Bullet Park   ::   Cheever John

"Welcome to Christ's Church," the priest wasexclaiming. "Welcome to Bullet Park. Father Frisbee did write to me about you." Father Frisbee had probably not gone into their finances, but Father Ransome, at a glance; guessed them to be good for at least five hundred a year; although he had experienced many disappointments. The Follansbees, for instance, who kept saddle horses and went to Europe every summer, dropped a dollar into the plate whenever they came to church and let it go at that. On top of this they very likely claimed a tax exemption of a thousand. Live and learn. "Mr. and Mrs. Hammer," he said, "may I present your neighbor Mr. Nailles." He laughed.

The look they exchanged was deeply curious and in some ways hostile. The stranger evidently anticipated the unwanted union that the sameness of their names would enforce in such a place. Nailles, who detested genealogy, crests, idle investigations into the elegance of time gone, spoke from a conflict of feeling when he said: "Our name used to be de Noailles."

"I've never looked into the history of our name," said the stranger. He could have beeri unfriendly. He took his wife's arm and left the church.

"Tell me," the priest asked Nailles, "what's happened about Tony and the confirmation class."

"He's playing varsity basketball," said Nailles quite loudly. The Hammers were still within hearing. "He's the only member of his form on the varsity squad and I hate to ask him to give it up."

"Oh well," said Father Ransome, "the bishop will come again in the spring but I suppose he'll be playing baseball then."

"I'm afraid you're right," said Nailles, yielding his place to Mrs. Trencham, who hinted at a curtsy and would probably have kissed the priest's ring had he worn one, but his fingers were bare.

Driving away from church Nailles turned on his windshield wiper although the rain had let up. The reason for this was that (at the time of which I'm writing) society had become so automative and nomadic that nomadic signals or means of communication had been established by the use of headlights, parking lights, signal lights and windshield wipers. The evening paper described the issues involved and the suitable signals. Hang the child murderer. (Headlights.) Reduce the state income tax. (Parking lights.) Abolish the secret police. (Emergency signal.) The diocesan bishop had suggested that churchgoers turn on their windshield wipers to communicate their faith in the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. He drove on through a neighborhood where all the houses stood on acre or half-acre lots. All the houses were white.