

  "I am/' Candy said. "Do you like sailing?"

  "Crazy about it. We have a Snipe, too, but it isn't nearly so good as yours. I've never seen a more beautiful boat than the Faraway, Candy."

  "Oh, have you seen her?" Candy asked, as they went into the house.

  "Yes, this morning when you sailed her out of the Bay."

  "I'm going to warm up some soup," Candy's mother said, going out to the kitchen.

  The lady sat down at the dining-room table. As Candy got her napkin and something to eat with, the lady said, "Tony all right. Candy?"

  Candy turned slowly to face her. "Yes, he is."

  "I'm glad."

  "You want to take him away, don't you?"

  Mrs. Morton just said, "Yes."

  "He doesn't want to go."

  "I know he doesn't."

  "Then why do you want to make him?" Candy asked.

  Mrs. Morton had a little gold watch in the shape of a ball 144

  pinned at her shoulder. It had a thick Ctystal and a gold chain which rolled up inside a gold case. She pulled the watch out on the chain a little way and let it slide back. ''Candy, blind people are very happy people. There's something about blindness which, because a great deal has been taken away, a great deal of happiness is given to them. Little children who have never in their lives seen come to us and they are so happy that it makes you want to cr}- to see them.''

  She pulled the watch out again and let it slide back. "I think God gives them that happiness, Candy," she said. ''He gives it to all of them, whether they were born blind, or whether, like Tony, they were blinded after they had had vision for a long time. Perhaps to make up to them for their blindness, God puts into their souls the abihty to be happy."

  Candy's mother came in with the soup and then went out to fix some sandwiches. Candy picked up the spoon and slowly began to stir the soup around and around.

  Mrs. Morton went on, her voice low and sweet. Candy had never heard a voice like hers. You had to listen to what she said. And no matter what you thought before, her voice made you change your mind.

  "Candy, sometimes it takes a blind person a long time to find the happiness that God has given him. And while he searches for it he is hurt, and bitter, and resentful. He hates everything and everybody. He is full of blame and sorrow."

  She stopped for a little while. Candy kept on slowly stirring the soup.

  "Many, many children have come to us. Candy. And because they were blind they were savage with the pain and hurt of it. Especially those who had once been able to see."

  Mrs. Morton laid her hands do\Ti on the table, palms up. Her voice was ver)^ low as she said, "And we made them happy. Candy. We showed them how to find what God had given them."

  Very, very carefully Candy stopped stirring the soup and

  put the spoon dowTi so that it wouldn't dick against the plate.

  Outside the room she could hear the wind across the Bay. She could hear some children yelling, and the dry sound of roller skates on the sidewalk. Then, far, far away she heard a train blowing.

  But in the room there didn't seem to be a single sound.

  Mrs. Morton said quietly, ''Candy, will you bring Tony to me?"

  Candy was whispering as she said, "What will you do?"

  "Talk to him. That's all."

  "Will you make him go if he doesn't want to?"

  "No, Candy. We have no authority to make people go. But we can't have blind children vagrant on the streets."

  "What's Vagrant'?" Candy asked.

  "No home. No money. No one to care for them."

  "If somebody took care of Tony and gave him money, would he be vagrant?"

  "No. And we would be happy for him if he had a real home and proper care and love and education. That is what we want for all the blind children in the world."

  Candy picked up the spoon. "I'll tell him, Mrs. Morton."

  "Will you bring him to me, Candy?"

  "I'll tell him what you said. And I'll ask him to come. But I won't make him."

  "No, don't do that. But when you tell him. Candy, remember this. Tony is blind. He is too young to have learned to make his way alone in the world. One of the most frightening things that I know is the world's unkindness to the blind. I can't tell you. Candy, how terrible life will be for Tony if he isn't trained now to fight his way through it."

  "I'll tell him," Candy said, whispering.

  "Tell him that, after a while, he'll be happy with us. Candy. Make him believe that. Will you?"

  "I'll tell him," Candy said.

  CHAPTER

  16

  Moonlight came through her window and mad
e a long pale rectangle on the floor. She could see it again reflected from her mirror. When the wind blew the curtains, the moonlight moved like silver water.

  The courthouse clock struck eleven times and yet Candy was not sleepy. She had changed the sheets on her bed that morning, and the pillowcase, and they felt fresh and smooth now. She had taken a bath and washed the salt out of her hair and she had put on the pale blue silk nightgown she had gotten for her birthday.

  Candy twisted around in her bed so that she could see the moon through the window. For a long time she lay watching it, and then she got up and went to the window and looked out across the Bay. The big boats had their riding lights lit and they swayed in little curves like fireflies tied to strings. The Faraway's tall mast stuck up against the sky, swaying, and her white hull glistened.

  Beyond the light from Front Street the Bay faded into the wide ocean which went away, gray and endless under the moon.

  Candy could not see the low islands, but she knew where they were and looked toward them.

  She remembered her bed—the fresh linen. She felt the cool silk of her nightgown and the stuff she had used to wash her hair which had left a faint, good smell.

  Ml

  She wondered what Tony was sleeping on. Maybe Dr. Daniels had helped him get some of the palm leaves. If he cut the big stem out of them, they wouldn't be so hard to sleep on. He could pile a lot of them on some soft sand and make hollows for his hips and shoulders.

  Candy kept thinking about that word '"vagrant." She had asked her father what it meant, and he said that it could mean either that a person was always wandering around not doing much, or it could mean that a person was a burden on the public. That the other people had to take care of him.

  That was the way Tony was, Candy at last admitted to herself. He was a vagrant, wandering around, and being a public burden. And Mrs. Morton had said that they didn't allow blind people to be that way.

  Candy went over and sat down on the edge of her bed. If Tony had some money, she thought, then he could pay for the things people did for him. He could go to Mr. Stinson and not have to beg him to give him things. Like the time Chuck Magruder saw Tony begging Mr. Stinson to give him some apples that weren't much good any more.