Four Quarters Volume 8 Article 1 Number 4 Four Quarters: May 1959 Vol. VIII, No. 4 5-1959 Four Quarters: May 1959 Vol. VIII, No. 4 Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.lasalle.edu/fourquarters Recommended Citation (1959) "Four Quarters: May 1959 Vol. VIII, No. 4," Four Quarters: Vol. 8 : No. 4 , Article 1. Available at: http://digitalcommons.lasalle.edu/fourquarters/vol8/iss4/1 This Complete Issue is brought to you for free and open access by the University Publications at La Salle University Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Four Quarters by an authorized editor of La Salle University Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. four ffnarters The Elevator Key • Page 1 A Short Story by Marion Montgomery The "New St. John's" and The Meaning of Orientation • Page 11 An Article by Ade Bethune No Balm in Gilead • Page 17 A Story by Robert A. Wiggins too A Caveat Against Realism • Page 24 Kammn An Article by Brother F. Joseph, F.S.C. The Star Maker • Page 30 A Story by E. J. Neely "S3 Good Friday • Page 35 A Poem by Dolores Kendrick Colloquy for Our Time • Page 37 A Poem by Paul Ramsey, Jr. The Terrible Tower Unlocked • Page 39 S»r» An Article by Sister M. Bernetta Quinn, O.S.F. Poetry Geoffrey Johnson, Page 8 • August Derleth, Page 16 Od • Genevieve K. Stephens, Page 23 • Reverend Ray' mond Roseliep, Page 29. t»u Art Mary the Immaculate Queen of the Universe by Ivan Mestrovic, Page 9 • The "New St. John's" by Marcel Breuer, Page 10 • U. S. Pavilion by Edward D. Stone, Page 36 • Beth Sholom Synagogue by Frank Lloyd 15 Wright, Page 36. ad May, 1939 vol. VIII, no. 4 • fifty cents The Elevator Key • Marion Montgomery HRST night Billy Olm- directions, but he made off again in THEstead went in on tlie graveyam the direction she pointed. Up the shift he felt mighty lost. He elevator one floor he came onto rows joined the crowd of people streaming of machinery that must be spinners. through the double iron gates past There was more quiet here. The the night w^atchman and looked des- motors hummed and the cotton rop- perately for some sign that would ing fed through the rollers to be point him the way to Number 2 twisted and twirled onto the spin- Spinning Room. But he didn't see ning bobbins. The travellers speed- any. He followed part of the crowd ing round and round the spool, up wide, creaking stairs and came guiding the soft thread onto the bob- out near a canteen, a counter w^here bins in smooth rings, made a solid a man and two women were busy circle of light handing out crackers, stale sand- A man came along the alley by w^iches, and soft drinks. The hum the wall. "This Number 2 Spinning of the strange machinery drowned Room? " Billy asked. " Billy's voice as he tried to get direc- "Yeah. What you want? tions from the man at the counter. "W^here can 1 hnd the overseer? "What? " boomed the man. I'm supposed to come to work to- " "Number 2 Spinning Room? night." Billy shrilled back at him. "I'm him and you're late. I don t The man leaned across the stand for nobody coming in late,' counter, looking in the direction he the man said gruffly. "Come on.' was pointing, shouting his directions The man led the way along the and w^aving his hand to mark the alley formed by the long row of invisible passagew^ays. The work spinning machinery and the wall of whistle blasted out the hour, and the building. At the far end of the most of the mans words were lost, spinning room he whistled shrilly but Billy hurried off in the direction to a man who was busy at a vise. the man had pointed. The people The man came over wiping his who had been standing in clusters hands on a rag. ' either made their ^vay to their ma- "This here is the new sweeper, chines or made their \vay toward the overseer said. With that he the doors and gates, depending on turned and walked back the way whether they had been waiting the he had come. starting or quitting whistle. The man wiping his hands mo- Billy suddenly found himself in tioned Billy to follow. They walked the hot damp weaveshop where along the ends of the frames, look- shuttles were batting from side to ing down the na^ro^v passages the side across the huge frames. His rows of spinning machiners' made. ears could not hear the woman's It looked a mile down some of them. 1 Four Quarters In each of tlie alleys Billy could see pressing the plow handles tow^ard women working. each other or pulling them apart, The man who had been working Rogers made an open wedge of the at the vise was looking for someone, runners to catch the rolls of lint that and in the next to the last alley he collected in the alleys and under the found him. He whistled as the over- edges of the frames. Rogers showed seer had done, and just as Billy him how the broom worked. He ran caught up with him another man down one alley, deftly scooping out came out of the alley. the lint from the edges of the t%vo "Rogers, this here's the new frames, gliding past the feet of the sweeper," said the man, still wiping busy spinners with a skill that at the grease on his hands. ' Show proved long practice. W^hen he got him what to do." Then he turned back to where Billy had been stand- on his heel and went Dack to the ing watching him, he gave the work bench and the vise. brooms a shove. They slid along "Sure. Sure will," said the man the well-oiled floor toward Billy, who had come out of the alley. He sw^erved, and tumbled over. was dressed in loose overalls, and "There you are. boy. Bout every his red shirt w^as dirty and wet. His two hours you need to go all over. full face and low heavy frame that Once a night you take this broom carried two hundred pounds made and go poking the cotton out from him look something like a stuffed under there w^here you can't reach toad. The two hundred pounds, w^ith this running broom." He though not pure fat. weren't muscle handed Billy what looked like a either. He leered at Billy. small kitchen broom. "Then come "I'm mighty glad to see you," he morning before you quit, you sack said. "I'd ave had to sweep tonight up all the crop of cotton you got if you hadn't of come. You ever stored up and take it to the waste plowed? " He asked. room. That's one thing about this "When I was a boy," said Billy. kind of plowing: you don't have to He had been seventeen two weeks. \vait long to get you a crop." When you w^as a boy! " Rogers Rogers walked over to the section looked at Billy. Billy weighed right hand at the vise. Billy followed him, at ninety-five pounds and he came dragging the broom. "I've done a little taller than Rogers' shoulder. showed this here boy how to plow W^hen you was a boy," Rogers these alleys. W^hat you want me said again and hawhawed in Billy's to do tonight?" face. "W^ell, come on, boy, and "Rest, " said the section hand let me show you a new kind of without looking up. plowing. "RestI " shouted Rogers. "Rest? He led the "way to an empty You mean you're gonna let this here wooden box across w^hich w^as boy do my job and you ain't gonna " sprawled a plow-like contraption. let me dolph or lay up roping? The alley-brooms had two runners "Rest, " said the section hand. which slid along on strips of canvas "Be damn if that's so, " said woven with short "wires to catch and Rogers. He turned and glowered at hold the cotton waste. It really did Billy. Then he snatched back the look like a plow when Rogers set broom. it up on its runners before Billy. By "If you don't watch out," said the The Elevator Key section hand, "the boss is gonna fire I don't have some tomfool sweeper you. He's had enough o[ your laying coming along tearing them down, out when you're needed and your much less when I do. Watch out " general sorriness on the job. You where you push tfiem damn brooms. don't straighten out, he's gonna fire Billy didn't remember ever hear- you." ing a woman cuss like that before. "You gonna let this here httle "Yes, mam, " he said and pushed his snotnose work and me rest? ' he broom on down the alley as slowly asked threateningly. Billy's face as possible. He went slow for the turned red. He stood there awk- rest of the night. It got so he could wardly. squeeze past the spinners in the nar- "You're gonna rest tonight, Rog- row alleys without hitting their feet ers, " said the section hand. "Now with his broom and without brush- get out before they close the gates.