"Glad to hear that," returned Thomas. The man passed him, walking as
if he were vainly trying to straighten himself at every step. He held
his knees stiff and threw his elbows back, but his back still curved
pitifully, although it seemed as if he were half cheating himself
into the belief that he was walking as straight as other men.
Thomas walked on rapidly, lessening the distance between himself and
Barney. As he went on he began to have a curious fancy, which he
could hardly persuade himself was a fancy. It seemed to him that
Barney Thayer was walking like the man whom he had just met, that his
back had that same terrible curve.
Thomas Payne stared in strange bewilderment at Barney's back. "It
can't be that he has spine disease, that he has got hurt in any way,"
he thought to himself. The purpose with which he had started out
rather paled in his mind. He walked more rapidly. It certainly seemed
to him that Barney's back was bent. He got within hailing distance
and called out.
"Hallo!" cried Thomas Payne.
Barney turned around, and it seemed as if he turned with the feeble,
crooked motion of the other man. He saw Thomas Payne, and his face
was ghastly white, but he stood still and waited.
"How are you?" Thomas said, gruffly, as he came up.
"How are you, Thomas?" returned Barney. He looked at Thomas with a
dogged expectancy.
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