GREAT

SHORT
STORIES
OF
THE
\7ORLD
 THE LEADEROF
THE PEOPLE
JOHN STENBECK/UN TED STAIES

,U STt'-j,^*,..1^
On Serunor.r ArrERNooN Bitly Buck, th€ ranch hand, taked
t,rgetherrhe lastof rhe old year'shaystackand pitchedsmallforkfuls
,rverrhe wire fencero a few mildly interestedcecde.High in the air
'rn.rll cloudsliLe pufrsof cannonsmokeweredriveneastwatdby rhe
rlrrch q'ind. The wind could be heardr'lr/:ing in rhe brushon rhe
r,lge crests,but no breathof ir penermted down into the ranchcup.
'fhe
lirtle boy,Jody,emergedftom the hous€eatinge thick piece
,n burreredbread.He sawBilly working on the lasrof the haystack.
J,rly rrampeddown scufing his shoesin a way he hrd been told
$.rsdescructive to good shoelearher.A flock of whire pigeonsflew
,r r of the black<ypress treeasJody passed, and circiedthe treeand
Lrt,lc<1 again.A half'gtown tortoiseshell cat leap€dfrom rhe bunk-
l,,,rrscporch, gallopedon stiff legs acrossthe road, whirled and
p,rllpcd backagain.Jodv pickedup a stoneto helpthe gamealong,
l,rrt hc wasroo late,for the ctr wasunderthe porchbeforethe stone
,,'rr bc discharged. He threw the ston€ into rhe cypresstree and
ir,llrcll rhe whire pigeonson anorherwhitling fight.
Arriving at the used-uphaystack,the boy leanedagainstthe
lr,rrl'crl"wire fencc."\7ill that be all of it, do you rhink?" he esked.
l l'c middle-aged ranchhand sroppedhis carefulrakingand stuck
lrr lork into thc ground. He took off his black hat and smoothed
,1"\'rr his hair. "Nothing lefr of it that isnt soggl from ground
rrr,,rrrrrrc," hc said.He replacedhis hat and rubbedhis dry leathery
It,trrhtrlqcthcr.
''( )utqlr(to bc plcnty
mice,"Jody suggested.
TH! lEADlR OF THr PlOPLE/John Stcinb{!

'Just crawlingwith mice."

"Lousy with them," saidBilly. bave had that no dog had ever caught a squirel
by digging in a
"VeIl, maybe,when you g€t all through, I could call the dogs
and hunt the mice." Suddenly,whileJody watched,the black dog
stifened, and backed
"Sure, I guessyou could," said Billy Buck. He lifted a forkful of gut of rhe hole and lookedup thc bill
cowardrhe cterrin rhe ridse
the damp ground hay and threw it into the air. Instandy three mice -r1 camechrough.Jody tookedup roo. ro,
'"g"in.. a mo.ei,
Xr::.:1.
lerped out and burowed frantically under the bay again. C,rrl Tiflin on iorseba.t .to"oa 6* the pele sl<yand then he
nucc poved.dowtr the road toward the hotrse.
Jody sighed with satisfaction.Those plump, sleek,arrogent He carri.d _-.,hir;;;;
sere doomed. For eight months they had lived and multiplied in !h his hand.
rhe hrvstack. They had been immune from cats, from tmPs, ftom The boy stafted his feer. 'He s gor a le(er...Jody cried.
,ro_ He
poison, and from Jody. They had grown smug in thcir security, j::1,.],:,1To cheranch]rouse.ror rheterrervouid probabry
overbeatingand fat. Now the time of disasterhad come; they vtould reedaloud and he wanted to be there.He reach.J;;il;;;;;
not sultive anotherdaY. rl He hbatdcarl dismountfromhiscreaking
Billy looked up at the top of the hills that suffoundedthe rench. : and slap the horse on the side to send i,
"fji:fj;_ll'": ,. ;. ;;r;;;;;:
liMaybe vou better ask yout father before you do it," he suggested' would unsaddleit and turn ir out.
''\Vcll,wherci. bei I ll a<khim noe.'
Jody ran.irro rhe kitchen. 'we gor a lerterl..he cried.
"He rod€ up to the ridge ianch aft€r dinner. II€'[ be back Pretty lookedup from r pan of beans...tyho
ha.i..
A. _-o,no
"father has.I sawir in his hand,,
he'd care"
Jody slumpedagainstthe fencePost-"I don't think Carlsrrodeinro the kir(henrhen.and
Jody.smorherasked,
.,Who.s
As Billy went back to his vork he said ominously, "You'd b€tter : tcfter kom, Carl?..
asl him anyway.You know how he is." He ftowned quickty. "How did you know there
was a letter?,,
Jody did know. His father, Carl Tiflin, insisted upon giving Per- She nodded her head ir the boy's direction. ,,Big,Britches
Jody
mission for anything thet was done on the fanch, wherher it vras
important or not. Jody saggedfarther against the Post until he wes Jody was ernbarassed.
sirting on the ground. He Iooked up at the little Puf,sof li'ind-&iven down at him contemptuously. .,He is getting
l{t"
bcat.n": !*.d ..He,s
cloud. "Is it like to (ain, Bily?" Big-Britches,,,
Carl said. miniing everybodytb-usinesl
"It mighr. The wind's good for it, but not strongmough-" his big noscinro everyrhrng...
:.H.:y.c:,
"Well, I hoPe it don't rain until after I kill those dxrnn mice" a.litrre hehesn
r enoushro keephim
He looked over his shoulder to seewhether Billy had noticed the I"J,l.:-:l.l:t
. lfho's the letter from?,'.,.welt.
mature profanity. Billy worked on without comment. Carl srill frowoedon Jody...I Il keephim buj)
rt he isn.tcareful.,.
the roed from , seelrdlerter. ,I guessir.s from
Jody turned back and looked at the side hill v,rherc ::"L::j tour farher...
the outside world cxme down. The hill v,raswashedwith lean March frim herheadrnd (lir opcnrheflap.
sunshine-Silverthistles,blue Iupins and a few poppiesbloomedamong lllly look,a.hrirpin.
]lrc-rIIpspu rscd udiciously.
., Jody saw hcr eyessnapbackand forrh
the sagebushes.Halfway up the hillJody could seeDoubletreeMutt, says.'.
shetranslared. .,he
:,",-1.
ltl",Hc sa1"he.sgorngfo dri!e
the blacl dog, digging in a squirrelhole. He paddledfor a while ! saturdayro srayfor e lirdc while. Vhy, rhis
is Satu"rdal.
The
and then pausedto kick burstsof dirt out berweenhis hind legs,
luo T."': havc bccn dclaycd."sl,.i..t J'.,',i. i"r,_"ril';.rni!
and he dug wnh en earncsrness which ltlic<l thc knowledgehc must llts mailcd day bcforc ycstcrday. It should havc bcco here yesterday.,;
TH! LlADlR O! THE PIO?IE /John Seitbe'k

her face darkened thc occan.He Iives tight by the oceen where he had to stop."
She looked questioningly at her husband, and then
you for? He doesn'r lhc had caughtCarl, caughthim and entangledhim in her so{t
angrily. "Now -hat haoe you got that look on
rrl'vc sccnhim," he egreedquietly."He goesdown and staresoff
stern with
Carl turned his eyes awey from het anger' He could be ovcr the ocean."His voice sharp€neda lirtle. "And then he goes
arose' he
her most of the time, but when occasionallyher temper lo thc HorseshoeCIub in Pacific Grove, end he tells peoplehow
could not combat it lndiansdrovc of the horses."
"What\ the matter with you?" she demaddedagain lhc tricd to catch him again. "\Fell, it's everything to him. You
might
ln his erpl;narion rherewrs a rone of ePologyJody hirnself
ili, jusr (har he ralks."Carl said lamelv '.)u'r talk" " t bc patient with him and pretend to listcn."
haue,.rsed.
Crrl turnedimpatientlyaway."$/ell, ifit getstoo bad,I canalways
"vell. what of it? You talk yourselt" down to thc bunkhouscand sir with Billv." he saidiritablv. He
thing "
"Sure I do. But your fathet only talks about one
"Indians and crossing the kcd throueh the houseand slammedthe front doot after him.
"Indians!" Jody broke in excitcdly
olainsl
' Jody ran to his chores.He dumped the grain to the chick€ns
' Go out chasingany of them. He gatheted the eggs from the nes$.
Crrl ,urned fierce\ on hrm. You 8et out' Mr' Big-Brircbes:
troticd inro rhe housewith the wood and intedacedit so carefully
on, nowl Get outl" tha woodbox that rwo armloads seemed to Eli it ro ovedlowinq.
2nd clos€d the screen with
Jody we.tt miserably out the blck door Hh mothcr had finishedthe beansby now. Shestired up the fue
downcast
.lr'borarequ;erne.r.Undcr the kirchen window hi'shamed'
slone of sucb fascination brushcdof the stove top with a turkey wing. Jody peered
evesfell upon a curiously shapedsrone. a usly at her to secwhetheranv mncor toward him rcmained
it over in his
that he sqoatted down and picked it up and turned hc coming rodavl"Jody asked.
hands. t's what his lerter said."
The voices came clearly to him thlough the oPen'Justkitchen q'indow'
''lJ: lndiansand b< I berrerwalk up the road to meet him."
ar-' well right; he hcardhi" farhersay
the horsesgot Tifin clangedthe stovelid shut. "Thet would be nic€," she
.looine ,l't. plains. ive hexd rhat "rory abour how
"of, he "Hc'd probablyIike to be met."
driven about a thousand times- He just goes on znd oo, and
I gucssI'll jusr do it then."
never chenges a word in the things h€ tells'"
.J{/hen frrs. Tiflin answered her tone was so changed that Jody'
tsidc,Jodywhistledshtilly ro the dogs."Comeon up the hill,"
Her voice aommandcd. The two dogswavedtheit tailsand ran aherd.Along
outside the window, looked uP from his study of the stone
fordsidc thc sagchad tender new tips. Jody tor€ off somepieces
h"d b..o.. soft and explanatory. Jody knew how her face would
it this rubb€dthem on his handsuntil the air wasfi1ledwith the sharp
have changed to match;he tone. She said quietly, "look-at trncll. \Vith a rush the dogsleapcdfrom the road and yapped
led a wagon
way, Catl.ihat was the big thing in my father's life He thc brush afcera rabbit.That wes the lest Todvsaw of them.
finished'
train clear acrossthe Plains ro the coast,and when it was trhcn rhcv failcd ro catchrhe rabbit.thev went backhomc.
long
his life was done lt was a big thing to do, but it didn'r lasr ploddcdon up chchill cowatdthe ridgctop.\7hen he teached
to do
enough. look!" she continued, "it\ as though he wes born llrdc clcftwhcrcrhc roadcamethtough,the afternoonwind struck
for him
that, and after he finished it, there wasn't anyrhing morc
any farrhcr tnd blcw tp his hlir and rufled his shirt. He lookeddown on
to do but think about ir and talk about it lf thcre'd been llttlc hillsand ridgcsbckrwrnd thenour at the hugegreenSalinas
rt lxst therc
west to go, he'd hlvc gonc Hc's roltl mc sr hirrsclf Rui
THE LEADER OF TH! PEO?U/John Steinb{k

slowly in welcome,and he called, "Why, Jodyl Come down to meet

VaIIey. He could seethe white town of Salinasfar out in the flat
end the fash of its windows under the waring sufl. Direcdy below
him, in an oak tre€, a crow congresshad convened The tre€ wes Jody sidled nearand turned and matchedhis srepto the old man\
step and stifened his body and dtagged his heelsa little. ,,Yes,sir,,,
black with crows all cawing at once.
he said. "\Fe gor your letter only today."
Then Jody's eyesfollowed the wegon road down from the ridge
"Should have been here yesterday,"said Grandfather.,,It cerrainly
where he stood, and lost it behind a hill, and Picked it uP again on
should. How are all the folks?"
the other side. On that distant stretch he saw a cart slowly Pulled
by a bay horse.It disappearedbehind .he hill. Jody sat down on thc "They'rc 6Jle,sir." He hesitatedand then suggestedshyly, ,.$trould
you like to come on a mouse hunt romoffow, sir?',
ground and watch€d the Placewhere the cart would reappear'The
"Mouse hunt, Jody?" Gtandfather chuckled. ,.Have the peopleof
wind sang on the hilltops and the puftball clou& hurried eesrward.
rhisgenerationcomedown ro hunring mice?Theyareo\ u.r1 tirong,
Then the cart cameinto sight and stoPpcd.A man dressedin black
the new peoplg but I hardly thought mice would be gamefor them.,,
drsmountedfrom the seatand walked to the horse'sheld Although
it was so far away,Jody knew he had uohooked the checkrein,for "1.{o, sir- Ir's just play. The haystack,sgone. I,m going to drive
the horse'sheaddroppedforward. The horsemoved on, and the man out tbe mice to the dogs. And you can watch, ot wen beat tbe hay
a little."
walkedslowly up the hill besideit.Jody gavea gled cry and ran down
The stEm,merry eyesturned down on him. "I see.You don\ eat
the road towetd them. The squirrelsbumped along of the road, and
them, rhen, You heven't come to that yet."
e roadrunner flirted its tail and racedovet the edge of the hill and
sailedout like a glider. Jody explained,"The dogs eat them, sir. It wouldn,t bc much like
hunting Indians, I guess."
Jody tried to leap into the middle of his shedow at every steP. "No, not much-but then later, srhenthe troopswere hunting
A stonerollcdunderhir foot rnd he wcnr down.Arounda litrle
Indiars and shooting chil&en and burning teep€es,i. wasnl much
bend he raced,and therc, a short ihsianceahead,vterehis grxndfathcr
diferent from your mousc hunt."
and the cart. The boy &opped from his unseemly running and
They topped the rise and started down into the ranch cup, and
approachedat a dignif,ed walk.
lost the sun from thcir shoulders. ,'You,ve qrown.,' Grandfather
The horseptoddedstumble-footedlyuP the hill and the old man
walked besideit. In the lowering sun thcir gianr shadowsAickeftd "Nearly an inch, I shouldsay."
datkly behind them.The grandfatherwas&essedin a blackbroaddoth "Morq" Jody boasred."Wh€re they marL me on the door, I,m
more than an inch since Thenksgiving even.,,
suit and he wore kid congressgaitcrsand a bleck tie on a shoft, hard
Grandfather's rich throaty voice said, ,'Maybe you,re gerting too
collar. He caried his black slouch hat in his hxfld. His white beard
water and turning to pith and stalk. \Oait until you head out,
was cropped close and his white eyebrowsoverhung his cyes like
then we'll see."
mustaches.The blue eyeswere stemly merry. About the whole face
and figure there was a granite dignity, so that every morion secmed Jody looked quickly into the old man's face ro see v/hether his
feelings should be hurt, but there was no will to injure, no punishing
an impossiblething. Once at rcst, it seemedthe old man would be
putting in'your-place
lighr in the kecnblueeyes."\7e might kill
stone,would nevetmoveagain.His stePswereslow and certain.Once
pig," Jody suggesrcd.
mede,no stepcould everbe retraced;once headedin a direction, the
path would neverbend nor the paceincrcasenor slow. "Oh, nol I couldnl lct you do rhat. You're iust humoring me.
It isn'r tire timc and you know ir."
\fhen Jody appeered eroundthe bcnd,Grandfrthcrwavcdhis hat

t:
 /John steinb(L
TH! LEADERoF TH! PEOPLT
"You koow Riley, the big boa.r,sir?"
"Yes. I tememberRiley well."
"Vell, Riley at€ a hole ioto .hat samehaystack,end it fell down
on him and smotheredhim."
"Pigs do that lrhen they can," said Grandfather
"Riley was a flice pig, for a boar, sir. I rcde him somecimes,and
he didn't mind."
A door slammedat the house below thcm, rnd they sawJody's
mother standiog on the Porch waving her aPron in $relcome And
they sas/ Carl Tidin walking uP from the barn to be at the house
for the erriv-al.The sun had disappeared from the hills by now. The
blue smokefrom the housechimrrcyhung in flet jayersi$ the PurPling
ranch cup. The puffball clouds, dropped by the falling wind, hung
listlessly in the sky.
Billy Buck cameout of the bunkhouseand flung a washbasinof
soapywater on the ground. He had been shaving in midwe&, for
Billy held Grandfatherin reverence,and Grandfathcr said that Billy
was one of the few men of the new Senerationwho hed not gone
soft. Although Billy was in middle age,Grandfathercoosideredhim
a boy, No.i. Billy was hurrying tov,/ardthe house too.
lifhen
Jody and Grandfather anived, the thr€e *'eie waiting for
them in front of the yard gate.
Carl said, "Hello, sir. \tre've beenlooking for you."
Mrs. Tifin kissedGrandfathcr on the side of his beard,end stood
still while his big hand patted her shoulder. Billy shook hands sol-
emnly,grinning underhis strawmustache.
"I'll put up your horse," said Billy, and he led the rig away
Grandfathetwatchedhim go, and thcn, turning brcl to the group,
he said as he had said a hundred times beforc, 'oThcre'sa good boy-
I knew his father, old Mule-tail Buck. I never kncs. I'hy theJ called
him Mule-tail excepthe packedmules."
Mrs. Tiflin turned and led the way into the house."How long
are you going to stay, Father?Your letter didn't say."
"\fell, I don't kno.r'- I thought I'd sta{ rbout ts'o weeks.But
I neverstayas long as I think I'n going to."
In a shortwhile theyweresiftingat the white oilclothtableearing
their supper.The lamp with the dn reflector hung over the trble.
Outside rhe dining-room windows thc big moths battered softly
lgainst the gless.
Grandfathercut his srexkinto tiny piecesand chev.edsiowly. ,,1,m
hungry," he said."Driving out heregot rny appetitc up. lt,s like when
ve were cossing. \7e xll got so hungry evety night we could hardly
tvait to let rhc meat get done.I could sit about 6ve pounds ofbufalo
"It's moving around docsit," seid Billy. ,,My fath€r wasa govern,
packer. I helpd him when I was a kid. Just th€ two of us
clean up a dcer's ham."
"I knew your father, Billy," said Grandfather..,A frne men he was.
celledhim Mule-tail Buck. I don't know why excepthe packed
r"That was it," Billy agreed."He packedmules.,,
Grandfather put down his knife and fotk and looked around the
"I remembcrone timc we ran out of meal-,, His voicedroooed
g cutious low sirgsong, droppedinto a tonal groove th€ story had
for itsell '"Ihere wasno buffalo, no antelope,not evenrabbits.
hunters couldn't even shoot a coyote, That was th€ time fot
lcadcr to be on the watch. I was th€ leader, and I kept my eyes
. Know why? VelI, just the mirute the peoplebcganto get
iry they'd start slaughtedngthe team oxen. Do you believethat2
hcard of panics ther iust ate up their draft cattle. Srated fiom
middlc and worked.towardrhe ends.Finallythey,deet the lead
, tnd rhcn rhe wheelers. The leaderof a prrry had ro keeprhem
!n doiogthat."
:ln somcmannera big moth got into the room andcircledthe
kcrosenelamp. Billy got up and tricd to clap it between
lrrnds.Crrl struckwith a cuppedpalm and caughtthe moth and
it. Hc walked to the window and dropped it out.
'tAs I wassaying,"Grandfatherbegan
again,but Carl interupted
. "You'd bcrrcrcat somemorc meat.All rhe rest of us areready
our PuddinF.'Iodv <rwa flashof inger ;^ \:( mo,her'reyec.
Gnndfathcr pickcd up his knife and fork.,,I'rn pretty hungry,
rlght," hc said."l'll rclLyou rbour rhar iater_,'
 r | | r ! ' " | 1 , , r:,, , !i i r , , r
\Vhcn suppcf w,rso!cf, wlic,, rlx. l,,nril\'lrd IJilll iJu(k srr rn
front of drc fircplacejn rhc orbcr toonr, Jody .rnxnruslr s'.rtchcd
Gundfathcr. Hc saw thc signs he knew. Thc be,rrdedherd leaned
t'brward; the eycs losr their stcrnnessand lookcd rvonderingly inro
drc frre; che big lern fingcn laced themselveson the black knees "I
wonder,' hc bcgan. 'I just wonder whcrher I ever rold you how those
thicling Piutes drove off tlilty'ive of our horses."
"I think you did," Carl inrerrupred. "Vrsn't ir just before 1ou
v/enr up inro rhc Tahoe counrry?"
Grandfather rurned guickly to\\'rrd his son in law "Thar: righr.
I guess I must have told rou rhar story."
"Lots of iimes," Crl said cruelly, and he avoided his wife\ eres.
Bur he felt drc angry qes on him, and he said, "'Coune I'd like
to hear it again."
Grandfather looked brck at the fire. His hngers unlacedand laced
agxin. Jody knev how he felt, hoq. his insides lere collapsedand
ernpty. Hadn\ Jody been called a Big-Britches thet very afternoon2
He arose ro he.oism and opened himself ro rh€ term Big Brirches
igain. "Tcll abour Indians," hc said sofrll.
Grandfather's eyesgrew srern again. "Boys alv'ays rvant to hear
about Indians. lt {'as r job for men, bur bovs *'anr ro hcar abour
it. \(/e11,let's see.Did I eler tell you how I n'anred erch wagon to
carry a lofig iron plate?"
Ivery.ooe bur Jody remained silenr.
Jody srid, "No. You didn\."
"\(rcll, wher the Indixns ..rrr,r(kcd,\ve always pur the *,agons in
x circle and lbught from bets'een rhe wheels.I rhought thar if elery
s'agon carried',rlong ptate nith rifle holes, rhe men could srand rhe
plares on the outside of the wheels i'hen the $,agonswere in rhe
circleand they would be protected It would savelives and that q'ouftl
make up for thc exoa *-eighr of the iron. But of courserhe partl
wouldn'c do it. No p?rtr had donc it before and rhev couldni see
why tbey should go to the e:rpense.They lived ro regrer it, roo.':
Jody looked ar his morher, and knew from her expressionrhacshe
was not ljsrening ar all. Carl picked er a callus on hn thumb and
Billv Iluck watchcd i spider crxs,ling up rh. \rall.
18
(;fxndfr(1,cr'storx rlrrlrltl inr(' i{s r:rffirri!c8rx)vc i'g.rin.Jody
kncn in :rdv,rnrcc\xuh wl,r( w,',,Is w,,LrlillLll. fhe storv droned
on, spccdcdup f!,f rl)c xrt:rck.grrrv s.rd ovcr the wounds, struck a
dirge at thc buri:rLson thc grc.rt pL,rins.Jodi" sat quiedy wxcching
crandfathef. Thc stcrn blue eyeswcre detached.He looked as though
he sere nor very intercsredin rhe story himsell.
\{/hen ir e'as linished, when the pausf had bcen politely respectect
as the trontier of the srory, Billy Buck stood up and srretchedand
hirched his trousers."I guessI'll turn in," he said. Thcn he ficed
Grandfather "I've got an old powder horn and a cap-and-ballpistol
down to the bunkhousc. Did I el'er show rhem to you?"
Grandfarhernodded slo*-ly. "Yes, I think ,vou did, Billy. Remnrds
me o{ a pistoi I had nhen I was lerding rhe peoplc xcross." Bjlly
sroodpolitelr until the litde story was done. and then he said,"Good
night," and lveflr out of thc house.
Carl Tillin tried to turn the conversadonthen. "How's the country
berweenhere and Monterey? I've beard it's pretty dry."
"Ic is drr,' said GrandfatheL."Theie's not a dfop of water in thc
Lxguna Seca.But ir's a long pull from'87. The nhole country was
po*'dcr then. and in 6L I believe all rhe coyotes starved to death.
Ve had lifreen inches of rain this year.''
"Yes, bur ir all cxme too err1y. \(e could do with some nos,."
Carl: ete fell on Jod,v."Hadn't you better be gerting ro bed?"
Jodr stood up obedienrh. "Can I kill rbe mjce in rhe old hay
steck,si.?"
"Mice? Ohl Surc, kiil rhem all ol1. Billy said thcrc isn't any Sood
hay left."
Jodr exchangeda secretand satisfyinglook *'ich Gr,rndfarher."I'11
kill every onc he promised.
Jodr lar in his bed rnd rhought of lhe imPossibleworld of Indians
rnd bul{aloes,a world rhar hrd ceasedto bc forever. Hc wished he
|outd have been living in the heroic time, but he knev he was not
of heroic timber. No one living now, savepossibly Billy Buck, was
worthr to do rhe rhings rhxt had been done. A race of giants had
lived rhen, ferrLessmen. men of i staunchnessunknown in this dry.
.Jodv thoughr of the wide plains and of the rvagonsmoving across
19
THr LEADTR
OI THEPlOPLE/John
S€inb(k
like centipedes. He thought of Grandfather on a huge white horse,
marshaling the people. Across his rnind marched the greet pbantoms,
and rhey marched off rhe eanh and rhcy were gone.
He came brck to the Ianch for a moment, rhen. He heard the
dull rushing sound that space and silence make. He heard one of
rhe dogs, out io the doghouse, sdatching a flea and bumping his
elbow against the floor with ev€ry stroke. Then the wind arose again
and the black cypress groaned and Jody went to sleep.
He was up half an hour before the triangle sounded for breakfast.
His mothe! was rattliDg the stove to make the flames roar when Jody
srent through the kitchen. "You're up early," she sxid. "Sfhere arc
you goiDg?"
"Out to get a good stick. \re'rc going to kill the mice roday."
"Vho is 'we'?"
"\(hy, Grandfather and L"
"So you've got him in it. You always like to have someone in
with you in casethere's blame to share."
"l'11 be righr back," seid Jody. "I iust *'ent to have e good stick
rs.l" f^. 'frF. hraLf..r " Mrs. Tiflin turned on him. ,,Don,t do that, Cedl pleesedont!',
He closedthe screendoor after him and went out inro the cool
blue morning. The birds were noisy in the dawn and rhe ranch cxts
came down from the hill like blunt snakes.They had been hunting
gophers in the dark, and although rhe fouI cats were full of gopher
meat, they sat in a semicircleat the back door and mewedpiteously
for milk. DoubletreeMutt and Smashermovedsniffng aloog the edge
of the brush, performing the duty q'ith rigid ceremony,but when
Jody whistled, their heads jerked up and their tails *aved. They
plunged down to him, wriggling rheir sLinsand yawning.Jody patted
their headsseriously,and moved on to the weatheredsclap pilc. He
select€dan old broom handle and e short piece of inch-squerescrap
wood. From his poclet he took a shoelace and tied the endsof the
sticks loosely together to maLea flail- He whistled his new weapon
through the air and struck the ground experimentally,while the dogs
leapedasideand whined with apprehension.
Jody turned and starteddown past the housetoward the old
haystackground to look over tbe field of slaughter,but Billy Buck,
zo
titling patientlyon rhe backsteps,calledto him, .,you beter come
bcck.It's or y e coupleof minutestill breakfast.',
Jody changedhis courseand movedtowardrhe house.He leaned
hir dail againstthe steps...Thar,sto drive rtre mlce our.,, he said.
"l'll.bct rheytc hr. I tl bet chel don.t knoe whars going co happen
lo thcm today."
(No, ,,norme, nor
nor you either,"Billy rematkedphilosophically,
anyonc."
Jody was staggeredby this thoughr. He knew ir was true. His
lmgginarionrwitchedawayfrom the mousehunt. Then his mothet
a ncouron rhebackporchandstruckrhe rriangle. andall thoughts
Gll in r heap.
Grandfatherhadnl appearedat the table when they satdown. Billy
ttoddcdet his empty chair.,,He,sall rightz He isn,t sick2,,
"Hc takcsa long time ro dress,,'saidMrs. Tifiin. ,.He combshis
?bilkcrs and rubs up his shoesand brusheshis clothes.,,
Cd scarrcred sugaron his mush.,.A man that,sled a waeonffain
o$ thc plainshrs got ro be pretry carefulhow he dres"er...
tc was morc of rhreacrhan of requot in her ronc. And rhe rhre.lr
lrtcd Carl.
"Vcll, how m n y do I have to
ro listen
llsten to the
the stotv of
ot the
the
I Plitcs.and rhc chirry-fivehorse..Thrr rimes done.Vht can.r
forgct ir, now ii's done?,'Hegrew anglierwhile he talked,and
voicc rosc."Vhy doeshe haveto rell them over and ovet?He
le r.ross rhc plains.All rightt Now it,s finishcd.Nobody wants
hctr about it over and over.,,
Thc door into rhe kitch€nclosedsoftly.The four ar thc tablesat
, Carl laid his mush spoonon the tebleand touchedhis chin
his 6ngcrs.
Thcn tlrc kitchcn door openedend cmndfather waikedin. His
utl smilcdriShrlyand his eyesweresquinred.,,Goodmorning,,,
mkl, und hc sar down and lookedat his mush dish_
Clrl rould not lcavcir chere..,Did-did you heir what I said?,,
Grlntllitlrcr jcrkcd a little nod.
r'l rhnt know whir
8(x in() mc, sir.I didn,rmeanit. I wasjust
,
TH! !E-{D!R Or THE PIOPLE/John SEinb(k
being funny." Jody glanced in shameet his mother, and he sa$rthat
she was looking at Carl, and that she wasn't brearhing. lt was an
awful thing rhat he was doing. He was tearing himself ro pieces to
ralk like rhat. lt was x rerrible thing to him to retract a word, but
to retract it in shamewas infinitely worse.
Grandfather looked sidewise."I'm rrying to get righr side up,"
he said gently. "I'm not being mad. I don't mind what you said,
bur it might be tme, and I would mind that."
"It isn't true," said CarL "I'm not feeling *'ell this morning- I'm
sorry I said it."
"Don1 be sorry, Carl. An old man doesn't seethings sometimes.
Maybe you're right. The crossing is finished. Maybe it should be
forgotten, now ith done."
Carl goc up from the table. "l've had enough to eat. I'm going
ro work. Take your time, Billyl" He walked quickly out ofthe dining
room. Billy gulped the rest of his food and followed soon after. But
Jody could not leave his chair.
"\tron1 you tell any more srories?"Jody asked.
"\,'hy, sure I'll tell them, bDt onl,l when-l'm sure people waflt
to hear them."
"I like to hear them, sir."
"Ohl Of courseyou do, but you're a lirtie boy. It was a job for
men, but only little boys like to hear about it."
Jody got up from his place. "I'II wait ourside for you, sir. I've
got a good stick for those mice."
He waired by the gate until the oid man came out on rhe Porch-
"Ler\ go down and kill the mice now," Jody called.
"I think l'11 just sit in the sun, Jodv. You go kill the mice."
"You can use my stick if you like."
"No, I'll just sit here a while."
Jody turned disconsolatelyaway,and walked down tovard the old
haystack.He tried to whip up his enrhusiasmwith thoughrs of the
fet juiq' mice. He beat rhe ground with his flail. The dogs coaxed
and whined ebout him, b\rt he could nor go. Back at rhe house he
could see Grandfather sitting on the porch, Jooking small and thin
and black.
Jody gave up and went to sit on the srepsat the old mant feet.
"llack alrerdy? Did you kilt the mice?',
"No, sir. I'll kill rhem some other day.',
'I
hc morning flic. buzzedclo.e ro rhe ground and rhe anrsd,rshcd
.1",,1,.:"j'"", of tnc The h<.ly :mclt of.age slippeddown
"tcp..
tlrc hill. The porch boardsgrew warm in the sunshine.
.rrxly hardly knew when Grandfather starredto talk. ,,I shouldn'r
[t hcre, f€eling the way I do.,, He examined his strong old hands.
"l lcd rs.rhough the crossingwasn,r vr'orth doing.,,HiJeyes moved
rl, rhc side hill and sroppedon a motionlesshawk perchedon a dead
l[nl) "l rell those old srories,bur rhey,re nor what I want ro tell.
I only know how I v{ant people to feel when I rell rhem.
"lr w:lsn'r Indians rhar were important, nor adventures,nor
even
lrlrrg our here.It was a whole bunch of people made inro on€ big
trlwli f, bcmr. And I was rhe head_It was westering and westering.
l(w,ry mrrn wanted something for himself, but the big beastthat wis
lll ol rlrcm wanred only westering. I was the leader,but if I hadn,t
nrnr rl)cfc, someoneelse would have been rhe head. The thing had
l0 hivc I hc"d
"l Lxlcl rhc lirtle bushesthe shadowswere black at whice noooda),.
V|crr wc srw tlre moLrnceins at lasr, we cried all of us. But it wasn,t
Itifig lrcfc rhxt mattered, ir was movement and wesrering.
"\(/c r:rnicd life out here and ser it down the way those
ants carry
r . A r r r l I w . r : r h e l c a d e r . ' t h ew e , r e r i n gs a , a . b i g J , c o d .
and
\ft'w \rcl\ rhrr mrde rhe movemcnrpilcd up;nd pilcd up unril
r,rrrincnt was crossed.
"llrcrr wc carnedowo ro the sex,and ir was done.,'He stopped
I wi1'crl his cyes untit rhe rims were red. ,,ThaCsx.het I sh;ld
trllin,i insrcld of srories,'
Wlrlrr .frrly spkc. Grandfather srarted and looked down at him
rrhc LrxrH lcr<l rhe peoplc someday,,'Jody said.
'llrt
,,l,l rn:rrrsmilcd.,,Thcre,s.. p1".. ;" go..l.here,sthe
'11(rr',.r ocean
rt"l. v,'u l i n e o t o l d m e n r l o n g r h c . h o r c h a r i n gr h c
I r!1.''r\. \',,l1ltcrtrhcm '
I n r i A h r ,s i f '
',' 1r,, l(xlI livcrt |h(c is rrkcn. But thar's ntx the
MR. KNOWALI/ \0 Sonc$t ll1ughm

Yokohama), but I should have looked upon it with less dismay

worst-no, not the wolst- \gesrcdng has died out of the PeoPle. if
my fellow passengedsname had been Smith or Brown.
\(estering isn't a hunger anymore.Its all done. Your father is right-
SThenI went on boardI found Mr. Kelada\ luggagealreadybelow.
It is finished." He lecedhis fingerson his knee and looked at them.
I did not like the look of it; rhere were too many labels on the
Jody felt very sad."lf you'd like a glassof lemonadeI could make suircases. and the wardroberrunk wastoo big. He h;d unpackedhis
it for you."
toilet things, and I observedthat he was a patron of thi excellent
Grandfatherwasabout to refuse,and then he sav/Jody'sAcc. "That
MonsieurCory; for I saw on the washingstandhis scenr,his hair
would be oice," he said."Yes, it would be nice to ddnk e lemonade."
washand his brilliantine. Mr. Kelada,sbrushes,cbony with his mono_
. Jody ran into the kitchen where his morher was wiping the last
gram in gold. would havebeenall rbe betrerlor a c.rub. I did nor
of the breakfastdishes."Can I have e lemoo to make a lemonade
ar,,al1 M-. Kclada.I mademy way inro the smoking room. I
for Grandfeth€r?" lile
cdled,for pa(k of ctudsand beganro phy paricnce.I had
His mothermimicked-"And anotherlemon to makea lemonade " scarcely
startect.bcJorc e man cameup to me and a.ked me if he wasrighi
for you."
in thinking my namewasso-and-so.
"No, ma'am.I don't want one,"
'Jody! You're sickl" Then she stoppedsuddenly. '"lake a lemon "I am Mr. Keleda," he added,with a smiie chet shov{eda rov,
of flashiog teeth, and sat down.
out of the cooler," shesaid softly. "Here, I ll reachthe squeezerdown
"Oh. yes.we'rc \haring I cabin.I rhink...
"Bit of luck, I call it. you never know who you,re going to be
t in with. I was jolly glad when I heard you wcre Enslish. I,m
for us English sticking rogetherwhen we,re abroad,if yiu under-
rd YrhatI mean."
I blinked. 'Are you English?', I asked,perhapstaclessly.
MR. KNO\V-ALL "Rather.You don'r think I look like an American,do you?British
W SOMEFSET BRTAIN
MAUGNAM/GREAT
thc backbonqthar,swh* I am.,,
To prove ic, Mr. Kelada took out of his pocket a passportand
ily waved it under my nose.
King Georgehasmany srtangesubjects.Ifr. Kelida was short and
a sturdy build, dean-shavenand darkskinned,with a fleshy,hooked
to dislike Max Kela& even before I kncw him. r and,vcry largg lustrous and liquid eyes.His long black hair was
I * ,
"uu"*uo
jusr and curly.He spoLewith a fluencyin which rhercwasnothins
The wat had finished and the passengertraffc in the oceafigoing
ish and hisgesrures wereexuberanr. I felr prcrn surcrharr closci
liners was healy. Accommodatiot vrasvery hard to get and you had
:ction of that British passport would have betrayed the fact that
to put up with whet€ver the egmts chos€to ofFcryou. You could
Kelada was born r:nder a bluer sky than i: gener,rlll <ecn in
not hope for a cabin to you6elf and I was rhenkirl to be gil.en ooe
in which there were only tv/o befths.Bur when I wes told the name
of my companioDmy heart sank. It suggestedclosedporrholesand "rvhar will you havc?',hc askedme.
I lookedat him doubcfully.prohibicionwas in force and to all
the night air rigidly excluded.It was bad enoughto sharca cabin
nccs (hc ship was boncdry. \tghen I am not thirsty I do not
for fourteendayswith anyone(I wasgoing from SanFranciscoto

24
MR. KNO!t'At!/!(/ Soncbet Maughaf,
know which I dislike more, ginger ale or lemon squash. But Mr.
Kelada fashed en od€ntal smile at me.
"\Fhislq tnd soda or a dry maftini, you have only to saythe word,"
From each of his hip pockets he fished a f,ask and laid them on
the table befor€ me. I chose th€ martini, and calling the steward he
ordered a tumbler of ice and a couPle of glasses.
"A very good cocktail," I said.
"lwell, there are plenty more where that came from, and if you've
got any friends on board, you tell them you've got a Pal who's got
all the liquor in the world."
Mr. Kelada was chatty. He talked of New York and San Francisco
He discussedplays, picrures, and Politics. He wes Patdotic. The Union
Jack is ao impressive Piece of draPery, but when it is flourished by
a gendeman from Alexandria or Beirut, I cannot but feel ahat it loses
somewhzt in digniry. Mr. Kelada was familiar. I do not wish to Put
on airs, but I cannot helP feeling that it is s€emly in a total stranger
to put rnister beforc my name when he addressesme- Mr. Kelad2,
doubtless to s€t me at my edse, used no such formality. I did not
like Mr. Kelada. I had Put aside the cards when he sat down, but
now, thinking that for this first occasion our conversation hed lelted
long enough, I went on with my Same
"Th€ three on the four," said Mr. K€lada.
There is nothing more exasperating when you ere Playing Patience
than to be told 1flhere to put the card you have turned up before
you have had e chanc€ to look for yourself
"lCs coming out, it's coming out," he cried- "The ten on the
knave." \rith nge and hatred in my heart I6rished. Then he seized
the pack.
"Do you like card trick?"
"No, I hate card tricks," I answered.
"\a/ell, l'll just show you this one."
He show€d me three. Then I said I would go down to the dining
room and get my sear at table.
"Oh, that's all right," he said. "l've alrerdy taken a sert for you
I rhought that as we were in the same stateroom we might just as
well sir at the same table."
26
I did not tike Mr. Kelada.
I not only shareda cabinwich him and ate threemealsa dav at
thc samerrble.bur I couldnot r,:lk roundthe deckwithout his
joining me. It vrasimpossibleto snubhim. It nevcroccuffed
to him
thit hc wes not wanted. He was certain that you were as glad ro
nt3. h: was to seeyou. In your own house you might have
:T. I
klckcd him downstairsand slammedthe door in his facelithout
lhc suspicion&wning on him that he was not e wclcohe visiror.
Hc wasa good mixer.rnd in thrcedrys knewereryoneon board He
nn cvcryrh;ng.He managedrhe sweeps.conductedrhe auction",
Collccrcd moneyForpriTes rr rhe5p6r.r.,o, uOruoir andgolfmarche",
Ol8lnrzcdrhe conccrrand arrangedrhe fznry dressbJL Hc wrs
'vcrywhc.eand ?lways.He was tenein\ thc besr-harcd man in rhe
lhip. \ge (allcd him Mr. Know Ali. even ro his face.He took ir as
compliment. But it was at mealtimesthat he was mosr intolerable.
thc better paft of an hour then he had us at his melcy. He was
ty, jovial. loquaciousrnd argumenrrrivc.He knew ererything
tcr then anybody els€,.endit was aa afront to his over-weening
rry rnar you shoutd di\rgrec $irh him. He would not droo a
bjcct,howcverunimportani,till he had brought you .ou.rd .o hi,
ty of rhinking. The possibilitythar he could be mistakennever
fcd to him. He was thc chap who knew_ \fe sat at the
doctor,s
l, Mr. Kelada would certainly have had ir all his own way, for
doctor wzs lazy and I was frigidly indifferent, excepcfor e
man
rd Rnmsaywho sat therealso.He wasas dogmaricasMr. Kelada
rcrcntcdbirtcrlythc Levanrine',co,kureness. Thediscussions rhe!
wcrc icrimoniousand interminable.
'Rlns:ry
wrs in the Americen Consular Servlce,and was stetioned
Xobc. Hc.was a grear heary fellow from the Middle Vest, with
c fiu-undera tighr skin, and he bulged our ol his ready_made
hca,Hc was on his way back to resumehis posr, having b€en
lt tlyinll visirto New York to fetchhis wife,who ir"a feensptaing
y$r ,lt homc. Mrs. Ramsaywas x very pretty little thing, witi
t m,rnnc and a scnscof humor. The Consulat Serviceis ill
{n(l shcw:rsdrcsscdalwaysvery simply;but sheknew how ro
hcr c|rthcs.Shclchicvcd:rncflectof quiet distinction.I should
27
MR. KNOV-ALL/V Sondsct M.uSbtn
not have Paid any Particular att€ntion to het but thit sheposscssed
a quality ;hat may be common enough in womcn, but nowadaysis
noi obuio,:t in their demeanor.You could not look at her without
being sttuck by her modesty.It shoneirr her like a flower on a coat'
One evening at dioner the conversationby cbancedrifted to the
subiect of pearis.There hed been in the PaPersa good deal of talk
abo,.rtthe cultured pearlswhich the cunning JaPanesewerc making'
analthe doctor remark€dthat they must inevitably diminish the valuc
ofreal ones-They werevery good already;they would soonbe Perfect'
Mr. Kelada. es was his habit, rushed the new toPic He told us all
rhr( was (o be known about Pearlsl do not believeRamsayknew
anvthins about them at all, but he could not resist the oPPoffufllty
to'hle1 flng ar the Lrvantine. rnd in 6veminureswe werein the
middle of a herred argument- I had seenMr. I(ela& vehemcntand
volublebefore,bur neverso volubleand vchemenras now At last
something that Ramsaysaid srung him, for he thumped the table
and shouted:
"\feII, I ought to know what I am talLing about l'm gotng to
lapaniusrto look inro thlsJapanese Pearlbusincsslminrhetradc
^nd ,h"r., no, , man in it qho won r tell /ou that wb't I sayabout
pearlsgoes.I know all the best Pearlsin the world, xnd what I doo't
know about Pearlsisn\ s/orth knowing."
Here was newsfor us, for Mr. Kelada,with all his loquacity, had
nevertold anyonewhat his businesswas \tre only knew vaguelythat
he wasgoinS'to JaPanon somecommercizlerand He looked round
the table triumphantly
like
"They'il nevir be able to get a cultured pearl that an exPeft
me can't tell with half an eye." Hc Pointed to a necklace thxt M$'
Ramsaywor€. "You take my word for it' Mrl Ramsay,that necklace
you're
' w€aJiogwill never be wotrh a cent lessthan it is now "
Mrs. Ramsayin her modest way flushed a little ard slipped the
oecklaceinside her dress Ramsayleanedforward He gave us all a
look, and a smile llickered in his eyes.
'Thacs a Dr€thrnecklaceof Mrs. Ramsay's,isnt it?"
"l noticedit at once,"answered Mr. Kelada."Gee'I saidto mys€lf'
thoseare Pearls,all ri8ht."
2fl
, r'I didn't buy it myself, of course.I,d be interestedto knovr how
.chyou think it cost."
"Oh, in the trade somewhereround frfteen chousanddollars. Bur
was bought on lifth Avenue I shouldn,r be surpdsed to hear
enything up to thiffy thousand was paid for it.,,
.msay smiled grirnly.
fou'll be sulprised to hear that l4rs_ R"msaybought that string
departmentstore the day beforewe left New york, for eighteen
. It's not only real,bur it's as 6ne a srringfor its sizeasI,ve
seen."
you b€t on it? I'll bet you a hundreddollarsiCsimhation.,,
Elmer,you cen't bet on a certainry,',saidMrs. Ramsay.She
a litde smile on her lips and her rone was gently deprecating
t Il If I grr a chmce of ea.y moneylike rhar I shouldbe
lorts of a fool not to take it."
t how can it be proved?"she continued.,,lCsonly my vrord
Mr. Kelada's."
mc look ar the necklace,and if it,s imiration l,ll tell you
enough. I can af,ord ro lose a hundred dollars,,, said Mr.
it off, dear. let rhe gentleman look at it as much as he
, Ramsayhesitateda moment. She put her hands to the clasp.
..n1 undo it," shesaid."Mr. Keladawill just haveto takemy
for it."
had a suddensuspicionthat somethingunforrunatewas about
, but I could think of nothing to say.
iumped up. "I'll undo it."
handed thc nccklace to Mr. Kelada. The levantine took r
ing glassfrom his pocketand closelyexaminedit. A smile
mph sprcadoverhis smoorhand swarthyface.He handedback
. Hc was about ro speak.Suddcnlyhe caughtsight of
Ramsey'sfacc.[t was so whirc thar she lookedas thoueh she
MR. KNOV -4rtl \q. Soncsd Maughm
vere about to faint. She was stating at him with wide and terrif,ed
eyes. They held a desperete appeal; it was so clear that I vtondercd
why her husband did not see it.
Mt. Kelada stoPPcd with his mouth oPen. Hc flushed deeply You
could almost nr the effott he was makng over himseli
"1 was mistaken,"he said."It's a very good imitation, but of course
a5 soon as I looked through my glass I saw th?t it waso't rerl l
thinl eight€en dollars is iust about as much as the dzrnned thing's
He took out his pocketbook and from it a hundred'dollar flote.
He handed it to Ramsaywithout a word.
"Perhaps that'll tetch you not to be so cocklurc another time' my
young friend," said Ramsay as he took the note.
I noticed that Mr' Kelada's hands werc trembling_
The story sPread over the shiP as stories do, and he had to put
up with a good deal of chaf, that evening. It was a 6ne joke that
Mr. Know-All had been caught out. But Mrs. Ramsay rctired to her
statetoom with a herdache.
Next morning I got up and begn to shave. Mr' Kelada lay on
his bed smoking a cigarett€. Suddenly there was a small scraping sound
and I saw a letter pushed under the door. I opened thc door and
looled out. Thete was nobody there l Picked uP the letter end saw
that it wes addressedto Max Kelada The name was wdtten in block
lettcrs. I handed it to him.
"\(ho's this from?" He oPenedit. "Oh!"
He took out of the envelope, not a letter, but a hundred_dol!-ar
note. He looked at me and again he reddened. He tore the enveloP€
into littl€ bits and gave them to me.
"Do you mind just throwing them out of the Ponhole?"
I did as he asked, and then I looked at him with ' smile'
"No one liLes being made to look a perfect damned fool," he seid
"\vere th€ Pearls real?"
"If I had a pretty little *'ife I shouldn't let her spend a year in
New York while I stayed at Kobe," sard he.
At that moment I did not entircly dislike Mr. Keiada. He ieached
out for his Pocketbookand carcfullyput in it the hundred-dollernote
3O
VANKA
tu
ANTONCHEKHOV/FUSSA
lrans dad by Foben Payns
rNB-yr^R-OLD Vanka Zhukov, who was apptendced rhree
months
to the shoemekcr Alyekhin, did not go t- bed on Chrisrmas
Eve.
wzited till the master and mistress and the morc senior apprenrices
gone ro thc errly service,rnd rhcn he rook a borrle Jink
and
Pfn wirh a rusr' nib from his masreis cupboard.and began ro wrire
o a crumpledsheetofpaper spreadour in fronr of him. Beforerracing
shapeof rhe 6rst lerter,hc lookcd severeltimesfearfultrin thl
:tion of rhe doors rnd windows.and rhen he gar.d ui .,r rhc
icon, fianked on either sideby shelvesfilled with cobblir,s lasrs.
then hc heavrde brokensigh. lfirh rhe paper:preadorer che
Vanke knelt on the noor besideir.
"Dear GrandfatherKonstantin Makarich,,,he wrote. ,.I am writins
ctter ro you. I wish you a Merry Chrisrmasand aJJgood rhings
the Iord God. I have no father and mother, yo., ,r.
: left." "nd "il
Venka raiscd his eyesto the dark windowpane, on which rhere
med thc reflection ofa candle fame, and in his vivid imasination
saw his grefldfarher Konrrrnrin Makarich .randing thire
His
ather was 2 nighr watchmxn on the estate of some sentlefolk
Zhiva,ryoy. ^ small.(hin. unusualy lirely and nimble old man
abour sixry-five.his fere alwayscrinkling nich laughrer.and his
s bleary hom drink. In rhe dayrime fhe old man slepr in che
vants'kirchcnot cmckedjokeswirh the cooks.At night, wrapped
en ampleshc€pskincoar,hc madcthc roundsofthe estate,shaiking
clappcr.Two dogs followcdhim with droopingheads_onewai
V,{NKA/,4.nton Chekhov
the old bitch Bro{nie, the oth€r was called Eel beceuseof his black
coat and long weesellybody. Eel alwaysseemedto be extraordinarily
respectfuland endearing,glziAg with the samefond eyeson friends
andstrangers alike;yet no onetrust€dhim. His deference andhumility
conce2leda most jesuitical malice. No one knew befter how to cleeP
behind\omeonelnd rakca nip at his le8' or how to crawl
"rcalthily
into the icehouse,or how to scamPeroff v'/ith a Peasant'schicken'
Mote than once they just about broke his hind legs, twice a noos€
was Put round his neck, and everyweek he was beatenuntil he e-as
only half alive, yet he alwaysmanagedto survive'
it thi" uery moment Grandfether was probably standing by--the
sates..crewingup hi. eles at thc brighr rcd window\ of thr villagr
ihurch..ta-pingabourin hisielr boorsand cracking 'okeswirh thr
servants.His claPPerhung from his belt' Ile would be throwing out
his arms and then hugging himself agaiostthe cold, and, hiccupping
as old men do, he would be Pioching one of the servant girls or
one of the cook.
"\ghat abouta Pinch of snuff,eh?" he would say,holding out
his snufiboxto the women.
Then the women would take a pinch and sneeze,and the old man
would be overcomewith indescdbableecstasies, Ixughing ioyouslyand
exclaimine:"Fine for frozennoses,ehl"
The do!s, too, were given snufr.Brownie would sneeze,shakeher
head,and walk awaylooking offended,while Eel' too Polite to sneeze'
only wagged his tail The werther was glodous The air was sti '
transparmtly clear,and fresh.The night was very dark, but the whole
whiti-roofed 'illage with its snowdrifts and treessilveredv'rith hoar
frost and smokestreamingfrom the chimneyscould be se€nclearlY
Tbe heavenswere sprinkled with gay, glindng stars,and the Milkl
\{ray stood out as cleariy as if it had beenwashedand scrubbedwith
snow for the holidays
Vanka sighed,dippedhis pen in the ink, and venr on wriring'
"YesterdayI $rasgiv€n a thrashing The master draggedme bv rhc
hair into the yardand gaveme a beetjngwith a stirruPstrxPbecausc
when I wasrockingthe babyin the cradle'I misfortunatcly fell rsleep
And then last weekthe mistressordered me to gur a h€rrin8, an(l
12
!a(r!!c I bcgzfl with rhe tail, she took the head of the herting and
Abbcd ir all over my face.The orh€r apprentic€smade firn oi me
l.nt nc ro thc ravernfor vodka.and made mc steal thc ma.reii
ilcumbcrs for rhem, and then the masterbeatme with the first thing
lhti ctmc to hand.And there,snothing ro ear.In the morning the!
mc brced,there is por(idge for dinner, and in the evenini onlv
ega-in.
They nevergive me tea or cabbage,oup_,t.y
loUUt.
dl up,thcmselves.-They rnakeme sleepin rhe passagewr and when
).
tlr b0by crics. t dont get any deep ar all oecauseI have ro rock
Ctrdlc.Dcar GrandFather,pleasefor God,ssaketake me aweyfrom
r, ukc mc ro the village,ir's more than I can bear.. . .
i kneel
n bcforcyou.I ll prayro Cod co keep
1ou forever.bur rrke me
' lrom herc,or I sball die..'
Vlnka grimaced.rubbcdhis eyeswi.h his blackfisrs,and sobbrd
"l'll grind yoursnufffor you." he wenron. ..I will prayro God
tccf y')u. and if I everdo anrchrngwrong. you .re flog me all
I llkc, ll you rhrnk rhercs no placefor mc. then l.ll askthe manager
( lttirt'ss:rketo let me clen boors
or rakeFcdya,place,l r
tltctd boy. Dear Grandfather,it,s more than I can bear,it
will
tltc rlqrth of me. I thought of running aweyto the village,bur
lyc['t iny boors,and I am afraidof rhe ice. lf you,lt do this for
l'll fccd you.whenI grow up, and won,t let anyonehzrm you,
tvhcn you die, I'll pray for rhe reposeof your soul, just like I
my mothcr. Pelageya.
orcow ir sucha big city. Thereareso manyhousesbelonging
so manyhorses,but no sheepany.where, and the Jogi
{c:try,
't yl(ious.
Thc boysdon,t go aboutsrirh the Starof Christmi,
lhcy rlon't lct you sing in rhe choir, and onceI sawfishhooks
ll ill')l)windowwirh-thefishinglinesfor everykind of fish,very
one, cvcn onc hook which would hold a skatefish weighing
Frrrnrls.I vc 'cen shops whi(h are jusr like che
''| nr lx'mc, rntl "elling BUns
ccch one musr co.r .r hundredrublc.. ln rhe
ilr.r'rh('l)s rl'cy havc wood.ocksand parrridgcsand h,res, br,r
F{)|lc In rhc rhrl w.11, ,.11rou wherc rhcy were .hor.
Dcrr'(irrntlfiuhcr,
whcn rbcypur up the Chrisrmas rreear rhe
hounc,ple$c rukc clowna golclcnw:rlnut for mc rnd hide it in
VANKA/Anton ChekhoY
th€ green chest. Ask the young mis$ess' Olge Ignatyevna, and say
it is for Vanka."
Vanka heaved a convulsive srgh, and once more he g'zed in the
direcrion of the window. He remembered it was Grandfather who
always went to the forest to cut down a Christmas ftee for the gentry,
rakine his grandsonwith him. Thel had a wonderful timr togethcr-
t,on"dJarherchucklcd, the frosr , rackled.and Vank2. nor to b€ out-
done, clucked away cheerfully. Before choPPing down the fir, tree,
end
crandfather would smoLe a pipe, take a long pinch of snuf,
cold- The young fu
make fun of Vanka, who Ytas shivering in the
trees, garland€d with hoerfrost, stood perfectly still, waiting to s€e
which of them would die. . Suddenly out of nowhere a hare came
springing across the snowdrifts, quick as en arrow, and Grandfather
*ould bi .tn"ble to preoent himself from shouting: "Hold him! Hold
himl Hold that bobtailed devil, ehl"
\(rhen the tree had been choPPed down, Grandfather would drag
it to the big house and they would start decorating it The young
mistress, O[a lgnatyevna, Vanka's favorite, was the busie$ of all'
\?hile Vanka\ rnother, Pelageya,was alive, serving as a chambermaid'
Olga lgnatyevna used to stuf him with sugar candy, and it amus€d
tr.r".o io.it him to reed and write, to count uP to 2 hundred, and
even to dance the quadrille. But when Pelageya died' they relcgated
the orphan Vanka to the servants' kitchen to be with his grandfather'
anal from therc he went to Moscow to th€ shoemaker Alyakhin_
"Come to me, derr Grandfather," Vanke went on "1 beseechyou
for Chrisr's srke, rake me away from here: Have Piry on me' a Poor
orphan, they are always beadng me, and I am tefiibly hufigry, and
so miserab[ I can't tell you, and I'm always crying Thc other dar
rhe master hit me on the head with a last, and I fell down and thought
I would never get uP again' It's wors€ than a dog's life, and so
miserable. I senJ greetings to Alyona, to one_eyedYegot and to tbc
coachman, anddon'cgive my harmonica away l remainyourgBndson
Ivan Zhukov. dear Grandfather, and come soon!"
Vanka twice folded the sheet of paper and then he Put it in an
for a
envelope bought the Previous day for a kopeck' He reflccted.
while,iipped"the pen in ink, and wrotc the addrcss: To Grundfathu
th Village.'f'l\en he scsrched his hcad aqd thouqht for a n hile.
I rddcd the words: Kautantin Mahaicb. plcased-bccau<e no one
ptcd him q'hen he vras writing, he threw on his cap, and
t troubling ro pur on a corr, he ran our in(o rhe sriecr in
thln slocves.
fhcn he talked ro rhe clerks in the butcher
shop the Drevious
rhcy told him rhar lerrerswere dropped in boxcs.and from rhc,e
lhay were carried all over the world on mail coaches drawn
lhrcchorsesanddrivenby drunkendriven.whilerhebellsjingled.
lkt nn to rhe nearestmailboxand rhrusrhis precjousle er inro
ior.
,n hour larer,lulled by sweetesthopes,he was fast asleep.He
nrcd of a stove. His grandratherwas sirting on rhe stove, bare
dtngling down, while he readrhe letrer aloud to the cooks.Eel
wnlkingroundrhe stove.wagginghis rail.
E HAPPY PRINCE
C q-,r u*\
'
sovE che city, on a rall column, stood the statue of the
Princc. He wes gilded all ovet with thin leavesof 6ne eold.
ty$ hc had rwo brighcsapphires,
and a largered ruby glowed
hh ilwordhik.
wns vcry much admircd indeed. ,,He is as beautiful as a
)ck," rcmarkcd one of che Tovrn Councillors who wished
n x rcpur:ttionfor havingerristic tastes;,,only not quire so
" hc rtldcd.fcaringlesrpeoplcshouldrhink him unpircrical.
hc rc;tlly wlLsnoa.
y c,tn'tyou trclikc thc HappyPrincc?',
askeda scnsible
mother
THE HAP?Y PRINC! / Oscu Wilde
of her liftle boy who was crying for the moon- "The Happy Prince
never dteams of crying for anything."
"l am glad there is someone in the world who is quite happy"'
muttercd a disaPPointed man as he Sazed at the wonderful statue'
"He looks just like an angel," said the Charity Children as they
came out ofthe cathedral in th€ir briSht scarlet cloaks and thei-r clean
white pinafores.
"How do you know?" said the Mathematical Master- "You have
never seen one."
"Ahl but we have, in our drexms," ansvrercd the children; and the
Mathematical lvlast€r frowned and looked very severc, for he did not
apptove of children &eaming.
One night there flew over the city a little Swallow. His ftiends
had gone away to EgyPt six weeks before, but he had stayed behind,
for he was in love with tbe most beeutiful Reed. He had met her
early in the sPdng es he was flying down the river after a big yellow
moth, and had been so attracted by her slender waist that he had
stoPPed to talk to her.
"Shall I love youl" said the Swaliow, vrho liked to come to the
point at once, and the Reed made him a low bow. So he flew round
and round her, touching the water with his wings, and making silver
ipples. This was his courtship, and it lasted all through the summer.
"lt is a ddiculous attachment," twiftercd the other Swallows; "she
has no money, and far too m?ny relations"; and indc€d the river was
quite full of Reeds.Then, when the autumn came they all flew a!'2y
Aftet they had gooe he felt lonely, and began to tire ofhis ladylove'
"She hes no conversation,"he said, "and I am afraid that she is a
coquette, for she is always flirting with the wind'" And certair y.
whenever the wind blew, the Reed made the most gracefill curtsies
"I admit that she is domestic," he cofltinued, "but I love tnveJing'
and my wife, consequently, should love traveling also."
"\fill you come away with me?" he said finally to her, but thc
Reed shook her head, she was so attached to her home
"You have been trifling wirh m€," he cried. "I am off to thc
Pyramids.Good-byl" and he flew away
AII day long he flew, and at nighttime he arrived ar the cit)'
tVhere shall I put up?', he said; .,I hope the town has made prepa_
Then he saw the statue on the tall column.
"I will put up there,"he cricd; ,.it is a Aneposition,with plenty
frcsh air." So hc alighredjust betweenthe feerofthe Happv itince.
"I have a golden bedroom,',he said softly to himself as Le looked
nd, end he preparedto go ro sleep; but Just as he was puttinq
headunder his wing a largedrop of water fell on him. ,.rWrhi
curious thing!" hc cried; ,,there is not a single cloud in the sky,
c starsarequjreclcerand bcighr.and1et ir is raining.Theclimaie
the north of Europe is really dreadftrl.The Reedused ro like the
but that was merely hcr selfishness.',
Then another &op fell.
"V,rhat is (he use of a sratue if it cannor Leep the rain oll?,, he
; "I must look for a good chimneypot,,'and he determinedto
aw y.
But beforehe had openedhis wings, a third drop fell, and he looked
and saw-Ah! what did he see2
The eyesof the Heppy Princewere filled with tears,and tearswere
ing down his golden checks. His face was so beautiful in the
nnlighr that the little Sv.zllow wrs filled with pity.
r'!7ho are you?" he said-
tm the Happy Prince."
"!Vhy areyou weepingthen?,' askedthe Svrallow;,'you have quite
r'When I was
alive and had a human heart,', answeredthe statue,
did not know what aearswere, for I lived in the palace of Sans_
i, where sorrow is not allowed ro enter. In the dayrimc I Dlaved
my companionsin rhe garden.and in rhe evenrneI lcd ihc
e in the Grear Hall. Round rhe garden ran a very lofty wail.
I ncver.rred ro askwhar lay berondir. everlrhing abourme
so bcautifirl.My couttierscalledme rheHappyprince,and happy
cd I was,if pleasurebe happiness.So I lived,and so I died.i;d
r thar I am dead thcy havc set me up here so high that I can
rll the uglincss and all thc miscry of my ciry, and rhough my
t is madcof lcad /cc I crnnor chooscbur wccp.,'
J7
THE EAPPY IRINCE / OPr Vildc
"Whatl is he not solid gold?" said the Swallow to himseli IIe
was too Polite to make any Personal remarLs out loud'
"Far away," continued the staruein a low musicalvoice, "fxr away
in a little street therc is a poor house. One of the windows is oPen,
and throueh it I can see a woman seatedat a table- Her face is thin
and worn, and she has coarse, red hands, all pricked by the needle,
for she is a seamstress-She is embroidering passionflowers on a srtin
rhe
sown for rhe lotchest of rhe Queen s maids of honor to wear at
"nert her litrle boy
Co.rrt ball. ln a bed in the corner of the room
is lying ill. He has a fever, and is asking for oranges His mother
ha, noihing to give him but river water, so he is crying Swallow,
Srallow, lirrlc Swallow.will you not bring her rhe ruby out of my
sword hilt/ My feet ar€ fastened to this pedestal and I cannot move "
"I am waited for in Egypt," said the Swallow- "My friends are flying
up and down the Nite, end talling to the large lotus fowers' Soon
they wili go to sleeP in the tomb of the great King. The King is
there himself in his Painted cofrn. He is wrapped in yellovt linen,
and embalmed vrith sPices. Round his neck is a chain of P2le gre€n
jade, and his hands are like withercd leaves"
you not
"Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow," said the Prince, "will
stay with me for one night, and be my messenger? The boy is so
rhirsty, and the mother so sad "
"I dont think I like boys," answered the S{'allov"'Last summer'
when I was staying on the river, rhere were two rude boys, the milleis
sons, who were always throwing stones at me. They neve( hit me,
of coursel we swallows flY far too well for that, and besides, I comc
ofa family famous for its agility; but still, it was a mark of disresPect"
But the HaPPy Pdnc€ looked so sad that rhe little Swallow was
sorry- "lt is very cold her€," he said; "but I will stay with you for
one night, and be you! messenger."
"Thank you, little Swallow," said the Prince.
So the Svrallow Picked out tbe great ruby from the Pdnce's sword
and flew away with it in his beek over the roofs of the town'
He oassedbv the cathedraltower, where the white marble angel'
were scuiptured. He Passedby the Pala.e 2nd heard the sound ol
dancing. A beaucifirlgirl came olrt on the balcony with her lovct
,JIJ
vronderlirl the stars ate," he said to her, "and how wonderful
the power of love!"
"t hopemy drcsswill bc readyin rime for rhe Srarebalt, shc
; "I have ordered passionflowers to be embroidered on it:
the s€amstresses
^rc so lazy."
He passedover the river, and saw the lanterns hanging ro the masts
the ships. He passed over the Gherto, and saw the old Jews
with each other, and weighing out money in copper scales.
t last he cameto the poor houseand looked in. The boy was tossing
ishly on his bed, and the mother had fallen asleep. she was so
In hc hopped.and Iaid rhe grearruby on the rablebesiderhe
's thimble. Then he
flew gently round the bed, fanning the
foreheadwith his wings. "How cool I fecll', said the boy, ,,I
be getting betted'; and he sank inro a delicious slumber.
Then the Swallowflew be<kro rhe Happy Prin.e.and rold him
he had done. "It is cudous," he remarLed,,'bur I feel quite
now, althoughit is so cold."
i'That is becauseyou have done
a good zction,,,said the prince.
rhe little Swallow begao ro think, and then he fell asleep.
ing alwrys made him deepy.
day broke he flew down to the river and hrd a brth. "\trhzt
phenomenon!"srid the Professor of Ornithologyashe
passingover the bridge."A swallowin winterl" And he wrote
Ietter about it to rhe local newspaper.Evcryone quored it,
full of so many words that they could not understand.
bnight I go to !gypt," said the Swallow, and he was in high
at the prospect.He visited all the public monuments, and sat
rime on top of the church steeple. !trherever he went the
chirruped, and said to each orher, "\rhat a distinguished
" so he enjoyedhimselfvery much.
rhe moon rose he flew brck (o rhe Hrppy Prince."Have
any commissionsfor E8ypt?"he cried; "I am just starring."
, Swallow,lirtle Swallow,"saidthe Prince,"will you not
with mc onc night longerl"
em waitedfor in Egl'pt," tnsweredrhe Swallow."Tomorrow
fricnds will fly up to thc SccondCxrxrxct.The rivcr hors€couches
)9
TH! HAPPY PRINCE/O{d Wilde
there among the bulrushes, and on a greet gmni'e throne sits the
God Memnon. All night long he wetches the stars,and when the
morning sta( shineshe utters one cry of joy, and then he is silent'
At nooi the yellow lions come down to the wffer's edge to drink'
They have eyes lile green beryls, and their roar is louder than the
roar of the cataract"
away across
"Swallow, Swellow, little Swallow," said the Prince, "far
the city I see a youflg man in a garret- He is leaning over a desk
coverei with papets, and in a tumbler by his side rhere is a bunch
red
of withered violets His hair is brown and crisP, and his liPs are
eyes He is trying
as a Pomegmnate, and he has large and dreamy
to 6.rish a-play for the Dircctor of the Theetre, but he is too cold
to write anymore. Therc is no fire in the gete, and hunger has made
him faint."
who
"I will wait with you one night longer," said the Swallow,
rcally had a good heart. "Shall I take bim another ruby?"
rll that
"Alasl I have no ruby now," said the Prince: "my eyesare
I have left. They are made of rare sapphires, which were brought out
of India a thousand years ago Phrck out one of them and t2ke ic
to him. He will sell it to the jes/eler'and buy 6rewood, and 6nish
his play."
and he be82n
"bear Prince," said the Swallow,"I cannot do chat";
ro weeP,
Prince, "do as I
"Swallow, Swallow, little S{'allow," said the
So the Swallow Plucked out the Prince's eye, and flew away ro
the s$dent's garret. lt was easy enough to get in, as there was 2
hole in the roof. Through this he darted, and came inro the room
The young man had his hesd buried in his hands' so he did not hear
the flutter of the bird's wings, and when he looked up he found the
berutifui sapphire lyiog on the withered violets-
from somc
"l am beginning to be aPPreciated"'hecried; "this is
haPPr'
sreat admirer. Now I can finish my play"' and he looked guite
The next day the Swallow flew down to rhe harbor' He sat on
th€ mast of a large vesseland watched the sailorshauling big ch€srs
stories of what he had
out of the hold with roPes."Heave ehoyl" tbey shoutedas eachchest
40
came up. "I am going to Eg1prl,, cried the Swaliow, but nobodv
minded. and when rhe moon rosehe flew ba.k ro the Happr prince.
"l am (ome ro bid you good-by...hecLied.
"Swallow, Swallow, litde Swallow,,' said rhe pdnce, ,.wili you
nor
srly wirh mf one nighr longcrl.'
"It is winter," answeredthe Swallow, ,.and rhe chill snow will
soon
be here. In Egypr the sun is warm on the green palm trees,
end the
<rocodiles lie in rhe mud and look laziJlabour rhem.My companions
are budding a nescin rhe Temple of Baalbec,and the pink
ani r hire
aoves.arewarchrngth€m. and cooing to eachorher. Dear prince,
I
musr leave yor. bur I will never forgct
1ou. and nexr >pring I will
bring you back rwo brru.itul ieuets in ptrcc of tho:e yot, haJe
giuen
away. The ruby shall be rcdder rhan a red rose, and the sapphire
shall
be as blue as the gre2t s€a.,,
"In rhe squarebelow,', s?id cheHappy prince, .,there standsa litrle
march girl. She has let her matchesfall in the gurter, and they
are
all spoiled.Her father will bcat her if she doesnot brins ho-e so-e
money, and she is cry.ing. She has no shoesor stockinss. and
her
Lrrle-head is barc.PIutk our my orherele. rnd gire rrio her,,nd
father will not beat her.',
"I wifl stay with you one night longer,,, said the Swa]low, .,but
cannot pluck out your €ye. you would be quire blind then_,,
"S*dlow, Swallow, little Swzllow,,, said the prince, ,,do a s I
So he plucled out the prince,s other eye, and darted down with
He swoopedprsr rhc marchgirl. and slippcdrhe jewfl inro
rhe
m.of ber hand. \yt/ha(I lorely bit ofgh..t. cried the lircle
girl:
she ran home, laughing.
Then the Swallovq came back to rhe prince. ,.you are blind now,,,
said, "so I will stay with yon always.,,
'No, litde
Swallow,,, said the poor prince, ,.you must go away
Egypr"
'I will stay
with you always,',said the Swallow, and he sl€pt ar
: Prince's feet_
All the next day he
che Prince's shoulder, and told him
srrange lxnds. He told him of the
TH! HA?PY PRINCI / Oscrr lqilde
red ibises, who staod in Iong ro{/s on the bank of th€ Nile, and
catch goldfish in their beaks; of the SPhinx, who is as old as the
world iaelf, and lives in the deseft, and knows werything; of the
merchants, who walk slowly by the side of their camels and carry
amber beads in their hands; of the King of the Mountarns of the
Moon, who is as black as ebony, and worshiPs a large crystal; of the
great greeo snake that sleePsin a prln tree, and has rwenty Priests
ro feed it with honey cakes; and of the pygmics who sail over a big
lake on large fat leaves, and are always at war with the butterflies'
"Deat little Swallow," said the Prince, "you tell mc of marvelous
things, but more marvelous than anything is the sufering of men
and of women. There is no Mystery so grert as ldisery Fly over my
ciry, little Swalow, and tell me what you see there-"
So the Swallow few over the grert ciry, and saw the rich making
merry in their beautiful houses, while the beggars werc srtting at the
gates. He few into dark lanes, and saw the white faces of starving
children looking out listlessly at the black streets. Under the archway
of a bddge two lictle boys were lyilg in one znotb€r's anns to try
rnd LeeP themselves wa-rm "How hungrywe arc!" they said "You
must not lie here," shouted the watchman, and they wandered out
into the rain.
Then he flev back and told the Prince whzt he had seen'
"l am covercd with fine gold," said the Prince, "you must takc
it off, Ieaf by leaf, and give it to my poor; che livhg always rhink
rhar gold can make rhem haPPY.'
Leaf after leaf of the frne gold the SwaIIow picked oq till the HaPPY
Prince looked quite dull and gray l*zf after Ieaf of the fine gold
he brought to rhe poor, and the children's facesgrew rosier, and ther
laughedand played in the strce. "We have bread row!" they cried
Then th€ snow came, and after the snow came the frost. Thc streets
Iooked as if they were made of silver, they were so bright and glisten_
ing; long icicles like crystal daggershung down ftom che erves ol
the houses,werybody went about in furs, and the litrle boys wotr
'carlrr ,aPsrnd on rhe ice
"krred
The poor lirtle Swallow grew colder and colder, but he would nor
leavethe Prince,he loved him too well He pickcd up crumbs outsich
42
the brker's door when the bakerwes not looking, and tried to keep
himself warm by flapping his wings.
But at last he knevythat he wasgoing to die. He had lust enouqh
s(rengthro fly up ro rhe Prince'sshoulderoncemore. Cood-by,derr
Prince!"he murmured.'wilt you ler me ki5clour hand?.
"I am glad that you are going to Egypt ar last, little Swallow,,,
the Pdrce, "you have stayed too long here; but you must kiss
on the lips, for I love you."
"lt is no. to Egypc that I am going,,, said the Swrllovr. ,,I am
ing to the House of Death. Death is the brother of Sleeo. is he
And he kissedthe Happy Princ€ on the lips, and fell down dead
his feet.
At that moment a curious crack sounded inside the statue. as if
ething had broken. The facr h that the l€aden heart had snapoed
r in two. lt ccnainly was a drerdfullv hard fro*.
Early the nexr moming the Mayor waswalking in rhe squarebelow
companywith rhe Town Councillo$. As they passedthe column
lookedup at the statue:"Dear me! how shabbythe Happyprince
!" he said.
"How shabby,indeedl" cried rhe Town Councillors.vrho alwavs
wirh the Mryor: ,nd (heywenr up ro look at it.
"The ruby has fallen out of his sword, his eyes are gone, and he
golden no longer," said the Miyor; ..in facr, he is lirtle bettcr than
LP!ggarl"
"Little better than a beggzr," said the Town Councillors.
"And here is actuxlly a dead bird ar his feet!,, continued the Mavor.
mu\r rcallyissuea proclamarionrhar birdsarenor ro be allosed
die here." And the Town Clerk made a note of the suggestion.
So they pulled down the statueof the Happy pdnce. .,As he is
longer beaucifirl he is no longer useful,', said the At proFessor
the Universiry.
Then they melted thc statue in a furnace. and the Mavor held a
ing of rhc Corponrion to decidewhrt was to be done with the
"We must havc another statue, of course,,,he said, .,and it
ll bc a statue of mysell"
41
THE OID DIMON / ttul S. Buck
"Of myself," saideachof the Town Councillors,and they quarreled-
\rhen I last heard of them they were guaffeling still.
of the worl(menat the
"$0hat a strangethingl" saidthe overseer
foundry. "This broken lead heatt $/iII not melt in the fumace- we
must throw it awey." So they threw it on a dustheaPwhere the dead
Swallow was also lying.
"Bring m€ the two most Pftcious things in the city," said God
to one of His Angels; and the Angcl brought Him the leadenh€aft
aod the deadbird.
"You haverightly chosen,"saidGod, "for in my gardenofParadise
this little bird shrll sing forevermore,and in my city ofgold thc Happy
Prin.eshallpraiseme.'
THE OLD DEMON
PEAFLS 8UCK/I]N]TEDSTAIES
? .ut S- B -.a
Oro rr.[rrs.v.aNo knew of coursethat there vrlrsa war. Everybody
had known for a long time that ther€ was war going on and that
no morc
Japanesewere kilJing Chinese. But still it was not real and
than hearsay since none of the Wangs had been killed. The Vitlagc
of Three Mile wangs on the flat banks of the YeIIow Rivcr, which
was old Mrs. \trang's clan village, had never even s€m a JaPanesL
This was how they came to be talking about JaPaneseat 2lI.
It was evening and early summer, and after hff suPPerMrs. \tran8
had ctirnbed the dike steps, as she did every day, to sec how higl)
the river had risen. She was mucb more afraid of the river than ol
the Japanese.She knew what the river would do. And one by onc
the villagershad followed her up tbe dike, and now thE stood srarin|1
down at the maliciousyellow snter, curling along like a lor ofsnakcs
44
and biting at the high dike banks. "I nevet saw it as high as this
so early," llfrs. Vang said. She sat down on a bamboo stool that
her grandson, Little Pig, had brought fot het, and spat into the warer.
"It's worse than the Japanese, this old devil ofa river,', Little pig
said recklessly.
"Fooll" Mrs \Cang said quickly. ,The dver god will hear you.
Talk about something else."
So they had gone on talking about the Japanese. . . . How, for
asLedrJ7ang,the baler, who was old Mrs. \(ang,s nephew
ice removed, would thcy knoyv the Japanesewhen they savr them?
Mrs lJflang at this point s?id positively, "You'll know them. I once
w a foreigner. He was taller than th€ eaves of my house and he
mud-colored hair and eyes the color ofz fish's eyes.Anyone who
not look like us-chfi is a Japanese."
Everybody listened to her since she was the oldest woman in the
and wherever she said setded somerhing.
Then Little Pig spokeup in his disconcerringway. .,You can't see
Grandmother. They hide up in the sky in aitplanes."
Mrs. Varg did not answerimmediately.Once shewould havesaid
itively, "I shall not believein an airplane until I seeit.,, But so
ry things h"d been rrue which shehad not believcd-the Empress.
instance, whom she had not believed dead, was dcad. The Republic.
in, she had not believed in becauseshe did not know what ir was.
still did nor know, but rhey had said for a long time there had
one. So now she merely stared quietly about the dike where
ell sat around her. It was very pleasant and cooi, and she felt
ing mattered if the river did not rise to hooo.
"I don't believe in the Japanese," she said flatly. They laughed at
e liftle, but no one spoke. Someone lit her pipe-it vras Little
wife, who was het favorite, and sh€ smoked lt. .
"Sing, Lirtle Pig!" someonecalled-
So Little Pig began to sing an old song in a high, quaveringvoice,
old Mrs. Il/ang liscened and forgot the Japrnese. The evening
beautiful.thc sky so clerr and srill that rhe willowso.erhanqinl
dike werereflccred cven in rhe muddy water.E.errrhing *;;
Thc thirty-oddhouscswhich madc up the village srreggled
45
TH! OLDDEMON/PcrnS.Buck
along beneath them. Nothing could brcak this pgzce- Aftcr all, the
Japanesewere only human beings.
"l doubt those airplanes,"she said mildly to litde Pig when he
stopped singing-
But without answering her, he went on to another song.
Year in and year out she had spent the summet evenings like this
on the dike. The firsr time she was swenteen and a bride, and her
husbrnd had shouted to her to come out of rhe house and up rhe
dike, and she had come, blushing and t{'isting her hands togerher,
to hide among the women while the men roared at her e-nd made
jokes rbout her. All the same, rhey had liked her. "A prerry piece
of meat in yotrr bowl," they had said to her husband. "Feer a trifle
big," he had answereddeprecatingly. Bur she could seehe was pleased,
and so gradually her shyness went away.
He, poor man, had been drowned in a flood when he was still
young. And it had trken her years to get him prayed out ofBuddhist
purgatory. Iinally she had grown dred ofii, what wirh rhe child and
the land all on her back, and so when rhe pdesr said coa-{ingly,
"Another ten pieces of silver and he'll be out entirely," she asked,
"\fihat's he got in there yet?"
"OnIy his right hand," the priest said, encouraging her.
Vell, then, her patience broke. Ten dollars! It would feed them
Ior the wintet. Besides, she had had to hire labor for hcr share of
repaidng the dike, too, so there would be no more floods.
"lf it's only one hand, he can pull himself out," she said funrly.
She often wondered if he had, poor silly fellow. As like as not,
she had often thought gloomily in the night, he was still lying rhere.
waiting for her to do something about it- That was the sort of man
he was. \rell, some day, perhaps, when Little Pig! wife had h2d the
lirsr baby safely and she had a Jittle extra, she might go back to 6nisb
him out of putgatory. There was no real hurry, though. . - .
"Grandmorher, you must go in," Lide Pig's wife's sofr voice said.
"There is a misr rising from the river now rhat rhe sun is gone.''
"Yes, I suppose I must," old Mrs. Irang agreed. She gazed at rhc
river e moment. That river-it was full of good and evil togerher.
It would wacer the 6elds wben it was curbed and checkcd,but then
if an inch were allowed it, it crashed through like a roaring dmgon.
That was how het husband had been swePt away-careless, he was,
about his bit of the dike. He was always going to mend it, always
going to pile more earth on top of it, and then in a night the dver
rose end broke through. He had run out of the house, and she had
dimbed on the roofwith the child and had savedherself and it while
he was drowned. Vell, rhey had pushed the river back again behind
its dikes, and it had stayed there this time. Every day she herself walked
up and down the lcngth of the dike for which the village was
responsible and examined it. The men laughed and said, "If anything
is wrcng with the dikes, Granoy will tell us."
It had never occu(ed to any of them to move the village away
from the river. The lrangs had lived there for generations, and some
bad always escapedthe floods and had fought the dver more fierc€ly
I
rhan ev.er afterward.
Little Pig suddenly stopped singing.
"The moon is comiflg upl" he cried. "That's not good. Airplanes
come out on moonligbt nights."
"Where do you learr aII this about airPlancsl" old Mrs. $fang
"Ir is tiresome to me," she added, so severely that no one
. In this silence, lexning upon the arm of Little Pig's wife, she
slowly the earthen steps which led down into the village,
her long pipe in thc othet hand as a walking stick. Behind
the villagers came down, one by oner to bed. No one moved
she did, but none steyed long after her.
And in her own bed at last, behind the blue cotton mosquito
ins which Lirtle Pig's wife hstened secudy, she fell peacefully
She had lain awal<ea little while thinking about the JaPenes€
wondering why th€y wanted to 6ght. Only very coarsePersons
If they cam€
ted wars. In her mind she sawlatge coarse.persons.
must vhcedle them, she thought, invite them to drink tea, and
in to them, reasonably-only why should they come to, peaceful
So she was not in thc lcast prcparcdfor Little Pig's wife screaming
her rhar rhcJapaneschad come. She sat up in bed mutteting, "The
ls-the tca-" ll
t(
47
TlUlOlD D!MoN / Pcdls.Buck

"Grandmother, there's no rimel', little Pig,s wife screamed. over the fieldsof ripening wheat,
and in rhe clear summery air
"They're here-they're here!" Planes!'.heeled and dafted and spar ar eacb other.
"\(zh€rc?" old Mrs. \Vang cried, now awake. \(/hen this
jt-._ jTpi:l woutdso backinto rhevilaseandsee
"In the skyl" Littie Pig's wife wailed. ,3.v".,.: l* He,e
"eandthere"a
:]^:Tlc,]-": waus;,-;;;i;il""7
They had all ruo out at that, into the clear early dawn, and gazed .-i1y1,".,*. iousef(om
up. There, like wild geeseflying in autumn, werc great bidlike shapes. i:, :*l roored(heirhere.
b,"g:.ld
Butsr,._", noi,,n,.,r.J
"But what are they?" old Mrs. Wang cried. 11, .9*. vi age.andhou.eshadbeen
jil_,]; now ir hadhappene"<
zsa,n.tsurninshoLses
And then, like a silver egg dropping, something ddfted straight ::couldseeoften.
Y.l bur nor rhis
down and fell et the fa-r end of tbe village in a feld. A fountain
a,"i"g ,,1.3; ,ht,,;g f;,,,"tJi:;
,:';_ln-:-::1.^.:o none of ir -not Jhat rhq5srh;ngi qs1s,j6,
of efith flew up, and they aII ran to see it. There was a hole thirry theystxyedup in the sky.Shesimplysat,
fbet across, as big as a pond. They were so astonished they could not il;il;;;
speak, and then, before anyone could say anything, another and O rlU: - seeone close,,' she said aloud.
-,t And at rhat moment,
another egg began to fill and everybody was running, runnio& . . . oneof thempointeds,.,aa..,ry
nverybody, that is, but Mrs. $fang- I(hen Little pig,s wife seized *l;rl":::y_:: ao*n*".a, ani,
:_T,"9.T':i,"g ,s,housh i, werc
wou"a"a.,r, rari.,ia",*,
her hand to drag her along, old Mrs. Wang pulled away and sat down pig hadpJowcd
against the bank of the dike. l.,l^11::l,i-:,. onJlyesrcrdayrorsolbcans.
thtskywas.empwe"r". ,;,j,r.; _;:;;,;il.
"I can't run," she remerk€d. "I haven'r run in seventy yeus, since '';.1.JT""'
roed rhrng on rhe grouod and
herself
before my feet were bound. You go on. Where's lirtle Pig?" She herselfcaietuuyr,o- ,r,..rrtn.
Iooked around. Litde Pig was already gone. "Like his grandfather," :::",:",.;'* Ar ner age5hc need
Shecould.shedccided.go and sceihat
ir w"s.
she remarked, "alwzys the first to run."
But little Pig's wife would not letve her, not, that is, until old
j.l tl *" pip..r..., a.i.i *,f ;; ;';i:,Ii:
T:_l_.1 l"r,n'^+
|a':-e-'l sr rness.rwo o,,h,ee dog.
Mrs. r$trang reminded her rhet ir was h€r dury. :..T:5,5:::,":-suddcn
-redrnd tottoq,ed, "iirasc
close
_crerping ro h., i" ,iJ,.;;;;:Vh.";
"If Litde Pig is dead," she said, "then it is necessatyrhat his son rhe fallcnptene.theybarkedturio,dy.
be born alive." And when the girl still hesitated, she sruck at her ::_:fwith her
i them ,,. pipe. The";;;
gently with her pipe. "Go on-go on,', she excl?imed. "Bc Auiet."shesJded, ',chere.s
rlreadvhe
-,cn norscenoughro.plir
So unwJllingly, becausenow they could scarcely her_reach orber .eers!,.
speak for the roar of the dipping planes, little Pig,s wiG went on Shc tapped the airplane.
with the others.
By now, although only a few minutes had passed, the village was
doubtrcs''
"sitver' sheadded
Merted
:T'S"tiTf:ti51'?s
in tuins and the straw roofs and wooden beams were blazing. Every-
rvhat rnadeir fly?rt
it ctosery.
body was gone. As they passed they had shrieked ar old Mn. rJTang *jr**;, ff::j:,,,.lamidns o:;,.de,
to come on, and she had called back pleasantly: T:1'd
l-j;"T,:':'':which ;.'"j ;';;;t; i;J,
ir riPped. .;; ;
"I'm coming-I'm comiDgl" :':i- :: r littlesear.
:t,:'-.'l: , nTo,'" r;;;';;' ;T,
"; g,.;fi, ff, il',;,:;
rhedogs
But she did not go. She sat quite alone watching now whar wi\ :i::
thcm againand rhcy fell
'Arc you back.
an exrmordinary specacle.For soon other planes came, from whcrc deed?'shcinquircdpoliccly.
shc did not know, but they Nrtickcd rhc 6rst ones. The sun canr. rnc youngman movcdr littlc ar hcr
voice.bur did oor spcak.

