Kornblatt Fullscreen Midnight Altar (1952)

Old Charlie kept roaring:

"The hell with your breadlines!

I'm talking about atomic bombs.

Right—up—there!" And he pointed at the Moon.

It was a nice night, but the liquor was dying in me.

There was a joint around the corner, so I went in and had a drink to carry me to the club; I had a bottle there.

I got into the first cab that came.

"Athletic Club," I said.

"Inna dawghouse, harh?" the driver said, and he gave me a big personality smile.

I didn't say anything and he started the car.

He was right, of course.

I was in everybody's doghouse. Some day I'd scare hell out of Tom and Lise by going home and showing them what their daddy looked like.

Down at the Institute, I was in the doghouse.

"Oh, dear," everybody at the Institute said to everybody,

"I'm sure I don't know what ails the man.

A lovely wife and two lovely grown children and she had to tell him 'either you go or I go.'

And drinking!

And this is rather subtle, but it's a well-known fact that neurotics seek out low company to compensate for their guilt feelings.

The places he frequents.

Doctor Francis Bowman, the man who made space flight a reality.

The man who put the Bomb Base on the Moon!

Really, I'm sure I don't know what ails him."

The hell with them all.