A Place to Live

It was a hundred and ten in the shade when I arrived in Flagstaff. The dust was thick around your ankles and the sun was blinding. I got off the bus and stood in the middle of the street trying to decide which way to go. A taxi driver stuck his head out of his window and asked, "Where to. Mister?"

I had no answer for him, so he offered to take me to Mrs. Johnson's, a small house in the old part of the city. Mrs. Johnson's husband had died in the war and her children had moved off to other cities. She rented rooms to single men and was very particular about whom she let stay in her house. Being a graduate of the Police Academy and a new employee on the police force in Flagstaff, I had no trouble getting a room. Mrs. Johnson was pleased to have me "protecting her from them," as she said. She seemed to define 'them' as any unsavory element with designs on her property or life. Termites fell into this category, and I would spend the first weekend spraying under the house with

insecticide.

Luck was with me: I had been in town only an afternoon, and I had already found a place to live. When I went to work the next morning, I knew my luck had changed. The other officers were all suspicious of the outsider from New York. They thought that their own honor was at stake. They thought I was going to come in and show them how to run a police station. They had to make sure that I understood that they already knew how to run a police station. I had no argument with that. I was new, very new, to the profession. I had everything to learn.

Questions about the Story

1. What was the temperature in Flagstaff when Dwight arrived?

2. Where did the taxi driver take Dwight?

3. How had Mrs. Johnson's husband died?

4. Why did Mrs. Johnson rent Dwight a room?

5. How did the other officers feel about Dwight?

Directions: Read the passage and fill in each blank with an appropriate preposition. (Not all of the prepositions have been deleted.) Some blanks may use more than one word.

The Chief

My chief was very old-fashioned. He dressed ______ a uniform rather than in plainclothes as

we did during our training. But at least he let me wear what I wanted to wear. He was very conserva­tive and did not like the officers ______ his force to have opinions that differed ____his.

As I was waiting to meet him ______ the first time, I could hear the voice ______ a

hysterical woman coming ______ the thin walls:

"But, Chief Hutch, I know it was no accident.. .none of them were, sir."

"Well, we have no proof, Mrs. Munsing, and we don't work here on suppositions and guesses, you know. We have to have facts in order to act."

"Yes, I know, sir, but I think that if you would just ask some questions..."

"Thank you, Mrs. Munsing, we'll get someone on it _____. you. Thank you very much

______ coming in here today and sharing your concerns ______ us." He showed her

_______ the door, and as he passed me, he stopped and looked _______ my white shirt and

tie. A smile crossed his face. "We're in Flagstaff, Detective Smith, not on Fifth Avenue. You're going to get pretty hot ______ that neck choker."

"Yes, sir."

"Now, Mrs. Munsing, you just go on back ______ Mr. Fitch's house, and my advice to you

is not to mention that you came down here to see me."

"Oh, I wouldn 't, sir. I wouMn 't. And I don'(want you to tell anyone that I came here. I might lose my job."

After she left he stared ______ the door for a few minutes before turning ______ me.

"Crazy old woman," he muttered __ his breath. "Come ____ me."

He led me down a long corridor that had pictures ______ criminals pasted ______ the

walls. We passed office ______office and finally emerged _______ a long room without

windows that had five desks. One ______ the desks was empty. He pointed ______ it.

"That's yours." He then turned and walked out ______ the room.

I opened all my desk drawers and found them full of bits and pieces ______ paper and ends

pencils. There was dust ______ top of the desk which stood in the very middle

_______ the room. I could hear everything that anyone said _______ all sides of me. Which

wasn't much since everyone was trying hard to ignore me. I laughed to myself when I considered the reason ______ their coldness. In New York people looked down ______ me because I came from a poor area ______ the city. Here they look down on me because I come ______the richest city in the world. J opened the Manual for Officers that I found _______ the desk drawer but before I could start it a sergeant came in and told me the chief wanted to see me ______ his office ______ the double.

Date: 2015-01-29; view: 3502