4u
TH! OlD DIMON/ Ptul S Buck

So she v,rent back to the young man. He was lying as she had
She drew nearer and peered into the hole in which he sat. His side
left him, propped against the dike, panting and very pale. He had
was bleeding.
opened his coar and he had a little bag from which he was taking
"\Foundedl" she exclaimed. She tool his wrist. It was warm, but
out strips of cloth and a bottle of something. And again he spoke,
inert, and when she let it go, it &oPPed against the side of the hole.
and again she understood nothing. Then he made signs and she saw
She stared at him. He had black hair and a dark skin like a Chinese
it was q'ater he wanted, so she took up a broken pot from one of
and srill he did nor look like a Chinese
many blown abour the srreer,and, going up the dike, she frlled it
He must be a Southerner, she thought. rtrFell, the chief thing was,
rivet water and brought ir down egain and weshedhis wound,
he was alive.
she tore of the strips hc made from the rolls of bandaging. He
"You had better come out," she remarked- "I'll put some herb
bow to put the cloth over the gaping wound and he made
plastff on your sidc."
to her, and she followed rhese signs. All the tim€ he wes trying
The young man muttered something dully.
tell her something, but she could und€rstand nothing.
"\0hat did you sayl" she asked. But he did not say it again.
"You must be ftom rhe south, sir," she said. It was easy to see
I em still quite strong, she decided after a moment. So she reeched
t he had education. He looked very clever. "I have heerd your
in end seized him about the waist and Pulled him out slowly, panting
is di{ferent from ours." She laughed a litde to put him at
a good deal. Fortunately he was r"ther a little fellow and very light'
ease,but he only staredat her somberly with dull eyes.So she
$Zhen she had him on the ground, he seemed to find his fe€t; and
he stood shakily and clung to her, and she held him uP.
brightly, "Now if I could find something for us to €at, it would
nice."
"Now if you can walk to my house," she said, "I'll s€e if it ;s
He did not answer. Indeed he iay bacL, panting still more heavily,
srarcdinro spa.cas though she had nor spoken.
Then he said something, quite clearly- She listened and cor.rld not
"You would be better with food," she went on. "And so would
understand a word of it. She pulled away from him and strred.
she added. She was beginning to feel unbeatably hungry.
"$0hat's that?" she asked.
It occurred ro her rhat in \rang, the baker's,shop there might
He pointed at the dogs. They were standing growling, their ruffs
some bread. Even if it were dusry with fallen rnortar, it would
up. Then he spoke again, and as he sPoke he crumpled to the gtound.
be bread. She would go and see. But before she went she moved
The dogs fell on him, so that sbe had to beat them of with her
soldier a little so thar he lay in the edge of shadow cast by a
hands-
ftee that slew in the bank of the dike. Then she weflt to
"Get awayl" she shouted. "Vho told;raz to kill him?"
baker's shop. The dogs were gone.
And then, when they had slunk back, she heaved him someho{'
The baker'sshop was, like everything else,in ruins. No on€ vras
onto her back; and, trembling, half carrying, half pulling him, she
At fust she saw nothing but the mass of crumpled eatthen
dragged him to the ruined village and laid him in the stleet while
But then she rememberedchat the ov€n vr'esjust inside the
she went to find her house, takiog the dogs *'ith her-
and rhe doorframe srill stood erect, supporting one end of the
He! house wts quite gone. She found the place easily enough. Tb;s
. Shestoodin this frxme,and, running her hand in undcrneath
was where it should be, opposite the water gate into the dike. Shc
fallen roof inside. she felt rhe wooden cover of the iron caldron.
had always watched that gate herself Miraculously it was not iniured
nder this rhere misht bc stcamedbread.She worked her arm deli-
now, nor was the dike broken. lt would be easyenough to rebuild
and carefullyin. It bok quitc a long time, but, even so, clouds
the house- Only, for the present, ir was gone.

tl
t0
.))
TH! OrD DIMON/ lad S.Blck
of lime and dust almost choked her. Nevertheless she v,/asright. She
sque€zed her hand under the cover 2nd felt the frrm smooth sLin
of the big steamed bread rolls, and one by one she drew out four'
"It's hard to kill an old thing like me," she remarled cheerfully
to no one, and she began to eat one of the rolls as she waiked back.
If she had a bit of garlic and a bowl of tea but one couldn't have
everything in these times.
ft was at this moment that she helrd voices. \ahen she came in
sight ofthe soldier,shesaws\rrroundidghjm a crowd of other soldiers,
who had apparenrly come from nowhere. They were sraring down
at the wounded soldier, whose eyes wer€ now closed-
"\(here did you get this Japanese, Old Mother?" thev shourcd.
"\(/hat Jepanesel"sh€ asked, coming to them-
"This onel" they shouted.
"Is he a Japanese?"she cried in th€ greatestastonishment."But
he looks like us-his eyesare black, his skin-"
'Japanesel" one of rhem shouted at her-
"\fell," she said quiedy, "he dropped our of the sky-"
"Give me that breadl" anoth€r shouted.
"Take it," she said, "ali except this one for him."
"A Jepanesemonkey eat good bread?" the soldier shouted-
"I supposehe is hungry also," old Mrs. $trang replied. She began
to dislike these men. But then, she had always disliked soldiers-
"l wish you would go away," she said."\Chat are you doing here?
Our village has always been peaceful"
"It certainly looks very peacefut now," one of the men said, grin
ning, "as peacefulasa grave.Do you know who did that, Old Motherl
The Japanesel"
"l supposeso," she agreed.Then she asked,"Why? Thacs what
I don'c understand."
"\trhy? Becauseth€y waDt our land, thaCs why!"
"Our landl" she rePeated-"'i/hy, they can't have our land!"
"Neverl" they shouted.
But all this time while chey w€re talking and chewing the br€ad
they had divided among themselves,they were watching rhe eastern
52
"\(hy do you keep looking exsr?"old M(s. \Zang now asked.
"The Japaneseare coming from rhere,,' rhe man replied who had
ttlcn the bread.
"Arc you running away from them?', she asked,surprised.
"There are only a handful of us," he said apologetically.
"Ifc were left to guatd a village-Pao An, in rhe county of-,'
"I know that village," old Mrs. Wang interrupted. .,you needn,t
mc. I was e girl there. How is the old Pao who keeps rhe tea
in the main streer?He's my brorher."
"Evcrybody is dead there," the man replied. .,The Japenesehave
it-a great army of men came with their foreign guns and tank,
whar could we do?'
"Of course,only run," she agreed.Neverthelessshe feic dazedand
So he was dead, that one bforher she had leftl She was now
lasr of her father's family.
But rhe soldierswere straggling away again leaving her alone.
"They'll be comirg, those little black dwarfs,,,they were saying.
best go on."
Ncvertheless,one lingered a moment, the one who had taken rhe
, to stare down at the young wounded man, who lay with his
shut, nor having moved at all.
"ls hc dead?"he inquired. Then, before Mrs. Wanq could answer.
pulleda shorr knife our ot his belr. 'Dead or noL. t'll ei,e hjm
Punchor two with this-"
But old Mrs. rJ/rng pushedhis arm away.
(No,
you wont," shesaidwirh authoricy..,Ifhe is dead,rhenthere
ni, usc in s€ndinghim inro purgatoryall in pieces.I am a good
tddhistmysell"
Thc man laugbcd. "Oh well, he is dead,,'he answered;and then.
his comradesalreadyar a distance,he ran after them.
A Japrnesc,w.ts he? Old Mrs. \(zang, left alone with this inert
rc, I()okedxr him tcnrrriv€ly.He wasvery young,shecould see,
(hrt his cy€s wcrc closed. His hand, limp in unconsciousness,
likc r boy's h:rnd,un(ormedrnd siill growing. Shefelt his
but crxrl<ldisccrn no pulsc. She leanedover him and held to
lifs rhc hrll (,1 l,cr roll which shc hld nor eaten.
THI OrD DEMON / Pcd S.Buck

"Eat," she said very loudly and disdnctly. "Breadl" ut.ly. He had such.r nicc shop_alwa1,,lean.rnd rhc
reagood
But there was no answer. Evidently he was dead. He must have 3hcbesrmeardumplingsro be hrd rnd rhe priceI lr.r1,
rhe same.
died while she was getting the bread out of the oven- was a good m?n. Besides,what about his wife
afld his seven
There was nothing to do the! but to 6nish the bread hersell And lrcnl Doubtlesstheywereall killed,too. Now theseJapanese
were
when that wes dooe, she wondered if she ought not to follow after Ing for her. It occured to her rhat on the dike sheiould
easily
Litde Pig and his wife and aII the villagers.The sun was mounting &!n. So she clamberedhrsrrJydown.
and it was growing hot. If she were going, she had better go. But *as when.shevrasabouthalfuaydown rhtr sherhoughr
of rhe
first she would climb the dike and seewhar the direcrion was. They Batc.This old river-it had beena cursero them srncetime
had gone straight west, and as far as eye could look wesrward was , \Vhy should it not mxke up a little now for all rhe
wickedness
2 grear plair. She might even see a good-sized crowd miles away- * plorting wickedness again, rryrng ro srsl
:"i_.1 l over
Anyway, she could seethe next village, and they might all be there. W-etl,w-trfootl Shewavered
!1nk1 a ioment. rt wasa pity, of
So she climbed the dike slowly, getting very hot- There was a slight .har
ll!c, rhe yaung deadJapanesewould be swepr inco
the flood.
breeze on top of tbe dike and it felt good. She was shocked to see wm a niceJookingboy,andshehadsavedhim from
beinestabbed.
the dver very ne rhe top of the dike. rvhy, it had risen in the lasr vtr.nor quirc rhe .amea. s,rvinghi. lifc. of course, .rill
b-ur ir
hourl r littlc the same.Ifhe had been alive, he woutd have
been saved.
"You o1d demon!" she said severely. Irt the river god hear it if w.cnrover.rohim .rnd tr,ggcdar him .rnril he
lay well near rhe
he liked. He was evil, rhar he was-so ro rhrearcnnood when ihere ot thc bank. Then she wenr down again.
had been all this other trouble. c kncw perfccrlyhow ro opcn thc Jle, grt. Any
child knew
She stooped and bathed her cheeksand her wris$. Tbe warer !i'as ,:ll,r: rlui.e for r.ops. But .he krew also hoq ro ,wing
quite cold, as though with fresh rains somewhere.Then she stood thc wholeln.
gare The quc;rionsr\ (outd .he .p* i, q";.kl!
up and gazed around her. To tbe wesr rhere was nothing excepr in h to gct our of rhe way..
rhe far distancerhe soldiersstill half running, and bevond them the I'm only one old woman," she muttered. She hesitated
a second
blur of the next village, which stood on a long rise of ground. She t, V_cll, ic wouid be a pity not co seewhat sort of
a baby litcle
had better set our for that village. Doubtless little Pig and his wifc wifc would have, but one could nor seeeveryrhmg.
She had
were there waiting for her. ! grcar dcal in rhis life. There was an end ro what-one
could
Just as she s.as about to climb down and start out, she sa\\ rnywey.
something on rh€ easternhorizon. lt was at first onlv an immens( glanced agrin to rhe ef,st_There were the
cloud of dust. Bur, as she staredat it, very quiclly it becamea lor Japanesecoming
.hc plain. They were a long clear line of blacl,
dotted wiri
of black dots and sbining spots. Then she saw what it was. It was th ofgliaering points. Ifshe openedthis
gate, rhe imperLrous
a lot of men-an army. Instantly she knew wbat army. *llllH ,*",i rhem.rushing
inrorhs,1,:^..rouins,nro
That's theJapanese, shethought. Yes,abovethem were thebuzzirg 1",,
mr1be.
d",,,in4,n.u,ourdno,keep
silver planes.Thev circled about, seemingto searchfor someone. l':"';lf:: 1--^'*,rhem.
mlrrlin; nerrcrand ncarerto hcr and to iitrlc pig a"d
;. *;:
"I dont know who tou're looking for," she mutrered, "unless ir'\ wrlc w:ririnFfor lrrr We . Lirttcpig and hi, v ifi _rhcr
wortd
me xnd little Pig end his wife. \7e're the only oneslefr. You'vealreadr ;rhorrt her-but they would neue. dr"am of this.
Ir would
killed my brother Pao." :t g,rxl, v,rry -rhc w,,rrtdh:rvcenioled re ing ir.
She had almost forgorcen$ar Pao wes deid. Now sheremembe({l IUnr(rlr(\,lUr(ly ',) 'lrc
t..rc. Wcll. .,,mc peoplcf<rughr*rtn

,1
J5
'IH!
SAITORBOY S TAIE / Isal Dinesn
airplanesand some $rith guns, but you could fight with a river, too,
ifir were a wicked one like thG one. Shewrenchedout a huge wooden
pin. It was slippery with sih.ery gr€en moss. The rill of water burst
inro a strong jet. Vhen she *renched one more pin, the rest would
give way themselves.She began puiling at it, and felt it sliP a liftIe
from its hole.
I might be able to get myself out of Purgatory with this, she
thought, and maybe they'Il let me have that old man of mine, too
\$fhat's a hand of his to all this? Then we'll-
The pin slipped away sudden)y,and the gate burst flar agaitst her
and knocked her breath away. She had onlv time to 82sP, to the dver:
"Come on, you old demonl"
Then she felt it seizeher and lift her up to the sky. It wes beneath
her and 2round her. lt rolled her joytully hither and thither, and then.
holding her close and enfolded, it went rushing ag"inst the enemY
THE SAILOR-BOY'STALE
!/"/\
.,r/z/7 /zzZla?.
Tru u^** &arktte wason her way from Nlarseille ro Athens, it
gray weather, on a high sea, after three days' heaw gale- A sma1l
sailor'boy, named Simon, stood on the wet, swinging deck, held on
to a shroud, and looked up towards the drifting clouds, and rc tht
upper topgallant yard of the mainmast.
A bird rhat had sought refirge upon the mast had got her fecr
entangled in some loose tackle yarn on the hahzrd, and, high u1'
therc, struggled to get ftee. The boy on the deck could seeher wings
flepping and her head turning from side to side.
Througb his own expcrienceof lifc he had come to the convictjr)rr
56
that in rfus world everyonemu$ look afcer himself, and expect no
help from orher:. Bur rhe mute.de:dl 6ght kcpr hirr f.r.cinared for
more than m hour. He lt'onderedwhat kind of bird it would be.
Theselast daysa number of birds had come to s€tde in the bark,s
igging: swatlows,quails,and a pair of peregrinefalcons;he believed
this bird was a peregrine falcon. He remembered how many years
in his own country and neer his home, he had once seen a
ine fllcon quite close,sitting on a stone and flying straight up I
it. Perhapsthis was rhe same bird. He thought, That bird is
me. Then she was there, and now she is here.
At that a fellow feeling rose in him, a senseof common tragedy;
stood looking at the bird with his heart in his mouth. There were
of rhe sailors about to make fun of him; he began to think
t how he might go up by the shrouds ro help the falcon out. He
red his hair back and pulled up his sieeves,gave the deck round
a greatglance,and climbedup. He had to stopa coupleof dmes
the swaring dgging.
It was indeed, he found when he gor ro the rop of rhe mast, a
:egrine falcon. As his head was on a level with hers, she gave up
stmggle, and looked ar him with a pair of angry, desperare
yellow
He had to rake hold of her with one hand while he got his
out and cut off the cackleyarn. He was scaredas he looked i
but ar rhe sametime he felr rhat he had beenorderedup by
, but tha. this was his own venture,and this gavehim a proud,
ing sensation,as if the seeand the sky, che ship, the bird and
were all one.Just as he had freed the falcon, she hackedhim
the thumb, so that the blood ran, and he needy let her so. He
angry with her, and gave hef a clour on the head, chen he put
insidehrs ircket..rndclimbeddown rga.n.
Vhen he reached the deck rhe mate and rhe cook were srandine
, looking up; they roared to him to ask what he had had to
in rhe mast. He was so rired rhat the cearswere in his eyes.He
lhe falcon out and show€dher co rhem, and shekept still within
hands.Thcy laughed and wrlked oIi Simon set the falcon down,
back and wrtched hcc. Afrcr I while he reflececithat she might
bc rblc to gcr up frrrrn drc slippcrv dcck, $ hc caughr her once

'l
Hll SAILOR BOY'S TAIE / Is.l Dinesn
more, walked away with her and Placedher uPon a bolr of canras.
A little after, she began ro trim her feathers, made two or three sharp
jerks forward, and then suddenly flew ofi The boy could follow her
flight above the troughs of the gray ser- He thought, There flies mt
lalcon.
V/hen t]ri'eAarktte ca'r'e home, Simon signed aboard ano.her shiP,
and rwo years later he vras a light hand on the schooner Her? lying
at Bodit, high up on the coasr of Norway, to buy herrings.
To the great herdng markets of Bodit shiPs came together ftom
all cornersof the world; herewere Swedish,Finnish and Russianboats.
a forest of masts,and on shore a turbulent, iregular display of )ife.
with many languagesspoken,and mighty fights. On the shorebooths
had been set up, and the lapps, small yellow peoPle,noiselessin rhe;r
movements,with watchful eyes,whom Simon had never setn before.
came down to sell bead-embroidered leather goods. It was APril, th(
sky end the seawere so clear that it was dificult to hold one's cves
up ageinstthem salt, infinitely wide, and filed with bird shrieks-as
if someonewere incessandywhetting invisible knives, on rll sides.
high up in heaven.
Simon was amazedat the lighrness of these APril evenings. Hc
knew no geography,and did not assign it to the larirude, but ht
took it as a sign of an unwonted goodwill in the universe,a favot
Simon had been small for his age all his life, but this last wint(l
he had grown, and had become strong of limb. That good luck, br
felr, must spring from the very samesourceas the sweetnessof rln'
weather,from a new benevolencein the world He had been in nec'l
of such encouragement,for h€ was timid by narure; now he askc,l
for no more. The rest he felt to b€ his own afair. He went abotrl
slowly, and proudlv.
One evening he was ashorewith land leave,and walked up to tlr,
booth of a small Russian trader, a Jew who sold gold watches.All
the sailors knew that his watches wcre made from bad meral, err'l
would not go; still they bought them, and paradedthem about Sim"r'
looked at these watchesfor a long time, bur did not buy. The r'l'l
L'l
Jew had divers goods in his shop, rnd amongst o(h€rs a casc
oranges.Sirnon had tnstcd or.rngcson his journeys: hc bought t""
5ll
l
took it wirh him. He meant ro go up on a hill, from where
could see rhe see,and suck it tbere.
As he walked on, and had got ro the ourskirts of the place, he
a little girl in a blue frock, standing at the other side of a fence
looking at him. She v,/asthirteen or fourteen yearsold. as slim
an eel, but wirh a round, clear, freckled face, and a pair of lonq
its. The two looked at one anorher.
"1Vho are you looking out for?" Simon asked,to say something.
girl's face broke inro rn ecstacic,presumptuoussmile. ,,For the
I am going to marry, of course," she said. Something in her
tenance made the boy confdenr and happy; h€ grinned a li*le
her. "That will perhapsbe me," he said. ,.Ha, ha,', said the qirl,
is a few yearsolderrhanyou, I cantell you.',.,Why,',saidSimon,
xre not grown up yourself" The little girl shook her head
. "Nay," shesaid,"but when I grow up I will be exceedingly
iful, and wearbrown shoeswirh heels,and a har.,,,,\Zill you
an orange?"rsked Simon, who could give her none ofthe things
had named. She looked ar the omnge and at him. ,.They ere very
to eat," said he. "\(lhy do you nor eat it yourself then?,, she
. "I havee2tenso manl already,"said he, ,Vhen I was in Athens.
I hxd to pay a mark for it." "\trhat is your name?,,askedshe.
name is Simon," said he. "trhar is yours?,' ,,Nora,,, said the
"\?hat do you want for your orange now, Simon?,'
he herrd his name in her mouth Simon grew bold. ,.Vill tl
give me a kiss for the orange?" he asked.Nora looked at him
for a moment. "Yes," she said, "I should not mind giving
i kiss." He grew as wrrm as if he had beenrunning quickh.
she stretched our her hand for the orange he cook hold of
thar moment somebodyin the house called our for her. ,,That
fathcr," said she, and tried to give him back rhe orange, bur
ld not take ir- "Then come again tomorrow,,'she saidquickly,
I will give you a kiss." At rhar shedippedoft. He stoodand
after her, and a litde latef went back ro his ship.
on wes not in rhc habir of making plans for rhe fucure, and
It dirl nor know whcthcr he world be going back to her or not.
follrwing cvcning hc h:rd ro stay rbo;Lrd,as rhe orhe. sailors
TH! SAILOR-BOY'STAIE / ls* Dineen

were going ashore,and he did not mind that either- He meanr ro undrr rhe.clra moon. Glr his herd lighr wirh the tlighr t:rom
sit on rhe deck with the shiP's dog, Balthasar'and rc PracriceuPon lhrp and rhc srrongdrinks.Hc crammed rhehrndl<er.hlef in his
it was silk, which he had never rouched before,
a concertina thal he had purchased some time ago. The Pale evening a presenc
was all tound him, the sky was faindy roserte, the seawas quite calm,
his girl,
like mjlk and water, only in the wake of the boats going inshore Hc could not rcmcmberrhe parh up to Nora.shouse.losr hi.
wa1.
it broke into streiks of vivid indigo simon sat and played; after a came.back
to wherehe had startid.Then he grew deadtyafraij
hc should be too late, and began co run. In a small
while his own music begen to sPeakto him so strongly that he passage
t\ro wooden huts he ran straighr inro a big men,
stopped, got uP and looked upwards. Then he saw that the fulI moon and found
It was Ivan once more. The Russianfolded his arms
was sifting high on the sky. round him
The sky was so light that she haraUyseemed needed there; it was h.ld.him. "Good: Coodt 'he.rjed in high gtee...t h.Ie
found
as if she had rurned up by a caPriceof her own. She was round, my lrrrle chickcn h"ve looked for vou evcry*here.and
_l poor
demure and presumptuous At tbat h€ knew that he must go ashore' has wepc becausehe lost his friend.',..let me go. Ivan.,,cried
'Oho."
whatever it was to cost him Bua he did not know bov'r to get awa) ' saidlvrn. "t rhrll go wirh 1ou rrd ger you wl-;r
sincethe others had taken the yawl with them. He stood on the deck wmt. My heaft and my money arc all yours, all you$;
I have
for a long time, a small lonely figure of a sailorboy on a boat, when rcvcnreenyearsold myself, a little lamb of God. and I eranr
he caught sight of a yawl coming in from a ship farther out, and ro againtonighr.""l,et mego,', criedSimon,,.l am in a hurry.,,
hriled her. He found that it was the Russiancrew from a boat named hcld him so chat ir hurt, and pactedhim with his other
Anna, golng ashore. $(r'hen he could make himself understood ti' .. "Nol trusr ro meJmy little friend. Nothing shall part
them, they took him with them; they 6rst askedhim for money fol tnd me. I hear the orhers coming; we will have , ni_gtt
hcr as you \oill rcmember "rrct
rhen you ,re n old grandprpr...
his fare,then, laughing,gaveit back to him He thought, Thesepeoplc
ddcnlyhe (rushedrhe bo1 to him. Iike; bearrharcrrries
will be believing that I am going in to rown' wenching And rherr off
he felt, with some pride, that they were right, alrhough at the sanr' lCP,The odious sensadonof male bodily warmth and the
bulk
nnn.:lose r: him made rhe lean boy mad. He thought
time they were infinitely wrong, and knew nothing about anything of Nore
\7hen they came ashorethey invited him to come in and drint , like a slendership in the dim eir, and of himsetf, here, in
cmbraceof a hairy.animaL He srruck Ivan with all
in theit company, end he would not refuse,becausethey had help':'l his might.
rll kill you lv;n, he cried out. .,if
him. One of the Russianswas a giant, 2sbig as a beu; he told Simorr iou do nor lc, me go..
q,i:rb: ro merareron..:aidrvan.andbcgairo
that his name was Ivan. He got drunk at once,and then feII upon th' l,:u lh:nkrll
boy with a bearlike atrection,pawed him, smiled and laughed int"
8lnlonf:mil:d.,n his pockerfor h,. knire.,nd
sor ir opcned.
ruldnor l,f( hi\ hrnd,bur hc drovctheknife.tur,;.t).
his face,made him a presentofa gold watch chain, and kissedhim "tr in Jnde,
both cheeks.At that Simon reflectedthat he also ought to give Not t i.man'sarm. Almosr immediatelyhe felr the blood spouting
'Ynn'ng"downin his.sleeve.
a ptesent when they met again, and es soon es he could get a\r'rf :1 h,)ld.ot(hc
Ivan stoppedshor in the song]
his bov rnd g,"e r*o long decpgrun,,. Thc nev
from the Russianshe walked up to 2 booth that he knew of' rr'l
nc rumblcddown on his knee,..poor lrrn.
bought a small blue silk handkerchief,the same color as her e\'(' poor Ivan,..he
It was Saturdayevening,and rberewerc menv PeoPleamongst rltr Ilc fcll srrxighr oo his fice. At thar momenc
Simon heard
houses;they came in long rows, some of tbem singing, all kecn t" I s:[t()rs(onling along, singing, in rhe bystreer.
have some fun that night Si'non, in thc midst of this rich, bawli'v rtorxl still lirlr nrinutc,wipcd his knifc,rnclwacched
rbe blood

(,1
 I
'l'l.lESAIIoR.BoY'STAIE / lsrk Dinern

he ran I live." The boy kepr standing with his hands on his back. as if
sPreed into a dark pool undernerth the big body Then -As thed ded them there..,And now,,'she said,,.youmust run. for
behind
h'e stopp.d fo, second to choose his way, he heard the sailors are coming." They looked at one another.(.Do not forget Nora,,,
" must ger
hi- siiea- out over their ded comrade He thought' I she He tumed and ran_
the same trme
down to the sea,{here I can wash my hand But at llc leapt over a fence, and when he was down amongsr the houses
on the
he mo the other way. After a little while be found himself welLed.He did not know ar all where to qo A.-he.rme ro a
seemed as familiar
path that he had waiked on the day before, and it from where music and noise srreamed out, he slowly went
life'
to him, as if he had walked it many hundred times in his r the door. The room was Full of people; they were dancing
saw Nora
He slackened his Pace to look round, and suddenll A lamp hung from rhe ceiling,and shonedown on them;
close to- him
snnding on the othei side of the fence;she was guite was thick and brown with rhe dust dsing from the floor. There
and out dr
-hen li-e caoght sight of ber in the moonlight Vavering somewomen in the room, but many of the men dancedwith
he could nor
of breath he sank down on his knees For a moment other, and gravely or laughingly stampedche fioor. A momenr
Simon'"
speak.The litle girl looked down at him' "Good evening' Simon had come in, the crowd withdrew to the walls ro clear
Iong time-'
sire said in her small coy voice "I have waited fo! you a foor for rwo sa;lors.who were showing a drncc from rhcir oen
and efter a moment she added: "l have eaten your orange "
a man " She srareder
"Oh, Nora," cried the boy "l have killed thought, Now, very soon, che men from the boat will come
afteL
him, but did not move "$trhy did you kill a man?" she asled d to look for their comrade's murderer, and from my hands thev
a moment. "To get here," said Simon "Becruse he tried to stoP mc
'He-lored.mc. Lnow that I have done it. These five minutes durine which he
Bur he qa( my filend. slowll he gor on ro hi' fcer' by the wall of che dancing room, in the midst of the sav.
" sheslos r
tbe boy criedout. and ar thar bursrinto rcar' "Yes said rg dancers,were of great srgnificanceto rhe boy. Hc himsclf
in time" "Ca'l
and thoughtfully
.-ner" "Yes, becauseyou must be here as if during this time he grew up, and became like other people.
"Nay" saidNot
vou hide he asked."For (hey /re af(erme
''l here 'r Bodd 2r'i I nor entrcathis dcsriny.nor .omplaln. Herc he *,s,-he irrd
.annor hide you For my farheris rhe Parson . man, and had kissed a girl. He did not demand any more
that Yo'l
he would be sure to hand you over to them, if he knew
something to *'i1'< lifc. nor did lite now dema;rdmore from him. He wr5 Simon.
had killed a man." "Then," said Simon, "give me like the men round him, and going to die, as all men are
she askc(l
my hands on." "What is th€ matter with your hands?" to die-
hands 'o hcl
and took a little step forward He suetched out his only becameaware of what wes going on outside him, when
is his" SIr
"Is that yout ovrn blood?" she asked "No," said he"'it ' that a woman had come in, xnd was standins
he asked "r'\" in the midst
took lhe steP back again "Do you hate me now?" clcared floor, Iooking round her. She was a sbort, broad old
back
I do not hate you," said she "B"t do p"t your handsat your in rhc clorhesof rhe kpps, and she took her stanctwrth such
As he did so sh€ cam€ uP close to him, at the other side of il!'
and ficrceness as ifshe owned the whole place.It was obvious
fence, and claspedher arms round hh neck She pressedher yourrri
tlr ltlost of the people knew her, and were a little afraid of her,
body to his, and kissed him tenderly He fett her face' cool as
a fcw laughcd; the din of rhe dancing room sroppeownen
moonlight, uPon his own, and when shereleasedhim, his head swrrrr'
I
and he did not know if the kiss had lasteda secondor an hour' Nin
is my son?"shcaskcdin a high shrill voice,like a birdt.
stood uP straighc,her eyeswide open "Now"'she said slowly.rrrr'l
t momcnr hcr cycsfell on Simon himsel( and she sreered
proudly, "l promise you rhat I will ncvcr marry anybody' as l"rr1l
THE SAIIOR-BOY S TAL! / klk Dinecn

out her
throueh the crowd, which oPened uP before her, stretched he s,t therc he heard many people come along outside, and scop
home the house; thm sorneoneknocked at the door, waited a moment
old sf,inrry, dark hand, and took him by the elbow "Come
You
with me now," she said. "You need not dance here tonight_ knocked again. The old woman stood and listened, as still
as
ma1 be dancing a hiSh enough dancesoon "
q'as drunk But as.she "Nay," said the boy and goi up. ,.This is no good, for ir is me
i;-on dte* b,ck. for hc thought that she
seemed to
looked him stlaight in th€ face with her yellow eyes, it tt theyareafter.lr wilJ be betterfor you ro let mc go ot,r ro rhem...
in listening
him that he had iet her before, and that he might do well ive me your knifq" said she.rJ0henhe handedicio het, shestuck
the floot and
to her. The old woman pulled him with her across traighr inro h€r thumb, so thar the blood spouted out, and
she
too badly'
tr. totto*.a her without a word. "Do not birch your boy it drip all over her skirt. .Come in, then,,' she cried.
her' "He has done
Sunniva," one of the men in the room cried to door opened, and two of the Russian sailors c,rme and stood
no harm. he onlv wanted to look at the dance-" opening; rherewere mor€ peopleoutside. ,,Hasanybodycome
door' there
At the same moment as they came out through the :?" they asked."Stre are zfaera men who has killed our mate.
runnlng dos'n
was an aiarm in the strcet' a flock of people came he hzs run away from us. Have you seenor heard anybodvthis
knocked againsr -oromantumed upon rhem.
it, and one of chem, as he turned into tbe hous€, "'The old Lapp rnd her eyesshone
Simon. looked at him and the old vroman, and rao on' gold in the lamplight. ,.Have I s€enor heard ,nyone?,,she cried-
rX/hile the tTro walled along the street, the old woman lifted up ive heerd you shriek murdcr all over rhe town. you friehrened
your
her skirt. and put the hem of it into rhe boy's hand "\triPe ,,nd my poor silly boy there, so that I cur rny thumb as I was
far beforc they camc nB the skin rug rhar I sesr'The boy is roo sraredto help me.
hand on mv skirt." she said They had not gone
m los
to a small wooden house, and stopped; the door to it was tbe rug is rJl ruined.I shrll make1ou pav me forhar. iflou
LaPP woman wenl
that they must bend to get through it As rhe ookng tor r murdcrer.come in and searchmy houscfor me.
up foL
in before Si-on, still hofiing on to his arrn' the boy looLed shallknow you sr'henwe meerrg;in..She wasso turiou) lh,rr
Ttt. ,tigtt, ttad gr-ownmisry; there was a wide ring rountl where she stood, and jerked her head like an angry bird
-o-.nt.
"
one sm'rll
The old vroman\ toom was na ow and dark, with but Russian came in, looked round the room, and at her and her
it up dimlY hand and skftt. ',Do nor put I cune on us now, Sun_
s/indov/ to it; a lantern stood on the floor and lighted
with reinde(l
It was ell frlled with reindeerskins and wolf skins' and he said timidly. "li(re know that you can do many things when
knik
horn, such as the Lappsuse to make lheir carvedbuttons and Here is a mark to pay you for the blood you haveipilled.,,
As soon ar rhcl
handles, and the arr in here was rank and stifling our her hand. and he plated a piece oI money in ir.
head' an'l
were ir1 the woman turned to Simon, took hold of his on ir. "Then go, and there shall be no bad blood between
it down in L'q1'
with her crooked frngersparted his hair and combed Sunniva,andshut the door aftetthem.Shesruckher thuhb
to glan('
fashion. She clappeJ a rapp c1P on him and stood back mourh, and chuckieda litde.
firsr rake t'rrt boy gor up from his stool, stood up before her and stared
at him. "Sit do*" ." -y stool, rlow," she said "But
your knife." she was so commxnding in voice and manner that llr I facc. He fcft as if he wcre swayinghigh up in the air, with
he sat dovn "tt I hold. Why haveyou helpcdmcr. hi askedher. ,.Do
tov coold ,tot but choose to do as she told him;
vrs ll'rl know?" shc answcred.,,Havc you not recoAnizedme yeti
the stool, and he could not take his eyesof her fxcc' which
in its net of fine wrinkl('
and brown. and as if smearedwirh dirt wrll rcmcmbcr(hc pcrcgrincfalcon which *ar ."usti ;n
 l
TH! SAIIOR-BOY'S TAL! / ft2k Dine$

Medi- $(hen he had f,nished and set down the cup, she led him to the
the tackle yam of your l>o2Lt,tlle Charlotte' x she sailed in the
andopcnedit for hirn. He wassutprisedto seetharit wasalmosr
..rr".,"^n. ih"t dry you climbed up by the shtouds of the topgallant
falcon moming. The house was so high up that the boy could see
mast to help her oui, in a stiffwind' and with a high sea That -When 'sea from it, and a milky
the world' mist about it. Hc gave her his hand
*as me. Stri lapps often fly in such a manner' to see
slster say good-by.
I first met you I was on my way to Africa, to see my younger
By that timc She staredinro his fe(f. 'Wc do nor forget.. she said. ,And you.
and her chiidren. She is a falcon too, when sbe chooses'
which down r knocked me on rhf head there. high up in rhe mesr. I shall
shewas living at Takaunga,within an old ruin€d tower' Aive
her skirt tound that blow back-" rJgith thar she smacked hir4 on the ear as hard
Lhererher .a]l a mrnrrct.' She 'watheda cornerof
and btr ar ir. "We do nor fo'ger" she said "l hackcd shecould, so rhat his headswam.,,Now we arc quhs.',shesaid.
ter,lr-b,
that I should :iim e grezt,mischievous, shiningglance,and a little pushdown
your thumb, when you took hold of me; it is only fair
doorstep,and nodded to him-
cut my thumb for You tonight."
In this way the sailor-boygot backto his ship,vrhichwas ro sail
She came ciose to him, and gently rubbed her two btown, clawlike
will next morning, and lived to tell the story.
fingersagainst his forehead "so you are a boy"' she said, "who
we hold
klti min ,atlrer than be late to meet your sweeth€art?
" nos"
together, the females of this earth l shall mark your forehead
you' and tbel
so"that ihe girls will know of that, Ythenthey look at
twi$ed jl
will like yoi for it " She played with the boy's hair, and
round her 6nger.
YOUNGARCHIMEDES
,{DOUS NLIXLEY/GR€AT
,'Listen no]w, my htle bird," srid she. "My great grandson' €R IAIN

rr thrs
brother-inlaw G lying $/ith his boac by the landing Place
mo-"nt; he is to iake a consignment of skins out to a Danish
boal AtJ*.t ,*^
your mate cofles
He will bring you brck to your boat, in time' before
The Hrfu is sailing tomorrow moming, is it riot so? But
when you ?
for me" Sbe took up his knifc
-her liim b".k -y caP
are xboard, give
skirt and handed it to him "Here is your knife,' !?As the view which finally made us take rhc phce. True. the
wiped it in
not nec'l tc h2d irs disrdvan(ages.ft w:s a long way our of town and had
she said. "You will stick it rnto no more men; you will
ro, for from now you will sail rhe seaslike a faithful seaman-
w' tclephone.Thc rent was unduly high, rhe drainagesystempoor.
viody rights, wher the ill-ftting windowprneswire rattling, the
hav€ enough troubie with our sons as ir is "
The beiildered boy began to stammerhis thanks to her' "\gair.''
ric light, fot some mystedousreason,used invariabiy to so out
v'tt' leaveyou in rhe noisydark.Thercwasa splendidbarhrooi.l bur
said she, "l shall make you a cuP of coff€e'to bring back your
kcllh clcctric pump, which was supposedto send up watcr from the
wbite I wash yout jacket " she went and rattled an old coPper
hot, strong' bl;r'li irttcr ranksin rhe tcrrace,did not work, punctuallyeveryautumn
upon the tueplace.After a while shehandedhim a
drlnking wcll ran dry. And our landlady was a liar and a cheat.
drink in a c,tp *itto"t a handle to it "YoD have drunk witb Sunnrvl
lx thesearcthe little disadvantagcs of evcryhircd house,all over
now," she said; "you have drunk down a little wisdom' so lhxr
5rll arcrld.For lraly thcy v/crc nor reallyar all scrious.I haveseen
the future atl youi thoughts shall not fall like raindroPsinto rhc
of houscswhich had thcm all and a bundrcdothers,wirhout

67t
 ,l
YOUNG ARCHIMIDIS / AldousHualer

ty of humannessand domesticationwhich made it, to my mind

of ours-the southvterd-facing garden and
Possessingthe advarltages any rate, the best of all landscapes to live with. Day by day one
the
ie.race for the winter and spring, the latge cool rooms aginst
and through irs different bfauties; but che journey was always
midsummer heat, the hiIItoP air and freedom from mosquitoes'
ioulne!, through civilization. For all its mounrains, its steepslopes
finally the view.
views- rd deep valleys.man's (rt.es are across{he country. Srripped of irs
And what e view it wasl Or rather what a successionof
when all the woods, planted, terraced,and tilied almost to the mountains,
For it was di{ferent every day There were autumn &ys
rose darklv the Tuscanlandscapeis humanized and safe.
vaiieys were 6llcd with misr and the crests of APennines
mist ingded even I found that house on rhe hilltop the ideal dwelling place. For
out of a flat white laLe. There were days when the
the only. firm one could be as solitary asone liked, rhough our nearestrreigh,
our hillcoP and we were enveloped in a soft rzpor, and
the two tall black lived very near. Ve had two sets of them, as a marter of fact,
and d"6ni'te things in our small, dim *orld were
gro*in; on a little projccting rerra(ea hundred feet down
in the samehousewirh us. One wasth€ peasanr family,who
cvDre,"e."Atr.t
a long, low building, part dwelling house,part srabtes,
,t. ttitt . tt'rtp. and soUd' rhev srood there rwin Pillars o'
them the vill2. Our other neighbors-intermittentneighbors,
Hercuies at the extremity of the known universe; and beyond
ver, for they ooly ventured out of Florence to the hilltop everv
there was only Pale cloud
and then- wcre rhe owners of rhe vilh, who had reerved for
These *ere the *intry days; but there were days of spring and
ves rhe smaller wing of rhe huge L:haped house.
eurumn, days unchangingly cloudless,or-more lovely still-madc
werea curiouscouple,our proprietors. An old husband,gray,
uario,rs by the tt,rge tloaii"g shaPesof vaPor, gradually unfolding
moun' tottering, seventyat least; and a igxora of about forty, short,
against the pale bright blue sky above the faraway snowcapped
and nos plump, vsith tiny fat hands and feet and a pair of very large,
e'i.ts. A"d itte sun would come and go behind the clouds;
in tbe shados ' dark black q'es- Her vitatity, ifyou could have harnessedir, would
the tovrn in the valley would fade and almost vanish
hills' it woultl supplied a whole town with electric light. Enormous stores of
rnd now, Iike an immense fretted iewel between tbe
mergy accumulare in unemployed *.omen of sanguine tempera,
glow as though bY its own light'
" with ef which vent .hemselves in ways that are generally deplorable: in
There *ere days when the air was wet with PAss€dor
ncal an l dng wirh other people's a6airs, in working up emotional scenes,
DroichinPr2rn,2nd ,ll the distan'e<seemrdmira(ulously
thc ing about love and making ir, and in bothering men dll they
ll.rr- Tt''e olju" treer derachedrhemsehe' one from anorber on
like thc ger on wirh rhejr work.
distant slopes; the faraway villages werc lovely and Pathetic
oreBondi gor rid of her superfluousenergy,amongother ways,
most exquisite small toYs'
ing in" her tenancs.The old gentleman,who was a retired
There were days in summertime, days of imPending thunder wh€n
t with a reputation for the most perfect rectitude, was allowed
bright and sunlit against hug€ bellying massesof black aod purplc
dvnrl no dealings with us. When we came to see the house. ir
the hills and th€ whirc hous€sshoneas it were Precariously,in a
wife who showedus round. tr was:hc nho, with a larish
sDlendor. on th€ brink of some fearful calamity'
of charm,wirh irresisriblerolling of rhe eyes,expaciated
How the hills changed and variedl Every day and every hour "l on
whctt' :i$ of the place,sangrhe praiscsof the electricpump,glorilied
the dav. almost. they were dif€rent There would be momenrs
Flor€nce, the scenehad no dePth; th(rf hroom (consideringwhich, sheinsisred,cherenr wasremark_
looking acrossthe Plain of
of moLrrr fiodcratc), and whcn we suggestedcalling in a surveyorto look
was only a hanging curtain painted flarly wirh the syrnbols
presenc'l r thc housc,cxrncsrlybcggcdus not to wlsrc our money un-
tairtr. cit"ngefut in its berury, this widc landscapealways

6ll
y()IJNG ARCHTMTDIS/,{ldous Huxley

lccessarily. "After all," she said,"we are honestPeoPlel wouldn't e (ommunrcarions wirh peoplcwho wrore so rudelyro her.
Aher
drcam of letting you ihe house excePtin Perfect condition Have r I pur rhe merrerinro rhe hand. of a lawyer.
Two monrh, larcr
confidence." And shelookedat me wilh en aPPealing, painedexpres' purnp wasarrLrallyrcplatcd.Bur we had ro ,erve
a wrr on (be
sion in hcr magnificenteyes,as though beggingme not to insuli Detoreshegrve in. And thc cos* werecon:idcrable.
her by my coarsesusPiciousness And leavingus no time lo Pursue O:re dav. rowardsrhe end of rhe cpisode.I
mcr rhe old gcnrlemrn
rhe subject,shebe84nassuringus that our little boy was the most jl': rak nC,his dog ror : w:lk_or being kcn,
:oad. .bi8.whi,e
beautiful angel she had ever seen By the time our interview with , for.a walk,by the dog. For where the dog pr.rlled "the
oij
SignoraBondi wasat an end, we had decidedto take the house man had perforceto follow. And when it
stoppedrhe old man
"Charmingwomen,"I seid,aswe left the house But I think 'bar to^;1arrI passed him parienrly:rrndingar rhesideor rhe road,
Elizabethrras nor quite so c€rtainof it as I- ,j thc roorsof .r big cypres.andgrowrins
Then th€ PumP ePisodebegan ::T,:.8_-,,-: ::,9i,
ndy to itself Otd Signor B."di, l;h;j ,. hi. ;;;, _;:
On the eveningof our arrivalin the housewe switchedon thc *1.f stoodgazingmournfuly
whirring noise;bur ;3"*qThe "l,l:: le ,;""r1;
electricity.The pump madea very professional view. whitesof his old eyeswcie di..olorcd."nd
likc an.ienr
no water cameout of the taPsin the bathroom.\7e lookedat onc nrs,whre,mu achc.raggedand
roalr lellowing zr rhe frirges.
aootherdoubtfullY. in a.melancholy curve.tn hii blackiie he worc a \ery t^rge
"Charmingwomao?"Elizabethraisedher eyebrows ; perhapsthat waswhar SignoraBondi had found soattractiie
\7e askedfor intervicws; but somehow the old gendemxn coul'l him.
never se€ us, ^nd tIrc rigno% was invariably out or indisPosed \X1' t1k o{ my har as I rpproached.The old man
sraredrt me
left notes; they were never answered ln the md, we found that drr Itly, and.rt q,asonly when I wasaireadyalmost
pasrhim that
only method of communicating with our landlords, who were norv who I v,/as.
living in the samehouse with us, wes to go down into Flotencean'l Vait," he calledafter me, ,,waitl,,And he hastened
down rhe
send a registeredexPressletter to them. For this they bad to si8!l il_ t1l(- utcerly by surprise,the dog permirted
l"Tt,;' itself
$ro seParatcreceiprs end rhere could be no preteDding, as there elvrY\ jcrked after him. ,,$trairl,,
was with ordinary lefte$ or notes,that the communication had nerct itcd.
been received.we began at la<r ro get answer<to oul comPlailr\ / clcar.sir," the old gentleman said, catching
me by the lapcl
The iytora, who wrote all the leners,srartedby telling us rhxl Helookcdaroundr,im,astrrouli
narurally. didnr work.asthe cisrerns
the PLrmP wcreemPryoqirr' :1,j,-::iT-,:
rhat ev.enherehe might be overheard.
".t:gize.. l.;.;;;;;;;il
to the long drought. I had to walk three miles to the Post olfi( It on, 9bout that wretchedpump business. I assure'youihat,
in order to register my letter reminding her that there had becn .d,been^onlv my atrti. td ha,e pur thc (hrnglghr r\
soon
violent rhunderstorm only last \Tednesday,and that the tanks wrr askcd.tsurmy wife - he lowcredhi. voire_.ihe
f;cr i: that
consequentlymore than half ftrlt. The answerceme back; bath $"rl ts rhis sorr of thing, even when she knows that
she,sin rhe
had not been guaranteedin the con$ect; and if I wanted ir, wl t* And besides,she hop€d, r daresay,that youd
1"1.-r::
hadn't I had the PumP looked at before I took the house?Anorl of askingand have the job done yoursell.Srill,
now she
walk into town to inform rhe riSnora ne\t door that rhe existctr be donc, In rhe courseof chencxr rv'o or
..'t.musr
'll bc having thfee
in a house of a bathroom was in itself an imPlicit guaranteeof hrl your bath warcr.Blrt I rhought I,d jusr
like
watcr. The reply to thit w.s th^t thc lignDft couldnt continur t you how . . ." 8u( rhc dog, rccovercdfrim
it, srrrprise,

70
YOIING ARCHIMIDIS/ AldousEuxl'Y

strain€d with their Ather in the fields; since the time of rhe motheis
suddenly bounded, growling, up the road The old gerd€man
allowed himself two or thrce yearsbefore we knew them, rhe eldestsisrerhad
at the leash, .o,,..."d ,rnt,.^dily, then gave way and
,o i" arr"*.a off how sorry I 2m. he qent on' a: he rcteded the house.The youoger sister, who had just left school. kept
'
Bur ir we5no usc Guido.who by rhis rime,bowever.necdedveryIirrlelooking
t.om mc.';rhat rhrslirtle mr'underr'rndinS .on
''uood-br. He.milcd dePrecerrng gesturc''no ; for he wasbcrweensix and sevenyearsold and zs precocior,i
Po[irely.madea lit(le
rbandonedhimseit,ompletelyto the dog and responsibleas the children of the poor, left as they
the day after themselvesalmosr from lhe rime rhey can nalk. generally
A week later rhe water re2lly did begin to flow' and are.
satin and wearing ruly rwo lnd a half )earsolder rhrn li le Robin_
our first bath Signora Bondi, dressedin dove'gray and
2ge thirty months arc crammed with half a lifetime,s
-all her pearls.came to call exoeri-
:t";i a: shq
p.... now:-'he rked. *irh a charmingfrankness Guido took no undue aduncage of his superior intellglnce
shook hands.
strcngrh.I heveneve.seena chrldmoreparienr.rolerrni and
it certainly was trnnical.He did not teaseor bully,bur helpedhis smallcomoan_
\(/e assured her that, so fer as we were concerned'
dreedfully rude ie*ers?" she said' whm he was in dificulties and explainedwhen he could not
"But why /i/ you write me such
writ HoI\' t'l'/'/ tarid. In rcturn, Robin adorcd him and slavishly imitated him.
turning on me a reproachful glance "And then thac
in's heroi, and unsuccosful arremprs ro perform rhe fcar<
loui lo a L20v of
brth' h and skill which Guido could do wirh ease,vrereexquisiretv
I mr.rmbledsomething about the pump and our wanting
\0b1' didnl vol And his carelil.long-drawn imirarions
"But how could you exlxct me to Iisten to vou? of Cu,do.shabinarrd
at me an'l lsmswere no lessamusing.Most ludicrous ofall, becausemost
set about it diferently-polite\, charmingly?" She smiled
in the imitator, were Robin,s impersonationsof Guido
dropped her flutering eYelids
is disagreerbl(' mood.Cuidowa.a rhoughrful
r'lrrooeht it best io ch"nge the convelsation rt Pensivc .hiJd.givcnro brooding
in the wrong' absrrxtions. q.outd6nd l.im .irring in a .orner
vhen one'is in the right, to be made to appear .One b]
and by exprcs chjn in hand, elbow
A few weeks later we had a letter-duly registered on knee, plunged, to all appearancei,
we ProPosed ltr prorounoer(medrllnon. And somcrimcs,even in (he
messenger-in which the siSnara asked us whether midsl
noti!'ing tn play,he would suddenlybreako11,ro stand,his handsbehind
,.n * lo, L"r. (which was only for six months)' and
would be
rent wourcr
the fent raised twenry-five
DE rdscu Lturll !r! Perc€nt rrr
' k. frowning and scring ar the ground. Vhcn rhi. hrppened.
that, ilif sre
that, did, the
sre dld, r!r!!_"
caffied out \Vc Deramroverrwedand r lirrle di.quic(ed.In ,r puzzlcdsilence
.on"id.r"rio., of the imPlovements wbich had been
co gr' 'l'r et his companion."Guido,,,he would say,of.ty, .Guido.,,
rhoLqht oursellesluc\. at rhe end of muth bargining
rent of orrlv ido was gcnerally too much preoccupied ro answer; and Robin.
l"ase"..nevr.d for a wbole year with an increise in rh€
turing to insisr.would <rcepncrr him, end throwine himself
Iifteen percent.
y espossibleinto Guido\ attitudewould aryto medltateroo.
It was chiefly for the saLeo{ the view that we pur uP with rh
after r l' thc end of a minute he beganto grow impatient;meditation
intolerable extortions. But we had found other reasons'
cog€nt \'n t_r.ilsirong point. "Guido," he calledegain and againand,
davs'residence,for liking the house Of these the most
discoveredrvl'rt , "Guidol" And he would take him by the trandand try to
Jlt, in the tenant farm;'s youngest child, we-had
boy Between litt m away.Somcrimes
see-ed the pe.fe.t playfellow for our own small Guido rouscdhimselffrom his revericand
il brck to rhe inrcrruptedgamc.Somctimes
c'ido-forihat wai his name-and the youngestof his brothers hc parono a*enaton.
two elder brotlr't tcholy,pcrplcxcd,Rol,in hrd to trLkehimsclf otr ro play by
sistersthere was a gap of six or scvenyerrs His

1) 7.\
YOTJNGARCHIMIDIS / Aldousltuxlq

himsell And Guido would go on sittingor standingth€r€,quirestill; who cant afrord to drcsshim properly. If he were mine, I should
and his eyes,if one looked into them, were beautiful in their greve put him into black velvet; or littlc white knickersand a white knitted
and pensivecalm. ilk lersey; or perhapsa white sailor suit would be prctq'. And in
They wete large etes, set fzr xPalt and, what was s$ange in a r liftle fur coat,andpossiblyRussianboots . . .,' Her imegidt.
dark-hairedltalian child, of a luminous pale blue-gray color- They was running away with her. "And I'd let his hatu grow, like
werenot alweysgraveand calm.\yhen hewasplaying, when he talked page's,ard haveir just curled up a littlc at che tips. And everyone
or laughed, they lit up; and the surface of those clear, pale lakes of tum round and stare rfter us if I rook him out wirh me in
thought seemedto be shakeninto brilliant sun flashingriPPIes.Above ia Totnabuoni. "
those eyeswas a beautiful foreherd, high and stee? and domed in $fhat you went, I should have liked to tell her. is nor a child:
a curv€that waslike the subtlecurveof a rosePetal The nosewas a clockwork doll or a pedorming monkey. But I did not say
stleighr,the chin smalland rathff Pointed, the mouth drooPed a little partly becauseI could not think of rhe Italian fot a clockwork
srdlvat the corners. and partly bccause I did not wancto risk havingrhe rent raised
I have a snaPshotof the two chil&en sitting together on the ParaPer fifreen percent.
'r "Ah, if only I had a little boy like that!" Shesighedand modestly
of thc terrace.Guido sits almost facing the camera,but looking
little to one side and downwards; his hands are crossed in his lel her cyelids."l rdorechildren.I sometimes think ofadopting
and his expressionis thoughdul, grave,and meditative lt is Guido that is, if my husband q,ould allow ir." She was silent for a
in one of those moods of abstractioninto which he would passeverr €nt, as though coosideringa new idea.
rt rhe height of laughter and play quite suddenly and comPleteh few days later, when we were sitring in the gxrden after luncheon,
as though he had all at once taken it into his head to go away an,i ing our coffee,Guido's father, instead of passingwirh a nod
had left the silent and beautiful body behind, like an emPry hous(' the usual cheerful goodday, haircd in front of us and began ro
to wait fot his return. And by his side sits Jittle Robin, turning r,' He vyasa fine handsomeman, nor very tall, but well propor-
look up at him, his face half avertedftom the camera,but the curl( quick and elasticin his movemcn.s,and full of life. He had
of his cheek sho$ring that he G laughing; one little hand clutchc' io brown face,lit by a pair of rhe most intelligentJooking gray
a( tJuido'ssLec\e. aq though he qete urging him to comeawry rrr'l I ever saw.Vhen, as not infreguently happened,he was trying,
play. And the legs danglingfrom the parapetare in the midst ('l an ,ssuJnption of perfect franknessand a .hildlike innocence,
animpatientwtiggle;heis ofl the Pointof sliPpingdownandrunninl one in or get something out of one, the intelligence shone
offto play hide-and+eekin the garden Ail the essentialchaeceristit mischievously,
delightingin itsell
of both the childrenare in that litde snaPshot. , however, rhere was no dangerous iight in his eyes. He
"If Robin werenot Robin," Elizabethusedto say,"I could, nothing oua of us, norhing of any value-only advice,a
wish he were Guido." ity mosr peopleare only too happyto part with. Bur he
And I agreedwirh her. Guido seemedto me one of the adviceon whatwas,for us,nrher a delicatesubiec:on Signora
charming little boys I had ever seen. Carlo had oftcn complainedto us about her. The old man
'!(e hc told us, very good and kind indced.\rhich m€ent,I
were not alone in admiring him- Signora Bondi when
intervals betweenquarrels,she came to cill, was constanrlysPcakrr i imong orhcr things, that hc could easily be swindlcd. Btrt
of him. "Such a beautiful, beautiful childl" she would exclaim *'rt He would tcll us storics of hcr insetiableraDacrtyrshe
enthusiasm. "It's really a wxstc tbat hc should belong to alwiys claimi'rg morc tharr rhc helf of the producewhich, by

l1
YoUNG ARCHIMEDES/ AldousHuxld/

law, was the proprietor's due. He complained of her susPiciousness: Carlo, who had gone down to the station with his
mule and crrt
she was forcver accusing him of sharp Practices, of downright srcel' {erch the packing case, was vasrly interested in
'One will the machine.
ing-him, he struck his breast, the soul of honesty. He comPlained hear some music again.. he \ard. as he watched
me
of her shortsighted avarice; she wouldn't sPend €nough on malure, Pzckrng rhc gr.lmophone and rhe di:k. '.lt is dificulr to do much
wouldn't buy him another cow, wouldn't have electric light installed
in the stables.And we had symP2thized,but cautiously, without he managedto do a good deal.On s rrm nighn
expressingtoo strong an oPinion on the subiect The ltalians are us,eoto{.".j,
Y,,t hearhrm. wherehe sarar rhe door of hi. housc.
plalng
wonderfully noncommittal ir theL sPeech, they will give nothing .l'C'ns;.theeldcst
boyshrileaourtt e meioa!
fl.1.1l:"f,tr
the mandolin,
asray to an interested person until they are quite certain that it is and sometimes the whole family ;;rid
;;;
right and necessaryand, above all, safe to do so n7e hed lived lonS *."1d,i. filcd with theirpassronare,
throatysinging.
,.T-11r.1ess
used._ro
go and lisrenro rhe operus
enough among them to imitate their .aunon-
I at ,he p"li;;r;: E;;t
Today Carlo wasnt so much complaining as feeling perplexed. Thc t on. "Ab. rhry wcre magri6<cnr.But ir co:(s
hle lire now (o
ignora h^d sent for him and asked how he would like it if she werc ln-
to meke an oFer-all in the caurious Italian style-to adoPt litth bo much." I agreed.
Guido. Carlo's first instinct had been to say that he wouldnt likc you got Troutole?" he ^sked.
it at all. Bur rhat $rould have been too coars+ committal. He ha(l shook my head.
'Ngol4tta/'
saidhe would think about it. And now he was asking for our advict
Do what you thjnk best, was what in ef,ect we replied. But wr afraidnor-"
gave it distantly but distinctly to be understoodthat we didn't thinl %bln"? Fa ci',lla del Vei? pa?tiacci?',
that Signora Bondi would make a very good foster-mother for rhc had to go on disappointing him.
child. And Carlo was inclined to egree.Besides,he $es very fond Put on "Ir ci derem,, out of Dafr Giotahni. He agreed that the
of the boy. "But the thing is," be concluded rather gloomily, "thxl ng was good; but I could seethat hc didn,c
much like chemusic.
if she has really set her heert on gerting hold of the child, thereI not like Pagliacci,', he said at lest.
nothing she won't do to ger him-nothing." Ltlo and his elder childrcn ceased,after .he 6rst
day or rwo, to
Still, I reflected, as I watched him striding away along th€ tera.(' - gramophoneand the musicir ptayed.They
:1 T:*: \ their
ad the gr:itar aod
there was life enough in those elastic limbs, bchind those brighc gr;tt own siflging.
eyes,to Put up a good fight even against the accr.rmulatedvital energi{a lclo, oo the ocher hand, was immensely interested.
The 6rst
of Signora Bondi. he heard,I rcmember,was that of the slow movement
ofBacht
It was a few days after this that my gramoPhone and rvro or thfc. to in D Minor for two violins. That v.as the
'ntable as soon disk I put on
boxes of recordsatived flom England. They were a great comf(t! as Carlo had left me. It seemed,o.., ,o,o
to us on the hilltop, providing as they did the only thing in whi, I the mosr musicrl piece of music wirh whtch
I could refresh
rhat spiritually fertile solitude was lacking; rnusic. And that, th:rnkr parchedmind-the coolest and clearestof all
draughts.The
to the ingenious Edison, can now be taken about in a box:rrrl rt had ,ust gor under way and was bcginning
to unfold irc
unpackedin whetever solitude one choosesto visit One can liv( rrl ltnd mciancholybeiu(ieswhen rhe rwo childrcn.
Cuido rn fronc
the Saharaand strll hetr Mozart quxrtets, and selecaionsfrom rlr /ltttc Kobin breathlcsslyfollowing.cameclattcringinro rhe room
IYeIl Tenpered Clarier. thc loggia.
YOUNG ARCHIMIDIS / AtdousHuxlcY

Guido came to a halt in front of rhe gramoPhone and stood lhere, box? \Zhat makesir make rhat noise?,,The
chiid pouredout
morionless, iistening. His pale blue'gray eyesopened themselveswide. quesrons.
For an insranr hr looked ar me-a que*ioning. astonished.rapturou" I answered him,,,rs
besrI .ould.sho$inghrm rhe lirrlespirul"on
look-gave a little laugh, and turned back towalds the sourceof the : drsk,rhe-nfrdte.rhf dirphragm.I rold hjm
ro ,.m..t., no*
incredible sounds.Slavishly imitating his elder comrade,Robin hzd srring of the guirar trembledwhen one pluckedir;
soundis a
also eken up his stand in front of the gramophone, and in exactly rng ln rhe air, I .old him, and I tried to explain
how rhose
the same position, glancing et Guido from timc to time to make 1gsge( prinrcdon rhc bL. k dr"k.Cuido h,e"ed
g*,el).
sure that he was doing everything in the corlect way. But after a from time !o time. I had the impressionthat he ";;-
understood
minute or so he becameboted. tfectly weJl everything I was saying.
By rh;s rime. however.poor nobin
"Soldiets," he said, turning lo me; "l want soldiers.Like in Inn_ "r.
so drerdiu i bored rh;t
don," He temembered rhe cheerful dance tunes, to whose sharP pity for him I had ro send rhe two childfen out inro the garden
rhyrhms he loved to go s$mPing round and round the room, Pre- play.Guido went obediently; buc I could seethat
he would have
rending that he was a whole regimeni of soldiers red ro stay indoors and listen co more music.
I put my frngersto my lips. "Afterwards," I whispered. Afrerlun.h.whenRobinh;d goneup,r".r,for hi,,rrrs,...,
,,..r.
Robin managed ro remain silent and srill for PerhaPs another lloo rerppe]red"Mav I lrsrennowr'hr rskcd.And ro. an h,,rlr
twenty seconds.Then he seized Guido by the arrJ,, shoufing, "Vimi let there in front of the instmment, his head cocked
slightly on
Gnidol Soldiers. Soldati. Vieni giaotare soldati." side, lisrening while I pur on one disk after another.
It was then, fot the first time, rhat I saw Guido imPaticnt. "r/dtl' Thrnceforward t'e .rmc eucn afrern66n q.n .oon hc knew
,rll
I lrbnry of rc.o d.. had his prefcrentes.rnd
he whisperedangrily, slappedat Robin's clutching hand and pushecl di.like, rnd couid a,k
him roughly away. And he ieaneda little closer to rhe instrumen( whar he wrnred bv humming {h. prin,ipat rhcme.
Robin iooked ar him, astonish€d.Sucha thing had neverbappeneil I doni likc rhrt onc. hc.aid of siral,*, Ti/l Ft lnpiegct. -ti,
before. Then he burst out crying and came to me for consolation what we \ing rn our hou,c. Nor rcrltr Iike. yo.,l
kn.* Aut
\qhen the quarrelwasmade up-and Guido was sincerelyrePenran I *i. Hc rookeq
::: ii jl.
8PP.e.d;lg!.:: ":,.rndenr;nJr.
rh^ush
ar u, perprcrcd,,
when the music had stoppedand his mind was free to think ofRobirr besgns us,o Jnder.rrndi ,i r)"nr-",
once more-I askedhim how he liked the music. He saidhe rhought n o d d e dL. u ' d o w c n r o n . A n d r n e n . . b c . a i d ,. r"h e
cnddoon.r
it was beautiful Bv belk in ltalian is too vaAue a word to menrr to.omc properiyour of the bcginning.Ir.. nor likc
rhc onc
very much. Puyed rhc hAr rime. He humncJ , brr or rwo Lom rhe {loer'
"\fhat did you like bestl" I insisted. r of Bacb s D Minor concerro.
He v/as silent for a moment, pensivelyfrowning "VeII," he sat'l wrs among his diJike": ,o wr. Dcb,rsy \(hen I
ptaled
at lasr, "I liked the bit thar went like this " And he hummed a lorrli tccord ofone of Debussy,sarabesques, he said, ,,\I'hy does he
phrase."And then there'sthe other thing singing at the sametime lhc same rhing over and over agaio?,,luozerr over,whelmedhim
but what are those things," he ioterrupted himself, "that sing likr dclight. The duct from D on Giitanni, which hjs tzther had
found
that?" llicicntly palpitaring,enchantedGuido. Bur he preferredrhe
:lnd thc orchesrralpieces.
"They're called violins," I said-
"Violins." He nodded. "\7ell, the other violin goes like this " I lr rxc mus,c. lrc :rrJ. ber.(r rl.rn srng.ng...
hummed again. "Vhy can't one sing both ar onceTAnd what is lrr orr fcoplc, I rcllccrccl,
likc singingbcrtcl than music; and find

7l
YOUNG ARCHIMEDES/ AldousHualeY
the impersonal orchestra less moving than the soloist- The touch of
the pianist is the human touch, and the soPrano'shigh C is the
personal note. lt is for the sake of his touch, that note, that audrences
fill the concert halls.
Guido. however.preferredmusic The Fr84l, overture wzs one of
his favorites. There is a passagenot far from the beginning of the
piece, where the first violins suddenly go rockering uP into the heighrs
of loveliness; as the music approached that Point, I used elways to
see a smile develoPing on Guido's face, and when, punctually, the
rhing happened, he clapped his hands and laughed with Pleasure.
One afternoon.\thile we were in rhe middle of one of our concers.
Signore Bondi was ushered in. She began at once to be overwhelm'
ingly alfectionatetowards the child; kissedhim, patted his head,Pa;d
him the most outrageous comPliments on his aPpearance.Guido
edged away from her.
"And do you like music?" she asked
The child nodded.
"I think h€ has a gift," I said. "At any rate, he has a wonderful
eu and a power of listening end criticizing such as I've never mcl
\/ith in a child of rhat age. \re're thinking of hiring a piano for
him ro lerrn on."
A moment later I was cursing myself for my undue franknessin
praising the boy. For Signora Bondi began immediately to prorest
rhat, if she could have the uPbringing of the child, she q'or d gi\(
him rhe best masters,bring out his talent, make an accomPlishc'l
naeltro of him-^nd, on the way, an infant prodigy. And at thrrl
momen(, I am sure.shr s2w herseJf sitting mrternally.in pearls"rr'l
blacL satin, in the lee of the huge Steinway,while an angelic Guid,'
dressedlike lirtle Lord Fauntleroy, rattled out Liszt end ChoPin, rt'
the loud dclight of a thronged auditorium. She sav,/all the elabortrrc
florA.l tributes and heard the words with vhich rhe vetet n maeY,t,
touched almost to tears, hailed the coming of the little genius lt
becamemore than ever imPortanl for her to acquire the child
"You've senther awayfaitly ravening,"saidElizaberh,when Sign,'t t
Bondi had gone. "Better tell ber next time tbat you made a mistrl,
and that the boy's qot no musictl txlcnt wha(ever."
ll0
In due coursg the piano arrived. After giving him rhe midmum
prelimineryinstruction,I let Guido looseon it. He besanbv
ing out for himsclf the melodieshe had heard, reconsttuctins
harmonies.After a few lessons,he understoodthe rudiments of
ical notation and could reada simple passageat sight, albeir very
ly. The whole processof reading was still strange to him; he
picked up his letters somehow, but nobody had yet taught hifn
read whole words and sentences.
I took occasion, next time I saw Signora Bondi, ro assurc her that
ido had disappointed me.Therewasnothing in his musicaltalent,
. She profess€dto be very sorry co hear it; but I could seethat
didn't for a moment believe me. Probably she thought that we
after the child too, and wanted to bag .he infant prodigy for
thus dcpriving her of what she regarded almost as hcr feudal
For, after all, weren't thev her pe2santsllFanyone was to proit
edopting the child it ought to be herseli
y, diplomatically, she renewedhet negotiationswith Cado.
boy, she put it to him, had genius. The loreign gendeman hzd
her so. If Carlo would let her adopr the child, she'd have him
. He'd become a gtezt maeltro and get engagements in the
Starcs,in Parisand in London. He'd earnmillions and millions_
of the millions, she explained,would of coursecome to Carlo.
first the boy would have ro be trained, and training was very
In his own intercst, as well as in thar of his son, he ouqht
her rake charge of the child. Carlo said he would think ir over,
agein applied to us for advice.\7e suggestedrhrt it would be
in any casero wait a little and seewhat progressthe boy made.
made,in spireof my assettionsto SignoraBondi, excellent
Every efternoon, while Robin was asleep,he came for his
arld his lesson.He was gerting along famouslywith his
; his small fingers were xcquiring strengrh md agility. Bur
to me was more intercstirg was that he had begun ro makc
lirtlc pieceson his own account- A few of them I took down
played chem and I have them still. Most of them, strznqely
r, as I thoughr rhen, are canons.He had I passionfor canons.
I explainedto him rhe principlesofthe form he was enchanred.
lll
YOUNG ARCHIMEDES/ AldousHuxlcl,
"It is beautiful," he said, with admiration. "Beautiful, beautiful.
And so easyl"
The wotd surprisedme. The canonis not, after all, so conspicuouslv
simple. Thenceforward he spent most of his dme at the Piano in
working our litde canonsfor hrs own amusement.Thel were ofren
remarkablyingenious. But in the invention of other kinds of music
he did nor show himself so fertile as I had hoped- He composedand
harmonized one or two solemn litde airs liLe hymn tunes, with e
few sprightlier piecesin the spidr of the military march. "He's bardh
a Mozert," we agreed,as we Played his liftle Piecesover- I felt, it
must be confessed,almost aggrieved.Anlthing less than a Mozart.
it seemedto me, was hardly worth thinking about.
He was not a Mozarr. No. But he vrassomebody,as I was ro find
out, quite as extraordinary.It was one morning in rhe early summer
that I madc the discovery.I was sitting in the warm shadeof oui
balcony,working. Guido and Robin s.ereplaying in the little enclosed
gardenbelow. Absorbedin my work, it was onIY after a considerablc
dme that I becameawarethat the children were making remarkablr
little noise. Knowing by experiencethat when childrm are quiet jr
generally means that they are absorbedin some delicious mischiel.
I got up from my chair and looked ovet tbe balustradeexpecring
to seethem dabbling in water, making a bonfire, covedng themsehc\
vr'ith tar. But what I actually sal, wes Guido, with a burnt stick in
his hand, demonstrating on the smooth paving stonesof the path,
that the squareof the hvpotenuscof a righr'angled triangle is equrl
to rhe sum of the squarcson the other two sides.
Kneeling on the 11oor,he was drawing with the point of hr
biackenedstick on the flagstones.And Robin, kneeling imirativeJr
besidehim, was growing, I could see,rather impatient wich this verr
slow game.
"Guido," he said.But Guido wenc on with his diagram."Guidol'
The younger child craned his neck so as to look up into Guidor,
face. "\(/hy don't you draw a train?"
"Afterwards," said Guido. "But I jusr want to show you this lirsl
lcs J, bexutitul," he added cajolingly.
"Bur I want a rrain," Robin pel'sisted.
ll?
"In a mohent. Do just wait a moment," The tone was almost
plodng. Robin armed himself wi.h renewed patience. A minure
Guido had finished borh hJs dLagrams.
"There!"he saidtriumphantly,and straightened himselfr.rpto look
them. "Novr I'll explain."
And he proceedcdto prove rhe theorem of Pythegoras-in rhe
and sadsfyingmethodwhich ,ms, in a.llprobability,employed
$thagoras himself He had drawn a squareand dissectedit, by
pair of crossedperpendiculats,into two squaresand two equal
Theegualre.tangles he dividedup by rhrir diagooalc in(o
equal right-zoglcd triangles- The two squarcs ere then seen ro
rhe squareson rhe rwo sidesof any one of Lhelerr;angle.orher
the hypotenuse. So much for the fust diagram. In the next he
the four right-angled triangles into which the reccangleshed
divided and rerffanged rhem round the o+inal square so rhar
ir ight angles 6llcd the corners of th€ square, the hypolenuses
inwards, and the greater and less sides of the triangles were
continuation along the sides of the square (which are each equal
thc sum of thesesides)-In this way the original squareis rcdissected
four right-angled triangles and rhe squareon the hyporenuse.
four triangles are equal to the two lecranglesof the original
ion- Therefore the square on rhe h)?orenuse is egual to the
of the rwo squares-rhesquareson cheochertvro sides-into
ich, with the rectengles, rhe original squarewas first dissected.
very untechnicallanguage,but clearlyand with a relenrlesslogic,
expoundedhis proof. Robin listened,with an expression on
brighr, freckled face of perfecr incomprehension.
!'Tteao," he repeatedfrom time to time. "Tft120.M^ke 2 u^in."
ln a momen!," Guido implored."\fait a moment.But do just
at this. Da" He coaxed and cajoled. "It's so beeutiful. It's so
casy.. . . The theoremof ryrhagorasseemed
to explainfor me
's musical prcdilecrions.It was nor an infant Mozart we had
cherishing;it was a littlc Archimcdeswith, like mosr of his
, an incidenralmusicalrwisr.
, rrrza." shourcd Robin. gruq'int more rnd more rc5r,es,15
ll3
YOLD,IG IRCHIMEDIS / lldous Huxl€y
the expositiofl went on. And when Guido insistedon going on with
his proof, he lost his temPer. He shouted and began to hit out at
him with his fists.
"AlI right," said Guido resignedly."I'll make a ffain." And wirh
his stick of charcoalhe began to scibble on the stones.
I looked on fot e moment in silence.It was not a very good train
Guido might be able to invent fol hirnself and Prove the theorem
of rythagoras; but he was not much of a draftsman.
"Guidol" I called.The two children tumed and looked up. "who
iaught you to draw those squares?" lt was conceivable, of coursc,
that somebody might have taught him.
"Nobody." He shook his head. Then, rether anxious\, he went
on to apologize and explain. "You s€e," he said, "it seemedto mc
so beautiful. Becausethose squares"-he Poinced at the two smrll
squaresin the firsr 6grre-"are just asbig as rhis one." And he looked
up rt me rlrh a deprecating smile.
I nodded. "Yes, it's very beautiful," I seid, "it's very beauciful
indeed."
An erpressionof delighted relief appearedon his face; he laughe,l
wirh pleasure.
"Brrt I sant a train," P.otestedRobin.
Leming on the rail of the balcony, I watched the children below
I thor.rght of the extraordinxry tbing I had just seen and of whtr
I thought ofthe vast differencesbetweenhuman beings we classill
men by the color of their eyesand hair, the shrPe of their skull5
Would it not be mote sensiblero divide them uP into intelle(rLlil
species?There would be even wider gulfs between the extreme menlrl
typ€s than belween a Bushman and a ScandinaYianThis child. I
thought, when he grows uP, will be to me, intellectuallv, whe( |
man is to a dog. And there are other mm and women who rt.
PerhaPs,elmost as dogs to me.
Perhapsthe men ofgenius are the onlv true men.In aII the hist()r\
of the race there have been only a few tbousand rerl men. And r|r
rest of us-what are we? Teachableanimals:\Without the hclp of rlr
reel men, we shor:ld have found out almost norhing at all. Alm'"t
84
the ideas with which we zre familiar could never have occufied
minds lile ours. Plant rhe seedsthere and rhey will grow; bur
minds could never spontaneously have generated them.
There have been whole nations of dogs, I thought; whole epochs
which no Man was bom. Ftom rhe Egyptims rhe Greeks rook
experience and rules of thumb and made sciences.More rhen
d yearspassedbefoteArchimedeshad a comparablesuccessor.
has been only one Buddha, one Jesus,only one Bach that we
of, one Michelangelo.
it by a mere chance, I wondered. that a Man is born from time
? \rhat causesa whole constellationof them r
into beingandfrom out ofa singlepeople?
Tainerhoughr
I€onardo, Michelargelo, and Raphael were born when they were
the time was ripe for grext painters and the Icelian scene
ial The doctrineis strangellmysri<al:it may be nonerhele".
But what ofthose bom out oftime? \flhat of those?Beerhoven
in Greece,I thoughc, would have had ro be contenr to play
melodieson the llute or lyre; in those int€llectual surroundings
hardly have been possiblefor him to imagine che nature
ony.
child, I thought, hashad the fortune to be born at a rime
he will be able to make good use of his capacities.Suppose
born vhile Stonehengewas building; he might have spenr
ime discovering rhe rudiments, guessing darlly where now he
t have had a chanceofproving. Bom at the dme ofthe Norman
he would have had to wresde with all the Dreliminarv
ties crcatedby an inadequatesymbolism;it would have taken
long years, for example, to learn the art of dividing
II by MCiiD(IX. In 6veyears,nowadays,
hewill
whrt it rook senerationsof Men to discover.
m drawingrrains,rhe childreoin the gardenbelow had gone
playingtrains.Robin puff-puffed,and Guido shuffledbehind
tooting.They .an forward,backed,
stoppedat imaginarysrations,
, roared over bridges, crashed through tunnels, met with
collisionsand derailmcnrs.The youns Archimedesseemed
just:rsh:rppy:rsthc litrlc tow-hcrclcd
brfbxdxn.A few minures
ll5
YOUNG ARCHIMIDIS / AldousHuxleY
ago he had been busy with rhe theorem of Pythagons. Now, tooring
indefatigably along imaginary rails, he was perfecrly content to shuffle
backwards and forwards among the flow€r beds, b€tween the Pillars
of the loggia, in and out of tbe dark tunnels of tbe lauel uee Tte
facr that one is going ro be Archimedesdoe" not Prevenrone frorn
being an ordinary cheerful child meanwhile.
In the weeks that followed, I alternated the daily Piano lessons
with lc'sons in malhemarrcs.Hinrs rather rhan iessonsthq errre: for
I only made suggestions,indicated methods,and left the child himsell
co work out the ideas in detail Thus I introduced him to algebri
b1 showing him lnorl'er Prooi ot rhr theorem of Pvthxsoras Gutdu
wes as much enchentedby the rudiments of algebraas he would havc
beenii I hrd gi\en him ;n engincworkedby sream;moreenchanted
perhaps for the engine, remaining always itsel{ would in any casc
havelost its chalm, while the rudiments of algebrecontinued 'o gro\
and blossom in his mind with an unfailing luxuriance The new tol
wa' inej\hrusrible in ir. Porenrialirje'
In the intervals of applying algebrato thc secondbook of Euclid'
we exPerimenredwith circles; we stuck barnboosinto the Parche(l
eerth, measured their shadows at different hours of the day, and dre*
exciting conclusionsfrom our observations Somedmes,for fun, wc
cut and folded shee$ of PaPetso as to make cubes and pyramids
One afternoon Guido arrived carrying carefully betwecn his small an'l
rather grubby hands a flinsy dodecahedron
"E tanto bella!" he said,^s he showed us his PaP€rcrystal; and
whcrr
I askedhim how he had managedto make it, he merely smiled an'l
seid it h2d been so easy.I looked at Xlizaberh and laughed Bur it
would have been more symbolicallyto the Poinr, I felt, if I had gonr
down on all fours and barked my estonishedadmiradon'
It was an uncommonly hot summer.By the beginning ofJuly out
little Robin, unaccustomed to these high temperaturcs, began to lool
pale and tired; he was listless,had lost his aPPetiteand energy Tlrr'
'{flc decided to spend the next ren
doctor advised mountain aii "t
twelve weeks in Swirzerland.My paning gift to Guido was the hr\l
six books of Euclid in Italian He turned bver the Pages,lookirr,{
ccstaticallyat rhe 6gures.
"If only I knew how to readproperly,',he said.,'I,m so stupid.
now I shell really try to learn.,,
our hotel near Grindelwald we sent the chiid. in Robin,s
mrious postcardsof cows, Alp hotns, Snrisschaicts,edelweiss,
tbe like. Ve received no ansrvers to these cards; but then we
not expect answers. Guido scarcelv knew how to write, and therc
no reason why his father or his sisrers should take the trouble
ite for him. No news, we took it, was good news- And then
day,earlyin September,rherexrrived at the hotel a scranqeletcer.
managerhad i( sruck up on rhe glas5-fronrcd notice Loard in
bdl. Passing rhe board on the way in to lunch, Elizabeth sropped
at rt.
it musr be from Guido," she said.
came and looked at the envelope over her shoulder. It wes
ped and blackwith postmarks.Trrcedouc in pencil,the bie
in capiral lerrcrs sprawledacrossits face.ln the first line wrs
: At BABBO DI ROBIN, and there followed a ffavestied
of the nameof.he hotel and rhe place.Round the address
posBl officials had scrawled suggested emendations. The
had wandered for r fortnighr ar leasr. back and forrh acco,.
frcc of Europe.
Bdtbo di Robin.To Robin's father." I laughed. .'pretty smart
postmenro havegot it hereat xll." I srent ro the manaqer,s
s€t forth rhe iustice of my claim ro the letter and, having paid
time surchargefor rhe missing stzmp,had the lerter given
\7c v,rent in to lunch.
{'riting's magnificent," we agreed, laughing, as we examined
resset close quarters."Thanks to Euclid." I added. ,'ThaCs
comesof panderng ro rhe ruling passron.'
when I opened the envelope and looked at its conrents I no
laughed.The letter was briefand almost relegraphicelin style.
dalla Padrona," i. :rrn, "Nan mi Piaceba Rsbatail nia Libm
Vogliofuoxarepfu Vaglio Tonare a CasaVnga S bitl Ga;dl,"
hat is ia?"
hrndcd Elizabetbthc lctter "Thar blasrcdwoman'sgor hold of
" I srid.

YOUNG ARCHIMIDES / Al.lousHuxl€f
BUsTsor MlN in Hombutg hats, staNes of little girls, cherubs, veiled
figures- the strangestand most diverse idols beckoned and gesticulated
as we Passed.Printed indelibly on rin and embeddedin rhe living
rock, the brown PhotograPhs looked out, under glass, from the
humbler crosses,headstones,and broken pillars. Dead ladies in the
f2shions of thirty years ago smiled mournfully out of their marble
frames.Men with black mustaches,men with whirc beards,young
cleanxhaven men, stared or averted their gaze to show a Roman
profrle. Children in their stiff best oP€ned wide their eyes' smiled
laboriously and obedrendybecausethey had been told to. In sPik!
Gothic cottages of marble the richer dead privately rePosed; the less
slePt in communities' close
PtosPeroussections of the majoritl
crowdedbut elegantlyhousedunder smooth continuous marblefloors.
whose every flagstone was the mouth of a selrrate grer,'e.
These continental cemeteries,I thought, as Carlo znd I made our
way among ghe dead, are more frightful than ours, beceusc rhesc
people pay more 2ft€ntion to their deed than we do. There are tr
hundred gesticulating statues here for every one in an English grave
yard. There are more family vaults, more "luxuriously aPPointed"('rs
they say of liners and horels) than one would find at home And
embedded in every tombstone there are PhotograPhs to remind thc
powdered bones within what form tbeY will have to resume on chc
bav of Judgment; beside eech are litde hanging lamps to bur''
optimistically on AiI Souls' DaY.
' too many trump cards.The child could go and stay with her
"lf I had known," Carlo kept repeating,"if only I had known
His voice came to me as though from a distance."At the time h'
didn't mind ar all. How should I have known that he would rake il
' the idea of going for a holiday ro the seaside-and it was ro
so much to heart afterwards?And she deceivedme' she lied to mc
I assuredhim yet once more that it wesn't his fault. Though, "l
course, it was, in Pelt It was mine too, in PArt; I ought to h:t!r
thought of the Possibilityand somehow guardedagainst it- And k'
shouidn't have let the child 80, even temPorarily and on trial, ercrr
though ihe woman was bringing pressureto bear on him' And tl!'
pressurehad beenconsiderableThey had worked on the sameholdi'rl
fo, -ore thr,t a hundred years,the men of Carlo's family; and n"s
Signora Bondi had made the old man rhrcaten to turn him our' ll
tlti
ll'
be a dreadful thing co leave the place; and besides, anorher
wasn'r so qasyro 6nd. It was made quite plain, however, that
could stay if he let her have the child. Only for a lirtle to begin
; tust co se€ how he got on. There would be no compulsion
on him ro stay if he didn't like it. And it wouid be all
Guido's advantage;and to his father\, coo, in the end. All that
Engli5hman had said about his not being such a good musician
he had thought at fust was obviously untrue-mere jealousyand
indedness:the man wanted to take credicfor Guido himsell
was all. And the boy, it was obvious, would learn nothing from
$rhaa he needed was a real good ptofessional master.
the ignor,l's energy went inro this campaign. It began the
r we were out of the house. She doubdess rhousht it wes
rial to get hold of the child before we could make our bid-for
was obvious to her that we wanted Guido as much as she did.
after day she renewed the assaulr.At the end of a week she
her husbandto complainaboutthe srateof the vines;theywere
shockingcondirion;he hd de.ided.or very nearlydecijed,ro
Carlonotice.Meelly,shamefacedly, in obedience
ro higherorders,
old gentleman urtered his threrts. Next day Signora Bondi re-
to the ^ttack.'fhe Padflze, she declared,had been in a rowefing
; bur she'd do her besr, her very best, to moltifi him. And
a signiFcant pauseshe wenr on to talk about Guido.
the end Cario gave in. The woman was too persistentand she
month or two oo rrial- After rhat, if he really expresseda desire
in wirh her, she could formally adopt him.
scaside,Signore Bondi told him, thac chey were going-Guido
Plcasedand excited.He had heafd a lot abour rhe seafrom Robin.
acqaa!" And now he was actually to go and see chis marvel.
cbecrtullyhe parcedfrom his family.
r afrer rhe holiday by rhe seawas over, and Signora Bondi had
r him b.ck to h€r town house in Florence,he began to be
'fhe
ick. ignora, ir was crue,rrearedhim exccedinglykindly,
t him nfw clothcs,took him our to t€ain rhe Via Tornabuoni,
lt9
 / AldousHuxlcy
YOLrl\lG ARCHUVTEDES

which illumined his face when he learned of some ncw idea

and 6lled him uP with cakes, iced sffawbetryade' whiPPed crexm, and
pleased him, when he hearda pieceof musicthar he liked.And
chocolates.But she mtde him Practicethe Piano more than he liked.
and what was worse, she took away his Euclid, on the score lhar
bcautiful small being was dead;and the spirit thar inhabited this
the amazing spirir, that too hed been destroyedalmost before
he wasted too much time with it And when h€ said that he wanted
begrn to exist.
ro go home, sheput him offwith promisesand excusesand downriShr
the unhappiness that must havc preceded thc finai act, the
lies. She told him that she couldnt take him at once, but that nexr
dcspxir, the conviction of his utcer abandonmenr_those were
week, if he were good and worked hard at his piano meanwhile'next
to rhink ol terible.
week . . . And when the time cameshetold him that his father didn t
think we hed better come awaynow,,, I said at last, and touched
want him back. And she redoubled her Petting, gave him exPensrr(
on the arm. He was standing there like a blind man; from
preserts,and stufed him with yet unhealthier foods. To no purposc
ccn his dosed eyelidsthe tearswelled out, hunq for a moment.
Guido didn't iike his new life, didn't want to Practicethc scales'Pine(l
tricklcddown his chcek. Hir lip. rrembled. ;Co-"
for his book, and longed to be back with his brothers and siscers ,*,y... I
Sipnorr Bondi, meanwhile.conrinuedto hope rh;r rime md cho'"
lals would €ventually make the cbild hets; and to keePhis famil\
facewhichhadbeenstill in its sorrow,wassuddenlyconvulsed;
ned his eycs,and through che tears cheywere bdght with a
at e distance,she wrote to Carlo every few days letters which still
2ngcr. "I shall kill her,', he said. .,I shrll kilt her. \flhen I
DurDort€d to come from the serside (she took the trouble to sen'l
of him thro*'inghims€lfout, fallingthroughthe air .,, rJtrith
ihem to a friend, who posted them beck a82in to Florcnce),and iir
o handshe madea violent gesture,bringing them down from
which she painted the most charming Picture of Guido's happines
his headand amestingchemwith a suddei ierk when rhev were
It was then thet Guido wrote his letter to fte. Abandoned,as hc
lcvclwith his brea*."And rher crash. Hc shuddered. ..She,s
supposed,by his family he must havc Iooked to me as his Iest anrl
h rcsponsibleas though she had pushed him down hcrself.
only hope. And the lettet, with its fantasticaddtess,had been nearlr
kill her-" He clcnchedhis re€th
a fortnight on its way. A fortnight-if must have se€medhundrcd\
one znoth€r,gradually,rr( bc angry is easierthan to be sad,lesspainful_ It is comforting
of years;and as the centuriessucceeded
poor child becameconvincedthat I too had abandonc' nk of revenge."Don't tall like rhac,,,I said.',ICs no good.
doubt. the
upid. And what would be the point?', He had had those 6ts
him. Therg wasno hoPeleft.
l!, whcn grief became loo painful and he had tried to escapefrom
"Here we are," saidCerlo
hrd had, before thG, to persuadehim back into the harder parh
I looked up and found myself confronted by an enormous monrl
, "It's stupid to talk like that,', I repeited, ,nd I led him away
menr.And in bronzelerccr.riveredinro the 'tone s/zsa long le8'"'
r thc ghastly labyrinrh of tombs, where death seemedmote
to the effecc that the inconsolable Ernesto Bondi had raised tl|r
monument ro the memory of his beloved first wife, Annunztrttt
avcn rhan ir is.
thc time wc had icft rhe cemetery,he had becorne.elme(. His
snatchedfrom him by a Prematuredeath.
hed subsidedagain in(o rhe sorow from vhich ir had derived
"They buried him here."
itrcngth and irs birterness.rJ(e halted for a moment to look
\(/e stoodtherefot a long time in silencel felt the teatscomtt
rt thc ciry of Florence in the valley below us. It was a dav
into my eyesas I rhought of the Poor child lying there undergrotr'll
lnF clouds-8rcar rhrpes.white.goldcn.andgrry. and berwecn
I thought of rhose luminous grave eyes'rhe 'urve of thar beaulrlrrl
forehead,the droop of rhe mclancholy mouth, of rhe exPrcssx'rr
' Pr(chcsof a thin, rr,rnsptrenrblue. On the innumerablebrown
BUTCII MTNDS THr BABY/Danon Rutlon
and rosy roofs of the city the aft€rnoon sunlight lay sofdy, sumPru
ously, and the towers v€re as though vernished and enameled with
an old gold. I thought of all the Men who had lived here and lelt
the visible traces of their spirit and conceived exftaordinary things
I thousht of the dead child.
BUTCH MINDS THE BABY
DAMONFIJNYON/I]N TED STATES
O*. u,rurur*oalong about seveno'clockI am sitting in Mindr\
rcstaurantPutting on the gefilte fuh, which is a dish I am very fon'l
of, when in comesthreePartiesfrom Brooklyn wearingcapsasfollor r
Harry the Horse,little lsadoreand SpanishJohn.
Now thesePartiesar€ not such P2rtiesas I will care to have murh
truck with, becauseI often hear rumors about them that are v(ry
discreditable,even if the rumors are not true ln fact, I hear l}lrl
many citizens of Brooklyn will be very glad inded m s€eHarl rl
Horse, litde Isadore and Spanish John move away from there, as tlr'
are alwaysdoing something that is considereda knock to the comnrr
nity, such as robbing people, or maybe shooting or stabbing rhcrr
and throwing pineaPPles,and ca(ying on gene(ally.
I am really much surPrisedto seethes€ Pa.ties on Brordwr\"
it is well known that th€ Broadway coPPers just naturally lovc t
shove such parties around, but here they are in Mindy's, and th't
I am, so of course I give them a vcry large hello, as I never wt
to seeminhosPitable,€ven to Brooklyn Parties.Right awaythey crtl
over to my tableand sit down, end Lirtle Isadorereaches out rrrr
spearshimselfa big hunk of my gefilte6sh with his brrt
fingers'
overlookthis, as I am usirrgthe only knife on rhe table.
92
hen they all sit there looking at me without saying anything,
the wa), they look at me makes me very newous indeed. Finally
that maybe they are a little embarassed being in a high,class
such as Mindy's, with legitirnare people around and about, so
to them, very polite: "ft is a flice night.',
is nice ebourit?" ask Hrrry the Horse,who is a thin man
a sharp face and sharp eyes.
novr thar it is puc up to me in this way, I can s€e there
ing so nice about the night, at thar, so I try to think of
ring else jolly to say, while Lirtle Isadore keeps speerlng at my
fish wirh his 6ngers, and SpanishJohn nabs one of my potatoei.
docsBig Butch live?" Harry the Horseasks.
Burch?" I say,as if I never hear th€ namebefore in mv life.
in this man's town it is never a good idea to answ€r any
withour thinking it over, as sometime you may give the
answer ro rhe wrong guyl or the wrong answer ro rhe right
'Vhete doesBig Butch
live?" I ask them ag.zrn.
where does he live?" Harry the Horse seys,vcry rmpauenr.
you to take us to him."
ow wait a minutq Har!v," I szy, and I am now more nervous
hat. "I am not sureI rememberthe exacfhouseBis Butch
and furrhermore I am nor sure Biq Butch will careto have
ing people to s€ehim, esp€cially thr€e at a time, and especially
yn. You know Big Burchhasa werybad disposition, and
no telling what he may say ro me if he does nor like rhe
me taking you to him-"
is very kosher," Harry rhe Horse says..,You neednot
of anyrhingwharever.Str€havea businessproposicionfor
so you rake us to him at once, or the chanc€sere I \rill
put rhe arm on somebodyaround here.,'
as the only one around rhere for him ro put the arm on
time se€msro be me, I can seewhereir wiu be good policy
to take rhesepa(tiesto Big Butch, especially as the lest of
rc 6sh is iusr going down Little Isadore's
gullet, and Spanish
finishrng up my poraroes.andis dunkingr pieceof ryi bread
coffcc, so rhcre is norhing morc for mc ro efi.
DUTCH MINDS THE BABY/Dimo! Runyoo
So I lead them over into \7cst lorty"ninth Strcet, near Tenr|
Avenu€, wh€re Big Butch lives on the ground floor ofan old brown
srone-fronthouse,and who is sitting out on the stooP but Big Butch
himself. In fact, everybodyin the neighborhoodis sitting out on thc
front stoopsover there,includingwomen and children,becausesitting
out on the flont stoops is quite a custom in this section
Big Butch is P€eleddown to his und€rshirt and Pan$, and he hii
no shoeson his feet, as Big Butch is a guy s'ho likes his comfon
Furthetmore, he is smoking a cigar, and laid oul on the stooP besidc
him on a blanket is a little baby with not much clorhes on Thi'
baby seems co be adeep, and every now and then Big Butch fanr
it with a folded newsPaPe(to shoo xvay the mosquitoesthat w;s)l
to nibble on the baby. These mosquitoescome acrossthe rivcr fronr
the Jerseyside on hot nights and they seemto be very fond ofbabic'
"Hello, Butch," I say, as we stoP in front of the stoop-
"Sh-h-h"hl" Burch says,pointing at the baby, and making mort
noisc with his shushthan an engine blo{iDg offsteam. Then he gctt
uo and tiDtoes down to thc sidewalk where wc ate standinS, and I
am hoping that Burch feels all right, becausewhen Butch does not
feel so good he is ePt to be very short vith one and all. He is
guy af maybe six foot two and a couPlc of fcet widc, and he h
big hairl handsand a mcan look
In fict, Big Butch is knowo all ovcr this man's town at a 8ll
you must not monkey with in afiy rcsPect,so it takesplenty ofwcigl
ofofme whenI seethat he seems to know thc Particsfrom Brookl
and nods at them vcry friendly, especiallyat Harry the Ho$e rl
tighr awayHarry statesa most surPrisingProPositionto Big Bur'
It seemsthat thete is a big coal comPanywhich has an o6cc i
rn old building down in $fest EiShteenth Street, and in this olll
is a safe,and in this safe is the companypayroll of twency thoutrttt
dollarscashmoney.Harry the Ho$e knows the money is therebc(rrr
a personalfriend of his who is thc Paym?sterfor the company |'tt
it th€re late this very zfternoon.
ft seemsrhet the paymasterentcrs into a dicker wirh HaIr\ |
qll
Horse and Litde Isadoreand SPanishJohnfor thcm to slug him
hc is carrying the payroll fronr thc baok to thc ofrce in thc aftcln'"
somerhing happensthat they miss connecrionson rhe exact
soot_
rc paymasrerhrs r^ cafn thc sug.rron ro thc of6ce s irnour be.ng
and rhere ir is now in two far bundles
ly it seem5ro mc:: I J,stcn(o Hafry.r \fo^ rhar rhe
mx5( bc, vcr.tdi.hune.( (hrra,rer ro be mrkrng dcalsro
srill while he is bring stugged
and rhe romp:nv\ .u!", ,,t.n
rrom hrm. bur ot .orr"c i( i. noneoi my bu<in$c,\o I ,rkr
in rhe conversation.
cll, it seemsrhat Haq. the Horse and liftle Isadoreand
Spanish
wlsh to ger the money out of the safe,bur none of them
knows
inC^
rb:lr openingrrfc.. and qhrte rher rre srundingarornd
in BrookJynralkingovcr qh.rri, co bc doncin rhi<crner8cncy
suddery remembers thar Big Butch is once rn rhe business
safes for a lirlng
fact, I heer afrerwardschat Big Butch is coosidered
the best
openererst of the MississippiRiver in his day, but the law finallv
I to sendinghim ro Sing Sing for opcning rhe,c .rfc,, rnd aircr
in and our of Sing Sing three different t"imesfor opening safes
r getssick and tired of the plece,especiaitlas they passwhat
the Srumes LarJ\rin New York, which is a law that
says
is selrt to Sing Sing four rimes hand running, he
musr stay
thc resr of his lire. withor,t ;ny argumentabour ir.
Big Burth give, up opening ,:res for r living. ,rnd goes
rnro
i rn a small wav, such as running beer, and handling
a litcle
now and then, and becomesan honesr cirizen. Iurrhermore,
5 one of rhe neighbor,schildren over on che Vest Side by
of Mary Murphy, ,nd I iudge the baby on this stoop comes
maffiage berweenBig Butch and Mary becauseI can seethat
vcry ho.melybaby,indeed_Sdll, I neverseemany babiesthat
rose geraniums for looks, anyway.
ll, ir finally comes out that the idea of Harry the Horse and
ls:rdore_andSpanishJohn is to ger Big Burch ro open the coal
,'s safe-andtake the payroll monq out, and thev
are willing
him 6{ry percent ofthe money for his bother, takiog fifr}
lor themsclves for finding the pl:rnt, and paying ai
the
, su(h :ts rhc prym,rsrcr,
our of thcir bir, N,hichstrikesme
\)t
DUTCH MINDS THE DABY/ Dmon Rlnlon
es a prctty fait sort of deal for Big Butch But Butch only shakes
his head.
' "It is old'feshionedstufr," Butch says."Nobody oPensPereboxes
for a living xnymore. They make the boxes too good, and they arc
all wired up with alarms znd are a lot of trouble generally l am rr
a legitimati businessnow and going along. You boys know I cannol
strn"d fall, what with being away three times already, an<l
".rothe.
in eddition to this I must mind the baby. My old lady goes to Mrs
Clancy'swake tonight uP in the Bronx, xnd the chancesare she will
be there all night, as she is very fond ofwakes, so I must rnind lirtlc
-John lgnatius Junior'"
"Lisien, Butch," Hatry the Horse says,"this is a
very soft perc
It is old-fashioned,and you can oPen it with a toothPick There ar'
no wires on it, becausethey never Put more than a dime in it beforr
in yea$. It just haPPensthey have to Put the rwenty G's in it tonigl(
beiarrre my pai rhe paymaster makes it a Point Aot to 8et back fro l
the jug with the scratchin time to Pay off today, especiallyafter lr
sees$r; miss out on him. It is the softesttouch you wiII ever knor
rnd where can a glly pick up ten G's like this?"
I can seethat Big Butch is tbinking the ten G's ove( v€rv seflouslr
(;
at that. becausein thesetimes nobody can afford to PassuP ten
especiallya guy in the beerbusiness, wbich is very,very tough lu
now. B,.rt firlallv he shakeshis head again and sayslike this:
"No," he says,"l must let it go, becauseI must mind che brtl
My old lady is very, very particular about this, and I dest not Ic'l
litde John lgnatiusJuniot for 2 minute lf Mary comeshome rtt
findsi am not minding the babyshewiII Put the blascon me pltrrt
I like to turfl a few honestbobsnow and then as w€ll as anYb(ll
'John Ignatius
bur," Butch says, Junior comesfust with me-"
Then he turns awayand goesbackto the srooPrs much ir\
sayhe is thtough arguing, and sits down besideJohn Ignatius Jurlrr
again just in time to keep a mosquito from carrying otrone ofJt'l'rr
ligs. Anybody canseethat Big Butch is very fond of this baby, th'rr1
p.l"onrityt rill nor give y,u .r dime; dozenfor b;bie' mal' "
female.
\0ell, Hrrry the Horsclnd Lit(lc Isadoreand SPanish Jol'rr I
much disappointed,and stand around talking among themselves,
paying no artention to m€, when aII of a sudden SpanishJohn,
never has much ro say up to this time, seems to have a bright
Hc talk to Harry and lsadore, and they get all pleasured up
what he has to say, and finally Harry goes ro Big Butch.
"Sh h h h!" Big Butch says,pointing to the babyas Hzrry opens
Lisrm, Burch," Harry saysin a whisper,"we can take the baby
us, and you crn mind ir and work. too "
," Big Burch whispersback,"this is quire an idea indeed.
us go into the house and tzlk things over."
he picks up the baby and Ieadsus into his joint, and gets out
pretry fair beer, though it is needled a little, at thet, and we
the kirchen chewing .he fat in whispers. There is a crib
kitchen, and Butch puts the baby in his crib, and it keeps
ing awayfirrr rlre while wc rrc talking.ln fxr. it is sleeping
nd rhar I am commencing to figure that Butch must give it
of rhe needledbeer he is feeding us, becauseI am feeling a
dopey mysell
y Butch saysthat as Iong as he can takeJohn Ignatiusjunior
him he seesno reason why he shall not go and open the safe
, only hc sayshe must have 6ve percent more ro put in the
bank when he gca back.so as to round himselfup rith his
ing wife in caseof a beef from her over keeping the baby out
nighr xir. Herry rhe Horse sayshe considersthis extra fve
i a little strong,but SpanishJohn, who seemsto be a very
guy, saysthat after all it is only fair ro cut the bab)' in if
to be wirh them when they are making the score, and Litde
scemsco think rhisis all right, too. So Harry the Horsegiv€s
saysfive percencir is.
I, as they do not wish to staft our unril afrer midnight, and
is plenty of timc, Big Butch gets out some mote needled
lnd then he gocs looking for the tools with which he opens
rnd which hc sayshc does not seesincethe dayJohn Ignatius
i s b o r n a n d h e S e r s( h c m o u r r o b u i l d r h e . r i b
thi$ is a good time for mc to bid onc and all farewell, and
BUICIl IIINDS THE BABY/ Dxmon Run,ron
whar keepsm€ thereis something I cennottell you to rhis dxv' becausc
personally I never before have any ider of taking Parr in a safeoPenins'
especiallywith a baby, as I considersuch actions ve4' dishonorablc
\/hen I come to think things over afterwards,the onlY thing I can
figure is the needledbeer, but I irish to seYI am really v€ry muclr
surprisedat myself when I 6nd myself in a t2-ricabalong about on(
o'clock in th€ morning with these Brooklrn Partiesand Big Burch
and the baby.
Butch hasJohn Ignatius Junior rolled up in a blanket, and Jobr
is sdll Pounding his ear. Butch hasa sarchelof rools, and what look'
to me like a big flat book, and just before we iezve the house Butcl'
hands me a Packagcand tells me to be very careful with it- He gi!(s
Little lsadore a smallerpackage,rvhich Isadoreshovesinto his pistt'l
pocket,and when Isadoresits down in the taxi somechinggoeswa-sr
like a sh€ep,and Big Butch becomesverv indignant becauseit see'r'
lsadoreis sitting onJohn IgnariusJunior's doll, which sals"Mamm r'
when you squeezeit.
It seemsBig Butch ligures that John Ignatius Junior mrt si'
something to Play with in casehe wakes uP, end ir is a good tbirrri
for licrle Isadoreth2t the mamma doll is not squashedso ir cann"t
sal "Mamma" anymore, or dre chancesare litrle Isadorewill gct r
good bust in tbe snoot.
Stre let the taxicab go a block away from the sPot we are her(L'l
for in \{/est Eighteenth Street,betv/eenSeventhand Eighth avenur
and walk the rest of the way two by two l walk with Big But'lt
carrying my package,and Butch is lugging the baby and his saalr
and th€ flat thing thac looks like a book lt is so quiet down in \\ ' I
Eighrcenth Street at such an hour rhat you can hear rourself tl)rr'l'
and in fact I heef myself thinking verv plain tbat I am a blg "l
to be on a job like this, especialll with a baby, but I keep g"Lr
just the same,which shows you what a verr big sap I am' in'l'''l
There are very few PeoPlejn \{/est lighreenth Streecrvhen sc 1'
there, and one of them is a fat guy wbo is leaning apinst a buil'L'r'
almost in rhe center of the block, and who takesa walk for hi|" I
es soofl as he seesus lt seemsthat rhis fat gul is the watclrrrrrl
at the coal comPanl'solice :rnd is also e pelsond friend of 11"'r
9il
Horse, which is why he takes rhe walk whcn ne s€esus comrng
is agreedbefores e leare Big Bu((h . hou.r , h.r Harrl rhe Hor.-e
SprnishJohnarc ro srar ounide thc ptr(c r. tookoJr..shilc Big
is insidcopeningthc.afe. rnc (hi' Lirlc t.rdore i, ro go q ir;
Nothing whatever is said by anybody about where I xm to
It any rime, and I can see rhar, no m,lrrer where I am, I will
be-an outside., blrt, as Bucch gives me che package to carry, I
he wishes me to remain with him.
is.no bother ar all gefting into the olice of the coal comprny,
r is on the ground floor, becauseit seemsrhe warchman leaves
)nt dooropen, this watchman being a most obliging guy, indeed.
r he is so obliging that by and by he comesback and lets Hary
Horse and SpanishJohn rie him up good and tight, and stici
I n d k f ' c h i cifn h i s m o u r h r n d c h u t k h i m r r r n r r e r w r ) a e x r r o
ofiice,so nobody vill think he has anything ro do wirh opening
Eafein caseanvbody comes around asking.
officelooks out on rhe srreer,and rhe saferhat Harry the
and Little Isadoreand Spanish
John \r,ishBig Butch ro open
g up against the rear wall of the otice facing the sueet
There is one licde electric light burning very dim over che
!o rhar when anybody walks pasr che place ourslde, such as a
, thel can look in through che window and see the safe
times, unless rhey are blind. It is not a rall safe,and it is not
lsafe, and I can seeBig Bucch grin when he seesit, so I6gure
ltfc is not much of a safe,just as Harry rhe Horse claims.
as soon as Big Butch and che baby and Little tsadoreand
inro rhe ofice, Big Bucch stepsover ro the safeand unfolds
I think is rhe big flat book, and what is it but a soft of screen
on one side ro look exxctly like rhe front of x safe.Big Burch
this screenup on the 1loor in front of the reai safe,leaving
of spacein between,ihe idea being chat the screenwill keep
c passingin the srreet ourside from seeing Butch while he i-s
the safe, becausewhen a man is opening a safe he needs
plvacy he can ger.
Burch lays John Ignxtius
Junior down on the floor on rhe
bchind thc phony safe fronr ancl r:rkcs his rools our of rhe
BUTCH MINDS TH! BABY / Drno! RutYon

little Isadore an'l ;h, juv tike I seedoUswho havebabiesdo. Apparenrl)

sxrchel and starts to work oPening the safe, while
is not roont rhe
milk
me gff back in x corner v,rhere it is dark' because there rotrrc,oJohn
rg*,*".,"".,.q,r,.
for a"ll of us back of the scre€n. However, we can seevhet
Big Butclr l;:: ::j:il:I.:jI
borh hands s,,i,
is doing, and I wish to say while I rcver before
see a profession l:1,1:'ll "d,,,;, "".f;; ;;;: ;il::,"J::
BigBurch
safeopier at work, and never wish to sceanother'
this Butch handlcJ :#t::j*"j:"'1.ffcy1].n
John To ;;;;; goes
rsnari",s
roworkon
"";",;.
^"^ry"".
.l .*,il J"","; ;;j;:;
himself like a real artist 0".,,': and looking wiserrhan a rreefulor
Ioch ::. owls.
He starts drilling into the safe eround the combinatiot is cithera roJgherjob rirn anybody
all of a suddenwhat ff::",T.:,t fisures.or
working very fast and very quiet, when whar.wi(h bcingori a.ndrusry

f;jiltli*ftTs
' ' '
nket and lets out a squ t
butJohn lgnatiucJuntorsrlsuP on tne Dra
N^t"ordly iii, i, ,not, disquieting to me, and personally
of beaningJohn IgnatiusJuniorwith somethingto make,him
l amin favl

d'
*::*i:.r,:,::$fl
ilr*
;Jr.[: i::i:,::;T.so_,sood

rli#
h afterwards exprains to me .t".
rr. i. ol
6!!q!5 4ulwnere

.,iff, U*ri* r ,t'in.*"u' -Hea' it is But the squalling

cnough .*pro,iu.", i'u:i:TrlT fl il:
. bother Big Butch lays down his tools and pick ::::1,::.-.p'"
'l] ".*itr,o,,,
..9o',,r'.
.,r., ",.1,il,;;. ;"*;:l:
;;'J;
up John lgnatius Junioi and startswhispering,
'"There, there' tbc f;f l.l.ighr,
xock tust l"*and ir.seemsrhat "o
this panicular<afeis a
new
itty oddleums. Da'dad is here-"
my'weil, .li l-T; *.' if it is old. and he is our ol prucriLe.
this oery nonsensicalto me in soch 2 situation' rl .*".,'^.J:hn rgnariusJunior
"oond" on Ignatius He kcq i..l:I: "Bu,.h 6nishc"hisboftjeand
it makesno impressionwhatever John
Tlllr"q,*,,.10 oigandr,ies
Junior' gl,e,
r he is squ'lling pretty loud bYuje I '1 ;,; ;";;;';;;,;il:
on squalling, 1"ag. to rakerr aw2i1166,l61n
""a i'r';or'' both walk pasrthe window lll,l,ll.r.::.t,1loor
"""J
tn. fi"". -j sf
look rcryanxiou'.
rn JunioruP
JohnlSnarius
Big Burchiiggles i',",1:;'l'"*
Ti,.f.,::;::"1;:;i:l'lil:ll
.ll;
down and keeps whisPering baby telk to him, which -souflds more delay.
Enally Bu
undignified .o-i.tg f.o^ a high'class.safeopener' and U:,.n,givcs.uprryingro driu the
sareopen.and he
,l,t
whispers
-Hi to me to hand him the Package.l"-. tltty.-g- . , fiavero pur r lirrteshorrn ir
br :: l',,1i, .h".:'l ro toosco
oo.* 'r'. o*f.re", and -trai; in i bur a baby'"nLrrsing U al nith us, because
we aregetting tired
frrllof milk. Voreou"i theteis a lirrlerin srewpanandBurch
hrr :.-.^U,-l]n1n, :rCht
(aP somewl i"r^"T:::,"i1,,_"j:1T,.
* * r pe.sonily Johnrsnatius .1""rri.rigr;s,
rhe pan ro me and rhispers ro me to 6nd 2 watet .;"...,J, i;,*;;;
in tie ioinr rnd fill rhe pan wirh water So I.go.srumbling
rt" ff.ol; "m i,;fi
sc
in the dark in a room behind the office end bark my shins rhroushhissrrcheltookingfor
Big Bt l:ru:j.l-'_rl,'*"':t
times before I find a taP and filI the pan' I take it backto rharwiat he is lookingfor i: r lirrie "ome.
bottleof
a tit' 1o,'t..orn:
and he squats,here*ith rhe babl on one arm'. and gers
11'!{.yr.1*. wichwhich.";i;;;ffi'";",il.:"?:
lights this crtttt
what is called cannedheat out of chepackage,and n: *:-t 6ndthisbotttqbutfin"ltyh.
the Panof watet * 1t,..:111-1,.u.., ni'i,,^a di._;;;;
hrat witb his cigarliSbrer.and 'rarn heating
:I lri1ll:.J,1'- i.g",*i";,,,r,;;t;";*;
the flulsing botrle in it. Johnrgnatius
wl'rll :::.: ::,:: l1l-r Juniorg ve:r up
Big Bu;h keePsstickinghis fingerin the Pin :f w.aY y$'ay,he fixcsthc cxplosive in o".'or,l. ior., iJtll"
rhe ntl n.".
is heir;ng.andby rnd b' he puts rhe rubbernippleof *t,and rhrnheputsin a tuse,
io'rh in"hismourhand rakesa pull at it to seeif rhe
milk rs " lyllll-i1 T,,h:fuseB,"r,
herouchcs
offthc ji"
and
pi.f. rg;i;#;
"p

100
 MINDS TH! BABY / D2don Run,lon
and hands him to Little Isedore, and tells us to go into the rooTr
behind rhe ofrce. John Ignatiusjunior doesnot seemco carcfor Lirrlc
Isadore,and I do not blame him, at that, becausehe startsto squir
aLound quite some in Isadore'sarms and lets out a squall, but all
abl
of a sndien he becomesvery quier indeed,and, while I am not
to prove it, something tells me that Litde Isadorehas his hand orcr
Ignatius Junior's mouth
John
"
\OeI, Big Butch ioins us right awal in the bacl<room, and soun'l
comes out ;f John lgflatius Junior again xs Butch txkes him fronr
Lirtle Isadore,ind I am thinking thac it is a good thing for Isadorc
that the baby cannot tell Big Butch wh2r Isedore does to him'
it !'-rll
"I put ir iusr a little bit of a shot," Big Butch says'"and
not make any mor€ noise thari snapping your frgen "
But a second later there is t blg wboantfrom the office, and rlr
whole joint shakes,and John lgnatius Junior Iaughs right out lou'l
The chancesare he tbjnks it is the Fourth ofJulv-
an'
"I guess maybe I Put in too big a charge," Big Burch sa1s,
hitrl
then ie rushesinro the ofice with Little Isadoreand me after
endJohn IgnaciusJunior still laughingverv herrtily for a smallbal'r
The door of the safeis swingingJoose,and tbe whole ioinr look
somewhatwrecked,but Big Butch losesno time in getthg his duk
into the safeand grabbing out two big bundles of ceshmoney, whk
he sticks inside his shirt
As we go into rhe street Harry the Horse and SPanishJohn corr
r,rruritrg,'p much excited, and Harry says to Big Butch like rlr
"tVhat at. yo,, trying to do," he says'"wake uP the whole tov"n
"Well," Butch seys,"I gu€ss maybe the charge is too stronS
rhat, blrt nobody seemsto be coming' so vou and SpannhJohn t'tl
over to Eighth Avenue, and the rest of us *'ill walk to Seventh'rrl
'!l
ifyou go along quiet, like people minding their own business'it
be all right."
But I judge Lirtle Isadoreis dred ofjohn lSnariusJunior'scomptn
irr
by this dme, becausehe sayshe will go with Harry the Horse
lgnatius
SpanishJohn, and this leevesBig Burch and John Jull
So \1testart moving' and all ofa sud'l
and me io go the oth.f way
two coPs come terring around the cornel toward which Harry I
l0,l
and Spanish John are going. The chances are tne cops hear
t'rS"f nig Butch lets off and zre coming to invesrigate.
rt the chances ere, too, thar if Harry the Horse and chi
ocher
keep on w:lking along verv quietly iike Burch tells them
to,
,ers_wili passthem up entirely,because
ir is not likely that
will fgure anybody to be opening safeswith explosivesin
ihborhood. But the minureHatry ihe Horse,"., ,i" .opp.r.
s his,nut,^and he outswith rheold equalizerandstarabl"sting,
hat does.SpanishJohn do bur get his o.,,, coo,
' nexr thing anybodyknows,
op.r, ui.
the two coppersare"nd
down on rhe
lv,rith slugsin them,bucother coppersarecomingfrom every
direction,blowing whisttesand J"i"g Ii.cle blisting them,
"
| 2no rncrers ptenryol c\crrcmenr.c.pe,irl11. when rhe coppsrs
ate nor chasingHarry rhe Horse and lirrle Isadoreand Spanistr
staftpokingaroundrhe neighborhoodand find Harrvt pat, tle
Lman,,ll ti€d up nice and tight whereHarry leaveshim, and
an explains thar some scoundrelsblow open the safe
he
this rime Big Burch and me are walking in the ocher direcrion
SeventhAvenue,and Big Butch hasjohn Ignatius in his arms,
In ]gnarius is now squalliog very loud, indeed. The chances
is srill rhinking of the big ahoan back there which rickles
so and is wishing ro herr some more uhooms. Anyway, he is
rg his own bex record for squalling, and as ve go ralking along
saysro me like chis:
dasrnor run. uvs. "be.auseifanr \oppen \ee me runnrng
.hc
wflr.srrrt popprngrr mc and mr1.bchir
John tgnariL5Junror.
,csrdes
running will loggtethe milk up in him and rnaLehim
My old lady alwayswarns me neverto joggle
John Ignatius
when he is full of milk.,'
ell, Butch," I say, "rhere is no milk in me, and I do nor care
loggled up, so if you do not mind, I will srart oorng a prece
rng ar the nexr corner."
t ,ust rhen around drc corner of SevenrhAvenue roward which
c herdcd.com€s two or rhrec coppefs wich a big fat sergeant
thcm, xnd o'rc of rbc coppcrs,who is hrLlfout of brcachas if
BUTCH MINDS THE BABY/ Dthon Run/on
hc hasbeen doing plenty of sPinting, is explaining to the
that somebody blows a safe down the street and shoots e couPle
coPPersm the g€reway.
And there is Big Butch, vith John Iprtius Junior in his affn
and twenty G's in his shirtfront and a tough record behind hinl
walking right up to rhem.
I rm feeling very sorry, indeed, for Big Butch, and very sorry
mysclf, too, and I am saying to myself thar if I get out of this
vrill lever associatewith anyone but ministers of the gospel as
as I live. I can remember thinking that I am g€tting a bctter
than Butch, at that, beceuseI will nor have to go to Sing Sing
rhe rest of my life, like him, and I also rcmember wondering w
they will give John Ignatius Junior, who is still tearing of
squalls,with Big Butch saying:"There,there, there,Daddy'sir
woogleums."Then I hear one of the copperssayto the fat s€rgean
"$0e berternail theseguys.They may be in on this-"
\(eII, I can seeit is good-byto Butch andJohn lgnatiusJuni
end me, as the fat sergeantstePsuP to Big Butch, but insrcad
pr.r$ing rh€ arm on Butch, the fat sergeanaonly points at Jol
lgnatius Junior and asksvery symPathetic:"Te€rh?"
''\o. 'Not
Big Butchsays. teerh.Colic.I iusl gcr rhe doLr
hete out of bed to do something fot him, and we are going to
drugstoreto get somemedicine."
\retl, naturally I am very much surprisedat this statemcnt,becau
of cours€I am not a doctor,and ifJohn lgnatiusJunior has c
it serveshim right, but I am only hoping they do not ask for
degree, when the fat sergeant seys: "Too bad. I know what it is
got three of them at home. But," he says,"it acts more like ;r
teeahthan colic."
Then as Big BurchandJohn lgnetiusJunior and me go on abo
our businessI hear th€ fat sergeantsayto the coPPer,very sarcanl
"Yee, of course e guy is out blowing safeswith a baby in his anrr
You will make a great detective,you will!"
I do not see Big Butch for sevenl days after I learn that H:rr
the Horse and Little Isadoreand SpanhhJohn get back to Brook
all right, excepr rhey arc a littlc nickcd up here and thcrc from I
104
the coppcrstoss at them, while the coppersthey clip are nor
m very much. The chancesare I will not see Big Butch
:ral years,ifit is left to mq but he comeslooking for me one
and he s€emsto be all pleasuredup about something.
," Big Butch saysto me, "you know I never give r copper
for knowing any too much about anything, but I wish to say
this At sergeant we run into the other night is a very, very smart
He is right about it being teeth that is ailing John Ignatius
, for what happens yesterdzy but John cuts in his 6rst tooth."
SUSPICION
e).P
Trs ATMospHEru of the railway cerriaqc thicl(ened with tobacco
Mr. Mummery becameincreasinglyawarethat his brcakfast
not agreed with him.
could havc becn nothing wrong with the breakfast itself
bread, rich in vitamin content, as rdvised by the Mami g Srar's
cxpert; bacon fried to a delicious crispness; eggs just nicely
made as only Mr' Sutton knew how to make it. Mrs. Sufton
a reat find, and thet was something to be thankfui for. For
sincc her nervous breakdown in the summer. had really not
fit to wrestlc with the untrain€d girls who had come end gone
s succession.It took vely little to upset Ethel nowadays,
child. Mr. Mummery, trying hard to ignote his growing internal
, hoped he wasnor in for an illn€ss.Apart from rhe trouble
ld causeat the oflice,it would worry Ethel teribly, and Mr.
would cbeerfully havc laid down his rather uninteresting
lifc to spare Ethel a momcnt's uneasiness.
SUSPIC1ON/Dororh! I- Saye^
He dipped a digestivetablet inco his mouth-he had taken larelr
to carryinga fe* tabletsabout x'ith hirn-and openedhis paper.Therr
did not seem to be very much news. A question had been askedjr
the House about gor.ernmenctlpewriters. The Prince of \Vajes h,r,l
smilingly openedan all-Bridsh exhibition of foorwear.A further sPljl
had occurred in the Liberal Partl. The Potice were still looking fu
the woman who was supposedto have poisoneda famill in Lincolrr
Two gitls had been trapped in a burn;ng hctory- A 6lm srar hl,i
obtained her fourth decreenisi.
At Paragon Station, Mr. Mummery descendedand took a tranr
The internal discomforr was raking the form of a definite nausr:r
Happily he contrived to reach his ofice before dre worst occurre,l
He vas se,rredat his desk, pale but in control of himself, when ]]r
Partner came breezingin.
"'Morning, Mummery," saidMr. Brookesin his loud tones,addirr
inevitably, "Co1d enough for you?"
"Quite," replied Mr. Nfummery-."Unplersantly raw, in fact."
"Beastly, beastly," said Mr. Brooles. "Your bulbs all in?"
"Not quite a11,"confessedNfr. I{umm€ry. "As a matrer of fa(r I
haven't been feeling "
"Piry," inteffupted his partner- "Great pity. Ought to get tm 't,
early- Mine were in last week. Ml litde place nill be a pictun Lr
the spring- For a town galden, that is. You're lucky, living in tl"
country. Find it better than HulI, I expect,eh? Though we get plcrrtr
of fresh air up in the av€nues.Howt rhe missus?"
"Thank you, she\ very much befter."
"GIad to hear rhat, very glad. Hope we sball have her abour eg r
this winter as usual. Can't do without ber in tbe Drema Societr'.r,,r
know. By Jovel I shan't forget her acting last year in Ronan,.e.\1,'
and young lVelbeck positively brought thc house dovn, didnt dr, r '
The $i'elbeckswere asking after her only vesterday."
"Thank you, Ies. I hope she will soon be able to take up her s,u 'l
activities agdn. But the doctor saysshemustnt overdo it. No vr)!r
he seys-thais rhe important thing. Sbe is ro go easyand nor r,, lr
aoour or underraleroo mJcl,
"Quite right, guite righc. Wofry's dre devil and nll. I cLrr,u
ing yearsago and look at mel Fir 2s r 6ddle, for all I shan't
fttty again.Yaa'renor looking rltogethc thr rhing. b1 rhc wa1.'
A touch ofdyspepsia,"said Mr. Mummeri. "Nothing much. Chill
thc livcr, th2t's what I put it down to."
what it is," said Mr. Brookes,seizing his opportunity. "ls
worrh living? It dep€ndsupon the liver. Ha, hal \(re[ now, well
-we mu'r do r spot of work. | .upposr. Whcrc. rhrr lers or
Mumme(v. who did noc feel ar his conversationalbest rhar
rather welcomed rhis suggestion,rnd for half an hour was
ro proceed in peace with rhe duties of an esrete egent.
tly, ho*/ever, I{r. Brookes bursr inco speechagain.
the way," he said abrupdy, "I supposeyour wife doesnt know
good cook, does she?"
, no," repliedMr. Mummery."They arenl so eesyto find
nys. ln aact, we've oniy just got suited ourselves.But why?
y your old Cookieisn't leavingyou?"
lord, nol" Mr. Brookes hughed heartily. "lr would take
ttllquek€ ro shakeolf old Cookie. No. ICs for the Philipsons.
r girl's gefting married.ThaCs the worst of girls. I said to
pnon,'Youmind what you'redoing,'I said.'Getsornebody you
srrmerhingabout, or you mal 6nd yourself landed with this
ing woman what's her name Arrdrews. Donl want to be
n8 wrearhs ro your funeral yet awhile,'I said. He laughed, but
lrughing matter and so I told him- rXrhat we pay rhe police
timply don\ know. Nearll a month now, and they can't seem
hlnds on the woman. All cheysayis, they think she'shanging
t thc neighborhoodand'may seeka siruation as cook.'As cook!
Lrsk you!"
u dont think she committed suicide, then?" suggestedMr.
mcry
icidc my foot!" retorted Mr. Brookes coarsety."Don't you
it, rny boy. That coar found in rhe river was all eyewash.Thq
rorrrmit suicidc, that sort don't."
xc tscnic m:rniacs.Thcylc too damncd carcful of rheir osn
t07
 / Dorolhyr. sayca
SUSPICION
skins. Cunning as wees€ls,that's v/hat they arc. It's only to be hoPe,i
theyll manage ro catch her before she tries het hand on anybodr
else.As I told Philipson-"
"You think Mrs. Andiews did it, then/"
"Did it? Of courseshe did it. It's Plain as the nose on your facc
looked after het old father, and he died suddenly lefr ber a bit ol
money, too. Then she keePs house for an elderly genrleman, and l}
dies suddenly. Now there\ this husband and wife man dies an(l
woman taken very iII, of arsenic Poisoning- Cook runs away, and you
ask, did she do itt I dont mind betting that when they dig uP drc
father and the other old bird they'll fr^d thm bung-full of arsenl
too. Once that sort gets started, they don't stoP. Grows on tm, lh
you might say."
"I supposeit does," said Mr. Mummery. Hc picked up his pagr
t'She look\
again and studied the photograPh of the missing woman.
harmless enough," he remarked. "Rrther a dce, motherlylookri,l
kind of woman."
"She'sgot a bad mouth," pronouncedMr. Brookes.He had a theorr
that cheractershowed in the mouth. "I wouldn\ trust that q/omxrr
an inch."
,{s rHr DAy went on. Mr. Mummery felt betfet- He was rather nervolrl
about his lunch, choosing catefully a littlc boiled 6sh and custrl
pudding and being particular not ro rush about immediately afr
the meal. To his qreat relief. the fish and custard rem2inedvhc
they were put, and he was nor visited by that dresomePain whl( |
had become almost habitual in the last fortnight. By the end of rl
day he became quite lightheertcd. The bogey of illncss and doctor
bills ceasedto haunt him. He bought a bunch of bronze chrysrl
themums to carly home to Ethel, and it was with a feelingofPleas:url
anticipation rhat he left the train and walked up the garden prtth
of Mon Abri.
He was a little dashedby not finding his wife in rhe sitting ro('rl
Still clutching the bunch of chrysanthemumshe Pa.rereddown llf
passageand pushed open the ki.chen door.
Nobody was rherebut the cook. Shewas sitting rt the tablc \!'rrll
108
back ro him, and started up almost guiltily as he approached.
Ior', sir," she said, "you give me quit€ a srart. I didn't hear rhe
is Mrs. Mumrnery? Not feeling bad again, is she?"
sir, shc's got a bit of a headache, poor lamb. I made her
and took her up a nice cup o'tea at half past four. I think
dozing nicelja now."
, dear,"saidMr. Mummery.
wastorning out the dining room doneir, if you askme," said
Sutton. "'Now, don't you overdoyourselt ma'am,rI saysto
but you know how she is, sir. Shegets that resrless,
shecan't
to be doing nothing."
know," said Mr. Murnmery. "It's not your fauit, Mrs. Sutton.
you look afterus both admirably.I'll jusr run up and heve
at her. I won't disturb her if she's asleep. By the way, what
having for dinner?"
ell, I had mlde a nice sreak.andkidneypie. Mr<.Surton.
"aid
suggestingthat she would teadily turn it into a pumpkin
coach-znd-four if it was not approved of.
" saidMr. Mummery.'Pa5try? Well. l.
'Il find it beautiful and light," prorestedthe cook, whisking
the oven door for Mr. Mummery to see. "And ir's made with
, sir, you having said that you found lard indigestible."
you, thank you," said Mr. Mummery."I'm sureit will
excellent- I havent been feeling altogether the thing just
, and lard does ttot seem to suit me nowadays."
, it don't suit some p€ople, and that's a fact," agreed Mrs.
"I shooldn't wonder if you'vegot a bit of r chill on rhe
I'm surc this weather is enough to upset anybody."
bustled to the rable and clearedawaythe picture paperwhich
been reading.
the mistr€ssv/ould like her dinner sent up to her?" shc
Mummery said he would go and see, and dptoed his way
was lying snuggledunder the eiderdownand lookedvery

SUSPICION/ Dorctht L Sales
small and fragile in the big double bed.She stiffed as h€ camein an(l
smiled up at him.
"Hu1lo, darlingl" said Mr. Mummery.
"Hullol You back? I must har.e been asleep. I gor tired an,l
headacby,and Mrs. Sutron packed me of upstairs."
"You've been doing too mucb, sweethealt," said her husbanrl
raking her hand in his and sitting down on the edge of the bed
"Yes ir was naughty of me. \(hat lovely flowers,Harold. AII f,r
"A1l for you, Tiddleywinks," said Mr. Mummery tenderly."Don\
I deseffe something for that?"
Mrs. Mummery smiled, and NIr. Mummery took his rewardsever.rl
llmes ovef.
"Thar's quite enough, you sentimentalold thing," saidMrs. Nfurr
mery. "Run away, now, I'm going ro ger uP."
"Much better go to bed, my precious,and let Mrs. Sutton vrul
your dinner up," said her husband
Erhel protested,but he was fum witb her. If she didn't take tr',
of hersell, she wouldn't be alio$red to go to the Drama Soci(rl
'll
meetings. And everybodt was so anxious to have her back.
$/elbeckshad beenaskingafter her and sayingrhat they reallycoukll t
ger on wilhout her.
"Did rhey?" said Ethel with some animarion. "It's rery swett ,
them to want me. \{/ell, perhaps I'11go to bed afrer all. And h'
has my old hubbv been zli day?"
"Not too bad, not too bad."
"No more tummyaches?"
"Wel|, just a littk trmmyache. But it's quirc gone now. Notl,irl
for Tiddleywinks to worf). about."
MR. MUMMTRIexperiencedno more distressingsymPtoms thc rr
day or the next. Following the advice of rhe nevsPaPerexPctr. I
took to drinking orange juice, and was delighted vith the rc'rrl
of the treatment. On Thursday, however,be was taken so ill irl rl
night cbat Ethel vas alarmedand insistedon scnding for rhc d,u t,,t
The doctor felt his pulse rnd lookcd at his tongue and appcrtr.i t
llo
l''
the matter lightly. An inquiry into whet he had been eating
rhe fect that dinner had consistedof pigs' rrotters, followed
a milk pudding,and that, beforetetiring, Mr. Mummery hrd
a large glassof orange juice, accordiog to his new regime.
l
"There'syour rrouble,"saidDr. Griffiths.heerfully."Orangejtice
excellenr thing, and so are trotrers, but not in combinarion.
and orangesrogetherare excraordinarilybad for the liver. I don't
why the.vshould be, but cher€'sno doubr that they are. Now
s€ndyou round a little prescriPrionand lou sdck ro slopsfor
or two and keepoff pork. And don'r you wory about him,
Mummery,he'sas soundas a trout. Yoa'rethe one we'vegot
look after. I don'r want to see those black dngs under the eyes,
know. Disturbed night, of course yes. Taking your tonic regu'
I Thar's right. Vell, dont be darmed about your hubby. \(e'li
have him our and about again."
prophecywastulfrlled,but not immediately.Mr. Nfumm€ry,
confininghis dier to baby food, breadand milk, and beef
skilltully preprredby M.rs.Sutton and brought to his bedsideby
remainedvery seedyall through Friday,and wasonly xble to
rather shakily downs|airs on Saturday afternoon. He had
tly sutrereda "rhorough upset." However, he was able to attend
fcw paperswhich Brookes had sent down from the ofiice for
dSnature, and co deel with the household books. Ethel was not
, and Mr. Mummery al$'aysran ovet the eccounts
her. Having serrledup with the burcher, the baker, the dairy
thc coal merchant,Mr. Mummerylookedup inquiringly
yrhing more,darling2"
, thrre's Mrs. Sutron. This is the end of her rnonth, you
with her,aren'tyou,dariing?"
ir is.Vell, you'requicesarisned
, rxrher-erent you? She'sa good cook, and a sw€et,mothe y
lhing, too. Don't you think it was a real brain wave of mine,
ing her like thet, on the spor?"
d(r, indeed," slid Mr. Mummeq'.
t wr$ I perfcct providence,her turning up like that, just after
wrckhcd Jxnc hld gone oli wirhout cven giving notice l was
l

SUSPICION/ Dorothy I. Srycs
in zbsolve dupair. It was a little bit of a gamble, of course, taking
her without any teferences, but narurally, if she d been looking afrrr
a widowed mother, you couldnt exped her to give references."
"N-no," said Mr. Mummery- At rhe rime he had felt uneasyabour
rhe matter, though he had not liked to say much because,of coursr
they simply had ro have somebody.And rhe experimenrhad jusrific,l
itsell so triumphantly in practice that one couldn't say much abour
it now' He had once rather tentarively suggesredwriting to rh.
clergymanof Mrs. Sutton'sparishbut, asEthet had said,the clergym:rl
wouldn't have been able to tell them anything about cooking, an,l
cooking.afrcr all, was the . hirf poinr
Mr, Mummery counrcd out the month's money.
"And by the way, my dear," be said, "you might just menriorl
to Mrs. Surron that if she mast read the morning paper before I con(
down, I should be obliged if she would fold it nearly afterwards
"ntrhat an old fussbox you are, darling," said his vrife.
Mr. Mummery sighed.He could nor explain that it was someh(^\
important rhar the morning papershould come to him freshand prih
like a virgin. Women did not feel these rhings.
On Sunday,Mr. Mummery felt very much berter quite his ,,1,1
self, in fact. He enjoyed the Natt af tbe lYaid over brezklast in 6<"1
reading the murders rather carefully. Mr. Mummery got quite a l,'l
of pleasureout of murders-they gave him an agreeablerhrill ,,1
vicrriou. advenrurc.for. narurallv.lhe\ we'e marrersquire rcm rl
from daily life in the outskirts of Hull.
He noticed that Brookes had been perfectly right. Mrs. Andrc\1'
father and former employer had been "dug up" and had, indcr,l,
proved to be "bung-full" of arsenic.
He came downshirs for dinner-roast sirloin, with the porar,(\
done under the meat and Yorkshire pudding of delicious lighrn. ,,
rnd an apple tart ro follow. After three days of invalid diet, ir s rr
delightful to savor the cdsp fat and underdone lean- He ate mo,L r
ately, but with a sensuousenjoyment. Ethel, on the orher hlr!|,
seemeda litde lacking in apperite, but then, she had never bcor r
great meat eater. She was fastidious end, besides,she was ((ll|r,
unn€cessarily)afraid of gening fat.
I t2
tm
It was a fine afternoon, and al thr€e o'clock, when he was quite
in that the roascbeef was "settling" properly, it occurred to Mr.
that it would be a good thing ro put the rest of those
in. He slipped on his old gxrdening coat and wandered oul i
the potting shed. Here he picLed uP 2 bag of tuliPs and a trcw€l,
rhen, remembering that he was wearing his good trousers, decided
it would be wise to take a mat to kneel on. lVhen had he had
mat last? He could not recollecr,bur he rather fancied he had
it away in the corner under the potting shell StooPing down,
felt about in the dark among the nowerPots. Yes, there it was,
thele was a tin of something in thc way. He lifted tfe tin carefully
Of course,yes-the remains of the weed killer.
. Mummery glanced rt rhe pink label, Printed in strring letters
the legend: ArsENrcAL wErD KILLER. PolJoN, and observed,
a mild feeling of excitement, thar it was the same btand of
thar had been associatedwith Mrs. Andrews' latest victim
'was rarher pleaied about it. It gave him a seffation of being
but definirely in touch with imPorrant events. Then he
, vith surpise xnd a little annoyance,that th€ sroPPerhad
put in quite loosely.
d I come ro leaveit like rhat?" he grunted. "Sbouldn'r
if atl the goodnesshas gone off" He removed the stoPPer
squinrcd into the can, which aPP€aredto be half full Then he
the rhing home agrin, giving it a sharP thumP with che
of the rrowel aor berrer security. Afier rhat he $rashedhis hands
at the scullery tap, for he did not believe in taking risks
was a trige disconcerted,when be came in after Planring the
to 6nd visitors in che sitting room. He was always Pleased
Mrs. Welbeck and her son, but he would rather have had
so rh?r h€ could have scrubbedthe garden mold otit of his
more thoroughly. Not that Mrs. Welbeck aPPe2redto notice.
a,rs a elkative woman and paid little attention to anything but
conv€rsation,Much ro Mr- Mummery's annoyance,sh€chose
rlc abour rhe Lincoln poisoning case.A most unsuitablesubject
lhc tca cable,thought Mr. Mummery, at the best of times. His
"upscr" was vivid cnough in his memory to mak€ him queasl
J
SUSP1CION/DororhyL Siyen
over the discussionof medical symptoms,and besides,this kind r)l
talk was not good enough for Ethel. After all, the poisonerwas srill
suPposedto be in rhe neighborhood. lt was enough ro mrle elcrl
a strong'nervedwoman uneisy. A glance at Erhel showed him r|rr
she was looking quite white and rremulous. He must stop i\|,
lXrelbecksomehow,or there would be a repetition of one of rhe ol,l
dreadful, hystericalscenes.
He broke inro rhe conversationwith violent abruptness.
"Those fotsythia cuttings, Mrs. \relbeck," he said. "Now is jLr,l
about the time to take rhem. If vou care to come down the gard.r
I will get rhem for lou."
He saw a relievedglance passberweenEthel and young \Celbe,L
Ividendy the boy understood tbe sirurtion and was chafing ar Jrt
moche('stactlessness. Mrs. Velbeck, brougbt up all sranding,gaslr,l
slighrly and then veeredoffwith obliging readinesson rhe new t,r,I
She eccompaniedher host down the garden and chafteredchee ir ll
about holticultufe while he selectedand trimmed the cuftings. Sll
complimentedMr. Mummery on rhe immacuiacyofhis gravel prrl,.
"I simply cannat keep the weeds dos'n," she said.
Mr. Mummeri' mentioned the weed killer and praisedits eI1icr,r
"That stuffl" Mrs. lfirelbeck staredat him. Then she shuddcrr,l
"l wouldnt haven in my placefor a rhousandpounds,"she s:r,
with emphasis.
Mr. Mummeq' smiled."Oh, we keepit well away from .he hou\
he said. "Even if I were a carelesssort of pe$on-"
He broke oll The recollection of the loosenedstoDDerhad .,,r1
r o h i m , ; d d e r h . a n di r w a . a . r h o u g h . d c cdpo " " i " h i ' . i " d ' '
obscureassemblingof ideas had reken place. He left it at thar. .rl|
v{ent into the kirchen to fetch a newspaperto wrap up rhe cutrirlf
Their approach to rhe house had evidently been seen from rl
siting-room window, for when rhey enrered,young \7elbeck r
alreadv on his feer and holdins lrh€I's hand in the act of slr"r
sood'bv. He maneuveredhis morher out of the house *'irh rr, rl,l
ptompmess and Ntr. Mummery returned ro the kirchen ro clcx|r
the newspapershe had fished our of the drawer. To ciear rhcn, ,
end to examinethem more closcly.Somcthinghad srruckhim irltr,Lrl
i lt5
, which he wanted to veri4'. He tumed them over very carefully,
by sheer. Yes-he had been right. Every porrreit of Mrs.
!cws,every ParagraPhxnd line about the Lincoln poisoning case,
ha." .,..6,11" a,r o.r
. Mummery sat dov,/n by the kitchen fire. He felr as though
warmrh- There seemed to be a cudous cold lumP of
ing at the pit of his stomach-something that he was chary
tried ao recall the appearrnce of ^{rs. Andrews as shown in
photogaphs,but he had oot a good visualmemory.
ncwspaper
beredhaving remarkedto Brookesthet it was a "motherly"
Then he tried counring up the time since the disaPPearance.
y e month, Brookes had said-and lhat was a week ago. Musr
i month now. A month. He hzd iust Daid Mrs. Sutcon her
rh's money.
I was the thousht that hammered at the door of his bmin
costs,he must cope with this monstrous susPicionon his own.
urr spare he! any shock or anxiety. And he must be sure of
d. To dismissthe only decent cook they had ever had out
. unfounded Danic.v/ould be wanton cruelty to both women.
did ir at all, it would have ro be don€ arbirrarily,PrePos-
-hc could not suggesrhotrots to Ethel. However ic was done,
To(ld bc trouble. Ethel would not understend and he dared
I hcr.
lfby rny chancetherc was anyrhi$g in thisgh?stly doubt-how
crlosc Ethel ro the appalling danger of having the woman
housca momenclonger?He thoughr of the family at lin-
husbanddead, the wife escapedby a miracie with her life.
ony shock, any risk, betrer than thet?
Mumrncryfelt suddenlyverylonelyand cired.His illnesshad
ort of him. Thoseillnessesthey had begun,whenl Three
o hc l,ad had the fr.st attack.Yes,bur then he had aiways
hcl nuhiccrro g$rric troubLes.Bilious iftecks. Not so violenr,
ff lhcsc lxst, but undoubted bilious attacks.
llcrl hirnsclftogcchcrend went, rather heavily,inro rhe sittiflg
hcl wrrs tuckcd up in r corncLof rhe chester6eld.
IIUSUCION / Dororhy l- Saycs
"Tired, darling?"
"Yes, a liatle."
"That woman hes worn you out with talking. She oughtn't to
talk so much."
"No." Her head shifted wearily in the cushions. "A1l about th:u
horrible case. I don't like hearing about such things."
"Of course not. Srill, when a thing like that happens in rhc
neighborhood, people will gossip and talk. It would be a relief if tbrt
caught the wometr. One doesn't like ro think-"
"l don't want to think of anything so hateful. She must be r
horrible creature."
"Horrible. Brookeswas saying the other day "
"I don't want to hear what he said. I don't want to hear ab(nrl
it at aIL I want to be quiet. I want to be quietl"
He recognizedthe note of rising hysteria.
"Tiddleywinls shall be guiet. Don't worry, darling. Ve won'c t rll
ebout horrors."
No. It would not do to talk about them.
t'hel wenr ro bed early.Ir was undersroodthat on SundrysIl'
Mummeryshouldsit up till lMrs.Suttoncemein. Erhelv,/2sa l;rl
anxiousabout this, but he assuredher that he felt quite sr(t
enough.ln body,indeed,he did; it v,ashis mind that felt weakrl
confused.He had decidedto make a casualremark about the mutillt
newspapers-just to seewhat Mrs. Sutton would say.
He allowedhimselfrhe usualindulgenceof a whiskyand sodr
he satwaiting. At a quarterto ten he heardthe familiarclick o1rl
gard€ngat€. Footstepspassedup the gavel-squeak, squeak,ro rl
back door. Then thc sound of the latch, .he shutting of the (i,u
the ratde of the bolts being shoa home. Then a pause.Mrs. Sutt,
rouJd be raking ofr hcr her. The moment wa. coming.
The stepsoundedin the passage. The door opened.Mrs. Surr,
in her neat black dressstood on the tbreshold.He wasawarc,,1
reluctanceto face her. Then he looked up. A plump-facedwottt
Wasthere,Pe ril
her eyesobscuredby rhick horn-rimmed spectacles-
something hard ebout the mouth? Or was it just rbat she ha(l 1,,
most of her front teeth?
|]6
d you be requiringanyching
ronighr.sir.betoreI go upl"
thank you, Mrs. Sutton."
you arc feeling better, sir." Her eag€rinrercst in his health
to him almost sinister,but the eyes,behind the thick glasses,
!rscrutable.
tc berrer, thank you, Mrs. Sutton."
Mummery is not indisposed,is she, sir? Should I take her
of hor milk or anythingl"
thank you, no." He spoke hurriedly, and fancied that she
dioppointed.
i,eII, sir. cood night, sir."
I night. Ohl by the wry, MJs.Sutton-"
nothing." saidMr. Mummery."norbing."
NING Mr. Mummery opened his paper eagerly. He would
glad to leam rhar an arresr had been made over the weekend.
was no news for him. The chairman of a tlust comDanv
n out his brains, and the headlineswere all occupied with
t losr millions and ruined shareholders-Borh in his own
in thosehe purchased on the wxy to the office,the Lincoln
tragcdy had been relegacedto an obscureparagraphon e
which informedhim that the policewerc still balfled.
t fcw days were the most uncomfortable that Mr- Mummery
{rcnt. He developeda habir of coming down earlyin the
Ind prowlingabourthe kitchcn.This madeEthel nervous,
lunon offcredno remark.Shewatchedhim tolerandy.even.
, with somerhinglike amusement. After all, it wasridicu-
It was thc usc of supervisingthe breekfast, when he had
of thc housceveryday berweenhalf pasrnine and six?
olli(c, B.ookcsrallied him on the frequencywith whi.h
lltlrcl. Mr. Mummerypxid no attention.It wasreassuring
t voicc ,rnd to know thai she was safe and well.
:rndby rhe tollowingThur:dayhe beganto
hrppcncd.
hc h,tl bccn r fool. He camehome late that nisht. Brookes
crl him rr go with him to a littlc bachelor dinner for
|]
SUSIICION/ Doloibl L Srre6
a friend who l/as about to get married. He left the othe6 ar ele\fr
o'clock, however, refusing to make a night oI ia. The household\ r,
in bed when he gor back but a nore from Mrs. Sutton lay on rlr
table. informins him that there was cocoa for him in the kitchcr'
readyfor hotting up. He honedir up accordingly
in the litde saucef
whereit stood.Therewas just one good c\rpful-
He sipped it thoughtfuilv, standing by the kitchen stove. AJI
the first sip, he put the cup down. $ras it his fangv, or was thrr
somethirg queer about the taste?He sippedit again, rolling it up,
his tongue. It seemedto him to have a faint tang, metallic rr
unpleasant.In a sudden dread he ran out to the scullery and s|
rhe mouthful into the sink.
After this, he stood quite still for a moment or rwo. Then, \r,l
a curious deliberation.as tboush his movements had been dict.rr,
to him, he fetchedan emprymedicinebottle from rhe Pantryshf
rinsed it under the tap and tipped rhe contents of the cup carchrll
into it. He slipped the bottle inro his coat pocket and moved ,
tiptoe to the back door. The bolts lr€re diflicult to draw wirlr
noise, but he managedit ar lasc.Srill on tiptoe, he stole acrosstl
gxrden to the potting shed. Stooping down, he sffuck a match. I
knew exactly where he had left the tin of weed killer, under the 'lr
behind the Dots ar rhe back. Cautiouslv he lifted it out. The nut,
flared up and burnt his lingers, but before he could light anotl
his senseof touch had rold him what he wanted to know Tbe srol1
was loose again.
Panic seizedMr. Mummery, standing there in the earthy-smclll
shed,in his dresssuir and overcoat,holding the tin in one han,l I
the matchbox in ahe other. He wanted very badly to run an,l t
sornebodywhat he had discovered.
Instead-he replacedthe tin exacdvwhere he had found it and ",
back to the house-As he crossedthe gardenagain, he noticed i ll
in Mrs. Sutton's bedroom window. This rcrrified him morc rll
anything which had gone before. \[as she watching him? lirl,,l
window was dark. If she had drunk anytbing deadly there woul,l
lighrs everywhere,movemenis, calis for rhe doctor, just as wltcrr
himself had been attacked.An;rckcd-that was rhc righr worl
|[]
with rhe samcodd prc.enceot mind and preci'ion.he wen'
our rhe urensilsand made a secondbrew of cocoa.which
standingin thc .,ruccpan.He creprquieLlyto his bcdroom
's voice greered him on the threshold.
late you are,Harold. Neughty old boyl Have a good rime?"
ot bad.You ,ll right, dxrlingl"
ite all right. Did Mrs. Sutton leave something hot for yout
shevould."
bur I wasn'rthirsty."
taughed."Ohl it wasthat sorcof party,wasitZ"
Mummervdid not arremptany denials.He undressedandgot
and clutched his wife to him as rhough de$'ing death and
rxke her from him. Next mornins he would ac. He thanked
thit he was not too iate.
rhe chemist,nrasa greatfriend of Mr. Mummery's.
hadoftin sattogetherin the unridylittle shopon SpringBanL
nged views on greenfly and clubroot. Mr. Mummery told
franklv to r\Ir. Dimrhorpe and handed over the bottle of
Mr. Dimthorpecongrarulated him on his prudencemd intelli
"l will haveit readyfor you by rhis evening,"he said,"and
what you think it is, then we shallhavea clearcaseon which
nction-"
Mummery thanked him, and was extremelyvagueand inatten-
businessall day. But that hardly mattered, for Mt- Brookes,
sccn the party through ro a riotous end in the small hours,
no vcry observanrmood. At half past four, Mr. Mummery
hir dcskdecisiveiv and announcedthat he vr'asoff early,he
I to make.
l)imrhorpe wasreadyfor brm.
r|trulrt:rboutir," he said."I usedrhe Nlarshresr.ICse heavy
r worr<lcryou tasted it. There musr be four or five grains
[r'icni( in thxt bottle. Look, here's the tesr tube. You can
lrn fin yourself"
llunrrncly g,rzcdar the littlc glasstube with ias ominous
k nrrin.
SUSPICION/ Dotothr r' Sryes
"rVill you ring uP the Policeftom here?"asked.he chemist
"No," said Mr. Mumrnery. "No-I want to get home. God
what's hapPening there. And l'rc only just time to catch my train
"All righr," said Mr. Dimthorpe. "Leave it to me I'll ring rhtr
uP for yor.r."
The local train was not fast enough for Ml. Mummery Ethel-P'
soned- dying- dead Ethel-poisoned- dying- dead-the
drummed in his ears.He almost ran out of the station and
the roed. A car was standinq at his door. He savt it f{om the
'I
of the street and btoke into a gelloP. It had haPPenedatreedy.
doccor was there. Fool, murdcrer that he was, to have left rhi
Then, while he wrs stil a hundred and Ffty yardsofl he saw t
front door open. A man came out followed by Ethel herself. ll
visitor got into his car and was driven away. Ethel went in aSrLl
She was saf€ sefel
He could hardly control himself to heng uP his hat and coat :r
go in looking reasonablycalm. His wife had returned to the zrmclr
by the fire and greetedhim in some surprise There were tsr thtt
on the tabl€.
"Back early, arcn't you?"
"Yes-business was slacL. Somebodybeen to tea?"
"Yes, young $Zelbeck. About the arrangementsfor the Drxl
Societv-" She spokebriefly but with an undertone of excitemenl
A qualm cameover Mr. Mummery. $7ould a guest be any Pr(n
tion/ His facemust haveshownhis feelings,for Ethel sraredat I
"Strhat's the matter, Harold, you look so queer."
'therc's something I want t() I
"Darling," said Mr. Mummerl,
you about." He sat down and took her hand in his "Somerhtrl
lirrle unplersant,I'm afraid- "
"Oh, ma'arn!"
The cook wasin the doorway.
rlrill yott
"l beg your pardon,sir-I didn't know you was in
raking tea or can I cl€atawayTAnd oh, ma'am,thcrewasa yr!
man at the Gshmonqer'sand hc\ jurt comc from Grimsby and thcv
120
that drezdful woman-thar Mrs. Andrews. Isnl it a eood
Its worritted me dreadfulto think she nrs going rbour like
but they've caught her. Taken a job as housekeeper she had to
elderly ladies and they found the wicked poison on her. GirI
her v,rill get a reward. I been keeping my eyesopen for
itt at Grimsby she was 2ll che time."
. Mummcry clutched at the arm of his chair. It had all been
mistake then. He wanted to shout or cry. He wanted to
ize to this foolish, pleasant,excired woman. All a mistake.
there bad b€en rhe \ocoa. MJ. Dimlhorpr. The Maf.h resr
ins of arsenic. Who, then-?
glanced around at his wife, and in her eyes he savr somcthing
e had never seen before. . . .
HAUTOTAND
rousE, halF farm and half manor, wes one of those rural
which had once been almost baronid but which was now
by wealt\ farmers. Outside the door, rhe doqs ried to the
trecs in rhe courtyard barked and howled rvhen rhey saw rhe
brgs being caried past by the keeperand some boys. In the
itchen Haurot, his son. Monsieur Bermont the tax
and Monsieur Mondam the norary werehaving a snackand
of wine before going out hunring. It wes the opening day
tor was proud of his possessionsand wasalrerdyboastingof
bisguesrswouldfind on his property.He wasa big Norman,
thoscpowerful,ruddy,large,framed men who can lift zpple

IIAUTO'| AND HIS SON/Gul dcMruPa$dt
was ncll
carts on theft sboulders.Paft farmer and Part genrleman,he
respected,influential and authorirarian He had made his son C6sl
Hautot go to schooluntil the tenth grade,and had scoPPed him th(r'
for fear of his growing uP with no inrerest in the land-
C€sarHar.rtotwas almost as tall as his father, but thinner; he lr'
t
a good boy, docile, always cheerful, and full of admirarion' respc'
an-ddefer€ncefor the wishes and opinions of his father-
qttl'
Monsieur Bermont the tax coilector was a sbort' fac man
cheeksmarked br rhin networks of violet veins resemblingthe
twt't
inq coursesof rive$ and their idbutaries 2s thev IPP€ar on rnrrl'l
-"How
about bares," he asked,"are there any hares?"
in r|,l
"As many as you wanc," answered Hautot' "esPecially
Puysariervell€y."
i'where do vre start?"askedthe notary' a stout' Pale,easvgorll
man whose Potbellied frame was tightly clothed in a brandn'*
hunting outfit he had bought in Rou€n rhc week before'
irrl
"\fe,-ll, over there, in che valley \ge'li drive the Parrridgeour
the fields and then 8o after them "
H,]utot got uP. The othe$ followed suit, rook rheir guns |"
the cotners of the room, exemined their batteries,and before g'rt
r'
our sramPedtheir feel to make them snug inside boors which
rlu
scill somewhat stiff and as yet unsoftenedbv rhe warmth of
circulation. The dogs scooduP at rhe end of their chains'Ietting "
piercing
^ howls and n'aving their fronr Pavs in the air'
Thelen statcedo1rtoward the valley lt was a litde dale,or ltl
t
a large undulation of land of poor quaiity which had thereforc
whh l'r1
mained uncultivated.lt was furrowed with ravines,co1'ered
and an excellent game Preserve.
Lr
The hunters spreadout, Hautot on the right, his sor on rhc
t
and the two guestsin the middle- The keeperand men car4ing
'tr
game bagsfollos'ed.This was the solemnmoment when hunters
il
ihe firsr gunshor, when their hearrsbeara ljrtle fasterand whcn
nerwouslyfinger theft safety catches
ll
Then suddenly the first shot was hear{! Hautot had fired
all stoppedand sewa partridge detacbitselffrom a swiftlv flying 3r"
and faii into a .a"ine benceth dcnseundergrowrh The exc;rrd hLLrl
t.atl
l"
runningwirh long strides,tearingout the bramblesin his parh,
then he in .urn disapp€aredinco rhe rhickec, in searchof the
he had shot-
ar once a secono soor fang our.
ah! The rascal."cried rMonsieurBermonr. "he flusheda rabbit
all waited, rheir evesfixed on rhe massof branchesthrough
they could seenothing.
norary, cupping his hands over his mouth, shouted,.,Did you
tot did not answer-Then C€sarturned toward rhe kecperand
.Go help him,
Joseph. \(e have ro walk in line; we'll wait."
, a driedup, knorry old man, builr like a treetmnk, all his
protruding, walked offat a calm paceand went down inio rhe
choosinghis foocholdswich all the careofa fox. Then suddenly
: "Comc qLrr.kl': \omeLhing< hrppcned '
nll .ushrd to the spor and dived through the brembles.Haurol
ng on his side unconscious, holding both hands over his
from which long trickles of blood were nnning over his
lorn vesr. He had let go of his gun in order ro pick up the
, and as the grn fell it had gone off again, ripping a
his intestine.They draggedhim out of rhe ditch, undressed
srw .he horrible wound with encrailsspilling ouc ofit. After
$cwn ii up as best they could, they carriedhim to his house,
thc doctor and a priesr, and rhen waited.
thc doctor arrived, he shook his head gravelv and turned
lhc son who was sobbing in a chair: "My poor boy," he said,
Itxrk b:rd."
tlcn rhe wound had been dressed,rhe patienr moved his
oFcncd his mouth and rhen his eves.He looked abour with
, ltlgg:rrd expression,and rhen seemedro searchabour in
ny, t,' rcmcmberJnd undercrxnd.
(irxl," hc murmured,"this is cheendl"
no," sxi(l (hc docror as he held his hand, "a couple of days
you'll bc finc."
lr tlrc cnd," rcl'crLtcdH.rutot. "My sromach'sripped open
tli
H,{UTOT AND llIS SON / Gul' de M3uP6sant

with oficial documents; I nevet did. If I,m rich, ir,s because

I know it is." Then suddenly, "I want to talk to thc boy, if the'c'
still time."
"Papa, Papa,Poor PaPal"
"Come now, no more crying," saiti the father in a firmer ront
'this isn't the dme for thtt. I've got to talk to you. Stand thcrr
next to me. It'lI only take a momenl, and it'Il make me rest easct
The rest of you-for just a minute, Plcase"
They all went out, Ieaving the son alone with his father'
The moment they were alon€, the father sard,"son, you're twentl
four-I can talk to you like a man. And besides,all this isn\
mysteriousaswe Pretendit is You know that your mother died '
yearsago-right?-and that I'm no more than forty-fve ye s
since I was married when I w?s nineteen-Right?"
"Yes," stammcredthe son, "thaCs [ghr "
"So, your mother died seven yearsago end left me a widower'
no$r. a man like me can\ stav a widower et the age of thifty'selc
right?"
"Yes, thels right," answeredthe son
"God. it hurts." said the father, out of breath, his facc pale :tt
contorted. "So, you understand-A man isnt made to live alon€, I
I didn r wanr ro hr\c a succe"or10 your morher.sincel'd Proml
her that. \fell . . . do you understand?"
"Yes, Father."
"So I took uP with a Iittle girl in Rouen, on the Rue de l'Eperl
number eight€en,on the fourth floor, the seconddoor-I'm tclll
you all this so you won't forgec it-a girl who's been very ntcc
me, loving, devoted,a real wife. Huh? You undersrandl"
"Yes, Father."
"She'sa good girl, I tell you, reallygood; and if it wasn'rfor t'
th€ memoryof your mother and this housein which rbe thrc'
us lived together, I vrould have brought her here and married
- listen.. rny bov
r h e r e \ n o d o u b rt b o u t i t . . . . l i s r € n . .
I could have mede a will but I didn1. I didn't wanr trr
becausethes€things shouldn't be written down . . . theserhinSs
th€y're too harmful to the rightful heirs and rhen thc\
everytbing in a mess . . chcy ruin evcryone! Don't havc any(lrrl
used them in my whole life. You understand,soni,'
Father."
listen.. - Iistencarefully.... So,I didn,tmakeanywill
didn't want to . . . and besidesI know I can u:usr you, you-ve
good hcarr, youle nor mcan or sringy. I rold myself rhar shen
€ was up, I'd tell you everything and ask you not to forget
-Caoline Donef, on the Rue de l,Eperlan,number eightccn,
fourth Iloor, the seconddoor, don,t forget. Now, one more
Vben I'm done for, go therc dght away-and fix things up
won't have any rcason to complain of my memory, you,ve
means to do it. You'll be able to do ir-I,m leaving you
. . - Listen. . - during most ofthc week you won,t 6nd her
She works at Madam€ Morxu's on the Rue Beauvoisine. Go
oD x Thursday. Thrt's the day she expects me. Thet's the dey
going there, for ten years now. The poor girl, how she,ll
. . I tell you all this becauseI know I can trust you, my boy.
things, one doesfl'tgo spreadingthem around to everyone,nor
the notary or the priest. Peopledo it and everybodyknows
but no one ralksabout it exceptwhen they hxve to. So,
,lct any outsider in on the secret, no one but thc
family. because
like one pcrson.Understand?"
Father."
promise?"
Father,"
Sivc me your word?"
you,I prry you.don r forger.lr means, lor ro me.'
, Fathcr."
'll go yourself I want you ro make
sureof everything.',
d thcn you'll see. . . you'll seewhar she szys.I can,t tell ycju
, You give your word?"
Fathcr."
, my boy. Kiss me. Good,by.My rime,sup, I know it is.
to comc in."

t24
 l
HAUTOT AND HIS SON / Gul dcllauP$sni

wind and proteccedhis clothes flom dust and dirc and which
C€sarHautot moaned as he embracedhis father. Then' obedient
wearing his whitc d take off nimbly upon ariving, as he jumped down from
as ever, he oPenedthe door and the PriestaPPeared
surplice and carrying the holY oil
enteredRouen er ren o'clock and sroppedas usual at rhe H6t€l
But the dying man had closedhis eyesand refusedto oPen thenr
s-Enfantson che Rue des Trois-Mxres.He pur up wich the
or answer, or even to sbow by a gesture that he unde$tood whrrl
of the onner, his wife and five sons, for they had heard
was going on.
news. Then he had ro give dereils of rhe accident,and this
H; hr; talked enougb, and now he was at the end of his tethcr
him crr and turn down their offersof help. They were solicitous
Moreover, his consciencewas at rest and he wanted to die in Pea('
they knew he was rich, but he thwated them by refusing
\fhat need did he have to confessto God's delegate,since he h!1
lunch wirh them.
iust confessedto his son, to him, a member of the famill'!
ln the midsc of friends and servantsa1lkneeling, the Priest admirr he dusted of his hat, brushed his frock coat, wiped his boots
isteredextreme unction, purified him and absolvedhim, without tlr our in searchof the Rue de l,Epertan,without daring co ask
\1r' rs of anyone for fear of being recognizedand arousing suspi
slightest movement of bis face to give any indicacion rhat he
Finallr, having had no success,he noticed a priest an,t asked
still alive.
He died toward midnight, after four hours of ffembling 'mid rl! trusting in rhc professionaldiscretion of a churchman.
had only a shorr disrancero go; it was the second streer on
most atrocious suffering-

he hesir?red.
Unril thrr momenrhe had blindiy obeyedrhe
THr HUNTINGsEAsoNhad openedon a Sunday'and on the follos lrr11
TuesdayHautot *'as buried After accompanyinghis father'sbodi r" man's wishes.Now he felt disrurbed,confusedand humiliared
idea thar he, the son, was about to find himself face,to,face
rhe cemeterl, C€sarHautot retumed to his house and spenr the r' t
of the day crying. He scarcelyslePt the follo*ing night, and he JIll the woman who had been rhe mistr€ssof his father. He was
so sadupon awakeningthar he wonderedhow he could go on lii ill by those moralswhich tie wichin al1of us, buried in chedepchs I
ll cmotons br centuriesof hereditaryteaching.He was disturbed
Neveitheless,all dal' he thought thzt in order to carry out
father's last wish he musr go to Rouen on the foilowing dai :tt ell the carechismhad taughr him about women of ill repute,
' instinctive disdain *'hich ali men carry within rhem lgainsr
see Carcline Donet of the Rue de I'Eperlan, number eighteen
the lourrh flool, the second door' In a low voice as if mutrerirrlr en even if they mary one, and by his narfow pcasnnrsense
prayer,he had rcpeatedrhis name and addressan incalculablenunrl' ity. AIi rheserhings held him back,gavehim a senseofshame
ot.i-.t i" order not ro forget, until bis tongue and rnind becrtrt him blush.
br this Phrasethat he mumbledit on and on witl'' he said to himself, "t promised Farher. M|rsrnl go back on
so possessed
sroppingro rhink of enything " The door to rhe house marked wirh a number eight€en
r; he pushed it open and sa.;r,beforehim a dark srrircase.He
So, .tt. n.", day at about eight o'clock,he orderedGrainil"r
to be harnessedto the gig and he went ofl'down the main road lr' up three flighrs. passedone door and sropped at rhe second.
nd a bellpull and gave ir a tug.
Ainville to Rouen *'ith his hearryNorman horse at r fasr trol I
I ringing which resoundedin the neighboring room made a
was wearing his black frock coat, his big silk har and his troLL'
p:'ssrhrough his body. The door openedand he found himself
with their foot straps.Becauseofrhe circumsren'eshe had not { lrrrr
' I vcry rvclldrcsscd young l;Ldr q.ittr brown hair ;rnd ruddy
to we.rr his blue smock over his nicc suit. the smock thlt Pufic'l

l:16 ),)1
I I A t J T O TA N D i l t s S O N / G u , Yd e l t r u P r s a n r
complexion, s,'ho looked at him with an exPressionof amazemcrrr
qt'
ffe aia know what ro say, and she, who had no ider
"ot t'
was going on and v/es exPecting his father, did not invite him
.,l,.i ffiy looked ar each other like this for almosr thirry secon'l
Finally she asked,"\fhat can I do for vou' Monsieurl"
"I'm Heutot's son," he answered'
I 'l
Shegave a starr and becamepale "Monsieur C€sar?"shesrammei
as if she had known him a lonS time
"V/hatdid...?"
"My fatber sent me to ralk to You "
hrl
"Oh, my God!" she said as she drew back in order ro let
enter. He closed rhe door and follos'ed her'
He rhen noriced a lirtte boy of four or 6ve sirdng on the 11"
'l
and playing with a cat. Behind him Ias a stove and steamwas r15
lrom rhe rood heing lepr ho' on 'oP of i'
"Sit do*'n," she said.
He sat down.
"\(ell?" she asked
t
He no longer dared speak His eveswere fixed on rhe table irr
ot \
middle of the aPartment lt was ser lrith three Places,one
was for rhe child. He looked at the chair turned *irh its barl
the fite, the plate, the napkin, tbe glasses,the half'emPry bolll'
red wine and rhe unopenedbottle of s'hjte *'ine It was his flLrlrr
plxce,in front of the 6rel Thet were exPectinghim lt tras his '3r1"
'
Lread that he saw. He recognizedit next ro rhe fork' for its "
had been removed on account of Hautot's bad teeth Then trtL
bis €yes,he noticed his father's portrait on the s'21l It was rhc I
photograph taken in Paris rhe rear o[ the ExPosition, the sam(
nailed above the bed in his room at Ainville
"\trell, Monsieur C6sar?"the young $'oman rePeated
He tooked at her. Her anguish had dmined rhe color fror
face,and she waited fearfully, her hands rrembling
He finallv got uP the courage "\Vell, N{am'sellc'PaPa di('
Sundav,the opening dar of t)re hunting scason"
She wls so overwhelnxrl rh:rr slr di<l not movc Aftcr "
t ,]l1
rtnrs ofsilence, shemurmured in an almost inaudible voice: ,,Oh,
lt cant be:"
ddenlv rearsappearedin her eyes;she covefedher face i,ith her
and began ro sob.
I this momenr the litrle bov turned his head and began to howl
I sceing his mocher in reers. Then, realizing that chis sudd€n
w came from rhe unknown man, he rushed at C6sar,seizedhh
rs with one hand and \l,irh rhe orher sLappedhis thigh as hard
could. C€sar q-asber.ildered and filted with compassion ar the
of this woman crling over his facher and rhe boy defending
)ther. Hr Felrh;mselFor.ercomeq.ith emotion, and rearswelled
his eyes.He began to speakin order to regain his composure.
'cr,"
he said, -ir happened Sundal morning towarJ eight
rk . . ." He rold rhe srory wirhout a thoughr chat she mighr
bc capableof listening. He left out no details,bur recountedthc
unimportanr inciden$ *irh rhe aftenrion ro minutiae
rypical
lic:'s:rnr.The iirrle boy conrinued his arrack, bur now instead
l'l)ing him he nas kicking him in rhe shins.
hcn he gor ro rhe part of his srorr nhere Hauror had mentioned
rhc hcard her name and uncoveredher facc.
frse me," she said, "bur I havent been folloning you. Id like
'
'w if . . . rou r.ouldn.t mind srar.ing agxin,'
it:rfted again in exacrh rh. same walj ,,Ir happenedSunday
ng torard eighr o'clock. . . .',
tol<l rhe s.hole srol] :rr greai length, every now and then
ItB to emphasrzea point or ro inre.jeft his own thoughts inco
|ry;rtive. She listened eegerll; widr all trer nenous woman,s
rry shc clught all rhe liftle vicissicudesof the srory he re
I, and s,ith shuddcrsof horror, would occasionallysay, ,,Oh,
rrll" The lirrle bor, s,ho seemedro rhink she\,,ascalmer,stopped
1 tiislr and rook his morhcr,s hand Hc too wrs lisrening, ,rs
wcrc crpable of understanding.
llcrr rhc sron q.,rso\.er, Heuror.s son said. ,.Now we,rc going
f{rgc rh;ngs berwcen us as he s,-ouldhave wished. fisten, I,m
wcil o'I hc lcfr mc somc propertr. I don'r want you to have
$(,|l k) ronrfltlln. . .
I .19
HAUTOT AND HIS SON /GuI deMtuPssnr

But she interrupted him brusquely. thcy didn't sayanother word.

"Oh! Monsieur C6sar, Monsieur C€sar, not to&y. My heatt ut suddenly the pracdcal housekeeper'sside ro her
No, nor t' narure. that
breaking. . . Some other time, some other day . accusromcd ro rhinking ofeveryrhing.rerwokewirhin rheyounq
dzy...lf I a c c e p tl ,i s t e n- . . i t ' s n o t f o r m e . . no, no, no,
give you my word. It's for the little boy. \Ze'll Put the ProFl o^#,:jtu::*". *,en a thing all morning,Monsieurc€sar?,,
in his name." ;:
C6satwas startled. He guessedthe truth and stammered,"Tlr you musrbe hungry:Hrve; bitc ro ear.
. . . t h e b o y . . . t h e b o Y ' hs i s ? " thanks," he said...I,m not hungry. I,ve been feeling
"\Fhy, yes,"sheseid. too
Hautofs sonlookedat his brotherwith a confusedbut strong't r spite ofsorrow,,, she answ€red,.,a man has
to live_you can,t
painful emotioo. th2t., Besides, thxr way you,ll stay a bit longer.
(l I don,t know
There was a long silence, for she was crying aga;L Aftcrwerd, I'll do when you leave.,,
said in a verv embarrassed tone of voice' "!gell, then, Mam I a bir more resjsrance.he yielded and sar down q
ith his back
Donet, l'll be leaving. Vhen would you like to talk about drr nre, lrcing her. He arc a plare of rhe tripe which
me all xl'l had bcen
"oh, nol" shecried "Don't go, don't go' don't leave lng on the stovc and had a glass of red wine,
but he would
with Emile. I'Il die of sorrow. I've got no one now, no one bur )vr her to uncork the v,rhite wine.
little boy. Oh, what misery, what misery,Monsieur C6sar!Comc times he wiped the liftIe boy,s mouth and
chin alter ir
down. Talk co me some more. TeII me what he did there all " smearedwirh sruce.
long." ne got up ro leave, he asked,.,\yahenwould you like
to obeying' me to
C€sarsat down-he was eccustomed back to discussthis business,Mam,sellel)onet?,,
Shebrought a chairnear his, in fronaof the stovewherethe l' Thursday, if it,s all right with you, Monsieur
wasstill simmering,took Emile on her kneesand askedC€sarall u C€srr. That
vont lose any time. I alwayshave Thutsdaysof,,
of question" abourhis farhcr.inrimare derarJsby whichhc cou"l xt Thursday'sfine with me.,,
q'irh
or rather feel without relsoning, that she had loved Hautot u'll come for lunch, wont youl,'
her poor woman's heart. I couldnt do that_,,
And, through the natur2l sequenceof his own not'too-numct can talk becter when they,re eating. Besides, ir,ll qj
thoughts, he carneback to the zccidentand began to recount rt ir
grve us
time."
{'ith all the srme details. right rhen, at noon.,,
\Y4ren he said that the hole in his father's stomach was 5(' r,tle Em e rgainandshakinsMademoi-
you could have Put two 6sts into it, she let out a kind of s| l..,lf;::::r"-r
and once more broke out sobbing. The contagious ztmosPherc il
him madeCisar al,o begin ro cry. and. sincetearsalwlls sol"' K secmed long ro C€sar Hautot. He had never
been alone
herttstrings, he leaned over Emile and kissed his forehead' isol2rion seemed inolemble. Unril then he had
lived beside
The mother, catching her breath,murmured, "The Poor bor' I r, like a shadow-He woutdfollow him into the fields,
he is an orphan."
steing
wcre .::i:d:lr! and, after havins beenawayfrori
"Me too," said C€sar' :rd:r:,
a whilc, would find him again^t ai"n"i. Theyv''o,rta
"it

r30
HALTIOT AND HIS SON/ Guv df MTuPNanT
through their eveningsfacing each other, smoLing their PiPesar'l
talking about horses,cows and sheePAnd the way rhey shook hand'
upon arising was like an exchange of deep familial affection'
Now C€sarwas alone. He wanderedabout in the plowed autumtt
fields always €xPecring to see the huge, gesticulating silhouette "t
his father arise al the far end of some oPen ground To kill timr
he would visit his neighborsand recount the accidentto anyonewh'
hed not yet heerd the details,end sometimeseven rePeatit over agxrrl
to the same people Then, with nothing more to do or occuPy htr
mind, he wo;ld sit down at the edge of a load and ask himself hrn
Iong life could go on like this.
He often rhousht of MademoiselieDoner. He had liked her- th
just as his fether hr
had found her resPectable, Sentle and good,
seid. She was a 6ne girl-yes, a fine girl. He was determined to '1'
rhings in a big way: to give her an incomc of two thousand fran'
and make the capital over to the.hild. It even gave him a cefl:rr1
pleasureto think that he would seeher oD the following Thun'l
and arranse all this with her. But then the id€a ofa brorher' a ljrl
fellow five years oid who was the son of his father, bothered [rr
and slightly annoyedhim; yet at the samedme, ir warmed his ht rl
' ;f ,'ifi"::t*
ln that little clendestin€urchin who would never beir the namc
Hautot he had a kind of family, a family he could rake or leavc
the spirit moved him, but vhich would remind him of his fxrli
So, when he vvason the road to Rouen on Thursday morlrrl
caffiedalong by Graindorg€'ssonoroustrot, he felt more lighthertl
and relaxed than he had since the accid€nt-
When he enteredMademoiselleDonefs 2Partmenr,he foun'l rl
table set as it had been the previousThursday, excePtthat thc { rrl
had not been removed from the br€ad.
He shook the young womarrt hand, kissed Emile on the clrt
and sat down. He alreadyfelt at hom€ there, even rhough hjs ll I
eras stiu hea\')l.
MademoiselleDonet seemedthinner and Paler.She bad Pr(,1"1
cried a great deal. She acted as though she were now embaLrr
in front of him, as if she now undersroodwhat she had nor 8tr'l
the previousweek beneaththe first blow ofher sorrow Herevcsrir\
tl2
him, she wes painfully humbJeand touchinglysolicitous,as if
rly by attention and devotion his kindness toward her. They
a,long time over lunch, discussingthe affair which had broughr
, She did nor wanc that much money. ft vvasroo much, much
nuch. She earnedenough to live and only wanred Ernile ro have
lc somethingbefore him when hegrew up. C€sarheld his ground,
cven addeda presentof a rhousandfrencsfor her in view of
Dcrelvement.
hc had taken his coffee,she asked,,,Do you smoke?,,
. . . I've goc my pipe."
I fclr his pocker. Good lord, he had forgotten irl He would
bccnvcry mnoyed with himsell but at that moment sheoffered
his hther'spipc wiich shehad put awayin a closet_
He accepred
,ok ir in his hand and recognized it as his father's. He sniffed
its excellence with ernotion in his voice, frlled it with
) andlir ir. After this he pur Xmile astridehis ieg and played
with him, while sheclearedrhe rableand put the dirty dishes
in rhc bottom of the sideboard in order to wash rhem after
lcft.
hereluctantlv
gocup' dismaved
at theidea
o."",," hesaid,"goodnight.veryniceto have
f*'#:T*
stoodin front of him blushing, very movedand thinking of
rcr as shelooked ar him.
't we see
each oaher againp,' she said.
hy, ycs, Mam'selle," he answered unaffeccedly,,.if you,d like
inly, Monsicur C6sar.Then next Thursday, would that be
Mam'selle Doner."
'll
come for lunch, q,irhout fa.il?"
. . . well, if you'd like ir, I
right rhen, Monsieur C6sar, next Thursday at noon, like
[rsd,lyar noon. Mxmtelle Doner."

THE OPEN BOAT
TEDSTATES
SIEPHENCRANE/L-]N
No* o, rHrM KNEv rhe color of rhe sky. Their eyeswele f,5
uDon rhe qavesthar toqard rhem. ficse waveswere ot
"wcpt
hue of slate, save for the tops, which were of foaming whire' rl
all of the men knew the colors of th€ sea. The horizon
and widened, and dipped and rose, and at all times its edge was j
with waves thrust up in Points lile rocks. Many a man oughr 1
have a bathtub larger than the boat which here rode upon the 'r
Thesewavesxrere most wrongfully and barbarouslyabrupcand t.t
The cooksquattedin the bottom,six inchesof gunwalesepararir
him from the ocean.His sleeveswererolled over his fat forearrr
and two flaps of his unbuttoned vest dangled as he bent to bail '
the boat. Often he said: "Gawd! That was a narow cliP-"
The oiler. steerinswith one ofthe rwo oaIs in tbe boat, someijr
raised himself suddenlv to keep clear of watel that swirled in "v
rhe stern. Ir was a thin little oar and it seemed often ready to sr
The cottespondent,pulling at the other oar, vtatched the $rr
and wondered why he was there.
The injured captain,lying in the bow, was at tbis time buricrl
the profound dejecdonand inditrerencewhich comes,temPoranl\
least, to even the bnvest znd most enduring when, willy nillr. t
lirm fails, the army loses, the ship goes down. The mind of the m.r't
of a vesselis tooted deeP in hcr timbers, and this captain hr'l '
him the impressionof a scen€in the gnys of dawn of seven turl
faces,and later a stumP of a toPmastwith a white ball on it tl
slashedto and fro at the waves, went low and lower' and d'
tJ4
his voicc, although steady, was deep with mourning, and
guality beyondor*ion or tears.
Keep 'er a little more south, Billie," said he,
lA little more south. sir." said the oiler. in the stern.
seatin this boat was nor unlike a seatupon a bucking bronco,
by the same token, a bronco is not much smaller. The craft
and reared, and plunged like an animal. As each wave came,
lshe rose for ir, she seemed like a horse making ar a fence outra-
high, The manner of her scramble ovet these walls of water
ic thing. Then, after scomfuIlybumping a crest,shewould
end race, and splashdown a long incJine,and arive bobbing
in fronr of the nexr menrce
a rcn-foot dinghy one can ger an idea of the resources of the
the line ofwaves r hat is nor prob.rblero the averrgeexperience.
slary wall of water approached, it shut ell else from view,
was not difiicuh to imagine that rhis particular vrave was rhe
outburst of the oceen, the last effort of the qrim warcr. There
terdble grace in the move of rhe waves,and they came in silence,
the snarling of rhe crests.
the wan light, the faces of .he men musr have been gray. Their
have glinred in strange ways as they gazed steadily astern_
from a balcony, the whole thing would doubdess have been
picturesque. But rhe men in che boat had other rhings to
their minds. Thc sun swung steadily up the sky, and they
it was broad day because the color of the waves rhat rolled
them changed from slatc to emerald green.
s€nrcncesrhe cook and the corespondent argr:ed as
difrerence between a lifesaving station and a house of r€fug€.
had said: "There's a house of refuge just nofth of the
ito Inl€t Light, and as soon as the crew seeus, they'll come
lhcir boarrnd prck us up.'
of refugedon't havectews," said the coffespondent.,.They
phces wherc clorhes and grub are stored for the beneit of
people.Thcy don't carrycrews."
ycs, rhey do," said che cook.
thcy don't," said che corrcspondenr.
'l'llll O?!N BoAT/ stePhe"
cnnc

in the srcrr) flew parallelro rhe boat and madeshorr sidelongjumps in rhe
"\gell, we're not there yet, anyhow," said the oiler'
a house of ftfuge tbrl His black eyeswere wistfully 6xed upon the captein,sheed.
"rvell," said the cook, "PerhaPsit's not
PerhaPsit s I
l'm thinking of as being n€at Mosquito Inlet light gly brute," said the oiler to the bird. The cook and the corre-
llfesaving station " t swore darLly at the creature. The captain narurally wished
"\(;'€'re not there tet," said the oiler' in the stern' it awey;but anything resemblingan emphaticgesturewouid
cepsized this freighted boat, and so with his open hand, the
wind nnr
As THr BoAT bounced from the top of each *'aYe' th€ gendy and carefully waved the gull rway_Afrer ir had been
throuqh th€ hak of rhe hatlessmen, and rhe spray sPl$hed Pastthenl from the pursuit the others brearhedeasier,occauserne
wbl(l
The iest of each of these waves was x hill, from the toP of ltruck (heir minds xr this time as being somehow gruesomeand
exPanse'shrnir
rhe men surveved,for a moment, a broad tumultuous
probablv gloriott
and wind riven lt was probably sPlendid lt was the meantime the oiler and the corespondent rowed. TheI sar
rhis Dlav of the free sea ir rhe same sear, and each rowed an oar. Then rhe oiler
the cook "If n"t
"tiuliy good thing itt an onshore {ind," said both oars; then checorrespondenttook both oars; then the oilerj
we wouldn\ have a show " the correspondent-They ror-ed and they rowed. The ticklish
"Thais right," said the corresPondent' lvas when rhe time came for the reclining one in rhe stern ro
The bu1 oile noddedhi' ,:"cnt his turn at the oars. k is easierto sreal eggs from under a hen
that exPrc$rl
Then the captain, in the bow, chuckled in a wey It was to changeseatsin rhe dinghv. First the men in the srerfl
you think we've got mu' s hand along the thwarc end began ro move. Then rhe man
humor, contempt, tragedy,all in one "Do
of a show now, boYs?"said he rowing seat slid his haod along the orher thwatr. It was a1l
olr
v/hereupon the three were silent. To expressany.Parrlcular virh the most excraordinarycare. As rhe two sidled pasr eech
On the orl
mis- at this time they felt to be childish and stupid the whole pafty kepr watchful eyeson the coming wave, and
decidedly against an'! ol in cried: "Iook out now! Steadythere!,,
hand, the ethics of their condition was
sueee'rion of hoPcle":nes:So rhcl scre 'ilent brown mars of sereeed thar appearcdfro.n Limc rn rime wcrc
lbn, *etl. vra 'he, rprain.soorhinghi' ' hildren'we llget I l" ds, bits of eafth. They wece not rraveling, apparenrly;they
all rieht." to all inrenrs, s|arionary.They informed rhe men in the boat
"\
Ru't there wrs that in his tone which madethe oiler sa{: was making progressslowly towafd rhe land.
(aPtxin, rearing cauriouslyin the bow, afrcr the dinghy soared
If this wind holds!"
in the strl
The cook was bailing: "Yesl If we don't 'xtch hell 8rcat swell, said rhat he had seen the lighthouse at Mosquico
sat conrl't
Canton flannelgulls flew near and far- Sometimesthe,v Prcsenrlyrhc.ook remrrked rl.;r hc h"d seenrr. The.trre
The birds s'
ably down on rhe sea,nerr Patchesofbrown seaweed t was ar rhe oars rhen, rnd he too wished ro look, but his
-as no
.nui.d by ,o-. in the dinghy, for th€ wr2rh of the sea ""' Wr$ tor/ard rhe shore and rhe wa1'eswere importanr, and for
thousand rrrl
to tbem than it was to a covey of prairie chickens a timc he could not seizean opportunity to turn his head. But
*i1h 1'lrr
inland. Ofren ther cameverl closeand staredar tnt -ttt thcrc came a wave more gentle chan rhe othe$, and v".hen
ll
beadlikeeyes,uncanny and sinister in their unblinking scrutint creit of it he swifcly scoured the vestern hofizon
Onc ' t'
men hooted angrjlv at them' telling them to be gone irl" sxid the caprain.
her'l I
and e"ldently diided to alighr on rh( ()P ofrhc caPtai'r's " sri<l thc corrcsporrdenrslowly. "I didn,t seeanyrhing.,,
lllllOPEN BOAT /Sietlien CEnc
"Look again," said the caPein He pointed. "ICs exactly in chtt
direction."
At the top of another r"'ave,the corresPondentdid as he was bnl
and this tjme his eyes chanced on a small still thing on the edlr
of the swaying horizon. It was precGelylike the Pojnt of a Pin lr
took an anxious eye to lind a lighthouse so ny
"Tbink $e'll meke ir, caPiain?"
"If this $rind holds and the boat don't s'*'amP,we can't do mur
else," said the clPrain-
The littlc boit, lifted by each towering sea,and sPlashedviciousl\
by the crests,made progress Occasionallr,a great sPrerd of we(l
like whire fl:mcs,s"rrmcd into het
"Bail her, cook," said the cxPtain serenely
"Al1 right, caPtain," said the cheerful cook
BRorHrRlrooD of men was here establishedon rhe v
THr suBT-LF
No one menriooed it. Bur it dvclt in the boat, and each man t,
it watm him. They were a captain, an oiler, a cook and a cor'
spondent,and they were friends in a curiouslvjronbound degree l l
hurr captain, lying against the water jar in the bow, spoke al* rr
in a low voice and calmly,but he could nevercommand a more s$ Lrr
obedientcrew than rhe motley three of the dinghy lt was more rl i
a mere recognition of what was best for the common safery TJ"
wis surely ir it a comradeshipthat the corresPondent,for inx "'
who had been trught ro be cynical of mcn, knew even at thc tt'
was the best experienceof his life. Bur no one said lhat it s;I5
No one meotioned it.
"l wish we had a sail," remarkcd th€ caPtain "rx/e mjghr rr\ r'
overcoaton the end ofan oar and give you two bors a chan,' '
resr." So the cook rnd the rorresPondenrheld the masr and s1"'
wide the overcoat.The oiler steered,and the ljttle boat made 11"
way wirh her new rig. Sometimes rhe oiler had to scull sharfl\
keep a sea from breaking into thc boat, but orhcrw;se sailinlr *
Mcanwhile the lighrhoLrsch,r,l bccrrgrorving sJorvh lrrgcr. lr '
now rlmost msumedcol,r. r',,t ,r11r':rrc,llikc I liirlc grrr slrL'1'
rl-eslq. Ar Lir, trom rhe rop ofca, h w:ve rhe men in rhe tos\ing
could see land, a long black shadow on the sea, thinner than
- "we musr be abouc opposite New Smyrna," said the cook,
had coastedthis shore ofren in schooners."Captain, by the way,
ieve they abandonedthat lifesaving sration there about a year
"Did rhey?"said rhe ceprein.
wind slowly died away.The cook and the correspondentwere
now obliged to siave in order to hold high the oar. The little
no longer under way, struggled woundily ov€r the waves.The
or the correspondenttook the oxrs agein.
ipwrecks are apropos of nothing. If men could only train for
and have rhem occur when rhe men hid reach€dpink condition,
would be lessdrowning at sea.Of the four in the dinghy none
slepr any rime worth mencioning for two days and two nights
i o u , r o e m b a r \ : n g ; a ' h e d i r g h ' . . r n d i n r h e c x . i t c m q n ro f
bering about rhe deck of a loufldering ship they had also forgot-
to eat heartily.
correspondentnow wonderedhow there could be peoplewho
it amusing to ro$'a boet. lt was flot an 2musement;it wes
lical punishment, a horror to rhe musclesand a crime against
back.He mentionedthesethoughtsto rhe boar in general,and
wcary'facedoilir smiled in full symparhy.Previousto the
ndering,the oiler had workeddoublewatch in the €ngineroom
ship.
her e)sy, now, boys," said the caprain."Don'r spendyour-
If we hxve to run r surf you'Il need all vour strengih, because
\ure hr\e In 'wim for rL.Trke yot,r time.
y rhc lrnd aro'e fom rl-e from r bla.k linc ir be.rme
"ea
of black and a line of white, treesand sand.Finally, the caprain
r h L e . o u l d m a k co u r a h o u s co n r h es h o r e".T h r r \ r h e h o u . c
rugc,rhen," sxid rhc cook. "They'lIsee us before long, and come
rlicLus."
rc rlistrnr lighthousc rcrred high. "The keeperought to be able
trs our n<nv.if hr's ftxrking thnrugh a ghss," srid the crptain
I trotiti tl,c lifcsrvingpcr4lc "

TH! O?EN BOAT / StcPlenCgne
"None of those olher boats could have got ashore to give wor(l
of the wreck," said the oiler, in a 1ow voice-"Else the lifeboat would
be our hunting us."
Slowly and beautifully the land loomed out of th€ ser' The wi'rrl
cameagain. lt had veeredfrom the northeasrto the southeastFinallr'
a new sound struck the earsof rhe men in the boat. lt was the los
thunder of the sudon the shore "Swing her head a little more norrll
Billie," said the caPtdn.
"A litde more north, sir," said the oiler'
WhereuPon the litde boat turned her nose once more down tlx
wind, and all but the oarsmanwatched th€ shorc grow. Doubr err'l
direful apprehensionwere leaving the minds of the men. In an horl
perhaps,rhey would be ashore.
Their backboneshad become thoroughly used to balancing in tlr
boat, and they now rode this wild coir of a dinghy like circus rncl
The correspondentthought that he had been drenchedto the slt|
bur in the toP pocket of his coat be found four perfecrlyscathtl"
cigars. After a search,somebody Produc€d three drv marches':r'ul
th€reupor the four waifs rode impudently in their little boar. rrul
with an assurance ofan impending rescueshining in their eyes,Puli('
at the big cigars. Everybody took a drink of water'
"cooK," REMARKTD THE c"aPTArN, "there don\ seem to be ant sLllrl
of life about your house of refuge."
"No," replied the cook. "Funny they don't seeus!"
A broad stretch of lowly coast lay before the eyesof the merr I
was of dunes toPPedwith dark vegetation.Sometimes$E coul(l '
the white lip of a wave as it sPun uP rhe beach A tiny housc I
blocked out blacL upon the sky. Souths'ard,the slim lighthouse lilt' '
its little gray length.
Tide, wind and vraves were ss/inging rhe dinghy norrhr'"
"Funny they don't seeus," said the men.
The surf\ roar was dulled, but its tone was thunderousand milll'tt
As the boat swam over the greer rolleIs, the men sar listening "\\i
swamp sure," said e.rerybody.
It is fair to say here drat drcrc was not a lifesaving sration \ rrlr
t4{)
l1
ty miles in either direction, buc they did not know rhis fecr.
lighrheartedness had completelv faded. Four scowling men sar
thc dinghy rnd made dark and opprobrious remarks concerning
cyesighr of the nation's lifesavers. To rheir sharpened minds it
casyto conjure picruresof all kinds ofincomperencyand blindness
indeed,cowardice. There was the shoreof chepopulousland,
ir wasbitter to them rhat from it cameno sign.
," said the capein, ultim"rely, "l supposes'e'11have to make
for ourselves.If we stay out here too long, we'll none of us
srrength left to swim after rhe boat swamps."
so the oiier, vrho was at the oars, turned the boat straighl
l
rhc shore.There was .r suddenrighreningoI muscle.There was
rbinking.
we dont ell get ashore-" said the caprain. "If we donl all
re, I suppose you fellows know whete to send news of my
then briefly exchangedsome addresses and admonitions. As
rcnectionsof the men, there was e great deal of rage in them,
n(c formulated thus: "If I am going ro be drowned-if I am
to bc drowned, xrhy, in the name of the sevenrnad gods who
sca, was I allowed to come thus far and contemplatesand
If Fate has decided co drown me, why did she not do it
bcginning and save me all this trouble? The whole affair is
, , But no, she cannot mean co drown me. She dare nor
mc, Not after xll rhis work " Afrerward the man might have
lmpulse ro shakehis fisr ar the clouds:'Just you drowo me,
d rhcn hear what I cail youl"
bil|rws that camerr rhis time were more formidable.They
rlwxys jusr abour co breekand roli over the little boat in
oll of foam-The shorewas still afar. The oiler was a wily
"lhys," hc said swiftly, "she won\ live three minutes more,
rx) f,lr our ro swim. Shall I rake her to seaagain,capreinl"
| (io uhcadl"said rhe caprain.
ollcr. by x seriesof quick miracles,and fast and seady oars-
ttfncd (bc boit in the middle of the surf and rook her
l.1l
THE OPIN BoAI / Stephenc@e

There was a considerable silence as the boat bumped over tlr the boat, and, tying this on the stick, rhe capmin weved
furowed seato deeperwater- Then somebody in gloom sPoke."\X'cll mlsman did not dare rurn his head, so he was obliged to
anyhow, rhey must have seen us from the shore by now."
"Irhat do you think of those lifeszving PeoPle?Aint dnl he doing now?"
Peaches?" lrxnding still again "
"Maybe they think we'r€ out herefor sPortI Maybe they think wc rr wavrng at us?"
fishin'. Maybe they think we're damned fools " not now! H€ was, though_"
It was a long afrernoon. A changed ride tried to force rht I There comes enother man!"
southward, but the wind and wave said northward. And the oi at him go, would you."
rowed. and then the correspondent rowed. Then the oilet row€d , he's on a bicycle. Now he's mec the oaher man. They,r€
was e wearv business.The human back is a Iimited area,but it ( l ng at us. Lookl"
becomethe therter ofinnum€rable muscular conflicts, tangles,wren (l comcs something up the beach.,,
and other comforts. it looks like a boat."
"Did you ever like to row, Bi ie?" askedthe corresPondenr' ir's on wheels."
"No," seid the oiler. "Hang it!" Bo it is- I7ell, that must be rhe lifeboar.They drag them
!(/hen one exchangedthe rowing seat for a Placein rhe bott'u
of the boat, he sufered a bodily depression that caused him r() | by-, ir's-it's an omnibus- I can seeit plain. SeeTOne of
carelessof everything. There was cold seawarer swashing to and tr hotel omnibuses."
in rhe boar, and he lay in it. Sometimesa Particularly obstreFr,r undcr, you're right. Maybe rhey are going ffound collecing
seacame inboard and drenched him once more. But these mirlr' crcw,hey?"
did not annoy him. lt is almost certain rbat if the boat had capsil 'r it, likely. Iookl
There's a fellow standing on the stepsof
he would have tumbled comfortably out upon the ocean 2s if hc I lbus waving a lirtle black flag. There come rhose orher two
sure thet it was a Sreat soft mattrcss. Now they're all talking together.',
"Iook! There's a man on the shore!" ain't a flag, is it? That\ his cort."
"\7here?" is. He's taken it offand is waving it around his head. Look
'imZ See 'im?"
"Th€!e I See lwing it."
"Yes, surel He's walking along." $y, therc isn'r any lifesevingstarion there.Thafs just a winter
"Now he's stoPPed.Lookl He's facing us!" omnibus chat has broughc over some of the boardersto
"He's waving at us!"
'r thrr idior
"So he isl By thunderl" wirh the coar signaling, anyhow?,,
"Ah, nov,' we're all rightl Now we're all rightl There'll bc:r l" as if he were rrying to tell us ro go north. There must
our here for us in half an hour." vinS starionup rh€re-"
"Heh going on. He's running. He\ going up to that housetlrr rr tic rhinks wc're fishing.Juscgiving us a mery hand.',
The remote beach seemedlower than the sea,and ir requrr"l I dr, you supposehc m€ans?"
searchinggiance to discern thc little black figure The ceptaitt &rrr\ mcanrnyrhing.He'siust playing.',
a lloating stick and thcy rowcd to ir' A bath towel was by somc ${ 1r l, if hcil jusr signalus ro ny drc surf again,or ro go co sea

t4l 143
THI OIIN BOAr/SEphen Cnne

and \[-ait, or go norrh, or go south, or go to hell-there would l

some re'lson in ir. But look rt bim. He just standsthere and kecl i:31 *, KeeP herhead uPr,,
his coat revolving like a vheel. The assl" T.:T,:ii;;: J!:..;;i:;;.
5ave,he oarsmtrnhI
h*",i" ;;,:;::,.werry
wery
and
,ow and row
"There come more people," him. hi\ eycs*... ,,,.. -"1^;;l'.''"5srl'rn thebor,5 bor(om.
"Now chere'squite a mob." i,T,i;:,T',;:';::J.ffi:iifi:l;l#:#;:i
::LPT"9J"'^*,n_,,.,"lili."u". ;,';
"That fellow is still waving his coat." ";;;; ":;#:
r i;j::iil:lil:'J
j';:nl
"\(/onder hosr long he can keep that uP. Het been revolving ;::l ; wi,hou
r inrero,
coat ever sinceh€ caught sight of us. He's an idiot. Why aren't tl
getting men to bring a boat out? \fhy don't he do something.
),,
'whar i:'HftlJfi::,j:,1:
"H:,:;;::,":
kind p* d.
"f ;,;;:;.?,:
"Oh, it's all rjght, now." tr oN TUE sEd
in rn 6h." a^-- , ,
"They'I} have a boat out here for us in less rhen no time. n,
that they'v€ seenus." jililtIiill'.'':,iJ:l];;';T-;::ji:,:1ffi
ill'?;, ,
A faint yellow tone came inro the sllv over the lowland. I
shadowson the seaslowlv deepened.The wind bore coldnessr
it, and the men began to shiver.
f,{r**ir#H}li'i#:l1,::11
"Holy smokel" said one, "If we've got to ffounder out hcr(
nightl"

#i5[,g;ffiiuffi
"Oh, we'll nerer have to stav here all nightl Don'c you sr
They've seen us noi-, and they'l1 come chasing out aft€r us."
The shore grew duskv. The man *'aving a coat blendedgradr
inro rhis gloom, and it sq'alloved jn the same manner the om
and the group ofpeopie. The spra,v, when it dasheduproariouslt, ;;';il;;11;I:1"':n
X.':iil:':'..'T'#''* ffi
the side,made the voyagersshrink and swearlike men who were
branded. lii;,'i,*"'ff;: ll' l': i.:o d,ooped,orq,rd
slcepblindedr';- e"j 'l-1 "f1"' Iomrrd. rnd rh( ,,d,he
:';,li:;:,h.b; ;;,;.;J::ril,li;;'';.,1f:
"I'd like to catchthe chump who war.edthe coat. I feellike sorl _ 'uwqq rer ?lfemi,d
man in rh. r.^,,^_- ,' Then
him one He 5eemed!o dJmned.hceiful. litrle wblel'b.
;;;;.
In the m$ntime the oiier rovred, and then the ""jd,
:j'f ;,;':#J:'T;*T znddrasging
rowed, and then the oiler rowed. Gray facedand bos'ed forward.
mechanically,turn by turn, plied rhe leeden oars-The form oJ ;;'ilJi[,li
l'.*iillliiJl'll";,.;'" 1tik":,", :;,:",l,Ti;:
lighthouse had vanishedfrom the southernhorizon, but 6nall1 ,r
star apperred,just lifting from the ser The land had vanished.
was expr€ssedonly by the low and drear thunder of the surl rhc
:i wavc.,
arne
"If I am going to be drowned if I am going ro be drowned. i"f;1tij[.":i*ljiIi.';,J:1
in the name of rhe sevenmad gods n'ho ruie rhe se:, i'as I rll
to come thus far and contemplate sand and trees?" . r^^.
';#*:
:1;: ill;
"::y, r;:r:.i
:illi: i:r
;:;;: -,,\,, (,,r .re\r\
ru.hedpa.t.
The paricnt captainwas sometimesobliged ro speakro the oa ;.;;,',;:::
. . , , , i ! , . c ( .iif
j""'t'""a"", .rddrc,sed roe L,rp,rinHe w,\
r t r r . , ,wn. r s . r * , , 1 c .
: r l r l ' , r r x l , Ii , i , ,
;, ," .;..;
"
t44
 lt occurs to r man that nature does not regard him es
be alwaysawakc."Captain, shall I keepher making for that light
and that she feels she would not maim the universe by
nh. sir?"
of him, he at 6rst srishes to throw bricks ar the tetnDle.
same stc?dy voice answered him. "Yes. Keep it ebout tw('
expftssion of ruturc would surcly be pelleted with his
ints off the Pott bov,/."
Prescntly it secmcd that even the caPtain dozed, and the corrc'
he feels,perhaps,the desiteto conftont a personificationrnd
clent thought that he was the one man afloat on all rhe merns
in plcas, saying: "Yes, bur I love myself,'
wind had a voicc as it ceme over the waves' and it vras saddcr
cold star on a vinrer's night is the word he feels that she
the end.
Thereafter he knows rhe parhos of his siruarion.
retewasa long, loud swishing asternof the boat, and a gleaminl;
mysteriously mtered the correspondcnt,s heAd.He hed even
of phosphotcscencc, Iike bluc flame,was furrowed on thc black
that he hed forgotten this vetse
it might have beett made by a monstrour knife'
there-camea stillness,until sudder y there wasanotherswish
of tl'e ligio" lat dtt g in Algien,
another long flash of bluish light. This tirne it was alongsidc uar lad of wnaa\ wting, thercuat deartb of M,ndn'r kdfi;
boat, and might almost har'e been reached with an oar- Th' conn& ltod betilr hin, and be took ,hdt conrade\ hand.
:espondent saw an cnormous 6n sPeedlike a shadow through drr taid: "I tbell naEl tee n) ou, ry natite knd."
sprayendleevingrhe long glowlngtrril
. hurling the crystalline
)e corresPondentlooked ov'cr his shoulder at the caPtain Hri
childhood, thc correspondenthad nevcr considercdit his
vras hidden, and he secmed to be asleeP-Thc others certainly a soldier of the kgion lay dying in Algiets, nor had it
asleep.So, being bereft of sympathy,he swore softly into thc to him as a m*ter for soffow. It *zs less to him than the
of a pencilt point.
aheador astem,on one sidc of the boat or the other, at intervrh
bowclct the correspondent plainly saw the soldier. He lay
or short, fled the long sParkling streak, and there was to hc with his feet out straight and still. rlfhile his pale left
the uhinoa of the dzrk 6n. The ptesenceof tbis biding thinl
uPon his chest in a-rl attempt to thwart thc going of his
effect the man with the same hoffor that it would if he hrtl
camebetweenhis 6ngen. The correspondent,plying
a picnicker. He simply looked at th€ sea dully and swore il
vas moved by a profound and perfectlyimpersonalcomprc-
undettone.
one of hi Hc was sorry for the soldier of the Irgion who lay dying
, he did not wish rc be alone' He *'ished
ions to awrken and keep him company with it. But the caPtrl
ng which had followed the boat and waited, had evidently
motionless over the water jar, and the oiler and the cook i
Therewrs no longer co be heardrhe slashof rhc cur
Lottom of the boat were Plurged io slumbet. thcG was no longer the flame ofthe long trail. Sometimes
tlF r AM GoING to be drovtfled-if I am going to be drowned, wl of ihc surf nng in the cotrespondent's eas, and he tumed
rcgward then and rorred harder. The wind came stronqer,
LtNs I allowed to comc thus far and contemplate sand and trecs/'
a wave suddcnly mged out like a mountain cat, and
During this dismal night, a man would coocludqthat it wal rerll
io bc se€nrhe sheenand sparklc of a broken crest.
thi intcntion of the sevenmad gods ofthe scato dtown him, dcsPrl
!dn, in the bow, movcdand saterect.',Prettylong nighr,,,
thc abominable iniustice of ir'

t47
l{6
THE OPEN BOAT / StepnenChnc

he observedto the correspondent.He looked at the shore. "Tho!

opened
hiseyes.
scaand,k),nere
lifesaving people take rheir time." Tf..y:T"?r".,.^cAr!
j1:l'"s Llrer.
flt_i.1i"",.11. ..:.mine
: ndg,ra*,, f ,r",.i
";;,:.";il*'j:
"Did you seethat shark playing around?" t* ,ppe,,ed,
-i ;ff
"Yes, I saw him. He wzs a big fellow, all right." ::::,:,j
':j-,::":ll:. I:."'nf
and rhesunrightflamcdon rhe
"$Cish I had known you were awal(e." rrpsor rheqave\.
wcr.*", ^r"" r",f. Urr.t ;:il
Laterthe correspondent spokeinto the bottom of the boat. :t1e_disrr.nl,dunes. ;::tl
rhem.No man.nordog.norbicycre
"Billiel" Therewas r slow and gradualdisenranglemenc-"Billtr :.J':*lrj:,.1::."e
on the beach.The cottages -lgh, hr;";;;:;';;;l;;
v/ill you spell me?"
"Sure," saidthe oiler. ..wcil...
,n" shore. saidrhecaptain..irno
As soon asthe correspondenttouchedthe cold comfortableseawxrrt ::::::.:.11:1
:."1,i:
J:i,"iIi:l:t,,y,-" .h-:;;;; #;1;,,:;:
in the boftom of the boat, he wrs deep in sleep.This sleepwas
sood to him that it was but a moment before he heard a voice rr
*.
:J"::;,TiT;l lT-{', *i'rb.,; ; ;,;;; ;;',;;,';;
r:::ll",ll:,^11".::T.:
:,-^ay,.
ro,,r,. q"r.".a
i,,"h
;...;,i;i;gi
his name in a lone that demonstratedth€ last stasesof exhausti,'rl
"$7ill you spellme/" ::..5:*l *,.r,.'
riJl",;;#,;Ji ;::?li
rhe tau wind tower :nd lookedscrward
"Sure,Billie." :-1^1.:,.1*o .i: Thir
.:'.:.londenr the serenrtyof naore
The iight in the north had mysteriously
vanished,but the c(nr, :jj,::1L:1
or rne Indjvrduat.Shc did nor jeem
amid
crucl ro him rhen,
spondenttook his coursefrom th€ reide-awakecaptain. nor rreacherour. nor wi.e. Bur.he was ind;ffcrenr,
Later in the nigbt rhey tooL the boat farrher out to sea,and rl inditrerent.
captain direccedthe cook to cakeooe oar at the stern and keep rl v, boys.- said,rhe caprain...shc
L going ro ,s,,rmp.surc.AtJ
boat facing the seas.He was to call out ifhe should hear the thur, --f herin.as_far,. po..;sri rhenshcn :hc
of the suri This plan enabledrhe oiler and the corespondent to i,:l: andscrambte
:j-r. "l: for the beach."no ;;;; ; ffi,'*
resPite together. ,ump uniil sheswampssure_,,
"$./e'll give those boys a chanceto get inro shapeagain," sai(l I oar"br.erhi" .ho.rrden
'l :1':l':"i,,T hc c(rnned
rhe.u,r.
caprain. They curled down and slept once more the dead sleep
";;T.'* ';lJ'f"f1"1''*h""b",,,,d
ke.P
;.;
ominous slash of rhe wind and the water affectedthem as ir srr
have afected mrimmieg "I'f
"Boys," said rhe cook, wirh the notes of every reluctance
voice, "she's drifted in preny close. I guess one of you had
'fhe
:iflil ;a':i.i.;;:
iiiffi*EH; ;;:*ff:li
liged to look ovcr rhcir shoutdeo
' '"
"'"" ""'
,..;;; cmPi'rc the lonej)
take her to seazgzir,." coffespondent,aroused,heard the r r.r Inerenr shore
of the toppled cresrs- E rhonsrrous jn5horcrollers
heavedrhe borr hrgh unril
As he was rowing, the captain gave him some whisky and \\.rl rhe men
hire(heclor w,,er.coddins
and this steadiedthe chills out of him. "If I ever ger ashoft , tjl
l'il.';'9';1':,:::.'le.q
r se'n up,he
anybody shows me wen a photograph of an oar-" Y'won
n-dcnr.objcruiog the others.""o.,;,;:i;; ,il::;if';o#:
knew chrr rher were nor
At lasc tbere was a short conversation, rutt merning of (hrir glrnce\ g.as ttrajcl,
rhroudcd.
"Billie. . . . Billie, will you spell me?" *".,..
:,"; ;" ;;,;prirunar".en,,rry
"Sure," said the oiler. l',j,li.lt,,;
't Hrs mrnJ w.r\dum,nrrcd.,, ,r,,, *;rr,
i;"" f." r,i, rnr,cri",,"a

t4lJ

:fHE OPIN BOAT/ SrcphenCnne
the muscles said they did not care. It merely occuff€d to him rhxl
if he should drown it would be a shame.
"Now, rcmember to get well clear of the boat when you iump,
said the captain.
Seaward the crescof a roller suddenly fell with a thunderous cn]s|,
and th€ long white comber came roaring down upon the boat.
"Sterdy now," said the ceptain. The men were silent. They tur|c,l
rheir eves from the shorc to the comb€r and waited. The boat slr
up the incline, leaped at the furious top, bounced over it, and svur
down the long back of the wave. Some water had been shipped :rn
the cook bailed it out.
But the next crashedalso. The tumbling, boiling flood of whr
water swarmed in from all sides.The Iittle boat, drunken with t|
weight of watet, reeled and snuggled deePer inro the sea.
"Bail her out, cook! Bail her our," said the caPtain.
"All dght, crptain," said the cook.
"Now, boys,the next one will do for us, sure," said the oiler- "r\li
to jump clear of rhe boat."
The third wavemoved forward, huge,furious, imPlacable.Ir fri
swallowedthe dinghy,and almostsimultaneously rhe men tuml,l,
into the sea.A pieceof life belt had lain in the bottom of the t),
and as the correspondentsrent overboardhe held this to his cl
with his left hand.
The Januarywrter was icy, and he reflectedimmediatelyth:rr
was colderthan he had expectedto find it on the coastof Florl
The coldnessof the waterwassad;it wastragic.Mixed andcontir
q'ith his opinion of his own situation this fact seemedalmost a P'()l
reasonfor tears.The water was cold.
\[hen he came to the surfacebe was consciousof little bur rl
noisy water. Afterward he saw his companions-n the sea.The,i
was xhead in the mce. He was swimming strongly and raPidh l
to the correspondent'sleft, tbe cook's back bulged out of the r ''t
and in the rear the captain was hanging with his one good l,'
to rhe keel of the overturn€d dinghy.
There is a certeinimmovable quality to a shoie. The corresporr,l,t
knew thacit wasa long journey,and he paddledlei:urely.Thc 1.
Ito
,t[
preserver lay under him, and sometimes he whirled down the
of a wave as if he were on a hand sled-
t finally he affived at a Dlace in the sea where travel was trset ,i
dificulty. He did noc pause swimming to inguire what manner
r had caught him. bur there his progres:.ca.cd.
the cook passed,much farther ro the left, the captain was calling
, "Turn over on your back, cookl Turn over on your back
right, sir." The cook tumed on his back,and,paddlingwith
, wenr ahead as if he were a canoe.
the boat also passedto the left of the correspoodentwith
in dinging with one hand to the Leel. He would have
like a man raising himself ro look ovet a board fence, if
nor for the extraordinary glmnasaics of the boat. The coffe
t marveled thar he could srill hold co it.
lassed on, nearerto shore-the oiler, rh€ cook, the captain-
ing rhem went rhc warcryar.bouncinggaill ovcr rhe:ea.
correrpondenr remajned in the grip of rhrs srrznge new
currcnr- The shorc. with its white slope of sand and its
bluff coppedwirh little silent cottages,wai spreadlike a piccure
him. It was very near. but he was impressedas one who in
looks ar a rtcne from Brittany or Holl.rnd.
tbought: "I am going ro drown?Can it be possible?
Can it
Perhapsan individud must considerhis own death ro
fioal phenomenon of nature.
leter a wrvc pcrhapswhirled him ouc of this small, deadly
for he found suddenly thac he could again make progress
lhe shorc.
still, he was awarethat the captain,his faceturned awayfrom
and toward him. w?s callinq his nam€. "Come to the boatl
to thc boat!"
his srruggle to reachthe caprain and the boat, he reflectedthat
onc gcts properly wearied,drowning must really be a comfort-
mnSement,a cessalionof hostilities accompaniedby e large
of rclicf, and hc was elad of it. He did nor wish to be hurt.
tly hc s:rwr mxn running along the shore.He was undressing
THI OllN BOA'I / Stehen Cnne

with most remarkablesPeed.Coat, trousers, shirt, el'eryrhing flc$

magically off him.
''Comc
to rbe boar. .rlled rhe caprrin
"AU right, ceptain." As the colresPondentpaddled, he saw tlr MY CEDIPUS
caprain let himself down to bottom and ieave the boat- Then tlr COMPLEX
F F A X KO ' C O N N O/RI R E I A N D
correspondentPerform€dhis one little marvel of the voyage.A larrl
wave caught him and flung him with easeand suPremesPeedcorrl
pletely over the boat and far beyond it. lc struck him even then I
a rrue miracle of ihe sea.
h.r^/ I a"^*-
The correspondentarrived in s/tter that reacbedonly to his wrrrr
but he could not stand for more rban a momenr' Eachv.'aveknockr
\q,4s in the army al) rhrough rhe war-the firsr war, I
him into a herp, and the undertow pulled er him
so, up ro rhe age of five, I never saw much of him, and whar
Then he saw the man who had been running and undressing.rr
did not worry me. Somerimes
I vrokeand rherewasa big 6gure
undtessingand runnrng, come bounding inro the water- He draglr
i peering down ar me in rhe candlelight. Somerimesin the
the cook ashore,and then waded toward the captain,but the captrr
rning I he?rd the slamming ofthe fronr door and the clacrer
waved him away, and sent him to tbe corresPondenr.He was nal',,
boots down rhe cobbles of rhe lane. These were larher's
naked as a trce in wintet, but a halo was about his head, and I
and exirs. Like SantaClaus he cameand went mysteriously.
shone like a saint. He gave a srrong Pu1l, and a long &ag, an,l
frcr. J nrher likcd hr. risrrr. rhorgh ir was:n un.omfonablc
bully heave at the corr€spondent'shand. The corespondent srL,
bctween Morher and him when I got into the big bed in
"Thanks, o1dman." But suddenly the man cried: "Whafs that?" I
moming. He smoked, which gave him a pl€asantmusry
pointed a swift finger. The correspondentsaid: "Go."
gnd shaved,,n op€ration of astounding interesr.nach rime he
ln the shallows,facedownward,lay the oiler. His foreheadtourlu
Snil ofsouvenirs-model tanks and Gurkha knives with handles
sand that was periodically,between each wave, clear of the sea
The correspondentdid not know all that transpired aftemrl ofbuller cases,and German helmersand cap badgesand butron
\{rhen he achievedsafeground he fell, striking the sand wirh cr
rnd ell sortsof milicaryequipmenr-carefullystowedawayin
particular patt of his body. lt was as if he had dropped from a |1"
box on top of the wardrobe,in caserheyevercamein handy.
but the thud was grateful to him.
wis a bit of.he magpieabourFarher;he expectedeverything
in handy. \7hen his brck was turned, Morher let me gec
It seemsthat inscantly the beach was PoPularedwith men Itt
ond rummage rhrough his treisures.She didn't seemto think
blankets,clothes,and flasks,and women vith cof,eepors and all tl
ly of them as he did.
remediessacredto thet minds. The welcome of the land to rhe rr
wirr was rhe mosr peceful period of my life. The window
from the seawas warm and generous,but a still and driPPing shl
rttic faced sourheast-My morher had curtained ir, but rhat
was caried slowly up the beach,and the land's welcome for ir c,'
I cflcct. I alwayswoke with rhe nrst light and, with all the
only be the different and sinGrer hospitality of the grave.
bilitics of rhe previousday melted,feelingmyselfrarherlike
\(/hen it came night, the whice waves paced to and fro in rl
moonlight, and the wind brought the sound of the sea'sgreat r,'r
n, rc,rdyro illumine and rejoice.Life neverseemedso simple
to the men onshore,and they felt tbar tbev could then be interprct'
rnd full of possibiliriesas rhen. I put oy feet out from

I tl
152
 -----------
rl
l
MY CEDIPUSCOMPLIX / Frmk O€onnor

under the clothes-I called them Mrs. Irft and Mrs. tught-an,l rd him back safe from rhe war to us_
Iittle, indeed, did I know
inventeddmmaticsituationsfor them in which they disarssedrlr I was praying for!
problems of the day. At least lr4rs.tught did; she was very demol rhebigbed.andrherr.sureenou8h.
,::lli& lF*lT
,:-":-':1" wa.
stmtive,but I hadn't the samecontrol of Mrs kft, so she mostll c],,s manner.
bur tarer.in,teadof uiiform,
contentedhers€lfwith nodding agreement. : on his besr:i"'"
blue suir,
and Motherwasaspleasedasanything.
They discussedwhat Mother and I should do during the &y, *|.rt nothing to be pleasedabout,because,
out of uniform, Iachlr
SanteCleusshould giv€ a fellow for Christmas,and what stepsshoLr Llroscrhrr,lesr,i,nrcresting.
bur she only beameo,and expl.rjncd
be taken to briehten the home. There was that litde matter of rhr )ur prryers hed bern answered.and
offwe s,enr to Macsro rbrnk
baby, for instance.Mother afld I could never agreeabout that, Orrl ror havrng broughr Father sJelv
home
was the only house in the terracewithout a new baby, and Motlur irony ofir! Th2r veryda1when hc
crmc in ro dinnerhe rook
said we couldn't aford on€ till Father came back from the war becrrr p:: on his dippers donned the dirry
:::,:J: otd cap he
*l* to,,a,c himr-.n ..ra..,".*a'r,i.r.g,""";
l
they cost seventeenend six.
That showed how simple she was. The Geneys uP the road lir
"Ill,:I
ro.Morher.
whorooked
anrious.N,,,i,rry.r
a baby, and everyoneknew they couldnt afford seventeenand rr anxious.
becru,c
ir dcsrroyed
".":1^9',1:.lr
Tl_l::Yy h"; s;i ilk.;
It was probably a cheap baby, and Mothelwanted sornething rcrl
good, but I felt she was too exclusive. The Geneys' baby would h.r a moment,krryl,' she saidgenrly.
done us fine. was only what she said when we had
boring visirors, so I
Having settled my plans for the day, I got uP, Pu. a chair urr, no importance to it and went on ralking.
,
h:"1.:
rhe;rric window.rnd litred rhe framehigh enoughto sri.k ou' .do,,.t yo,,
shesaidimpatienrty.
" l.o'" h.", _.
head.The window overlookedthe front gatdensof the teffacebcli to Daddy?"
ours, and beyond these it looked over a deep valley to the rall. r was rhe.firsr time I had heard those
ominous vrolds, .,ralking
brick houses terlaced up the oPPosirehillside, which were all .t ly," end I couldn'r help feeling rhac
if this was how God
in shadow, whJle those at our side of the elJey were all lit uP, thol Pfayers. hc,couldn'rlisrenro rhemveryarrenri\el).
with long strange shadows that made them seem unfamiliar: r arc vou ratkingro Daddyl.. I askedwifh
as gre r .how
and painred- as I could musrer.
After that I went into Mother's room and climbed into thc I Daddy and I have businessro discuss.
Now, don,t inter_
bed. She woke and I began to rcll her of my schemes.By rhis rl
though I n€ver seemedto have notjced it, I was petrified in r afrernoon,at Mocher,srequesr,Fxrher
took me for a walk.
niehtshirt. and I thawed as I talLed unril, the last frost melc,l, !r€ i'.ent rnto town instead of oua
in rhe counrry, and I
fell asleep beside her and woke again oniy when I heard her hrl, '" my u,uatoprimistic w,v. ,hlf ,r mrshrbe an
in the kitchen, making the breakfast. ljj-l'":: nor,hrngof rhesorr.F?rhe,and r"hadquire
Afcer breakfastwe went into town; heard Mass at St. Auglslr It:l.:i^]l :.,:a walk in town.
horions of He had no proper interesain
and said a prayer for Fathet, and did the shopping. If the aftcrru rhips,.and horses,and rhe only rhing rhar
seemedro divert
was 6ne we either went for a walk in the countrv or a visit ro M()rl talking to fellowsasold ashirnself."When
'wcnr on, dtagging I wantedto stop
great friend in the convent, Mother SainrDominic. Mother had rl mc behindhim by rhe hand; when he
all prayjng for Father, and evc$' nigbt, going ro bed, I askcrlt to srop I had no alternative but co do
rhc samc. I noticed

It,1
lJt
MY @DIPUS COMPIEX / Fnnk O'Connor
that it seemedto be a sign that he warted to stoP for a lorg t;
whenever he leaned against a wall The second time I saw him
it I got wild. He seemed to be settling himself forever. I Puled hi
by the coat and rrousers,but, unlike Mothel who, if you were r'
persistenr,got into a wax and said: "Larry, if you don't behrr
yourself, l'll give you a good daP," Fether had en extraordinr
capaciryfor amiableinattention l sizedhim up and wondered*'or I
I cry, but he seemedto be too remote to be annoyed even by tlr'r
Rerlly, it was like goiry for a q'alk with a mountdnl He eirl
ignoredthe wrenchingand pummelingentirely,or elseglenceddor
with a grin of amusementfrom his peak. I had never met anr'
so absorbedin htmself as he seemed.
At teatime, 'talking to Daddy" beganagzin, comPlicaredthis ri
b1 rhc fact thar he had an cveningpaper.and cveryfew minut'
put it down and told Mother something new out of it I feir rl
was foul play. Man for man, I was preparedro comPetewjth ll
any time for Mother's attention, but when he had it all madr
for him by other people it left me no chance.Severaltimes I trr
to change the subject without success
"You must be quiet while Daddyis reading,larry," Mothel
impatiently.
It wasclearrbat sheeirh€rgenuinelyliked talking to FatherI'rt
rhan talking to me, or elsethat he had someterible hold orr
*hrrh mrde her rfraidro ldmir the trurt
"Mummy," I said that night when she was tuckrng me ul
you think if I prayedhard God would send Daddy back to thc I t
She seemedto thinL about that fo! a moment.
'
"No, dear,"shesaidwith a smile-"I donl think He woul'l
"\rhy wouldn't He, Mummyl"
"Becauserhercisn't a war ant longer,dear'"
"But, Mummy, couldn't God makeanotherwar, if He lik''l
"He wouldn't like to, dear.lt's not God who makesw:rr' I
bad people."
"Obl" I said.
I was disappointedabout thar. I began to ihink tber God \'r
quite what He was cracked uP to bc
D(
mornirg I {'oke ar my usual hour, feeling like a bottle of
I puc out my feet and invented a long conversationin
I
M{; Right ralked of the rrouble she had with her own father
put him in the Home. I didn\ quirc know whar the Home
t_it sounded the right place for lather. Then I gor my chair
ck my head out of the artic window. Dawn was jusc bteaking,
r guilty air thar made me feel I had caught it in the act. My
bursting with storiesand schemes,I stumbled in next door. ani
halidarknessscrambledinto the big bed. Th€re was no room
othert side so I had to get between her and F her. For the
tring I had forgonen about him, and for several mlnutes I sar
racking my brains to know vyhat I could do with him.
taking up more than his fair shareof chebed,and I couidn,t
table, so I gave him several kicks that made him srunc
. He maderoom.rll righr. rhough Morher *rked rni fetr
I serded back comfortably in rhe warmth of the bed with
umb in mJ' mouth.
y:" I hummed,loudly and contentedly.
!dear. she whispered. Dont w;ke Daddyt..
was a new development, which threateneo ro De even more
than "talking co Daddy.', life without lry early mornrng
ceswas unrhinkable.
?" I asked scverely.
poor Daddy is tired.',
seemedto me a quite inadequatereeson,and I was sickened
sen.imentaliry of her ',poor Daddy.,, I never liked that sort
; ir always stn:ck me as insircere.
l" I said lightly Then in my mosr winning rone: "Do you
whereI wxnt ro go with you today,Mummy?,,
t, deat,"she sighed.
want ro go down rhe Glen and 6sh for thornybecks wirh my
lat,and then I want to go our to chelox and Hounds,and_i,
n1'wake-Dddyl" shehissedzngrily,clappingher hand ecross
rt was roo lare He was awakc, of nerrly so. He grunted and
tor the mftches. Then he staredincredulouslyat his watch.
t57
MY CEDIPUS COMIIEX / Innk O'Connot

poor Daddy is wortied and tired and he doesn,t sleep

"Like a cup of tea. dear?" asked Mother in a meek, hushed vo
I had never heard her use before. It soundedalmost as though doesn't he, Mummy?"
were afraid. you know, don't you, that while he was at the war Mummy
ri
"Tea?"he exclaimedindignxntly."Do you knovt what the p€nniesftom the post offce?"
is?" Miss Maccarchy?"
I
"And after that I want to go uP the Rathcooney Road," 's tight.
But now, you see, Miss Maccarthy nasn r any mofe
loudly, aftaid I'd forget something in xll those intefiuPtions' you know wha(
so Daddy musr go our and find us
"Go to sleep at once, Lerry!" she said sharply. happen if he couldn't?"
"ome.
I beean to snivel. I couldn't concentrate, the way thet g'air
" I said,"tell us."
on, and smothering my early-morning schemeswas like buryir1 I think we might have to go our and beg for them like
family from the cradle. .W,eq'ouldn't
old woman on Fridays. like that, would we?',
Fathe{ said nothing, but lit his pipe and suckedit, looking '
" I agreed."We vrouldnt."
into the shadowswitbout minding Mother or me. I knew he
you'll prornisenot ro comein and wakehim?',
mad. Every time I made a remark Mother hushed me irritably l
mortified. I felt it wasn't fair; there was even sometbng srmstcl
you, I meant that. I knew pennics w€rc a serious matter,
it. Everv time I had pointed out to her the wasre of making I
was all againsr having ro 80 out and bcg like rhe old wom.rn
beds when we could both sleePin one, she hed told me it was hea|
Mother laid out all my toys in a complere dng round
like that, and now here was this man, this stranger, sleeping
so th2t, vhaaever way I got out, I was bound to fall over
her without the least rcgard fot her healthl them.
He got uP eatly and made tea, but though he brought l1'r
I woke I remembercdmy promise all right. I got up and
a cup he brought none for me.
thc floor and pieyed-for hours, it seemedto me. Then I sot
"Mummy," I shouted, "I want a cuP of tea, too." and looked out the arric window for more hours. I wished
"Yes, dear," she said patiendy "You can drink from Munrt time for Fether to wake; I wished someone would mal<e me
-
saucer,
of rca. I didn't feel in the least like the sun; insteed. I was
That settled it. Either Fether ot I v'ould have to leavetbe h'l
so very, very cold! I simply longed for the watmth and
I didn't want to drinl from Mother's saucer;I wanted to be rr'
.he big fexrher bed.
as an equal in my own home, so, iust ro spite her, I drank rt
I could stand it no longer. I went into the next room.
and left none for her. She took that quietly, too
\ras still no room at Mothert side I climbed over her and
But that night when she was Putcing ne to bed she said gct
with a stzrt.
"larry, I want you to Promise me something "
," shc whispered,gripping my arm very tightly, .,what did
"What is itl" I asked.
ll
"Not to come in and disturb poor Daddy in the morning I did, Mummy," I wailed,caughrin rhe v€ry act. *I was
cvcr so long-"
"Poor Daddy" againl I was becoming suspiciousof ever|t
, dcar,and you'rcpcrishcdl"shesaidsadly,feelingme all over.
involving that quite impossible man.
lf I lct you staywill you promiscnot to ralk2,'
"Whyl" I asked

tt9
llll
IfY GDIPUS COMPLD( / linnk O'Connol
"But I want ro talk, Mummy," I nrailed
"That has nothing to do with ir," she said with a Frmnessdrirr
was new to me. "Daddy wants to deeP Now, do you understan'l
rhatl"
I understood it onlv too well l wanred to talk, he wanred r"
sleep whose house was it, anPvaY?
hex|l
"Mummy," I saidwith equal 6rmness,"l think it would be
ier for Daddy to sleepin his own bed."
Thet seemedto staggerher, becauseshe said nothing for a *'hil'
"Now, once for all," she went on, "you're to be perfecrlv quut
or go back to your own bed \)(/hich is it to be?"
ihe irtl,.,sticeof it got me down. I had convicted her out of li
own mouth of inconsistencyand unreasonablen€ss' and she hr'l'r
even attempted ro rePly. FuIl of sPite, I gave Father a kick' 1|r'l
she didnt notice but which made him grunt and open his ercs t
"\ghat time is it1" he askedin a panic strickeDvoice,not lookir
ar Morher but at the door, as if he saw someone chere.
(
"ICs early yet," she replied soorhingly. "It's only the child
to sleep again. . . . Now, brry," she added, getcing out of l'
"you\e wakened Daddy and you musr go back."
This time, for all her quiet air, I knes she meant it, and kr!
rhat my princiPal righrs and privilegeswere as good as lost r)rrlr
I assertedthem at once. As she lifted me, I gave a screech'en"t'
to wake the dead, not to mind Facher'He groaned.
"That damn childl Doesn't he ever sleeP?"
"It's only a habit, dear," she said quiecJy'though I could sct
"\7e1I, it's time he got out of it," shouted Father' beginnlrrrl
heavein the bed. He suddenlygatheredall the bedclothesaboLrrlLrl
turned to the wall, and then looked back over his shouldcr "1
nothing showing only two small, sPircfirl,dark €ves.The man |''l'
very wicked.
To open the bedroomdoor, Mother had to ler me do*'n Lr'l
broke free and dashedfor rhe farthest corner, screeching Frtlr'
bolt upright in bed.
up, you little puppyl" he said in a choking voice.
was so astonished rhat I sropp€d screeching. Never, never had
spoken ro me in that tone before. I iooked ar him incredu-
and saw his face convulsed wich rage. lc was only chen that
re?lizedhow cod had coddedme, listeningto my prayersfor
return of this monster,
t up, you!" I bawled,besidemyself.
rhar you said?" shouied Father, making a wild leap out
bed.
Mickl" cried Mother. "Dont you see the child isn,t Lrsed
lcc he'sbetter fed than taughr,', snarledFarher,sraving his arms
/. "He wanrs his botrom smacked."
his previous shouting was as norhing to rheseobscenewords
8 ro mv pcr:on.Thcl re.rJly
madcm1 bloodboil.
yourown!" I screamedhysterically.,,Smackyour ownl Shut
ur uPl"
this he lost his parienceand let fly at me. He did it $rith rhe
of convictionyou'd expectof a man under Morhert horrified
Ind ir endedup as 2 m€recap,bur chesheerindigniq,of being
[,ar all by a stranger,a coralstraflgerwho had cajoledhis way
fiom rhe war into our big bed as a resuft of my innocenr
, made me complecelydorty. I shriekedend shrieked,and
in my bare feet, and Father, looking awkward and hairy in
bur a short gray army shirt, glared down at me like a
in our for murder. I rhink it musr have been then thar I
he was jealouscoo.And there sroodMotber in her nightdress,
as if her hea.r was broken between us. I hoped sh; felt as
kcd. Ir seemedro me thxr she deservedir ail.
thar morning out my life was a hell. Father and I were
open and aYowed.\(/e conducceda seriesofskirmishesagainst
,
ther, he .rring to srealmy cime with Mother and I his. Sfhen
sirring on ml bed, telling me a stot, he took to looking
pair ol old boors which he aLlegedhe had left behind him
fnginniog of rhc *':rr. r)Zhilehe ralkedto Mother I played
wror my rcls ro show my cotallack of concern.He created
MY GDI?US COMPLEX/ Fdfk O ConnDr
a teffible scene one evening wh€n he came in from work and fou
me at his box, playing with his regimental badges,Gurkha kni
and button sticks-Mother got uP end took tbe box from me
"You mustn't play with Daddy'stoys unlesshe lets you, IarI
she said sevetely."Daddy doesn't play with yours "
For some reason Father looked at her as if she had struck hi
and then turned a$ray with a scowl.
"Those are not toys," he growled, taking down the box agzin
see had I lifted anything. "Some of those cuios 2re very rare rn
valuable."
But as tim€ e''ent on I saw more and more how he managed t
alienate Mother and me. Vhat made ir worse was that I coul(irr
grasp his m€thod or seewhat attraction hc had for Mother- In
posible way l'e qas les.winning thln I Hc h,d x common aL '
and made noisesat his tea. I thought for a while that it might
the newspape$she was interestedin, so I made up bits of ne--s
my own to read to het. Then I thoughr it might be the smokrrr
which I personallythought attfacdve, and rcok his PiPesznd \\(l
round the house dribbling into them tiII he caught me. I even nr
noisesat my tea, but Mother only told me I was disgusring lt
seemedto hinse round that unheJthy habit of sleepingtogethct,
I madea point of droPPinginto their bedroomand nosingror
tailing to myself, so that they wouldnl know I was watching ih'
b,rt they *ere never uP to enything that I could see ln the errl
beat me. It seemedto depend on being grown-up and giving p't1
rings, and I reJized I'd have to wait.
But at the sametime I wanted him to seethat I was only waili
nor giving up the fight. One evening when he was being Parricu
obnoxious, chattering away well above my head, I lec him harr
g'
"Mummy," I said,"do you know what I'm going to do when I
uP?"
"No, dear," she rePlied "Whatl"
"I'm going to marry you," I said quietly.
Father gave a great guffaw out of him, but he didn't rake nr'
I knew it must only be PretenseAnd Mother, in spitc ofeverytl'r
was pleased.I felt she was probably relieved to know that onc '
| (,1
hold on her would be broken "\?onl rhat be nice7" she
a smile.
be very nice," I said confidently. "Becausewe're going to
and lots of babies.'
's right, dear."shesaid 'l
platidly. rhink we ll hrvf onc \oon,
you'll have plenty of compary."
no end pleasedabout rhat becauseit showed that in spite
wey she gave in to Farher she still consideted my wishes.
it would put the Geneys in rheir place.
t turfl out like that, .hough. To bcgin with, she was very
ied-I supposed about vrhere she would get the seventeen
though Father took to sraying out late in the evenings
no particular good. Shestoppedtaking me for walks,became
as blazes, and smacked me for nothing at all. Sometimes
I d never mentioned the confounded baby-I seemedto have
for bringing calamity on myseli
caiamiryit wasl Sonnyarrivedin the most appallinghulla-
that much he couldnt do wirhout a fuss-and from the
t I disliked him. He was a dificult child so far es I was
he was always difrcult and demanded far too much
wassimplysilly abouthim, and couldn'tseewhen he was
ing off As companyhe wasworsethan useless.He sleptall
I had ro go round the house on tiptoe to avoid waking
Tasn't any longer a question of not s.eking Father. The slogan
"Don't-e/ake-Sonnyl" I couldn\ understandwhy the child
'l slerp at the proper time, so whenever
Mother's back was
I woke bim. Sometimesto keep him awake I pinched him as
raught me ar ir one dry and gave me r mosr unmerci-
n8.
cvcning,whenFacher
wascomingin from work, I wasplaying
ln thc front garden.
on not to norice him; instead,I pretended to be talking to
Ind said in a loud voice: "If another bloodv babv comesinto
3c, I'm going out."
stoppcd dead end looked at me over his shoulder.
MY GDIPUS COI\IPLlX/ Pdnk O Connor

"rifhat's that you szid?" he 2sked stemly

"I was only talking to myself," I replied, trying to conceal my panr,
"Ifs private."
He turn€d and went in without a word. Mind you, I intend(
THE SNO$rS
it esa solemnv/aming, but its efect wasquite difrerent.Fatherstar( OF KILIMANJARO
being quite nic€ to me. I could understandthxt, of course.Mot ERNESTHEM NGU/AY/UNIIEDSTATES

was quite sickening about Sonny Even at mealtimes she'd get

and gawk et him in the cradlewith an idiotic smile, and tell Far
ro do the same.He was always Polite about it, but he looked
*t*1
Du?zled vou could see he didn't know *'hat she vtas calLing abor
iJe complained of the way Sonny cried at night, but she only g
doss and sdd that Sonny nevercded excePts/ben therewas somethjrl d 'nturo,eftd moltntain 19.710 fe.t high. dnd ;t Mi,l ta be
"
up with him-which was a flaming li€, becauseSonny never h.l gbe noffita;";n Af;ca. It! ueiem tunn;t i called tbe Md'di "NgAi
anything up rvith him, and only cried for attention. It was rer " the Haure af God. Clarc to the uetten nnh therc t the died a tl
painful to see how simpleminded she was Father wdn't xftracri ear.d$ of a teap&]. Na aneha: eapla;neduhat the hapant uat :eehing
but he had a frne intelligence.He saw through Sonny, and nos
knew that I saw through him as *'ell
One night I woke with a start. There was someonebesidemc t MARvlLous THING is rhar it's painless,"he said. "That,s how
the b€d. For one wild moment I felt sure it must be Morher, harrl
it reell_y2"
come to her sensesand left Father for good, but tben I heard Sorr
in convulsionsin the next room, and Mother saying: "There! Thct utelr- I'm awfully sorry abour the odor though. That must
Therei" and I knew it wasn\ she. It was Fether' He was lying bc'r you."
me, wide'awake, breathing hard and apparently as mad as hell
at them," he srid. "Now is ir sight or is ir scent that brings
After a while it came to me what he was mad about. lt was
turn now. After rurning me out of the big bed, he had been turr
like thrt?"
cot the man lay otr *rr tn the wide shadeof a mimosa tree
out himseif. Mother had no considelztion nor,'for anyone but I
he looked out past rhe shadeonto rhe glare of the plain chere
poisonouspup, Sonny.I couldnl helpfeelingsorryfor Father'I
been thtough it ail myself, and even at that age I was magnanl'n'rr three of the big birds squatted obscenely,x-hile in the sky r
more sailed, making quick-moving shadowsas they passed.
I began to stroke him down and say: "Therel There!" He s tt 've been rhere
exactly resPonsive. since rhe day the truck broke down," he said.
either?"he snarled. rhe 6rst rime any have lit on che ground. I watched the
"Aren't lou asle€P
qrnred to use
"Ah, comeon and put your arm aroundus, cant you?" I ' sailcd rcn crrelul\ 1r hr5r i.l Lrqe lcvcr
is how vou'ddcr rt
andhe did, in a sortofway. Gingerly,I suPpose, in e story.That's funny now."
it. He wasverv bonv but betterthan nothinS- lvish you wouldn't," she srid.
only talking," he said. "lfs much easierif I talk But I don't
At Christmashe went out ofhis way to buy me a really nice rrr'
lo borhcr you."
railway.

l(,4
THE SNO\{/S OI KIIIMANJARO / Er.6t Hening\qy
"You know it doesn't bother me," she said. "lt's that I've gocr
so very n€nous not being able to do anything. I think we migltl
meke it as easyas we can until the Plxne comes,"
"Or until the plane doesn'r come."
"Please tell me what I can do. There must be something I
do."
"You can take the leg of lnd that might stoP it, though I dorr
ir. Or you can shoot me. You'rc a good shot now- I taughr you t
shoot, didn't ll"
"Pleasedont talk that way. CouJdn't I read to you?"
"Read x/hat?"
"Anything in the book bag that we havent read."
"I cant listen to it," he said. "Talking is the easiest.\tre qull
and that makes the time pass."
"I don't quarrel.I neverwant ro quaffel. I-et'snot quaffel anym,,
No matter how nervouswe get. Maybe cheyvill be back vith anorl
truck today- Maybe the plane will come."
"I don'r wanc to move," the man said."There is no sensein morir
flow excePt to meke it easierfor you."
"That's cowardly."
"Can't you let a rnan die as comforaablyas he car wjthout calhl
him names?$thaCs the use of slanging me?"
"You'r€ not going to die."
"Don't be silly, I'm dying now. Ask chosebastards."He lo,
ov€r to where the huge, 6lthy birds sat, their naked heads sunL
rhe hunched feathers.A fourth planed down, to run quicklcg
and then waddle slowly toward the others.
"They arearoundeverycamP.You ne'er noticethem-You r,t
die if you don't give up."
"\trhere did you readthrt? You're sucha bloodyfool"
"You mighr think about someoneelse"
"For Christ's sake,"he said,"thaCs beenmy trade." He lay rhcn
was quiet for a while and looked acrossthe heat shimmer of rhc 1,1
to the edge of the busb. There were a few Tommies thar showt(l
nute and white against che yellow and, far o( he saw a hcr,l
zebra,white againstthe green of the bush. This was a plersanr,.r
t66
big trees against a hill, with good water, and close-by, a
dry water hole where sand grouse flighted in the mornings.
ouldn'r you like me to rexd?"she asked.Shewas sirting on
vas chair besidehis cot. "There's a breezecomine up."
o thanks."
e the truck will come."
dont give a damn about the truck."
ou give a damn about so many things rhat I don\."
so many,Harry."
t about a drink?"
supposedto be bad for you. lr saidin Black'sro avoid all
. You shouldn't drink."
!" he shouted.
Bwena-"
shouldnt," she sxid. "That's what I meen by giviflg up. It
bad for you. I know it\ bad for you."
" he said. "It's good for me."
now it was all over, he thouqhr. So now he would never have
to 6nish it. So this was the way it ended in a bickering
drink. Since the gangrene started in his right leg he had no
with the pain rhe horror had gone and all he felt now was
iitcdnessxnd anger that this s/as the end of it. For this, that
coming, he had very lictle curiosiry.Ior yearsit had obsessed
now it meanr norhing in itseli It ffas strange how easy
enoughmadeir
hc would never write the things thar he had savedto write
kncw enough ro write rhem well. \(eli, he would nor have
!t trying to write rhcm either. Maybe you could nevet wdte
thar waswhy you pur rhem ofr and deiayedrhe sterting.
would never know, now.
fi wc'd ncvcr comc," thc woman said. Sh€ was lookinq at
thc glass and bicing her lip. "You never would have
ything likc rhis in Prris.You alw:ryssrid you loved Paris.
THi SNO\VS O! KILINIANJARO / Erne$ Heding$av
$/e could have stayed in Paris or gone anl'where- I'd have gonc
anywhere.I said I'd go anywhereyou wanted. lfyou wanted to shoot
we could have gone shooting in Hungary and been comfortablc'
"Your bloody money," he said
"Thacs not fair," she said. "It was alwaysyours as much as min.
I lefi everything 2nd I went whererer you wanted to go and I'rc
done what you wanted to do But I wish we'd never come herc
"You said you loved it."
"I did when you were eli right. But now I hare it- I donl
why that had ro haPPento your leg. Vher hxve we done to hr\
rhat hrppen to us?"
"I supposewhat I did was to forget to put iodine on it *4r
it. Then I didn't Peyany aftenrionto ir becausc
I fusr scratched I tbe tine the de:ertercana uih ht Jeet blaadl in ie ,a0u. He .aid
rt
neverinfect.Then,Iarer,when it got bad,it wasprobablyusing11,
weak carbolic solution when ihe other antisePdcs ran out ilr'(
paralyzedthe minute blood vesselsand started the gangrene' l
looked at her. "\(/hat else?"
"I don't mean chat."
"lf we would have hired a good mechanicinsteadof a half'b:rkr
Kikuyu driver, be would have checkedthe oil and never burned,r
that b€aring in the truck."
"I don't mean that."
"II you hadn't left your o-n PeoPle, your goddamned I
\festbury, Saratoga, Palm Berh PeoPle to take me on "
"\(/hy, I loved you. Thacs not fair- I love you now l'll a]" r
love you. Don\ you love me?"
"No," seidthe man- "l don\ think so. I neverbave."
"Harry, what areyou saying?You're our of your head."
"No. I havent any headto go out of"
"Don't drink that," she said. "Darling, Pleasedon\ drink rlr
\(e have to do everything we can."
"You do it," he said. "I'm tired."
Nou in hi mind he ;au a railuq rtatian dt KavSatcb and ltt I
stawling uith hi pacL ,1ndthat uat the headlightaf the sinllott t',
c tting the da& nou d d he udt ka ng Thracetben dfrer the tr"
l ail
udt one af tbe tbingt he bdtl MMI t0 uite, uih, in the maming
aEfaC, looAing ort tlre uindru and seting nou an the naantaint
ia aqd Na$n\ tecretarya:Aing the old man if it uwe naw
tbe ol.d nan bo&ing at it and rqing, No, that\ nat nau. It't /a0
for snou. And tbe seoetary re?eatingta the ,ther gi t, No,y fte.
rnoto a d tbem all salng, lt\ nclt rnoa w lure nitahm. Bal
tbemou all ight and betmt then 0n int7 it uher he etoh,edexcbange
;otlt. And it o.1s tnou tbeJ, tranped allng
)n Lntil thq d;e/
sar nou tao ,lat fell all Chritnar oeek that ydr ub ;n the GdaetaL
pat thq lited in tbe tu\odr tterj h,are eith the big rqltaft porceldin
tbat fJbd talf tlx non, and tbq iept an mattrerses
flhl wnh kuh
tceueft right bebind lr;n and they
gate hin uaalm sacls and held
rndamestalking ntil the ttacAshad *ifted ater.
Scbtunz.on A*tuat D.t!. thenalt uas sabight it hatt yar qet
,ot loobedaatfron tbeuei tube and ua eteryanecaminghame fram
That uas uheretbeyual&edup the eigh-snaothed uinryetktud
thng the itet uhh the $eeppine b/k, thi hearyan the shoulder.
tbe] ran tbat great run da.tn theglacier abotethe Madhner-haus,
at moath tu ce a: tukefrosting and as light aspuder and he
tbe noieles:ru:h lhe Veednade d lou dtvppe.Jdqu,ntike a
unre naobom.l a ueeh in tbe Mallmer-hau that tine in ,he
phfing cardr in the :moke 4 the ldntem ligbt and the staAe:
all tbe tine ar Het lEnt lost norc. Fina$, he tost it al/.
, tte &iJatp nang and a// rhe +atan,p,afu ard thn hi,
He caald:eebin uith hi kng nore,piching p th€ cardt and then
, "San! Vair."
uat aluals gambling tbn. IYhen there uar na fioa Joa gan
uhm tbele aas tao nucb )0a ganbhd. He thaught af all the
hi life hehadry* ganbling.
h hal nererurittm a /ine0f that. 0r af thdt cotd)bigl.t Chtistmat
h tbe notntaini rho&ing aoa$ lhe p/.1it1that Barker had faun
lfu liner ru bonb the Auttian afuers'katc train. marhin+gunning
tt lhE wtttL,ul a / ra,t. He renentlnrcdBarheraftetuardr caning
THE SNO\X/SOF KIUMANTJARO/ Ern6r Hcning*ar
;nt, the me$ dnd afti g ta tell abaut;t. And bo& qaiet it got a d
tonebodl sarn& "Yot bloody nrfttcro i b6tard'i
Thareuere the Mme A ttia$ ttn killey' tbm tbat be *ied uitb larLt
No not the sme. Hau, that he s6ied aith all tbat yar, Lad beenit
Knipr-Jagenand ohm the! unt bu ting harettngetherp tbelitth
aboterte vunill rhel had ralAedo/ rhejghung on Pavbia and a1
allack on Pertica awl A:alone and he had neter uittm d .a/d of I
Nor af tulonte Amq ,7or the Siete Conrutn, nor af A*iedt.
How manyainter had he liwd in tk VaMlbergand the Ar0xry.'
uat four and thm be rcnenbetedthe nan uho had thefox to dl tl
thq had ualked into Bladztlz, tbat lint to b ) pretmx, aad tbe cberD
tune of gaId kinch, thefait-dippiltg / rh af flnni g ?ourierrnoa or1
ringing "Hi/ Ha! raid Rolll!" at ya rdn dalu? tbe Jatt stfttcb to tbe
dn!, tdAint nraight, then ra n;ng the aftbatd in three ttm! and
acv$ the .litch dnd anto tbe iq raad bebindthe inn. IAockiry Toat kn,lt
lu:e, kihing the skisftee anl kaning themaP aq.1ir$ttbe u'ooda t'
of the inn, the kn1light aning frorl tlre ohtlou, whereinside,it
ennk), neu-u)ine tTnellin&uaflnlh, thq uweplalifiS the accotdion
"!i/H!RE DID \.'E srAY in Paris?" askedthe woman who was sittr
by him in a canvas chair, now, in Africa.
"At the Crillon. You know thar."
"Vhy do I know that?"
"ThaCs where we aiways stayed."
"No. Not alwals."
"There end at the Pavillion Henri-Quatre in St- Germain. You I
you loved it there.
"Iove is a dunghill," said Harry. "And I'm the cock that gcr.
"If you have to go away," she said, "is it absolutelynecess:trt
kill o1r every.thing you leave behind? I mean do you hxve n' I
away everything?Do you have to kill your horse,and your wilc t
burn your saddleand your armorl"
"Yes," he said."Your damnedmonel s'as mv armor. MI s
and my Armour."
"Don't."
l70
right. III sroprhrr. J don\ wrnr ro hurr you.'
a liftle bit late now."
right then. I'll go on hurting you. Ic's morc amusing. The
rhing I ever really like to do with you I can'r do now."
o, that'snot truc. You liked to do mrnl rhing: and everlthing
wanted to do I did."
b, for Christ sakesrop bragging, will you/"
looked at her and saw her crying.
" he said."Do you think rhacit is ftn to do rhis?I don't
why I'm doing it. lt's tting to kill to keep yourself alive, I
I was all right when we started talking. I didn't mean to
this, and now l'm cnzy ^s a coot and being as cruel to you
be. Don'r pay any attention, derling, to what I say. I love
:alty. You know I love you. l've never loved anyone else the
slippedinto the familiarlie he madehis breadand buter by.
bitch," he said. "You rich bitch. That's poetry. l'm full of
novr. Rot and poetry. Rotten poetry."
it. Harry, why do you have to turn into a devil now7"
don't like to leave an''thing," the man said. "I don't like to
things behind."
EvENING now and he had been asleep. The sun was gone
the hill and there was a shadow all acrossrhe Dlein and the
mimalswerefeedingcloseto camp;quick droppingheadsand
ng rrils, he warchedrhem keepingwell our away trom rhe
. The birds no longer waited on the g:ound. They were
heavily in a re€. There were many morc of rhem. His
boy wassitting by rhe bed.
sehib'sgone to shoot," rhe boy said."Does Bwanawant?"
hnd gonc to kill a piece of meacand, knowing how he liked
thc gamc, she had gone well ewal so she would nor disturb
lc pockct of rhe phin rhrr hc could sec. She was always
TH! SNOU'S O! KMIIANJARO / Er.eit Henilus al
thoughdul, he thought. On anything she knew about, or had rcr
or ther she had ever heard.
Ir was not her fault that when he s.enr to her he was alreadyorct
How could a woman know tbat you meanr nothing that you sul
that you spoLe only from habit end to be comforlable?Afrer he rr
longer meant what he said, his lies were more successfulwith
rhan when he hrd told them the truth.
It wis not so much rhat he lied as rhat there v/as no trutl) l
tell. He had had his life and it was over and then he went on li\ |
it again with different peopJeand nore money, with the best ol rl
samePlaces,and somenew ones.
You kept from thinking and ir was all mar-velous.You rr
equippedwith good insidesso that vou did not go to piecestl
vray, the war most of them had, and -rou made an attitude char \'
carednothing for the work you used to do, now rhat rou coul(l I
longer do it. But, in yourself, you said that rou would wrire rb,
rhesepeople; about the very rich; thal you were really not of tl'
but a spy in their counffr'; that you v'ould lerve it and write,,i
and for once it vrould be wrirten bv someonewho knew shrrr I
was writing ol But he would never do it, becauseeach dar o1 ,
writing, ofcomfort, ofbeing that which he despised,dutled his rb'|
and softenedhis will to work so thar, finallv, he did no work rr .r
The people he kner"rnow were all much more comfoftable $hoi
did not wotk. Africa was where he had been haPPiestin rhe r'{
time of his life, so he had come out here to stan again The\ ll
made this safari with the minimum of comfort- There vvasno l, r
ship; but there was no luxury and he had thoughr tbat he ,'tr|
get back into rraining that {ay. That in some way he could N
the fat off his soul the way 3 fghter *'ent rnto the mountrrrlr
work and nain in order to burn it out of his bodtr'
She had liked it. She said she loved it. She loved anythinrl t
v,'asexciting, that involved a changeof scene,r,here tbere str
peopie and where tbings vere Pleasanr.And he bad feh rhc ill,'
of ieturning strength of wiII to work. Now if chis was ho$ ir oi'
and he knev it vas, hc musr nor turn like some snakebitinll t
because its back wrs broken.lt vaso\ this somnn's fault ll ri I
l7.l
sheir would havebeen another.lfhe lived bv a lie he should
dic by it. Hc hcard, shor be)ond the hill
shot very *ell, this good, this rich birch, this kindly caretaker
of his talent. Nonsense-He had destrovedhis talent
. \uhy should he blame this woman becauseshe kept him
He had destroyedhis mlent by not using it, by betrayalsof
and what he believedin, by drinkinq so much that he blunred
of his perceptions,
by laziness,
by sloth, and by snobbery,
and by prejudice,by hook and by crook.\fhat was this?
of old books? \Zhac v/es his talent anl.way?Ii was a
all righr but instead of using ir, he had traded on it. It was
whar he had done, but alwayswhar he could do. And he had
to make his living with something else insceadof a pen or
lr was srrange,too, wasn't it, that when he fell in love wirh
woman, rhat woman should alwayshave more money than
onea But when he no longer r-as in 1ove,when he was only
ts to this woman, now, who had the mosc money of a1l,who
the money there wls, who had had a husband and children,
taken loversend been dissatisfiedwith them. and who loved
y as a writer, as a man, es a companion and as a proud
n; it was strangethar when he did not lore her at all and
, (har he should bc ablc ro gire her more fof hrf monc)
he had really loved.
must all be cut out for whar we do, he thought. However
your living is where your talent lies. He hed sold vitality,
form or another, all his life and when your affectionsare not
you give much better value for rhe money. He htd found
t bur he would never write that, now, either. No, he wouid
tc that, alrhough it was well vorrh writing.
rhc crme in sight, walking acrosscheopen roward the camp.
wcaring jodhpufs rnd carrying her rifle. The two boys had
mic slung and rhey were coming along behind her. She was
looking woman, he rhought, and shehad a pleasantbodyi
n Ercat txlenr and eppreciarionfor the bed, shewas not pretty,
likc<l her face, she ceadenormously, liked ro ride and shoot
.nly. rhc dr.rnktoo mu. h. Hcr hu.bandhad drcd wher .he
r7J
THI SNO\'S O! KII-IIfANJARO / Erne$ H€mings 2I
was still a comparatively youdg woman and for a while she h
devoted herself to her two jusFgrown childftn, who did not
her and were embarrassedat having her about, to her stable ofho
to books, and to botdes. She liked to read in the evening beforc din
and she dranl( Scotch and soda while she read. By dinner she r
fairly drunk and after a bottle ofwine at dinner shevas usuallydru
enoughto sleep.
That was before the lovers. After she had the lovcrs she did
drink so much becauseshe did not have to be drunk to sleep.
the lovers bored her. She had been married to a man who had ncr
bored her and thesepeople bored her very much. Then one of I
two children was killed in a plane crash and after that was over .l
did not want the lovers, and drink being no anestheticsbe had
make another life. Suddenll, she had been acutely frightened
being alone. But she wanted som€on€that she respectedwith l
Ir had begnn very simply. She liked what he wrote and she I
aiways envied the life he led. She thought he did exactly whar
wanted to. The steps by which she had acquired him and the
in which she had finally fallen in love xrith him were all part ,'l
regular progressionin which she had built herselfa new life anJ
had traded away what remained of his old life.
He had tradedir for secudty,fo( comfort too, there wasno denr
rl'ar, and for ohar elsc.'He drd nor know. She would haveborl
him anything he wanted. He knew that. She was a damned rr
woman roo- He would as soon be in bed with her as anyonei rlrtl
with her, becauseshe was richer, becauseshe was very pleasanr
aDDfeciativeand becauseshe never made scenes.And now this I
that she had builr again was coming to a term becausehe had
used iodine two weeks ago when a thorn had scratchedhis kn.f
they moved forward trying to photog ph a herd ofwaterbuck srxl
ing, their headsup, peeringwhile their nostrilsserched.heair. rl
earsspreadwide to hear the lirst noisethat would send them ruslrr
into the bush. They had bolted, roo, before he got the picrurc
Herc she came now. He tDrned his head on the cot ro I'
'Hello,'
rowrrd her. he said.
"I shor a Tommy ram," she told him. "Hc'll make you good hr,
174
I ll have them mash some Potato€s with th€ Klim. How do you
Much better."
't that lovely?You know I thoughr
PerhaPsyou would You
sleepingwhen I left."
bad a good deep. Did you walk far?"
shot on
Just around behind the hill. I made guil€ a good
Tommy."
ou shoot marvelously,you know."
I loveit. I've loved Africz. Re y.I{ yu're all right it's the most
thar I've ever had. You dont know the fun it's been to shoot
you. I'we loved the countfy."
ing, you don't know how marvelous ir is to sce you feeling
. I couldn't stand it when you felt that wzy You wonl talk
like that again, will you? Promise me?"
o," he said. "I don't rem€mber what I said."
ou don't have to destroy me. Do you? I'm only a middle'aged
who loves vou and wants to do what you want to do. I've
destroyed rwo or three dmes already You wouldn't want to
me again, would you?"
like to descroyyou a few times in bed," he said.
'cs.
Thacs the good destruction. That's the way we're made to
The plane will be here tomorrow."
sure. It's bound to come. The boys have the wood all ready
gmss to make the smudge. I went down rnd looked at it
today. There's plenry of room to land and we have the smudges
malcs you rhink it will comr romorrowl'
su.e it will. It's overdue now. Thcn, in rown, they will fix
leg and then we will have some good destruciion Nor that
talking kind."
ld we havea drinkZThe sun is down"
you think you should?"
havingonc-"

THr SNOWS Or KrI-IMANJARO / F:rnerHcnnga:r
'qfe'lli hav€ one together. Molo, letti rlui ul:iAq:adal" she cal)
"You'd better put on your mosquito boots," he told her.
"I'll wait till I bathe . . ."
V/hile it grew dark they drank and just before it was dark x
there was no longer enough light to shoot, a hyena crossedthe ol
on his way around the hill. "That bastardcrossesthere every niglr
the mar said. "Every night for rwo weeks."
"H€'s the one makes the noise er night. I don't mind it- Th.\
a filthy animal though."
Drinking together,with no pain now exceptthe discomforl
lying in the oneposirion,the boyslighting a 6re,irs shadow,uml
on rhe tenrs,he could feel the r€turn of acquiescence in this lif(
pleasanrsurrender.Sher.r,,uvery good to him. He had beencruel
unjustin the afremoon.Shewasa 6n€woman,marvelous reallv.
just then it occurredto him rhat he wasgoing to die.
It came with a rush; not as a rush of water nor of wind; brr
a suddenevil'smellingemptinessand the odd thing was rhat the h\,
slipped lighdy along rhe edge of it.
"Whar is it, Harry?" she askedhim.
"Nothing," he said."You had better move over ro the other
"Did Molo change the dressing?"
"Yes. I'm just using the boric non'."
"How do you feell"
"A lictle wobbly."
"I'm going in to bathe," she said."l'll be righr out. I'll eat *r
you and chen we'll Put the cot in."
So, he said to himseli we did weII to stop the quarreling.Hr
never quarreledmuch with this woman, while with the women tl
he loved he had quarreledso much they had finally, always,virl, t
corrosion of the quarreting, killed what they had rogether. Hr I
loved too much, demandedtoo much, and he wore it all our
He thaught ab7xlt al1ne in Canttdntinaple tbat line, hairrg q/k|'
in Pai: beforcbe had gone a /. He bad 'harcd tbe abole t;ne .1111tl
uhen that uas oret and he had faihd ta hill hi lanelhes:, fut on/1 r'
l
e, lte had wittm ber, thef6t ane,the aneuha teft hin, a tetwr
berbou beba<lnet'erbeenableto kill it. . . . Hoa uhn hethaughl
ber otxidz the Reger.ce on, tit e it mddc bin go atl
faint )nd
in:itu, and that be uozldfollou a uomax aho haAedliAeher in :one
alng tbe Bouleaard, afraid t0 ee il lrds nat $e, afraid to loserhe
it gaw hin. How eteryoxehe had sleptwih hatl on/.1nade him
bet nore Hou ubat shehad done caald ne*r mattet sincebe Anen
not curc hi%elf of lotiltg her. He urate th* letter at tbe Altb,
,er,and nailed it to Neu YorAaskingher to urite hin at the afrce
;t. That vened safe.And that night mirsingher sa murh jt made
bolhar icA intide, |:e uandcrd a? pa Tacin\, pi&ed a girl
tool bel ozt ta r pper. He had goneta a placeta dance,t)ith her
iz dancettbadly, and hft her fot a hot Armnian dut, that
ber belll againtt hin n it alnost yalded. He too| her aual
from
isbgnner szbaltem after a nru The ganner atked hin autsidcand
in $e nrcet an tlE tobblet in the darA. He'd hit hin tujce,
n theride of tbejatu and ul:m he didn't ga doun he Aneube ua:
a fgbt. The ganxer hit hin in the bad1,thn beide hi qe. He
ttitb hn hft again and landerl and the gunnerfell an bin and
hi: ,aar and rore the l,et,e of and hc ,bbhd hin tui,e b,tind
drLt tbn Ma ed him aith bir ight ar heputhe.JlJit| auay Whn
uett rloun bir head hit f.$t and he ran uith the girl becatte
ald the ALP\ coniflg. The! g1t inta a taxi dnd dtuie 0 t t0 Rimrril)
dbng tbe B6phor't, and anmd, and barh in tbe caol night atul
'bed aad sl*
fdt ar ru€ripe a! the klhed b t snaothj rote-petal,
nntlJ be ied, big-brearedand naded nopillata znder ter buttockt,
lef ber beforei:e aas awaAekaAing btau:1moagh in the
fr:t
a d /trned aP at tte Peft Palaceuith a bkcL ey, carying hit
oneieete uat mi$ing.
:ane night be left for Anatalia anl he renemhret!, l.lter on that
all da1 tbnugh felds af thepryie: that tbq raied fat apian
strungeit nadeyu fu/.fna!\, and all thedistance:venedurang,
tbe)had nadetheattdcAuith thenat\, aniud Constantine arficerr,
not knou a g1ddanne.lthing, and the atillery had
f,%! int\
and the Britih obsenerhad cied lihe a chitd.
u.rr tbe lay be'd jrt icen deal nen uearing rl,hite ballet rkittt
tl7
THE SNO\I/S O! KIIINIANJARO / E ne$ Henngsxr

T rkJ hdd conznedl going to die tonight," he said. "l don,t need my strength
'if,affi;t1
and Lbtumed$oet uith ponp4nsan then The
*',7'"*911',a;!L,:f:::.!i,
naut'oa
"* Q'*;'yt and'be Bitib obse''vI'
't be melodramaric,
Harry, please," she said.
t*'ii,.# t airrric
'-r'i.")"i,t a d he
'h- s6slusbet
uasfull *:'"!" lf ry:: don't you useyour nose?I'm rcrted halfwayup my thigh
'#ii"''i"iil ti img'"chetl antlhi mouth "[
i,i,o 'onetorh'andthcrcL'elerheTura connq
!/hat the hell should I fool with broth for? Molo bring whiskey-

'ii"L)
trrrii,'r' ;;", Law hehad'ea,tl'ethnS::o::-':^'::,:or::':"',
bachro.P' take the brorh," shc said genrly.
i,.,'",uli, ',0 vm nurhuarscio whmhegar
ro ha'?i m?tio ed''l flght."
it)'-,|,r, t, '*u *, ulb abaurir at "nnd
'ii"',i' broth was too hot- He had to hold it in rhe cup until it cooled
oI:)L'
'i, ,i'* ) * p^ed wasthatAneiranpadwirha.pih to take it ?nd then he just gor it down without gagging.
ralhingabot'
i,^, ,f t'i, and a :rupid taobon hi potauface
'i'J"*/,r**t Tztt
'rc a 6ne
woman," he said. "Don't pay any zrtention to me,',
*i,t' o nimanian uhosid hisnane&:t Tn:tatl looked at him with her well-kno*,n, well-loved facefrom Spur
,.-*tt andhada healache'and'backat tlv a?di
1il)n*, and Contry, onJya little the worse for drink, only a little
"r* ':-:1:
*,tt, I'i,'A?t thdtnnuhekrtedagain'*:.r'-:'iA,'i:': for bed, but Toun and Comtry never showed those good
ii tia ," b( hone theaftie nn' h's nait
uP n the fat s0 |
",r, in 0n.a atkr,0:.:a:' .nd those useful thighs and rhose lighdy small,of-back-caress-
ii,iti,"j, *',, , ,t'cne he:dwrhrmunc tied r' mds, and as he looLed and saw her wcll,known pleasant
caltl all o*r aul
)i *W ,, .* rhebat'duiting be ucnr hc fek dearhcomeaglln. Thi. rime rhcr. *a, no rush. Ir wa"
vid vho i thd! kxer l
)*" krrc, ,nrl",zeothanoth{ Btlt hi u'Ie
',!ca,: as of a wind that makes a candle flicker and che dame go
thar.
*;, ond rha wa, rhe md oJ the begin'tingol
:;;;;;;;, iner u$thenTtt' and ttx qaatet: t
;'d cen bring my oet out later and hang it from che tree and
A!!9-:!,:Y
f.lxestik^t"-t'1,-1tit'1*t"
the
dtu;ypicked ::::,
anl of thatba" thc fire up- I'm nor going in the tenr tonight_ It,s not wofth
:::;i;;;;;;;;;i;;;c ue had'eoe'uinm
best?
uy:1,!1J?f!.'"
and.thln
T,'i;;1;;;';*",;dnia'raune
. Ir's a clear night. There won't be any rain.',
hadah'a1stbagh' that.he this washow you died,in whispersthat you did not hear.\Zell,
*li'rrl"rr[i'*i,, *,rlaut it Bit be would bc no morequarreling.He couldpromisethrt. The one
Thaewassamttchtortite * t4:* 'l:Y:3:
'i;i'i'i,,i1.
-*i;^i'iit
hadudn tbat he had never had hc wxs rot going to spoil now.
',i,'[Eii i"*rt' altboughhehadwn manl af then and would. You spoiledeverything-But perhapshe wouldn,t.
t" r'"t'^t"i th:rtuklet ml h:':y":73::.:.,,
"!a:c: he hazt u tt cant take dicration, can you?"
;;,';:;;,;;;, tti,ferentinc" He h"d txn in tu and
uoztd' ncvcrlearned,'sberold him.
';,':;;;; ;; hi, ditl rc unte af ir: but nowhener"er
", 's all righc."

had come out from the tenr t |l wasn'r rrme, ot course, although
akhough it seemedas rhough ir
"How Do You FEE!?"she said She so rhat you mighr put ir all inro one paragraphiI you
Pcd
after het bath gct ir righr.
"AlI rieht "
her with the fol'
";;id";;' eat now?" He saw Molo behind
war t log houte. ,Anbed uhite wi nattar, an a h)ll abote rhe
t^bte and the other boy v/ith the dishes' uar a bell on a poleb;ytbe da1rto cdll thepeoplein ta mealr.
"l n;nr to srire. hc said
your srrength up tlx htr.n u.crefuldt ant behindthe feld: uas the timber,A line
'i." .tgn, to take some broth to keep

l7l1
'tHE
SNOV.S OI KIIIMANARO / Ernc$Heningsay
af L1nbad\ P1plan un frcm the hauteto tbe d^cA.Otl'erPoPIatst'
alIng lbe Point. A nad.wnt ap to the hilh dknS the edge0f tlJe t)
dnd dlzngthat roadbepickedblachberri*.Thm tbat kg bouseuas bu
dnn and all the gL$ thdt had bun ott deer-foattach: abo* the
freplace uere bumedancl afteruard: their barrek, uitb the lead nt
in thenagazine' and thestochsbamedauay Ia1 out an tbeheapaf d'l
thdt uere red to ndke 4e flr the big iron nap Aettlet,aad yt
Grandt'atherif 1ot coal.dhare tben ta P/a) uith, and he said, no. \'.
ye thq u,erehi gun: till and he nerer balgbt an! othet. Not di/
hunt antnore. Thehauseuat rebaihin tbesaru placeou af bnber
and painte.l uhie and fmm its porchyr tau thepa an dtld tbe I't
bqand; bttt there wuv nercr an) mlre gtlu. Tbe barreh of tbe guns r
had hmg on the dier feet an the wall af the log haasela1 out thut
the heap af athet and na ane erer touchedthem.
In the Black Fatut, after the war, u rmted a trout stftam dn / thl
lwre hlp ualt t0 adlk to it. Oneuas fuun the mllq fion Tiberg
aruund the ullry raad ix the shadt af the treerthat bardetedtbe t
radd, and then P a ide tu,1dtbat tlmt up thntugbthe hilL past n
snall farns, uitb the big Schwa*wa/dhaase:,axtil tbat raadons:"/
ttre,tm. Thtlt udt uhercaur f.shing began.
Theotherua1 u,1t tc,cl;mb$er J u! ta the edgeof theuao& ani r
gcl dctltr lhe toq af the hi s thv gb tlJeP;n€uoa*, dnd thttt olrt h,
edgeaf a meadou antl dotLn acra$ thit medlllo ta tbe bidge. Tkn
birchesalang tbe rtredm dnd i, uar not big, b t tlartua, clear drd I
uith paol: whereit had cut under tbe natr af the Ud)et At tbe l
in hiberg theprEtietar had a fne:ea:ar. It uar lery Pkaraflt athl
u,ereall great frimds. The ext )ear tune tbe infation and the
he had madetheyar lrefarcuat nat m1aghto bu) tlPPI;estn o?ul
hatelaal he bangedhinself.
Y,tu c,uld dictate thdt, btutjo caau nat dictdte tre PlaeeAnhl!
uherc the fouer vller: @ed theb fauet! in the ltreet and tbe d1e nl
the,a1);n2uhev the a tabu nd&d and tbe old ner and tbe &w m dht
drunA on uine and bad marc: dtld tlJe thildffi ulith tbeir norer /)j
in the cold; the smell of ./ir4 weat .tnd ?aNeU-and dranAnne:s at
Cdf! det Anaku+ and tlre uhorer at the Bal M$ette thq liced ,t
Thennciergeuha mtertainedthe traaperof the GardeRep liairc nt
t80
honehair-plzmedhelma on a chair. The lacatairc dcrl$ the hall
huba*t wat a biqcleracerand herjo1 that mamingat the Crinerie
bad opmedL'Aato .11klreenwlnreheplacedthird in Pais-Taurs,
big race.Shehad bhbed and ldugbe.l dnd thengar?eLFtaiE ct7;ng
y o{ rpo ing Paperin her band. The husbandaf the uonan
the BaI lV sette'drorea tai antl uhn he, Hanl, bad ta taAe
plane the huband knacAed uPaTtthe daor ta uake hin antl thq
a gL$ of abite uine at tln zinc af thebar befarethel :tartetl.
bn mighbor in rhar qaarrer rhm be.ar'eth+ all uerepaar.
tbat Pl^cethercueft ttln Ainls; t6edrunkardsand thesportifs.
killed tbdr ptuerE that ud); the rp'ttifr ta,A it aut in
Tbej u)erethe dacmdants af the Cmnanards and it uai na rtruKle
to Anoa tbe;r Pol;ti.r. Thq hneu uha bad $x their fatber, their
, their brothers,aut theirfnenls uhn the Wsailler traaPtcdmein
lLe low aftu tLa I aflnane and .^tLred an)tonethq routd ,arch
lbuel hands,ar ubo worea cap,ar canietl an1 athersign heuas
irynan. And ix tbat ?ner4, and h that q ater aclv$ the fircet
Bouh,ne (helalne and a uine uaperariuehe hatl utrtw rhe.tatl
uar ta do. Tbercneteru6 anatberpart af Pair that he laud
lbe q&ulirzg treet,tfu ald uhiteplatered hauretpdhted l)rou,n
longgnn of tbeautabu ;n tbat ra nd rqtarc, theparylefzuer
tlrepd!,i 9, th€ ia&le dnp dou,nthe hill af tbe rue Card'nal'
to the iter, and tbe 2ther ua| tbe narrota craudctl uaru of the
d. The streetthat n t! taloard tbe Panth'an and tbe atbet
aluayt roob uirh rhe btq,l,. the anl) drphalrcd ,!R.t in all rhar
', lmooth &d$ tlre tircrj uith the high narrnu hauet and the cbeap
uberePa Wrlaine bad died. Thereuere anll tuo roomsin
ul:ere tbq lired and he had a raom0n tbe tap faor af
tbdt co$ hin sixtf fra 6 a marxth&berche did hn uriting,
it l* cauld:eethe nofr and cbinnejp,tt and all the hilh af
2eapartnmt lau co d onl ve the u,ad and c,dl mdn't place.
uite too, b.td uine. The galdm horse\ head aut:idz the Boucherie
al)erc tbe cdrcdnethang lellou gold and rud in the openwindar,
grem P.tinte.t o?chtit)e u/tr thq boaght their uine; gaod wine
-tbe
rc:r u'a.rllater ualk atul the aind,tut af the neighkr:.
|llI
TH! SNOWS OF KILIMANJARO/ lrnc$ Hcninawai

The neighborsuha, at nigbt, whm sameone la1 dtaxA itz tbe ltreet, rnaal -.,heelmo|lilhr and.ndingdou.nt
and graaning in th,1t tpical Frmch i'rrcsse tbdt tatl uEre i,'!:T:",4,f
'r,::: t:: noo:tifhtf4 b:cht doo,, ;he;at/a.
alns
\oa hp pmenb$eJ
to belieredid nat exit, u,vuld apm tbeir aindo&t dnd tbn tbe ;, ra,a.,tt oi)os,;;i;i,','::7";;:
of talA. lyy.*nwt'.*"..r;1,ti
a not tce and all thc ,torie, thar
he ,"or,"ro ,r,,r.
"lyheq i the?alheman?Ir/het? yu dan'tuant hin thebugllern aht chorebal.ubauat te/rat rhe'ran,a
there.He\ eEinguith Mmeconcierge. Getthe Agent." Till $n&rre tL ,,!: !",t*, that ttne an./
'",^::,:?:,: 8,, :,,.0.). and $a otd baud fran the ro4.
a bachetaf uater fram d uindau and tbe maaning $oPped."tyhdt't tl, h,at?ntk b atn teiad u0*dlat;;;;;pp:,;;,;;,':;;"
lltater.Ah. iat' intelligmt.' A ad !h( tundoat,hmtirlg. ane,Li
.y,::/:';::! ' he,-oD'bi,
t;u 'g^o
denanage, Protertingagain$theeight-ha*daj M!i1?g," If a buband u sat ,in:An,tm
tbertfe.fran
the :!1,nan
.,i,ti.a1'vns
until six he get onl a little drznb an tk ua1 hone and dou nat n
t,. .i*"i",iii #i#"
back.to
tte unchhtd been,/"ad
a,,e,a,,
too nuch. If he uarl: anly until fte beis dnnk meryxight and an !T"fj_:!* :!2,,:e
dag,
r,.a
y-'b,,i-".a1d.rk i"i ii;,';":;"ff,
"",* ani ,oped
na nanq. It i theuife of the uorhingnanu'ha:afersfton this sba ' in a bknki
!ffji,:: yazha:tt it:,*op,! onawtv*
to
",!1, and rhe ua ol yat, ,"& ; ;,",",;;: ,;;";; sa,
lc,lp
'VourDN'T lrou uKE some more broth/" the woman askedhim n, ffI,',:,::l:"1y-"':
rtat be,u,o:!d aftrted ,fhinAing ba)o'|e'Itch,j,i;g
jY,*,1-.'Ihe
|,etil a*, u,,),i'iild
"No, thank you very much. It is awfully good." arre./:* fnnd leand tx uauld be riaat/ed. Hr'd Aetpe.l
"Try jusr a little-" man,in p ; /,a//t
coaldlnou lou b"d ,h, ;:;';';;
"I would like a whiskey-soda." ,eunbodv
,,f:,to:,] ,: \t al rone./,edrhat "i;
d)Jn| betangn nn, and trhen
"Itt not good for you." l{pt t}rehandrxjt on the bayhe caltdtt
betieren. Thenhtd
"No. It's bad for me- Cole Porter wrote the words and rhe nlrl ,0 .ry.
This knowledge that you're going mad for me." ttory had :aaedto ulite. He Anru d leat
?^.*" .t" tunt.
"You know I like you to drink." w Jrom ott tbereand he ba./ neler ui
m Dxe.IVbl2
"Oh yes. Only it's bad for me."
Vhen she goes, he thought. l'll have ali I want. Not all l TtrEMwhy,', he said.
but all there is. Ayee he was tired. Too tired. He was going to
r lirtle wbile. He iay still and derth was not there. Ir must harc nothing."
eround another srreer. lt wenr in pairs, on bigvcles,and nr n1 drink.so much, now, since she
had him_ But ifhe lived
absolutelysilendy on rhe pavemen$- ber,rre knewthat now.Nor abourany
Ilj':ll.* o"l1-o,r,.y
fl::::::-":.l
Na, he had netw wittm abaut Paris. Nat the Pa^ tbdt be cdftt/ ,t
a.,,r.,".
-".r.,.;;;;";
wereduuandrheywcre repetltlous.
Btt oba, aba t the rett that he had nnet uritm? lllj^1tl-?1.t*r
ctnbercd poorJulhna^dhis.oma'tica_-Jo; ilffi;J;
what abllt the tuncband tbeiturcd gral af the:agebrusb, rh, , .,rheveryrich
oncerr,arbegan,
cledrudter ;n ,he irrigatizn dixha, and tbe hearl grem of the 't/, :lrli"l "::T aredifferent
l ind me.,' And ho* so-eon" had said to
Th? ttlil pnt tup inla the hilh and the rattle in the srmmer utt Julian, yes, rhey
ror humorous
toJuiiann" thougr,.t
a: deer. The bduling d d tbe rtcad) naiseand :ku mouing nar t t :,1*:l:,, Llj j11i.l,:raccrndwhcnr,.
,,,:]'.I.1::lr'"^*.:s
a dust tl! j0 brottgbt then daun in thefall. Axd behixd the nwtt
i"""a ,i,.y'*.,J.,..;,
nrm,ust:rs much as any orhcr rhing
rhir w.cckcdhim.

ll.ll
t-

'l'l{E SNO\(rSOF KILINIANJARO / Emc$ }IeninS{zr

:';
JiT:,l":.l*f
He had been contemPtuousof
those who wrecked-You did n
vou understoodit Ht i::5f1:"HJT5f"ill;lt'.'ffi
!;i1,.,,"'o
haveto like it because
'''
;.;"il;, ;.;; '" thins could
ro'r
hun
:::ld PTt i:tli'
him if he did not care :l':.::
rui';o;,:::
rl ,i-gr,Nowherouldnot'|are 1*:1 9:"1,t]19"1'-, t".; wi be
rbre to sreeP?"

*;i l':'.ll' 'i"J i:l;i:i

;l','.r "*',;' #,:i.i
T'".':],:il:' :' ;;;;
i".ore. VhY don't You
turn tnr

n"" ?'igt'*utlvandiustwhenhe hadfelt iLj ,o ri, t'.t. wi(h )ou -,.. L-

li-.rit"t".i", ,e you feel anychingsffange' ".1..1h<,.
n( zi\\" "'
breaking him, the Pain had stoPPed' "
. Jusr a lirtle sleePY
oficer' had L
'ii,'tt1""i[ long ago uhm Villiatuon' the Lonbing again'
He renembered
t,*i sknne.in a.Getnan pa*! 'y,'::Y: hc'; d'lo
1;. ii,i*""- deathcome.bY '"" <curio'"v
,n,;'e thatnryhtand"rnaninshadbegsert
::,:,:,t
urn l;:itr;l;'U:;:;:;;;
7*ii,i;,'iiiii
''",";;ft ofi'u attht' "Til:J man I've
')iii ;,;. ;i;,", o l"r *on ,'n brate'anda soa.d rhewtrc' the most comPlete
anything You're
in ou ve never lost
i," f,,',^',, t'i'' Butrhainishtheua' raush
'!:^:::"", \(rhat is that?Yoru
, 1r" t,s;';a htatupdnllt.a n^"!'rt'o,::',:'" l t. .aid.'rro- tittl" ^ womanknoirs
;y.ti,,; ::,;i:',l:,:f,:i:;!,|{. :; :;#
::i,::"," irs heedon the loot
ft"a.comeand rested
co l!1 oi beat an'l wneore\ th'' l, irr...f,."' at"trt
Lord netterseruling1ou anlthing )ott ' c o u l d ssmell
h e t"ta
breath
m e l l rirs
u *dr'
rs
tine p^'( t:: and n
.., i"J ,,.he ,nd a rkull,..he rold
i),i i", ,t'o iiot that ot a certain .tbe.?.ai', tbat nt, abourr *)::'1,,:
;";:;;,,;;; iit t, na atuav .tTmtturctt vittian:an'
of
brlicve::ny rhar
':';''r' o beI birdo*
:, *. r bird. or rL
i,t,rg pi"a *, Ivilliawan antil h.e.8d11e
nt:,f".-A:':"":,: :':,fill'J';'il.i:1"i:;.;
,;';:;; ;;;;;;'"
l* i,U
,ai,id,o ,'e hi"[ ondrhn rhryrhd norunrh ']rlmore
', *o nosh'Pe It
**:il:"'ff1;:1i",
occuPiedsPace
,,
srrl!'rgrs Norv, rhat he had' was
t'er1 easy;and if it aas no \"1
about ExcePtthatnes'ul
j.*::: :ll] '", ..*1: ',,'l:tl..t',j., u,.,",0
.,,,'r.,.e
as ir went on thele v'asnothing to worry ^r' k.-rh " he told rt lou
rathel be in better comPxnY
thatbe*::tf ;:i"J,'.T::":
rvcd up .loser
ffi "'i l"i"""" *"'""1i,:":
" ..,.;:.:-":: a lirrlc <loser.and
'ni"
;:;;;;;ii,; i"ur thecompanv iu:^::."1 nol +*lji"i1"^n', ; ",-.
d: whcnit sawh( 'ould i, Laon
moved
i.-'"n"*i' rhenerc^rhing lou ):Y,*':'-1"1. I sendit awa\wirho'l
'P:T-,':';i'"
*,"..'"i-.,',.t
to 6nd peoptt
the ':'lt rricdto \end
tricd i'nile rr.rouchedLh€r(
Lhere
i,,rouched
a. ,.. i.., t"J.""'. .xpect :n""iho"tr"
ll-'^"P:l]I,
u irr weighr*rs
".'*"
arr 'P"
,i )" g""'1 rh' P'n)i over and
rou.are rirh rour
r'l
li::'::";-,;;
s P e a K' c
wo.r,nsa). Bran:
"
or
erer rhinSelse he tlr^ r c o u l dn o t m o v e ":":-;",.- i,,ntorhe renr
,:. j^.,,'"g ^ U.,.a wirh ,J1rnga. wrrh
"It\ x bore," he said our loud
"\X/hat is, m]] dear?"
"Anyrhing you do ttxr blx;dy long
rr" ilot...l
",
hcr lltc btrwtcn hirr
"
'rnd the lirc Shewas lcrtt'ttr
*li'tt+:*t*rl*;t^.4
i:'::ffi ?:i::"t ili"il 'h'*'igt"*"' r'omhischest
185
'lHE Heningwav
SNO!(S OF KILINIANJARO / !nc*
IT WAS MORNING AND ITAD BIEN MORNING fOI SOrnC tiME 2Nd IT
heard the plane. It showedvery tiny and then made a wide circle'rrr,
the boys ran out and lit the fires, using ketosene,and piled on gr
so thete were two big smudges at each end of the Ievel Place and rl
morning breezeblew them toward the camP and the Plane circl
rwice more, losr this time, and then glided down and leveledoffrr
landedsmoothly and, coming walking toward him, was old Compt,
in slacks,a tweed jacket and a brown felt har.
"$trhat\ the marter, old cock?" Compton said.
"Bad leg," he told him. "rX/i1l you hav€ some breekfast?"
"Thanks- l'll just have some tea. It's the Puss Morh you kn,'
I won't be able to take the Memsahib. There's only room for It
Your lorry is on the way."
H€len had takenCompton asideandwas sPeakingto him. Compt'
came back more cheerythan ever.
"s0e'll get yoD right in," he said."l'II be back for the Mem. N,,
l'm afraid I'll haveto stop at Arusha to refuel.Ve'd betterget goirrl
w het ibout tne teaa
"l don't really care ebout it you know "
The boys had picked up the cot and caried ir around the Lr
tents and down along the rock and out onto the plain and ll'
past tbe smudges that vere burning brightly now, the grrs
consumed,and the wind fanning the fire, to the little plane. It
dificult gerring him in, but once in he lay back in rhe leathcr
and the leg wrs stuck straight out.to one side of rhe sear w
Compton sat- Compton started the motor and got in. He na*rl
Helen and to the boys and, as the clatter moved into the old hrrr
roar, they swung around with ComPie watching for warthog 1,'
and roared, bumping, along the strelch between the fires an(l \i
rhe lescbump roseand he saw them all standing below, waving.
the camp beside the hill, gattening now, and the Plain sP(r,ll
clumps of trees, and the bush flattening, while the game rnil\
now smoothly to the dry water holes,and there was x new wxt( r I
he had never kno*'n ol The zebra,small rounded backs nos
the wildebeests,big headeddocs secmingro climb as tbey mo\r 'l
long 6ngers ecrossthc Plain, no'w scarter;ng as the sh,tdos ,
them, rhey s/ere tiny now, and the movement had no gallop,
the plain as far as you could see.gr.ry-ycllor now and aheadold
ic's tweed back and the brown felt hat. Then thev were over
c hills and the wildebeests were ffailing up rhem, and then
were over mountains with sudden depths of green,risingforest
solid bamboo slopes, and then rhe heall. foresr again, sculp,
into peak and hollows until they crossed,and hills slopeddown
anotherplain, hot now, and purple brown, bumpy with
Compielooking backto seehow he wasriding. Then rhere
other mouncainsdarl ahead.
then instexd of going on to Arusha they turned leir, he
y figured that they had rhe gas, and looking down he saw
sifting cloud, moving over the ground, and in the air, like
snow in a blizzard, rhat comes frorn nowhere, and he knew
were coming up from the sourh.Then they beganto climb
were going ro the east it seemed,xnd then it darkenedand
in x storm, rhe rain so thick ir seemedlike fying through
and then they were our and Compie turned his head and
and poinred and there, ahead,all he could see,as wide as
world, greit, high, and unbelievably white in the sun, was
top of Kilimanjaro. And rhen he knew that there was
hc was going.
rhe hyena sropped whimpering in the nighr ind started
a strangq human, almost crying sound. The woman heard
liirred uneasily.She did not weke. In her dream she was at
on Iong Island and it was the night before her daughter's
Somchow her farher was there rnd he had been vew rude.
noise rhe hyena made was so loud she woke and for a
she did not know where she was and she was v€ry afreid.
took the flashlight and shone ic on the orh€r cot rhat they
in after Harry had gone to sleep.She could seehis bulk
hosquito bar bur somehow he had gorten his leg our and
down alongriderhe (or. The dres.ng. had all <omc doen
couldnot look rr ir.
" shc callcd,"Molol Molol"
187
A llTTER TO GOD/ GESorio!6Pezy Fu€ntes
Then she said,"Harry, Harry!" Then h€r voice rising,
PleaselOh Harryl"
Thele sras no answer and she could not hear him breathing
Ou$ide the tenr che hyena made the same strange noise that I
awekenedher. But she did not hear him for the bearingofher hei
A LETTERTO GOD
G F E G O R ILO6 P E ZY F U E N T E' M
S EXiCO
T'ansaled b! DonaroA Yde.
Tnl *ouse-tht only one in rhe entire vallel' sar on the c'csl
a lovr hill. From this height one could seethe river and, next i(' I
corral. the field of ripe corn doctedwirh the kidney bern flo*'en t
always ptomised a good harvest.
The only thing the eanh neededwasa rainfall, or ar leasta shr
Throughout the morning kncho-who Lnew his 6eldsintimrtcl
had done nothing else but scan the skv toward the noftheast
"Now we're really going ro gel some *'ater' woman."
The woman, who was preparing suPPer,rcPlied:
"Yes, God wiiling."
The oldest boys were working in the 6eld, while the small(l '
were playing near the house, until the woman called to drrl
"Corne for dinner. . "
It was during the meal that, just asIrncho had predicted'bi3 'l
of rain beganto fall. In the northeasthuge mouota;ns ofcloud' "
be seen approaching. The air was fresb and sweet
The man went out to look for something in rhe coffal for n" "
reasonthan to a11owhimself the Plelsurc of feeling the rairr 'il
body, and when he rerutned he exclaimed:
"Those arcn't raindrops falling from the sky' tbel're nc\ "
[*]
'18 drops are ten-centavo pieces and the little ones are fives. .,,
ith a satisfied expression he regarded the 6eld of ripe corn with
flowers, drapedin 2 curcain of rain. Bui suddenlya
wind beganto blow and rogerhcrwirh rhe rain rery lxrge
began to fall. These tnrly did resemblenew silver coins.
exposingthemselvesto the rain, ran out to collect the fiozen
realJygetting badnow,,,exclaimedrheman,mortified.,,I hope
s quckry.
not passquickly.For an hour the hail rainedon the house.
n, rhe hillside. on rhc qhole rJIo. The 6eld
rhecorn6eld.
as if coveredwirh salt. Not a leaf remained on the trees.
was cotally destroyed. The flowers were gone from the
plants.kncho's soul was6lledwirh sadriess.
Vhen the
had pased, he stood in rhe middle of the iield and said to
of locustswould have lefr more rhan rhis. . . . lhe hail
nothing: this year we wili have no corn or beans_. . .,,
night {'as a sorrowfirl one:
our work, for nothingl,,
no one who can help usl,,
all go hungry rhis l,ear. . . .,'
in the helrts of all who lived in that solitery house in the
of rhe v2lle'', rhere was a single hope: help from God.
't be so
upset, even rhough this seems like a total loss.
, no one dies of hunger!,,
whar they s.r1:no one die" of hrngcr . . .
r.or.rgh the nighr, Lencho thought only of his ooe hope: the
God, whose e1es,as he had been instructed, seeeverythins.
is deep in one's conscience.
l was an ox of a man, working like an animal in the 6elds,
hc knew how ro write. The following Sunday,at daybreak,
hg.convinc€d himself that there is a procecting spirit, he
wrrcc a lerter which he himsetf would carry ro town and
lhc mail.
norhiog lcss rhan a lcirer ro cod.
,{ IETTER TO GOD /Gft8ono bPez I Fucnrcs

ni liately,.Lencho went up to rhe window to ask for paper and

"God," he wrote, "if you don't he$ me, my family and I
the public wricing table, he started in to write, with much
go hungry this year. I need a hundred pesos in order to rcsow tl
freld and to live until the croP comes, because the hailstorm
of his brow, causedby the etrort he had ro make to express
He wrote "To God" on the enveloPe,Put the letter inside ?n lrhen he finished,he went ro rhe window ro buy a stamp
he licked and then afiixed to the envelope rr.itt , bto* of
still troubled, w€nt to town. At the Post ofice he Placeda stan
on rhe letter and dropped it into the mailbox.
One of the employees,who was a Postmanand also helPedat ' inoment thar the letter fell inro the mailbox the postmester
post omce, went to his boss laughing hcatdly and showed him t open it. k said:
:,of rhe money rhar I askedfor. only
letter to God. Never in his carcer as a Postman had he known r "evcnry
pc"osrcachcd
d me rhe rcsr.sin(e I need ir vcry much.
address.The postmaster-a fat, amirble fellow-also broke out lari Bur don t scnd
ing, but almost immediately he turned seriousand, tapping the lcrt rc through rhe mril. bccauscrhc posr_ofiicc emploleesare 2
of crooks. kncbo ''
on his desk, commented:
wrote I
"\trhat fairhl I wish I had the faith of the man who
letter. To believe the way he believes. To hope with the confidc
thet he knows how to hoPe with sBrring uP a coffesPondence \1
Godl"
LITTLE
So. in order not to disillusionthar prodigy of fairh, reveelc'l LLOLX GIRL
r letter that could not be delivered,the Postmaster crme uP \rl
an idea: answer the letter. But when he oPenedit, it was evt
that to answer ir he neededsomerhing more than goodwill, ink
paper.But he stuckto his resolution:he askedfor moneyfronr
employee,he himselfgave part of his salary,and severalfrien'h
his were obliged to give something "for an act of charity."
It was impossiblefor him to gather together the hundred 1.
Bou[Loux cIRr q/as so love]y that even w€ children
lr is unusualfor smallgirls to recognizer,eauryrn one
so he was able to send the hrmer only a lirtle moft than hxll
ves_andpay homage to ir. B\rt there c;ld be no disputing
but the bills in an envelope addressedto Lencho and with rl
lovelinessas hers. rJThenevermy mother mer the
iette, contai.ting only a single word as a signature: GOD-
illoux girl in the streer,shewould stopier and bendover
The following Sundaylrncho camea bit edier rban usual r'1
vas wonc ro bend over her yellow tea rose, her red flowering
if there was a letter for him. lr was the postman himself who I rrt
hcr Azure Blue butrerfly trustfully asleepon the scalybarf
the letter to him, while the postmaster,exPeriencingthc conrenttt
: tree She-wouldstroke her curly hair, golden and a half-ripe
ofa man who hasperformeda good deed,Iookedon from thc d'''r
and her delicarelyrinted cheeks,and watch the incredible
of his ofrce.
tcr over her grcacdark eyes.Shewould observethe glimm€r
Lencho showednot the slightestsurPriseon seeingthe bills
fccr recth in her peerlessmourh, and when, ar last, she let
was his conidence but he became angry when he counl"l
money. . . . God could not heve madea mistake, nor could lr' I 8t> on h€r wrl, she would look afrer her, murmuring, ,,It,s
denied I-eocho what hc had requestedl
r!"

ll)o
TH! rnTlE BOUIILOLI). GlRl- / Colctte
Severalyearspassed,bringing yet further gracesto rhe little Bo
loux girl. There *'ere certain occasionsrecordedby our edmiralitl
a prizegiving at which, shyly murmuring an unintelligible recitatr"
she glowed through her tears like a peacb under a summer shosr
Thelittle Bouilloux girlt first communion causeda scandal:the sxl
(
€vening, after vesPe$, she was seen drinking a half Pint at thf
du Commerce,with her father, the sas'1'er, and that night sh€ dan'
alreadyfeminine and llirtatious, a litde unsterdy in her v/hite sLPl
at the public bell.
WitL an arogance to which shehad accustomedus, she inforrr
us leter, at school, that she was to be apprenticed.
.,Oht .N/ho to?"
"To Madame AdolPhe."
"Ohl And ar€ you to get wages 2t on'e?"
"No. I'rn only thirteen, I sh2ll start earning nexr year."
She left us wjthout emotion, and coldly we let her 8o A|r
her beauty isolatedher and she had no friends at school, whc11
lerrned very little. Her Sundaysand her Thursdavsbrought no '
macy with us; theY v/ere sPent rvitb a family that was consr'ir
"unsuitable," with girl cousinsofeigbteen well known for their br't
behavior,and vrith brothers, cartwright apprentices,{'ho sPorlcrl
at fourteen ajtd smokedwhen they escortedrheir sisterto rhe Prl
shooting galiery at the fair or co the cheerlirl bar rbat the sr
Pimoll€ had made so PoPular'
The very next morning on my rr'ay to school I met thc
Bouilloux girl setting out fot the dressmaker'ss'orkooms, lr
rcmained motionless,thunderstruck with jellous admiration. Ll
corner of the Rue des Soeurs,watching Nana Bouilloux's rettt'tt
form. She had exchangedher black pinafore and short chiidish lr
for a long skirt and a pleatedblouse of pink sateen.She wore rt 1'l
alpacaapron and her exuberant locks, disciplined and trvistc'l I
a "figure of eight," lay close as a helmet about the charminll t
shapeof a round imperious head thac retainednorhing childish c''
its fteshnessand the not yer calcularedimPudenceof a litrlc \11
That rnorning the uPPer forms hummed like a hive
tt)?
seenNanz Bouilloux! In a long dress,my dear,would you
it? And her hair in a chignonl She had a pair of scissors
from her belt roo!"
I flew home to announce breathlesdy:,'Moaherl I met
in the street! She was passing our door. And she
a long dress!Mo.her, just imagine,a long dresslAnd her
a chignonl And shehad high heelsand a pair of. . .,,
Minet-Ch€ri,eat,your cudecwill be cold.,'
an apron,mother,such a loveiy alpacaapron that looked
! Couldn't I possibly. . ."
Miner-Ch6ri,you certainlycouldn,r.',
if Nana Bouilloux can . . .,'
Nana BoLrilloux, at thirreen, can, in fact she should. wear
a short apron and a long skit-kt rh€ uniform of all
girls throughout the world, at thirteen-more,s the
, I know you would tike co s/ear the complete uniform of
Bouillouxgirl. It inciudesall thacyou'veseen,and a bit more
a letter safely hidden in the apron pocket, an admiter who
wiDe and of cheapcigars; two admirers,three admirersand
later on plenty of tea.rs. . . and a sickly child hidden away,
thet heslain for monrhscrushedby consrrictingstays.There
net-Ch6ri,rhe entir€ uniform of the little Bouilloux girls.
still wanr it?"
Colrsc not, mothet. I only wanted to seeif a chignon .
my morher shook her head.mo.king bur rerioL5.
no! You cant hav€ the chignon withouc cheapron, the apron
the letter, the letter viithout the high-heeledslippers,or the
withou! . . all the rest ofit! Ifs just x matter of choice!,,
wassoonexhausred.
The resplendenr
litle Bouillouxgirl
no more rhan a d2ily passerbywhom I scarcelynoticed.
in winter and summ€r,her gaily coloredblousesvaried
to week,and in verycold wearhersheswathedher elegant
anx usclesslirrle scarf.Irect, radiantas x thorny rose,her
swccpingllcf cheeksor half revealingher dark and dewy
t9.j
THE LIITL! BOUtltOUX 6IRL,/Col€ttc
eyes,she gre*' daily more s/orthy ofqueening it over cro{'ds, ofbcrr
gxzed at, adornedafld bcdeckedwjth j€Eels The sever€lvsmootl
cdnklinessofher chestnut hait could still be discernedin litr-lc s rl
that caught the lighr in the golden 'nist ar the naPeof hcr nr
rnd round her ears-Sheaiwayslooked vaguell offendedq'irh her snr
velvetv nostrils reminding one of, doe
She was fifteen or sixceen now-and so was I- ExcePt tbar
laughed too freely on Sundays,in order to show her whire te€th
she hung on the arms of her brothersor her girl cousins,\
Bouilioux n'asbehavingfairlv well "For a little Bouillouxgirl '
weil indeedl" vas the Public verdict
Shewas seventeen,then eightecn;her comPlexionwas like a f(
on a souch $'all, no eyes could meet the challengeof hers and '
had the bearing of a goddess.She began ro take the floor at l'
and fairs. to dance with abandon, to stay out vert lat€ at rr
wandedngin the laneswith a man'serm round her qaisc.Al"
unkind,but full of iaughter,provokingboldnessin thoseEho \ '"
have been content merely to love her'
Then cam€ a St. John's Eve when she aPPearedon tbe dancr llr
rhat was laid down on the Placedu Grand-Jeuunder the melan'I
light of malodorous oil 1amps.Hobnailed boots kicked up dr '
betweendre plaoks of the "floor." All rhe voung men- as w3s cu l
ary, keFt their hats on while dancing. Blonde giris beceme,lr
cololed in theL tight bodices,while the dark ones, sunburnedll
th€L work in the fields, looked b1ack.But rhere, among I brrr
haughty workgids, Nana Bouilloux, in a summcr dressspriggc,l
little flowen, las drinking lemonadelaced wirh red *ine w|ctr
Parisiansarived on ahe scene.
Thev were two Parisianssuch as one seesin the counffy in sutrrl
friends of a neighboring landowner, and supremely boredl Prur
in tussah and erhite serge,come lor a moment to mock al i \rl
rnidsunmer fete.They stoppedlaughing when they sas Nxnr ll
loux and sat dovn near the bar in order ro ser:her berr.r lri
voices thev excbangedcomments wbich she pretendednot t" I
since her Pride as a beautiful crearure*ould not lel her lrrrrl
eyesir thcir direction and giggle likc her comProions Shc hcr'
lt)4
"A sv/ar amonggeeselA GreuzelA crime ro let such a wonder
here. . . Whcn rhe )oung mrn in thc shirc:uit r.ked
Bouilloux girl for a waltz she got up withour surprLseancl
L*-ith him gravell', in siienc€.From time to time her eyelashes,
beeuriful than a glance, brushed against her partnels fair
thc *alrz thc rwo Parisirnswenr auy. and \.rn: BouiUor,.
by rhe bar. fanning herself.There shewas soon rpproached
I-eriche,by Houette, even by Honce the chemist,and even
the cabinermaker, s'ho was aging,but nonerheless a good
To all of chemshereplied,..Thankyou, but I'm tired,,,and
the brll xr hdf pasrten o,clock_
afrer ther, nothing more ever happenedto the little Bouilloux
Parisiansdid nor rerurn, neither they, nor others like rhem.
Honce, young kriche, che commercial travelerswith rheir
chains,soldierson leaveand sheriffs clerksvainly climbed
strcerat rhe hours whcn rhe bcrurifully,oiffedsczn-,rress,
wav down ir, prssedthem by srilflywith a distantnod. They
out for her at dances,
whereshesatdrinking lemonadewith
of distinccion and answeredtheir impofrunities q,irh ,Thank
much,but I'm nor dancing,I'm rired.,'Taking offense, rhey
rn to snigger:"Tired! Her kind oftirednesslastslor rhirty-six
end they kepr a sharp watch on her iigure.
norhinghappened co the lirrle Bouillorixgirl, neirherrhat nor
else.She was simply waiting, possessed by an aroganr faith,
of the debr owed by rhe hazard that had armed her too
was awaiting - . . rot rhe return of the parisian in white
t a srranger, a ravisher. Her proud anticipation kept her
I pure; wirh a little smile of surprise,she rejectedHonce,
ld haveraisedher to the rank of chemist,slawful wife. and
have norhing ro say ro the sheriff,s chief clerk.
ncver anorher lapse,txking back,once and for all, chesmiles,
, rhe glowing bloom of her cheeks,rhe red young lips,
y blue clefr of her breastswhich she had so prodigally
oo mcrc .usrrcsi she ewrited her kingdom and the pdnce
THE RUBY/Cofldo Alrzo

to a knov'ledgeot thc loss.and rig\r up ro

Years later, when I Passedthrough mt native village, I could rr midday hundrcd"
(hrfishrd rhe hope of fnding rhe
find the shade of her who had so lovingly refused m€ *'hat she cali( ceiebrared
5roncin rhcir
eet. One of rhose waves of optimism and excirement
"rhe uniform oflittle Bouilloux glrls " But as the car bore me slor had falen
town; the kind of feeling you ger when rhe
though not slowl) enough-never slowly enough uP a streetBdxr opulence of one
enrichcsevcrybodyelst\ hope..Thc prin.i had not
I havenow no rcasonto stop, a woman drew back to avoid $e wh({ been
omrngrn hrsstatementto rhe police,but ir ruled our
A slender woman, her hair s'ell dressedin a bygone fashion. drr any
ity.that rhelady accompanyinghim could have
maker's scissorshanging from a steel cbatelaineon her black rpr been respon'_
r rhe loss, Th€y were not, therefore, to try
Large,vindictive eyes,r tight mouth sealedb.r long silence,the sell' and locate her.
i driver came forward to tesrify that he had driven
cheeksand temples of those who work by lamplight; a wom:tr t the Indian
his precious turban, and srated that he had
forty'live ot . . . Not at all; a woman of chiny-eight, a womar depositedhim
ledy in front of a hocel in rhe suburbs_The
my own age, of exactly my age, tbere was no room for doubt lady was a
and rheonly rhing thar disringxished
soon as th€ car allowed her room to pass,"the litrle Bouilloux lrr her wasa mxgnilicenr
tlle srzeot a pea, which she wore in her left nosiril
went on her way down the stteet) erect and indiferent, afrcr ' afrer
rcr of certain wealthy Indians. This derail disffacted
anxious, bitter glance had cold her that the car did not contain I the
of the public for a while from the missing ruby
Iong-awaitedravisher. 'I and whetted
Jdosiry srill he driver. aftcr mzking I .horough (err(h
,more.
m-rerrorot rhe vehiclc.chccked up on thc hre<
he had driren
*lf t-o"ry of che moming in question;thcy
$ had been
:ssman,a toreigner whom he had taken down
io the port
to wasevidenrlysaiJingfor furope.
THE RUBY "rd
fccogruzrbleasan Itxlian, had emerged
,
"..r".
Th;';;;-
1 TALY
COFBADOALVASO from one of rh€ houses
ft granrs lived in a colony; he had been wearing
a pair of
L-r'r-'uo,l /\/ <'zt-o ot generouswidth suchasarepopular with emigrrna,
rough,
shoesof a.n pc nowrd.ru, seenonlu among
peopleot rhr(
and r har.l hJr ser $ove r rhin. clcan+haven
face.e.rmed
es..Hisluggageconsistedofa hear,ysuitcase
securedwith
and.*: orher weightv bo\ which appr,,ed
G" o r"" pAPlRshad recordedone of those news ircms thrl :,9 ro De m.rde
r-rc had embrrked rhat sameday. bur anv s,rspicion
a town in a buzz of excitement for a whole day and fin:rllr r thar might
a circuit of the world- A rubv as bi8 as a hazelnut, a famout nr hiT wasimmedirtetrd,"peJted vnen rr wr, realrzed
1n,11".r
bearing a famous name, and said to be of enormous vrlLr( as rhoughhe vr" ridingin a rari for rhe
::o..o-.nl".d fisr
An Indian prince, on a dsit to a Norrh Amerttrtt" lris lifc Hc hrd nor rnanrged,o.lo..',h. aoo,
disappeared. p.op.rl1 ,no
had been weadng this jewel as an ornament He had suddenlt iu " 8rd rhf honr windowall rhe fimc.pos(ibly,oL ro avoid
aware of his loss after a joumev he had made in a taxi thrr lr'r'l ierkedbackwardinro thc ,oai. and he h.ld gazcdrr
ldclll,
\'/l:h rh:
him down-incognito-at a hotel in rhe suburbs,for he had rrt rr of on: who is te^ ing a rown pcrhap:forever.
:r,
qr rcserved:lr
his atrencionracherfor ihe man who, on lsrving
to evadethe attenrion of both his private bodyguard and tltt 1"'
rban horcl, had raken the raxi immediarely
The flying squadvas mobilized, the cntire ciry awoke thc |)ll"$ afcer che princl

Il,O
THI RUBY / Co'rrd. Aharo

and hxd given ordersto be driven to rhe ltalian n'orkmen's quart<t ol d;\rin(c and oo\.atgrr.
..":.,.:.^,. lr wr\ lun ,uch an
at which poinr his place lud been taken bv the foreigner. The I! '1 rer,.rolhi, runipof cnsrar..o - " .cool
" " , .to.
in quesrion,of whom he had given a descriptionand I'ho musr hl
fl i:,,:jlr:.*, c r c a r a s , , ;s,';,, " " ,
:::-:.ils,-, a n d
been a local residenc,was searchedfor in vain Furthermore the ltr r i,h,li,
that he had failed to answer the appealpublished in rhe newsPxf( : :.,],,'de wal,he..d ffcren
11",:;:il'::.6-:d,ef"suhe r :rqL:
sirion,
lfll,-:,1.* thecounter,;,.'*;;;..'
olfering a large ren'ard,r.as a logical proof that it was not he $l rounrrrn pen\ jn a bor, .resrcd r.bje ."
*n,r.",. <gu:rc, of
had got hold of the famous gem. However, since the missing sr" ,:Jl'n * ..whi,.h
) .t^rh ^^ Lj-L wcre
+pi.,"d,h;;.;,;;i;rJl.:;
was world-famed and easily recognizable,it was hoped rhat onc '1 rhepor,,?ir.of , hr roundcr,
::j:"j:,lo*,'", Amer;("n or
or other it would come fo light ;b,",d*"d
"1u,r:
1:T-elei:h burrrrp ",;; ;;,;;;;;';;"J.lT;;:
The emigrant, meantime,was on his way home to a countn' r"u h;, .6rj6., Ln .lgarnrr
hiscvenr
nrseventLrr
r,ar
in southern Italy after five years'absenc€and R'aslgnorant of all i
stir. He had with him th€ most unusual collecrions of odds 'r
::j:,::_oi:,.",,'
; sclcctins
',s#".I':i:
;-11; .;l
sh}cvcr woutd .ecm ;;;,;;
;il,t":::l:i
*''
"

ends-even for an emigrant.A suitcase,madeofartificial leathers lr l;;;i:' 5:l:

lT-j*01,".,"dh""d"s.ol.,;:;';..i::J,;#;:
he thougbt was real, contained his blue overalls,pressedand clcrrrr 'ihc
j:: l?.1"0'
"T'"q c'r,srjn'pop:,arion
t*,elve fountain pens whicb he intended to sell to the PeoPleol I
[:T *o s,aned
:ffi';1': rifeas;';;;il;;Tiij":irJ#"
district, forgetting that most of them *'ere herdsmenand ooi rrr rr,hadbeenchestrongbox
1"..:::1j.I,..: that hadserhim
than ha.lf a dozen of tbe inhabitants could Put Pen ro PaP(i j,j'l :,.,|.,in,, hehadraken
. J."o;o;;; ;i";":;I
addition, he had some crescedtable services,e Pair of ha;r clilt ire almorr rrch berar.se
-hrd.tclr rll rhe monc) hc hrd in
qhicl. hc hrd Js(d on hi. fcllos r merrl obje.t 'l his
"orker', currenq and would rr,rn
::5.l',,..'q" into rrrscr number
funcrion completell mystified him-ir had the form of a pistol w^hen,he cxch.rngrdrhem.MenrrI "
.alcr,l.rionsconne.rcdq i.h
did not fire-twelve squaresof American cloth and some no\r ll !o,rs.or odd momrn15.
H err r ch:rqj>h
to impr.essand amusehis wife, son and friends The hearr pLrt jill j'.. * l"* "l rhe
l:::,:,1:,.1,,
red.n rar'" ;.,;;.;;; ;.
his luggage was the somewhatbafteredsteel strongbox; the lo(l or rr becrmeone il:;
:']::,:.yl,
(herishaJtuur ,rarism.rn or rho\e
vI 'J'o\r ucere\\
Jccre.!
operatcd by a combination, the sixletter n^me A ,tina. Br \\ \\ wc tivesard,.,. h;,. ;'
erdy cashhe took a thousand dollars.which included rhree hr"' ll; ;;;;..#: ;:::".:i,:i::;j
ll1.:l_::,:t,1,1,.
wh.,_.
ro be paid back later to those from *'hom he had borros'ed t
llll.*ji'::^ i.p.,,,";;;,;J:,r';
;:Jl;."*,
the voyage.In his waistcoarpocker he carrieda lump oi red ' rr' rhel<ind,crcico,. ncuc,

ifilliiru,::T
gc,ro"r
it was many'facetedand as large as a walnur He had comc t'
it by chance in the raxi thet had taken him down to the 1'r
but he had no idea what it was for' His fingers had felt it l" lt
the seatcushions.He kePt it as a luckl charm for the future: l! rl
ri:l'i[;{:i*
ru;**
Tll,:TiIJl:.?r:::lof

he would have it attachedro his watch chain as a pendant-It " ' t .n.1,.
,t"uppi,p,,,", n.."_,,f,"'_l.niJili
odd that it had no holc bored through ic lt could not. tllr'
:.::,
1,, A forrnighr
rr(c,
fj-..]ill_i""0,..": hi.
r,.r\r heh,d rur
be one of those large stonesq'bjch citl ladieshave on rheir nc' l'l
",,
ll::il,-' 1,., p"*,"7
. .;;;,,;
;;,;1% :::j:;
The various objeccsone Pjcks uP iusr beforc le.rving :r t "' o
counry arcrPt ro icquirean extreordinary sourcnirvaluc.gir ilr' ;"il;,; ff,:;:I::
":
.lll,Jl',,l::ll o,no,.p.-.re.
".kr. :1,'fi:
ndrhcbrremu,in
T::,T:,,:::,11.,:::l':
fll! RUBY/ comadoAhdo

smallIeadpellers-The crrsralmissilewasjust the rhing, it s.as

cask of wine on e couPl€ of trestles,and an earthenwareiar of t
mough ro carrvro the mark.Another of the boysriseda glass
The srlongbox had been 6xed against the waII, and he felt a gr'
of the kind extraccedfrom lemonade bocdes,which hairhe
senseof pride when he opened il in the Presenceof his.custonr
I of being round. The shopkeeper'sson climed thet his was
In ir rcposedhis acco,.rntledger and rbe notebook containing a
beautiful becauseit camefrom America and becauseit was red
of all the goods sold on rick that were to be paid for ar han'esnir
r ished it in the way that boi-s do who oer.erlose objects
or aftcr th-eanimal fairs. Gradually his businessgot to look like of
(:lil . As his farher concemplaredthis curiosityrrhich had become
other business;it acquired its own peculiar smell, there sare
s plalthing, his mind would ofren dwelt on the illusions
marks madeon the wall by his wife \r'bo could not vrite-reconlll
onceenrerrainedin the daysrvhen he traveledabout the world,
goods supplied on credit His Young son' however, *'ho attcn'
I world seemedto be 6lled wich valuablerhings that had been
school.and was norv beginning to be able to {rire customers'nrr
ch the lucky ones found. That was why he had aiways
in thc register, sometimestook a turn in the shop and manag('L felt
nrgers under merffesses of berths on sreamers,behind leather
quire explrtly on hot afternoons when all rrade had ceaseder"
ts on busesand coaches,according ro where he happened
rhat in ;ced drinks for men recovering from their afternoon si( l to
t he had never found anything yes: there had been one
Slowly, his $rife\ narrovr',American stYle slippers acquired nr
. He had found 6ve dollars in rhe streer.Ic had been raining
and more creasesand she herself the comPlacent,meticulous :rrr
a shopkceper'swife. The supply of new meterial which her hush
had brought home had finally endedup among the shop*oiled g''
and oDly the hard hat, looking almost ne&', was still lefr in
wardrobe. The squaresof American cioth had been distriburt'l
presentsamong the imPortant custome$; as for the fountain It
SIX FEETOF THE
no one bad q,antedthem. Someonehad handled them roughlr COUNTRY
the fragmenrs still lay in the box The shoPkeePer,*'ho rlas LI
\AD]\E GO'D][IEF SOLTTH
AFRCA

ar he^.1, oft",t imagined that the Pen nibs were of pure gol'l '
he chedsh€d them as a small bor cherishestinfoil wrappinrl
chocoleres.He also hung on to an old newsPaPer
He had refusedto Perl srith jt elen *'hen he
Prinred in Inrll
r'"'asshort of I'n;1
(,u^4,o--
paper. Sometimeshe would scrutinjz€ it carefullr and thc adtt'r
wtFE and I are not real farmers-not even Ierice. reallv. Sfe
mint illustrations q'ould recall to him the people*'ho smoke'l rl'
I our pla.e.ren milesou{ ofJohanne,burgon one of rhe main
tipped cigarertes,the str€er boys, the gramophones' in facr:rll
to changesomething in ourselves,I suppose;you seemto rattle
life hc had seenin rhe cenrral parts of the cirv on the rare oc( r
ro much wirhin a marriagelike ours. you long to hear nothing
of his visits there. As for the lumP of crvstal.he remembered't
dccp vrrisfiing silencewhen you sound a marriage.The farm
day and gave it to his son who *as celebrating his birthdt I
mrn;rged rhar for us, of course,bur it has done orller rhings,
his friends. At that time, bo)s plaled r game *hich consi't' I
tcri, illogicll. I-crice,who I thought would retire rhereln
knocking down and conqueringcasrlesmrdc ofhazelnutsby drr"*
ovrrn sxdncssfor':r montb or rwo. and then leave rhe place
a hervjerone ar it: fhe usuxl procc,lulcwas ro selccta lafgtrl
icfvxnrs$4)i1cs|c rlicd r.ct xgiin ro ger a parr she wanred
make e smell holc in ir, I'lricrrrlyictrtPcour rhc kcrncl. drct' '

.t(x)
 't

SIx FIET OI TH! COUNTRY / Ntdine Gordinel

cven rn our sanermomen6, when I 6nd lerice,s e thy

and becomethe actressshewould like to be, hassunk into ihe busincu enrhu-
just as irritaring as I once found her
of running the farm with all the serious intensitv with which \|tr histrionical ones, and
Jswhrr-,hec:ll. my 'jcrlou.) .ot hcr uprciq ror
once imbued the shadowsin a Plavwright'smind. I should havegn' t cn(hu:irsm
it up long ago if it had not been for her Her hands. once snrrll a Proof of my inadequao for her is a mare as
ever il was,
believe thac $.e have at least honestly escapedthose
and plain and well kePt-she was nol rhe sort of actressvrho scrt - ro rhe tensions
red paint and diamond rings-are hard as a dog's pads ci* about which our visitors speak.\vhen
.'rension,,, Johannes_
I, of course, am there only in the eveningsand on weckendl ptople speak. of they don,t n;rn hurrying;eopie in
am a partner in a luxury travel agency,which is ffourishing nc' srrugglefor money,or chegeneralcomperitive
11:r "'.*:",
of
*:
to be, as I tell lerice, in order to carry the farm. Still' though I kn' ciry life- They mean tte guns under the white
men,s
and the burglar barson the white men,swindows. They
we can\ afford it, and though the swe€tisbsmell of the fowls Lctr mean
strangemomencson ciry pavements
breeds sickensme, so thar I avoid going Pasr their runs, the 1r I when a blackman won,r
is beautiful in a wav I had almost forgotten-especiallv on a Sutr' rsidefor a whire man_ I
I
l in the counrry, even ren miles out, liFe is better
moming irhen I get up and go out into the paddock and sec ru than chat.
country, there is a lingering remnant of the pretransirional
rhe palm trees and fishpond and imitation'stone birdbath ot t
our relxrionship with the blacks is almost feudal.
suburbs but white ducks on dre dam, the alfalfa 6eld brillirlr Wrong, I
window dresselsgrass,and the titrle, stoc$, mean-eyedbull. lrrrt , obsolete, bur more comfortable all around. rXuehave no
bars, no gun. I-ericel farm bors havr therr wives
but bored, having his face tcnderly licked by one ofhis ladies l'r I and their
comesout with her hair uncombed,in her hand a stick dripping * 't ins living wirh them on the land. They brew rheir
sour beer
tt rhe fear of police raids. In fact, *e,,. ai*rys rather
cattle dip. She will stand and look dreamilv for a moment, tht I prided
that tfie poor dcrils havcnorhing rnr.h ro tear.
she would ptetend to look sometimesin those plavs "Ther'lJ t" bfrng q jrh
romorrow," she will say. "This is their sccond da,v Look hor even_keeps an eyeon rheir children, s,irh aL rnc competence
nan who has never had a child of her own, and
loves him, my little Napoleon." So rhat vhen PeoPlecomc orLr she celtainly
them all children aod adults-like babies whenever
see us on Sunday afternoon, I am lilely to hear mvself salirg t they
( to be sick.
pour out the drinks, "Sfhen I drive back home from the cirr' \r
lras b€rause of rhis rhat we $/ere nor particularly srartled
day, past those rows of suburban houses.I s<rnder bov thc 'l one
hst wint€r when rhe boy Albert cameknocking at our
we everdid srandit. . . . \7ould you careto look around?" Anrl rl windovr
r we had gone ro bed.I wasnt in our bed but sleeping
I am, eking somePretty girl and her young husbandsrumbling 'l' in
ro our riverbanL,the girl catching her stockirgs on the mealic \r'
( dressing-room-rzrzJinen
room nexrdoor,beczuse Lericehad
I me:nd_l didni wanr ro 6nd m),clr sohenrngroward
and stepping over co*' turds bumming with jesalgr€en fies " he-
oc(auscol rhe sweersmcll of thc rrlcum porder
shesays,". . . the tenti,nrof rhe a^mned city. And,vou're nearcn' on her flesh
jt's wonderful Wht t'"t barh.
ro get into town to a show, rool I think
got it borh waysl" And for a moment I accePtrhe triumPh r me up. "AJberrsrv\ onc of rne bols i. rerl
:r^..i":.*:i:
Ehc said."l rhinkyoud bettcrgo downlnd .ee.Hc souldn;
bad man ged it-rhe imPossibilitYtbat I've been trling f(' rll
!p at .his hour for nothing.,,
life-jusr as if the truth was rhat you could ger it "bot| " 't
x r r i m ei s i r ? '
insteadof finding yourself with not even one wlr or the otlx r l'rl
t docs ir m;rftcr?' krice is maddeningly logical.
rhird, one you had not provided for at rll
BIx !!ET oF THE CoUNTRY/Nadite Gordind
t;l
I got up awkwardly as she watched me-how is it I always ,i-* .$D MEa limle.The young
illjTtr? boyhad
a fool when I have deserted her bed? After all, I know from thc rook
forwork
inJoha",j",g, h;J
she never looks at me when she talks to me at breakfast the ne ,":lll"l:,
liffi iill"T:*l
sreepins
ou,i""s,h.
_;,.;;;l; ;" iil;lli
day that she is hurt and humiliated at my not vanting her-and threcdzLs
bdorcour boy,rrad
went our, clumsy with sleeP. *. 13:n.iPr.,
"l..J.T,i"j"l:.:.1-.:rrivr
:':::1, ::* h; ;;:;:. ;. ;,.IJ,:|;I:
"\(rhich of the boys is it?" I askedAlbert as nre followed the ot hisprescn(e.

,:1.:I
Rhodcsian
nrtrvesareba.red
of my totch.
"He's too sick. Very sick, Baar," he said.
Franzhad had a bad cough
"Bur who?Franz?"I remembered
Ljjl
J:::*,:
l?3:l

fli,.:";fi
succe,sstulg
** nd;ild:i[;;
scvcraltimesbefore: ;;;;;i:.,;,;r:.,ff::
" mirc
hundred
Hl,j::::: r,...
_or,e€hr f,o,npo".;q-,;.,h.
Albert did nor answer;he had given me the Path, and wasq'alki *id,.
;"rj::,.:" 1.lif Brnru""dbr;.;'.;,;',""i.T;:J,::
along besideme in the t2ll dead grass.When the light of the ro
lfil x,,i"i'"fi!.:,!e name ro,jor,,nn..uu,g.
i,
caught his face, I stw that he looked acurcly embaffassed
this all about?" I said.
He lowered his head under the glance of the lighr' "It's nor
:*;tni"_::
i'#::';,,*_ruf
ofprose.urion
:ru"
ru
,"
li
il;
*.n,"*.
forempl.ri"g_ ;ir*J,.n"
''" u( tsraoro takr

B,td! I don't know. Petrus he send m€." *.T".;" "";;,;;.:;;;

,",n.,.,
Tl:.:,_:rwhowourd ;:'ifi
Iritered, I hurried him along to the huts. And there, on
:1. ,Y..:": s.. ui ,s",n.
iron bedstead,with its brick stilts, was a young man, dead On wourd
harerJr chcy
courd
rcl 2,,..:aid
foreheadthere was still a light, cold sweat; his body was warm
."li^1-ll.Ll"
""".. ,hernanwasi youqoLrrd
hrverhoushr
boys srood around as they do in rhe kitchen when it is di
ljllT".ll-"g;
:;J--'-1_'i:l'ry:i:ne Iren.c o\ers,rmerh,ns.
.heh,. i
thar someonehas broken a disb-uncooperative, silent-
wife hung about in the shadows,her hands wrung rogether ur
iLl l"l.t
:fr i.d:
as ir,h;
;itil
h,d
4r..,.,
#,i rrj,Tll
her apron.
IJl:,1,i:ok:,, ;,".,;;';;:; ;illi fl ,X
I had not seena dead man since the war' This was ver,vdiffe prcscnce
in rhc kirchen.carticr .hc had
:1i,,:^
r_of being":,j"."
armostofendedwith rri^,'j_.*'i'","' t"o
hid
I felt like the others-extraneous, useless."$(rh?c was rhe mat """
I asked. the.time or incrmarion
The woman petrcd at her chest and shook her bead to ind in,ourtiferh",I kno* L.ri;;;;;ilJffi:;anymorc
Il"ji;,::l!.ll:,1
oeryrhiog ro
the painful impossibilitl of breathing. wouldlike us to go into. she
::g'':r:s^:i,1.1
whoioesn'r is the kind
He must have died of pneumonia. mind rf sh.I."t, pir,l i';:;],'r*:::
I turned to Petrus. "\:la/ho was this bov? li(/hat was he doing ", shc
tf ,n: kne_ h6o75r12ng6"aJ,looks
when.her
The light of a candle on the floor showed th2t Petrus vas oi,
,1^:"-:T.
_r,h,;;;:;;;;;Til::.il;
lc-e_i,:lloPo(io,
ro do :| ..-
He followed me out the doot. thedirrv*o.k r ,L'ppo,e
::::,l,y:l-il:
\(/hen we were outside, in the dark, I waited for him to
Buc he didnt. "Now, come on, Petrus, )ou must rell me who
::*,li
{iiltiT:i ;,'J*T ff*,nd
Jl'*
fff;tfu
l:fjir.
boy was- Y/as he a friend of ,rours?"
;1T,,;il:'-'T;:,'",'::il:l bur)
himAr'er
"He\ my brothef, B.r,?rHc crmc from Rhodesiaro look for rr

204
Slx IIET OF THI COUNTRY / Ndin. Gordner

She simply stood there, as if she had given uP-simPly ceasedr, . go back rnd celthjn,..said l,erice.
"You must cell him.
seeme /l ,ll, didn't vou tell him rhen?',
I don'| know nhen I've been so irritated. "It might have bt,r fo:nj P ru' rsaln.hcrooked
:il uppotircr,. l.ook.pcrrus,.
something contagious," I said. "Clod kno.*'s." There was no ansr, n,.l vourbrorner.
rhe) vedoncit atreadl _
I am nor enamoredof holding conversarionswith mvself. I .rcrt ;.:,"
b ied;,::*: l" unders&rd?,,
him, you
out to shout to one of the bovs to open rhe garageand get the ( dutly,asif he rhoushttnarperhaps
ready for mt' morning drive ro town. 1',5" :,r'1satn he
t rms wfong_
-,: a$ranse,.rhc\ knrw hc w,.n] from
:l:,h" \cre,and
As r HAD ExpEcTlDi it turned ouc to be quite a business.I had t somr-of.hirpcoprerrcrc\o,hf) rhoushr
notify the police as well as the health authorities, and answer :r l, :::,..:::j:,i,.
,",',. rr w.rs
drnrcurrco makeI paupersgrave.ound
of tediousquestions:Ho{ wasit I wasignorantof rheboy\ prescr, --:l ;.,,
Pnvllege.
lf I did not supervisemy narivequarters,hor,r,did I know rhat rl, Baas, the Baas m:ustaskthem.,,But
he did not mean rhat
et cetera.And \ l(
sorcof thing didn't go on all the time?Et cerera, ro know thr burial place. He simpll
ignored the incom-
I flared up and told them that so long as my nativesdid their r,' rbte mxchineryI told him had set
to wori< on his deadbrother;
I didnl rbink it my right or concern to poke my nose into rlu red the brorher back.
prjvarc lives, I got from the coarse,dull vitted police sergeant,,t ,11; ..hoq.an r? \ our brorher
,, buriedr,e2d)
of those looks rhet come not from any thinking Processgotrt: l :"",.:11':1
in the brain but from that faculty common to all who are posv. , Baa{ said. He stood wirh hh bran-smeared
.he hands un,
by rhe master-racetheory a look of insanely inane cenaintr I ys one cornrr of his mouth twirchlns.
grinned at me with e mixture of scorn and delight ac my srupr,l :: G o d:'d:,
, Peuus. rhev w.n,r ti*F. .^ --, rL
I ne\ r/n l. anywa)
Then I had ro explain to Petrus wht the health authoritic' I , Dur I (ao r do ir you uoders|2nd?,.
ro take away the body for a posrmortem-and, in fact, whar l 1, just kepr looking at me, our of his knowledge
9n thar white
mortem was. rJThenI telephoned the health departmenr somt , avcreverything, can do anyrhing;if rhel don,c,it is because
larer ro fnd out the result, I was rold rhat the causeof d€arli
as s-e had choughr, pneumonia, aod thet the body had been surl then, ar dinner, I_erjcestarted. ,,you
could ac leascphone,,,
disposedof I went out to $'here Petrus was mixing a mash Jt,l
fowls and told him rhar it was all right, there would be no rr,,r o t', rhinkI am?Am I supposcd
to brinsrhcdead
his brorherhad died from that pain in his chest.Perruspur ,i' il;.11,'
the paraffin can and said, "$0hen can we go to fetch him. /1, I,could nor exaggeraremy s/ay our
of this ridiculous respon_
"To fetch him?" thar had been.rhrusr on me. .?hone
rhem up,,, she went on.
"'will the Bddr pleaseask them when $'e must come?'- ):.r l.l be able to teli him you\,e done 1r and they,ve
I went back inside and called Lerice,all orer rhe bouse.Slr ' t !i"t
rhar it's impossibie.,,
'l\aa, s lr r
down the stairs from the sparebedrooms,and I said, disrppearcd somewhere inro rhe Lirchenquartersafter cofee.
I going to do? \fhen I told Petrus,he jusr askedcalmJl xlrr l t o":k ,e]lme, ,.rhe old farirer.scoming
,:::.:.:I.i." :" down
could go and fetch the bod,r. They think they're going ro I'rlr I Itrrlc,sh ro be at the funeral. Het gor a permitJ;;;""L,."d,

206
 -----T
SIX F!!'l OF THI COUNTRY / NadincGoidind

Unfortunarely,it *'as not impossiblero get the body back.T lsrblero peoplelike Leritc and me. n ho regr.d
lifc ar somethrng
authorities said that it was somewhat ifiegular, but that sinc€ ll, r n d .i r w er h i n ka b o udrc : r h , r , t , . , e g , , i
hygieneconditions had beenfulflled, they could not refusepermissrur n l _finat
. , - ibankruprcy.
1lie",ly
for exhumarion- I found out that, with the undertaker'schargcs.rl
would cost twenty pounds. Ah, I thoughr, that setalesit. On ir\ vepts don t work on Sarurdalahernoon
an)wa). so rr wrs
pounds a month, Petruswod'r have twenty pounds and just as sr'l (|,ryror.rhe funeral.pcrru\
and hi. firher had borrowedour
since it couldn't do the dead any good. Certainly I should not o1l, / c2rr to fetch the cofno from the city, where, perrus
told krice
it ro him myselt Twenty pounds-or anythingelsewithin reas, r everything.was.nice,,_the cofin waiting
for them,
-retujrn, .9
for that matter I would havespentwithout grudgingit on doct, *d save them from whxt m\rsr nave Deen
"p a rather
or medicinesthat might have helpedthe boy when he wasalive. Or, lnt sigh: ,frer two weeks, interment. (It
had taken all rhat
he was dead,I had no intention ofencouraging Peffus to throq'a\. ,j^:.:lllT -l rheunde(,kerro makethe6nalarrange_
on a gesture, more than he spent to clothe his whole familt jrr l:""bodr.)
the All morning.
the.orfrntayin petni\
].1..*':8
ng the rflp to rhe Iirtlc old buri.rJground. yu.L
our.idc
\(hen I rold him, in the kitchen that night, he said, "Ts(i)l Doundarvot our [arm. rhar wasI reli.
of rhc dry. qhcn
pounds?" E a real farming districr rarher than a fashionable
rural estate.
I said, "Yes, that's right, twenry pounds." Pure chance that I heppened to be down rhere near rhe fence
For a moment, I had the feeling, ftom the look on his face. tl, jf1 l'-.""i:, crmepasr:oncezgainLericehad for8orLcn
her
he was calculating.But when he spokeagain I thought I musr h.' made
rhehou.euninhabiubre
:"j.,-:"Ti:i! onI s,,ud.i
imagined it. I hil -T. homc and beeninfuriared
]:. ro 6"d ;;-;;-;
"\(e must pay twenty Poundsl" he said in the farawayvoicr and,wirhher hai. uncon,bed
,,D(erheni8h,
which a person speaksof something so unattainablethat it doe\ ri l"::l^.11
h:ving:Jl1:".
rhevr nrsh
srraped
off rhcr;"i"g,."_i";,. ;ii.,
bear rhinking about. my number_8ironJndguneoff,o p,r,.i..
"All right, Petrus," I seid, and went back to tbe living roorr :_1."i: ""."
'tach shor5.
rru xnn6*n,.. I had forgortcn abour rhe
ln
The next morning before I went to town, Perrus askedto scc I onrl when_r
.rw ,hc proces.ion
:ll along
-T:T."*. comins
"Please, Bddt," he said, awkwardly handing rne a bundle of n,, I path. the o'rsid€ of rhe f.n.. ro*"rd ,,,., f;";;;;:
They're so seldom on the giving rather than the receiving side. lr can",see,
rhe gravesquiteclearly,and that day
devils, that they don't really know how to hand money to a rl :,:Illg, l"J.
glincedon birsof broken pottery,a lopsidedho_._"d..ro.i
man. There it was, the twenty pounds, in ones and halves, " Llars brown with rainq,arerand deadflowcrs.
creasedand folded until they were soft 25 drrty rags, orhe6 snl,, a lirde awkward,and did not know whetherro
go on hirring
and fairly new-Franz's money,I suppose,and Albert's,and I tall-or scopar leastunril the .whoiegarherirrg
*as dec"r,rli
the cook\, and Jacob the gardener's,and God knows who .l donkeycart creaksand screeches
*i}. .".ry'r.Jr,-J
besides,from all the farms end small holdings round about. I r, ;, and it came along in a slow, halting "'r
fashion somehow
it in iuitation more than in astonishment.really-irritation xr r rly suirrdro rhe(wodonkevswho drcwir. rheirlirrleporbellies
waste,the uselessness of this sacrificeby people so Poor.Jusr lilt( | and rheirheds sunk bemeenrhe shrfrr,and
.rough. rheir
poor everyq'here,I thought, who stint themselvesthe deccnrr. Itcned brck wirh an air submissiveand
downcasr;pecutiarly
life in order to ensurethemselvesrhe decenciesof deatb. So irr',,t loo. ro rhc group of men and women who
came along slowly

208
 -

ilX IItET Ol'TIlll ( t)l N IRY/Nadinc(;drdimer

bchind. l lrt l)lrticnt ass \x/atching' I thought. You cxn seeno\\' $lr\ man himserfcemcor.., to n,e, \\.irb
the creaturt ltcrme a Biblical symbol Then the Pro<ssion dres 1(rrl
:l :l.lt*.:l
:::,_::,::1:.ld
iili:l:"1,:1 ;,,-
,;i, i',"","l",l,llj
with mc rrr,l st,,pped,so I had to Pur dovn ml club- The totlL'
was $kcn (l(,wn offthe crrt it Ies a shin\', vellon'varnisbedrvo'"|
*:'-. ",''"';
li Jjll*l'"':",,'t:i
*ords. was shockrng ;,j..;;;;;
:
e*,.". di"r;1,
like chcxl)JLrtnirure-andthe donkers|wjtchedtheir earsagainsrrlr ts rr. Perfus? ""d \Xrhar: r.rong?,,i appcated
flies. Peuus. |rlrnz, Alberr, end the old fatber flom Rhodesiahoi'r"i rJ,n.rndooqedri, r,.,i,"
{,1e.
ir on thcir sl,(,rrldclsand the Process;onmoved on. on foot ft \'
;:T::-T
'T""::.1:ln.rr-c "';;'"::o, hr.rrri.,l
uprr me."0d.",'. :ii;':'"
reell,r r vcrv :rwkwird moment l stood there rather foolishh ar 1'
fence,quirc v ill, rnd slowlr thcy fi1edpasr' not looking uP, the t'fl' -rd mrnbcrrhng:hqr'.phi'mo,,',
men bent knrlrh dre shinv *'ooden box, and the straggling rr'!'l ,::;l ::"1rTilf
of mournc|s. A|I ofthem \r'ereservantsor neighbors sen'antssh'II *". and rhin.' he saidat last,in rnglish.
,l-t"1, Y"S
I knew as c:rsLrrrl.ca)going gossiPenabouf our iands or k;tchcrr I b:rbbrebroke our. rhc ord man
ttrt:,:..1t1":::. 1nen
everr-bodr-;_
rhundered
heard thc ol.l mxn s breathing his teeth *cre l-ellowed xnd fcv.
and he had one
I had jLrsrl,cnt to pick up ml club againt'hen therenas a "r nustaches
rruroDedocsn\ofrensee
llllljTlill,,,"4 :"*ping
of jar in tlx llowirg solemnity of theit processionalmood: I fcLr'
tjmt:i::;Ir1';r
::::tJli:;l.ll
.Lrl
at once, l;Lc ir wrve of heat along thc rir, or one of chosesud'l'
currents oi ioll tlrching at Your legs in a Placid stream Thc "L
man's voicc wirs mutrering somethingi the P€oPlehad stoPPed "'r
n;Li: :!,"r:,::4:i: ;h.;it
;, ::1.,'.*
iu,ed. .rrrd'l" r I'rrnoed in o onP anorncr.somc Pre\cingto c
iiiil[:.,:j;:::';J;'r*r"a
'r"..
;'r'.0'
,r'";-"
;#:'ffi:
others hissinlt thcm to be still. I could seethat they \r'ereembarrir:!
qev rhat t ,j.i i.rnJ,hc bcsan,u p,,7e.heJ,d
but they corrll not ignore the voice: it was much thc oR rr,e,u,r;nan.l
I-:'\.l ,,,merurs"rd
mumblings of l PfoPhet,though not clear ar lirst, arresrrhe mrrr ,o hcrrhirn I hcnh( .r, doqn
.:: :1. T.el un
The corner ol'rlrr: collin fhe old ftan carriedi'as siggrng ar an :rr1'
he seemcdto bc rrying to get our tiom under the I'eight of ir \' auu^arca, nt
PetruscxPostullrrcd witb h;m *t it over ro them: he s,as
g..J;;;;..'"
".
Thc lirtlc trrt rvho had bcen left to *'atch the donkels drol1 Gndsodid I). andno*.,,r.. roso,
the reins rnJ rrn ro see. I don t knov r4N-unless ir s2s for I 'rrprjr
;1,;:'Y:1",'::::-:llook,
l;lli''"'f :i'' "n'i L'|q o\{lsion;; ; ,; ; ;':'":,
seme re.rso| pcople crowd alound someone who has fainted rrr ,-:n']:e. c ."' "d,p 'n rncoc',gh'u,
cinema-bur I Prrrcd the \"''iresof the fenceand wenr through rl ll;:::11.,'1"'"i:l
l.rrrrncnr r"
ofrhesurprise',,.,r.
rn.rr".p.i"5 ;il':.TliTll
,.teiinrebc,iwhoh"dh.rdrhe,r;"k
Petrus lificcl his eresto me-co an,r'body I'jth disrressand h" " ill'll, l,i;.:::'::i
dos.'..ernosr ;:
...p,,r'*;;,";;; ;.;";:..,:$H:
The old men florr Rhodesia had 1et go of the cofhn enrir| ' .i,,1:lp'r:,"d
rc,A',,s r.p\ r 'n\ d, J I n, ,,u r,,. , ,.*
' "i
rhc thrcc orlrers. unable to supporr it on thcir ovn. had latd L "li,il onc,r, d ere'.ecrbe,o
"lll ll.:l)ll:':'n.rrire
.n' rvirh , *jr. c:-: hea, r)
the grouod, ;n the Pathwxl Alreadi there n'as a film of dusr Llll' trtl,cr Iiglrt-skinn<] "*t't
warering up its sllini sides.I did not undcrstrnd wlut rhc ol(l l
.
'" ' , ' , , r , 1 , , .\ , . ,\ f " $ r. h . ,,,,","-'
,r,. , d, r . or ( . , ,
io inrcrJir( lirr nos' rhc wholesccthingg''
lli l-, hrm
$.assi)inci I hesitz.ed r i , r . \ \ J , r , r t r , rl , l , , , r n r m

2lo
jl
SIX IEET OF THE COUNTRY / N.din. Gordiner
I WIANGLED ll{/ITH T}Ir AUTHoRITIES for a week ov'er that bod\ |
had the feeling that they were shocked, in a laconic fashion, by dr(1l
own mistake, but that in the confusion of their anonymous dc
theywerehelpless to put ir righr. Thevsaidro me, "ve 2rerrvinSr,
find out," and "We are still making inquiries."Ic wes as if 2r xrry
momenttheymight conductme into theit mortuaryandsay,"Thcr,I
Lift up the sheets;look for him your poultry boy'sbrother.Thct
are so many blackfaces-surelyone will do?"
And every evening when I got home, Petrus q'as waiting i'r I
kitchen. "\lre , they're trying. Thev're still looking. The Baar is secir
to it for you, Petrus," I would tell him. "God, half the drne I sh,rr
be in the olice I'm driving around the back end of the rorvn chrstt
after this afair," I added aside.to Ledce, on€ night.
She and Petlus both kePt tbeir evestuned on me as I sPoke rrr
oddly, for rhosemoments they looked etactlY alike, though it sot rr
impossible:my wife. with her high. *hite foreheadand her attenu rt
Englishwoman'sbody, and the poultry bov, a.ith his hornv ba( 1,
below khaki trousers tied at tbe knee vith srring and the Pc(rrll
ranknessof his ne!'voussweat coming lrorn his skin.
"X(hat makes you so indignant, so determined about this lr,'\'
said krice suddenly.
I stared at her. "lt's a matter of principle. \(rhy should thct'
away with a swindie?It\ rime theseofrcials had a jolt from son',,,
who'll borher to take rhe trouble."
She said, "Oh." And as Petrus slon'lv opened the kitchcn
ro leev€,sensingthar the talk had gone beyond him, she rurned r
I continuedto Passon assurencesto Petruseveryevenlng
elrhoush what I said was the sameand the voicein which I
it was the same,every evening it soundedweaker.At last. ir lr., I
clear that we would never ger PetruJs brother back. becausen,,1"
realiy knew where he was- Somewherein 2 greve)ard as unif,trrl
a housing scheme,somewbereunder a number rbat didn't lul,
to him, or in the medicalschool,perhaps,leboriouslvreducedt,, Ir
of muscle and srrings of n€rve1Cioodnessknovs. He hrd no i,i, ',t
in this world anlway.
212
onlv then, and in a voice of shame. rhar Petrus askedme
and ger the money back.
rhe way he asks,rou'd rhink he was robbing his dead
," I said to I€rice later. But xs I've said, Lerice had got so
about this businessthar she couldn't even appreciarea lirrle
slrrile-
to ger the money; Lerice rried. \(e both relephonedand
and argued,but norhing came of it. Ic appearedihat the main
had been the underraker,and afrer all he had done his iob.
whole thing was a complete waste,even more of a waste for
devils rhan I had thought it would be.
old man from Rhodesia sas abour Lerice's father's size. so
him one of her father's old suits, and he went back home
bctter ojf, for the vinrer, than he had come.
BOARDING HOUSE
MooNEy was a butcher\ daughter. She was a woman who
re able to keep things ro herseli a determincd woman. She
ied her father's foreman and openeda buccher'sshop near
Gardens-But assoon as his father,in,lawwas deadMr. Moonev
to go ro rhe devil. He dr,nk. plundercdrhe rill. rrn hcadlong
t. It was no use making him take the pledge: he was sure
out again a few davsafter.Bv fghring his wife in the presence
and by buying bad meat he ruined his business.
One
hc wenr for his wife n'irh the cleaverand she had to sleepin
that thcv livcd apart. She wenr ro the pfiest and got a
'f tlE BoARDING HOUSE/JancsJorc

would give hittt

seDarationfrom him with care of the children she insLrpwzd.
r'l whenshespoke
wirh
;;,h..;"..t nor food nor house room; and so he was obliged s1:} T1,1n",b:,,r,rran.
-*" her rook irl
shabbYstooPed lirrlr ;]1.: rirlc pervc,,em:donn:.
.nii", tti.t.fi as a sheriff's man- He was a Mn
and white e-vebror''
'o bea llpi.rrn
,n r
I (orn
(orn r.]\ro,
dmnkard with a white faceand a wbite mustache ,l',1
but, a. l'j,.T_.1.,1-rllrhtc,
r disrepurabre
,n:;;. ;;;Jt'"
rr\to, .!
p.'.ii.a rU*. his little eYes, srhichwerepink-veined
.,tt aa t"ng he $r i'l rhe brilill'< room s'iring
ro b'
^1
:']'.:'lll
PUton I "r' Jl,"-:f;:;:i:q::
di1sti"il;J ; .,i.,..;i:fi
r,"-.,s"i, ':;:,;:::
Lt*. ilooi.y, who hadtakenwhat r€mained 'l n:' '^'' 'u l'jjl l1 ", ;";; ii,lJlJi"11$'ii
T"i? S'r'1 intenrion
sa. ro si\e hethc run
the butcher businessand set up a boarding house
in Hardwicl( ,,T:"".L 1:l:,, :* or
was a big imposing woman Her house

o',rLrc'tro thc mu.ic hall' lrs

had

rcsident
a floating
,p., ,Jrti.,' rro"mLiuerpooland rhe lde of Man
PoPulationm r'
and octas'ur''l
popularrun w's m'dr "
:*ljli:::l;i:
:.#*j" ;f:1,
ff *::*i*#
and firrrrl
of clerksfrom the city. Shegovernedher housecunningl,v rong rimcand',. ^,";;;; ;.;,;
knew when to give credit, when to be stem and -flx
when to let drttt ;,".?,j:i:3, ;l;;;
Madart h-.h. no,,.- rh,,
' r r a .umf,hin8
r
\ o mr(h'!n8
or"'. ^U 'ft. r.Ii,l.n, roung men spoke
of het as
qeek
;g o;,;:,?::J;:,iTli,,8-"
n betweene . t t 1- a . " ' . . r ,ui "i\!u
r r . , " ruJnS
'hrllingsa f"r l' ' "'L men she w'r'hed
Mr.. Moonev. i"""g rrl;" paid6trrcn and kcpr her ..";..,'
They shcr' I "-,.
and lodsrnet tbeer o 'rot'r ar drnntr e*'ludcdt *,.,s.i"g *,,.r.a. bur
reasonrhev we't ' ,-:::^,1,, ":: srilrher morher.s
.orn.oi 'i,.r rna occuP;tionsrnd ror thi' be,misunde,.rood
one another I I nerc hrd berr
befr n'
chummy with one another' They discussedwitb ;:iT". ;.::11-:",
compliciry berwcen..,h., "ic'c n'o no
Madam's ' ,"J-;;;;;,
chancesof favorites and outsiders Jack Moonev' tbe
who was clerk to a commissionagent in Fleet Street'
had the Ielnrr ;:T';i:::-.1,':'j-,;;;;;Hdjil;li-:?:1.:l,-:;
s. Moone, did nor in,c*ene. p"li.il:-" !d'a u' 'ne dfl,,r.

tion of being a hard case He was fond of us;ng soldiers'obscenll

\7hen he met hh fLi(' l' ;';;;;;' -:?d::t':?''"
l*: #"'::-:l',' j.l l;:i:
usuatly he cime home in the srnall hours
he hai alwavs a good one to tell them and he was
be on to a good thing-that is to say,a likell' hotse
or
always surr
a likelJ^r/'/
;;
*ijiii,iirif__^*
.l* {ffiti
this.cascshe h,d madc
;p h;; ,nil
'"
""'
qcrr<w'th medr.

h"ndy *ith the mits and sangcomicsongr on Suru

:8^:lT'r''ummc,
He *as
I i illti'r1.".':'",::l: p'o'n,v.,s
he,r,
:**i t*l*i:"ir't:+:r;;
"hI ftont dn\
nighrs there$ould ofren be a reunion in NIrs MooneY's
..-r-. The ff\ns;.'h^Il arti er would oblige: and Sheridan
waltzesand polkas and vamPedaccomPanimens Polly
Moonct
plt
;;;;;i",,f
1iii:
bcnearh
rhe*',"a
",,n.,.,,"'i#i?'::
t-"' towrrds
the
Madam's daught€r, would also sing' She sang:
lli'lll
f';;:' ::;:i;'";;'d":T";1il:
tc cirrusbelore,r,. .1,,.r,, ili.;':l B'uuP\.rraversed
,,iljlj:::;::,_": ,**?;,;r",'
,;:i,i;:iJ,'ff,:
t'na...nagbt)gi'l
Yat needn'trham: ' ".";,J;,
J'il1;,,?':13:::n: il:::T' T:ff;:
;:,':;;
Yaakflzu I am
*m*
lofe885wi.h ."'*,' t 0,.* o,'r.lo-"oon
whi'h l'u uello-
Polly was a slim girl of nineteen; she had lighr
small iult mo'th Her cfes, $'hith wcrc gra,r sith I
soft hait ttr
sbxde ol II lLIl: Uill
rhinss.
shc
.",
madc
;;;;.;;:,T;il,,il1,';T,::;:
trrrrv
cor..a,;;;;";ff."..:?il:_:;

l4
 -----T
THE BoARDING HoUsE / Jmcsjorcc

bread to help to make Tuesday'sbreedpudding. when the table sn like rhe others.lf ir had beenMr
cleared,the btoken bread collected,rhe sugar and butter safeundcr Sheridrnor Mr Merdf
Lyons.her resk would ha,e becn
luck rrd kcv..be beganro rc,onsrruc(rhe inrcrvicwwhich she 'rl much harder.She did
nk he.wouJd-hce publi.irr. AU rhe lodgersrn the hou.e
had th€ night before with Polly. Things were as she had suspectc,l 'H-:r" kneq
she had been frank in her questionsand PoIIv had been frank in hrt
hrdbeen
invJredb1.omcae.rde.,
5,1u1,:,,0.,:'.
becnemployed (hrrecn \ ea,-,; ;
answers.Both had been somewhata**ward, of course.She had btrrt .for ;;;' #:,,. ;;::
made awkward bv her not wishins to receivethe news in too crvili( yould me,n for hrm. perhap,.the tos.
i. .?I:.-]10..p:bI.',r
il hergrccd
a fashion or to seem to have connived and Pollt had been m:r, i:1, yi.,*" a| .rgh,u.*.,r.i[. i"ii,ii;,1';
I s:xarytor onc thing;nd she,uspe.red
awkward not merely becauseallusions of thac kind alwzvsmade I t-e had a bir ofsr:ff
awkward but also becauseshe did not wish it ro be thought tl y the helf houri She ,rood up
in her wise innocence she had divined the intention behind I rnd survcled ner\etrin rhe
s. Thc,dccisiwexpressionot her grcarllofld ra,e,r(i.fiedheL
mother's tolerance. thought of somemorh".. ,t. __--..
Mrs. Mooney glanced insrinctir.ely at the litde gilt clock on tl U,!* *no
..,,_ .ourd
, nor ger their
s of their hands.
m;nrelpiece ic coon,r. .he had becomeasare throughher rc!rn l Doran *as ve.r anxious indeed rhis
the bells o{ George'sChurch had stoPPedringing. l. *'as sevenr( . Sundal_morning. He had
minures Dxst eleven:she would have lots of time to have rhe lnrrrl
tut.hishandhadban sounsteady
rhat
li.*:If:j:-.l,":
rodesist.
rhree
our with Mr. Doran and then catch sborc rwelve ai Marlboro! a,y,*alr,t's.,J'ffiaill
:T-_T1r:othJeeminutes.
Street.She was sure sbe would n'in. To begin wirh she had all rl a mist gatheredon his"glasses
l,:::, T"-::
,*:,,n:.
weight of social opinion on her side: sbe was an outraged morl,i
otr:ndporrsh
ihem_,,; ,;'p"*.;:
I-1,1,,: or his confercion
She had allo*ed him to live beneathher roof, assumingthat be :lll,.^ j l:.1.,.""*,." of rhe njght before
a man of honor, and he had simply abusedher hospitalitv. Hc
rhirty-four or thiftr'five vears of age, so that youth could nol ;;;r;;*i,;* t#'.,i#.J;r
ir;iT::n
n..lj,"jl*, th:nku..ar
b.r"8
pleaded as his €xcusel nor could ignorance b€ his excusesin(f "tr;J, f;;;";,:,
yn,,courdhcdo now
was a man who had seen something of the rvorid. He had sirr : :::,.111 l-1,:*" builnarrl
H: could noc brazenit out. The ,tr1,;;dd;:
taken edvanoge of Polly's vouth and inexPerience;that was e!i(l( T" ":"yi
ralked of and hk employer would
The question was: \yhat reperation would he make? .bc be certain to hear of
inis zucha smallt irv:eu"ryo,,"
kno*, .uenoneer\e..bu,ires,.
There must be reparationmadein suchcases.It is all verl
t p warmh in hi: rhroarashc hc,rdjn
for rhe man: he cango his waysasif nothing had happcned,hrr l:-hcrr,r hrscr.jred
rronard cafling ;, i;, .,.p,rg vottce:
had his momentofpleasure,but the gili hasto bcarthe brunt sl ::',:fo Y. "* Snd
mothers would be content to Patch uP such an affarr for a surrl
of serlicegonefor nothins!Al1 his
money; she had known casesof it. But she qould not do s,' il:^t::ti*.
th:owj' aq,all As a young man
indusrry
her only one reparationcould make up for rbe loss of her daugl,tr :t8:lce he had sown hn wild
.::: n"1 borsredor his r,ec-hink,n8
honor: marriage. ,h. and ceniedrhe
'. his <ompznrons rn pubti. hou,cs.
She countedall her cardsagainbeforesendingMarv up t,' ,.1 :.1 Bur rhafq.,
'J:j"*:. with - nearrru. ,,;u io"gn, ,
Dorm's room to sav rhat shc wishedro sperk \r'i$ him. slr 1,::'p3:r e\cr!,\teckbut hc rrrenced
.opy o,
sureshewould win. He was n scriousyoungman. nor Llkr to hr retigiousju,ie.
nine-rend,s
of rbeycarlived, *r",", i,i..""."i"j .'i,'i'i

2t6
1H! BOARDIN(;Housl / J,rcsJoI.e
enough to settle down on; it s'as not thac Bur the family woul'l
look down on her. First of al1 rherc $'as her disrePutablefather an'l
then her mother\ boarding housewasbeginning to get a certainfanr
He had a notion that he was being had. He could imagine his frien'l'
talking of the affair and laughing. She raara little vulgar; sometint'
she sald I seenand If I had* knoww But what would grammar nlrtt
ter if he really loved her? He could not make uP hjs mind whrtllfl
to like her or despiseher for what she had done Of course,he hrl
done ir too. His insrinct urged him to remain free' not to m?rrl
once you are married lou are done for' it said'
While he was sitting helplesslyon the side of rbe bed in slrlt
and trousersshe rappedlightly at his door and entered She told hrrl
all, that sbe had made a clean breast of it to her mother and rhrl
her motherwould speakwith him that morning-Shecriedand dr"
her armsround his neck,saying:
-O Bobl Bob! What am I to do? \ghat am I to do at all7
She would put an end to herse.lf,she said. He comforced lu
feebly, telling her not to cry, that it would be all right, nevo lt tt
He felt against his shjrt the agitation o{ her bosom'
It was not altogerherhis fault that it had happened-He rememb(|
well, with the curious patient memory of the celibate.the firsr c:t''
caresses her dress,her breath, her Fngers had given him Then I
one nighr as be *as undressingfor bed she had tapped at his 'i'"
timidlv. She s.anted to relight ber candle ar his for hers had 1(
blown out by a gust. lt was her bath night. She wore a loose '1
combing jacket of printed flannel. Her white instcp shone in tl
opening of her furry sliPPersand the blood glowcd warmly btl"r
'
ber pc'frrn.d skin. from her handcand wrisn roo a' she lr'
sreadiedher cendle a faint perfume alos€.
q'ho s'arnnll
On nights s'hen he came in very late ir s2s she
his dinner. He scarcelyknew {hat he was eating, feeling her h' I
him alone, at night, in the sleePinghouse-And her thoughtfrrl'
If the night was anyway cold or *'et or I'indy there was sur( I'r
a little tumbler of punch rerdy for him. Perhapsthey could bc l'''1
together. .
They usedto go upstairsrogcrhcron tiPtoe'cich wirh I (rri
2||]
on rhe third landing exchangereluctant good-nights. They used
He rememberedwell her eyes. the touch of her hand and
:lirium._.. . But deliriumpasses.
He echoedher phrase.applying
himself: Wbat am I to do? 'fhe insrinct of the ce[bare warned
ro hold back. But .he sin wes there; even his senseof honor
him tbar repararionmusa be made for such a sin_
ile he $'as sit.ing wich her on rhe side of ihe bed Marv came
door and.rid rhar rhe mi.su: wan,edro seeh.m in rhc parlor.
iood up co pur on his coar and waistcorc, more helplessthan
Vhen he was dressedhe went over to her to comfort her. Ir
be all righr, never fear. He left her crying on the bed and
sof{y: O n1 God!
ing down the stairshis glassesbecameso dimmed with moisture
had to take them of and polish them. He longed to ascend
the roof and fly away to xnother counrry where he would
hcar again ofhis rrouble,and 1et a force pushedhim downstairs
step.The implacablefacesof his employerand of the Madam
upon his discomfiture- On the last flighr of stairs he passed
who wascomingup from the pantrynursingtwo botcles
They saluted coldly; and the lover,seyesresredfor a second
on a rhick bulldog face and a peir of rhick shorr arms. \X/hen
I the foot of rhe smircasehe glanced up and saw
Jack
him from rhe door of the return room.
ly he rememberedrhe nighr when one of the music_hall
, a little blond Loodoner, had made a rather free allusion to
The reunion had been almost broken up on account ofJack,s
Everyonerried to quiet him. The music-h^ll atrirte, ^ ljctle
usual, kepr smiling and saying that there was no harm
but Jack kept shouting at him that if any fellow .ried thet
r game on with ,ri sisrerhed bloody well put his reeth down
E^r for a litrle rime on the side of rhe bed, crving_Then she
tcr eyesand venr ove. ro the looking glass.She dipped the
thc towcl in rhe watcr jug and refreshedhe. *ith th.
"ves
rcr. Sl,( l,'^k(d ar her,elrin prorrtean.l .erdiu.,ed a nrirprn
.'t,
TllE BRUIE/JosPhconod

sat at llr
above her err. Then she went back to the bed again and so loudly thar the concludingwordsbecamequite plain in
thcrtt
foot. She regardedthe Pillows for a long time and the sight of arroclfy.
She rested the nul{
awakenedin'her mind secretamiable memories fellow lTilmor fairly dasbedher brainsout, and r good job,
reverl Th(1l
of her neck againsttbe cool iron bed rail and feII into a
was no longer any Perturbation visible on her face' I opened the parlor door the srme voice went on rn the
lxl same
She waited on patiefltly, almost cheerfully, without alarm Straln:
visions of the fum'r
memoriesgradua ; giving place to hopes and glad vrlren I heard she gor the knock from somebodyar
Il
Her hopes and visions were so intricate that she no longer sas enoughfor poor r$Tilmot,rhough.That man and I used
or remembered that 'l
white pillows on which her gaze was fixed chums at one cime. Of course rhat $,as rhe end of him.
A
Sl
r". -"i,ing fot anything At last she heard her mother calJing if there ever was one. No way out of ir. None at all_,,
'i
started to her feet and ran to the banisters' voice belonged to the grndeman Miss Blank had never
seen
-Pollyl Polly! He straddledhis long legson the hearrhrug. i
Jermyn,leaning
-Yes, mammal , held his pocker-handkerchiefspreadout beforethe grate.tli
-Come down, dear' Mr. DoIan vrants to sPeak to you' dismattyover his shoutder,and as I stippedbelind one
.back
Then she remembered what she had been waiting for' little woodentables,I noddedto him_On the other side
of
I sar I{r. Storor, jammed right into a capacious$findsor
ir. There wes nothing small about him but his short,
white
iskers,A man'shandbagof rhe usualsizelookedlike a childt
the floor ne2r his feet.
THE BRUTE not nod to him. He s/as too big to be nodded ro in
that
JOSEPI]CONRAD/GFEATBRTAIN He was a senior Trinit,v pilot and condescended to rake
his
the curter only during che summer monrhs. Besides,it,s
no
drng ro a monumenr. And he was like one. He didn,t
soeak

1qr.@-a
t budge. He jusr vr rhere.holding hi. handsomeotd
hcad
ovable, and almost bigger than liie. It was extrehely hne.
or's presencereduced poor old
a sm;l( Jermyn to a mere shabby wisp
Dooor*o IN from the rain'swePtstreet,I exchanged and made rhe talkarivestr.rngerin twced,or rhe hcrahfug
er( l' rrl
a slancewith Miss Blank in the bar of the Three Crows This 'dJyboyish."l wrs
Slrd or i(.. rhi, man repearcd.emphari-
r|'rll
-is effe.ted with extreme propriety. It is a shock to think ou may be surprhed, but then you havent gone chrough
Ho\ li
still alive, Miss Blank must be something over sixty novr' uence I've had ofher I can tell you, it was something
io
v. Of.oursc. I gor otl 5q6r-1s6rnr,clt -.r. rou (an
r'rr" I 5ee."She
N o , i , i n g m y g a z cd i r c t t e da u h c P ' r r i r r o no f g l a s r n d Drrr ro-brcrk up mr pluck for me rhough. She
iolly near
wood, Misi Blank was good €nough ro say, encouragingly: 6ne a fellow as ever lived into a madhoise. rVhat
do you
the parlor with rttr"t
"Only Mr' Jermyn and Mr' Stonor in rr-eh?"
sentiemen I've never seen before" rn eyelid rwitched in Mr. Sronof,senormousface.Monumen_
I moved towards thc parlor door' A voice discoursingon lI' "l speakcrlooked straighr into my eyes.

220 2lr rL^"l/

THB BRL:'Ilr / j! r n' (nnrad

-'lr
rs(tl ro makeme sick to thjnk of hcr going about the sorl'l
murcicrirrgpeople."
.|cmryrr hcld the b,rndkerchiei
a litdc nearer ro the grate :rr!l *,j,ri:: Lxt;;:;;13;*,,,.,::x,,::
::#*li:
n e a r r r .oruer,r d , . " ' , , , ; r .
;", ;.1',)l-.1
..,,-,."
groanc,l. Ir was simPh a habir he had
'Shc |rr,l r house,"he declared"A greet big, ugh. q'hire thrrrr
j;::
i,';; T:;:,.":,i jI;:T;il1,Tj;:
-;'',;;'::;:'r:
,rr.h rhc crcvcn,n;;
-" rr rhc door. if Mr
^:1"':d "
You crrrl,l scc it fiom miles ava!-sticking uP " ";"
''So
v,,u tould." assentedthe other rerdil\' "lf was old Colchcsr''
; ;":jT,.:H.iil,.,fl",.li^ll,lo,ro:il.rndbe8,n
Lo
nofio . rhough he \{'as2lwars rhreeteningto give her up He cou)'l|
stand l(1 rlrcker anymore. I daresal he *ould have chucked 1"
on11 ir m:ry surPrise)ou-his missusIo'rldn't heaf of it Furirrr
eh? Rrrr wirh women,you teler kno$'horv tber will mke a llrrri
;irffili+#:fri+**i
'nl;*'*,*.' , d":,,;;;,;:;1 "$i
::lrJ<c,'rp'isonhs
'nd '" 'r'rkeeffo,'
:*';;;.,J?il:.,I;::-,][Ti"j.l:,:
xnd Nfrs. (i)lcbcster, with her mustachesand big evebrows,scl
for beln.qrrssnong minded as they make them. You should haveh' '
her sneppingout:
'Rubbishl'or'Stuffand nonsensell daresr\ | Are,ou
;ilj:i;;l il.T:,ff"I,;t1,,".i:. r s,ri
or?
l1J':[ ]*:fffi:,
knew rvhcn she was well off Thel had no children. rnd had f{'
set up x h(tnc rnywhere \X/hen in England she just made shill
hang out lrnyhow in some cheap hotel or boardinghouse l drr'
she likcd to ucr back to the comforts she $'as used to She krn
I you came in.,
harshib)'r "rnever
*j ru:;:; F
'_'_' '"1
""tp we were speaking

'ti, he,rd
""L-J
very well shc couldn't gaill b,v anr change Anyhow, for one l
( illi'i;,.i::i:':ti" vo
''' o*r-vr' hr :J:::':l;ji:,:
o rnothcr, ir w'.rs
'Rubbish' and 'Stuff and nons€nse'for rhe |,
lady. I ovcrlrc,rrdonce young Mr' Apse himself say ro her conlrll
tially:'l rss|lrcyou, lUrs. Colchesler,I rm beginningto fecl '1"
iLrrerr

"1,.!!'
ro, v. i.".,' l' ,
:i;.::^j,
j :i:
! 1,{n:
rr.
q*:
i
ir, *lt *i.f{
unhappr about tbe name she'sgetring for herself'
'Oh.' savsshc r i,,:, ";,, "),'"Iii i,!"11
.!ii:lii
\isrer,,".,, .",;

;lil:ii,l,.ii:;:,';;; ;. ;:';J,::jl#.i[]:
'jf one took norice of ali the silll rr .,...:::1 ,brocher.
her decp litrlc hoarselaugh,

ilj:"iii.;,.y:,:r:$ilj:iTi#
'It *-oul(l I
anC shc shorvcdAPseall het uglr filse teerh :rt once
more than thit () make me lose mv conEdencein her, I assur(I
tr'Lsr onc. n. -",;",ii:,l.l"li"tns 'pprian.c.in rncm
sa)sshe."
At this point, withour any changeof facial exPression,Mf Sr' o"t-,r.. ".,"f. .i,),i,,,:ii.it,",,!".74 qr. robr rikq
"..

ii**i_:llr,,:fr
ntordble. ''''t. still morcroom)
emitted a short, sardoniclaugh lt Eas very imPressire'bur I 'li

:'*h:,
l bcrir\e.n", -.,","1-""1i'
see the fun. I looked from one to another- The stranger ot'
hearthlug had an ugly smile.
ff:
m ;:tgi
"And Nfr. Apse shook both Mrs Colchester'shrnds, he s '
pleasedto hear a good word said for their favorite All thest l
young and old you knorv, *'ere pcrfecdvinfatuatedwirh thar nl'
r;l il:iiiii,,'r
illlllil,:;:,ljl ," il1r;r;jj+":Lrr
il.li;,'';;;' I: ,;.::;il'J;
l"^'i,.;;::
able. dangerous-"
l:;" ;;;:li1 i.::,,,T;;'ill:',""';f
;' ;,:i:,:1,),1. .ff
" l b c g y o u r p r r d o n . " I i n l o l r r l ' r c ( ll i r h r s c t m e dt o b e e c l i'l i::
!t2
TH! BRUT!,/JorPh Conird

*f ,n..l*, .vit minded.

"The fuss that was made while that ship was buildingl kt's hlt l-',j-:.
I, wefll
underhanded.
sarase
brure
afloar. I.ve seen
rhis a little stronger, and that a little hervier; and badnt that othr her run in , hF',
thing beccerbe changedfor something a little thicker' The buiklcl 1n.,:1":.,:: ; .#,,.1n
:il1,r";;,
r,.r,",^"" .,"*Tl1[:,1
r.l"'"i.:,i.rXTijl,,jil,"il;
enteied into the sPirit o{ the game, and there sbe was, growing
their
nt
erc
.,,'*:,:n::-r,r,.k ji him.-she
the clumsiesi, heaviestship of her size right before ail
.":l]:: H:lT-: had2norher rryeboLrrhree
0| rcrwards. She,swampedh.r..ff f.r. r"a rfr.irr.,i
without anybodybecoming awareof it somehow-She was to be : ffi::JJ::
tons register,or a liftle over; no lesson eny account-But when llr inr:, plii.. andilen rrightcned
t*':b.,;'i;i
I,;l.jlijl-tl1 Mrs.
came to measureher she turned our 1'999 tons and a ftaction l l l,o&);j1::l: e_
;;' ;;';:'il:TT:
say old Mr. APse was so annoyedwben the,\'told him that he n' cJew
rher:w,sur man
mdnrni\sinA.
rni\si ns
:i"],;::,Tl:.,:.,.,j,lf
overboard. of course. *;,1.", u"_ a,i. "'uIr(
to his bed and died. The old Sentleman\tas ninetY'six Yetrrsoirl 'ecnorhe']rd
poor
a d;y, 'o hi. dcarh qa'ni. PcrhrPs.'o surpi'ing 5ttll i\lr' I 11_',:''.1*1* ...; ;;;;;"";;;:
nJlc r}llr. AtwaF.yo.r rourd
A o . i - r ' . o n ' i r c e d I h . r Lh r s l l ( h c r s o u l d h a ' c l i ' e d r o a h u r 'I ' lTl Ik. neverbeccrtain
r uohresrprovotation
SJ ll" -ry p.,t the old man at the head of the list- Next come'

;:
lJ:,""::: ":,lT shewourdr(err
puor dnii of a shiP$right rhar brure cauShL'no sqt'a'hedI
renr off rhe qa.,. Thet calledir a .hip hunching bur l re I
peoplesr') fhrr. from rhe railing "nd ielling and scr2mbUng.'
I:*T*:L:
f :nf:;:, iti"" ;*:
w;
;'";"';;f
:'.1;-.:',"
:r,;::::,i'
iil':ffJ,i.'l
i t e - v l r y . ; r * " . n o r e L ' k cl e r r i n ga d c r i l l o o ' e u p o n t h c t i t t t rhe porrswhereshe -,,
and went lor the tuA\ ;;;;::"" -.--
snappedatl her checkslike Packthrcad,
couid seev"hat she $rr\ ;'il":[l','l;,,'H.il;'*:
Hi,",:^:i:::::*:
F;;
attindancelike a fun. Beforeanybod,r'
to she s€nr one of them to the boaom. and laid uP another for
monthj rePairs.One of her cablesparted, and then' suddenh _
rlr
",T ""'":1*;*"]
11ii:::i'*;:ili'" il{}
couldnl tell n'h)-she let herself be broughr uP with the orl)
quier as a lamb.
"Thlls how she was. You could never be sure what she r'
n",.*il,tyill
::,il',fil1 "ff:t#
i"::#a,.":
rt hurr herserf-ju"t a f;,.*;il.*;: * 'Sarn And shc

be uo to next. There are ships dificult to handle, bur genetxll\ lH:.^* ;:T:.::::;#'I"fi
::,:ti.::;.
wirh. And as.fr. hgr" lf
.^
__'r.*rrg
,li.J
enough ro ram
.^.r l.p.rtd on them behavi;g rationallY with l}d shiP, shl{ .".h.
you did with het you neverkren' how it would end She*'as a I I
beast.Or, PerhaPs,sbe was only just insane"
:ly;*r*:fl
,.;
8", rlj:i::i
3"_.1"*: ";;.J
;.1,.",,1,i;j;",i:
;;;;';;T:1"idT::j;
:a Srnerarr-on,ajj $ese
He uttered this supposition in so eatnesta tone that I coll'l Apses; rhev *^,,
refrain from smiling He teft of,biring his loe-er lip ro apostt" llrtr;ns -,,; ; ; n:; ;:;r:ili1^:: j:::.']:"
1ro1q

itT;::'":::,,t
l*:jjr;_[-:# ti;[;ri:ri,ll
I
"Ehl \(hv not? Why couldn't rhere be somerhing in llcr
in her lines correspondingto-mrdness \ghy shou)dn\ thLr' rssureyo'. m).dearsir. rhrr ' ""'" ',,, .r'.
(
mad ship-I mean mad in a shiplike *'av. so th?t under no rr' rageshe m.rde ', -,.
shci"",.,""i did kirr .omeone
stancesiould you be sure she would do what any other scnsil)l' ;n;,;,
,... ;:;ii:aotl
h(,.-hnown.
,
r rnd widc .. S h cg o r I n a m e
would naturally do fbr you Shc wtts un,tccountNblc lf sl)( "

l)4
22t
THI BRL{!/JotPh co.Bd

my surPrisethat e shiPwith sucha deadll rcPurel n,* - .Are you au right?,he

I exPressed :1.:u _"i*:d 'euire says,
hardzr me.'Yes.Frrhcr. yes.
sure?. .V;ll.
could ever get a crew Frrhe,..
"Then, you don\ krow what sailorsare'mv dearsir' Recklessn 'vc
, my boy-' He told me afterwards rhat for half a word
have carried me off home with him there and then.
The veDity of boasting in the evening to all rheir chums: I am
just shipp€d in that rhere Apre FdnilJ Blow her- She ain t.goinl ofthe family, you know,', he addedwith arrrngenr:ous
smrre.
l rhis incerestingcommunicadon by a sympathetic
scareus.iSheet sa;lorlikePeNersityl A sort of curiosity Well-a
. He waved his hand carelessly.
of all that, no doubr' But I tell you what; there was a sorl
mrght hzve utredy spoiled a chap,s nerve for
fascinationabout rhe brute " going alofr,
to have se€nevery shiP in the world, br' v-uttedy. Howrver, thar wasn,t yet the
Jermvn, who seemed worst rhea brute
could do. lsened rn hcr rhreeyear\ofm) rmc..rnd
in sulkily: rhen
uPflver;a N asterred 6 the L E Apre, for a year. To me who
"I sawher onceout of this very windo'ir towmg had known
but the Apre Famil!, the L//q was like a sort of
black ugly thing, going along like a big hearse" magic craft
sardrhc what you wanted her ro do of her own accord
"so-1tli"g iirrGterabo.,ther looks'*'asn\ there?"
q'e "l el I fnishfd mv lan yfl or app,enri(cship
in tweeds,loo'kingdown at old Jermynwith a friendly in rhjr iolly lirfte
wlx then ,usr as T wrs rhrnlcng or ha\ing (hreeweek.
had a sorr of hoiror of her' She gave me a beasrh shock o[ reJ
on shore I got:r brcakf:.rr lette, a.k;ng mc rhc
was no more than fourteen, tbe very first day-nay' hour-l J' earlierr
I t)€ leady ro ioin the Apn Fanih as rh,rd
her. Fether cxme uP to seeme of, and was to go down to Gn\(' mrre. I ga\e
alr' lc a shove rhrr shor i( inro the middle of thc rable;"Dad
with us. I was his secondboy cogotosea Mv big brocherwas
jn uP over his peper; Mother raisedher hands in astonishmenr,
an ofiicer then. Ve got on board about eleven the mornin!
t out bareheadedinro our bit of garden,whereI walked
found the ship ready to drop out of the basin, stern first- Shc
round tor an hour_
not moved thre€ cimesher own length when, at a little Plurk
1 I came in egain Morher qrasout of the dining
tus gave her to enter the doclcgates,sbe made one of her ramp room, and
si\ shifted berth inro his big armchair.The letrcr was
stit"s, r"a p"t such a weight on the check roPe-a ne$' ryrng on
ease rt rorl lclpiece.
hewser-that forward there they had no 'hance to
rrr vcry-creditableto you to ger cheoffer, and very kind of
rime, and it Parted.I saw the broken end fly up high in the chem
against the P( l it,' he said. 'And I seealso thar Charleshasbeen appointed
rhe no.t moment that bNte brought her quarter
didr'l of rhat ship for one voyage.'
with a jar that staggeredevervbodyabout her decks She
had sent il.l I was, overleaf, a pS_ ro thar effect in Mr. Apse\
bersell Not shel But one of the boys th€ mat€ own
'L I had overtooked. Chartey was my big brother.
the mizzen to do something, came down on the poop 1,19,,.:hich
't like
than ttt very much ro have two of my boys rogectrer
rhumD-risht in front of me He was not much older in one
we t'ad bJen grl.tttittg at each other only a few minutes befrrr
nor mind wriringMr. Ap.e a lerrerro rha(efiecr_.
mu5(ha\c beenhandLnghim'el' .areleslv nor c:'pe'ring to ''"
a high treble xs he felt lrr old Dadl He wasa wonderfulfarher.\Zhat would
a jerk. I heardhis startledcry-Oh!-in you have
I ha merc norioo.ofgoing brck lznd as an offcer.
going, and looked uP io time to see him go limp He fell roo2. to
(,rck,n8lri' I'erJon e mooringbrrr'Netc ' td and borbe'ed.and kept on rhe iump nighr and
i". J..' .f-". da1 by
Ill !c, made me feel sick. But she wasn't a ship you could
Stone dead.Oughl Poor Farhcr wrs rcmarkablywhire ebour afford

227
'tH!
BRUTE/JosPh Co!@d

to fight shy ol Besides,the most genuine excusecould not b€ giltii *. he wasa bir :bore hirn,elfwirh
without mortally otrending Apse & Sons This was the case fir ...t"*:ld
I t,bebecause high .prrir,.
of m) (oming,Nor ro rharextenr
answering 'Ready now' from your very deathbed if you wished t" Bur ir wls
a d,1 o, ,*-oane,-,,o..*,,"n r herrd
die in theit good graces.And that's preciselywhat I did answer-l't #:,f]:'::":*n
'T-€ge Col.hes,erwrscomingfor rhevoyage. rhar
Uncten r. gir ing
wire, to have it over and done with at once. see ttlp tor the benefit of her healrh
"The prosPectof being shiPmateswith mv big brother cheerr'l q,hl coutdhareb.." ;;."s
t -i::- cotor. wirhherherlrh.she
me up considerably,though it made me a bit anxious, too Ever srr'i and a deute of a lor oJ farr hair.
She didn.r
I remember myself as a little chaP he had been verv good ro nr _Deallntul
np for wind. or rain, or .prry, o,
'_l'r
.,:1 ,,,ir;; , 'ff
,"".
;::'":"i j?ji,lf,
n;
and I looked uPon him as the 6nes. fellow in the world. And "
he was. No better oficer ever walked the decL of a merchant s|l 31^T:-11"f-,n.:,*.d
i"u, il
to frighten
".
il
me., ;;.;;.;:j';;
He was a 6ne, strong, upstanding,suntanned,young fellow, wirh lr rn an
.. _...
avtul-,,:row.
*., However,
ruwcvcr.norhing
nornrngdecr.ive
; decisive happened
hrppencddil
riUjf{er
xfrer
brown hair curling a little, and an eye like a hawk. He was ; in.Sydncy.rocd week. On;
da). in
't'*". rhc men s djnner
splendid. we hadn\ seen each other for many yerrs' and even rlr Tn
Chadg,stick his headinto ^y ."bin.
srrerched
our on
time, rhough he had beer in England tbree weeksalready,he hr'lrr Ck on the settee,smoking in peace,
shovredup at home yet, but had spent his sPar€time in Surrr wirh me.Ned..he,ay".
t
old CaptainColchest' f::-Tf:" in hr. curr*ay.
makinguP to MaggieColchester,
somev/here
niec€. Her father. a ereat friend of Dad's, was in the sugar_brokll 1"15"""X;.i..:,-.::t,ld :*"',{", himdownthegangwry
o:::g:,i'.: He,rrode :long uk., ;;
business,and Charley made a sott of second home of their ho'r sr,;, r ;;;,-"..iil;
. rr was,(onfoundedlyhor. .Wherc on carrh are you
I wondered what my big brother would think of me' rushing
Lharley? t made bold ro ask.
"He receivedme vrith a great shout of laughter. He seemc'l
' he says.
'I
think my joining as an ofrcer the greatescjoke in the world l' a iemlefs shop. I couldnt imagine
whar he could
was a diference of ten yearsbetween us, and I was a kid of l' - 1as
r.ad fre;k.Herhiuscs
when he fitsr went to sea. lt sr.rrPdsed me to find how boisr<r' : which
::,:1T:1 1:""verytiny undermynose
looked ., hi. big, br".;;;,
he could be. ;;;o,G
"'Now we shall seewhat you are made of,' he cried' and Pun' l Maggiel \X/hich?'
'Sit down, Ned I anr
my ribs, and hustled me into his berth I
rhis|,ourdr.rmakc
of che chance of having you with me l' the frnishing r'rr :: l,:1 :i::li: 1, asound. butI pointed
Put 'f*].j qhirc indblue. ,; ,;;;.,
to you, my young oficer, providingvou'rewor.h the troubl( A "::jY' o;; ;il::::
-,," J.ror or 5overeisn,.
". rnd boltedour. whcn
6rst of all, get it well into lour headchatwe are not gornSrrl ::;:,,,j
on boardI wasquiteo", of U,""it, :si,i.
this brute kill anybodl'this voyage\fe'll stoPber racket' hznd". old chap..
I o,,r He -",.- _
mc- a
_ rhump
-L
on rheb:tk .c,. _1,,
"I perceivedhe was jn dead earnestabout it. He talked grir"lr :^"i,1..9"*
to rhc boanwrin when the handsrurn to. sayshe; ",aJ"
,I am
tbe ship, and how we must be carefuland never allow this ugl\ l( this afrernoon., ,
to catch us napPing with any of her damned tricks. from rhe deckfor a while,but
"He gave me a regular lecrure on specialseamanshipfor tlu :l- i: y't":9 presently
he
wi:h Magsre,and theserwo wenr
of the A?v Fani$;then changing his rone' he began to relk :rr ll lyl,-.1,"::rl"boorc
overthe
( fubliclv, rll hr"d". g.,"g for a wrtk rogerher
rattling off the *'ildesr, funniesr nonsense,till my sidcsacl)c'l on rhar
blazin.qhot d,,y.*irh ctoud. or di,s.
nying rSo,,. rh"/.r.e

?:rl
,!t9
 rlT

connd
TH! BRUTE/JofPh

ha't 'Ger
back after a few hours looking very staid, but didn't seem to E: oB the forecrsrlched.Mrggre. youlr
in (he wJy here.
the slightest idea where they had been Anl'wav, rhac's the ans\lr ,:j::::..)1.-T'0. funnyrr.e.rihim.andI sawpoorChrrre)
they both made to MIs Colchester'squestionsar teatlme' I She
away, hiding a smite. was flushed *i,h ,h.
'iAs you may imagine, the fiendishProPensitiesof that cu$ed shrl'
.q:Tj :fl: i:o
h€:brl:. er':s
:eenedto snap"i.i;;.;';,f
erecrric sparks
were nevff sPokenof on board. Not in the cabin, at any rate Onlt c-lo:kcd a' rl,erirer A <olicruilg n"a ,;"i'j".,
s"". ,';,J
once on the homeward passageCharleysaid, incautiously,somethirrl] ,ano our rug (o
had 5ropher engine\in r hurry (o ,vo,d running
about bringing aII her crew home tl{s time CaPtainColchesrcrbe8xll
to look uncomfonable at once; and Mrs Colchester,thar silly' hlr'l a moment, as is usually rhe case,all rhe
shipping in rhe reach
bitten old woman, flew out at Charley as though he had seid son!' *pl*s tangle. A schoonerend a kerch
thins indecent.I was quite confoundedmyself; as to Maggie, shc .: -g::,^',1,-.all
small.coilision 1, to themselve"s sor
righcin ;,il;;';:;
comiletely mystified, opening her blue eyes very w-rde O-l cour and,meantimc,.ow".tus remamecr

;:'tr"l':.Ji,:"
stopped.
b.foi. tt'ti *"t a day older shewormedit all out of me Shenr. :,f:,':r*.:J1,:1 l
very difficult personto lie to.
l'uovr ^*i.,t,' she said,quite solemn 'So manv Poor fello\\
J';1.1T:.jxl:ff
.i"i:.
m;,,;#
and she beg:n ro drifr down. rulcng
I her tug.long urth her
am glad the voyageis near\ over' I won't havea mommt's p' :ed,a.clusrer.of-corsrer. ,rr rnchor nithin
a quarrerof a mile
'
about Chatleynow and I thougllt I had becter speak to
the piloi. .ff yoo tet he,
|l
"l assuredher Charleywas all right. It rcoL more than thet ongst that lot,, I said, quierl-y,,she
wil g4no some ol th€m
l
knew to get over a sea.rnanlike Charley. And she agreed widr before we get her o"t ,gai.r.,
when rhe tos r'l
"Next day we got the tug off Dungeness;and nel stampinghis foot in a perfectfirry.
was fast Charley rubbed his hands and said to me in an unde 'r )c :.:.t-Y::,ner],..i*,
out with his whisrteto makejatlothered
' t"g g:, ,;;'#,
"'\tre've bamed her, Ned possibte..He ble$, liKe mad, wavins
beautiful vc:ttlt :P*y':-T -tj:I :. v.e his
"'looks like it,' I said,with a Srin at him lr was to pot, and presently could seethat .fr. ,,_rg,r'.ng;rr.r"hJ
and the seaas smooth as a millPond. \fe {ent uP the river \ ir|r tcr going ahead.Her paddleschurned the water,
lr but it was as
a shaalowof trouble excePt once, when oIr Hole Haven, thc had.beentrying co tow a rock_she couldrt
just 'l'rl get an i".h;;;
rook a sudden sheer and nearly had a barge ancbored I siip. Again rhe pilot blexr his whistle,
and waved his arm
the fairway. But I was aft, looking after the steering' end sl! l. rve
co!ld ser rhe (ug s paddlesr urning fz.tcr
end ta<rer)way.
not catch me naPPing that time Charley came uP on thc ll on our bow
'Close shave" sayshe
looking very concerned. *lt hunsmo,ionre\
in, crowd
ormoring
''N"evet mind, Charley,' I answered,cheerily 'You've tam('l I ]t, TlTil,],s,-d
and (hen rhf lerri6( scrrin thar eril. srony_hearred
bruie
'\7e were to r^-, ";nr.r r,n
tow right uP r^
to the oilot l'"rrr
dork The river pilot
tbe dock- l',,rr alwaysput on everything, tore the towing
ctrock clean or:t.
us below Gravesend,and the first words I heard him sayver( vropesorgedover,snappingaheiron stanchions
of the headrail
l\l'l
may jusr as well take your Porr anchor inboard at once, Mr cr another as if they had been sticks of
sealing wax. It was
"This had been done when I went forward l saw Ma88i( "rr cn I noriredrhrc in,orderro harea bcrterr
iew orer our hcad,.
forecastleheadenjoying the bustle and I begged her ro go rtt lc had.srepped upon rhe porr anchor rs il l.:y rlzt on rhe
'' forccasrle
she took no nodce of me, of coursc-Tben Cbarley, wbo s rr nao Decntowcred propcrly inro ir. hrJdwood
beds,bLr rherc
busy with the headge.u,ciught sight ofher and shouredin his l11 n , ) ( i m er o r 2 k cj r u r n w h i , A n y w a ) . i ,
wJsquirer(ure

210
2rl

TH! BRUTI/JoePh connd
as it was, for going into dock; but I could seedirectly that the towro1lc
would sweep under the flul<e in another second. My herrt flew ul
dght into my throat, but not before I had time ro ycll out: Juml'
clear of that anchorl'
"But I hadn't tim€ to shriek out her name. I don't suPPoseslr
heard me at all. The first touch of the hawseragainstthe fluke thre(
her dovrn; she was uP on her feet again quick as lighming, but slrr
was up on the vrong side-I heard a horrid, scrapingsound' and rhcrr
thet enchor, tipping over, rose up like something elive; its great, rough
iron arm caught Maggie round the waist, seemed to clasP her cl(\r
with a dreadful hug, and flung irs€lf with her over and dov'/n ;tr
terrific clang of iron, followed by hearryringing blows that sho'
th€ ship from stemto stern-becausethe ring stoPPerheld!"
"How horriblel" I exclaimed.
"I used to dream for yearsafterwardsof anchorscztching holtl '
girls," saidthe mxn in tweeds,a litde wildly. He shuddered. "Vrt
r most Ditiful howl CharIeYwas over after her almost on the instrrl
But, lordl He didn't seeas much asa gleam ofher red tam-o'-shall
in the water. Nothingl Nothing srhatevff! In a moment therc \
half-a-dozenboats around us, and he got pulled into ooe. l, It
thc boatsvain and the carP€nter,let go the other anchor in a hLtt
and brought the shiP uP somehow. The pilot had gone sillv I
walked up and down the forecastleheadwringing his hands I
'Killing women, no!I! Killing women, nrr
muttering to himself:
Not another wold could you get out of him.
"Dusk fell, then a night black as Pitch; and Peeringupon rhc tt
I heard a low, mournful hail,'ShiP, ahoyl'Two Gmvesendwatrrrl
came alongside.They had a lmtem in their wherry' and lookc'i
rhe ship's side, holding on to the ladder without a word l sx\
the patch of light a lot of loose, fair hair down there "
He shudderedagain. "After the tide turned Poor Maggie \ li
had floated clear of one of them big mooriag buoys," he explrrr
"I crept aft, feeling half-dead,and managedto send a rocket rrl'
let the other searchersknow, on the river' And then I slunk 'r
forward like a cur, and spent rhe niSht sirting on the heel r'l
bowsprit so as to bc as far as Possibleout of Charley'sway "
2!2
'f
i"i
fellovl" I murmured.
'es.
Poor felloq'," he repeated,
musingly."That brute wouldnl
him-not even him-cheat her of her prey. But he made h€r fest
next morning. He did. Ve hadn't exchangeda \.ord-nor
look for that matter. I didnl want ro look at him. \fh€n
last rope was fasr he put his hands to his head and stood gazing
at his feet as if trying to remember something- The men waited
the main deck for the words rh?t end the voyage. Perhaps thet
he wastrying to rem€mber.I spokefor him. 'That'll do, men.'
I nevrr saw a crcw lcavea ship,o quicrl). They,ncaked over
one after another, raking care nor to bang rheir set chesrs
heavily. Thcy looked our way, bur not one had the stomach to
up rnd o6er to shake hands wich rhe mate as is usual
followed him all over the empty ship to and fro, here and
with no living soul about but the two of us, becausethe old
had locked himself up in the galley-both doors.Suddenly
Charleymutters,in a crazvvoice: 'I'm done here,'and srrides
the gzngway with me ar his heels, up the dock, out at the
or. towards Tower Hill."
man in rweedsnoddcdar mc.igni6crntl)
I There was nothins that could be done with that brute. She
devil in her."
youi brother?" I asked,expecting to hear he was derd.
be was commanding a smaft steameron rhe China coasr,and
fetchcd a hear,y sigh, and the handkerchief being now
tly dry, put it up tenderlyto his red and lamentablenose.
wasa reveningbeasr,"the man in tweedsstart€dagain."Old
put his foot down and resigned.And would you believe
& Sons wrote ao ask whether he wouldn't reconsiderhis
I Anything to save the good name of rhe AFe Fdni\! OR
wcnt to cheoffice rhen and said that he would rakecharse
but only to seil her out into the North Seaand scurtleher
He was ncarly off his chump. He usedco be darkishiron-
but his hair went snow-whitein a fortnight.
jumped at chc first man they could get to teke her, for fear
TH! BRur!/Jok?h Connd

of the scandalof the Apv Fanil not bang able to find a skip;,tr e the squalls under the lee of
rh2t chaft room, whose doo(
He vas a festivesoul,I believe,but he stuck to her grim and barrl .!." The night was black, lil<e a batel
riTilmot was his second mate. A harum'scanrm fello*', and pretendi l": he.heard
thcn I
, *o-- "' '"' '"
of coat
i uoicc-nr.pi",e ,""i,;.
car.
ro a great scorn for all the girls- The fact is he was really timid. Br
ljrl1i,l,l1"1,q:*.:"ed sid or rhepamphirius
peopre
had
let only one of them do as much as lift her lirtle 6nger in encoureA 0.9.,rongrime,to.
orcourse ili;;,#":il
ment, and th€re was nothing thal could hold the beggar. 11:"
$eef herscll.end shc (amc up #;
rnto rhe chrrr room ro \ool
"It vas said thet one of the firm had been heard once to exp supposc
when.r,. -i;rp.,"a ro \x/iimori, waJ
a hope that this brute of a ship would get lost soon. But not sl ]^3:..t
rebodyhrd,,srruck 2 mrr. h in rhe rellow..brarn.
Shewas going to last forever.She had a noseto Leepof the bottonr I doni know
n,1r* ver),rick.I rancy
hehadme,herzshorc
Jermyn made a grunt of apProval. l,1T i1? ::
marc
ir our.be.ause.
vren
"A ship after e pilot\ own healt, eh?" ieered the man in twe.,
Y'l*::.:.:to. o,* otr,o.*o,:;;-;,;;;;;;, tcrring
#,illi,."ll.l;..:l1lr rhc
;i,r#:
"V/ell, $trilmot managed it. He was the man fot it, but even I had rhe quayin Sydnelr,
perhaps,couldn\ have done the trick wirhout the geen'eyed go\ ^Ill1,% 1;r 9n andhe hadm
ro,
hischin. , bir-rr ;;l ;;;; ; ;;:l
ness,or nutse, or whatevet she was to the chiidren of Mr. and llr UIad ro do"o
:1,:'!lg anyrhingnor ro srrrve. Thr,., _har hc h:d cjme
Pamphilius.
"Those people were passengersin her from Port Adelaide to r '*:: he e,,rs.wirh hi\ hcrd insidc rhe
-",*1.,,. door, on rhe
Cepe. \fe[, the ship w€nt out and anchored outside for the dav. l nor_off(c,or rhewJch:rhc herm\m2n,
skipper-hospitable soul-had a lot of glesrs from town to a ::*i.:'-llll1T
g nrs evrden(caherwerds. vid rhrr he \hoLred sevccallimer
lunch-as usuai with him. It \tas frve in the evening before the binnaclelamp had gone oua. It
didn,t matter to him, because
shore boat left the side, and the weather looked ugly and darh '." her.(.tose...l
,hodshrir funny. he sJd, .rh;r
the gult There was no reason for him to get under way. Ho*c :::T,,:
in squsrr.-
burr rufedherup
as he had told everybody he was going that day, he imagined it
proper to do so anyhow. But as he had no mind after all rl
festivities to mckle the straits in the dark, he gave orders to Itii"l,:".,t,-:;:* j#i
*:':,ii*;.r:i*
::::1^:.T" ?"_11'1lg
"g

everysqual,r" ;;J;;;;.;;;:;;il,
the ship under lowet loPsailsand foresailas close as she woul(l :1,:n:^ :*,at
,:
::T. l. hcadins.,,rishr for rhe<oasr,
dodging atong the land till the morning. Then he sought his col :-1":T:li|
.:"' in her being,_,
:,,..:lgk, .'", ,,: ;;;; ;,;;;
The mate was on deck, having his face washed very cle2n with I :q rhai,hr had nor
bern near the srand.rrd.omprs\
rainsqualls.lTilmot reliev€d him at midnight. tor an hour
hr well havcconfcsscdtThc 6rst rhing h" k_r,e**r,
"'lhe Apre Fani\ h^d, xs you observed, a house on her PooP lookout shou(ingblue murdcr thcrnan
fo.*a"ra,t...
"A big, ugiy $rhite thing, sticking uP," Jerm,rn murmured, \ tore,his necl kec. he seys,:nd
yellcd br.k r( him: .lghar
at the fire. sayr
"Thais iti a comPznion for the cabin smirs and a sort oi , breakers ahead,sir,,howtedrhe man,and
room combined. The rain drove in gusts on the sleePy$Tilmor ITU I .n:' cam€
in the .awfuiestbrindingderuge
ship wes rhen surging slowly to the southward, close-hauled. ,1.sky.rr(,irmor
llt;";,l,3.5:::,:i:yatch,
sry".
,.,,;.:;J;;;;',;::
the coast within three miles or so to windward. There was 'n,tl l11r:..
and bcwildered-rhrthe could
not rememberon whith .ide
ro look out for in that parr of the gulf, and Wilmot went r,, ne wasnr a good offi<er.bur ,rc
wasa seaman

2)4
THE BRUTE/Jo$!h Conad

all the sam€.He pulled himselftogethcrir a secood,and the righr

orders sprang to his lips without thinking. They were to hard ul'
with the helm and shiverthe main and mizzentoPsails.
"It seems thar the sarls actually {lutered. He couldn't sec thenr
'No urc'
#J,tnf
liiFi.eiit:i:i1g-"glt
damp
handketchier
i.Tt'#;:,i"
d:;,,jt
agai-n5;;T#:ff:i:::
but he heatd them rattling and banging above his head.
She was too slow in going off'he went on, his dirty flce twitchiiA,
and the damn'd carter'swhip shaking in his hand.
'She seemedt, ;T::i,:.::,L'if.:'ff:"i,'j;ffi
,T#;:,h$,,::llJJ*,
stick fast.' And then the fluttet of the canvasxbove his head ceasc,l
A( rhiscrir(rl momenrrhe wind hauledaft againwi(h a Susr.6llrrr
the sails and sending th€ shiP with a greit way uPon the rocks ,
her lee bow. She had overrerched herself in her last little qame. I Of]BL-E GAME
iime had come-the hour, the man, rbe black night, the treachet,r )
gust of wind-the right woman to Put an end to her- The brlrl
deservednothing better. Strangeare the instruments of Providcrr
There's a sort of poetical justice "
dw l//;>uu;---,
The man in tweedslooked hard at me.
"The firsr ledge she went over stripped the falsekeel offher l{';
The skipper, rushing out of his berch, found a cnzy *oman. ,,'
Umbenodocsrhrt. Umbefto.s
gown, flying roundandround the cuddy,scr<r,
red flanneldressing l:.#.:,:i:: top or his
ing like a cockatoo. s.rysthey.,egivins r"ar
him i.r mcdai:
no)i."lj:.i,lii,j:,,..rhcr
is workingrumbc,ro mcd,r:

:?i:;Xr;'*i},"1H;t:
br;np.hL';:j"'=
"The next bump knocked the woman clean under the cabio l.l
TmXt*':1":{,.:
It also starrcd the sternpost and caried away the rudder, and rl
that brute ran up a shelving, !oc].y shore, tearing her bottom ,
till she stopped short, and the foremast dropped over the boN\
.the
"r:{,:
:;,:f:'"#i:.ffi i **;. tir #;:
ume building;" v" ?ril,| w* natu,J:q,
_r',,'r tqo .mrr nrrs.
a gangway." berongins toUmbi,,o.. iiJ.li.
"Anybody losti" I asked.
"No one, unless that fellow, \filmot," answeredthe gentlctt
unknown to Miss Blank, Iooking round for his cap."And hi' ,
tround floor.

il':"-t:t
r*+h **":+:;f i:l
and orr, ^.,-",r;;;f;

l*
-..^ -

:: jt'
', rc poLlteref' 'hoP

vrasworsethan drowningfor a man.Everybody gor ashoreall r :*:1,,:::: "pi",",,ii*.,i"i"i;';i.j ::i,"ij[1,

jl"y..-r::,:25 a moder
'r 'uurc
Gale didn't come on till next day, dead from rhe west, and lr couid hrrc.:id,
n]\c v,d.
",,T i;j;: fi"8.. *,, *"; ;;..' ,
rhrr.myrirtre
up that brute in a surprisingly short time. It wes as thougb slx
been rotten er heart." He changedhis tone, "Rain left off? | ttt
;;;,:;;,;::T,lTl,JTJff
,1:'l::'j::l_*iF:
,.-l]. k""*" i::J
get mv bike and rush home to dinner. I live in Herne tsrt , .",;";;;;;;;;::;i::"Tl;
t "1"n"* wourd
out for a spin this morning." ,f:::f^'j-:::r..'
made
rkc '.,{
i, ,o be.rr
Dc qourdb,
i, qoutd b;
upof nonenririe.,i" f";;'.;
_'. " -t
He nodded at me in a friendly way, and wenr out wirh a s* r Umberto Pr'Sgrshmern 'hrr.._
"Do you know wbo hc is, Jcrmyn?" I asked. a grudgcrgirinsrUmberto,
bLrrour rehrionswerc
quirepolire:

2)6
A DOUBL! GAMI / Alberto ltodvit

when we met, we greeted each orhet and exchanged news. Tll hborhoods.As for Clara.she
was the exacrr
relations, in fact, of a cold war, betwe€n people who awair the fir
opportunity to pick a quarei. This opportunity came or the vt Hjl:1:'":::1,:..d;:i:;,i';:,T'i;:ilii,,xi
:,::t'lfl:*;,t0.y: qo;.,,.",.,,ni ;"1;ffi::11
sameday that I 8ot the sack,fot ineficiency, from the vulcaniteworl tee.has "-r-o,.Jrr'
white aspeered
almonds_rhe
in Via Dandolo. As I was going dovnstairs with my mother's worli :fr;:L::,-.T,,^:*0,
1::;.1,:1.gu'"-* h,,,., *, r*;;J,;:;;.'.Tr,*;;;:
srill in my eers:"My son, you'll breakmy heart.- . . Now lool<
;""J;: J:^""":5:*:11
r'*I 1"'.:,fd "enosrrphc,.
and1,,ppe,
^
Umberto-there's a good son for you. . . . Model yourself ,
Umberto,my son . . ." I cameacrossUmberto,who wasalsogoir l:Lr*9 ;.t.wn""
.:1._:"": .i."#^;iffi:';,if#;
out. I at oncestoppedhim and said:"I say,do tell me, I suPF(
you alwaysdo everythingweII?" "\vhat d'you mean?""l mean.
never happensto you that you make a mistake, that you do $ll
rlfl$:'::,
;Tffi:::"::.:i'::shesacat'lherabreh,heki,.h.',,;;;;
xfl r'i;:i'#
:i"r*i:';:*'nl
nor hclpromprring
t.,,..r",4 ..,if f
*r,;.;";"'..l"::l
you oughtn't to do, that-let us say-you gamble away your s'c(li ,ll,lJ,':::lr::",ndcep:
rarher
r bcautirur
money?"\(rould youbelieveit? Anyoneelsein Umbertot Placew( .ll",ll with c,rm .ea,
1lll lj-",rhr themoonand .i...J'," ,'.'*j
have taken offense.But he, his sly face assuming an €xpression you rong to make love "r"
in the old fashionedway'
handsclasped
indulgence, placed his hand on my shoulder and said: "PePPe. : vour ,rm round
r nnr her
r--- ---,
w:i.r.
;i_y*',':
warer:sh-cccrr.rinh
lourhcad
on ,i..i",ra..."6.i
as I do and you'l1 seeyou'll be all right." I answercdfuriously: "1i was_rnd in borhssnscs
1r
that hand of, my shoulder. . . . Anyhow, I didn't stop you in or, .:rd
to ask your advice-It's I who wanr m give.1'azsome advice: k :1T_..1,{.: "ti,i r r,a .onr,on,.J u-oerro.she:raftcd
:-'jlt-'tl:l *::'9':.t:urcir'rou\
otr rvpe
rikeUmberro.'

iHt;; t:ll* rJrni*

off Clara; she's practicelly engaged to m4" "PucticallJ engagl
"Anyho$r, she's my girl and you've got to leave her alone
"\fhat falrlt is it of rnine if. . . ?" "That's enough: forewarnc,l :l"i:liji;i
,f-:.0...11.i'*-,
qu.,, r,*[*
.r,iiir,t-*,",'"r,.
JjlT,#,":.Jf]
forearmed," physic,rry:
fiJ;;.llrhorcr.lllrypace,
puppcr ie roors rikeFasiorino
ln orderto understandthesewordsof mine you must kno\\ | rheone*t o J*ry, ,rf.." ,fr"t n*i:,
at that time I v/es running ^fter Cla.a.^ girl who also lived in
;,il::
a pincushion.
And if knew trhar
Candia,in a building identicalwith rhe on€ in which I liv€d.r i:: ll:-y'1.,1* ).ou a bore
is to say,old and ugly, with the srme huge courvard as big
pi^zz ^nd the same staircasesnumbered from A to F. On ofi, hchas<ertrin,a*, 1..."a,"e",""n;lT
rhese seircaseswas the little flat belonging to Clara's moaher.
:. -;.:".1,b*,d^.,
;::l:',i:Te.,do ,hr (ooking
rnd ro^kaf,errr,e.r,ird,en_
was called, or called herself, Dolores, and who practiced tht' n.j.
T',1: :'.:*- -".n,,",f.,1.",.
,";,;::il,:::l;
professionofpalmistry. Shes'asa woman ofabout fifty, fragile.r, marry - him rn,hor,.
she8a,e
I,i;"I.",r;:15^rh,n
white as a ghost, with a face that looked as if it was corcretl
{our and two black eyes that made this face look like a plaster r
Poorrhing: shehadbeenrich, or so shesaid,and now shewasn
-:.1:
;i:::.ji:,:#.F;
T:i:j'4ii!iTi;*::
,1.: n,,r w,..avenging
1 mother ,*.rr;:; ;,:; ;;:ii n.
shift with formne'telling by cards and handreading.People srr had held up Umuclo.r, r model
was good at it, too; and besidesthe women of Via Candir, I ,".::.1,:1,.i
had_ pr.rced
him,;;; ;;;.:jl,:,""-*
boch marriedand unmarried,uscd to come to bcr from the fashr,,r "l :",T,
, tlrrew hjm .,t
off;r. re.rl11.
don r like rhar mrn... (he .aid

2:iu

A DOUBIE GlME/Albeiio Moravir
to rne. rrl went wirh him to rhe yard whcre he's foreman: he spokt
to the workmen es if they were dirt. The engineer afiived, and
at once he becamee diferent pcrson-humble, aatencivgfawninS
Or: "Ler me tell you the latest: he gave a hundred lire ro a begt,x
and why d'you think it was?Bccauseit was a forged note." Or a$irr
"He hes certein habits rhat I simplv can't bear: wben he thinks ji
not looking, he star$ picking his nose." Clara abusedbim so mu,
rhat sometimesI almost reachedthe point of defending Umbrrr,
if only for the pleasureof hearingber rub it in. "But he'sa gru
son," I would say.Arrd she:"But he treatshis motherlike a sle'r
"But," l said,"he takeshis money home." "Takes his money honr('
she said; "he never does, now; he puts it in rhe bank." "He x,,r
hard," I said. "\(rorks hard?" said she; "he's a shirker. He likes r
make other people work and then rake advantageof chem."
By now I wls so sure of Clara thar I said co her, one da-v.tl,
it v/as fitring that we two should now regularizeour position rl
become olicialll engaged.She said ar once: "I *'as thinking of rlr
too but I didnt dare sayso to you. But thesethings have to be ,l,r
properly:you must go and rcll Morher; you know her alreadr' 1
we agr€edthat I should go and seeher mother thar same everrr
in the m€antime she wouid seeUmberto- but for the lasr rinr
really can't b€ar to be wirh him," she said; "he wers me our "
approved this plan, not without a touch of pity for poor Unlr t
who wasn't expectingit. And at about seveno'clock I lefr l),,1
crossedVia Candiaand enteredrbe main door of Clara'sblo,L
flats,
On the third floor of staircaseD. Signora Dolores' door wrs .
I pushedit oPenznd went iD. I found myselfin a tiny waiting i,r
full of peopie. There were two or three bareheadedx.omen, l,ll
inhabiuts of Via Caadia; there was a goodJooking dark gill, l
lived in the same querrcr and *hom I knew by sighr: therc " r
middle'agedlady, rather wornJooking and heavilr made-up,s r.r11
in a brown fur coat. Business,evidendy, was good, I rhoug|r '(
sat down and rook an illustrated magazinefrom tbe rable,and Silirrr
Dolores was doing well, making plenty of money, in fact. I \rr
for sometime and then thc door opcncdand a smartvoung $!'rrl
2.10
"'i
out, who kissed Signora Dolores effnsively on both cheela.
: "Thank you, thank you, my dear.,,Clara'srnothcr,in black
Dnesepajamaswith a coloreddragonembroideredon the corner
jacketand a cigaretteholderasiong asyour atm berween
her
threw me a glanceand said:.,Rinaldi,just one moment and
you can come in." She ushered in the middle-aqed ladv s,ith
l coar.and disrppeared:and ir oc<urredto me, to. iome rer"on_
from the tone of her voice-that she did not know of rhe
d I was going to make to her. Then I had a bright idea:
I
make her rell my fortune, to seewhether my marriage ro Clara
icatcdin my hand:and immediarely derwrrqs I soutd make
tion- I smiled at this thought and awaited my rurn with
After a quater of an hour rhe lady wich rhe fur coat
I out in a mysterious.discreet,hurried manner and went away.
ignora Dolores beckoned me in
that, for lack of space,she norked in her bedroom; all
ne I wassurprised.
It wasx long room,in half,shadow,
contain-
big doublebed coveredwith a pieceof yellow marerial;and
not help refiecting that Clare slept in that big bed wirh her
. At the window there was a cuttain with openwork embroidery
and baskets of flowers; near the window. a small table on
lay a pack of cardsand a magniS,ingglass;the whole room
of little piecesof furniture, knickknacks,phorographswith
Lturesof importanrclienrs,cesrimonials, souveni$.Signora
wirhout a word, sat down at the table and made me sir
: ber. The fusr thing she did was to take a match, light it
frc to a small piece of black paper, from which ttrere quickly
*hite, scentedsmoke. "lCs c.jttd d Arnmia,', she said in her
, tired voice; "d'you smell the scent of ir?.Weli, Rinaldi, what
do for y'ou?" I replied thar I had come to have my fortune
d she,_havingpur down her cigarette holder on the ashrray,
y hand, held rhe magnifying glass over ir and examined it
momcnts passedand rhen, in an almosr horrified rone of
fic rsked:"\X/hrrsorrof r mrn am | .pcrkinSroa Di.con_
I arkcd.'Whyr" 'Vell. shc ,be,,u"e
rhb rs rne hend
"aid,
A DOURE GAME/Albcrto Moflvir
of a man who is very fond altogethertoo fond-of women " "Af t
e11,"I said, "l'm a young man." "Yes," she answered,"but ther
a limit to thesethings. And You don\ seemto have that limit. Y'n
heert is like an artichoke." "Ifyou sal so " "It's your hand tl
'
saysso: vou1.ea Don Juan." "Oh well, don't IeCs exaggerate" l l
not exaggeratingrt all; look at your Heer.line: it's like a cbain-c''r
link a woman." "And otherwise?""Otherwjse nothing- little h'
in business,little will to work, little seriousnessof characrer'liri
senseof responsibility."Beginning to be annoyed,I said: "You lrl
nothing but fauics in me." "They're not faults''' she said. "thcr
characteristics.Certainly if I were 2 mother, I wouldnt l€t my dxul
ter marry you." This made me angr1, and I rcld her: "Well' h
a look and seev/bether tbere\ a marriagelin€ " Scrupulouslyshe t'"
up the magnifying glass again, turned my hand in every direLru
and then said: "Adventures, as many rs you like, but no marrirL'
"signora Dolores," I said,"Iet's understandeachother; I didn't c'rr
to you to have my hand read but to tell you that vour daughcer''
I love one znother and that we decidedtoday to become engagc
At these words she very catmJyPut down the magnii'ing gl
and replied: "But, mv Poor boy . . " "$fhat?" "I{y Poo' bo\' I
hand, as always,tells the truthr youle not getting married n"t
present,anyhow." "And why, seeing rhat Clara and I are in rrlt
ment?" "You're not in agreement. . You rhink vou're in agrecrrr
with Clara,bur Clara is not in agreementwith you." "$0ho sals I
"-l say so: Clara is alreadyengaged.""But when - ?" "She's I
engagedfor a week, to Umberto PomPei C-IaIahadnt the corrt
to t€ll you becauseshe's a shy girl, and besides,she's kindhcrt
and hates to hurt anybody But she was worrving; tou don't kl
how worried she'sbeen-And I musr saythat on this occasionlinrltr
has shown himself to be a real gentleman: Clara askedhis lcr"
go on seeing you for a fes' days longer, until there had be€n ' I
explanation betweenyou; and he agreedat ooce. I don't kno* l'
many engagedcouPles,in such r situation, would have acrcd irr
wrv '
I was dumbfounded. And n'hen sbe said to me' hyPocnrr'I
"\Xrell, now leCs have a look xt the cerds: I bet some more "'ur
24)
Ltn up," mechanicallyI took rhe thousandlire fee from mv
, phccd ir on thc rrble and went our withour a vo,d. I lelr
, as though SignoraDolores, insteadofreading mv hand. had
ovclhe herd wrh a hammcr: and inro rh; midsr ol rhi.
rd feeling rhere beganro creepa number of suspicions,like so
snakcswhirh gradurllvaw:keinsidea heapoi in rhc
of the sun. So, then, "traw,
while I hed thought I was acting
ly, rowards Umberto in letting him see Clam. in reality ii
ia who acted generously towards ze in allowing Clara ro
j so, while I had enjoyed hearing Clara abuse Umberto, lp,
on his side,had enjoyedhearingClarr abusezre;so Clara
shot, beenplayinga doublegamethe whole time; only, in
it was I who had been fooled.
these thoughrs were going through my head I must have
thoroughly upset, forull at once the good,looking dark girl
Lsq.airing in the anrcroom gave me a ,!pss pss,'! as one does
It, at the same time beckoning me wirh e glance. I scooped
and she askedme: "\fhat is it? Does she say nasty chings?,,
nasry,' T repled. "for rnc.an' hon " promprlyshero.e ro her
n I shan't go in," she said; ,.I,m so afraid she might give
bad news." Mechanically I went out of che door and she
the landing, I looked ac her sideways.She was very dark, and
r, cut shorr rlmosr like a mrn\. ,ecmeda. i( $.erero care..,
her round face,continuing,asir did, in a faint down like
w. roundhcr chcck"andchin.I thoughrher reryprerry.rnd
ihough€ressingmv rhoughr.rurncdrow2Jd\me rnd qaid,
: "You don'r know me, but I know voul .We live in rhe
same
lcnly, from the sraircase
below, tbere camethe sound ofa silvery
childish and limpid, Clarat laugh; and at the same time, the
rhrill soundof Umberto'svoice.\trirhour hesiraring,
I put my
rund the girl's waisr."\rhat,s your name?,,I asked.
namc\ Angela," she said, giving me a bold glance. At rhat
omenr Clxra and Umberro passedclose ro us and I saw that
scen us rhus cnrwined, and rhar she modesrlylowered her
 ---------

MATIRNI'IY / Lilikr Nakos

eyes.Well, take rhat, theni I thought to myself bitterlv- They *'ent nj.
'f".";;i;.;;;;;:
ll,,li.'j-:'j', l*9 wasempry
andhewandered
about
on up the stairs and we went down l took mv arm from Angelrt\
"jlr{;j'T:'::::"'k
o*^",^pb,.d..",;,,
;;;'
;il;ffi;:":
waist and said to her: "Angela deer, let's go and have a drink t"
celebrateout meeting." She took mr'arm and we went out rcgerhcl
l-l *,:1.- ;; ff
therhadsobadry "-;;"rTi
1l:,:-:_,nj chosc;;i,._"..",
into the srreet. on rbisearrb.t".*bodr l;r,.r,.d
. . , , . , -..: " ,;.'.iiji
. - " !q ivir-trrqv
m aLo .yv r r,o^u,b, lhe1
s .^
o" fc ,t h; -e,i r- o- w n _ , . . 1 r.ney 1
, ,,,,rrlr,lion_rhey
r i a . , ^a,r
ti- pitifu y *i,hed it
die.
that did,not,happenfor the newbornchild soughr
and.cry.louder.i6famine.The distracted desperarely
womenstufiedrheir
MATERNITY *.l,hrrher andyonlke r drunken
man.He hadni
LILIKANAKOS/ GREECE lTii
rn hrs pocker to buy the infanr milk mo rrur qomrn
one

/ ,/,/c "1,6/'7
cafnP g/as ln a posirion ro
, . . . - . v , , ! u seiwF
r ! ! ir
, , rA-
L r c L.--
o r e a s rE
. noughro drive
,.tr

_ff::P"
ro bearit.turther,Mikaliwentto
rrreorherside I
were: theyatsohadfledfrom the
1:"."-lTj..,n.^l*::lians
in Asia
Minor. Mikal d been rold rhet rhere
' :.::***
I' o^s tt,o* thar r monrh sin.e rher sere ar Mrr'eille an | nur$ng morher cherewho miqht
rake oi on hi' brbv so
camp of Armenien refugees on the outskirts of the town a|'tr c wen.turrofhope.rh.,, .,;;";;. ;;: i]"
, ..,._ the:ame mr.ery.
looLed like a small village. They had settled down in anv war rll ,,9,.h.1onp.rJrer.
omen wpre , r^,, L-r ,,,
on ,r',"e,*"a, i,..,"",.i
could: che richest under tents; the others in the ruined sheds:I
T,:l-l:1.
dirrvwrrer.
,r. helpproa,necr,
(c!e,rr
.fI:roset:i:'^
ocn f".l,he"f
the majority of the re{ugees,having found nothing better. \ to ask-wha. wanted.sut hewaikei
sheheredunder carpetsheld up ar the four corners by sticks l the openjngofa rent wherean ikon "" ""d ";;;;
of rhe Hojy Virgin was
thought themseiles lucky if they could 6nd a sheet to hang u|' ; hom the inrerior of the renr camethe sound
of a wailing
the sides and wall them from peering eyes Then they felt llrrr
at home. The men found work no matter what so that in an\ I tl.rcname of rhe Mosr Holv Virgin
whoseil<onyou shoq,..
they were not rackedwith hunger and their chiidren had somrt|l n,"" picvon rhisp"oo,
o,pr,,nandsivchima
,ii ?Ijo
I rm 2 poor A.menjan . ...,
Of all of them, Mikaii alone could do norhing He ate thc 11 app<al.,aiorrlr- dark romrn appc,red.
Shehetd in her .rrm,
which his neighbors cared to ofer and it v"'eighedon him- li'l orrsstulllsu,king rhc m;tern:t
brcr5r.i15qej h t (losed
wrs a big lad of fourteen,healthy and robust But hos' could hc rll scf rhe kid Ist a boy or a grrl1.,
of looking for work when he lircqlly bore on his back tbe l'rrt I heartrrembtedwith io1.sJ",rt .",gt U",, Lad.
ome. io.er
of a newborn babe?Since its birth, which had causedhis n'rl *,*1 n:l ro rrkefrom hi. .;urd.r.
ine 5ackq here
l-jl:J
death, it had waited its famine from morn tiii night Vbo *' brorherwrs held:with cr,riosirr,*
;:;;d;;.::;.:']:I
have acceptedMikali's servicesq'ben his own comparriotsbad ' l'
him from their quarters becausethev wcre unable to bear tlr g*: venr to variouscriesof hotor. r.he child
l_...".
tr anychinghumanaboucir. Ir was had
intertupted howls which kept rhem awake at nightl Mikal; lrrltl a monsre.JThe beadhad

)41
MATTRNITY / lilika Nakos

thinness' was l wasto shakehis headnegarivety:

becomeenormous and the body, of an incredible i:-":,r,rl.*.: he lonsed
only irs rhumb it w?' '
,iri'A.a ro. Aq unril thcn ir hadsucked
r-|c n.rd heardso many horron rbour rhe
.ruelry ofihc
dreadful ' s! At rhe camp they wen wenr so far a
.-.ff.t-rti couldno longerenterrhe mouth tt wx
habit-rike
rhe'Je*s-;;;;; il:,fi ..i,il."'T'.:::l
see!Mikali himselfdr€w backio fright' them aod drink rheir bloodl
it's a r'amlrr
"Holy Motheri" said one of the old wom€n'-'but
milk I still vouldn't h the--man remained thete and did nor budge.
, ..ri '1.pi.., that childl Even if I had So, being in great
the courageto feedit "
lfhat moreawtuithing
."u[ ],";p""
;Y'j:l_t:i":,..,r,,.
A:..t1.):.-al1.edalong he stumbled
i'A trui Anti-christt" saidanother,crossingherself "A true weaklyand atmostfell
child. The Chinamancame.o him and takmg
oI the Turkl" rhe babyir
seting I tenderly pressedit ro him.
fn ota ..o,r. cameuP "Hou! Hou!" she screamed' crossed sevetal empty locs and then the
to Mikali
..ri"- .ifa "It's the ievil himself!"Tben turning man took the liftle
'C". oo. of ft.rg son of mischance'and never set foot e . a,sorrof woodencabinsurroundedby a
u.ff"l, 5O He
,.*i stopped before very
the door and clapped his hands twice.
You'll brinq us bad luckl" ( l.ighr yep5 inide and a riny penon rrme
ena At lf,l.- togetherchasedhim away'threateningHls ro open the door.
child sdll wailinl reddened then a happysmle tit it up.
nff.i-*i.f' .*.t, he wlnt off' bearingthe little :: S::1 *:1j."- -and
hunqer,
^s Mit{ltiremaincd
rhe.c.
he"irar:n3iy
"-;?;. ::l:l rhreshold.rhe
:n.T.
*rt nothirg to b€ done The child "'as
'o"dem"ed, ro-rhe Chinamanvrd ro him: ..Comcin rhen;
1;;
alone and lost A chill De rtraid. This is my wrfe..'
of fr""*... Inlif."fi fei himself immenselv wmr inro rhc room. rrrher large ir
-1' c a r q i n 8 5 u ( h ' m I scemed.separrredir
up hit .pinc ar thr rhougnr 1"" ": , ,lr wasstill ren s ' e oy a cotored prper s(rcen. It sas rll
ii. -ir.".a down in rhe 'hadoq of I 'hed .o <lcan ard ne.c,
lovcre'l!
him in arid wastel'nd' vcry poor looling In rhe corner he noriced
'rrng out belore
il.".;;;,ry 'pread -t b"!,t," said rhe young woman, cocking
r wi.ker cradtc.
,.rr... N"." or, ,o-.*ht" The sound remindedhirt' her head
i-_i.-
no,'h'ngtinct rhc dry bcforc He s'ould
have "t l, to one side and smiling to him. .,He is very tiny and very
n. n"a *,."
hall I
,lt. ,rt.ets, round caf€terraces'filching some
"n.rkine "boo. r.he garbagefor wha' ' silenrry
admircdit. A chubbybab1.b.rr
roll lelr on ; Plzle.or clserrke 't'our rn . -yi,,pc1":.'and
Suddenly life seemedto him so full of lr mrrerrulbody.sreptpcrtefruy.
*]"-"ra :,.1ra
*ith -'*gold
,1"10"*.,
".,he
brocadc
".lrlri'".ri.t.
ttl, f".e with bis hands and began to sob desl t rtorh.tikea trtttcking.
,br, 1,..ou...d 'l
t'r, t.d , .",n sood berorehim g:zinq husband.rljcd hrs q fe ouer.badehcr srr
\{rh.;";;;;; .the on a j rw
the Chinam-,1}" rlftt 'l wirhour a_word ser doon on hcr lap
upon him. Mikrli recognized :--', ''
rhe lrrrlc tamished
no one(vc ng deeplybeloreher. Thc womrn le2ned
<rmp ro sellpapcrknickl(n2(k''nd charm'' which over qrrh asron_
becatrseof his,,' li b,.k .:"erins in which rhc chirduas wrapped
from him anlsay Ofren thel mockcdhrm :io-:'e'vi
,l'e childrenhoundedhim' shouting:"l'r' td ro hfr in all:n:
ir. sketeronr, hor.or.Sheg.:vcr crv_q Ll,
iJrq"i'. .y.tt
""a piry- rhenprcssed rhe babero her hein. grvrngit rhe
the srinkin' Chink!"
'-'tit"ti
and rrr s*j:" .r,...i*,"
o- that he waslooking genriydown at bim ^:_:n-,i
,n. broushrroc*ar;I fl"p
said:"Yott trt' ovcr.(he mrlk.swollcnbreav rnd
his liPsasthough to sPeakFinallythe Chineman the poor. glurronou.
'Come with m€ " ckling ther€.
.,], boy. . . ." Then, timjdlv;

24I) 217
 -

ffi::;;xi*:l-::ck
ie lookedar h.' -"r;il;.. "Dav6drng
so soon,..she
'o soon. .hc
uncenainry
ncenainry and u' rDc q'dne\s in
and r"'..*
sorow her:elt ";J"ta-ong hcr vorcs
LEAD HER LIKE .":.;;'

A PIGEON - """*
[:l;f';:1,:'ll"':'lomo''o'.
or berrer M,.,,-iL
he, mo,'e,
IIcr m orl p,omi,ed
JESSAMYNWEST/ UNIIED STATES
rea sq \ a .Lrresisn..
,., w,s
rter *,..t,...1::,-,'-
slow coming_onty "-
6;;.-;'-:
evo counrcd.,TheeJr".,
rcr ro'nrcd ,.Tr.*.j u^^ "' '"urcs .hon of the mosr

JtutrLf"* said Mattie.

asked
,-;, ;;..":. i;:i:,.:l
hermother.,.Nonebur
ilJiJ:,, Bentsandfioot
wouidni have named
l'
I. o^, orr" IN VAY.finger.hrd lifredrhegrecnstrawbern rhem rd,FrA-. noor
L
ed, brown-faced
uq, owjsand rhe
and had found fmit beneath them. Tbe bees bad swarmed t't .1.-i,a i,]i]'il,
wzr(nrd walking
nB Poles ovelh.r""r,;;;d.:" riverqrrd
Cherries,bright as Christmas candles,hung from the trees \\/l
wes heading up. The wind was from the south and sent a dnll
locust blossomslike su--s1 snqq', Mattie thought, rhrough rlx
She left her churn on the back porch and stood for a minLrtt'
:[",:
;rl;,il,,,.
x*r#ii::=i.tj,;1,;,
nr^which h"draded l; ;ilil':.,''nd
lnat fuppcdabour ""J "" "'re
in hc' bruc
Jmo(r d, prle
rhem.
the springhouse with uplifted face co see how locust snov- fr|
rhe wind died down and no more blossomsfell, so she *'ent
to her churning. ttr.iT;:
:1i:ffl q]lta:::il
,:ilfi ff::r,il"1.,,:
She counted slo*'ly as she moved rhe dasherup and dosl
was keeping track ofthe leastand most strokesit took to bring hrt
;::.f;.$:J
; ;l*;x; ix'*i:r
This at any mte was not going to be a least time. "Eigho
eighty-nine . . ."Josh and Labewere puring horsehairsinto tltt' l,IT:',li: :1..:::n, dream-srow
-.roo 1on;r1,,,
barrel to turn into worms. The hired man stuck his head our 'r j;_;;
barn door, sarvher, and directlvpulled it in again. ;:iHHHHi:;
fli"#.;;T1.,:,,.:;;;;;
"u;:".J:: woodror.
"acro*,rhe
Marrierre a

"Mattie," called her mother, "get finished with thy churnttt

ride over to the BentJ with somerocks" Mattie could smeli rlr
baking: raisins and hickory nuts all bedded do*'n together rrr il,, :;:,,1,f
;,5;!
1.".j,,"#?;;:,1,,; lff i;:
oougn.
"lavony Bent\ as queer as Dick's hatband," her morhcr
j1ili:11',..,.,):9J1i;'T,:"I"J:
;.T1;:l'."11'n 'Thce
The,sprrrt
of mrn\ gi, mark
abovethe slapand gurgle ofthe dasher,"half Indian and a ncs t readand farmed rr_:.^^-- i,rur,,.*l'".
". ,,, 1"'-i
Sh€ needsa token to shov she'swelcome" ardrner.sr readerr,k "h;;';,:r,.::' 6shedrnd
Listening, Mattie slowed ber churning. "Bring that burtcr I ^uardiner.
Mzrtre\ "oB
"OrI
studying
sttrdyinAro b"
f. a
. re"ch",.
,--."-" i,'' ,5zrq l:rher
ing," her mother said. "Thee'll have to 8et a soon start or ir i. ,'.,,)]"^'l"i'i,rher'hu'
,"1 n",'",i,,, ,n.-o.ii'ir,".rserr'np or
dark on thee." She came to the kitchcn door, rosy from tl" ,:,c:"
daysherodc,rd;i;;;ff;.J:
Ma,rierhanher

24N
!!AD HIR LIKE A PIGEON /Jesanfn Wc$

in her hand onto her bare feet before

warm and shelteredend the ! sh€ rumed to lace
desdnrtion. ln the {oods it vas human would enjoy my singing-only maybe
ley like butter on the-new Creen:al: 't be an old house
setting, - -:-..,-
" fot a
.i". .t 'he ooods'he sroppcd minure^r2t rr-,,
(h' choosy.,'
,,i,",t.l' nor choosyeirher.,'
n".',:':
*l- t-"i.^
w,,si, ir^*-,f,li,,l.rhi'r turnblng'down 1 I'm oo an errandro takesomerocksto lavony
f-rotten house; but flowers still came up aborrt Benr.I only
."..'o"J',nir.-" to pick some flags.,'
'" ,r'. f",.'"' i,'"-hi.hrl" \r'ighth'1Pta":ed jTT:,Ir^ill
handshrd pl'r I'm. czrd Bent,- the boy said,,.andI,ll walk
ro sceflowcrs
.i. i.ri,,'r'lt'*n,. M;(riethoughr' r$trbar's along home
your name?,,
wood<. wirh,not,an'l:':":"1'-1:':i,:'
e';",;s "r-. ;' thc : Truth Birdwell. Only I'm mostly called
il;.fi ;;;;;,-.r'. snowban bushwhererhe front gatehad Mattie.,,
Thar'sespretff asanl.song.If he had
'pi.. pi"t' keepingto theircirclebt.:\ l-,n,"l.dTlt
"'u now at"sun:ct br rhc rLrined:'.:P-:::*:y':
uPPinsbro(k A you-- and C,adiner Bcnt heJd up thc book
hc w.rs.rrq-
;:;J;;;; ed have wrirren a pocm .alled.t\trrrh,
'he deepshadow'"'
i' i"'*' * *" warched.<lid do$n hom Trurh....
*..it in the sunljt clearingas if coming1t'
""inl ""Joln*na "lout sne.sard
Nol maybcthrr Bentbo1.*ouldn.r,hrnt
,n r,rJ.a hand to them "Thce don'cact like wildir rothing, bnefootcd;nd ralking ro
she*,,
" hcrself ..Thee r:kc the
to-rhy ma- I v< dallifd hcre\o long i,.ll be
d,fk 8oi1g hom.
the woodlot."
I'il walk back wirh you.ro the pike. Mr.d
nerer forgiveme
ou go home wirh your box empr1.The boys
h.lre becnon
this afternoon_ They,ll have a fine mess
of cat6sh. Can I
onro your horse?,'
would dearlyhave liked bcing handed
onro he, ho"sehrd
nghrl) dressed rnd old pollv *ddled. b.rr rhrr would
hrve

he! melodeon again."

"Sing now, whY don't ,vou?"
wasn't frighrened' tlr
sf,li i'* U."a;g *- the flags,but sbe
uoite' tbougb' and she 'lt
**'r" q;i., t, J",, yo'ng m'n's

2Jl
2t0
r

\ae$
IEAD HER rlKE A PlGloN /Jc$anYn

its tendernessand boldnessin tttt boy virh rhe horn sraned

of regardiflg Her eyesserrched lj:Y_*: a runc sheknew,bur
i. "tead.hertite a pisean
May dusk :"'' {"-j':,:-]i . . . t*ad her /i&e
:1,,"*rn, rheesar asayar verno'-s(udvins n: pl,"d over andover.M,,i;:=;;
ll :I:lll., ;^:- ^;:;::;::
ro rale
N"* l m srudlingthe teach(r' 0,,':l rhrough
roic.ending.
i ;;-:;;, i; '",
BtT:i .l'lj;,1"?"",1"f fl:*
andunfinished. nor
rr* o"a t"_,n.i',r,".';* ,lr";ff1
erairirlations. oftheschoot
l'r,egotthepromise lll::
",""* w1j:J':.1;:1
i-p^.'.ir'"t *lir.o-' to vrights'-to
-sudt
jrl' r.,.il'i;;l*-"." courd
'e"e -ll::Tf-Y':'i::l
vour Irdd bet tike a pigean,
or relring'o mu'r-
;;,.k.-'t. hni,hedas ir a(h3med
Bed he, bAea .ro!c.
;;;:;* tt/h;qw tuhn rn neal bet,
---
himself. 'Yolre
iirir.gi.r. ls that what thee cellslightning bugs?" nt onty lore."

"Elsevhere they're known as fireflies" horn could not follow.

the Bent Place "bad ber liAe a pigen,,, ir said once
It *r, folt ,o.,t., b.fo'e they reached ^lavon) gave uP.
*^;.i.;t;; i.r on, ,'u'.p'r"e-eg{.ol'he
}e'1-sf^?ell
'n' o::I and sneined.They turned
t",'ng rhelastof rhelight":'.l
C-l*d up rhe earrh
l.:l: :il:T
""'.iii,.f.'.p'
;J; ;;;;i;.:k"i,ld bov' o"' roling abouron rherro' leaped
rrom
rhe\tump
lncr,w,m
o.l l'i6sh
*r."it""g, ,noawastryingto bringa rune about i,Y'3.11 rurnjng homewards.-Marrie .poke
"
looking horn The c
qeren\ an) flowersor grass the Bc
suddenrl
"iil'lf,iri'1"-;*
lr;:.
;"'J:,ff l'l,'ffili.ll,ar--...,, Il,. )*, *,,0i". ,h.h;*. ,;;;,,
5'jJ::J::iif,1Jff
",._t:
i-1.-": lr^*t<,r
t".. firing to m*e a foorsroor
or rr...
,i,.i"""01",
,n_
r,the too(srool^wi(hleaves
cookics and 6lled i.r *rrfr n.tr.
vou some
t""ttr..'u.*-l-,in, " t Fsh for your brcakfast...
sroPher fish cleaningbut looked,upkr- -.^r.,T*" she ,.Tdl
your
light down I kn-owecyour I sharjngI cani hope ro keep"ard.
enough."Lighr down. Marrha Truth' y:-::.11
wenr our of rbe yard.Mrrt;e prce w,rh her...
wes all younge'.than once m'o
' tt: T:::;'
;;";g" "1."
Sile Bent closedhis book on hrs hnger an(I walked over to Nl rl
,-ti i., ptrno manwith a big Yd..{ r:d
- ..
hii:,ld^'l :$5*r
,ll'J s
*, :::l i4;;llli*Til''"
,"1t"T.q,.. l:,!Ii.,'#l;
*,'tr,,nt"I-tt,t0,"",
".."' lii n isn'tspring!"he said"springridinga w *-':i?. a"kedMartie.vhar M,. Benr
h.rdsaid
t.i -"rl.-n. :fi:,
no Ilke tnglish ro her_
horse and with flowers in her hands" ' __the
"";;;.
taken aback to answer' but Gard laughed ,l;:lT i,5:t"-l::1:". goddes.
of spnngand
-r;.".
sot a box of cookiesunder the
flowen' P2-"
she ::1-"1:* *,,*" - r,,"',ii.[.,
t"*"i.
n-a"a the box of cool<iesand
the white flags ttr us gone
-''''*','
i. *", *i",", ." .;;:;.,: "o'Uln*nil,i
-t"r'"-'t.r-'""U' and Summer for gih"aid Sile Benr' an i o.''" r.a wa,ch
in8,he
musrr(l-r ll
,iJ;14;;'; ;i ^;"'.'
,":"';'"-,*; bires.sha}ine rhe crumbs irom hi\ she'sback again,,' Gard said.
ro (his srranfi
dog Marrie sa' afraid ro taik
"r,.r.ar.t.fr.a anr '
,. ir ir hadbeena pipeor a iackrcrire' f:(ed_at,rheedgeof rhe wood.. wheret\4:trre<ould
;il':;;;; ,;*f seerhe
or a Painted Picflrre . rhc rord supp€,qj. overwhen
of her as though shc were absent' , t herboxof catfish
t*,'rt t,.-.1the hexdhom a *ill-quiveringcrrfishwirh ' ' "fT:-rJ']n-:'"c-o"wn i",. ,h" kir.h";::;; ;;: ffi"r-ff;
tr..
 -------...

rEAD HrR IIKE A IIGEON /Je"df n We$

washed. "Sit down, child," her mother said, "and have thy supptt lookedat her mother,rhe
what kept thee?" *: lT_,la*,"
*Tlf"-":1from euaker preacher,
beneath
a,a*.",ry .u,,.i herful
"The Bents all talk a lot," said Nfattie. "It didnl seempolitc t' :::.::* n.edd
ngr ng'.,.,,
go and leave them all talking " 1ii|^.0_ Tn: A rongrimc ;.*;;;r;;:il;rilil:
,go ,.i p,ea,)e\.rhcre
"They'll not be hindered by thy leeving, never fear. Ear, eat- Thr _i"
r..,
._rc,
:::,1:.i:,_g :,
*.,rai,"
l:11:i: *hen Farher \prins ;:,i;.J;:.i
q,s
l:T,1,:
food will lose its savor."
Nason ,urncd oR rhe
"l can't eat," Mattie said. "l don,r seem ro have any relish lr thatshowed
f,:::.-,-1"..":, "
herthebt,.k.h"i,.d
victuals." She got the dish towel from the rack and started d5'ir
si;;;.;;.;lii.Tff,:'j::
"\(as thee fanciful." askedher mother, who neverattriburcd frigl does rhe Benr bov favor, M2raie?,,
to anything but fancy, "crossirg the woodlot?" ^,1,.1 Burhandsomcr
Hc.,
:.:]T1:r
'lll"i..^""1'",i,lll'^ sor r r,cero ,cmcm
"No. Gardiner Beni came with me-" proudrczrned
r;Ier(He.
of sandstones.
'_* goreyes
r gor qe. lhe
rhe
"The normal school boy?" Vfr." U.'*Af." .n...'
'---"
(;' "rt r any up and down
"Yes," said Mattie- "He's learned.Flowers.Fireflies-Poetry' plexure to watch hi- * k,;
and goddesses.It's all one to bim," she declaredardently. "Hc ' 't:-'.rn*",,
r k i l t c ro n r h e \ l t . q . r r m . r o v f . o
1.,r.qashcd I
lay his tongue to anything and give thec x fact abouc it. oh. I 'rhc
:j:::q::1 i'i:'".*e:ard lci'r a qom/n(an do ,,
full of facts. He's primed {or an examination and knows morc rl face she fmrie.. Mcn\ so rnurh
he can hold in."
Marrie made the Platesshe dried fly though her bandslikc thr'l iff: I l:l
O*U:l':,J;;;;;:',il:
on.
Thyfather,,,
,t .
;::;T;
;n""
i?;ll,;'iill
1-t.,:, *,a, a*l^"i..J'j
down-as if thqv were weightlessas thisdes and as imPerishablcI
's rhee ::ned :ack-roher dishpan,,w,hr.,
f:::'.j]: Marrie,,,
she
hends were deft but they had not her mother's flashing gracc. I cryi1g
"6ou,2,'
they v/ere silenr; they could not play the tune sheenvied' the lrrrk *:" shebrrst our; - - " ,.pushins
belt-IiLe song of her mother's wedding ring against the chinr ml"l,y
e o u ( ::,_:l:of ml. own home ThF rrrL.-^ F me ri'L u off.
rr'
_. -- ., . ., ., . , 66d
, b
w ouuurr lm
r ccnn Ir nhrrlr
i r r - ,. ^^ ....r,rr
constant light clatter of gold againstglassand silver that sat'l .". -i:?to .huror rne..she.ried
a lady grown and mistressof dishesand cupboards." :,._l:."1:
already.wcr -.My be
dish l".b*
,rorel ,"" . .,n",r..,:,il.
.,".,,!i. r / r c \,.ii'.4"
oDoeo.
Behind were rhe dark soods, rhe shado*'s and bos\ phL" , ,urcy. ner morher said.
and *"". .^ r.-
..-r. u
bur
u r Marric
r v r a f r t cb
bur_
whatever might slide through .hem when tbe sun was set; Ixri' ur-^ _-o r e
(c m dcepty in her dish towel
ur_
and :tumbJcd .rp rhc
kicchen, the stove still burning, sending a wash of light :tcr'"r
scrubbedfloorboffds, the known dishesin their righdul str(l\, own mother,,' she wailed.
M a : n n g s o u n d i n gi r . g u i r k s o n go f I o r e ,j,: whar\ Marrir(akinson ,bour....
Mattie hummed a little.
l*,j:."p*1
hfr,husbllrniiingrhcdoorwal
from
hermotberasked.
"\trhacstheehumming?" likeI r' I
"Seems _,.#"ili.L":t:l
room,likea sraunt ..v
h rimbe,. ar.;e.'1..
,;;i ,reli;;,::,
ir." a..uddeninkt,ng of whrr
lcavinghomett bc rjke.
"'Irad Her Like a Pigeon,'" Mattie said, smiling- ,lled Jess,,c",,;ng-,l,iJ r,..
"P1ay'partytune-" Her mother held her bandsabovethe sr)rl\ :s-::m:].
marre.,Eliza?', thinkrhar,s
and looked far away. "\0eevil1 wheat Once I I'as rcmprt'l ';J.':::;,'J'5:*'"" tadarwavs preasured
her."rheeknows
my foot to rhat."

214
..,51
 lVAfrS / rco Tokto!
GOD SEESTHr TRUTII. BUT

he said' "I have a recollection of sonr "I do not know whar I am afraidof
Jesssmiled. "Seemslike," ltl":pl:d, alt I know
j^O:: ,- O"j dream.I dteamedyou teturned from
few tears thee shed those fr$t-" the town,
But Eliza would havenone ofthar' "Tsk, tsk," shesaid,
ring beating a live\ rattoo against the last ketde,
herweddirrl
"rsk, tsk, Jc ' [ur;*"""i::,:: ::a:x'.*L
lt :f:ru:fi
n.1l S19. rnd br;ngyou
Birdvell." i p,.,.n,, kom rhc fair...
''Theehrppt, now: 'miling' good-bvro.his,famiry.and"o'rn.
Je* a'ked :: lrd drovc a*ay.
pl.,a *o"lin ' 'r1. binhe hummeda lirrle ravclingof a '' r'l he had rnvelcdhatfway,t. .., , rn.r.irn.'*t
om he knew,
long time ago" put up at the sameinn for the nighc.
"Seemsas if I know rhat," Jesssaid "A They had some tea
him the Pen to em \ ber.urd rhen wcnt ro bed in rdjoinini
"like as not," Eliza agreed,aod handed I rr''
r,oms.
over' "TLrmre_turn-te habitro sleep
rarei
and.qishinsro n]let
Je.\went our wrrh ir. lr)ing rbe rune 1l-ll, -1.1..":')
but it runs ir t' it was still cool, he aroused
t Jrn, nr.. ir. hc vid when he clm( baLk his iriver b.f"" ;rd ;;j';;
r put in the horses.
mind I know it "
took the.enrl't he made.his way acrossto the landlord
"Thee knows it, Jess,neverfear,"Eiizasaid'She of trre rnn (who lived
musicaln"r jt:-li*), paidhisbir, andcontinued
pen from him, her wedding ring making one more tis jo.,r,,ey.
t T: I S-* abouttwenty,nve -1t.., h. .,.;|.i';;;','1;
l. f4
j."I_lj. l{:*", *sted awhilein thepassage or theinn,
*.m.a.1* intotheporch, .,;;;l;;-:";J:fi:
f.
GOD SEESTHE TRUTH, I,,gor out his guitar and began"ro,
to play.
t,t,, drore up wirh tinkling bcus,and
BUT \7AITS "?e an ofiicial
/ iUSS]A
IEO TOLSTOY sordicrs.He crmc ro Atsionov and
besan

M-6ery,
:.j""T :I ll: him
n him, asking, who he was ,"d *h."..;;.;;;.
fully, and said, ,,$fon,t you have
T"*-** !- sohe tea
But,rheofficial wcnt on cro.s-que"tionign,- -a
r.king
r€ d,d you spendlasrnighr?\?creyou-Jonc,
or *,rb a
mcrchant? Did you_s€e rheothermerchantthis momng?
Whf
namc'l I ! lcave the inn before dawnl,,
I* ,rr" to*" of Vladimir lived a loung merchant
of his *:"d.,"d. yhy he wrs rskedr[ ,hese
Dmitrich Aksionov.He had two shopsand a house ""tt l:, ques,,ons,bur he
Aksionov was a handsome,fair-haired,curly-herded
fellos ltt hrpprncd.2nd then added...Wh1
:i'_,:l "r". I were do 1ou
man be lrr'l I
fun, and very fond of singing $7hen quite a young :,::.1._ll
, rhiei or I robbcr) Lrrl ,nueiing
too mtt'l' rnd rherei. no ncedro quesrionme...
qiuen to drink, and *'as riorous s'hen he hed had "'-il "*l:
no\v and tne') rhe,ordier,.
.aid. rm ,hcpotrce ..r
ifter
- he married he gave uP drinking' except l,lT,:*.'1..."u,q of6,cr
r T quesrion
O.r" ,r'^-", Aksi"ono' was going to the Nizhny Fair' rrrr'l 1":,. "11 you because
the mercnanr
w,rhnhom
him "ltrn Il " t lnt lxsanight has been found wirh his
bade eood-byto hi' famill. h'' 'vife srid ro - rhroat cut. \fe must
Oo no] s,.,n roday:I havc had a b;d dream
'rbout rou Iour things."
efraid that whctr I cnteredthe house.The soldier.and rhc
Aksionov taugbed, and said, "You arc polrceolhcer un-
Aksronov's lugg:gcand scrrchedit. Srddcnry
the fair I shall go on a sPree" rheotirccrdrew

25(
GOD SEIS'fHr TRUTH, BUT VAITS / If,o Tolsrcr

a knife out ofa bag,crying'"rJThose knife is rhis?"ALsionovlookc'l : musr peririon rhe

czar not ro ler .n i..

#5If,:;.'#'""il ;;;:;Jl;'"":',T:".;i'"J.;
andseeinga blood-stained knifetakenfrom his bag,hewasfrighten''l
"Hovr is it thereis blood on this knife?"
Aksionov tried m answer,but could hardly utter a word, and ori v buronlytooked
stammered."I-don'r knoev-nol min€ " 11^::,...1]n downcasr.
s,;d.tri *," no,r";;;;,:"11.*,
hiswire
iorrl ""(rrn'8 | dreamed\o',,
Then the policeo$cer said:"This morning the merchant{ras sra)yorr
you
ed erar. ."---.^,
remember:.;"
y",.h",,,;"^^.":1"'.4 )our hiii
hjjr
in bed with his throat cut You are the only personwho could h'r
done ir. The housewas locked from inside,and no one els€vrastlx
I i.1, Pas(inche.
tell%';l"i,l'i,:"fl;
yourwife,t. i*,1,
#;;;:i
*,.-i,'-^i
i,T;l':,lf:i,fi
rror nrve sraled rhrr

Here is this blood'staincdknife in your bag,and vour faceand matrtt

betray youl Tell me how you killed him, and how much mone\'\'l
ou. roo .,,.h--, _
lll#l;;llTl .i,3 ;;d
.,,,
hc bcqrn ro ::- '"-^ 1k""11;
,"::
,. ,or
)ou sho did irj.
''to ;;;';",i:,;..
,"
nt<tnghr' fice,n
:':'::'
\oiorer
ii ,itdre;m,,., "."" .2me .2me
stole2" Aksionov swore he had not done it; thet he had not
A -r:t | ro sr.l rh/r
t o s l . l r h / r rhe
rh(
m. "^ aw:y:
t" ":.^-,,.:,,n
and Aksionoro,a gooj
rhe mefchanr afte. they hed had tea together; that he had no for
;.';;:';,.i;:
rhe lxr rime b/ .o ;i.
his own, and that the knife *l' cn *:ey were gone,
except-S"teight rhousandrubles of Aksionov re.rrl-r --L
t'lr. his voice was broken, his face pale, and he trembled "
fear as tbough he were guiltY
The police offcer ordered the soldiersto bind Aksionov:rrrl
ff:,1'.*i:f:{i,lrff f:::illf,T:il';:
hscll. 'Jr scems,h",
tJonewe m,,-
."tv G.; ::: ;;;'"JPqcreo
him. he uid

1r d,r."iono"
Aki.".; *.o.",,o n'. eJonerff mer.y.
erpccr
Dut him in the cart As rhey tied his feet together and llunrl
: -,--r rjic monc\
mnn.\
.o,"
;;J::11L"il_ll ;;;:;;;;:.T; ff .T.r;;,,
into the .rrt, Aksionov crossedhimself and wePt His
rr!
goods were taken from him, and he was sent to the nearesr
and imprisoned there. Inquiri€s as to his characterwere mrlt nTa::,;:i\en,
J1ru:,':l'fT[1,i: o,he
mnes
Vladimir. The merchantsand other inhabirantsof that lovn sirr'l
In fflljl,:,;j::t,;l;; ; ;;;:l,jT,:,.::i:.T::::,"*
in former dayshe used to drink and waste his time, bDt thal
a good man. Then the trial came on: he was chargedwith r"rt ;JH[ ::];.iT:x ;^
I; ;:jjl.:tilT'fi:;t
-;'ff
ing a merchant from Ryazan,and robbing him of rwenty tl"utt
rubles.
-Hit ff:ilT":'i:ff ; ;;':':;
11i' -',, ,il*'i:'r
-if. *". in despair,and did not know what to belic\r 'ison
children were all quite smell; one was a baby at her breast
ll
;,":'
:;;:t:;^i:.:#:1,:
Akr'onov ler-ed - _,1--.^--

rhem ?ll with her, she went to the town where her husbxrrl :J,_llt;j,*:ilip""..,-".a Jj:[
IJi.Iil'#i
in iajl. At fiIst she was not allowed to see him; but
begging, she obtained permission from the officials, and
atto t
wrt r ll good_
:;"xi^'''n'
"" "'c 'crsonsand sangin the .hoi.; "i'fi:#:"'T:
for ii" ,.oice
,o"i;rnl wh." 'he ',w her hu'bandin pri'on drcssrnd rr Prison aurhorioes liked Aksjonov
shut up with thievesand criminals. she fell down, and
to her sensesfor a long time Then she dr'w her
did rr"t '
child(ri r'l ,*..
lnr. il:";':;::"'''
;;;'*"";;' T
\nzL.n,h.J *""..J;;
f., r,;.
;':urundflher.-
r'm ;:,'jffi
il:9,:;
,m
xl'l
and sat down near him she told him of things at home ryrhine. rhev,t*ry. ."a" aurhoriths
hcr all' and '1" t ^i.,""",''rc.Pnson
"']-'"' 'ne't 'poke.man,
about what had happenedro him He told lrc wcrequrrr.J\ ,-^-^
gurrrelsrmong -.
rhe prison€r. and
and
lcre ' ' rh-::,.f"\'"aD
"\(har can we do nowa" riAhr..,nd 'o
i"ds.;h. ;;;; "trv came to him ro
n
BUT W^frS / lco'rolstov
GOD S!!S TH! TRU'TH

'J,::iJ:;iilil '". yn*knee,ard-exclaimed,..rJfell,

this is wonderfull Really won-

,"x;T:
-"iii i::ll;i:r "::::*',,: ! But how old you,vcgrown, Grandad!,,
re,orhersaskedhim why he wrs ro )urpri.cd.
and where he had
i"*l-t'l..*'i':i:T:-':"'L',ll'Jl;-l'
0",, i".l'lill ffl"::i r]:.,",that
,*,
Me.kar
scmyonich
did not repryHeonty
"It's wondcrful we should heet here. ladsi,,
l:::iJT,u::['JTli]r::::Ylil''H.l*lm:'"1,1
Among the "it Aksionov
sat down near t
csewords medr A_ksionovwondcr wherher
liedrhe merthanr:so he said.,perhrps.
rhis mzn knew who
Semyonich.you hrle
(o er'har or tbar ,ffeir. or mrybe you.vc seen me
w i , h d o w n c a sar i r "'',i"1 --_^-^r.,,rv wrthaclo*tr before?..
w couldI helphearing:The world.sfull
of rumors.Bur rr.s

;;h::'l;ptil
*,r*ry.i!;ii',1''
tune ,go. and I've forgottenwhar I heard...
:s you heard who killed the merchant?,,
asked Aksionov.

[*r, *ix]::#.ri
S::,;i:,';:,::l;';;,
iil
liJ'li;,.);
1*::*.1."1':;",'J
'yousroleir' But howor-w'l'-l
T
Semyonich laughed, and replied: ,.It must
bag the knife was foundtlf someoneelsehid
'Hct not a-thief
have been him
the knife
rill he'scaught,,as the sayingis. How could
put.a.kr:ifeinto your bzg while ir was
:aidrhey. ^,,.n,uu ,,nr,,.,. , ., under lour head: It
,X,'ii1.1?l''l',ir'i"'".:i,l'-:;::q;.':i,
'go
long b"i ' ** :Ll',['J:
?H1, i,l surly have woke you up...
llsionov
.Jr. n.,. fl'.:T 'iesI m rt,r'
in, 0", ir's
heard these words, he felt sure this wes
the man
ar,..
been'enr herc for nothrng.rr . r'ii no, *ry tong.'
-::.ll'. He roseandwentaway.All rharnisht
Ytl1l.
'.:^t1,1*|
*:#:,:::: ;:.'''ilj,:'"T;".ilTll.
- ^,.,..me
;^,r
is^Irrr
t. ro,':rriblvunhrppy.
andatt,o,,sor;.a!",
nrs mrnd I here wx rhe imageof hrs
'XH.'T:'H trl;J;;' ;; ;"' townMvname wife as she wa, qh"en
her ro Co ro rhc f;ir. He saw her as ifshc
llrjo:' nere prescnt:
alsocall mc
rhcy Jso s€myonrch-
me J(rt lv" " and her eyes rose beforehim; he heardhet spea*,.rO ,",_rgtr.
rnd they
and .-..,.r. .r-rr
-T.ll -. srmvonich,,l'
me, Semyonrch.d,, )
Aksjonovraisedhis h*o saq.bis children, quite little, as they were
.il:. "';".,:;;,
merchantsn*'"''
oi vt"ai-;,r ,t'. ' at rnar tlme: one
know anlrbing of rhe little
_cloak
on, anocherar his mother,s breasr_And then
he
rcrcdhimself as he used to be_young
t''lif""tj'
I do-.TheAksionovs areri'h (1"' and mely. He remem,
,n.., of course Asr'" )w he srr playing rhe guitar in the-porch of the
inn where
i like,ounelve"'
sinner it seemsl
,n.,)i"",i.,'t" '' t'it''': affested,?nd how free ftom care hc had b€en.
He saw, in
Cranddad. hos did vou'ome h,e'e.,,^
t"rl1*:":";::, u. onr,
-,.r^-,,". He rd, the phLc !,here he was flogged. 116 executroncr,
i;: ," .i*r "r n''- 'r-'une
onrr'.+
"1 and rhe
\r ,-,::d. the.<hains. rhe.onvicrs.alt rhc rwcnry+i,,
:i.t'.t ,t". t haueb-ernin priron rh.'e rwenry-n\ :t:lt'g
*f,rio, his,prisonlifc.and.luspremarure
old rge. The rhoughrof
.1'1sf"..;"i ,'r,.aM+".1-s;'Tv'_']Ln desrn,,l oe nrm so wre((hedrharhe wasrcadyro kiJl
\gcll srrr , .nu,rhavc
u . , said.
\ x $ u ' u t onlr "-_ -
him"eli
n L r ,Ak.,ionov
Bur told the nes, .
-l-l^-..^,r,n.*",., j:11-,li:",1i1". l"ing! thoughtAksionov.
Andhisanger
*'.T:::-i;; , m i o n r
Herourdhrve'aidno-:* someone hrd t'r {:.r,aC1T:
Mal<ISemyonich thathetonged
fo, u.,,g.ri..,
c'me (o be '1 hc-himselfshoutd
bow Ak:ronov at-i^.^,'< 'lhi't:
:':'"' l- Ak'ionov's rhrr: perishfor ir H. k.p,
:li,::i:Ii #'o;; ;;. knireamong no peaceDuring rhc dry ";;,i;g
;;;;;;;i
he did no, go n.",
''
^-iil:J,,Hi,ill::l::ill*',:,liiffi:'"'-cd I::::".8* nor
" Aks;on'r
&myonich, euen tooj. at hi"-.

2(l
 BUT WAITS/koTol*ol
GOD SIIES'111ITRLilr,

.i*sionov ghnced er Malsr

semyonich. rnd ,ajd, "I cannot
,,fil'J:rT,H;i.'llii.-ll;til",L"."J'J'i:,',"i::**,*" ur honor. ft. is no( God\ wil
rhar I shoutd relll Do what
sey,
you

-.r;ru *;;:::T#:::::::::i:i::;.;:j':'JJli ;-il:';::l

with mej I am in your hands_,,

Aksionovwourdsayno more,
r;n.'iii':l-]ill:
[*i:at.i.::.l:**':;mfi ;''
;1edr,::'."ortried,
Thrt nighr. wbenAksio^o"*r, fri"*

Iili*r*i:;r**::TT,:':ifi ru:xlj"#Tl
ii';#lli'.i"Ji'13,1'"1:ir'
ru; ::'l;
::';1l'i'il: oI1ti

:i::llru*il *":iH':: il:';r

li.'il:l'-x.ll'."f "i"." :#: ff::9.
youwrnror me1. asked

Semyonich r.as silent.

Ar\iono\..whvha\c

-'ii"'.1."-i..p'q"'.t.
driven to their work
-l ,':: :lil'i;'.:^::;::,1''"'
ordman, andsaid'"rJrhardo
vouwant?Go awav,or
u'"i"iCn.el'ni #::l :l t*l"lr$'ltre loo' ii: :::-i5...
*i'fi$::r:l
Aksionov trembled s'irh anger as ovcrAksionoi.
rndqhi.pered.
"r\an
"I h# no wisrrto escape' andvouha* ffi,'il;T'':.T""ro'e
rt'T;';;;;;.JG' ro rcilingof '
'" r."' .., y", t';tt'amc l:ns igo: A' at for?" asLed Aksionov.
"*i 'hrll drrecr', *j.j-:l: k'l* ,0" -erchantandhid the
m;y do 'o or nor' as God
''K;;;';;;;l; r -. . .^ -,...1. the
,he ,o..
co"'' knifeamongyour
convicts*'ere led out to work' ,":::j ,l you too, but r hearda noise
outsidi ,o ,I
theprison':'"r"l'l:i,::::'lil . knife in ::
,"ia.r. noti..o,n"t .neor otherof rour"rI
rour bag and escaped.;;; ;;;;;d;l:"t "
;;i'-o'.*" '*'r"a "a Iherunncr '"*^wharto say.Makar
y: know
."":;';l;::;'
arlthePri'otr':.': T1 gdand
:"":,,lij*ll,:: bcd.sherr :.,#
o".i ,i. r,"Jio
;"';;'.,;;;JtJe'tioned
:j;':;.'i; ::f-.:,"*
hi,lifii,,',"*:':ff:r,*il:l::;":
Tj"::l],,' ;1.:il,:"
l;,.:::"::.,-:::q,:.
it was ,y :n. roveor coj. rorgiv6
T., tu,.a
r who
ts€d ,nd can go to your home.,,
q",
,r,.....r,ii,-";il ffi
',imost ro dearh
'," u.
^",' rast
^r ,i. Bv'e"'"' rurned ro Ak'ionov s hom r-.. r"' to tatk,', said Aksionov, ,ibut
t*e,*r . l:,,*:-" ::
me, lu :t.;1y- r have suffered
zre a trutnlu 1 old man; cell ,;T,,:j::"':,t:1s. \?herecourdr go to nowr . . My
a iust man, and said: "You
l dead.rnd my <hirdcn ,..;;;;
Cod, who dug rhc holc?' l"'l' :".'; ;:;'"._r::
"?#""*i;.ilod asif he werequiteunconcemed'
,;;;;;;;,;J somuch asgrancinsa:i:::.''l .ise.bu,bearhi5head
""t he could:l']i'll
not ttrt llTlr.",.n 1lj ."* .*1., on rhefloo,...tvan
",
i"r'"""J ir"J. ,..,oul.d,andfor a long dme
they nosged mewithrhe
'l ii;i"jrjli l.;".i..:,:1
\(rht shourdI'c'|eenhim who r'incd rr was nor so hard ro bearas it is ro see
"""'i';;,;;";^; 'u4c'edBurif l rell rhevvrll l
'
anddidnorrer For.r; jll
r-.'i;- p"1ioi whrrt havc A
himwrongrr lj,1on ir.And
fit':!ti.;';;l-, -a -"vl' r.suspect rher I rm!" he begtn to sob "tl,i."lJr,..
aftlr all, what good would it
be to me/ jly;i.y r.,.a t,. ,obbinghe.roo.be6an
me rhetrrrr' .Mavbe ro reep.
il;'i,';;;;;: the riovernor''..ell
rcpeatcd roui 'id he. I am a hundrcdrime:
than
:,1:^:::9,:.
you.',And.,,t
h,rsbccn digging undcl rhc wrrll?" "r. "'o.a,t J l-o.,il'i*;;";;i;;

,l,li.t.
THE \{AIKER TIIROUGH \vA trs / Malc'l Avmi

longing for home left him. He no longer had any desire to learc Lblclay in the helicojdri
rhe Driion. bu( only hoped for his lasr hour to come hardeninq of rh(
{'e 'r'ngurarorv
qJIl of
thyroidvesirie.
u. p,...r*a),.j?#
ln 'prre ol whar Aksiono' had said.Makar Semyonich'onfesrl
his guilt. But when the order for bis releasecame, Aksionov
s:r' .l *.,,bi,,,,"",
:..^,:: ;;;";"".1
;i,.'lii"-
ralenr rernrcgrrrjonpowder. iiilill.i"i;
alreadydead. a mjrrure o[ rrcefloucand
ccnt:.rri
lro taking the 6rsrrabler
Durilleul our rh< resr,rwa1rn a
drawer
jll'j:il'.j::: li::I Il'-, I' r.''h.i",.",i'. j.;,
THE \TALKER- :.1*,::" ..d-"d
i'-3-illl, """', ;;.
by_";; *;i:;;:rl.ji'ii;Jii
hisieisure
hours,*hi.h *... d.;;;,;
THROUGH-\rALLS 1,,::::""::.1.:,11
paper andhis .oft..rio",.rff for'"rri.i*tff:ri:
M A R C EAL Y M E ' F F A N C E ^sramp
so thar ar the end of x ys21
./t/ rsrhroush,
::^::.T:A1.
q.jils,.m,;ned his knack of
/Ya,*/ frlru uni,""pai,el,
l"; i;;.,.: ;::..-":J
of,qv.'',,.,"d
;";;
ffi:,T*;:::'l^iil:ql'rt'|c'|.vc
Tr"*
/

,r.,"o in Montmartre,on the third floor of No 75 b;t' l\1

[I #jli:r_1,
k, * ;ix",:;
*:;r:,;:n:, :;;:
:i'-';ltin: rnrhcroLkt,r,o';;;;;[;;,.;"JJ:l'j
d'Orchampt, an excellent man named Dutilleul who possessed
t ever
beins
,".p,"a,. p",,i'j.:T:,::
i;, g,n,;-
liT1r.j,.rl:."::,Ilr
rirqul,t'erfr oi bflng ableto walk rhroughwrll' wirhourcxPerier" '
;::1.:"-::l"1"-'::o''"ry"""""ai.'"rr...ffi
Mouron,rherreadof
env"discimfon.Hc oorc pincc-nezand r lirtle blrk bcxd arr'l rry.l'j,"."']]jllii
iis subsccrion
at ,he
"1.ro orherduciesand
wx rraosferred
was a third'grade clerk in ihe Ministry of Registration ln wini(
*errt by b,ti to his oflice, and in summer he went on foor' urr
|
;;-,";.:;;li ;ili#l,:J,1,;i:.;
a::,:1,::-"f...1
reot

his bowler hat. l1l:r: x.::.: i,..,.d .h.j,;;l;; ;,1;;;,"',r

qoreatra.hcd'i,l'lli'
j':I
Dutilleul had jusr enteredhis forty'third yearwhen his esry' ro.
aptitudewas revealedto him. One evening'having.been.caugl'r
:r*ljl,
|a(ki:ard.
"_":1, i""'" ,"0
,"dh..h.;;J;;',';; "horfch.r,,r. rnd .r
or n'.
hi5

a brief failure of the electricity in the vesdbule of his small ba'

lu
f :1:;,1; Tl,:F; ;;.::..;
:';:,:.:
J1.::ni:"1,::j
apartment, he fumbled for a moment in the darkness'and whctt
l:,'i.:f I " n;; ;;:
"ub"ec';on'e'','
G'il: l' ff i.T
carcuhredro troublerhe peatc
I
lrehr. $enr on agarnfound him'elf on rhe rhird floor landrng of mind of his .r.bordrnrre.
his
rerers*irh ,h" foro;;;
: -'-\x/irh
ti"s tront door lockedon rhe insidcthe inLidenrLaused llrr ,ffij.;;..:T:,:.:esin
"as rerercnce.
,o ,"* ...*."a'."''.r;;;,i:Tlll:
reflect, and despirc the Protestsof his reasonhe resolvedro ll'l
as he had come out, by walking tbrough the wall This st' l";';i;l':1,1,:"
i'i r,n:uc "s'*
ll:i'qihe roourprero.' .,.
er<hanse
attainment, which seemedto correspondto none of his aspitrtr iono.,-
il.,",j11;t1.:: ro subsrirotc ;r; ; ;;, f:';:.
prfled 'lrehtlv on hi' n ind. and on rhe followrng dav a S""' i": ..T::1.,^|TP.*1 a mofe,,ani,rranric
rorm
'l tdsi' Yoursof rhe\u!h and^uch
i.. ook rdurn'rg. ot rhe wcekendro call on a neighborin;' I b.B,;,,";;.'-.: ;:,,lt.I
and put the caseto him The doctor, after convincing himscll "l
rhrscpi,,oran ier"ene*
De,p;re
,himserr
lLf'r..jljli
frcd wirb , T::,1,:
m.rchinelikcob,rina.r
-'*- , * t
rruth ofhis story, discoveredupon examination rhat the ciuv "l incur!,o8 to ;*
rhei".,.,,i"8
""i-;,;,;'J;,,::#:T'ill jilT.
)64
TH! TifALKER THROUGH-WAILS / Md.l Atn€

sphereof th€ Ministry of Registration becamealmost oPPressiver,1 Dlrille-ul, pen in hand, wasseated
him. He went apprehensivelyto work in the morning, ard ar ni8|r, :Ploajd: in his accusromed
devored
ind,,,try.
u. rrcoye,
after going to bed, he would often Jie brooding for as much as r ll him
at l*.*iij .1._T.,:lquil.and
for some timein silence, ,n.r, ,i J. ,i..,T#'j
queffer of an hour before falling asieep. ""ahad he
ro his o1fice.Scarceiv
Outraged by reactionarystubbornnesswhich threr(ened to undcl l:1^:,::"- resumedhis seat
herd againapperredon rhe wrli.
mine the successof his reforms, M. Itcuyer relegzted Dutilleul r, you are a-scoundrel,a biockhead
and a mountebank.,,
a small and somberroom, scarcelymore rhan a cuPboard,nexr d(!'l
j,, :ionc rhe rerri&ingheadmanifcsrcd
rr:clf
to his own ofhce. lt was €ntered by a low, narrow door giving ,' l-,'Y,n,,
j:T*,1"d. * the.rorJooinj
ai1, ;, ,pp.,"a
co the corridor, and which bore in capital letrers the legend: B^r
.i, "i+ ,
FILrs. Dudlleul resignedlyacguiescedin this unprecedertedhumil -:"* "q,;"a,
i:t:'::,^^:::ly "ii'.i;ri';"
^e.eryto abu"e
; ;;.:
::.:..1:** r,;sci;; ;;":,;
tjon, but when he read some more than usually sanguinarystor!
llll),j.:-.jllt,: in, ,.p,,.nr,,
,oiLrpun(.
his newspaper he found himself dreaming that M- llcuyer was t wirh truly demoniac laughrer:
"ocraim,ns
is nearl(tdasbtel)Ftesh$eeps^nd
One day his chief burst into his cupboardbrandisbinga letter ., n|':I'^:,,";:;;'r:;,end
bellowing: ing whrch, rhe unhappl subseccion
chrefe
"This must be done againl I insist upon your rewriting this Lrt
: :j:lil*:.yi',:;:',;;.:;; ;;; .T;,'ii,ll'j,olf;
speakabledocument which is a disgraceto my subsecrionl"
Dudlleut v/asabour to protest,but in a voice ofrhunder M. I;c!
informed him rhac he was a routine-besottedmole, and crump|
,:*ii:i-;;'#"1"'il".
n.rii:;r$ritt.li
vrsruy mejring away, be
de,eloped a re
the letter flung it in his face.Durilleul was a modest man, buc pr,r
Left alone in his cupboardhe felt his temperaturerising, and suddcr
j:[:*.:::^i:l
*,!.;:;:;;;T
*,*a**r
;:'lfT],i",'lj,,l,T
he v/as seizedwith an inspirarion. I-eaving his seat he passedrrl 11l^,I-o:qt''T
:xrng and bon him oR (o a
menralho.nc ",,;;;:J.;;.j':
the wall berween his chief's room and his own. but he did so \r h o m , h c r ) , a n n ,o . M L r c r l e r .
g.:::'*':,:.1 Duriueur
caution, so rhar only bis head emergedon the other side.M. Lc,:rr
j:. rormL'rr_-wi,h rcferencero
seatedagain at his desk, his pen srill quivering, was in rhe a,t :,:::::, T|.l,j.,, your
of the such_and_s'ch. ,, t;;"
strikine out a comma from the t€xt of a letter submitted I't Tcommunicarion ;.t;;;
j T*rT.^i:: iJ."']ns in him,a new,imperious impulse
subordinatefor his approvel, when he heard the sound ofa c,,r r:,hl"c lessrhanrheneedro watk
in his room. looking up h€ perceivedwith unspeakabledism:rv :": ;,oiJ;^tl,
of doinsso,,n hisapartment
head of Dutilleul, seemingll amxed to the wall like a rrophy ol I X-1. 1o-i:1..*ry:tunities
he.did
notncgrecr
chese.But rhis herd was alive. Through the pince-nez,wirh rl l]:'.:lll"n ,.:,,;r ;;,",.,;";J:;:
:s;'lq-bl 'x,anr Cifrscrnnor tongbeconrenr ro sgu;ndcr
lengrhof chain,the eyesglaredbalefullyar him. rwhat is mo(. t rheecrof warkin'g Lhem
headspoke. :':_Y:*^* .11 ,n,",r; ,;l;"::;;::
i,.erfr, i5a mcieg,nnins.,he.,,n
"Sir," it seid,"you are a scoundrel,a blockheadand a mountcl).rrl ::::::j::,i: r",,".u((ome.,
l"
:::_1"|.:*,]l's,$ a . reati7.,,ion_ (all,ns. in.hon,
M. I,€cuyer,his mouth gapingwith borror,had difrculry in rrt wela
t wareor,hH
, . c f e r t : nj n n e nr e e d
drawing his gaze from the appirition. At lcngtb he heev€dhir'l l l ,n
nrl, : growins
- : l , l , o "desirc
j
tof,I6, ^,o;*p^,;i.,';;rl*T:ffi::
out of his chair, plungcd into tllc corridor and ffung open thc ,l ng which w:ts in somc sorr
the cali of rhe orhef side of
the
TH! \q,{rKERTHROUGHWArrS/ MircclAvdt

sought inspiation t'

"1r .l
wall. BLt an objrclivc.alas $d5 lackins Hc 11,""_.,::, i .r,,"r of [at. t.n (he \y/erewo]r...
heconres_
deloled to Polrrrcsrn'l inrermin,bre
b,,., r,"8;;;;,
his drrll paper,parti(ulrrl) in rhc columns
.".r,. doif''of shich 'eemedro bim commendable
actrvirics:b"l
* Xly" or-r,,oerdorr..
ff liillli:;'i,;-It:,and
_,",;;;:;il;:r,; "r ;:.:J::
n"rfft rhar rhe'c ofreredno ourler for Persons
t 2Plblr "l ,hr.rime
oi reavins
,r,..,"i.iq r,.
o'.r..'.i*
columnl wlil' J:,j:?,":5:::rt,:j ",,,
;;lkl"; i-,g; wall' he fell br'l on rhc crime
orovedto be rich in suggestion-
t'o",iff."i.

"";;.
frrstb,rrgli;v took placein a largecreditestablishmtrtt
."h, umr'..r ir'. se'ne it'e' Passing
(hrouSha dozensrrll'
hl ' l fl,",fi T:[';,:j
l[:rF#,ffill,if ; *;,;f:,,ij
)cd hjs signarureon rhe
s,fe and _r" ;;;
" "
,no orrriion. he,b'usthishandinro a nunbcrofstrongboxcs
nir i*'.". wirh banknotesrnd before le'\rng signcdhis crim' tr -,;;;,"J.;:li'Hff
T::l-_1j:-1":" ; f'*,J,,.
;#
;:;;il,,.'^* rhe p'eudonlmot
'rle werewolf' adorned

i,"i1".. n.S',tn rhi'h wa' reproduced

"ir" ,il.tJ **l the 'verewolfhadachieved
sr'l
ncrr l"
rn alJrht papers
an exrraordinrr i 11ii:fi!"''#;:
l-probably
::,#ar
rorrhesotep,.p*.
*1r ",:t i_:,l:1t
"i'.""i"."j,; ;:::;&::
r* "il herrt of the public.went:': l**'::1\,,:,:ll:
iJ"y.
rilv mockedrhe policc He d ' t'' T:': ::." rndeed
lffiX,::%:11i:":::t':::. grcrr,v
;;.;*,i
:;;;;;;
;;;;;,
"".
;;;',' who 'o
Prer
oL'ir','r
;" himlelferchnighr bv r rre'herPloircarried
o{ a bank' now of a jeweleis shoP or of
some {'e'rlrr'
there was flo woman \ i
ilI;ffi irur:;l::'1r",,",";*iifii
confrere. anddid him n"'nre?b, g..*,;g"rr,r;."o.l;;:::,.,*
by remorse.rnd
lrraiuiat,at.l" Paris, as in the Provinces' ..f:,,..",i:11 ,a_;,,,ioi' qenr.o ra,,. ,o
b" get theirhandson the walters
;;;;;i" her heart who haj not a fe-e"t desireto belong ".;";il;;;.,;;J:r,:i;
of the,fam"
t"tf * rhe terrible\(/er€wolf After the theft

l*{[ii*qil*t,'[i j:
::,i,;].::::'il,.T;:ft:
".J Cr€dit Municipal' s l'r
s,lrdieala dia-ortd a.td the robbing of rhe
' ' 'iasmof the trowd rr lu
ocurrcd during ihc sameweek rhc enlnuj
w2s'omf'l r an,eminen, publi figure:but the rpparent
'i."rl.'-.i a?r'"'. The Min;'rcrof rheln(enor jl11r,ll
ro 'esign. qirh hrrr rn l'i' rallrhcl\tnisrcr R:91:i'::l
d,agging t:":,,,',lk pan ;n a 'e.orurion
:'"::T.::] Duri,eurrhoughr of tr;s k;nd.rn
"l
N*..ir'i*t,"5"im1, row one of the richestmen in Paris'nct 19Tro.'u hew,a;.*;,;';;
.,ne,"ry lJl:;;l
,t;". punctuallvat the ofrce' and was +ot<1o
of.rl ricrhcwas rouo*;ng-rr,e
;;i;;
2( I lilj--.":,:.:f
Lili"",_"i:r:.,iq
o* desriny.
No man'.n";;i,
.^rlia^" r"t ti pntna a"odeniqtt* And every morning' ;;;;;r*"il:
."_ furfiIedir r,,s"n.t h"i
rrlini"tryol n gi",t".ion, he had the Pl€asue.ofT:rtng T:::lf"{
'Verewolf"' ::.::-.i:*-. prison
-T:deratery r,e
iii.r" i'u-*pf.ut ,he previousnight "This thei rr
:"T: i,": :f , whcn o",,,r.,,
.","J,i.'p".,,lJl
"f j:l'* of beingthe:poiiedchiJdof roflune.
"is a,topendo.'s fellow'a superman' a gett"t,',H:itif
'sl:l-f :l'l
behindthe pinic t
)T"Ll.^Il rhc "*,.,;;i."
sails ;;fi,,::
O",ill."i ,"r".a pint *ith embarrassment and
t
:li:f::"'
.ry rojlowinq hn in.r-"_.r^^ _L-
'
,
;iil, HT
A.day,camc-whrrr
f',i, f"t .t'"* -tifl friendshipand gratitude
of .y-p"tty so overwhelmed him thar he felt he "
",.o'rortl."
i.'.-.plfr. ,...., Surveyingwrth,a lasr twinge o^fshl
"o'tonger' arrayed round a newsPaPerconrrlrrll
the group of his colieagues
he sairi 't
^?.""i,, .f thc robb-cryof the Bxnque de France'
"',r
TH! !/,{LK!R-THROUGH \tArLS / Mar'et '^Ina

*rt
day was again found at the bedside of the \Terewolf' together ,"4, 1,,;", finish€dhis coffee,
governot ijiil]:n,, terephoned
the
the fust volume of 7/e 7/ rcelvlurketeefi,borrcared from the
libfary. The whole staf of the Prison wes on edge The l am.covered
qirh conru>,on.
' l;*: l":::.::, when r r€fr
LomPlarncd. moreovcr.ot reccrvingklcKson the borromcoming fr r omirredro rak€
had J::::::,1T:in,a iq" ranr )our wailc,,
.o rhsr
some inexplicablesource lt seemedthet the walls no longer jT:r." w,x y.; ;., ;; s;.d :, ; ;,j
:.-*.ro pay my bilJ?,,
.resrau
Lo. l"a f*t insterd The aletenrionof the \Terewolf had lastetl In€
t
week when the governor,entedng his ofice one morning, found
following letter on his desk: jl"lllll;lT_i".?lf
".i.
f.:.""J1.*#:-ii1:f
eur escapedrhe forJowing fil J vr\ p.J, trcrrngs.
n;gt ,, n*..
j:* jTtl;fil,ff]il:Jt,lHil: ff
SIR: ,"
Wirh reference to our inteniev of rhe 17rh iDsan! znd havinr
regardto vour genemlinstructionof Mav ltrh of last year'I hz\c
I tT;i::il
.r'". to"*.o inform yor'rthar I haveiDsr concludedmv Perusalol
The Threelluketeet, vol Il, and rhat I P'oPoseto escaPeron'gh
beffieen11:2t P.m.and 11:3t Pm
I beg to remain,Sir,
{** P""d';-;;
"t;:'":i:,r:'"o
**r*'*
.*=[i'",,'i:i,..l;**+1
;;';';;:':l;.ffi
i:,r""[i
possessions
*hi.h h. .*,
::,i::1,::::j:-T','he ',;;;
\X/ith exPressionsof rhe deepestrespect'
Your obedientservant.
Ts! .JFrREworI. *"rr,
lll*:g,n-,r,n i*lir.i...',rl';[ffi;ir:I
rhf flimsier.of :crecn,. rnd hedre,mcd
Despite the extremely close watch kept uPon him rhat nl J:":,T,:.-::ll":
rstingfus way into the rery
Dutilliul escapedat 11:10 The news,when it becameknown rtr
public on rhe followrngday. octisionedan outbursrol rrcme! t,.ll.;;; :,#:il';l:;,?JTil
i"*;;:i::',::,r::
of lives. divided bccwec"
h,. ;_".?;".''
rrvco (he moir
Du(illcul,having'chie\ed anorherbutl
.n'h.,ia'm. Nc\erthclecs.
\i'hich set the seal on his PoPulariry, seemed to have lirrle desir I,ff"o,',jlll
:p,t,.;;.;;;,;";J.:;il
is rhat.cjean+haven
,"a
n.," ,,...J"I'*c
:1,:T#:l:
qrs hrsmc,i-

hide himself and walked freely about Montmartre without taLing

Drecautions. Thrce days after his escapehe was 2rrested
in thc *ri:Jti::tl Yl.-;;:il'"'::;"i,:.1
C.cn p.rur.whom 5:i;T:
a*rir *.r*a" .,'","'trlcq
!.,nrv the
iu R€ve on the Rue Clignancourt, where he vras drinking a Ir)r
citron 'nitl, a few friends. ct*rins j;il;f;,::":::."ilT";:"1;
hirdissuise
""
:T":i1.T,":1.,1:",","^
ri"a,"g
ni.*r,i.".,".;::;;il;,ill
Being taken back to the Sant6 and secured behind uiple Jo' *,,.Abrcuvoir.
herourc
IIljJ,ll,l.I:. not'L)tlznr
rertrarnhimserf
nrmrerr
a gloomy dungeon, the Verewolf lefr it the same evening and I marking in his rrude sl6g;
thi night in th€ guest room of the governor's aPartment Ar I ,:, t'a nibi az
7":_r,:.::1:: sisalpinepa riaret eax de
nin" ihe tr"*t morning he tlLng for his letit dejemet and il'
himself to be caPruredin bed, without offering any resrstance'I
warders summoned for the purpose The outraged govemor '
'
a 5pc.i,l suard ro be posredar rhe door of hi' cell and Put l' Durilleui-sovou vcre(osn,zcd
br.rd ,ni -r,.'. Toward middav he wcnt our and had lun'l
l-"T:lu.''1
vas prrrurbed by rhjs rnd re5olvcd me,..
ro hrJen l,s dcprnure
for

27()
TH! WALKER-TIiROUGH-WALIS / Malcel Aym€

Egypt. But it was on rhe afrernoon of rhis very day rhat he fell
transports
of delightandthq. made
love with a ravishinAblondewhom he twiceencountered in the R :::j ilT.l"r tovedl]
Lepic,ar a quarterofan hour'sincerval.He instantlyforgothis sta : nexl iry Dutillcul
had rhc ver.rtionro (ufler
(ollec(jon.Eg)pr and rhe $,ramids.The blonde. for her part. from i .c\ efe
n-oimpo,,in<c.
andhe hrd no ;nren,ion

;** *::r*::::;
gazedat him with considerableinrerest.Nothing stirs the imaginarit ;; ; l:""ff:::,::
of the young women of the present day more rhan plus fours ,r
horn'rimmed spectacles:they have a flavor of flm scripts, the\ i,#:i:t#l!il:
iffii";r
one drcaming of cocktailsand Califonian nights. Unfortunately r
lady-so Dudlleul was informed bv Gen Paul was married t,' H::t*iiilp1.r
o forger rr. rhc r:.r#*' ?:$ or cxar,arronc"used
violent and jealous man. This suspicioushusband, who himself
a dissolute life, regular\ forsook his wife berween the hours of
;" ;.;;;" ,."",

;r;: ;TJ:,.T: "ii[T;i,jJT

_.;";

J:."#'
;:;
;,;;;",.

at night and four h the morning; but before doing so he loLt

her in her bedroomand padlockedall rhe shutters.During the dalr i
he kept a closeeyeon her, even going so far on occasionsas ro foll'
H.,i,#H{ rj:,t*iu,"
il,
:.:,:;*:',"j, *".. * kfu #iri
",".;,:::":T:"lll.:i,,:i],
;il:ffi:,iffi;:"[1:11:l ;,;;
t''*'hi-"'",,h"
rru;iixrlf
her as she went along the srreetsof Montmartre.
"Always snooping, you see.Het one of those coarse-mindr<l
and-sosthat don't stand for anyone poach;ng on their prese.vc\
But Gen Paul's warning servedonly to inflame Durilleul's r',i
rh*:iirli*,;:
to be movinsi" , ,;.,,".;
keningso th"ar',
;.J ;;;
ri
qrsrrtlr
,;J*,:
or rcsrsran(eH.
::.i fluid br-rrwhrch
rir \urhrstrncyqith cvery

:t"*r
Encounteringthe young woman in the Rue Tholoz6, on the follo\1 nt rhJr he made.f+,.,"-.,, "^-,
day, he boldly followed her into e cefler;e, endwhile she *'as aw:rrr
her turn to be served he told her of his resoectful oassion anil r
hc knew all -r\e rillainou" husbrnd.rhc lockcd doorund 'h- I
lfl *:i:i{i {,1f
fl ,fl.f;.:,To{,.n orhe
*,:nJ,j:
re,aircd,
n.;;
li :j[
;;l.J;.Tl:
$r'hichr,en,o.,.'"k"n
locked shutters-but that he proposedneverrhelessto visir h(r i ;.i ..'',,r^.d,il,;,,;;;i.;,,'..raa
yo.l, .j,:]r"^]T:e,r,brers.
:*,.*
m;.r"k"nfn,
#
sameevening.The blonde flushedscarletwhile the milk jug trcrrrl
in her hand. Her eyesmelting with tendernessshe murmured r.c :'..T.1*,'"-::1,,f:il;
exerrronswassuddcnrr"*,| il';::l:i;:l Jl Ti
t, il
n,,
"Alas, Monsieur, it is impossible." ,,. ,"""0"0.;:::"
in rheinrcrior
of rhewerrHe
llis r,;",,jlJll"Tj,r6cd
*,,,t,:
On the evening of that glorious day, toward ten o'clock, Durr
was at his post in the Rue Nonins, keeping *atch on a solid,,l
wall behind which was situated a small house of which he coul,l
nothing except the weathercockand the cbimney stack. A (1,tr
r#inffiirti;nl*:;
tteomes hcrr r .trflcd * :**r
;; ; ilil,"i:,:".T,,;:l
vorcc 5eem.
'. "
"'o,,45 qiec down

rhis wall openedand a man emergedwho, after locking ir rxr,I i;:,T;:.,

T",:*{1..:: _ffH
behind him, went down the hill toward the Avenue ]unot. Drrl
$aired unril he saq him vrni.h in the lar disrrn.c rt rhc r',,'l
cheroad, after which he counted ten. Then he dartedforvard, \lrl
ffi:s:L:ili;
;:.i#:1.ji.3i,r"t,:l
c pajnrer.Gcn paLrl.*ril:x
takinp
venrures
cchoing
sotirude
orrheo"i N"*i.,'ij'j"" forrh
lighdy with an athlete's stride into tbe well, and running rl,l n"olerhe unhappy
all obsteclespenetnred into the bedroom of rhc beautiful ,.r1 j'j:"',li?
wrh a \onp. and.h..^...
lii:ii:;,Jlf.,5::Tl j,j"'"",1"'"*,T[:li
c..:_ . .

212
 jokes quicr
T;:":.iTir were
THE LOTTERY "l'il"ff.'J':;ft:"1,:i1i[,'..f
SH FLEYJACKSON
/ UNITEOSIATES

?n FrT"ffir#:+ffiI;gaff
;tl',*l:J
X;UI Ja-.!(c.n k,n;gy:,, Htf;l,fli:ilf
:,ii
H[11'"""f#j#i,;,i".,]]":,:3,*:*
c.lotre? w.rs<onducred-r,
T"" ro"*r*o of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the
warmth of a full-summer day; the flowerswere blossomingprofuscl :i:i*:::r.*tj:t#{: jjT:;r;
j::r,r!iTi
*".. ,,a. ,orr.

and the grasswas richly green-The people of the villagc beganr

gather in the squere, berween rhe post office and the bank, arour
ten o'clock; in some towns rhere were so many people that the I,,l
rery took cwo daysand had ro be strrtedon June 26th, but in rl
i;:l*lil::.nt'J::T
n::.il,
;;".1':::r":[:]i:i
Ii:#.#
woodenboilhe,. w,.
jri;,";
a murmurof
villege, where rherc were only about rhreehundred people,the wh,
il"[,ilq',J[":l';.Tl'^ii'.5,::.9.J;;;'
Iottery took lessthan rwo hours,so it could begin ar ren o'clocl
the morning and still be through in dme ro allow the villagen ;;.mi;:::';:,1J;fuk1r
*J:X.: : l[;:
il:.'rli1 1?.tf
set home for noon dinner.
The children assembled fust, of cou$e. School was reccnt\' ( j::1",, .'d#,":il:J,: ;T;i'',,ff Tij
for the summer, and the feeling of liberty sat uneasily on mort or vourelow5
,:l'n.iJTI.',."-1l".,romc w,n,to sivemer
them; they rended to gather together quietly for a while before r ;;;: iff:?J;:,1.j1T"il1#il n" ,,*,,".
<rerdv
,"Jii.
broke into boisterousplay, and their talk was still of the clasv,r on rbci(ool
and the teacher,of booksand reprimalds.BobbyMarrin had alr ,T.-1T'*" "',"0 ,p *. ia..',Lrux
stuffed his pockets fuil of stones,and rhe orher boys soon foll,,
his example, selecring the smoothest and roundest stones; Bobby H:ffiffrvirl * !;,.,3*i: ;:"1.r,Tf",f:
i."*",r,;,r.l,r,r.ii",il,ffi
Haffy Jones and Dickie Delacroix-rhe villagers pronouncc,l
name "Dellactoy"-eventually made a great pile of stones iri ,TT:.:iII:" _,;J"T:]
corner of rhe squareand guarded it against the raids of the ,,r
boys. The girls stood aside,talking among themselves,lookin6 ,
"ilit,:**:i: dt: il',t # :ilii:';l.:"
r.,a lil:#
p,...a.a
their shouldersat the boys, and the very small children rolled irr
i::,*:
".TJ',;l;'l.'i[::u,_,*: i,,ii
dust or clunq to th€ hands of their oider brorhers or sisrers
Soon the m€n began to garher, surveying their own clrrl,
speakingofplanting and rain, tncrors and raxes.Thcy srood rotl,I
ft .:'l;*;.T:.ff
i tor,rde
Ll*:;tl nl,i:;: ";j#:;
;::
offwirhour,,il;;r;il;,:ff::
nTil:i JJ;
THE LoTTERY/ ShirlEJ.ckson

grew shabbier each year; by now it was no longer comPletely black

but splintered badly along one side to show the original wood color
and in some places faded or stained.
Mr. M2rtin and his oldest son, Baxter, held aheblack box securelf
ffi.r#,ff
#;:+l!T
'l_Y'; .:"*,ff.1;;'3s;";..1;..;
-i;;;;;""t"'(rnc asherarked
inrermi-
Mr' Summers f"ly
on rhe stool until Mr. Summers had stiffed the PaPers thoroughh f.f,-.f r,tii^_ ^- |
with his hand. Becauseso much of the ritual had been forgotten ol
::T-:;,",i;;;ilT:,:.;i;
lll'fl1",*i.,",i..*.
:5:tre$frt*t+
discarded,Mr. Summershad been successfulin having slips of paplr
substitutedfor the chips of wood that had been used for generarion'
Chips ofwood, Mr. Summershad arped, had beenall very well whctt
the village was tiny, but now that the PoPulation was more
;lr
Ri*iilq t$;*j*
Hi',"t'-Ti,
three hundred and likely to keeP on growinS, it was necessaryto u
something that would 6t more easilyinto the black box. The nigh re a_runnin8. She twenry-sevenrl
beforethe lottery,Mr. Summersand Mr. GravesmadeuP the sli dried her n"".']. ^^"',"'t
tx seid. "\.^,,..-
- "- ' :- I'-e. rhough ner apron. anci Mrs.
of paper and pur them in the box, and it was then taken to the \'tl ,.. "r Thev.re,riil
coal comPanyand lockedup until Mr. Sum r_ry
of Mr. Summers's "ft,rg

pdft;.e1*#il'x$.,
wes ready to tal<e it to the square next morning. The rest of tl
year,the box was Put away,sometimesone Place,sometimesanotl
it had spent one yearin Mr. Graves'sbarn and another yearunderft
in the post o{nce,end sometimesit was set on a shelf in the Mrrl
grocery and left there.
There was a greardeal of fussing to be done before Mr. Sumrr
::;.T:,:.:ffi ;H;,:il,',:1lJ;',::i:
T:l;"",.,"
shemedeic,n" ,rr.: Mi*us.HUrchin.on,..rnd
declaredthe lottery open. There were the lists to make up-of hc I"..1-.lr
of families, heads of households in each family, members of c
household in each family. Thete was the ProPer swearing-in of ,-fi{;;,Hf#i'H}ii*fu
:i';:;#,1*ri
")1"

Summersby rhe postmNter, as the ofrcial ofthe lottery; at on€ til

some people remembeted, there had been a recital of some s
htri,,::ti'i:;ln
li
,*r#:i:'*::ii:
performed by the oficial of the lottery, a Perfunctory,$neless .lr
chat had been ranled off duly each year; some PeoPle believed I
the offrcial of the lottery used to stand just so when he said or
it, others believed that he was suPPosedto walk among the Fr,
;;;xii*t"ru:
8et this ovc, *i,t. -r
e?,.
*".,"
we berrerger
... .-,, "']'ti-^,8ue)s
EU oackro work. Anybody
i:
unbar.' sever, people
but years and years ago this Prtt of the dtual had been dlos'<,l said ,.D,,^L^_ ^
lapse.There had been, also, a ritual salutc, which the oficial ol
lottery had had to use in addressingeach Pe$on who camc Lrl'
draw from the box, but this also had changedwith timg unril t
;';**i;';:m-,,
t;'J:*il'.:':{F*.,
.tT"":_ -l -.";," ;
:: ;;d;;"s!.1q,ins
rorhim?'
it was felt necessaryonly for the ofrcial to sPeak to cach pcl
grown ley ,o ao"'0,!i,,.
a I,il;'ri.;,T.,n sard.:t:li
iil"Jli.,'.l;'
approachirg.Mr. Summerswas very good at all this; in his , "i'andevcryone
;, f..
".,,
r]l'mer.
erscr" ,h;;;j,;.";;jJ,T/
'Doni
At(houahMr.
answerperfcct)y

216
 THE LoTTERY/ SlmeyJrckon
well, it was the businessof the official of the lottery ro 2sk su'll
quescionsformallr. Mr. Summerswaited with an expressionofpolrt'
interest while Mrs. Drinbar ans*ered.
"Horace'srot but sixteenyet," Mrs Dunbff saidregretfuliy "Guc'
I gotta fill in for the old man this yerr."
"Right," Mr. Summers said. He made e note on the list he $x\
hoJding. Then he asked,"Watson boy draving this yerrl"
A tall boy in the crowd raised his hand. "Here," he said. "l rl
drawing for m'mother and me." He blinked his eyesnervously rrrr
ducked his head as sevetalvoicesin the crowd said things like "Go''
fellor. Jack. and Clad to see)our mother'' gor a mrn ro do '
"well," Mr. Summetssaid,"guessthat'severyone OldMan warrrI
make it?"
"Hete," a voice said, and Mr' Summersnodded.
A suDDENHUSHfell on the crowd as Mr. Summersclearedhis rhr'
and Iooked at the list. "AIl readyl" he called- "Now, I'll reld rl
nxmes-heads of familiesfirst-and the men come up and mke a prrl"
our of the box. Keep rhe paper folded in your hand without lool rr
il at ir until everyonehas hrd a turn. Everything clear?"
The PeoPlehed done it so many dmes that tbey only half lislr"
to the directions; most of them were quiet, wetting their liPs. rr
looking around. Tben Mr. Summersraisedone hand high and srt
"Adams." A man disengagedhimself from the cros'd and ' l
forward. "Hi. Steve." Mr. Summers said, and Mr- Adams said, I
neffouslY ll
Joe." They grinned at one another humorlesslyand
Mr. Adams rerched into tbe black box and took out a folded 1'.'1
He held it lirmly by one corner as he turned and went hasri\ l'
ro his placein the crowd, where be stood a little apart from his tr t"
not looking down at his hand.
"Allen," Mr. Summerssaid."Anderson - Bentham"
"seemslike there'sro time at all berweenlotteriesanymorc i\l
Delacroix said to Mrs. Graves in the back row. "Seemslike q,
through with tbe last one only last rveek."
"Time sure goes fisc," Mrs. Graves saj.l
"Clark. . . . Dclacroix."
lTll
teregoesmy old man," Ntrs.Delacroix said.Shehetd her breath
her husbandwenr forward.
bar," Mr. Summerssaid, and Mrs. Dunbar went steadily to
while one of rhe women said,.,Go on,
'"There Janey,,,and another
she goes-"
next," Mrs. Graves said. She watched while Mr. Graves
t r.3 f.:i the side of the box, greetedMr. Summersgravely,
a dip of paper from the box. By now, all through rhe
ther€wcremen holding rhe smrll foldcdpapersin rhcii targe
Iumrng thcm over and ovcr ncnou.iy Mr. Dunb.f and her
stood together, Mrs. Dunbar holding the slip of paper_
ft..-.Hutchirson.,,
up, rherg Bill," Mrs. Hutchinsonsaid,and the peoplenear
do say," Mr. Adams said to OId Man \(/amer, wbo srood
aotim, "rhar over in the north village rhey're talking of giving
r lotrery."
Min $tamer snorted.,.packof crazyfools,', he said.,.lis.enins
young folk., norhinS s Sood enou8h for r,lrzz.trexr thing yoi
, theyll be w;nring to go bzck ro tir ing in . ares.nobodll,ork
)tc, live that w^y for ^ while. Used to be a saying ebout ,Lottefy
; corn be heavysoon.' Firscthing you know, we'd all be eating
chickweedand acorns_There,saluaybeen a louery,,,he added
lntly..'Bad-.enough
ro seeyoungJoesummenup thcreioking
"
a'rcrybody
pla(es hrve alreadyqdi. torreries,..MA. Adams srid.
rthing bur rrouble i^ tbat," Old Man \(arner said stouriy.
of young fools."
in." And Bobby Martin watched his farher go forward.
lrish rhey'dhurry," Mrs. Dunbar saidto her olderson..,I wish
tc almosc through," her son said.
8er readyro run rell Dad,'Mrs. Dunb.r \rrd.
Summcrs called his own name and rhen stepped forward
)7,)
 ---------
l

TH! TOTTIRY / Sliil€i Jrckson

as far as drawing for families is concerned,

a slip from the box. Then he called,"$trarncr'
preciselyand selected it,s Jrou,,, Mr.
said in explanation, ..and as far as drawing
"S€venty-seventh yearI beenin rhelortery,"Old Man $oarnersr[ for households
time." rhat'syou, too_Righr?,,
as he went throueh the clowd, "Seventy-seventh
" BiIJ Hurchinsonsaid.
"Watson." The tall boy came awkwardly through the cro\,
many.ki-&, Bill?" Mt. Summersasked
Someone seid, "Don't be nefvous, Jack," and Mr- Summers sr,l formaly.
:' Bill,Hurchrnsonsaid .,There,sBill,
"Take your time, son."
Dave. And Tessieand me.,'
Jr., and Nancy,and
"Z^nini."
righr, tben,', Mr. Summe$ said. ,,Haffy,
l.ou gor rheir tickets
ArrER rHAr. rhereqa5 r long pause.a brearhlcss
pausc.untrl Al
. Graves and held up rhe slips of paper. ,.pur ihem
Summers,hotding his slip of papcr in the air, said, "All r1l _nodded in
summers .,i"r.. siti,. and
direcced.
fellows."For a minute,no one moved,end chenall the slipsof prl ll;_iYl' T put ic in.,,
rrnk we ought to start over,,,Mrs. Hurchir
were opened.Suddenly,all the women began to sperk at once, seyil sard 15quie'lv
(ould. 'l rell you it w:sni ro,, v^,, a,."on
"\(ho is it2" "\trho's aot it?" "Is it the Dunbars?" "ls;r I , _. in.r give him rirnc
to choose.E?/rllbody saw that_,,
$Tatsons?"Then the voicesbegan to say,"It's Hutchinson. It-s lJLll
C_raves had rhe 6vc slip. rnd pur rhem in rhc
"Bill Hutchinson's got it." "eJecrcd bor,
sroppc.t aJt rhe paprrs bur rhose onto
"Go tell yout fathet," Mrs. Dunbar said to her older son- rhe ground, where fhe
crught rhem and lifted them off
Peoplebegrn to look around to seethe Hutchinsons- Bill Hrr,
:o,.everybody,"Mrs. Hutchinsonwas saying
inson was standing quiet, staring down at the paper in his |rl ao the people
Suddenly,TessieHutchinson shouted to Mr. Summers."You dr,
give him time enough to take ,ny paper he wanted. I saw 1or , Bill?" Mr- Summersasked,and Bill Hutchinson,with
one
rce around at his wife and children, nodaco.
wrsnt feir!"
hember,'Mr. Summerssaid,.,rakethe
"Be a good sport, Tessie,"Mrs. Delacroix calied,and Mrs. slips and keep them
said, "All of us took the same chance." o:.-: hastakenone.Harry,you helptirde D?ve.,,

ili:j.,q#:'.;l#:,;:i:':l;
:l:1:jl
"Shut up, Tessie,"Biil Hurchinson said.
"Strell,everyone,"Mr. Summensaid,"that was done prertr I
and now we've got ro be hurrying a little more to get done in r||rl
:i:,:"ff"-ii"ti}
,l:1_: .:ld. D-aepu-this hani into cheb"_
;;#;
He consulted his next iist. "Bill," he said,"you draw for the LIrl lus. or1,paF€r,",Mr. Summerssaid.,.Harry,you hold ir for
r. craves rook the chitd's hand and femoved
rn"on famrly.You 8or any orher ho,rscholds in rhe Hu(chr1", the folded
m the.right fis. and held it while lirtle
"There\ Don and nva," Mrs. Hutchinson yelled. "Make thcn t Dave srood next to
looked up at him wonderingly.
th€ir chance!" ' t c yn c x r ,'
M r S u m m e r s s a iNdr n g q a < r w e t r e . a n d h c r j . h o o l
"Daughters draw with rheir husbandJ families,Tessie,"NIr. rrr
orcarhedhcr!ily a5shc wenr torwr.d.sqirching
mers said gently. "You know rhar as well as anyone else." her skin, and
rlip dainrilyfrornrhc bor. ei . .
"It wasn't /air," Tessiesaid. Mr. summer.raid,,nd
-.;r..:.
k frce red and hrsfccrorerlarge.iearll knockcd
"I guessnor, Joe," Bill Hutchinson said regretfully. "My dar'1|| rhe box over
ot a paper our. .,Tessie,"
draws with her husband'sfamily, that's only fair. And I've /tr'l Mr. Summerssaid. Sh€ hesitatedfor
tc, looking around defantly, and then
other family except the kids." sct her lips and went

280 .tul
 1

THE roTIlRY / Shniq JrlBon

Hurchinson was in the center of a cleared space by now,

up to the box. She snatcheda PaPerout and held it behind lrtt
r|| held her hands out desperately as the villagers moveo
"Bill," Mr. Summerssaid,and Bill HDr.hinsonreachedinto rn on
the sIl' 'l isn't fair,,, she said. A stone hit her on the side of the head.
box and felt around,bringing his hrnd out et last with
\farner was saying,.'Come on, come on, evetyone_,,
' Yan
Adams wx in the front of the crowd of vitlagers, with Mn.
Th..to*d *r, quiet A girl whispered,"I hoPe it's not Nan'r'
o besidehim.
and the sound of tire whisper reechedthe edgesof the crowd jsn't Air, ir isnl right,,, tr4fs_
,,It,s not rhe way it used to be," Old Man loarner said clcrr Hutchinson screamed,and then
uPon her.
"People ain't the way thq used to be "
Harry, you ol
"ilt .igt',," l,tt. s"--ers said."OPen the PaPers
litde Dave's."
I
Mr. Greves openedthe slip of paper and there was a general
drir McTJZILLIAMSES
rhroueh the crowd as he held it up and everyonecould see
was blank. Nancy and BilI, Jr'' oPenedtheirs at the sam€ timc
l THE BURGLARALARM
and hol'L
both beamedani laughed, turning around to the croq'd
their sliPsof PaPerabovetheir heads'
"T.rri.," tli.. Summers said There *'as a Faus€,and then
his paper t
Summerslooked at BilI Hutchinson, arld BiII unfolded \----'-"^'--
showed it. It was blank.
"Sl'
"lCs Tessie,"Mr' Summerssaid,and hG voice wes hushed
@lrIvERsATloN DRTTTTDsmoothly and pleasantly along from
us her papet, Bill."
ir to crops,trom crops to literature, from literarure to scandal_
Bill -i{utchinson went over to his wife znd forced the slip of 1'r
Mr' Sunttt to religion; rhen rook a mndom iump, and landed on
out ofher hand. It had a black spot on it, the black spot
of burglar alarms And now lor the 6rst trme Mr.
had made the night beforewith the beary pencil in the coal-cotrl'
in the (!rl Iiams-showcd lefLng. Whenerer I per.ei\e rhis ,rgr on rhis
ofrce. Bill Hutchinson held it up, and tbere was a stir '
inish quicklv dial, I romprchendrr and lapscinro .itente. and gire him
"AI1 right, folks," Mr' Summerssaid "let's ty to unload his heatr. Said he, with but ill_controlled
Althoughthe vlllagershadforgottenthe ritual andlost.tbeortlt
of \1'
black boxl they still rememberedto use stones-The Pile
'
rhe bors had madecarlierwre ready:(herewerestoncson rhe F
bor co one single cent on burglar alarms, NIr. Twain_not
*i,h ti' blowing s' rap' of PaPerrhar had romc our of thc
rccnt-and I wili teit you why. S(hen we werefinishingour
Delacroixselectida so l,.ge shehad to pick it uP wirh I
"iorre ' *c found we had a litcle cashIeft over, on accounrof the
handsand turned to Mrs- Dunbar"'Come on," sbe said "Hutrt
'hc said l" l lr nor knowrng ir. I wr. tor enlighreningrhc hearhcnwirh
Mrs. Dunbar had 'mall sronesin borh handsand
' I was alwaysunatcountrblvdown on rhe hearhen,omehoe;
for breath,"l can'tltln at all- You'll haveto go aherdand I'll
t, McVilliams said no, leCs have a burglar alarm. I agreed
'The c(,mpromise.I will explain rhat whenevfr t want a thing,
ciildren had stonesalready,and someonegavelittl(
McVilliams win.s another thing, and we decide upon tie
Hutchinsona f€w Pebbles

281 :81
 1

THE roTIlRY / Shniq JrlBon

Hurchinson was in the center of a cleared space by now,

up to the box. She snatcheda PaPerout and held it behind lrtt
r|| held her hands out desperately as the villagers moveo
"Bill," Mr. Summerssaid,and Bill HDr.hinsonreachedinto rn on
the sIl' 'l isn't fair,,, she said. A stone hit her on the side of the head.
box and felt around,bringing his hrnd out et last with
\farner was saying,.'Come on, come on, evetyone_,,
' Yan
Adams wx in the front of the crowd of vitlagers, with Mn.
Th..to*d *r, quiet A girl whispered,"I hoPe it's not Nan'r'
o besidehim.
and the sound of tire whisper reechedthe edgesof the crowd jsn't Air, ir isnl right,,, tr4fs_
,,It,s not rhe way it used to be," Old Man loarner said clcrr Hutchinson screamed,and then
uPon her.
"People ain't the way thq used to be "
Harry, you ol
"ilt .igt',," l,tt. s"--ers said."OPen the PaPers
litde Dave's."
I
Mr. Greves openedthe slip of paper and there was a general
drir McTJZILLIAMSES
rhroueh the crowd as he held it up and everyonecould see
was blank. Nancy and BilI, Jr'' oPenedtheirs at the sam€ timc
l THE BURGLARALARM
and hol'L
both beamedani laughed, turning around to the croq'd
their sliPsof PaPerabovetheir heads'
"T.rri.," tli.. Summers said There *'as a Faus€,and then
his paper t
Summerslooked at BilI Hutchinson, arld BiII unfolded \----'-"^'--
showed it. It was blank.
"Sl'
"lCs Tessie,"Mr' Summerssaid,and hG voice wes hushed
@lrIvERsATloN DRTTTTDsmoothly and pleasantly along from
us her papet, Bill."
ir to crops,trom crops to literature, from literarure to scandal_
Bill -i{utchinson went over to his wife znd forced the slip of 1'r
Mr' Sunttt to religion; rhen rook a mndom iump, and landed on
out ofher hand. It had a black spot on it, the black spot
of burglar alarms And now lor the 6rst trme Mr.
had made the night beforewith the beary pencil in the coal-cotrl'
in the (!rl Iiams-showcd lefLng. Whenerer I per.ei\e rhis ,rgr on rhis
ofrce. Bill Hutchinson held it up, and tbere was a stir '
inish quicklv dial, I romprchendrr and lapscinro .itente. and gire him
"AI1 right, folks," Mr' Summerssaid "let's ty to unload his heatr. Said he, with but ill_controlled
Althoughthe vlllagershadforgottenthe ritual andlost.tbeortlt
of \1'
black boxl they still rememberedto use stones-The Pile
'
rhe bors had madecarlierwre ready:(herewerestoncson rhe F
bor co one single cent on burglar alarms, NIr. Twain_not
*i,h ti' blowing s' rap' of PaPerrhar had romc our of thc
rccnt-and I wili teit you why. S(hen we werefinishingour
Delacroixselectida so l,.ge shehad to pick it uP wirh I
"iorre ' *c found we had a litcle cashIeft over, on accounrof the
handsand turned to Mrs- Dunbar"'Come on," sbe said "Hutrt
'hc said l" l lr nor knowrng ir. I wr. tor enlighreningrhc hearhcnwirh
Mrs. Dunbar had 'mall sronesin borh handsand
' I was alwaysunatcountrblvdown on rhe hearhen,omehoe;
for breath,"l can'tltln at all- You'll haveto go aherdand I'll
t, McVilliams said no, leCs have a burglar alarm. I agreed
'The c(,mpromise.I will explain rhat whenevfr t want a thing,
ciildren had stonesalready,and someonegavelittl(
McVilliams win.s another thing, and we decide upon tie
Hutchinsona f€w Pebbles

281 :81
 --T

TH! MC\II/'LLIAMSISAND THE BURGIAR ALARM / Mark Twain

thing that Mrs. McSfiliiams wenrs-as we alwaysdo she calls dril ro hcadquarrer:
j,_T; "lO'.:,'t ,o rcporr.NexrmorninS s,e
a comPromise. lor (hr. burgl2r-rlarmman, and hc.r..
rp erptarncdrhrr
Very well: the man cameup from New York znd put in the alarrl rn rhe alarmdid nor.?o off.,was
rhrr no"no
pjrr ot rhc house
and chargedthree hundred and rwenty'live dollars for ir, and said r,
ro rherlarm.Thiswas.impty
id;o,,.
could sleep without uneasinessnow. So we did for a while slr\ r might T:,^"1.1,1,.. ",*h"d
as well have no affnor on ,, ,ll i" b";";;i;
month. Then one night we sm€lledsmoke,ard I was advisedto ger r,|| h;';;
now lu he q/hote second
--"--- o., the
and seewhxt the matterwas.I lit a candle,and startedtoward thestrrr ,"ill]_t-,-':3:
chargedthree :"":
hundreddoiars fo. ;,. ""'t
"tory "" ""
and met a budar coming out of a room with a baskerof tins r"
which he had mistaken for solid silver in the dark. He was sm,,L
,_..! l;"i ";*r,l.Tl?""*.:T#'
",gr,,,' J:l;:j
';*;t'
"no
down a hddn,nith , f.,
f,".""";;;
ing a pipe. I said, "My friend, we do not allow smoking in lll u his head. "t-.i*.f
wirh r bi iardcue:bur my se.ond
:,jn-,?:i
refrainfrom this arrcntion.
l".rr.. f,. *^ U"**"'rn. l"a
He said he was a stranger,and could not be expectedto knos r ri(,kj The s:c:nd impulse wr< ptainty (he
rules ofthe house:saidhe had beenin many housesjust asgood asrl,l
soundcsr,so I
. (ompromise._r rcdeemrdrhe properrl at
one, and it had never been objectedto before-He addedrhat as h' ::::.1::.-.,1.1
rares,afrcrdcductingre" *,.:",. a, ,1. i,jai,. i, uji"e
his exp€riencewent, such rules had neler been consideredto applr t dr) we \cnr downfor rhe "r.c\perr
"f
Dufgrars,anl'lvay. ',.111".,ii-, on(emore,
the third story attached ro ,h. fJ ;;-;;;;
I said: "Smoke dong, then, if ir is the custom, though I rlirl "1"._,
that the conceding of a privilege to a burglar whicb is denied r" this rime rhc ,'annuncirro,..had grown
of rhe times.But s'ri\ rt ro tormidzblcdimen_
bishop is a conspicuoussign ofthe looseness Ir had forry.scvenrrg" on ;,. m,ik.d
that, what business have you to be entering this house in rl $,irh rhe name. of rhe
all roomsand chimneys.and ir oc(r,picd
firrtive and clandestineway, vithout inging the burglar alarnr" fhe .pr(e oJ Jn ordinan
gllg y: ,n. ."e of.rwarhboq
r.zndw:. praced
aboue
He looked confusedand ashamed,and said, with embarresstrr rdi^l
of ii
our bed. There was a wire from
"I beg a rhousandpardons.I did not kno*' you bad a burglar rlrr dre house to the coach_
anda nobte
else I would have rung it. I beg you will nor mention it s4ro, I :ff:,.j".':_j1"-::bl.."'"r"".sr. gongalongside
hisp tow.
*::,1!::-o::l ro,o"^i;";.,'1*"
parentsmay hearofit, for they are old and feeble,and sucha seer,)l cook opencdrhe"oJu,i
l,irchcndoor. in rhe nr1 of
wanton breach of tbe hallowed convenrionelitiesof our Cht' t I ::_,"::-'i:rharsonsirhc 6^, .im",his,;;p.;i;
civilization might 2ll too rudeJysunder the frail bridge which lLrl :"llo-il l*,
: :of
: : "it-
"':.,)1 r d i d n l , h i n ki r , , ?b e d .n o ,
darkling betweenthe pale and evanescent presentand the solenrrr1rr the nrsr.effecrof rh,r fr;gh,ful
deepsof the eterniries.May I trouble you for a match?" ,for
;s lhc housc.and Jam you zgainsr ;";;,,;;;;;;
the wrll. and rhen curl
I saidr "Your sentimentsdo you honor, but if you will xll,'r yourike.r,.piderln a ,roverid.ri ,omebody
to sayit, metaphor is not your best hold. SParel,our rhigh; llr1 1, li-,I.:*'.T
tnc kjrchendoor. In soiidfi,r, rhereir ro trrmor rhar r(
light only on the box, and seldom rhere, in fact, if mv cxpr ',' (_omparabtc e\en
ro rhc dirc (lamor q hi. h rhrr gong
may be trusted. But to return to business:how did you ger irr lu ' makes.Welt,
(roPnehrppcnrdcver) mor
ning regularly at h,c oi iock,rnd
"Through a secondstory windov." ro. .,"d ,",. * ;" ,h',rtn,ngr.rke.yor,
It vzs even so. I redcemedthe tinware at pawnbroker'sr,,r' :f
I r :-.1:l:ll*0,
mfrctv w2keyou in spon: it w.rke.
cost of adlerrising, bade rhe burglar good-night, closed drc " t , iou all orer, (on..ien.e
, rnd you arc good fff eighteen hJurs of
wide_awaLeness

2A4
lltJ
 AND'fHE BURGIAR ALA r{'/Nlark'turin
'|lln MC\CILIAMSES

most inconceiveblewid' nn anorher ground wire to the scable, and established

a switch
subsequently-eighteen hours of the.very so thar the coachman could put on and take
';T'"i".,''::li
T:'T:L::1'"Tlf;f
::lT::Ltl"':'"-rffi l':,
lllkedinviring
off the alarm.
rare.and a se*on of perceensued.during
rhich
.".,'.'g;o'a'n""."c*:1'i_1:I1'ff.'Xia"-t3:Ti',ii;,:ll ,ro _company
once more and cnioying lifc.
Dy and by rhe rrepressiblealarm invented
a new kink. One
i,:,:::T;:iHTillff :l'i'#T;"';#;ii;..;ri..', mghr we were flung out of bed by the sudden
music of thar
ft;;;,
ffiife and livedhappveverafter'for therewasplcrrtl :.:gl
*.,i*blcd to cheannunciator,turned up
and T1
saw*:"
the word ..Nursery" exposed,Mrs. Mcrx/illiams
r, . th€ Perfectsquareness of his death
oiproof
-- deadaway,and I camepreciousneardoing rte
better land' on actorl samerhing
fi.tt, -.vl".. graduallyfading toward.a
had the expertuP 'ce1n ''rl
of the dailYIossoi sleep;so we frnally I my.shotgun, and stood timing the coachman
a switch tlrtr
;; ;;;;;* ;" the ouaide of the door' and placed whilst that
went on. I knew that his gong had flung
I
*n...U" tn.-rt' the butler, alrr'aysmade one litde mistakc :uzzrng
that hewould bc alongwith his gunls sion asfr"
him out,
be went to bed' and ss'ir'lrr co,rlalomp
r"jn^J.a J. A-- off at night when '" dothes-
i, .r'r*t" ar daybreak in ihe morning lusr in rime for th' I judged that thc time was ripe, I crepr to
lo '. the room next
ro oJ.en"thrkirchendoor.and enable'h'l 9-C :'i:^ "^'.i::' :, 'l y, glanced through the window, and iaw the
i""1...r-.".* brealingI sindow wit\ onc or rhe othcr"l coachman in rhe yard below. strnding ar
dim outline
rhar 'wirch buvm' " presenr arms and
;-;;; .;; of , qccl re- recosnized .this tor a ch]nce.Thcn I hoppedinro the nurscq
a snares'/e also discovered that a bafld of burrl'l and 6red,md.n
""a 'il instant the coachmanfred at the red flash.of
"'i.i""t." _ _ - housethe wholetimt-':t
-i" tt'e
my gun. Both
o a q u L l r r f"agt"g
tJi*t rw6,"5 :'f :t] :: successful;1 crippledanurse,and heshot offal
hide from thc li rl mylack hair.
fn, th.re.asn, much left nor' bur to Policc
hed up rhe qa5.,nd relephonedtor 1 5urgeon
th"t tn: o:t'"t^'1.'":f fhere i{as nor r
*cre hot prerred,a,'d tbq shrewdly,judged ::; . burglar,rnd no * indow had beenraised.Onc
in a hous(rr.r glars q r: rb,,enr,
r."., ,ittlt-"i" ,.t1. "f i"rgla's takingsa"cmary 1t was where the coachman's charge had come ttrrough.
burghr 'rl
andelaborate
i"rtt p'",".,.J ut tt'e mo"i imposi"g mfsTry-a
Here was
alarm ,.going of" ar midnighi of its own
-;;;;;;" ?urgl.ar
he struck t t and not a burglar in rhe neighborhoodl
for the expert again, and this time ':.FT:".'::*d
kitcln rl rhe usuat<alt.and exphinedrhar ir wasa
arJi"q ia."-l'. frxed the thing so that opening the
t" &.rm. 5 d rc waseasily6xed So he overhaulcdrhe
i'.rij-?r.. aa,m lr wasa nobleidea'andhe chargc'l nursery
"ir,n. ''l-' s s i r r h c do n r l u t , charged a remunerative 6gure for it, and departed.
ingly. Bur yo.t rlreadyrore'eet' -"--^".",,,., ,,,,,, r *e sufcred from false alatms for the next
ttusdng,on
*!i .i'gh,l,i.a.i-.' nolonger rt:-i:: chtee years no
'rrs ::]l.i]]:]l
t he bur8ri walkedin at thc l'rt
rc pen can desrribc. During rhc next rhree monrhs
I al\vays
rnd r. soon;. rhe liShtswercour tt my gun to the room indicated, and the
cru'k
i""i"t*t-"litg t'healarmoff wirhout waiting for the coachmanalways
forth with his brtc.ry to ,rrppo.,' .. Br, ;;';;
ii in the morning. ;i;
Fo'rn'":l'"' g- aoshooi at_windows all tighr and secure.$fe
-^ wewere'iruared
n"" rgg*',''"g11 " alwayss€nr
t." r thc fxpe( ne*r dav.and he 6xed rhoje
". ."'.P;; tp"t bed in the house; all ot'rrlnt Fa((Dtar e,indow.
h"* ;"; Not
would kecp guier r weck or so. and alnays
rememberedro
burqlars. a bill about like rhis:
Thc e:'pcrtrnswcrilrriir
l:,n,,lly.t gn' uP I i'rIc ')l mv own

2l{6
 __-----.--||||lll|ll.|||-

TH! MCV/IILIAMSIS AND THE BURGr'AR ALARM / Mark T$ain

Wire.. .. .... $ 2.1t

15 tn:t workcd: coupteor davs:
Nipple..... .. l1i...
mer.Afrer shich rhe burglars
rhentbet,teftbr the
Two houA lsbor 1.>0 movedin.:nd beganrlelr.ummcr
Ira-\.... . . ...
34 n-wereru'ned in fhc f.lll. rhe
Trye.. housewasasempry t\ a
bc.erclorr
Screws............ 1t n*. beenarwork \(zereturni.hed,
Rec\aJging bi'tery
Three hours' 1$or '. .
.98
2_2t
;.;#;o:;;;'lffi.ii,'f:
:T::i:::f::T"
*,1:1::,:'l
"tl*..0.,,
andrhen

S t r i n g. . . . . . . . . .02 ,ilil"#.'"::'*:::
u:.:_:1*:o mo,nins c!cn
j" f t' l" :l:,i* rishr,,,0:00,
,,,s * ^tr;;;;;, ;"':"j':';';,::
'\.25 rhenteavc
hrf rtooe_ihcq r raker,re
Pond's Extt"ct #.llul*u,"0 of rhe
Springsatt0.... 2.00 th^a(.$r'c
hrd a.mosrrrenguilscason
Railroad fares . 1.25 durirg rtrrecmonrhq .Jhe
r*J,ra *j ,ro
$19.77 mlch'ncry I,d,l
illjiij::'"ll::::*;
h,dpro\ed "",p,y;,"",;i
i,..rr." b.i;;;.,":;;".';;i:l;:li:l
I
At length a Perf€ctly natural thing ceme xbout-after vc I paid tAe biil, a,nj the ve+
'1" next day rhe atarm went to
rnrwcred rhrce or lour hundred falsealarm< to wit we 5r buzz,
answeringthem.Yes,I simPlyroseuP calmly,when slammeo,r'
t'
[:i:che.hands
H"JJ::",::
around :;i:'j.:.{ "'.,".k'"
!'r .h"
"'c ;;.;;;
rnorn'ns.
the houseby the alarm,calmlyinsPected the annunciator,took ri'
,::fT..':"i::;;:;:ilT::[.1
*.r,. h.,.,, ,.;;;i;
;:;rHfil
that room lr'
of the room indicated,and then calmlydisconnected
the alarm. and went back to bed as if nothing had happened
the
lll'
(rl{' urn on egaln.
"it
lrad ro scr her ahead*.r,"
r,"""
""..
nttcr: at ni'hr.
rri'rtcrto ger her to
Pur
over, I ieft that room ofi permanentll',rnd did not s€ndfor
'Well,
it goeswithout saying that in the courseof time a// the r'
' 't .n a weekor rwo,rhenthe
i i i ! !expert
x | t I r c rcame
mr
pii-1"'1i.::.:::,::::
u r i n r n e w c l o c k .H . . , n 1 . , o " , . - , ; ; . : '
were taken of[, and the mtire mechine was out of service'
It was at this unProtected time that the heaviestcalalnjr\' "l
** :,".r:i,;;;,;;,;;;;;;;:";l:
t e y c , r s - ? n d b , , ,r . " ^ - - . - r i ^
ll1.i1"11,'",
.
r monrh' dLrin8the

happened.The burglarswalled in one nighc and carriedoff the

I'rLr
il1.l1,T,.:r
ryr,:. ",, i:i;::;;:;
a"r*,.,r,.y'_.,ra rq,
,-.,
on 1,trnrrrm
alar-t yes,sir, everyhide and hair of it: ripped it ouc, toorlr *, p:, iron 1r nishr:,nd ir you
l::'.:.:.:!:.i,'"
, they uo d takeit itr rorccd
nail; springs,bells,gongs,battery'and all; they took a hundnt "g,t" ,h. fi;;;;1;;J;::
fifty mlles"ofcoppei-ire; theyiusr cleanedher out, bagand br11; rhcre.is che hisrorv of rhar
ani neue.left u" a testigeof her to slrearat-swear by, I n!'l burghr alarm
\(e had a dme ofit to get her back; but vte accomPlithedir lrrr
.:i:i,;;,;:',,:.1ril:,:,;:jll:,1,,i:::
Iilo:.1::n,,9
tt **: r hadsrept
nineyears;?;;*d,'*
for money. The alatm 6rm said that wh?t we needednos' " l: 111 ffi:
have her put in right-witb their new Patent springs inthe s ""[
thewhoretime,forih",.
.- _4 p.","*i.",
;:::.r'",'l:::."r^,ij l*m
c, and at my sole cost-for rrutsLuon!
to -ake i"Ise al^.ms impossible,and tbeir new patent clock rrrr'
i,!.#
not
to take off and Put on the alarm morning and night without
ro l'
l"'r
r'
:::.."::T:
o.l*of ,iof.pie:
,harkind
ffi:.:;ff:L:1ii1 i ;f;
- *i,h h.'.f;li.;;;.;; i'ili;:
"
a--,i-_

rssismnce.That seemeda good scheme.Tbey Promised

l' ll d-o8,nd shotthedog r
whole thing finished in ten days They began work' and w( ;jlly-'.",: i:jji::;'"ll-ro:.a
wha,ty, chink about it, Mr. d;,;;;;;; ,"hr;.:

2rl8
'lHE AUGSBURG CHALK CIRCIE/Bcrtoh B€cbt

things are made solely in the interest ofthe burglars Yes' sir, a burglar Only a young servanrgirl was still in rhe house. She was
busv
aiarm combines in its person all that is objectionableabour a 6re. vrith rhe copperpots and pans in the kitchen when she heard
a noisl
e riot, and a harem, and at the same time has none of tbe com- trom the street. Dating ro the window she saw soldiers
throwing
penseting advantages,of one sort or anorher, thar customarily belong all kinds of loot into rhe srreet from the first srory of the
housl
with that combinadon. Good'by: I get off here. opposire.She run to the hrll and w;s iurr rbour ro takc
thc child
out of rhe cradle when she heard the sound of h€a\,y
blows on the
o*l door. Shc wa, .eized b, pani. rnd flew up rhe srai,s.
l.l,
The hrll wr. fitlcdeith drunkensotdr.r".sho
evcnthrng
THE AUGSBURG to pieces.
-l-hE
l,ncq the, wcre rn a proresranr, "ma.hcd
house A. though
CHALK CIRCLE b1a mirachAnna.rhescnanrgirl.remainedrnd,,coucred
rh,ougho"r,r
lhe seaftiing and plundcring.Thc soldjcrsmadcoff rnd. ,.-a,n"bting

4"rH/ 4/ our of thc cupboerd in which she had been scanding,An.ra

thc child in rhe hall also unharrned.She snarchedit up hastily
founi

Itole.with ir into the courtFrd_ In rhe meandme nighr had ialien,

but thc. red glow from a bLrrninghouse near\ iit up the courtyard,
and

T rtd wirh horror5he.rq rhe barrered . orp,eof her masrer.

l,r rnr orv. of rhe Thirty \ran Wer a Swi.. Proteslrnrb\ 'l'
name of Zingli owned a large tannery and lcather businrss in rlu
free imperial citv of Augsburg on the Lech. He was marri€d to lrl
Augsburg woman and had a child by her. As the Carbolicsmarlu 'l
on the city his friends strongly advisedhim to fl€e, but whethc|I
was rhat his small family held him back or chat he did nor u.'r't
ro abandon his tannery, he simply could not rnake up his min(t r'r
leave while there was yet dme.
Thus he was sdil there when the imperial troops stormed drt , ttv
and, while they plundered it that erening, he hid in a pit in tlrt
courtyard where rhe dyes were stored His wife was to have m,""1
with the child to her relatives on the outskirts, bur she spcnt t'ur
much time pr.king herbelongings dresses, jewelryand bedding rtrl
so it came about that suddenly she saw frorn a window on thc lrr',1
story a sguadof imperial soldiersforcing rheir way into the coun \ 'rr,l
Beside herself wich fear, she droPPedeveryrhing and fled frrr:r tl"
place through a back door.
So the child was left behind in the house. It lay in irs cr:r,ll, rtt
the large hall and played with a wooden ball tbat hung on :t 'ttt',1
from the ceiling.
The .oldier,
htd dreggedhrm from hr: pit acd bur, hcredhim.
Only now did the girl realize the danger she ran should
she be
rn rhe sffeet with rhe ptorestant,schild. Vith a heary
heatt
rararr oacKIn rhe (rrdle. grve i, I lirrlr milk ro drink,
rockcd
ro sleep,and made her way towards rhat pan of the ciry
where
mafficd sisrerlived. Ar about 10 o,clock rt night, accompanied
hcr sisreCshusband,sheelbowedher way through rhe chrongof
icrs celebreringrheir vicrory ro go to the outskits and find
Frau
i. rhr morher of rhc child. Thcl kno.kcd on rhc door
o[ an
tosrnghouce.$T.h gure I lonS rhitc. did opcnslightty.
lrttlc old mrn. Fraulfr.r
Zrnglis un.tc. sruckhi5 hcaJour 1n;r
nounccdbr€arhlessly rhar Herr Zingli wasdeadbur the child was
rmedin rhehouse.The old manlookedat her coldlywith fishlike
rnd said his niecewas no longer rhereand he himselfwashed
hnndsofrhe ProresBnt basrard.STith rhache shut the door
again.
thcy lcfr. Annrs brotner-inlaq notrceda currain mo\e
.rr onc
thc windows and was convinced rhat Frau Zingli
tly sbe felt no shamein repudirringber Lhild.
Ann;rrnd her brorher,in-law
walied on siaefy sidein silencefor
'l'hcn
tilc shc declaredthat she wanted co go tack to the tannery

29t) :|)
TH! AUGSBURG CHAIK CIRCL!/ Benoh BE.ht
and fetch the child. Her brothcr-in'1aw, a quiet r€sPecrablemanJ
ihtened to her aghast and tried to talk her our of this dangerous
notion. \qhat were these PeoPle to her? She had not even been
decendy treated.
Anna heird him out end promisedto do nothing rash.Nevertheless'
she must just look in quickly ar rhe tannery to seewhether the child
neeled anything. And she wanted to go alone.
She managed to get hff own {ay. ln the midst of the devasrated
hall the child lay peacefullyin its cradleand slePt \(/earily Anna sal
down by its side and gazedat it. She had not dared rc kindle a lighr,
but the nerrby house was still burning and by its light she could
seethe child quite well. It had a tiny mole on its little neck'
\7hen the girl had watched the child breathing and sucking its
small fist for some time, maybe an hour, she realizedthat she had
now stayedtoo long and seentoo much to be abie to lelve withoul
the child. She got ro her feet heavily and with slow moraments
wrapped it in its linen coverlet, tucked jt into her arm and left th
courtyard with it, looking tound furtively likc someonewith a bx'l
consci€nce,i thiei
After long consultationswith sister and brother in-Iaw, she tool'
the child to the countrl two weeks later, to the village of Gros'
aitingen, where her elder brother was a Peasant.The farm belonS('l
to his wife; he had merely married into it lt bad been agreedth''r
perhaps it would be best to tell no one but her brother who llu
child was, for they had never set eyes on the young wife and 'lL'l
not know how she would receiveso dangerousa litrle guest
Anna reachedthe village at about midday- Her brother' his sri'
and the farm servantswer€ at table. She was not ill received lrLLr
one glanceat her new sister_in-Iawdecidedher to inrroduce rhe flirl'l
then end there as her own lt was not until she had explained rl"'
her husband had a job at z mill in a distant village and expcrtr'l
her there with the child in a few weeks that the Peasantw()rrr'rrr
thewed and the child was duly admired
That afternoon sheaccompaniedher brother to the coPsem 8'rrl ' '
wood. They sat down on tree scumPsand Anna made a clcan l'" '' I
orr tl '
9f ir. She could seerhat he felr uncomfoltrrble His position
292
ferm was srill insecureand he commendedAnna warmly for having
hcld her tongue in front of his wife. It was plain rhat he did noi
credit his young wife with a particuiarlybroadmindedatirude towards
the Protestant child. He wished the deception ro be kepr up.
However, chat wes nor so eesyas time went on.
Anna joined in the harvesting and tended .,her,, child between_
whiles, constantiy mnning back from the Iields to rhe house when
the others rested.The littie boy thrived and even gtew fat, chucl<ied
whenever he saw Anna and made manful efforts to raise his head.
But rhen came winter and thc sister,in-Iawsrarcedto make inquiries
about Anna's husband.
There was norhing againstAnna staying on at che farm; she could
make herselfuseful.The trouble was that the neighborswere growing
curious about rhe farher of Anna's boy, since he never came to see
how he was gerring on. If she could nor produce a lather fot her
child, the farm would get itself ralked abouc before long.
One Sunday morning rhe peasanrharnessedthe horse and called
Anna loudly to come with him to fetch t calf from a,neighboring
village.As rhey clarteredalong the road he rold her that he hrd soughl
rnd found a husband for her. Ir was a dying cotrager who, when
lhc two of them stood in his mean hovel, could barelyiift his wasted
hcad from rhe soiled sheet.
He was willing to marry Anna. A yellow-skinnedold woman, his
tnorher,stood ar rhe bedside.Shewas to have a rewxrd for rhe service
rcnderedao Anna.
The bargain sas concluded in ren minures and Anna and her
brother were able to drive on and buy rheir cxlf The wedding took
Placcat rhe end of that same weeL. Vhile rhe priest murnbled the
fnarriageritual, the lifelessglxnce of the sick man did not onc€ srrey
towa.ds Anna. Her brother was in no doubr that she would hzve
lhc dearh ce.rificarewithin a few days. Then Anna,s husband, the
fithcr of her child, would have died somewherein a vitlage near
Augsburg on his way to her and no one wouldgive the matter anorher
Sho ght if rhe widow stayedon in her brorhert house.
Anna raurned yortulh from hcr wedding.rr whrch rhcrc
. "rrunge
h$d bccn nci(hcrchurLhbells nor r brrsi bx1d, neirherbridesmardr
TIMUGSBURG CHALK CIRCI-! / B&olt Bt.hr

had given her a messagethar ,.a certain acquarntance,,

wished ro meet
nor guests. By way of a vredding breakfastshe ate a Pieceof bread hcr on such,and-sucha date at such,and_such a time near such_and_
wirh a slice of bacon in the larder and rhen, with her brother' went such a viliage, ar rhe spot where rhe footparh went off
ro Landsberg.
rov/rrds the wooden chest in whicb lay tbe child who now had a So the married coxple mer midwav between their villages,
like the
name.Sherucked in the cov€rsmore tiShdy and smiled at her brother' conrnanders ofold berweenrheirblrle line".on opcnground.which
The death certifcate certainly took its time. was coveredwirh snow,
Indeed, no word came from the old woman the next nor v€t the Anna did not take to the maa.
following week. Anna had given out on the farm that her husband He had small gray teerh, looked her up and down-although
she
was at Present on his way to her. \X/hen she was askedwbat was rvas hidden under a thick sheepskin and coer€ was
not much ro be
delaying him now she said that lhe deePsnow must be making thc seen-and then used the words ,.the sacramenrofmaffiage.,,
She totd
joumey difficult But after another three l"eeks had gone by' heL him currly chat she musr srill chink things over
and rhat he must
irother, seriouslyPerturbed,drove to the village near Augsburg 8ct somedcaleror d,JghrererpassingrhroughCro\\rirjngen ro rcll
He came back late at nigbt. Anna was srill up and ran to the door her rn her sisrer-in laq 5 hciring rhrr t_ewoLrld bc.o_,ng no*
as she heerd the wheelscrunch in the yard. She noticed how slo\tlt and had mereiy been taken ill on the journcy_"oon
the farmer unharnessedand a spasmwenr through her heart noddcd in hir delibcrre wav. He w2. mo,e rhan r
.Ottcrer heid
He brought bad tidings On enrering the hut he had found rh' trller rhin she rnd kcpr on ghncing :r ,he leff .ide
of her nFLka)
doomed man sitting at rhe table in shirt'sleeveshaving supper,chew they talked, which exasperatedher.
ing rwey with his mouth fuII He was completely restored' But the messagedid not com€, and Anna toyed with
the idea of
.
The peasantdid not look Anna in the face as he went on reliirrll simply leaving the farm with the child and looking for
work funher
her. The cottager his name,by the by' was Otterer-and his motlrt south, perhaps in Kempten or Sonthofen. Only rhe perils
of the
appearedequally astonishedby the rurn of events and had prob:rl'lr highway, abour which there was much talk, and the faci
rhat it was
*i y.. a..ia.a what was to be done otterer had not madc r' rhidwincer held her back.
'
unpleasantimPression He had said little, but at one Point, vrhen llr But now her stay ar the farm grew dificuh. Her
witlr '"' sister-in_iawput
mother had started lamenting thac he was now saddled 8uspiciousquestions to her aboLrther husband at the
dinner table
unwanted wife and a srfrnger's child, he had commanded her tr) In in fronr of all the farm seftanrs. \(/hen on one occaslon
she wenr
silent. He went on eadng his cheese*'ith deliberation tbrough"t'r to far as ro glance at the child and exclaim loudly in fa.lse
compassion,
rhe interview and was still eating when the farmer rook his lo\' "Poor mrtei" Anna resolvedro go de.piteev<ryrhing:bur rt rhar
During the following days Anna was naturallv verv troublc'l l" Poinr rhe (hrld fell ill
between her houser','orkshe taught rhe boy ro s'alk \7hen hc l' t He lay resclessly
in his wooden chestwith a flLrshedfaceand clouded
go of the distaf and came tottering towards her wirh littlt rrrl .ycs, ind Ann" watchedorer him For nighr. on end wirh
fearand
,tretched ur-s, she suppresseda dry sob and claspedhim tighrlr t" noPe.when he wason rhe road to re"o,e] againrnd his
smile hod
her as she picked him uP. comc back, rherewas a knock on rhe door one morning and in
walked
Once she askedber brotherr "Whar sort of a man is hel" Shc l"'l Ottcrer.
seenhim only on his dealhbedand then onlv in the evening bY l"'l There was no one in rhe room bLrt Anna and the
child, so thar
candlelight Now shelearnedthat her husbandwas a man in his irlrr' thc had no need ro dissemble,which in any caserhe
shock would
woln out by toil; was, in fact, whar a cottager would bc havc prevcnred.They srood for quire some rime without
a word; rhen
Shortly after, she sav him \rirh a grcar show of sccrec!x l)c'l' l ' r

2ra
294
TH! AUGSBURG CHAIK CIRCL!/ BertohBEcht
Otterer announcedthat for his Part he had thought the matter over
and had come to fetch her. He referredagain to the sacramentof
marriage.Anna grew angry. In a 6rm, though low voice she told the
man shewould not think of living wnh bim, she had enteredinto rhe
marriage only for the sake of the child arid wanted nothing of him
beyond giving her and the child hts name
As she mentioned the child Otterer glancedfleeringly towards the
chest in which it lay gurgling, without, however, going up to ic.
This set Anna against him eYen more
He voiced a few remarks:sheshould think things ov€r zgain; there
was scant fare in his home; his mother could sleePin the kitchen
Then the sisterinlaw came in, greetedhim inquisidvely and invited
him to dinner. He was alrcady seatedat table as he greeted chePeasant
with a carelessflod, neither Pretending that he did nor know hirr
nor betraying that he did. To the wife's questions he replied in
monosyllables,not raising his eyesfrom his plate, that he had founcl
a job in Mering and Anne could ioin him. But he no longer suggested
rhat this had to be at once.
During the aftemoon he avoided the brother's companv an'l
choppedwood behind the house,which no ore had askedhim to do
After supper,of which he again Partook in silence' the sisterinJar
hetselfcarrieda featherbedinto Arna's room so that he could sfxn'l
the night there; but at that, strange to sey, he rose awkwardl\. t"
his feet and mumbled that he must get back tbat night. Beforelelvirrrl
he gazedwith an absentmindedexPressioninro rhe chest q'herc lln
child lay, but seid nothing and did nor touch him
During the night Anna was sken iII and fell into a fever rv[r l'
lasted for weeks. Most of the time she lay aPathetically;onlv rr'rs
2nd then towards midday, when the fever abateda litrle' she craNl 'l
ro the child's wooden chest and tucked in the covers.
In the fourth week of her illness Otterer drove into rhe yell rl
a farm cart and took her and the child away. She ier this h:t1'1't'
without a word.
Only very slowly did she regain ber strength, and small wor|i' r
on the cottaget'sthin soup. But one morning she noliccd holv 'lrrr\
and neglectedtbe child looked and resolutelygot up
296
The little boy receivedher wirh his friendly smile in which, her
brorhbr had always declared, he took after her. He had grown and
now crawled all over the room with lightning sp€ed, slapping his
hands on the floor and emitting lictle screamswhen he fell on his
face.She washedhim in a wooden rub and won back her conidence.
A few days later, however, she could stmd life in the hovel no
longer- She wrapped the iittle boy in a few blankets, stuck a piece
of bread and some cheese in her pocket and ran away.
She intended to reachSonthofen,but did not get far. She vrasstill
very weak in rhe knees, the highway was covered in slush and, as
a result of rhe war, people in the villages had grown very suspicious
and stingl. On the third day of her wayfaring she sprainedher fooc
in a ditch and after many hours, during which she feared for the
child, she was broughr to a farmstead, where she lay in the bam.
The little boy crawled abour berween rhe cows' legs and oniy laughed
arhen she cfled out anxiously. In the end she had to tell the farm
people her husband's name and he fetched her back again to Mering.
From now on she made no furcher attempt to escepeand accepted
hct lot. She worked hard. lr was difficult to extract anyrhing from
the small plor and keep the tiny property going. Yet the man was
not unkind to her, and the little boy ate his 6lL Also her brother
occasionall)'ceme over bringing a present of this or that, and once
was even able to have a little coat dyed red for the child. Thar,
thought, would suit a dyer's child well.
As cimepassedshe grew quite contentedrnd experienced many
s in bringing up rhe child. Thus severalyeelswent by.
But one day she went ro the viilage ro buy syrup and on her retutn
thc child was not in rhe hut and h€r husbandtold her that a grandiy
drcsscd lady had driven up in a coach and taken the child away. She
rctlcd against the wall in horror, and thet very evening, carrying
norhing but r bundle of food, she ser our for Augsburg.
Hcr first call in the impetial ciry was ar the trnnery. She was flot
ldmitted and could noc catch sight of the child.
Hcr sistcr and brother-in law tried in vain to consoleher. She ran
to thc xurhoririesand, besideherself,shouted tbat her child had been
trclcn. Shc wcnt so far rs to hint that Protestantshad stolen her
2)1
TH! {UGSBURG CHALK CIRCIE/ Betolt B(.hr
child. \Thereupon she learned that other dmes now prevailedand
that peacehed been concluded between Catholics and Protestants
She would scarcelyhave accomPlish€danything had not a singular
piece of luck come to her aid. Her caseI'as refered to a judge who
was a quite excePdonalman.
This was the judge Ignaz Dollinger, famed throughout Swabiafor
his boorishnessand his erudition, known to the elector of Bawaria,
whose legal dispute with tbe free imPerial city he had had to settle,
as 'this Latin clodhopper," but celebmtedby the people in a long
ballad.
Accompaniedby her sister and brother-in-law,Anna camebefore
him. The short but immensely corpulent old man sat in a tiny bare
loom betweenpiles ofdocuments and listenedto her only very briefly.
Then he wrote something down, gowled: "SteP over rhere,and be
quick about itl" and indicated with his small plump hand a spot in
rhe room on which the light fell through the narrow window For
some minutes he studied her face closely,then waved her asidewith
The next day he sent an ofrcer to fetch her and while she was
still on the threshold shouted at herr "\7hy didn't you let on that
what you're after is a tannery and the sizableProPertythat go€s wirh
itT" Anna said doggedly that whrt she was after was the child'
"Don't go thinking that you can grab the tannery," shouted the
judge. "If the bastardreally is Yours, the ProPertygo€s to zingli's
relatives."
Anna nodded without looking at him Then she said: "He doesn't
need the tann€ry."
''ls
hr yourl barkrd the iudge.
"Yes," she said sofdy. "lf I could just keep him unril he can sx\
all the words. So far he only knows seven-"
The judge coughed and straightcnedthe documents on his rabl(
Then he said more quietly, though srill in an irritable tone: "Yrrr
want the brat and that bitch with her five silk skirts wants bim lltlr
be needsthe real rnother."
"Yes," said Anna, and looked ar the judge.
'
"Bc offwith yoLr,"hc growlrd. "Thc cour( sits on Srtur<lny
t9t{
On thxt Saturdaythe main road and the squareoutside the town
hall by the Perlach Tower were black with people who wanted to
attend rhe proceedingsover the Prorestantchild. This remarkablecase
bad made a great stir from rhe start, and in dwellings and overns
there were arguments about who was the real and who the false
mother. Moreover, old Dollinger was renowned far and wide for his
down-to earth proceedingswith their biring remarksand wise sayings.
His trials were more popular than minstrels and fairs.
Thus it was nor only manv Augsburgers who thronged outside
rhe town hall; there were also not a few farmersftom the surrounding
countrvside.Friday was markecday and, in anticipation ofrhe lewsuit,
they had spent rhe flight in che city.
The hall in whichJudge Doilinger heard his caseswas the so-called
Golden Hall- It was famous as the only hall ofits sizewithour pillars
in rhe whole of Germany; the ceiling was suspendedfrom the rafters
by chains.
Judge Dollinger sat, a small round mountain of flesh, in front of
a closed metal gate along one wail. An ordinary rope cordoned off
the public- But the judge sat on chebarefloor and had no table before
him. He had personallyinscicuredthis setting yearsago; he stronglv
believedin sraging rhings properly.
Inside rhe roped-off enclosutewere Frau Zingli with h€r parents,
the newly affived Swiss relativesof the late Herr Zingli-two well-
dressed wothies looking like substantial merchants and Anna
Otterer vith her sister.A nurse holding the child could be seennext
n) Frau Zingli.
Everybody,liriganrsand wim€sses,stood.Judge Dollinger weswonr
to say thet rrials rendedto be shorter if the participantshad to srand.
Ilut pcrhaps.too, he made them srand in order ro conced himself
from the pubiic, so that one could only seehim ifone went on tiptoe
nncl cricked one's neck.
Ac the starr of rhe ptoceedingsan incidenr occurred.\fhen Anna
rrughr sight of the child, she uttered a cry and steppedforward, and
thc child tried ro go to her. srruggled violentll in the nurse,sarms
ur(l stirred ro scream.The judge ordered him ro be taken out of
fhc Irrll.
)'/)
THE AUGSBURG CHAIK CIRCLIj/ Bertolt Btchr
Then he called Frau Zingli.
She came rustling forward and describcd-now and agin raising
a little handkerchief to her eyes-how the imPffial soldiers had
snatchedthe child from her at the time of the looting. That same
night the seffant giri had come to her fath€r\ Place and had rePorted
rhat the child was still in rhe house,probably in the hoPe of a tiP.
One of the father's cooks, on being sent rc the rannery' had not'
however, found the child, and she assumedthat this Person (she
pointed at Anni) had taken him in order to be able to extot monel
in someway or orber. No doubt shewould have come out with such
demands sooner or later had she not been dePrived of the child
beforehand-
them
Judge Dollinger ca ed Herr Zingli's two reiatives and asked
vr'hether they had inquired after l{et Z;,ng)i at the time and vhir
Frau Zingli had told them.
They testiired that Frau Zingli had let them know her husban'l
had been killed and that she had entrusted the child to a serv,rrrl
girl where it !r'ould be in good keeping. They spoke of her in a most
unfriendly manner which, indeed, was no wonder, sincethe ProPetl\
would come to them if Frau Zingli lost rhe case-
Following their evidence the judge turned again to Frau ZinSll
and wanted to know ftom her whechershe hed not simPiy lost l)'!
head rt the dme of the attack and abandonedthe child
Frau Zingli looked ar him with her paltid blue eyesas if in asrol
ishmeni and said in injured tones rhat she had not abandonedhcr
child.
her l'ith someint(r' r
Judge Dollinget clearedhis throat and asked
whether she believedthat no mother could abandon her child
Yes, that was what she believed, she said firmly.
Did she then betieve,the judge askedfurtber, that a mothcl ul"'
neverthelessdid so ought to have her behind thrashed,regerdlcs "t
how many skirts she wor€ ol'er it?
Frau Zingli madeno answerand the judge calledthe formcr str '.rt't
girl Anna. She steppedforward quickly and said in a low voicc \'lirr
she had already said at the Preliminary inquiry. Bur she t:rlkc'l r
though sh€ were listening 2t the samerjme, and every now :rn,i ,r11""
loo
she glanced at the big door through which the child had been talcen,
as though she were afraid it might stiil be screaming.
She rcsrifiedrhar. rlrhough she had r;lled ar rhe hou"e of Frru
Zngli's uncle th2t night, she had noc gone brck to the tannery, out
of fcar of the imperial rroops and beLruseshe was worried rbour her
ovn iliegitimate child which hrd been placed with good people in
the neighboring village of kchhausen.
Old Dollinger inteffupted her rudely and snapped that at least there
had been one petson in rhe city who had felt somechinglike fear.
He wrs glad ro bc able to esrablishrhe fa(r, .inLe ir proied rhar ar
leastone person hzd hrd 'ome sen.czr the rime. h wa: not. of course-
very nice of rhe witncssrhat she hrd onll been,oncerncdabour her
own child, but on the other hand, as the popuiar saying wenr, blood
w2s thicker than {'?ter, and anyone who was a proper mothef would
go to rhe lengrhs of stealing for her child, though this was strictly
forbidden by hw. for propcrry $a5 proFrry. .]nd rho.c q ho .role rl.o
licd. md lying wa' simila h forbiddenby law. And rhcn hc
Arve onc
of his * iseand pungenrlecrure.on rhe inf,rmyoi peoplen ho-deceivcd
ihe court rill rhey were bleck in the face; and after a short digression
on peasanrswho watered rhe milk of innocent cows and the cirv
coun(il whi<h lcviedtoo high markerraxc"on rhe pea.rnn which
had absolutelynothing ro do wirh the case-he announced that rhe
cxamination of witnesseswls over and had led novrhere.
Then he made a long pause and showed every sign of being ar
g toss,gazing about him as rhough he expecredsomeone
or other
lo suggesthow to arrive at a solurion.
People looked at one another dumbfounded and some of them
craned their necLs to catch a glimpse of the helplessjudge. Bur it
fcmained very quier in the hall; ooly th€ crov{d in che street below
could be heard.
Then, sighing, the iudge began to speakagain.
"It hasnot beenestablishedwho is the real mother.,,he seid..,The
child is to be pitied. rve have all heard of farhersdodging rheir duty
Ind nor wanring ro be farhers-the roguesl-bur herearc rwo morhers
both laying claim. The courr has liscenedto them as long as thev
dcscrvc.n,rmella full tivemrnure5ro er(h, and rhe coun i,.onvjn.ed
i0
tr,
't

TIjE AUGSBURGCHAIK CIRCI-E/BcroltBiecnt

that both arc lying like a book. But, as already said, we srill have
to think of the child who must have a mother. Therefore it has to
be established, \qithout paying artention to mere babble, who the reel
mother of the child is."
And in a crossvoice he called the usher and orderedhim to bdng
a piece of chalL.
The usher went and fetched a pi€ce of chalk.
"Drav/ a circle with the chalL on the floor big enough for three
pcoplero srrnd in. cheludge drrecredhim.
The usher Lnelt down and drew the circle with the chalk 2s
requested.
"Now fetch rhe child," ordered the judge.
The child was brought in. He started to howl agein and tried to
go to Anna. Old Dollinger took no notice of che crying and merely
dclivered his addres' in a rarher louder voi(e.
"This test which is now about to be applied," he announced,"l THE
g,{LY
found in an old book and it is consideredextremelygood. The simple
him. For fexr that he might come to harm if both his little ams
were pulled in two directions at once, she had immediately let
go.
Old Dollinger stood up.
rhu: we know. he said toudly. ,wbo rs the righr morher.
-."And
Take rhe <hild rway from the slur. She *ouJd tear himlo
piecesin
cold blood."
And he nodded ro Ann, jnd qunkly lefi rhe ha ro hrve
, his
And in the following wecks rhe peasants round about, who
werc
Pretty q.ide-as/ake, talkcd of how the judge on awarding the child
to the woman from Mering had winked at ter.
OVERCOAT
SENSON/ UN]TEOSTATES

basic idea of the cest witb rhe chalk cirde is that the rsal mother
will be recognizedby her love for rhe child. Hence rhe strength of -s-.H S g\.{.
rhis love must be tested.Usher, place the child in thar chalk circle."
The usher took the wailing child from the nurse'shand and led
him into rhe circle.Th€ judge went on, turning towards Frau Zingli
Ir. uao ,roi.y ,.rd crowdedac the Milligans, and Mrs. Bishop
"llr.n
had earen too many little sandwiches
"You go and stand in the chalk circle too; each of you take one toi mrrry iced cakes,si
of the child\ hands and when I say 'Go!' try and pull the child our lhat now-our in rhe streer.(he ajr fclr"r,d
good ro her.evenit ir wr.
of the cifcle. Vhichever of you has the stronger love will also pull damprnd rold Ar thc entrance of fhe jpajrmenrhou"e,sherook
with the greater str€ngth and rhus bring rhe child to her side-" out her changepurse and looked through it and found that by
There was a stir in the hail. The spectatorsstood on ripro€ and Countlngthe pconies,aoo,she had jusr eighty_seven cents,which
had words with those standing in front of them. !v$n't enoughfor a taxi from Tenth Srreerto Scventy_third. Il was
But therc was dead silence again as the two women stepped into hrving cnough moneyin vour pursc.she (houghr.
P"id i.*j
the circle and eech graspedone of the childt hands. The child ha(l rreyrngbfldge.when rhe lo5(.sheofren hzd ro give LO.U.s rnd
elso fallen silent, as though he sensedwhat was at stake.He rurnc,l It wasfaintly embarassing,althoughshe alwaysianaged to make
his small tear*tained face up to Anna. Then rhe judge gave the ordrr thcm good. res€ntedLila Hardy who .ould say, ;Can
-She "nyone
"Gol". changca ren?"rnd who could taketen dollrrs from her sma.ll, smart
And with a srngle violent jerk Frau Zingli rore the cbild our ol brg while the orhcr women scuffiedabout for chanse.
rhe chalk circle. Bewildered and incredulous, Anna\ cycs followc,l Shcdc.idedrhrr i( wasroo l.arero rakcr busan-d.6s-;n1,, r.

ao2
 -------...

I',llb ovrR(r)Al / sdlyB.!so"

:[
rir well walk over to the subway, although the air dov,rn there would
pxrbablymake her headache.It wasdrizzling a little and the sidewalks
jlxH.":,ffii;.::*:::l;l..xff"J:,
,"1'J:lJilil"
:?:;:fi
\l wc'c wet. And as shestood on the cornerwaiting for the traffic Jights
JI
,:
n) change, she felt horribly sorry for herself. She remembered as a
young girl she had always assumedshe
'v,/ouldbave lots of money iTi'.Fl''#:Ji!"Tf
jiil"1,:*:"T1ff
when shewas older. Shehad plannedwhat to do with it what clothes
to buy and what upholstery she would have in her car.
i1,!i'Jfr :i:i#::*i:ir*:":x
"::::i;x;li*#
Of course, everybody dowadays talked Poor and that was some
iiil{.Ti*S:;T:,h'J::':l;..'.."Ts
comfort. But it was one thing to bave lost your money and quite
another never to have had any. It was absurd,though, to go around
with lessthan a dollar in your purse. Supposesomething happened?
:'fr',[',';";i:il:
li"';:il; ;h:f:r*rhar
;l.i:.:*,:l;
She wes r iittle vague as to whet might happen, but the idea fed
wou,d
accounr
il: ;:',ilff*ff:jn:1.ff:1":il;-',
'.*rfll:::fi
.T';:;JtJ'JtiTiT:li1
Everything for the house, lilce food and things, she charged. Yerrs
{.l"ffi
ago, Roberr had worked out somesort ofbudget for her, but they had
long ago abandoned it. And yet Robert always seemedto have money.
ot
'J:'T,I'#'.U;T#ffill.i:"ili:n::l;n
^ro
have her 2n invalid. Either would
be quite consistenr.

That is, when she came to him for 6ve or ten dollars, he managed to
f *:::
give it to her. Men were like that, she rhoughc. They managed ro keep
money in their pocketsbut they had no id€ayou everneededany. Veil,
shewould insist on having an allowance.Then shewould at leastknow
::.H4?"l',:ffi1i"*:,:;:i,l".J,:l.f
:;:,";:1J"_,:ff
rhar coxtdn,t help but makehim feel
where shestood. Yrhen she decided this, shebegan to walk more brisLly *.t"^u:obvious
3j:. ::T:t ^as it"
befter,
l" rhar.r," ,"a.","oa
- end everything seemedsimpler. ".9d bI the time.the ffain "nJ ",,.-1.o,i,i'-'
reachedSevenrysecond Street,the smell
The air in the subwaywas worsethan usual and she stood on the ^.But
gt wet wool, the closeness
of the air and rhe confusion of trer
own
local side waiting for a train. People who took the exPressesseemed worrrcshad mrde her teeling.lc* poignanr.
so rhar ncr smile,$/hen
io push so and she felr tired and wanftd to sit down. w'hen the rhe gave ir. la<kedsomerhing.fhc man
looked ,*ry ..br,,r.,.;.
train came,she took a seatnerr the door and, although inwardly she
w2s seerhing with rebellion, her face took on rhe vacuous look of .o hot.endrhesmeU
of broilingchopssickened
other faces in rhe subway. At lighteenth Street, 2 grcet many peoPle f1"T:l1lT** ,",.h.r.,d
I1_in-:1j,T.:-.:1. .,,;;;;."i;;r.;:il:,":::ff
got on and she found her vision blocked by a man who had come ,,
*l: j* f..;....".
fl,ji;Tjllg_,Li ai",,.s i",i;;".'r.."ii.,1,
in and was hanging to the straP in front of her. He was tall and
thin md his overcoatwhich hung loosely on him and swayedwith lil,3"::i,,:ll,l,:*,
",f.,." ;;;;;;;;;:#;rT;i
sboxt.Maudeand rhe uniformsneverlooked
right.
the motion of tbe train smelled unpleasantlyof damp wool. The
buttons of the overcoat were of imitation leather and rhe butron
directly in front of Mrs. Bishop's eyesevidently had comc of and
;j:',:l
::.}fi ff.T''.i:
:;:,;ru
;TlJi;
;;:usJ.n,r:
he wore werc too short foihim and showed
l:y.6lt :li.fpers
,::":11",:.1 the
been sewedback on again with black thread,which didn'r match thc rooked
deprc,,;ng ;;; ;; ;.;"_:;
lTf married,
6rst l"o
hcusedto dress ";;..
f..il*r'r..",,,,'ir';;ilrJ;:

J0J
THI OVERCOAT / S2lll' Benson

the wxy 'Thar! rhe-very

up a cocktail for her and things werc guite 8ay and alfiIost ler* r cangrr rlong on wh). Lita
in letting- TO :,*.il
she had imagined they would be l\'fts BishoP didn't believe Hardy would laugh af FLfrydollars a monrh...
go out of
yourself go and it seemed to her that Robet let himself "Fifry dollrrsa monrh." Mr Bi>hoprepeatcd. Hc cougheda Iirrle,
m every
shee. pe*.rsity She hated him as he lay there, resignation nervously.and rro his 6nge,srhrough his hair...l.ve
had.r lor o[
li.'e oi his boiy. She.enviedLila Hardy her husband who drank-but thrngs ro arrcnd ro rhi. monrh But. well. maybe
if 1ou wouJdbe
from
who, at least, was somebody And she felt like tearing the PaPer v.illing ro wait undl th€ first of next month,
I might manage.,,
than sh€ could bear'
his face becauseher anger zrrd disgnst were more monrh wilt be perfecclyall right,,,she said,feiing
it
,_-Ol,**
For a minute she stood in the doorway trying to conttol herself rsernor to_press her viccory.,,But don,t forger.BeceuseI shan,t.,,
rougbly'
and then she *'alked over to a window and opened it j-f:::-lk":
tovardrhccroser ro pur away hernr;ps.she caughr
any air in here?" 318h1 or Koberr'sovcrcoaron rhe \hair nrar the door. Hc
"Goodness," she said "Can't we ever have had to.led
Robert gave a slight staft and sat uP' "Hello, Mollic," he said "You carelessly actoss the back of the chair as he came
m. (Jne sleeve
s hanging down and the vibtation of her feet
on the floor had
rt swing gently back and forth. She saw .hat the
"Yes, I'm home. I came home in the subway" cuffwas badly
Her voice was rePloachful. She sat down in the chair fecing him erd a bit of lhe lining showed. It looked dreadfully
like the
wxs e of the overcoatshe had seenin the subway.A"a,
and sPoke more qr.rietly so that Maude couldn't hear what shc i"aa.rty,
."yirrj. "n."11y, Robert," she seid, "it was dreadful l came out from ing at it, shehad a horrible sinking feeiing, like falling
in a dream_
the t; in ali that drizzle and couldn't even take a taxi home l had
just
' exactly eighty-sevencents.Just eighty-sevencents!"
reachedin his poclcer
"Say," he si-id--"Thatt a sheme.Here " He
and took out a small roII of crumpledbills "Here''' he rePearcd- And
handed her one- Sh€ saw that it wes five dollars' LIND MacNAIR
Mts. Bishop shook her head. "No, Robert," she rold him "That
sort
isn't th€ Point. The Point is thar I've really got to have some
of allowance. It isn\ fair to me I never have aDy moneyl Never! /€ r€r*e
It's got so it's positively embarrassing!"
U"r. eitnop frngeredthe five-dollar bill thoughttully "I sce'''he
you
said. "You wanl an zliowance $0hat's the mafter? Don't I Sive
moneY every time You zsk for it?" N SH,1{DSTo\7N rhey sing balleds no more. Nor will
you heat a
like my own An
"\(ell, yes," Mrs Bishop admitted- "But it isn't nntey, for the chanteymen have vanished and the
tali grass shines
allovuancewould be more like my own " lere once the shipya(dslay under a snow of chips
and shavings.
would
"Now, Mollie," he reasoned "If you had an allowxnce' it It is a village.enchanted.ifhere is thc yellow dusr
of the srrJt,
probably be gone by the rcnth of th€ month " c procession of dwellings down to the broad sheitered
' bay, where
"Don't treat me like a child. I iusr won'r be humiliated anymore .n, lonefishingboarflashes
a riding
his fT-.::11 l-:' "ld.on1r
Mr. BishoP sxt tuming the five-dollar bill over and over in ; aod thereis the littlc churchand chestoreand the dry,rottei
have?" he asked wharf asleepin rhe sun, all still as deach.Half rhe houses
hand. "About how much do you think you should are
was harsh
"Fifty dollars a month," she told him And her voice pty, with blinds drawn and faded and forgotten, and
grassin the

J()7
BIIND M&NAIR/Thond H raddall
kitchcn path. The people ate pleasant bur silent. They smite and vznish-
Down by the waterside, irr the lee oI a toftering shed, you may find an
old man on a cushion of discardednet, with worn boots thrust out
before him, with a frown to shield his old eyes from th€ shine of the
sea, and a dream on his face,
rvhere's
"A balladl Peopledon't sing balladsnow. A chantey?Ha!
the need-and no sails to haul?" If you persist he v,rill sweargreet
oaths that have a sffong taste of the sea,and he will sey, "Och, man'
yes; bur thacs roo long ago That's back in the time of Blind
MacNair'"
And who was Blind MacNair?
Before Shardstown becameenchanted, the village stood Pretty much
as it srandsnow, but alive, with a smell of new-sawedwood in the
air, and th€ sounds of hammer and adz, and the clack-clatk of calking
mallets. They built good ships in Shardstown then- The hulls grew
by the wrte$ide with their bowsPdts reaching over the road- A
blockmaker and three families of cooPerscaffied on business in sheds
behind rheir homes, and a busy sailmakersquatted with palm and
needl€amongst billows of canvasup there in the long seil loft. Thc
village blacksmith made ironwork for vesselsthree Parts of the y€arl
in winter he shod oxen znd horsesand 6fted sled mnners and Peavel
hooks for the loggers.
The tall iron stack of the sawmill poured blue woodsmoke at dn
sky, and from dawn to dark within its gray wooden wells Iang thc
death scream of logs. There ntas a wisP in every chimney chen, an'l
children playedby the dusty road, and women cameout of the kirchcrr
doors and set the well n''indlassesrattling Too many women; for irr
those days men went out uPon the broad world in the windship'
and the world did not alwaysgive them bacL The sea rook manl
and there was the gold rush to California, and then the gold rusl'
to Ausiralia; and thirry men went to the American war- All tbrr
within twenty yerrs.
So there were lonely women in Shardstown.For a time, in (nr
pfft of the long street lived six widows side by side. Threc marrt<'l
again as the yearswent by; but the orberswere Bullens and countc'l
unlucky, their busbands gone'-blown off a topsail yard, washrl
10ll
stabbed by a drunken foremast hand-each within fifte€n
ths of thc wedding. In a village like Shatdstown men could pick
Therewasa fourth Bullen sister,the youngesr,but shelived with
Chris on thc Bullen farm, a lonely hillside clearing by the Reves-
road,fourtcen miles out ofShardstown.There wasa scandalabout
ie Bullen. She had gone co work in Revesportin '60 or ,61, a
blond girl of two-and-rwentywith rhe self,willed Bullen mouth,
camehome late in '62 and had a baby.A 6ne wagging of congues
was, to be sure, in that village of too many women. But one
old ChrisBullen camedown in his buggyand nail€dto the
door a paperfot all to see-Nellie Builen,smarriagelines,
a date rhat defiedrhe gossips'arirhmetic.
After thar the matter dropped, and nobody even remembeted the
's name, and
Nellie Bullen stayed close to the lonely farm
her boy and called herselfNellie Bullen. Thinqs like that
very casilyin the old times, when men cameand went from
sea liLe visitors from the moon
Peoplesangballadsthen,excepton Sundaywhenthe ministerceme
in a buggy from Revesportand there were hymns to be sung.
thc bescoFrhe singersvere chanreymenfrom the brigs and barks
barkentines,rhe lovely windshipsthat lay at chewaterside.Now-
men sayrhe windships were hell ships and well lost; and they
the chanteyshad no musicand the balladsno poerry.Blind rhey
more blind rhan Blind MacNair,who knew the beauryof those
Och, yes, Blind MacNaiq who came to Sh2rdstov.nin rhe fali of
aboarda potato schoonerfrom Princendward Island.Square,
ilt he was, with brown hands and a brown face and a cudy black
and hair long and black as night. He wore a band of green
acrosshis eyesand crrried a stick and bundle. His bleck frieze
serswere called shag trousersin those days,and he had a pair
trout brown seabootsunder rheir wide bottoms, and a sailor'sred
tucked in the top, and he wore an old long coat with skirts
hung wrinkled and loosc at his knees; buc he had no hat and
scr wind srir.edthc black hairsof his bead
309
BIIND MaCNAIR/Thonas H. Rtddal
The tide q,asout and the ship lay low, and Blind MacNair climbed
the forerigging to the level of the wharfand a sailor gavehim a hand
and pointed him for rhe wharf's end Thar was the way Blind MacNair
cameto Sherdstown,with his staff srriking a hollow sound from the
planls of chevhatf, and rhe se,r*'ind blowing rhe skirts of his coat,
and the long heir streamingabout his head, like a blind prophet out
of the Bible.
Shardstownfolk were shy of strangers,and Blind MacNatr was an
awesomeman to see;so they stood offand watchedhim up the village
street and dos,n, without a word. But chil&en sav the gentleness
and Blind MacNair paused
in him and sangout "Hello," ashe Passed,
in the dust and asked their nrmes in the deep slow voice he had'
And aftet a time Taggart's wife Taggart of rhe forge-called her
youngstersto suPPerand saw them squatredabout tr{acNair in thc
Srassat the vrayside.
MacNair was singing softly, and the song was "Fair Margarer and
Sweet William." That is a sad song and a sweet song; the children
stayedto the end, and Taggaris wife came to the gat€ and list€fled'
too. At tbe end she said,"lffon\ vou come in, man, and have a bire
' d Blind MacNair.
MacNair rosegravely and bowed "Thank ve, ma'am, and I will
After the suPPerthings were clerredTaggart sat lvith lv{acNair bI
the stove in the parlor, and while Mrs. Taggert shushedthe children
ofl to their beds the blacksmith said,"\(/here's 'our home? lf thar's
a fair question."
"I've none," said Blind MacNair: "no more than the birds-"
"Ics fall," Taggart said, "and the birds gone to rhe Souch for
"South!" said the blind man "'Tis a great country, the Soulh.
but a sad one, end I've had mv frll of sadnessTen yerrs l've bccn
wandering, and rhere came on me suddenlv a great longing to l'c
in my own country. This was mv landfall Thcre's birds musr wintcl
in the North. for that is the wav of them "
"Ahl" Taggan said.He was a tall man and spare'with a red ltrll
squereas a shovcl, end his eles were kind. "S/ould,vc take a bc'l
in the garter the winter?"
"Man, man," saidMacNair,,.thewinter bird,sno beggar.The bush
.
by thepasrure wall, the red betry left by God on the Lare wild rose,
a crumbat rhekirchendoor ifitt offered,and chancerh€ rcst.Thar,s
the winter bird, and that's Blind M2cNair.,,
.
"Youie proud.mrn,rnd I rc.pecr ye for ir. .Tagg:rt.aid...There,
$e spaF bedroomover rhe parlor th.rt.s6xcd up linc tor minisrcrs
such.'
"Is there no loft ro your stable?',demandedMacNair.
"Vhar place is that for a man?,,cried Taggaft,swife, for she
had
ne lnto the room and stood by Taggart,s chair with
her hands
his shoulder.
"I'm only_half a man,,, said MacNair, .,and a stable was good
rugh for the child of God.,,
MrcNair sl€ptrhe winter in Taggart,stoft, with the quilts from
garCssparebed, and caughthis merls as rhe birds do. a dinner
: and a supperthere; wirh Fraserthe blockmaker.with Lowrie
ishing c.ptain, with, Shardrhe ship chandler,and now and again
Taggart's-burnot often,For,,I'm leholdenenoughfor rhe lJft,,,
He was a welcome glest wherever he went, There v{as never
a
on his cloahesnor a whiff of the stableabout him; for
he was
thar m?n, .tean as the brook that fell from the hill,
and he
as neer ase man with eyes.Like everybodyin Shardstownhe had
Gaclic,andwhen he saidrhegracebeforemearyou felr rherGod
in aharhouse.
After the meal Blind MacNair would sing, wlrh the menfolk
ar
rir pipesand thc vomen waitingrhe di,hes.and the childrensirrinp
rut his feet. A gand srrong voice he had, and could roar a
chantei
h (he berr ol the.rilor". Bur hc lrkedballadsberr; for ball:ds
hc
ld drop his voice to rhe size of rhe room, till it was like
a man
(ing music, and his voice was deep
and sad on the low notes
thc sourh€rly pipes of rhe ptesbyterianorgan at Revesport_
Dnytime hc spent ar Taggarr'sforge. That was Shardstovrn,s club_
t in winrer,rhe bcllowsroaringunder rhe red coal,.rhe
old men
tDc hcn,hcs rh.rtTrggrrr hrd made for rhcm, anc rnc
te,rmsrcrs
BLIND Mr.NAlR/Thonas H. Rxddrll

leaning or squatting while thek beasts were shod- He loved to get

;:'J::::'ffi ".::.J'l*
ff.'".:f tnfi o,in"Kjin",
Taggarch1d Donald MacAltan,sbig 3x
rhe men singing chanteys,himselfgiving the byJine in a great round in ttre shoeing sralt when
,-tyng b"q:, and he went on i,i,t ;,, fo. he
voice and the m€n roaring in on the chorus And {'hen they struck *as-no rnan to
plcasuremeddlewith business.
up a teal rouser like "The Drunken Sailor," Taggert himself would So he thrr.rsttne ox down on irs
join in, singing free like a mrn that enjoyed himsel( hammering €s in rhe open frame of the stall, and
madeeachforeleg fast with
to the-.shoeingledge, hoof upward,
ratl|-tdngJang on the live iron, and the golden 6re sPurring. Those and moored the-beascbow
rerc singing rimc.. and Shard*own men wcrc 8re:rrmen ro sing: with a ropeto the yokeanda hish rope
if_l_IY:tlf ro
but there was never such singing as they had that winer in Taggarr's :5n".,6:. Andhepassed ,n. b,# .;;;. ;;;';;.i;:
forge. j1,I 1-on:: rhewooden_ pin in thewindlass socket,
^"'
'$tith I hoisredrhe beastoff ir.
the turn of the year the cold grew and there was good snow "i.,."11 hind feer forh. .ho.i"g o;;.;.
for rhe log hauling. Ox bells rang up and down (he beaten sled road wa"s.
darkandsmo.,h?;;';;;;,",p
from the woods, and the birchwood yokes creaked, and the runners
squeded on the snow, and the teamstersgrinned and crackedrhcir
It",t,ltl;
l*,r.::
:::;:: jiilxn:jirttinf
;j*,":::1e.",.sari
i;:i:.l
rhefircplace :{
little whips. weisr-high
betorc;r.andrheilact beamot rhebelJows
'$0hen workbcnchb1 the qindon ro .he tefr
March came the loggers came out of the woods- The' had I dght
:T,"','rii or ir. To
was a ]itter of long iron stretched atong
hauled their cut, and a turn of the wind novr vould bring the thas the floor, and a
.h tor vrheeln righr work.
and the breakup. And there was wotk nox. at the wharves,with
.1,* 9i,, tult of mcn i,ending.rhe ,ron
schooners to fit out for the spriflg voyage to the Banks, and a bark lil : ctaqkwirh rhc
n or rherrierr. rnd rbe benchhden wirl
from Revesportto load with shooks from McLaughlan'scooPerxge r sltters.And rhe space
There was great singing in the forge then, for the chanteyman of rhc
bark was a big, handsome Negro man wirh a voice like rhe soun(l
of great bells, and Singing Johnny Hanigan had come over Ironr
lTi.l,'.,ll i:;::ll "l*;; ^:j*
i'.;#'_i:",:,;:::
midsr,of ir all sat Blind MacNjii on
a threeJegged stool, witli
Revesportto go in the fishery. t' the dusr on rhe floor, xnd his
:*:,rfr:r big handson his
s. And^rhesmitingNegro saron the
The Negro man had a gieac store of songs,and Singing Johnnt earthenn"-.., *a.y.lr"ry
rgansrood.
was famous in forty mites of coast,and when the Shardstownmtl|
began to btag of Blind MacNair one thing \r'ascerrain. wjth chanreys as a matcerof course,to g€r rhem
T:fl.rl out
It came of a Saturdavmorning, with the old men sitting each irr the-sotolines in turn and .r,an,;.[
,:::-:?:':ql"s ,1. .t .,",
:her. The first was -ReLrben
his place, and sailorsand loggers and fishermenand shiP carPenlcn Ranzo,,, and they sang rwenty ve$es
I rhar famoos dirry sailor who shipped
shnding or squatting whercver was room for their heels Tagsarlr' aboard a whaler.
rnen rt crmeJohnnv Hanigan.srurn
was a big forge and datk, though the sun flamedon rhe snow outsi(L' tor (hc verse.He he.irarcd,
I no.wonder,for nobody had everheard
for the inside walls and the high gloomy raftersw€re black with tl! so many versesro .,Reuben
Dzo"; but he savedhimselfin time with
smoke ofa century, and the litrie windo*s thick wirh dust, and tlr poor pacched-upsott
vcrscour of his own herd rhat firred the
big double doors closed for the sake of rhe old thin blood on tlr tune badlyand rhymed.
benches.
Thcrc w:rsno rLrleagainsrsuch,fbr a good
There was a smell of hot iron in that Piace Nlwrys. and a snl.ll chanteymancould mike
of horsesand oxen and scorchcd booves; :rnd now such r smcll ,'i
IILIND MacN^IR /l [onMsH. &tdd,ll

a new verse (o an old tune, and sometimesth€ ve$e Pleasedother

3:;!;ffi':fl:[ff,l1,'tii'fl:;tdtr,,:t
ears.That was how chenteysgrew But ther€ was ill taste in ofedng
a trumPed.uP vetse, and a Poor one, ro sing down mother man'
Ev€ryone exPected MacNair to say something, for he knew no more,
but he shrugged and opened his hands; and the Negro man said, "No
:ri
more here," and the chalk went on the board on the wall with a
mark for Singing Johnny.
Thefl MacNair bcgan "Shenandoah," and the Negro man srng the
next verce, and JohnDy followed after. That is a great chantey' to be
sung slowly, and so they sang it; you could shut your eycsand se€ Hni[[ir*i*fl'#*
F*ir*,ti,,J.3.,'x;i,.i
sailormen stamPing round a capstan with hard brown hands on the
bars, and rhe chanteyman Percbed on rhe cathead, and the cable com'
ing in wet from the tide. MacNeir had the last of ir, for the Negro
man grinned and said, "No more here," and Singing Johnny could
not say better.
jT
So they went on through "I€ave Her Johnny," and "Blow, Boys,

*N*****r,:lmt
Blow," and "Banks of Sacramento,"and "Blow the Man Down," and
"Paddy Doyle's Boots," and "Stormalong" and the other workadar
chanteys,and turned at last ro the less familiar ones. And whm it
crme to "sdly Brown," end'Johnny Come to Hilo," and "Bound
to Alabami," and those other co*on-rolling songs rhac drifted our
to seain rhe bosom ofMississiPPi,the big Negro man $/ent fer aheed
in the score, singing verse after verse when the others had droPP€cl
jf "T,,Iil
liill:.,*,,.T
ffi,,,1,"*H#r":i,,
't'#-"jit
out and his mark was up on the wall, singing iust for the Pleasur(

,*fl
of it, and his voice ringing through the crowded forge like a musti
of hemmeredbrass.
From b€hind crm€ the soundsofTaggart's work as he taPPedhomc
the little hdf-moon shoes on the ox, snipped the nail Poin6 witlr frit4i**l*:+?..',
a twist of the sharp hammd clavr, and cast loose rhe foot lashings.
and took the pin from the windlass baffel and lowered the grerr
drooling beastto its new'shod feet. But there the big ox stayed.Hi'
own€I was part of that listening throng, lost to tbe world and drr
waiting sled on rhe hillsid€. And Taggart stood on thc shoeing ledS'
'of
the stall for better hearing, and hung therc silent with a hari'i
HfiF#lilt,'rffi
6;"j; nru;TJ".'":['# "
";.f
ff;,:: "-*
on the yoke of the ox.
It was srrange; the big ox Parient in the corner, and the tirll
#",i
ilf.'*", g*;:l:r,#lq
iliri*'"i
11,1
BLIND MacNAlR/Thoda H Raddrll

MacNair went on through "The ChesaPeakcand Shannon," and then rhedinnersparchinson rhe
"The Fighting Chance," and the score betw€en them even. Blind
MacNair sang "The Captain and the Maiden," and Singing Johnny 1'0".,''
l*.i:::::Et.sone,
ffT:ff::.::i:::';" i,iil:il:,r;:il';:: sroves
rh.
";n drooped
;;i::; row
followed with "Young Johnson": and MacNair sang "Irrd Bxteman,"
1,ff
: H,li*::.lr:le*t,-ro,g"
;:H:;::,,,[ ::'::::",':'; ;:;:T1",:
and Johnny sang "The Banks of Nc*'foundland "
And Blind MacNair said, "That was a good ballad and well sung' iiJT,*;r:::l'T'r,-''"';'i,;'";:T:';
;"ar.,.tn.i
f ;lill"::":"h"dde,
;,,"1
and there's all the sorrow of the seain the Part that goes:
l;1, ::::_:
".1,il".ir',f,:fi;:l
i" .he,; ;;;rir:;:: _:,il"17
every chimney
in rhcriltase.
rffi,;;;;
"Oh, bhen thet t@k % fnn the &reckuv Me oft like qbolt' tba "8 ,
[; l#'ill.;
Theyclothe,lu: and thel fed u and thry raoAu honz again Singingl-obnoywas bearen
and he wash
But therc ua' feu 0f off con?dnJtbat r'el ftdchedEngli'b lafld'
Ad the captainhn hn limh 4 f,vrt on the Banhr o'Ntufoh\dlan.l" r"i..;:3i;'.*;:F1i!;,-;J:?Xl;l;;l
fice or an imase,h,, .""rd
.i;;, ;;::""'s
rcfnDrcabouri,.

And the man with the chalk scorcd one on the board for Blind :1';.f:i':j.:::;;;;d;;f il:'ill',:]":",f
y Hanigan had made
a boast, -a
!u45c oown; but
's a hard thins 'o
MacNair, for Hanigan h^d it "The captain did a'f Nbite on the Ba L\ *h: v:1 ,.. r"..;,;;;,;;;"uast "'U"""'
a' Naofaunrlland'-and all knew that was wrong And agxin Singing
,:ff#:ltf;n",1::-:'l*,
:

;:f*rx,.j:Til".
Johnny laughed, and no plexure in
it
Then Blind MacNair sang "The SbiP Lady Sherbrooke,"which i'
a sad ballad of Irish folk wrecked on the voyage to Quebec. And
..""
a 6ne runc
Johnny Hanigan sang"On the Banks of the Brandl'wine," 'a! a hPd,ie.
with romance and sceneryand a sailor in it, and popular with thr' ff:;;;:::,'.::"s^r
,*, ftnenbcl tt. n) /^t
lra,bane n,
;,:-y
w)ndn slnpn at h.,,4.
Shardstownmen. But MacNair sang "Young Charlotte," the balh'l tapn,xJr
n pic,c!
V/i,. aI ; d,pehtrq /qb,.
ala ne an4 Jozr naft +ann
of the frozen bride, for the sad mood pas on him; and the fishermcrr bald h t,gi*i;g to,, *, ,iBA.
stirred uneasily, for they believed "Young Charlotte" en unluckv son8
a Jonah song, and would never he2r it sung aboard the vessels. ..is,har
H,nisan.
l*o:. :11+llf
rwes nor.'. srjd Blind
hoqle rorryouA....
So Singing Johnny cheeredthem with "The Rambling Irishmrn MacNair
.
a jolly thing that set them BPPing their feet on the hard carthcrr
floor, and Blind MacNair saw rhat he must keePhis sadness to himscli war." saidBlind MacNair.
::l
rr/:r?"
;ff llll'"'i ;hrhe civii
So he sang"The Braeso'Balquhidder." Thar song has2lifr ro its musr,
Iike tbe lilting of bagpipesheard afar on the hills in the morninS, rr"l
the men were glad to seeMacNair put his sadnessdown. AndJohnrr\' 'rhe us Fireror thecumberland'i"
Hanigen, not to be outdone in a song of old Scotland,52ng"The Pri,t, ;Yi rfi:f.' demanded
rl witl
ofGlencoe," a grand songaboDta soldierMacDonald and the lassierlr''r noc,, saidBtind MacNair.
--r wonder
waited home for him- But there was no Pleasurein Johnny's sinSrrrll ye dont know ic. ,Tjs rhe
anymore,becausebe wasbehind in thc scoreand he knew he could rr"t
sine down Blind MacNair.
;txi:::..i1"*
:i:rr:
*:[rTi]'""."1
ir;;jr*,
son

Jt6
BUND MaCNAIR/ThomasH. Radddl

mured, and ran his glance about the men, for half the gathering had another hundred bounry from the state.And ,twas
easyro desert
fought in the Northern army in that war- ro anotherstateand ,list againvrirh anothername
fot another
'foo doubt," said Blind MacNair. "The war vlas across the border er ofYankeedollan.Somewere(rughr. 2nd somc
gor rwr) homc
and nothing of ours, in a manner of sP€akifig But our talk was all rhrr bloodmoney-.rhougbir couldn.rbu1 <nou8n
sorp ro rake
of the Norih and the South, and from argument men go to deeds J-y1r:'^"1' fromrheirhand".r'm rrutybtind.Joinnv
Hanigrn.
rne eye oi the mrnd secsrhrough rhc rronej
if their hearfs in what they say. The war's past and done with now' of rhe s,rlj. I;ill
you a Yankee song. Tis a good song. and a jo
and they were brave men all; but I fought by the side of the Southern v rorg. rnd r
song for rhe feet on rhe road... And he bcgan:
men and I will sing no Yankee song "
And now men noticed thar Singing Johnny had come to a stooP'
"ane a y* ine yung fetto11,.I e gonS n ,iss a
and now he was leaning forward, and his long fingen )icking out o,ry..
r ptay wz.gtw auenlin and I ubfl ! dctai, vL ta,1g.
ro the face of Blind MacNair. '? j* w"n8 kro1,. dnJ
"l doubt ye fought in any war and I doubt you'rc blind!" h€ cried' "/
tl. uA "td.d n Alexaadna
Jahn") uat hL rane.
and whippei tte tilk ft"m MacNeir's eyes wtrile the whole forgc for tbe dang o1th, ,anc.
gasped and smred
*"U.'Ied .rhcBounryJumper...known
rocreF,
MacNair might have been an imageof stone Not a musclemo!€d f1 11,'"**,
Ltrrn the rorge,md they joined
as MarNair in the.horu,.
His lips were htm. The lids of his eyeswere dosed-,and- white
, -orn"n'., for they had known no sun since the fall of'64 Jvt 'So..tow join
nt hunbte ditry ar tfu neq lo toua t trpt.
beneath the thick black broa's ran a scar from side m side, straighl uhc.,va rcat 800d[dltu t an a/aa1: on the b.,t;
as a ruler-straight as a slashof a sword- bkc eun eal goadJettout peter ni uhn\ *a,,
Singing Johnny stood dumb, with the green wisp in his 6ngen tn a ranbtn| ,"* o1paei, .,a ,7" ,_ .
E s,.b"n,..
"l got that," MacNair said quietly, "from Sheridan'scavalryin rlr
Valley of Virginir. A good frght, and my last " And Blind MacNair sangon:
"Sorry," mumbled JohnnY HaniSan'
"sorrow's not enough," said Blind MacNair' He stood up thctr' t'.
?!, runld
i:t ph;tad?tpbasd hpj,npc.t inro \d ya*,
irl
a fine strong figure of a man' ,wesome with the bleachedstriPc ::
tinp:d n theat oI Bortn., ua, dn $p pea?k.. ,,x/k.
his dark skin, and the shining scar,and the white closedeyes- Ob, be j,tnpd nd hc ynped a/t almg tte ya,Re. vop,
chousand'tlxv ,ttt th. L.!t ptalc he jBnped ua, it, lhe to&
"Many Nova Scotie men went to that war-ten a/ B,tunarc-
say-"ni {ooght for the one side' some for the other, accor(litrfl
"ome 'rl
to their oPinions There's no knowing now which had the ri8hr. 1,,:1t
1yO.
for rhe laughterof marchingmen, rnacsong;
bur
it, for a brave men makes a btave cause,and blood's the onc c('l"r' MacNair sang it with a strangevioleni, like the
chanjng of
$'r1
North or South But whichever jacket he wore, the Bluenosc fsc.
an honest man and a nghting man and 2 credit to Nova Scotia Nt'q
Johnny Hanigan scood, white and red
therc must alvraysbe an exception to Prove a rule' and therc wrl hi. long clever,face,
with the choruspouring upon hirn
(()rrl'l 31.
rcaldingwarer.And wheneverrhc cunesrrLrck
certaln ones that crossedFundy Bay to Pluck wbat cash they the high notesome
t rodsvibratcdrhinly on the beamoverhead,
from the agony of other men ln Boston ye could gct two ot llrrr as if Le old forge
(irrtl had cometo lifc for thc scornofJohnny Hantgan.
hundred dollars from the sons of thc rich, to substitureon rhc

111.1
BIIND Ms.NAIR / Thond H Rad.tdi

"oh, naa uey AiTloot JohnnJt 8r4'e, & / di{ it uidr dnd &ep jl.-fTt ^T *rt* thingsno lassieof sprntwould
tafte,and
lVr'll bury hin in the laUe! ohet? tl,e b'unry jr'|ltperslkq the l-oungwife home .o her
,i".li.iiP^*j.ll^:J,,n ox,n folk
v/e'UPt him h' Li! cafrn and ue'll catry hin atng,
lT f:"r ::, o6totheq;arsil;;;; ;"{'J#,:.ll
And u.e'tl all join the chou of tlJebolntt it'n?e/' nn&" always
theyoungmaDcomes
ll",iii:-,,: "]1;.:q
andnndsrhewire;ni;"; homea hero
].",T ;;;:,,;;'[:, T:
But Singing Johnny did not wait for the end- He slunk out of j::,his oiminf s.e. u,ong somehov,
the forge like the shedow of a man, ard nobody ever saw him in -,"... btindand"ong
:r:a;,ejli*:: a b"gga,.no"n, ."_p,;";;;';;;,
Ti
Shardstownagain.
He left one of the big doors oPen, with a broad wedge of daylight l''il? ,^":.*T::r'" ; see'-rorin,h"o.;;;;s
^:: 1- ,1"
iil'i;,IllliXilil "s'i" # ;fi,H;:
poudng into the forge and blinding them all There was a great
,iLn... Tlt.tt e woman's shedow fell across the floor and Nellie
i'ffi:1ru:l
"*''.;
that'rorarewroorish
words,"
objected
Lowrie
Bullen's voice was crying, "Mr' Taggrrt! Mt.'Iagg^rtl"
Taggart stepped down from the sho€ing stall znd thrusr through "The iudgment or of r.,oor
cod?,, mrrmurcdold
,"",.j",",,,.,,, John MacLrr,ghlan re-
the blinking men to her. 'Bua
"Th€ mare's got a loos€ shoe, Mr' Taggart; will you look at ir' wlaCs,theend of rhe songl,,
askedNelie Bullen Frolnthe
please?The roed's a glare of ice-and I must get home befole the y,0,:ssed.baJ,noneknewwhr,untilshewas
1ff1,,,11-,T
drng,loncin rhe.h.rfror Iight ,hr, f.ti ;p.;;;.N;:,:;d-r,J
Taggart went outside and Nellie Bullen turned to follow him, and men hushed in the shadows
just then James McCuish said, "Sing us one more song' MacNair' aforc gocson forerer...cried
BtindMacN:ir.
"l:-l,l l: :"o.ir "Ihere' onrvone
we go."
o aflutrer,or
;:1:j:::^:il1-' goes on ,o,c\cr 'r here
Nellie Bullen paused. and.,aa."ry "ong
skjrrs rv.rri"
oiri.",
il ;:,;;, jffj:
m- MacNair,rnd.her:hinrng
She was a tall woman with gray eyes,and she had the slim prouil head on hi, \hoLtder.and
her har
rDe dusr of rhe floor
back of the Bullen women, ,nd thick coils of hair with a dull gol'l
shine like a hempen hawser new from the roFwalk' "Ah, Colin, Colin!,' cried Nellie Bullen.
"Cen ye sing'The Desolate \gidow'?" askedJames
McCuish' kr r,* .,,,"s._l ,",,iurc. ,, ir .iww.re,
he was a thoughtless man.
I:,.,::
j:::'.
1"::1,,r
1,,,:o c k- I i e " n o r h r n s , ; ; ; , )ou
; r.';;,;:
"Not 1," said Blind MacNair. He faced rhe oPen door with hir _."
.
ba;
f;.1j:::i.,::llh. r,."'1,' f;;";."j).;i;,,,,,..
feet together and his hands at his trouser seams,like a soldier-rr
il'i":'::::::l:":
:i,'r''" ;i,r'.""
* ;J ;T;:l
a priso-ner before judgment. The cold light was full on his face'
Y:,11:: r,* vou
r sonrhe,"* ;'-r':';;;: :11;:::,tj,:;l
I'Any song, theni A Gaelic song-Yte'v€ had no Gaelic son8r "My sonl"
today." ,t, ror ).ourwife ,hc iong ,h1r
;Y"',,..1:" goe, w,rhourend?..
,,I know a song,,,said Blind MacNair, "bDr there'sno mole musl
l"i;5;,, ::: i-rj:i,']", t8 ,r,,,J,,i" r"es,,i" r.le"i,,
in me, and no rhyme to the words- A Poor thing it is " "l1 *": ,::.lbc,.-rh"e ord ,,.. ;"J:T;..";r;;,',.7
_igl
"Give us the hang of it," insistedJemcs Mccuish'
lilll;,jl,ljlll,,: y:cN,i, rook he,t,,s,"a ,,,,,nish' or
,,!.ua"o rn2r
"An old tale, James, old as the sorrows of the world
A you|1 rbis M.rrchsnow.is
sonc r."," ,;;";";;"
tnarkir bur .' +^' ;i +" g*"r',"""'sPofr
road ",gi,,;i
nirh rorhrng
man wirh a hot heed,and a young wife with spirit Therc'sthc quarr'l

:i20
)aI
' f H E P R O C U R A T O RO [ Anrto]eFLn'e
JLDAIA
Somein Shardstownhold the placehaunted' and savhow on nighrs
of the full May moon lou can heer Blind MacN?ir ploughing the
windy hillside behind the old lrhite BuIIen horse, and singing the
" -rirh
old Gaelic song "Mo Run Geal Dileas" "M' Fitbful Fair One
But that is an old wives' mlel and how could thev know that song?
For:in Shardstownonly the old men in the sunshinelemember,and
they sing ballads no rnote
THE PROCURATOR
OF JUDAEA
c&
I .
(
A"rrus I-r.ula, born in Italy of illustrious parents, had not rLr
discarded the tagdPtuetexta when he set out for the schools of Athen
ro study philosophr'.Subsequendybe took up his residenceat Romc
and in his house on the Isquiline, amid a circle of youthful s/asrrcl'
abandonedhimself to licentious courses.But being accusedofengrtll
ins in criminal rclatlonswith lrpida, the wife of SulpiciusQuirht'
a iran of consular rank, and being found guilt,v, he was exiled lr
Tiberius Caesar.At that time he was just entering his twentl'fourrlr
year.During rhe eighteenvearsthat his exile lastedhe tra\-ersedSIr Ir'
Palesrine,CapPadocia,and Armenia, and made prolonged visits t"
Antioch, Caesarea, aod Jerusalem.When, after the death of Tibcrr'r''
Caius was raisedto the purpte, I-amia obtained Permissionto rcrrLrr
to Rome. He even regained e portion of his PossestionsAdr(r rr\
had raught him wisdom
He avoidedall intercoursewith the wives Nnd daughtersof R.rrr rtt
'r""t
citizens, made no efforts toward obtaining o1ice, held alool
oublic honors. and lived a secludedlife in his houseon tbe lis(irrrlirir
r l'rltl"
bccupving himself with the taskofrecording all thc rernarkablc
\.t -l
had seen dudng his distanr travels, he rurned, as he said,
ahe
of his yearsof expitrion into a diversionfor his hours
In the midst of these calm employments, alternating
with
srudy ot (hc work: of tpi.urus. he recognized
a
of surprise and vexarion that age was stealing upon him.
his sixty second year, being afficted with an illness which
oroved
no dight degree troublesome, he decided ro hsve rccourse
ro the
ar Baiae- The at that point, once frequented by the
_coest
, was at this date che resort of the wealthy Roman, greedy
pleasure.For a week I_amialived alone, wirhour a friend in
che
iant crowd. Then one day, after dinner, an inclination to
yielded urged him to ascend the incline, which, covered with
which
resembledbacchantes,looked our upon the waves
vines
Havhg reachedthe summir he seatedhimself by rhe side ofa
oath
rcarhe rercbinrh.and ler his gl,rnte,qandcr o,er,he lovelvland-
-fb
his IeIr, livid and bare, rhe phlegraean plain stretched out
d the nins of Cumae. On his right, Cape Misenum plunged
abruptspurbeneath r\e Tr n hcni.rnsea.Bcne;rhhi, fecrluxunius
following the gracefuloutline of the coasr,displayedirs gardens,
iae-,
villas thronged with statues,its porticoes,its maible re.raci, alo,rg
shorcsof rhc blue o(crn where rhe dolphin. sporred.Before !rim]
the oth€r side of che ba1 on the Campanian coast, gilded
by the
rdy sinkiflgsun. gleamedrhe tcmple, nhi.h far away ro,c aborc
Iaurelsof Posilipo.whilsfon rhe exrremchoriron Vcsuviu.looked
ia drew from a fold of his toga a scroll coritai ning the Treatift
Narare, exrendedhimself upon the ground, and bigan to read.
rhc warning cries of a slave necessitaredhis risinq ro allow
of
PAssagc ol a lirrrr qhi.h rr, being crrrred Jong,he narroo
y.rhroughthe vineyrrds.The litrer beinguncurtained,
permit-
hmia to seesrrecchedupon the cushions as it was born; nearcr
him the figure ofen elderiy man ofimmense bulk, who, suppofting
hcadon his hand,gazedour with a gloomyand disdainfulexprei
.rrs nose.whl.r, wasaqurtine.and hr. chin. whjch qrs
promi-
t, secmeddesirousof meeting acrosshis lips, and his jaws
were
'rH! PROCUR'AIOR OF JUDAEA / Anatole ftec€

From the fust moment Lamia was convinced that the f'ce *?s co Sicily.whcrer pussess
esrares.
rnd where
^.l"li:: l"**l
familiar to him. He hesitated a moment before the narne came to *: markec. My etdesr
dausrrrer.
m} besr_beroued
*:" ::":yj i.l
him. Then suddenly hastening towatd the litter *'ith a display of
surpriseand detight-
iPontius Pilatel" he cried. "The gods be praised who have permitted *'*n::Tilfi*id;;lrl:;,.::l
; i:::"i:,:ru
mr to see)ou once 28ain:
'

The old man gave a signal to the slaves to stoP, ancl cast a Ke€n
i#":.[!=r, ff:**i::**ni
:lly tormented
with gout.And at thiiver
my wayro rhc rnr"!,,.,^-pii"
* findme
glance upon the stranger who had addressedhim' ,;':;:'"""'vot' remcdyfor mi
"Pontius. mv deat host," resumed the latter, "have
twenty years
so far whitened my hair and hollowed my cheeks that you no longer
recognize your ftiend Aelius Lamia?"
t3:l:" ::* -.;ll;:ff U
s'irened
{*I.h'*:*ii:*
rnnss.}.roh ,h., h,,.-:^^ -^,,

joints^, ;;';,'
| .d I

:Tff:i:'l':j:'he ;;;Jil:
Ai this name Pontius Pilate dismounted from the litter as actively
as the weight of his years and the heaviness of his Sait permitted
him, and embraced Aelius Lamia ^gain er'd ^gein
#ltlf '*,nHa";ff ::."':*',iJ[
;Ti:T
"Godsl what a treat it is to me to seeyou once more! But, alas'
you call up memories of those long-mnished days when I was Prccu
t"tor of-J.daea io the province of Syria $Vhy, it must be thirry yeats
:ff;ir;t'.,"Y
lHi;it;r"EH
'l.d_,., y"l lookrng haje. l.Jt
Tj::it.,#
wt y.a.,, f,,.na.a;a ,.J,.
tt' f:d "o 1o,
aqo that I fust met you. It was at Caesatea,whither you came
di"g o.r, yoo. *."ry ,.rm of exile. I v/as fortunate enough to allevia(' liij.li"i:T':
in i,::::'
151*''1'11
did "s., vt
v.""-Js"i"s
.i^s.111"3"t'ipJudaca. you*;tr,d,,"*
," ;';;;;"Ji:
ir ; [ttle, and out of friendship, Irmia, you followed me to rhat -' accounr
or d",; 4or.
L1[.'i:i': i]'l:.].!'J: ""
I moment thar I ceasedto be a witness )ourqvu'BJ
_- /-*' r;;
depressing place Jerusalem, where the Jews filled me with bitterness ofcr
,nd drseusc. You remained for more than ten years my guest an(r
mv conioanion. and in converse about Rome and things Roman wr
lTl,::,1,-llll;J;';;*';;::'Jil,:H,nij:'"il:
I to &-awsome -fro-
profit ,r'. b..a_g ;riir';ffi,;,1i..r:
borh of us managedro 6nd consolation you for your misfonunc' .-.: then. How did tha-texpedition
iT-".::
ry reu I::
mc. tve.yrhing jn,ere.rsmc tha, succeed?
and I for my burdens of State" '' '"ncecns
co in rnv wr).'
Ponduspir,reoay ir,oor. h;\ ;;; vou
I-amia embraced him afresh.
"You forget two things, Pontius; you aft overlooking the fe(rl
that you used your influence on rny behalf with Herod AntiPas' ttrl
rhr( your p.rr\e $as fred) oPen to me
-
rctrrrrl
#:!.iliiryiii,.l;,:,;i*:il,;,1
,.:.1"^:*-,wiri ardor0,, i
"", p,,.".i Uy';,:H;;
"Irt us not talk of thet," rePliedPootius, "since airer youI jt,shourd my c.'eer
in 1,.p,i^.,,n3
to Rome vou sent mc bl onc ol your freedmen a sum of m"rrr\ ;,:i:,.r",::,1^:
fruir :1y.lics,ur.shorr
have looked,;b*. ;;.;l:h...d',ff''il:
insurret #
which repaid me with usury'" rion.Ler
us\i, downon thishijtock.
"Pontius, I could never considermyself out of your debt by tlr
ail
:li-,",f-:l-i.''"
abre togive you
a, ,"** i^ r"* *la]l;;Jl" l.?J,,.lii;
_br
mere payment of money. But tell me, have thc gods fulilled v'urt as if rheyhadhappcned
yesrerdry.
desires?Are you in the enjoyment of all thc happincssyou descrlr
Tell me about your family, your fortunes, your hcalrh."
' f ;:'".1T:T
j*?"T',"xfr
;:ffJi,:Tfi'Jr:,n:t* ie
:t..J#
124
THE PROCIJRATOR OF JUDAIA/'Anable F an'e

in arms on Mount Gerizim (which in that countr,v is looked uPon of his beloved Asiatic, and refusedeven to listen
to me.
rs a holy place) under the Promise that he would discloseto rheir was norhing for me to do but bow beneattr
rhe stroke of
sight the iacted vesselswhich in the anci€nt days of lvander and misf:rtune lgith rearsfor my meat and galt for
my
ltej
oir father, Aeneas,had been hidden away by an ePonymoushero- I_withdrcw ro mr csrrre.in Si(il\. whereI ,houtd hrve died
or rather a tribal deity, namedMoses-Upon this assurance the Samad grief if my sweet pontia had not come to consote
her father. I
tans rose in rebellion; but baving been warned in time to forestall culdvared wheat, and succeededin producing
the fullest ears
them, I disPatcheddetachmen$ of infantry to occuPythe mountain' t h f , w h o l ep r o ! i n c e B
. ut now my iifc i( endcd:.he
t u ( u r ew i l l
and stationedcavalrvto keep rhe aPProaches to ic under observation between Vitellius and me.',
were urgenr' The 'ebels were alread! "Ponrius. rcplicd.Lamia. .l
"These meesuresof Prudence :m per,uadedrhar
)or, actedroward
laying siegeto tbe town of Tyrathaba,situated at tbe foor of Mounr 'rxns a:L^ordr nc rhe rc, r itude of l our , hrr"ctcr. and ,orer1
1:1i,r lo
Gerizim. I easilydispersedthem, and stifled the as yet scarcelyorg2- the inreresrs ot Rome.Bur s erc\.ounor per(hdn(e on rha!
oLcr5ion
nized revolt. The.t, in otd.r to give a forcible example wirh as fes tfltlr roo mu(h influcncedb|har impe,uou:.orr.rge which
ha.
victims as Possible,I handed over to execurion the leadersof rln ys ss'ayedyou? You will rememberihat in
Judra ir often hap
rebellion. But you are aware,Iamia, in what strait dePendence I \\'xs d that I who, youngerthan you,shouldnaturaliyheve
beenmore
kept by the proconsuMtellius, who governedSyrianot in' bu'againrl )us than you, was obliged ro urge you ro
clemencyand
the interesri of nome, and looked upon the Provincesof the emPir(
as territories which could be faffned out to tetrarchs The hetrd-mcri "Suavio rowardthe Jewst,,cried pontiris pilare.,,Although you
me, cameand {cll rc livedamongscthem,it seems
among the Sam:rritans,in their resentmentagainst clearrhatyou ill undertan-dchose
had been furthcr d'h: n'Tli ratc H.rughrvand at rhe .amc
at his feet lamenting To listen to them, noching lft: time ba"c,
who had pr" ornrng-;ninrin.ibleob,nnaqwi(h , dcsp;,rbl)n
from their thoughts than to disobeyCaesar'Ir was I ern spi,ir.,hc)
my violen'' atile your lore ,rnd your harred.Vy .haracter.
voked the rising, and ic was Purely in order to wirhstand ramr;, was
rhat they hed lathered together round Tyrathaba- Vitellius lisren(i upl)n (hc mrxim. of the divirc Augu,ru,.\Xhen
I wr.
to hisfricrrl
to their complaints,and haiding o'er tbe afi'airsofJudaea )inted ProcuratorofJudaea,rhe world was alreadypenetmred
with
Marcellus, commandedme to go and iustil-v my Proceedingsbel(u' majestic ideal of the pax mnana. No longer, as in
rhe days of
re"t' rnternecinesr.ife, were .we wirnessesto the
theLmpcroh r r r r ' e l i W i r h a h e ; r to r e r f l o q i n gs i r h g r i c f a n d sack of a province
menr t rook 'hiP Juv ,'I rpProacbed lhe 'hore' ot ltall Tib'ti thc aggrandizemenrof a proconsul. I knew where
my Jury tay.
suddenlr' 'rr careful*chatmy acions should be governedby pnrdence
*o.,r orrt -ith age and the caresof the emPire, died and
rhis ver! slr'l rnon. The gods are my witnessesrhat I was resolved
the selfsameCapeMisettttm, whose peak we seefrom upon
justice of Caius l't' ess,and..upon mildnessonly yer s/hat did _y
magnifredin the mists of evening l demanded b.n.uoi"nt
s'ho I'as " ronsavartme?YoLrwereat my side,Lamia,when,
suc;essor,whose PercePtioDwas naturallv acute' and at the oucset
quainted with Syrian afairs. Bur marvel with m€' Lamra' :rl rlir my careeres ruler, the firsr rebellion came to a
head.Is there any
tbcn lr'!l
nrrli.ionrness offortnne, resolredon my discomnture Caius i.ar ,-:
- recall the details ro you? "fhe garrison
had been
the frictrtl "l fcrredtr"m Cac,arcaro rrkc up ir, vinre,
in his suite at Rome the Jew AgriPPr, his comPanion' quarrcrsl Jeru,Jtem.
e,ves Now Agt'1'1" I tne cnirgn\ ot rhe legionrne. appearedrhe
his childhood, whom he cherishedas his own pre,enrrnen,of
Anrrl'' Thc,inhbirrntsof Jeruwlcm.*no a;d no, re.ogn,re
favored Vitellius, inasmuch as Virellius was the enemy of ,, rhe
Emperor adoptc'l rl" urng drvrnrrfot rhe fmpcror. wcre srrrdrjizcd
whom Agrippr pursued with bis hatred The ri rhi,, r.

t2(, \ !.1
'lH! PROCUR,{TOR OF JUDAIA / Amrole t@'e
though, when obedience is comPulsory, it *'ere not l€ssabjcct-to obet
before ml
a goi than a man The Priess of their nation appeared
tribunal imptodng me with suPercilioushumility to have the ensigtrs
removed from within rhe holy citl Out of revermce for the divinc
nature of Caesarand tbe majesty of the emPire, I refused 'o comPll'
Then the rabble made common causewith the priests, and all around
tht
the Prctorium potentous cries of supplication arose l ordered
.oldi"r" to ,t".1 their sPearsin front of the tower of Antonia' xn(l
to proceed,armedonly with stickslik€ Lictors,ro disPersethe iosolenl
crowd. But, heedlessof blows, the Jews continued their enfteatics
and the mote obstinateamoogstthem threw themselveson thegroun(l
and, exposing their throats to the rods, deliberatelycouned dearlr
Vo,, *ere a witness of my humiliation on tbat occasion'lamia l\
t"
the order of Vitellius I was forced to send the insignia back
Before the in'
Caesarea.That disgraceI had certarnlvnot merited
dr'l
mortal gods I swear that never orce during my term of ofr<e
old- Mv enemies rri'l
I flout justice and the laws. But l2m grown
retrit''
dettactors are dead l shall die unavmged !7ho will now
my character?"
He moaned and lapsed into silence lamia rePlied-
fr"rrr
"That man is prudint who neither hoPesnor fearsanyching
lr'tr
the uncettain events of the future- Does it mafter ir the leasr \t
'Ve outselves are after 'r1l
estimaE men may form of us hereafter?
our own wrtnesses, eno our ou ludges-You must rely, Pontius Prirrrr'
on the testimony you yourselfbearto your own rectitude Be conr'rrl
r'
with your owfl Personalrespectand rhat of your friends For thc.rc
vork 'tl
we know that mildness by itself will not sufice for the
qovetnmenr' There is but liftle room ir the actions of Public 'tn rl
rc"'trt
ior that indulgence of human frallry which the philosophers
mend "
lrrr"' r
"\(/e'll sayno more at Prcsent,"saidPontius "The sulfureous
whcrr rlr'i
which rise from the Phl€glaeanPlain are more Powerful
Irrr I
ground which exhalesthem is srill warm benearh the sun's
"mnst
harten on. Adieul But now that I have rediscovered:rlrt l'
n! rlr'
I should wisb to take advantageof my good fortune Do
l!'rr'r
favor, Aelius lamia. to gire mc your comPanvat suPPerat n)l
l:zrl
offow. My house stands on the seashore,at the extreme
end of
town in che direcrion of Misenum. you wilt easily recognize
ir
the porchwhichbearsa painringrepresenring
Orptreu",urri.rndcd
ngersrnd Lons.whom he is charmingwirh rhe srrajns from hrs
"Till tomorow, I-amia,,,he repcared,ashe clirnbedoncetnore inro
l.itrer. "Tomorrow we will talk about
Judaea.,,
-Forr,olrlNc
DAy at rhe supperhour Lamia prcsentedhimself at
houseof Pontius Pilate. Two couchesonly were in readiness
for
rlanrs.Credi(ebly but:impl1 equipped. rhe tableheld a silver
lce In wbrch wereser our becraFcos ir honcy.rhrushcs.oysrers
the Lucrine lake, and lampreysfrom Sicily. As they ptoceeded
theirrepasr, Ponrius andhmia inrerchanged inquirio wirb one
'rher.abourrhrir .rilmrnr".the .y.p,o.s oi *hich
rheydescribed
Consrderabte ter€rh. muruall)emulorsof communicrr:ng rhe
remedies which had been recommendedto them. I-her,,
lating
_themselves on being thrown rogether once morc at
rhey vied with one another in the praiseif rhe beaury
of rhat
trng coasc and the mildnessofthe climatetheyenioyed.lamia
cnthusiasricrbout the charmsof the <ourtesan. who frequcnred
scashore ladm s,ith golden ornaments and trailine dmpiries
of
ric broidery.Bur rhe aged procuratordeploredrhe o,tenrarion
whichby mean\or rfumperyjewel"and 6lmyg]rmencsforeigners
cven enemies of the empire beguiled the Romans of their
eold.
r,a cime rhey rurned ro rhe subiccrof rhe grear cngineering
fear.
beenaccomplished in rhe counrrv: che projrgiou. tridge
.had
rrucrcdby Lf,rusbe$reenpureolirnd Bajae,and the canalswhiih
stus excaveredto convey the waters of the occan to Lake
Avernus
rhe Lucrinehke.
nI dso," saidPontius,
with a sigh,,.I alsowishedto setafootpublic
Tt:t 8y,
utiliry. $rhen, for my sins,I wasappointedGovernor
Judaca, I conceived the idea of furnishing Jerusalemwith an
ndant supplyofpure waterby meansofan aqueduct. Theelevarion
thc lcvcls rhe propo tionarc capacir\ot (he variou, oans. rhc
tlcnr ror the brrTenre5erroir<
ro which rhe disrributionpipc. wrre
TH! TROCURAIOR OF JUDAIA / Atatolt ltin.e
to be fixed-I had gone inco everv detail, and decided everything for
myself with the assistanceof mechanicalexperts. I had drawn up
regularionsfor the suPerintendentsso as to Preventindividuals from
making unauthorized depredations.The architectsand the workmen
had their instructions. I gave ordersfor the comm€ncemenrof oPera-
tions. But far from viewing with sarisfactionthe construction of thar
conduit, which was inrended to calry to their town uPon its massive
archesnot only water bur health, the inhabients of Jerusalemgave
vent to lamentable outcries. They Satheredtumul$ously togethe..
€xclaiming againstthe sacrilegeand impiousness,and, huiing them
selvesupon the vrorkmen, scatteredtbe very foundation stones.Can
you pictule to yourself,Iamia, a ilthierset ofbarbarians?Neverth€less.
Vitellius d€cided in their favor, and I received orders to put a stop
to the work,"
justilied in
"It is a knotty Point," said lamia, "how far one is
devisingthings for the commonwealagainstthe will ofthe PoPulace
Pontius Pilate continued as though he had not heard rhis inr(l
ruPtton.
"Refuse an aqu€ducti What madnesslBut whateveris of Romlrr
origin is distastefulto the Jews In theit eveswe are an urclern ,a('
and our very PresenceaPPefis a profanation to them You will rr
member that they would never venture to enter the Pretorium l"l
fear of defiling themselves,and that I v/es consequenrlyobliged t"
dischargemy magist€dal functions in an open-air tribunal on tlr'rt
matble Pavementyour feet so often trod.
"They fear us and they desPiseus Y€t is not Rome rhe moli! |
and warden of all thosepeopleswho nestlesmiling upon her vencr':rl'lr
bosomTlvith her eaglesin the van, peaceand liberry havebeen c;rrrr"l
to the very confinesof the universe.Those whom ve have sub'hr 'i
we look on as our friends, and we leavethose conqueredrxces,rr'r\'
we secureto them the Permanenc€of their customs and theil lrrr '
Did Syria, afotetime rent asunderby its rabble of penv kings. ' " t
even begin to taste of peaceand prosPerityunril it submitted rtr rlr
armies of Pompq? And when Rome migbr have relPed r l.I{rl'l'rl
han'est as the price ofher goodwill, did shc lay bands on thc lr ' rr'h
that swellthe treasuriesofbarbrrictcnPlcs?Did shcdcsPoilrhc nrrrrtr
Cybele at Pessinus, or the Morimene and Citician stncira{ies of
iter, or rh€ temple of the Jewish god a. Antioch,
Jerusalem?
nyra,and Apamea,securedespicetheir wealth,and no longerin
d of the wandering Arab of the desert, have erected remples to
gcniusof Romeand rhe divine Caesar.Ihc few, alonehareand
us-Theywithhold their rributetill ir is wrestedfrorn them,
obstinarelyrebelagainstmilirary service."
"TheJews," repliedIamia,,,are profoundly attachedto their ancient
They suspected
you, unrersonablyI admit, of a desireto
ish their laws and changetheir usages.Do not resentit, pontius,
I say that you did not always act in such a way as co disperse rheir
illusion. It gratified you, despireyour habitual self_
lnt, ro play upon rheir fears,and more than once have I seen
betray in their presencethe conrempr wirh which thek beliefs
rdigious ceremoniesinspir€d you iritated rhem particularlv
Iou.
giving insructions for the sacerdotal garments and ornarnents of
ir high priest ro be kept in ward by your legionaries in the
ine tower- One must admit thet though they have never risen
us to an appreciationof things divine, the
Jews celebfarerites
ich (heir !e^ anriquiryrendersvenerable'
Pontius Pilate shruggedhis shoulders.
"They havevery litde exact knowledgeof the nature of the gods,,,
said.'They worshipJupiter, yet they abstzinfrom namini him
crectin8a \nrue ot him Theydo nor evcn;dorehim undir rhe
lblance ofa rude srone,as certain of the Asiatic peopl€sare wont
do. Thcy knoe norhing of Apotlo. of Neprunf, or Mars,nor of
ro, nor of any goddess.At the sxme dme, I am convinced that
days gone by thev worshipped Venus. For even to rhis day their
bring doves to the ,lrar ls victims; and yorr know as well
I ahar rhe dealerswho trade benearhthe arcadesof their temple
Ply rhose birds in couplesfor sacrifice.I have even been roid that
onc occaslon some madman proc€ededro ovetum the stalls
ring rheseo6erings,rnd cheir ownerswith them. The priestsraised
outcry rbour rr. and lookcd on :r a. a ra5eof s.rcrileee. Iam of
nion rh.rr rhcjr cudom ot srcnGringrunlcdore. wa, in"rituredin
r of Venus.Vhy rre you laughing,Lrmia?,,
 THI PB.O(URATOR OF JLTDAI { {nxokrmnr

.l.t n*T Romanmagistrateat any hour to procurehis

"I waslaughing," said Iamia, "at an amusingidea which, I hardly :n:
Ltureto their
know how, just occurredto me. I wasthinking that Perchancesome
air cries _balefuldecees,they besiegetne prero4rm with
day the Jupiter of the Jews might come to Rome and vmt his fury of,'Death!, A hundred times, at least,have I known
them,
ustered.rkb endpoor rogcrher.alJuniredunderrhcir
upon you. V4ry should he not? Asia and Africa havealreadyentiched priesrs.make
trutous onslaugh r on my ivory chair.seizingmc by ihe skins
us with a considerablenumber of gods. lJtre have seefi temP]esin ,
' robe, by of
honor of lsis and the dog-facedAnubis erectedin Rome In the Public thc thongs of my sandals,and all ti de-rna of _._n"y,
cxact froln me-the death sentenceon some unfortunate
squares,,.Dd even on the racecou$es,you may run ucrossthe Bona vrhose
I Aibd to perceive,ard as to whom I could only pronounce
Dea of the Syriansmounted on an ass.And did-you neverhear how,
he-wasas mad ^, hto A hundred times, do i say! Not
in the reign of Tiberius, a young PatdciariPassedhimself off as the ":*::r:.
I hornedJupiter of the EgyPtians,JuPiter Ammon, and in this disguise
procured the favors of an illustrious lady who was too virtuous to
rdted,but.every day and all day. yet ir was my duty to execute
raw as.f rt.wereours,sinceI wasappointed
by Rome not for
i desrruction.but for the upholdingoi therr .usroms,
deny anything to a godz Beware,Pontius, Iest rhe invisible JuPiter and over
'l.Y power of rhc rod and rhe
of the Jews disembarl some day on the quey at Ostia:" jT rxe. Ar rhe ourseroI my
of ofice I endeavored to persuade them to
At the idea of a god coming out ofJudaea,a fleeting smile played hear ;;;, ,;;
ed to snatch their miserablevicrims from
over the severecountenanceof the Plocurator. Then he rePlied death. But rhis show
graveiy- -l irrirared.rhem
rhe more:rheydemanded rheirprey.
:,11:I
ntrngaroundmclikea hordeofr.ultures
"How would theJewsmanegeto imPosetheirsacrcd lawon outside with v,ingandberk.ihejr
repofted ro Caesar that I was violating rhelr
peopleswhen they 2{e in a PerP€tualstate of rumult amongst rhem law, and their
selvesa5 to the interpretetion of rhat law? You have seen them Vite]li:st down upon me a severerepri,
::lPPo..d
How ry 9rew
many times did I long,
yourself,Lamia,in the public squares,splir up into twenty rival Parties, as the Greeks ,rsed to say, to
T accusersand
with stavesin their hands, ebusing each other and clutching one accusedin one convoy ro rne crowst
(Do
not imagioe, Iamia, that I noudsh the raacor
xnotherby the bemd.You haveseenthern on the stePsof the temPle, of the discom_
teadng their filthy garmentsas a symbol of lementation, with some superrnnuared.
againsr.r peoptewhichin m1
:l:-",n:rj*
I hrs prevartcd
wretched creaturein a frenzy of prophetic exaltation in their midst. again.rborh Romeand renquilliry. BucI foresee
extremrty to which sooner or later they will reducc
They have nevet realizedthat it is possibleto discusspeacefullyand us. Since wc
with an even mind those matte$ concerning the divine which yer govem thcm, {'e shall be driven to destroy them.
Never doubt
are hidden ftom the profane and wraPPedin uncertainty. For the Alweys in x scaceof insubordination, brewing rebellion
in their
nature of the immortal gods temainshidden from us, and we cannot minds.rhey will one dry bursr forth upon us eirh
a
afiive at a knowledge of it. Though I am of opinion, noflctheless' the wrarh rhe \iumidians ano the rnuttffings
H1-.,:oao .of
that it is a prudent thing to believein the providenceof the gods. mere
chitdtplay...rhey
are,..,.,ry;";;;f;
:T.:-T1,i1",1*
posteroushopcs, and madly premeditating our !uin. How can
But the Jews are devoid of PhilosoPhy,and cannot tolemte anl it
otherwlse,n/hcn, on thc strength of an oracle,they ar€
diversity of oPinions. On th€ conffary, they judge worthy of thc living in
tation of the coming of a prince of rheir own
extremePenxltyall thosewho on divine subjectsProfessoPinions blood wiose
om shallcxtend over chewhole earrhl Thereare no halfmeasures
opposedro their law. And as,sincethe gcniusof Romehastowerc,l
such a people. They musr be extetminated_
over rhem, capitalsentences pronouncedby thcir own cribunalscur ferusalemmust be
wastc to rlrc vcry foundacion. perchance,old as
only becarriedoucwith thc sancrionof cheproconsulor the procurr I am, ir may

JJ . J
THn PROCURAIOR OF JUDAEA/ AnarolcriaNe
be granted me to behold the day when her walls sball fall and the
flamesshall envelop her houses,when her inhabitantsshall passunder
the edge of the sword, when sait shall be screwnon th€ Placewhere
once the temPle stood.And in that dav I shall at length be iusriFed"
Lamia exerted himself to lead the conve$ation back to a less
acflmonlous not€.
"Pontius," he said, "it is not difficult for me to undersand borh
your long-standing resentmentand vour sinister forebodings-Trul1,
wlrat you have experiencedof the characterof the Jews is nothing
to their advantageBut I lived inJerusalem as an interestedonlooker'
and mingled freell x.ith the People,and I succeededin detecting
certainotscure virtues in theserude folk which $/erealtogetherhidden
from you. I have met Jews who were all mildness, whose simplt
mannersand faithfulnessof hearr recalledto me s'hat our poe$ ha\(
relarcd concerning the SPartanlawgiver. And vou yourself, Pontiu\'
haveseenperishbenearhthe cudgelsofyour legionariessimple-mindc'l
men wbo have died for a cause they believed ro be just without
revealingtheir names.Such men do not deserveour contempt l enr
saying this becauseit is desirablein all things to Presen'emoderari()ri
and an even mind. But I own that I ne\ar exPeriencedanv lj\(l\
sympathy for th€ Jews. The Jewesses,on the contrary, I found (\
tremely pleasing. I was youDg then, and the Syrian women stru''i
all my sensesto resPonse. Their ruddy liPs' rheir liquid evesthac shorr'
in the shade,their sleepygazepiercedme to the lerl marro$' Piinr''l
and stained, smelling of nard and myrrb, sreepedin odors' th'r'
physical attracrionsare both rare and delighdul "
Pontius listened imPatiently ro rhesePraises.
"l was not the kind of man to fali into lhe snaresof the Jcr L l'
women," he sdd; "and since you have opened rhe subjecr ,\'ours(ll
Lamia, I was never able to aPProveof)our laxity lf I did not exl'r'
with suffrcientemPhasisformerly how culpableI held you for hrnrr'11
intrigued ar Rome with the *'ife of a man of consular rank, ir " ''
becauseyou were rhen enduring h€avYPenancefor your mixl'iirrrl
Matriage from che Patrician point of view is e sacredrie: it ^ ""'
of the institutions vhich are rhe support of Rome As to lotcrl rr
women and slaves,such relarions as one me) cnref inrc wirh rl! | i
uld be of lirtle account werc it not that they habituate the bodv
a humrlirringeffemin:.y.Let me rell you rh/r you h,rvcbeenroo
in your oferings to the Venus of the Marketplace;and whar,
all, I blame in vou is that you have not mxffied in compliance
th the law and given children ro the Republic, aseverygood citizen
bound ro do-"
But the man who had sufferedexile under Tiberius was no lonper
ening ro rhe vencrablemagisrate.Having ro.sedoff hj. (up ot
lernian, he was smiling ar some image visible ro his eye alone.
Alrer a momenr's silencehe resumedin a verl deep voice, which
in picch by little and little-
"Vith whar languorous grace rhey dance, thosc Syrian womenl
knew aJewessatJerusalemwho usedto dancein a pok1-little room.
a threadbarecalpet,bv the lighr ofone smoky litrle lamp, waving
rrms assheclangedher cymbals.Herloins arched,her head rhrown
ck, and, as ir were, draggeddown by rhe weighr of her heaq, red
ir, her eyesswimming with volupruousness, eager,languishing,
iant, she would have made Cleopatra herself grow pale wirh
. I was in love wirh her barbaricdances,her voice_a little raucous
yet so sweer-her ttmosph€re of incense,the semisomnolescenr
in which she seemed ro live. I followed her everywhere. I mixed
the vile rabbleofsoldiers, conjure$, znd extortionerswirh which
was surrounded.One day, however, she disappeared, and I saw
no more. Iong did I seekher in disreputablealleysand tavefns.
was more dificulr co learn to do wirhour her rh2n ro lose the
tc for Greek wine Some months afrer I losc sighr of her, I learned
chancethar she had atrachedherself to a small company of men
women vho were followers of a young Galilean chaumaturgist.
name vrasJesusj he came from Nazareth, and he was cruciied
some crime, I don'r quite know whar. ponrius, do you r€member
hing abour cbe man?"
Pondus Pilarc contracted his brows, and his hand rose ro his
ed in the aftirude of one who probes the deepsof memory.
after a silenceof some seconds
'Jcsus2" he
murmured. 'Jesus ofNaziferh? I crnnot call him to
nd."
i J5
 "OS ier tra-e^rndaddress,,,
admirtedthe caller.He waswonder_
-_
sappietor was in the maffied or widowed
TgI undrfinrble
Ii:t:.r, l{* stare.
somc(hing abour rhe room seemed
THE ro sugge,t mlscu-

OPEN \rINDO\r ,"T^qf,.,*t..,t

happencd
jusrLhree
year::go..said
rhechild;
BF1TAIN
SAK (N H J\II]NRO]/GFEAT rar woutd be srnceyour sisrer.srime,.,
Framton; somehow in rhis restful country
,::"::^ij{_*.:
tragedies seemed out of placc.
v.hy we keepth.u rindow wideopen
.I"*:ll-::l*'
ber afternoon.-said rhc on an
niece.indicaringa l,,g;;;*'i;;;#
"Mt oPened onto a lawn.
^lr*" will be down ptesently, Mr. Nuttel"' said a very self- t. vrarmfor the time of the,ear,,, said
possessed young l2dv of fifteen; "in tbe meantime you must try and -'1: tlft: l.ramron."but
q* aovthins to do with the rasedy?,,
Dut uD with me," :,*'.: -::1&: qindoq.
' that rhrceyears
rso ro a d:y.herhusband
pr#ton Nuttel endeavoredto say the correct something which ,?:l L::rn
unduly dis offforr*;r d,yrj."t;"fii.,
should dulv fletter the niece of the moment *'ithout :i::J""""":"lg"Tfrs-qent
counting the aunt that was to come Private\ he doubted
evet wh-ether these formal visits on a succession of total
more than
strangers :lffir,:ff:"*,:.j;;i::#l#
i:Ti:i!:i:t,,,i#
would do much ro{ards helPing the nerve cure
Dosedro be underqoing
which he Eai suP
l':,i.T:l;:,';:::,1,,:"_;
:lu;._lm ll*t:;"*l
re.ovcred.Thar qls (he dreadful
''I (as PrcParirc parr or ii.. Herc
klroq hos ;r wil be, his.isrerhad.aid when he
therc ,etf,possessed
note and becamefatrerinst).
to migrate to this rural r€treat; "you will bury vou$elf down :Ttj;":.:-i::_:: rhinksrhar.
thevwiu.".. b;.;;;;:;1
arld not speakto a living sou1,and yorrr nen_eswill be vorse than ano
"1,,1:"1,:.::',r-,,,
tnc rrlrtebrown sprnifl thrr wts
to lo.r wirh them, tnd q,k
ever ftorn moping- I shall just gil'e vou letters of inrroduction
I can remember" t*:s they usedto do. That is why the window
all the peoplei know th€re some of them. as far as lj_,]i.-:'.0.*
ladr cilt ir is quire dusk. poo, ao.
were quite nice." Framton wonder€dwhether Mrs SaPFletoo,the :.j;:p-.:,,....1 ,.*rilg
oftentotd me how.they went;, t'., ;;;;'*;.i. ",.,,,,,
,ii
to wh;m he was Presentingone of the letters of ifltroducrion, cam(' il;h*
his arm, and Ronnie,her yo,.,ng.,,
into the nice divisioo. 3j":j-::i'_:::l
ing,'Bertie, t,o,i.,,
why do you bound?,", n.;;;;J;;t;;r.;::;
here?"ask€dthe niecc
"Do you know many of the people round *t1 ir gor on hff neives.Do you know,
sufdcient silent communlon Y.:n. ,o_.,in'r., on
when she judged thlt they had had like rhis.I zlmostger a creepy
at rll' feclingrhrr rhf
"Hardly a soul," said Framton. "My sisterwas staying here, ",9i,_::"**,"p.
ax walk In rhrough rhar wlndow_.,
{t
rectoryr you know, some four vearsago, and she gave me letters Shcbrokeoffrich a lirtle shudder.Ir wzs
a reliefto Framtonwhen
introduction to some of the people here" room with a whirr of aporogies for being
H€ made the last statement in a tone of distinct regret' ::::*:,:1]::.-ji:
in making her appearance.
rlir
"Then you know practicallvnothing about ml aunr?" Pursued n)\ bcen ,musjng yoJ.....he 5ajd.
young ladY ..:,,-|. l*"
self-posscssed iinc rrrr bccn vcr\ Inre,e\rjnt.. ..rid t_f.r,Iron.
TH! OPIN WINDO\ra/SaLi(H H ltunro)

rerreat. A ct'clist coming along the road had to run inro thc
"I hoPe you don't mind tbe open window," said Mrs Sappleton
to avoid imminert collision.
briskly; "my husbandand brotherswill be home directly from shoot-
"Here we 2rq my dear," said the bearerof the white mackintosh.
ing, and they alwayscome in this wat. Thel've been out for sniPe
ing in through rhe window; ',fair\ muddy,bur most ol it's dry.
in the marshestoday,so ihey'll make a fine messover my Poor carP€rs
was thrr who bolredour a. wc (rme up:'
So iike you menfolk, isn't it?" She rattled on cheerfully ebour the
"A most extraordinaw man, a Mr. Nuttel,', said Mrs_ Sappleronl
shoodng and the scatcityof birds, and the prospectsfor duck in the
ruld onlv talk about hjr illnr,:e,, and da,hedoffsirhor-r a word
winter. io Framton it was all purely horrible. He made a desPerateeffort
good bv or apology when you arrived. One would think he had
to turn the talk onto a lessghasdy toPic; he w25 consciousthat his
a ghosr."
hostesswas giving him only a fragment of her attention, and her eyes
"I expect it wes the spxniel," said the niece calmly; ,,he told me
were constx;tly stra)'ing Past him to the oPen windo'r' and the laq'n
had a borror ofdog'. He wx. on(e hunredjnro a i.."r.n ,orn.-
beyond.It wascertainlyan unfortunatecoincidencetbat he shouldhave
on rhe banks of the Gangesbv a pack of pariah dogs, and
paid his visit on this tragic znnia€$arv
to spend the dght in a newly dug grave with the creatures
"The doctors agree in ordering me comPlete rest, an absenceol
" ling and grinning rnd foaming just above him. Enough to make
menml excitement, and avoidanceof any violent physicalexercise
lose their nerve."
ennounced Framton, who labored under the tolerably widespread delu'
Romance at short notice wrs her specieliry.
sion that total sffangersand chanceacquaintancesare hungry for dr
Ieastde|aii ofone'sailmentsand infirmities."On th€ matter ofdiet thc\
are not so much in agreemenr,"he conrinued
"No?" said Mrs. Sappleron,in a voice s/hich only replaceda ras rt
at the last moment. Then she suddenly brightened into alert ancn ia coNcrpcr6N
tion-but not to what Fnmton was saving' NE ANNE POBTEA/UNIIED STATES
t
"Here rhey are at lascl" she cried.'Just in time for tea, and don ----
rhey look as if they were muddy up to the elesl" n .r-
Framton shiveredslighdy and turned rowardsthe niece
q'ith a l(n)L LL*.-- f-6-L4.--
intended to convevsymPatheticcomPrehensionThe child w's srarirrll
out through the oPen vindow wirh dazed hoffor in her eyes ltt t
chill shock ol namelessfeff lramton svung round in his sert rtt'l
^xi^ CoNcEpcr6Nw2lked carefully,keeping to chemiddle of the
looked in the samedirectiot.
tc dusty road,where chemagueythorns and the treacherouscurved
In the deePeningtwiliglrt three figures were walking acrossrlu
of organ cactushad not gatheredso profusely.She would have
lawn towards the window; they al1 carried guns under cheir xtrrr"
oyed resting for a moment in the dark shadeby the roadside.bur
and one of them was additionally burdenedwith a white coat h'rrrll
had no time ro wastedras/ing cactusneedlesfrom her feet.
over his shoulders.A rired brown sPanielkePt close ar cheir l)(11 Juan
his chief would be waiting for rheir food in the damp trenches
Noiselesslythey neered the house, and then a hoarselounS !('r"
the buried city-
chanted out of the dusk: "l said, Bertie, why do )-ou bound?"
Shccarriedabout a dozenliving fowls slung over her right shoulder,
Framton grabbed wildly at his stick and hat; the hall door' tl"
r'l ir feet axsrenedtogether. Half of rhem fell upon the flar of her
gravel drive, and the fronr gatc were dimly nored sr^gesin bis 1(

339
Sltl
MARiA CoNcEpcr6!\ / K2therineA'ne Poaei

back, the balance dangled uneasily over her brcast. They wrigglcd their to rhe altar rhe Monday aftet Holy $feek. It had been
the adven_
benumbed and swollen legs agzinst her neck, they twisted their the villagers to go, three Sundays one afrer another, to
.of hear
stupened ey€s and peered into her face inquiringly. She did not see banns called by thc priest for
Juan de Dios Villeqas and Marie
them or thinl of them. Her left arm was tired with the weight of :i6n Manriquez. who wcre acrualJygecring married in
the
the food basket, and she was hungry after her long moffing's work. insreadof behindir. whith wasthe uiual crsrom.re55 exDen_
Her straight back outlined itself strongly under her clcan bright and as bindingas f,nyorhff ceremonl.But MariaConcepiion
blue cotton rebozo. Instinctive serenity softened het black eyes,shaped alwaysas ptoud as if she owned a hacienda.
Iike almonds, set Ar apan, and tilted a bit endv/ise. She walked with She paused on the bridge and dabbled her feet in the
water. her
rhe free. naruraL.guarded easeof rhe primitive woman carryi-ngan s resring thcmselve"from rhe sunrals in a 6xed gaze ro (he
far_off
unbon child. The shape of her body was easy, the s*'elling life was runtains, deeplyblue under their hanging drift of clouds. It
came
not r distortion, but the right inevitable ProPo{tions of a v,rcman. hcr that shewouldlil<ca freshcrusrofhoney.The deliciousaroma
She was entirely contented. Her husband was at work and she was bees, their slow thritling hum, awakened a pleasant desire
for a
on her way to ma.rket to sell her fowls. :e of sweernessin her mouth.
Her small house sat halfway uP a shallow hill, under a clump of "IfI do not eet.itnow, I shallmarkmy child,,,shethought,peering
pepper trees, a wall of organ cactus enclosing it on th€ side nearest '"yn in-the chick hedgeof cacus .t"t ,t,..r.a oi
to the road. Now she came down into the valley, divided by tbe :1.
like
:'*.::
brred knife blade" ser pLorecringll around rhe small
narrow spring, and ctossede bridge ofloose stonesnear the hut where The placewas so silenr .he doubred if Marir Rov and
Lupe
Maria Rosa the beekeePerlived with her old godmother, LuPe rhc
medicine woman, The leaning jacal of dried rush withes and corn sheaves,
bound
Maria Concepci6n had no faith io the charred owl bones, the singed talt thrust inro the earth, roof€d wirh yellowed maguey
-saplings
rabbit fur, the cat entteils, th€ messesand ointments sold by lupe t,r d,.rened and overlapping like shingtes,hunched drowsy"and
the ailing of the village. She wes e good Christian, and drank simPl( t,in rhe warmth of noonday.The hives,similarly-ade, were
herb teas for headache and stomachache, or bought her rcmedirr toq'ards the back of the clearing, like small mounds
of clean
bottled, with printed directions that she could not read, at the drug refuse. Over each mound there hung a dusry golden
store near the city market, where she wert almost daily. But she oftc'r
bought a jar of honey from young Maria Rose, a Pretty, shy chil,l A light gay screamof laughter rose from behind the hut;
a man,s
only nfteen ycars old. ltt laugh joined in. .,Ah, hahahahal,,went rhe voicesrogether
high
Maria Concepci6nand her husband,JuanVillegas,were eecha lirrlc low, like a song.
reputetion with the neiSll rrsoMaria Rosa
Pasttheir eighteenth)'ear'She had a good hasa man!.'
bors as an energeticreligious woman who could drive a bargain t" MariaCon(ep(i6osroppcd shorr.smiling.shifredherburdenslighrly.
the end. It was commonly known that if she wished to buy a nc\ dbenrforward shadinghcrelesroseemorcclearll rh.oug1.,,1.,.i0".i,
(ebo,,ofor her'elf or r shlrr forJuan. 'he 'ould bring out , ca(k I the hedge.
hard silver coins for the purpose. Marla Rosa ran, dodging between beehives,partlnq two stunred
She had paid for rhe li,cnse.nerrlv a lear rgo. the Porentbr' "l nine bushes,Ashe .amc. Jifrrnghcr kneerin swirricrp,. looking
stamped paper which permirs people to be married in the chur'll her shoulder and iaughing in a quiv€ring, exclred v,ay_
A heavy
Shehed given money to the prieit beforesheandJuan walked rogctl,' r swung ro her wrist by the handle, knocked against her
thighs

140
.J4|
MAR1AcoNCrPcI6N / KIh€rlne,{ue ?orer

as she ran. Her toes Pushedup suddenspurts of dusr, her half-raveled rng 8lrl-shehad comebackfrom market
ro find her jacalbumed
braids showeredaround her shouldersin long crinkled wisps- slver,coins
goneA darkempty
strangely, his teerh set' i i,fr'1.":l.nt ::: imoving reeling
Juan Villeges ran afrer her, also laughing
beard gros'ing sparselr L1.j-f1;f'",5"r, about;" o;,;; ;J;,;il::
both rows gleaming behind the small soft black shape
.;:T-.i,:fl-ti,:1t_. againbeforeher.Bur it was
on his liPs, his chin, leaving his brown cheeksgirl-smooth \(hen rh-o.gh sheLnewan :*"e".-y t,"ja"n. !one,
if ,f,.:";ijil;:::::
he seizedher, he clenchedso hard ber chemisegave way and ripped rt was, and could only curse and
threaten tne arr. Now here
from her shoulder. She stoPPedlaughing at this, Pushed him a*?\' a worse rhing, but she knew her
enemy. Maria Rosa,thar sinfirl
and stood silent, trying to pull uP the torn sleevewith one hand' shameless!
Her Pointed chin and dark red mouth moved in an uncertain wat. She heardierself saying a harsh, true
word about Maria Rosa, saying
as if she wished to laugh egain; her long black lashes flickered wirh aloud x if she expectedsomeone
to agre€wlrh her: ,.yes, she is a
the quick-moving lights in ber hidden eves. I She has no right to live_,,
Maria Concepci6ndid not stir not breathe for some secondsHel At this rnomenr rhe gray untidy head
of Givens appearedover the
foreheadwas cold, and yet boiling wxter se€medto be Pouring slowh trench he hed caused to be aug
T-:,t^:l.j:*:. in his 6eld of
along her spine.An unaccountablePein was in her knees,as if thcr lceva.ions. The long deep crevasses, in which a m-anmighr staJ
were broken. Shewas afraidJuan and Maria Rosa would feel her etc: cfisscrossedtike orderry
fixed upon them and would 6nd her there, unable to move' spling ,,,:i.":lg sashesof a siant
of rhemenof the."ln.ll,i,y,$,-.,1J
"::.l]il
r". Lii.ll,,
rrPon them. But they did not Pessbeyond the enclosure,nor eY'rr :iL:.,I "t ,le tost city of their ancestors.
giance towards the gap in the wril opening uPon the road l: "'.:*,
:-" :l: ,,n.,gf They'f.,"";;
worked
l^ll rT, ,"d p,""p*;d. ags"g.*f a,i
braids and slapped hcr
Juan lifted one of Maria Rosa's loosened nall chv herdsend bi(( ofpotren and
6rgmenr. orpainicd nall.Ior
neck with it playfully. She smiled sofdy, consentinglv. Togerher thct ,h:,: *,.
hich rhe.. y^ ^^ -^^.r ..
good use^ on.,nh."b.ing
- i
T Jt brokcn/nd en-
moved back through the hives of honevcomb-Maria Rosa balancc'l ,n..,erve"
,ourdmakc
I new,
1^l,,l.,iTt berter
6n.,. *u.,,,,
her jar on one hip and swung her long full Pettico,ts with evcr\ rr and which they rook to tovrn ,"d p.dd;J;;-;J;;;;;
step.Juan flourished his wide hat back and forth, valking proudlr rcal money-
as a gamecock. rhe unerrrltr detighrof rhc chiefin Fnding
llil rhcsevorn-out
Maria Concepci6ncame out of the heaq cloud which enwrappt'l lngswesdn endtess purzle.He
I r c wouid
w o u r c r
rfairll
iIng
- . a sherrercd
,_.-..;*- rv4z,L. a r f l )rroar o r jjol
o a rtror o ) .a,
2 ' ttimes.
imes,
her head and bound her throat, and found herself walking on(''r'i, por or / hum]n skull :bove his he"d.shourrng
lor
keeping the road without knowing it, feeling her wav delicace\, ll r photographer to come and make a
pictuie of rhisj
earsstrumming is if all Maria Rosa'sbees had hived in them lltr Now he emerged,and his young enthusiasr
s eyesw€lcomedMaria
careful senseof duty kept ber moving toward the buried citv whcr' ncepclon,from.his old_man face, covered
wirh hard wrinkjes and
was taking his midday rot
Juan's chief, the American archeologist' rned to rhe color of red earch.
waiting for his food. broughrme a nicefat one...He seleced
over now, as if a l2{c! "l ]l |"ry t:n: a fowt
Juan and Maria Rosal She burned all O"*,',rt.nearesr him asMariaConcepci6n,
wordtess,
tiny fig'cactus bristles,as cruel as spun glass,had crawled under lro 1 over rhe trench.
"_*T.1* .,Dress
it lor me, there,s a good girl. I,li
skin. She wished to sit down quietly and wait for her dcath, bur tt"t
until she had cut the chroats of her men and that girl who rvct' Matia Conrepci6nrook chefowl by the head,
,w hcr knifc :Lcross and silenclv.swifrlv
laughing and kissing under thc cornstalks Once whcn shc w:t' t its throat,twistingrhe h""d ,f ;;;;';;:;;;l

J42
MARIA CONCEPCION / Kathdinc Anne Porter

DID NoT occuR To Matia Concepci6n to tell Juan she had found
lirmnessshemight usewith the top ofa beet."Good God, woman, you
out. During the day her anger againsthim died, and her anger
do have nerve," said Givens, watchifig her. "I cen't do that lt gives me
inst Maria Rosa grew. She Lept saying ro herself,"\7hen I was
the crcePs."
young girl Iike Nfaria Rosa, if a man had caught hold of me so,
"My home country is Guadalajara," exPleined Mada ConcePci6n,
would have broken my jar over his head." She forgot completely
without bravado, as she picked and gutted the fowl.
she had not resisredeven so much as Marla Rosa, on the day
She stood and regarded Givens condescendingly, that diverting
white man who had no woman of his own to cook for him, and Juan had first taken hold of her. Besides she had maried him
in the church, and that was a very different thing.
moreover aPPearednot to feel any loss of dignity in PreParing his
Juan did not come home that night, but went away ro war end
own food.
a Rosa went with him. Juan hed a ine at his shoulder and two
He squatted now, eyessquinted, nose wrinkled to avoid the smoke'
at his belt. Maria Rosa wote a rifle also, slunq on her back
turning the roasting fowl busily on a stick. A mysterious men, un'
with the blenkeasand the cooking pots. They joined rhe nearest
doubtedly rich, and Juan's chief, therefore to be respected, to be PIa-
t of rroops in the 6eld. and Maria Rosa marched ahead
crted,
the baftalion of experienced women of war, which wenr over
"The tortillas are fresh and hot, seiol," she murmurcd gentlt'
cropslike locusts,gathering provisions for the army. Shecooked
"With your PermissionI will now go rc market "
them, ?nd ate with them what was left after the men had eaten.
"Yes, )'es, run along; bring me another of these tomorron"' Givens
battles she went out on the field with the others lo salvase
tumed his head to look at her ,8dr! Her grand menner sometimes
ing andanmunirion and gunsfrom the slainbeforethey should
reminded him of rolatty in exile He nodced her unnatural Palmess'
in to swell in the heet. Sometimes thev would encounter the
"The sun is too hot, eh?" he asked.
from rhe other army, and a secondbatde as grim as the frrst
"Yes, sit. Pardon me, but Juan will be here soon?"
take place.
"He ought to be here now. leavc his food. The othc$ will eal
There was no pardcuiar scandalin th€ villag€. People shrugged,
. It was far bettet that they were gone. The neighbors went
She moved away; the blue of her rebozo becamea dancing spot
saying that Maria Rosa was safer in the army than she would
in the heat waves that rose from the gray-red soil. Givens liked hi'
in the same villagc with Maria Concepci6n.
Indians best when he could feel a fatherly indulgence for their primi
of hos Maria Concepci6ndid not weep when Juan left her; and when
tive childish ways. He told comic stolies ofJuan's escapades,
him, in the five years, from going to jail, babywasborn,and diedwithin four days,shedid not weep."She
often he had saved Past
mete srone," said old Lupe, rqho went over and offered charms
and even from being shot, fot his varied and dways unexPecrc{l
presewe rhe baby.
misdeeds.
'r "May you rot in hell }i'ith yout charms," said Maria Concepci6n.
"I am never a minute too soon to 8et him out of one picklc
lfshe had not gone so regulat\ to church, lighting candlcsbefore
another," he would sey."\(ell, he's a good worker, and I know ho$
to manage him."
sints, kne€lingwirh her armsspreadin the fotm of a crossfor
at a time, and rec€iving holy communion every month, th€le
AfterJuan was marlied, he used to rwit him, with exacrlythc riglrt
on his meny infidelitics to Maria ConcePci'r! have been talk of her being devil-possessed,het face was so
shadeof condescension,
and blindJooking.Bur rhis wasimpossiblewhen, after all,
"She'll catch you yet, and God help youl" he wx fond of sayirrll
had bcen married by thc pricst. It must be, they reasoned,rhar
and Juan would laugh wirh immense Plcasure

J"IJ
\44
 AnnePotcr
MAR1AcoNcEPcIoN/Karheine

she was being punished for her pride. Thw decid€d that this Eas t wirhin rwenty miles ofJuan,s
village. So he and Maria Rosa,
now
rhe crue causefor werything: she was altogether too Proud. So thev burdenedwith a ctr;tj daity expeced,
".":_1-,I_.1!
farcweJls set our
\c' out with
wrth
pitied h€r. to the regimcnr,"a *,k"ir,i,,n.i""u
Duting the year that Juan and Maria Rosa were gone Marii Con' aboudaybcrk Juanwaspi.kedup
on
cepci6n sold her fowls and looked after her garden and her sack of ;[,",j,:::,:T|.1jl.lL p'r;..r.".-,i.'."']i;;fi:[T';:
3.:9i':o:t :uu*prison,
hard coins grew. Lupe had no talent for bees,and rhe hives did nor where the
oncerin .harc"',;;
prosper.She began to blame Maria Rosa for runaing away, and to li.f **",lil:: cheerrulnes,r,,,
r.
:-::1..,:T*""1,, _",rilij ;J ;:l;::;
praise Maria ConcePci6n for her behavior. She used to see Maria ^ deserter:
the ney,mo,nrrs
Concepci6nat the market or at church, and sbe alwayssaid thar no ;T":1'::::'-::,'l''
y:: xreamins
,nd,,rl"s;;-;;l-;.;",;,,f. .r, _^
one could tell by looking at her no* that sbe was a woman who
,r*:.
rv.o gua,d,.rnd
had such a heavy griel J"J,:":::,1:I':,rr shewasrlceived herpcd b,iskJy ;" ;;;".;,
Itrpe,
i-,lttwho
T'.0.:., *,,n;;;;.;.',;;;:;l;::
"l pmy God everything goes well with Maria ConcePci6nfrom helped rhe baby to b" born ,i
,r.,ce.
this out," she would say, "for she has had her share of trouble." limping wirh fooaore"*r, , fry*
Jlrr,-_nceating his fine new
lVhen some idl€
Personr€Peatedrhis to the desertedwoman, shc jll somewhers
Juanappeared
before
9l-Iri..-:"rrj:"m
,l ,lli",::! rhe the
went down to Lupe's house and stood within the clearing and called
il caprain
,..*;,,"; ffi;;;1;;::
to the medicine soman, !i'ho sat in her doorway stirring a mess 01 c no,e
li ili,li: l'"i:::::'-lo,*n'i:li
thepe,son ,oL,vcn\sJ,ins:
her infallible cure for sores:"KeeP your Prayersto you$elf' LuPe. ory,," v;u.g,.,;;,;;r";:;i ilil:;
or offer them for others who need them l will asl( God for vhar *,l"ll,*
I want in this world." showedup Juan wasdelivered
Y^l"l--"'*": to him with the
"And will you ger it, tou rhink, Maria Concepci6n?"askedLupe. nothingbe madepubticabouc
Hi"::T:":llj so humaneand
dtrering cruelly and smelling the wooden mixing spoon. "Did yorr
1lill._rf,,.pl",b" ..." rhepaflof mrliraqrurhoritl.
ptay for what you have noxr?" rrrhcr:tifling
.rtmo,pnere
of rhcd umhead
Afterwards everyonenoticed that Maria ConcePci6nwent ofrener J:-,llj::-.:I"r"*. r ;; ;i:;;, ;ffi .::l1i1:
1., ::"r€..,b.",
:"1^1"-o:1,,.
'::::#i..::111T.:.
to church, and evefl seldomerto th€ village to tall with the othcr wi,hsilve*hread,.hu",
.,., .," ;;._
women as they sat along the curb, nursing rhejr babiesand ertinF
fruit, at the end of the market day "She is wrong to take us for en(
'*i lj['g
'::::''" :;:*''':;:*:;::*]*i:*.t*j
''""'' b"";Jl;,';i;;;;
mies," said old Soledad,v'ho wxs a thinker and a P'_acemaker'
v/omen have these troubles. \7ell, we should suller together-"
"All
iI;l-':f *,e bare.
f:'::,,11:
tu orsrone
Lru;*".,"a .a1
But Meria ConcePci6nlived alone.She was gaunt' as if sometbinji ;,:",::j:i,"" "", "ss.!
were gnawing her away inside, her eyeswere sunken, and she worl'l
nor sPeaka v.ord if she could belp it. She worked harder than cvcr'
and her butchering knife was scarcelvever out of her hand y toh
"
;:::ffi:i'i:t;,tjlr.1,.:r
It d:r.rii1i:il.'i::
forchcadspang up.uddentl
," ;. ;;;;;;:;".,:;::

JUANAND MARIARosA,disgustedwirh military life, came home r)iir :..:

,,::::::-1.,T
;::tli#l;;lTfi j
ti:T::
oow. wl,e,etortornheadspokcd:;:#
1**r
wh".,ppe.red
:ff::,J:i,i',1 robegaT,ns
il r vacuum.
day without asking permission of anyone The field of war h.rl o\er ihe window5i ho{ eye\rol
Ing irrer rhetr(kr depJ,trngone. ,
unrolled irsel! a long scroll of vexations, unril the end had fnrc'l Two or rhreco, ,* n*d"
""ia..i

J47 -/
 AnncPortcr
MARIA coNcE?CIoN / K3thcrine

and a half dozen hands were fliPPed at him in an efi:ort to imitate his .I would nor harm /lfariaConccpri6nbc.ruse
I am marricdro hcr
ovrn casueland heady manner. rne cnur\h: bur at5o.my <hiellI will no, le2ve
MdriaRo"a,becru.e
they rounded thc
Juan kept up this insufferzble Pintomime undl plea5esme morc lhan an/ orher soman...
first clump of 69 cactus.Then he seizedGivens' hand and burst intrr "If::ne-,refl you, Juan, things havenl been going as well
as
r tltit Y:u SomedayMaria Concepcrbnwill just take
"Blessed be the day your servant Juan Villegas first came under vour head
le-car:tut.
of with rhat carving knife of hers. you keep
that in
eyes.From rhis day my life is yours without condition, ten thousana
thanks with aI1 my heartl" *.^' the properblendof mascurrne
l_",11:-:TO.':a". rdumph and
"Ior God's sake stop playing the fool," said Givens iritablr rimenrat m€lancholy. Ir was pleasant to see himself in tire role
"Somedayl'm going to be five minutes too late." hero ro rwo such desirablewomen. He had just
escapedfrom the
"\vell, ir is nothing much ro be shot, mv chief certainlyyou knor -d. His ciothes were new and handsome,
I was not afraid but to be sbot in a drove of deserters,against r l-l :f: had
**r..:bt..
cosr him jusr norhing.Mria Rosahad collecred
.rhey rhem
cold wall, just in the moment of my homecoming, by order ,,1 Drm herc and rhere aftcr brrrle.. Hc was walking
in the earll
that . ." ...y.s rhegoodsmell,of ripenins
lli:. c,r(ru(fig,.peache..
Glittering epirhets tumbied over one another like explosions,,l melons,or punSrn( bcrrie danglingfrom thc pepperrrec.,and
' a rocket. AII the scandalousanalogiesfrom rhe animal and vegetahl, :.smokeof his cigarerteunder his nose.He
*r. on ti. vl"y ,o
worlds were applied in a vivid, unique and Pe$onal way to the liJl p":nntchiefHissituarion
lu:l ltt:,y,,hlt:it wasinetiably
per'r<t,
lov€s, and family history of the oflicer who had just set him frr' he swallowed whole.
When he had quite cursedhimseif dry, ,nd his nerveswere sooth('l "My chief," he addressedGivens handsomety, as one man
of the
he added: "$rith your Permission,my chiefl" 'rld rc anorher,..vromenare good rhiogs,
but not at th$ moment.
"\(hat will Maria ConcePci6nsayto all this?" askedGivens "l','tr ) your permssion, I will now go to rhe village
' and eat. My God,
are very informal, Juan, for a man who was married in the chur.h I, sball eat! Tomorrow morning very early I
will come ro the
Jurn put on his hat. :d_city and work like seu.rl men. let ,rs forget
Maria Concepci6n
"Oh, Maria Concepci6nl That's norhing. Look, m,r' chief, tr' 1" Maria Rosa.-Eachone in her place. I wil manage
rhem when
married in the church is a great misforaune for a man. After llrrl
he is not himself anymore. How can rhat i'oman comPlain s li ri soongot abroad,
f:l:,"tJ':1. id":"rure andJLranfoundmany
I do not drink even er fi€stasenough to be rerlly drunk? I do l"l lndsabouthim during the morning.Theyfrznkiy commended
his
beat her; never, never.lve slere alwaysat Peace-I sxy rc her,'(irrrr' of letving the army. It was ;n irsetf rtre act of
'Go there,' and she goesgui,I'll a hero. The new
here,' and she comesstraight. I say, ate a great deal and dranl somewhat,the occasion
being better
Yet sometimesI looked at her and thought,'No*' I am mart((l r'r a feascday. It was almosr noon beforehe returned
to visit Maria
that woman rn the church,' arldl felt a sinking inside,as ifsomct lrrrrl
v/ere lying hea\y on my stomach Vith Maria Rosa it is all dill<r' r't Hc. found her sirring on , clean sttaw mar, rubbing
far on her
She is not silent; she talks. Yrhen she ralks too much' I sht lrl Before rhis felicirous .r.ision emotions so
and say, 'Silence,thou simPl€tonl' and she weePs.She is iust r rl rl f"::l-d1*i
hc rerurncoro rhr v, ,se
Juan,s
::0..y in,, .ue.y n,n
v/ith whom I do as I PleaseYou know how she used to kecp rlu ' thc Dfarh and Resurre.rion. "nd-;n,;,.d
pulgucshopro drink qnh him
clean little beesin their hives?She is likc their honey to me. I 5\r rt Hnving rhus rakenleaveof his 6ahrice,he staneaback
to Maria

l4u
.\.1,
MARiA coNcEPcION / K2dreineAnne lo.Icr

Rosa,and found himself unaccountablyin his own house,attemPtmg uPandchrew

therebozo
legal orherrace,
to beatMaria Conc€Pci6nby way of reestablishinghimselfin his i::;"ffii,:l';:stood
household llran awakencdstos.lj.wirh long , awnsrnd
dai grL mbtjrg,. ,,(r.rJrcd
Mada Conc€Pci6n,knowing all rhe events of th?r unhappy ndc,a.non
was not in a yielding mood, and refusedro be beaten She did not ;;iil :::T5;l': :i::i'Ji.:';..:",:i, Abrr.i
llili,lJi:;
; fi:,rui*Jril:T'r.."r:ff
scruck
screamnor imPlore; shestood her ground and resisted;sheeven
at him. Jurn. amazed,hardly knowing what he did' steppedback.and
gazed at he. inquitingly through a leisurel,vwhirling fiim which
ieemed ro have lodged bebind his eyes Certainll he had not even
thought of touching her' Oh, vell, no harm done He gaveup' urned
.i'.,*i.
14**: *mi":riil*'.#;fT
me:wakewrrh r.,gtr.ning
' ^' t / r c r I r I' n e n h €

awaylhafasleep on his feet.He droppedamiablYin a shadowedcornei

and begalr to snore
;'i';;;;''*,li:X'Ji"f
:l:;i:i.'ffTil*
"uaaenne".,r-
Ji:?:";
Maria Concepci6n,seeing that he was quiet, began to bind- thr sroodin ,he doorqJr.rnomin8
T;t.f:1.:0.'* coloral rarr
legs of her {owis lt was market dav and she was late She fumblcJ na' 'laiking
qui'krvand."rr'"c
c(l :;';':iJ'i.::#;: r;'
an'dtangled the bits of cord in her baste,and set olfacrossthe Plos ",..
fields insteed of taking rhe accustomedroad She ran vith a
p r n i ci n h c r h e a d h, e r . t u m b l i n gl c g s \ o s a n d r h c n s h e w o u l
crrT\
d't I
'rc1
;;iu;?f:r
;lii:'ri :lft :i::
;i:,
r;; .r:
i:::,ff
il':iiri:!!{:,Hl';'..lnftl";:l
rnd look about hcr, rrving ro pl;'c herscll rhen go on a few
until she reelizedthat she R'asnot going towards the market'
At once she clme to her sensescomPleteiy,recognizedthe thing
that troubled het so terribh, s'as certain of vhat she $'anted SI! :::fl::,::::l such-
#;
rheshrineat Guadarupe
v re He watched her
ho*orrharrhehairia n,,-'n.J,..#.i."r.J
sardown quietly under a shelteringrhorny bush and gave herselfov
' :::.1 l:,n
rhg rr\ettawr\.trom him failing
fow.rrduponLe, f"c., .i.
ro her long devouring sotrow- n'l: rip, moringin gho*)r
t l1.l.1.., " whi,perHc, rord:
The thing which had for so long squeezedher whole body into ame ctear.and
Juin understoodtbem ali
wiolen't.
tight dumb knot of sutreringsuddenlybroke wich shocking n:."1,0,., ','",. rhcnhcrookherhead
rrr'I L.j-:.j.:"l ";;:il
:i:ffil,:;'"'r; *,'',.'ng'.,n
Shejetked wirh the involuntary recoil ofone who receivesa blon"
the sweatpoured from her skin as if the wounds of her whole life
sr
" ;il,"'.i.l]:,:;l:;#.1 iv
sheddingtheir salt ichor' Drawing her rebozo over her head'shebour'l c.exrurer
_'O^1, ** oh, -,i-"_*, ob, my MariaCon_
her foreheadon her updrawn knees,and sat rherein deadl,vsilence
rr" I rqon,.:Tl
unfotunareJlisren. . . _Dont
beafraid.f""ri . ..i f"*ifl
,lth,.own
't
immobiliq. From time to tim€ she lified her herd where the s{t m;n,,,,,.,.,, ,i..,q".;i'^l::
formed steadilyand poured down her face,drenching the front oi ll
t f_,.1_*,*,t
Iry,'ngro Loljc.r hrmrelf he
;::J;l1l
ncld ncr and.ured under
hr. brcarh
chemise,end hermouth had rhe shapeofcrring' but rherev"'ereno tc''L
end no sound. All her being was a dark confused memory of gr!
| ji:#,Fri?i;[::*::"f":i::ffi
:: #r*:*:*il*:
il,::";il11jl["', j: r''.'r.;.- *^
llr\
burniflg in her at night, of deadlybaflled anger eating ar ber bl
until hir verl tongui tastedbitter, and her feer {ere as heavr as
were mired ln the mudd,v rords during thc rime of rains
il \ll
*."n, :i,,,T
*os.nd,,"..i l,;:::T: ".,,.
*;;;;;;,r;j;i::l:,i*.i:r,T1il::
llo
MARlL coNcEPcIoN / KrrhcrineAnn.PoRr

The
to sDend the rest of her days in Bel6n Prison, maybe Danger! of life grown so instantly confused where all had seemed
witL
niglit swarmedwith threats.He stood up and draggedher up gay and simple. He felt too thar she had become invaluable. a
resisrless
hiir. She was silent and Perfectly tigid, bolding to him with man wirhour equal among a million women, and he .ould
not
strength, her hands sriffenedon bis atms why. He drew 2n enormous sigh that rartled in his chcst.
"i.t-^. th. knife," he told her in a whisper' She obeyed' hcr "Yes, yes,it is all seded. I shall nor go awayagaio.v/e musr stay
hrr
feet sljDprnsalonq rhe hard e,nh floor. her shouldcrsstraight !e together."
hr It rvhispedng, he questioned
.ior. io her-,idc He lighted r 'andlc tvlarir Concepci6n her and she answeredwhispering, and
"r." knife out to him. Ir was stained and dark even to chc handk insrructed her over and over until she hed her lessonby1eart.
the
vrith drying blood hostile darkncss of the night encroached upon them,
howing
He fiowned at her harshly, noting the samesmins on her chemr{ the narrow threshold, invading their hearts.It brousht with
i;
end hafids. and murmu,s.the pad of.etretrve fecr in rhe ncarb-y road,rhe
he ordered'
"Take off thy clothes and wash thy hands," sraccatowhimper of wind through the cactusleaves.All these
wide of tlr
He washed the knife carefully, and thresr the water iliar, oncefriendly cadenceswerenowinvested wirh sinisrerterrors:
in *'hi' I'
aloorway.She watched him and did likewise witb the bowl formless and unconrtollable, took hold of rhem both.
she had bathed. "Light_anothercandle,,,saidJuan,loudy,nr roo resorute,
roo sharp
(old her in chesrt'u
"Light the braseroand cook food for me," he one "I-et us ear novr.',
took her garments and went out \(/hen li'
'..t,:rrr"a, tone He
Dercm;tory
t1u
They sat facing each other and ate from the same dish, after their
tld *rt wearing an old soiled dress,and vas fanning I habit. Neither tasted what th€y are. \(/ith food halfwav to
his
fire in the charcoal burner. rrh.Juan listened.The sound ol voi(esro.e..p,ead.oijcned
at
Seatinghimself cross-legged near her, he staredat her as a crerlrrrr' turn of the road along the cacruswali_ A spray of lantern
s':tsrrt lighr
unknown to him, who bewilderedhim utterly, for *'hom there rhe hedge,a single voice slashedthe btacknes, ripied
I rll' -througfr
possibleexplanation.Shedid not turn her head,but kepr silentand fragile iayer of silencesuspendedabovethe hut.
.*..p. fo, ih. -o*'...nts of her strong hands fanning the blaze, s hr' lt 'Juan Villegas!"
cast sparksand small i€ts of white smoke,flaring and dying rhrrl'rrt' friends!" Juan roared back cheerfully.
ng i r | 'y
cally with che motion of the fan, lighting her face and darleni stood in the doorway, simple cautiousgendarmesfrom the
e, mixcd,bloodsthemselveswirh Indian sympathies,well known
the silence:"Listen to me calci'rllv
Juan's voice barely disturbed the community. They dashedtheir lanrernsalmostapologetically
l.r rrl
ani teII me the tflrth, and when rhe gendarmescome here the pleasant,harmlessscencof a man eating supper iitt his
rhou shalt have nothing to fear. But there will be some'hing l"l
to settle betsreenus aft€rward-" Pardon, brother,', said the leader. ,,Someone has killed the woman
The light from the charcoalburner shone in her eves; Rosa, and we must question her neighbors and friends.,,
He
phosphorescence
_ glimmered behind che dark iris' , an!. added with an ertempt ar severity,.,Naturallyl,,
rn nNaturally,-agreed
"For me everlthing is settled now''' sh€ xnswered' JLran.
,.you know
rh"t I *rs a good friend
tender, so grave, so hea\T with suffering, rhat Juan felt Maria Rosa.This is bad news.,,
conffact. He wished ro rePent openly, not as a mefl, but w::'r iw.,y fogcrhe,.,he men walking in r group Maria
ttrl st'tt" :]l
small child. He could not fathrm her, nor himself, nor thc ron rorrowrnga tew .repsin 'hc rerr.ne?,
Jurn. No onespoke.
rIdRiA coNclPcloN / K2therineAnnc Poiier
TIiE T\qo PoINTs ol CANDLILIGHTat Maria Rosa's head fluttered un-
easily; th€ shadov/sshifted and dodged on rhe stained darkened walls
To Mada Concepci6n everything in the smothering enclosing room
shared an evil restlessress.The watchful faces of those called as wit-
nesses,the faces of old friends, were made alien by the look of specu
lation in their eyes.The ridgesofthe rose-coloredrebozothrown ovet
the body varied continually, as thougb the thing it coveredwas nol
perfectlyin repose.Her eyesswervedover rhe body in the oPenPainte'l
cofrn, from the cendletiPs at the head to the feet, jutting up thinlr '
the small scarredsolesProtruding, freshlywashed,a massof crookerl,
half-he ed wounds, thorn Pdcks and cuts of sharP srcnes-
Her gazewent back to the candleflame,roJuan's eyeswerning hcr'
to the gendarmes talking among themselves Her eyes would not h'
controlled.
\/ith a leap that shook her, her gazesettledupon the faceofllxrir
Rosa-lnstantly her blood ran smoothly agin: there vtas nothi'r8 r"
fear. Even the restlesslight could not give a look of life rc that hrc't
counrenance.She was derd Nlada Concepci6r felt her musclesgiv'
way softly; her hearr began berting steaditywithout effort She kncr
no morc rancor against that Pidable thing, )ying inditrerendv io tt'
blue coffin under the line silk rebozo The mouth drooPed shr'l'|1
'
ar rhe corners in a grimace of weeping affestedhalfival' The ba"t
werc distressed:the dead flesh could not cast of the sbapeof irs L t
terror. It was all finished Maria Rosa had eaten too much honel rr"i
had had too much love. Now she must sit in hell, crying ovcr lr t
,inr;nd her hard death lore.cr and evcr
Old lupe's cacklingvoice arose.Shehad spent the morning hcll'tttg
Maria Rosa, and it had been hard work. The child had spat hl'"'l
rhe moment it was born, a bad sign She rhought then that bad ll1'I
*'ould come to the house. \Fell, about sunset sbe was in thc \ tr'l
at the back of the house grinding tomatoes and PePPersSln llr'l
left mother and babe asleep.She heard a strangenoise in thc lrrr''
a choking and smotheredcalling, like someonewailing in sleep \\" ll
such a thing is only natural. Bur there followed:r light 'pr'l',
thudding sound-
"Like th€ blos's of a fist?" interrupted an officcr'
"No, not at all like such a thing.,,
"How do you know?"
"I am well acquaintedwith that sound, friends,', retorted lupe.
was somerhing€lse."
Shev,/asat a loss ro describeir exacrl)..A momen! ltrer, there came
: sound of pebblesroiling and slipping under feet; rhen she knew
had been rhere and was running away.
"Vhy did you wrir .o Iong beforegoing ru .cel..
"I am old and hard in rhe joints,,'seid lupe. "I cannot run after
ple. I walked as fast as I could to the cacrushedge,for it is only
this wxy thac anvone can enter. There was no one in the road,
no one. Three cows,with a dog driving them; norhing else.\fh€n
to Maria Rosa,she was lying all tangled up, and from her neck
her middle she was full of krife ho1es.It was a sight ro move
Blcssedlmage Hrmself: Her rJe! $erc-
"Never mind \trho came ofrenesrto her house before she wenr
y? Did vou know her enemies?,,
Lupe's face congealed, closed. Her spongy skrn drew inro a necwork
secretivewrinklrs. She curned withdrawn and expressionless eles
)n rhe gendarm€s.
"I am an old woman. I do noc see well. I cannot hurry on my
t. I know no enemv of Maria Rosa. I dra nor see aflyone leave
"You did oor hear splashingin rhe spring near the bridg€?,,
"No, sir."
ItVhy, then, do our
dogs follow a scent rhere and lose it?,,
I'Cod only koows,
my friend. I am an old wom ,'
tYcs. Ho*'did rhe Footfalls
sound?,'
Like the tread of an evil spiritt,' Lupe broke forth in a swelling
ular rone that starrledrhem. The Indians sriffed uneasily,glanced
3hc.dead,rhen ar Lupe. They half expected her to produce the
I sPlflr among chem et once.
c gendarmebegrn ro lore bis remper
No, poor unfortunare; I mean, were they hetv, or light? The
ltcps of a man or of a s,oman?r,J(/es the personshod or barefoor?,,
ghncc er thc listening circle ;rssuredLupe of rheir thrillecl
MAR1A CONCIPCI6N / Krlhoine Annc tor6r
attention. She enjoy€dthe dangerousimportanceofher siruation-Sh(
could have ruined that Maria Concepci6nwith a word, but it was
even sw€eter to make fools of these gendarmes who went about spying
on honest people.She raisedher voice again. Whet she had noc seerr
she could not describe,thanL Godl No one could harm her becaust
her knees were stif and she could not run even to serzea murd€rcr
As for knowing rhe dif,€rence between footfalls, shod or bare, mrrr
or woman, nay, berween devil and human, who €ver heard of su(!i
madness?
"My eycsare not ears,gentlemen," she erded grandly, "but uprrt
my heatt I swerr those footstepsfell as the tread of the sPirit ofevill
"Imbecile!" yaPPed the leader in a shrill voice. "Take her awrl
one of youl Now, Juan Villegas, tell me-"
He had returnc'l
Juan told his story patiently, several times over.
to his wife that day. She hed gone to market as usual. He had belf'l
het prepare her fowls. She had returned about mi&fternoon, tlv\
had talked, she had cooked,rhey had eaten,nothing was amiss.Tlr.r'
the gendarmescamewith the news about Maria Rosa-That vas rll
Yes, Maria Rosa had run away with him, but there had been no l' r'l
blood betvreen his wife and Maria Rosa. Everybody knew thar lrrr
wife was a quiet woman.
Marla Concepci6n heard her own voice answering without a brtrl
It was ffue at 6rst she was troubled when her husband went as rf,
but after that she had not woffied about him. It was the wrt "l
men, she believed. She wes a church'menied woman and knew lrrt
place.rtfcll, he had come home at last. She had gone to markel, l'rrl
had come back errly, becausenow shehad her man to cook for' lllil
was aIL
Othet voicesbroke in. A toothlessold man said: "She is a rvortt.ttt
of good reputation among us, and Maria Rosa was nor'" A s'nrlrl
young mother, Anita, baby at breast,said: "If no one thinks so, lr"w
caflyou accuseher?It was the lossof her child, and not of her husl' rrrrl
that changedher so." Another: "Maria Rosa had a srrrnge lifc, rrl rrl
from us. How do we know who might have comc from anod)(r I'lr' r
to do her evil?" And old Soledadspokeup boldly: "\7hcn I r,r
Marla ConceDci6n in tbe market todav,I said,'Good luck t,, r"tt,
Concepci6n, this is a happydayfor yout"'and shegaveMarla
i6n a long easystare,and the smile of a born wisewomen.
M"ria Concepci6nsuddenly felt herselfguarded, surrounded,up-
by her fairhful friends. They werearound her, speakingfor her,
ing her, the forcesoflife q'ercrangedinvincibly wirh her against
beaten dead- Maria Rosa had thrown away her shate of strength
them, she lay forfeited among them. I4aria Concepci6n looked from
to the other of the circling, intent faces. Their eyes gave back
understanding,a secretand mighry sympathy.
The gendarmes were at a loss. They, too, felt that sheltering wall
impenetrably around her. They s.ere cerrain she had done it, and
rhey could nor accuseher. Nobody could be accused;there was
a shred of true evidence. They shrugged their shoulders and
their lingers and shuffed their feet. nfe , then, good nighr
everybody.Maoy pardons for having intruded. Good healthl
A small bundle lying againsc the wall at rhe head of the cof6n
like an eel. A wail, a mere slivet of sound, issued.Maria
took the son of Maria Rosa in her arms.
"He is mine," she said clearly, "I will take him with me."
No one assentedin words, but an approving nod, a bare breath
complete agrcement, srirred among chem as they made way for
coNcPcr6N, caffying the child, followed Juan ftom the clear_
Thc hur was left wirh its lighted candlesand a crowd of old
who would sit up all night, drinking cof,eeand smoking and
ghost stories,
's exaltation had burned
out. There was not an embet of
left in him. He was tired. The perilous adventure was over.
Rosa had vanished, to come no more foftver. Their days of
ing, of eating, of quareling and making love between battles,
all over. Tomorow he would go back to dull and endlesslabor,
musr descendinro che trenchesof rhe buried ciry as Maria Rosa
go inro her grave.He felr his veins 6ll up with bitterness,with
uncndurable mclancholy. Oh, Jesust whar bad luck overtakes
I
MAR1A CoNcEPcION/ KxtherincAnne Port€r
$0ell, there was no way out of it now For the moment he crared
only to sleep. He was so drowsy be could scarcelyguide his feet. Tht
occasionallight touch of the woman at his elbow was as unreal. :rs
ghostly as the brushing of a l,f,zf zginst his face He did not knos
why he had fought to saveher, and now be forgot her- There wrs
nothing in him excePta vast blind hurr like a coveredwound-
He enrcred ihe jtcal, and without waiting to light a candle, thre\
offhis clothing, sitting just witbin the door' He moved with lagging.
hrlf-awake hands, to striP his body of its heavy finery. \Fith a lor)ll
groaning sigh of relief he fell straight back on the 11oor,almost
instandy asleep,his atms flung uP and ourwatd
Mffia ConcePci6n,a small clay jar in her hand' aPProachedrlr(
genrle little mother goat tetheredlo a saPling,which 8aveand yieltit'l
as shePulled at the roPe'send after tbe farthest rexchesofgrass aborrl
het. The kid, tied up a few feet away, rose bleating, its feathery flcc"
shivering in the fresh vind. Sitting on her heels,holding his tetl" r
she allowed him to suckle a few moments. Afterward-all her mor'
men$ very deliberite and even-she drew a supplv of milk for tl"
child.
She sat againstthe wall of her house,near the door*'av.The clrrl'I
fed and asleep,was cradled in the hollon'of ber crossedlegs llu
silenceoverilled the world, the skiesIlowed down evenly to thc rtrtt
of the valley, the stelithy moon crePt slantwisero the sheker ()l rlr
mountains. She felt soft and *'arm all overl she dreamed rhrt tlu
newly born child was her own. and she was resting deliciousl\
Maria Concepci6ncould hearJuan'sbreathing The sound r:r1''r"l
from rhe low doorway, calmly; che house seemedto be restinS rlr' I
a burdensomeday. She breathed,too, verv slowly and quierh ''r' ll
inspiration saturatingher with rePose.The child's light, faj,rt 1)r{rrll
was a mere shadowl.moth of sound in the silver air. Tbe night tlttt
earth under her, seemedto swell and recedetogether with i linrrrl' q
unhurried, benign breathing. Shedroopedand closedher elcs l'( Llrl
the slow rise and fall wirhin her own body She did not kn<N I l' rt
it was, but it easedher all rhrough Even as she Ias fa)ling r'l''1',
head bowed over th€ child. she was still awarc of a stmngc, $ rl'' lrrl
happrness.
MY LORD,
THE BABY
FABINOFANAII]TAGORE
/ NOIA
44t^*:I!7"
^IcH,{Rr\N \r,{s twelve years oid when hc came as a servanr ro
master'shouse-He belonged to rhe samecasreas his master,and
given his masterl little son ro nurse. As unc wenr on tne boy
Raicharan'serms to go to school. From school he went on to
hge, and after college he encered rhe judiciat service. Always, unril
married, Raicharanwas his sole arendant
But, when a misrresscame into the house, Reicharanfound two
in:tcad of one. All hr. tormer influenLcpls.ed to rhe nea
thi. was (ompenrareqfor b1 a Fesh ,,,i,ai. Anukut hrd
n born to him. and Rrirnrran b1 bi. r,n,prring?renrron\ \oon
a complete hold over rhe child. He used to toss him up in his
call to him in absurdbabylanguage,
puc his faceclosi ro the
ryt and draw ir awayagain wirh i grin.
Prcscnr lt r he child q ar ableto , rre | :nd , ro,s thc doorwa).When
w€nt co carch him, he would scream with mischievous
ttcr and make for safety.Raicharanwas amazedrc the profound
and exacr judgment the baby showed when pursued.He would
to his misrresswith a look of an-eand mysterv: ..your son will
{ iudge some day."
Ncw wonderscamein their rurn_rX/hen rhe bab1.beganto toddle,
i_wasro Raicha.anan epoch in human history. riihen he called
fnthcr Ba-baand his mother Mr,mlr end RaicharanChan-na,rhen
lcharao'secsrasyknew no bounds. He went our to tell rhe nevrs
rll rhe world.
ficr rr while Raicharannas askedro show his ingenuiff in other
MY LORD, TH! BABY / Rxblndnnad! T€ore

ways. He had, for instance,to plav the part of a horse, holding the direcrion.LalJingour ,Oh. Iook. baby.looki Look
:he,opposire
'
the brrd. And wirh all sonsor curiousnoireshe
reins b€rween his teeth ajd Prancing with his feet He had also rcr pushedrbego-carr
away from the tree.
wrestle with his little charge, and if he could not, bv a wrestler's
trick, fall on his back defeated at the €nd, a grcat outcry was certaln desrincdro.be a judge..:nnorbc pr,r off.o easitl.
l,Jbesides,
'd i.:n,,0:
rherewrs tr rhe time nothingro rrrtucrhi. cyes.And
About this time Anukul was transferredto a districr on the banks
of the Padma. On his way through Calcutta he bought his son rr
k".p up foreuerrhe pr.,.nr. ot ,n imaginrrybird
Y.r,l":
little mrstcr'rmind wl. madeup. ,nd Rri(hrransrs
little go-cart-He bought him alsoa yellov sadn waistcoat,agoldJaccd .The
'.::d a( hi5
"V"? well. baby.' he wid ar lasr...vou
cap, a-ndsome gold brrcelets and anklets Raicharan was wont to takc s.r.,i in rhe caff,
I'll go and gcr vou rhe p,crrv florer. Onli mrnd you
rheseout, and Pur them on his little chargewitb ceremonielPridc' don.r go
whenever they vent for a walk.
As he said rhis, he rnadehis legs bare to rhe knee,and
Then camethe rainy season,aad dayafter day tbe rain poured dovrr waded
ough the oozing mud ros.ardsthe tree.
in torrents- The hungry river, Iike an enormous serPent, sn'dlos'c'l
The moment Raicharan had gone, his little master went
down tetraces,villages,cornlields'and coveredwith its flood tbe trll off at
on the sandbanks-Irom time to time thcir ing speedro the forbidden water. The baby saw rhe river rushing
grasses and wild casuarinas
('l ,id gurgling as it n-ent. rt seemedas though thl
was a deePthud, as the riverbankscrumbled The unceasingroer :."P11h*C
offoam, carrir'l t ttavclcrs
rhemselre,nere rurning aqry from sonegreare,
rhe main lurrent could be heardfrom fx away N{asses
swiftly past, Proved to the eye the sviftn€ss of the stream-
wi:h the laughrer oFa tt o,.rsrndit ildien. At the silht
fharan of
ir mischief, rhe helrc ofthe human child grew excired
One afternoon the rain cleared lt was cloudy, but cool and brigl'r and restless.
got down sreal.hilyfrom the go-cartanJ roddledoff towirds
Raicharan'slittle despot did not vant to stay in on such a liru the
cr. On his way he pickedup a smallscick,ano reanroverthe bank
afternoon. His lordship ciimbed into the go'cart Raicharan'bets(rll
ttle streamprerending ro fish_Tbe mischievousfiiries of the river
rhe shafts, draggedhim slowly along dll he reachedthe dce ll(l'l\
th rhcirmysrerious voire, scemcdinviring him into rheirpLl house.
on the banks of the river' There was no one in the 6elds, and ""
Kal(naranhactptu.kcd I handfutof lowers from rhe rrec.
boat on the stream.Across the warer, on the farther side, che ciott'h and e,,rs
ing them back in the end of his cloth, with his face
v/ere rifted in the vrest The silent ceremodal of the setting sun \"r\ wreathed
smiles. when he rcachedrhcgo.arr. therewa. nq 6n6 th.r..
revealedin all its glowing splendor' ln chc midst of rhat stillnessrlfl -Bur
lookrd on ,ll side.,rnd rhcre was no ooc thcrc. He looked
child, all of a sudden,pointed *'ith his finger in front of him :rrrl back
the cart and there was no one there_
cried: "Chan-nal Pitty fow "
In that first terrible moment his blood froze within
Close by on a mud flat stood a large kadambatree in full ll'*' t him. Before
kr! w eyesrhe whole universeswam round like a dark misr. Irom
My lord, the baby,looked at it sith greedyeyes,end Raicharan- the
I h of his broken hearr he gave one piercing cry: ,.Masrer,
hii meaning. Only a short time before he had made, out ot rlr mastet,
.r.ry flo-.. brllt, e small go-cart; and rhe child had been so cnlr' lv
l't But no voice answered,,Chan-na.,'No child laughedmischievously
happy dragging jr abour wir\ a srring rhar for rhe wh"lc
t ;k; no screamof babl delight welcomedhis retLrrn.Oniy
Rri(harans2' no( mrdc (o Pur on rhc rein' at all He wr' pr'tt"" the river
ton. wirh.itssplashing.gurgling noisca.bcrorc .a. rhoughir knew
from a horse into a groom.
thing at all, and had no time ro attend ro such a tiny hrrman
But Raicharanhad no wish that elening to go splasbingkncc '1" 1t evenr
thc dearh of a child.
through the mud to reachthc ilowers So hc auickly pointed hts ltr1" t
MY LORD, THE BABY/Rtbi. qdrth Tzgore
As the eveningpassedby, Raicharant mistressbecamevery anxious-
She sent men out on all sides to search.The' wenr with lanterns
in rhetu hands, and reachedat last the banks of the Padma.There
they found Raicheranrushing up and down the 6elds, like a storml
wind, shouting the cry of desPai: "Master, master, lirrle mesterl''
lwh€n they got Raichar2n home at last, he fell prostrate at his
misttesst feet. They shook him, and questionedhim, and askedhim
repeatedlywhere he had left the child; but ali he could saywas thar
he knew nothing.
Though everyoneheld the opinion that the Padma had swallowed
rhe child, there was a lurLing doubt left in the mind. For 2 band
of gypsies had been nodced outside the village that afternoon, and
some suspicionrestedon tbem. The mother went so far in her wilcj
grief as to think it possible thar Raicharanhimself had stolen thc
child. Shecalledhim asidewith Piteousenrreatyand said:"Raicharan.
give me back ny baby. Ohl Give me back my child Take from mt
any money you ask, but give me back my childl"
Raicharanonlv beat his foreheedin reply-His mistressorderedhinr
out of the house.
Anukul tried to reasonhis wife out ofthis wholly unjust susPicion
"\7hy on eerth," he said, "should he commit sucb a crime as tha.?'
The mother only replied: "The baby had gold ornaments on hi.
body. \7ho knows?"
It was impossibleto reasonwith ber after that.
ir{IcHARAN vrEN-rBACKto his own village. Up to this rime he hrr'l
had no son, and there was no hope that any child would non lr
born to him. But it came about before the end of a year rhar lrrr
wife gave birth to a son and died.
An overwhelming resentm€nt2t fusr grew uP in Raicharan'shcLrt
er rhe sight of this n€$r baby. At the back of his mind was resenrlrrl
suspicjonthat it had come as a usuPer in place of the little mast,'
He also thought it would be a grave offenseto be happy with a "'t,
ofhis own after what had haPPenedto his master'slittle child lnd.r,l
if ir had not been for a widowed sister,who mothered the ncq' h:rl,r
it would not have lived long.
But r changegradually came over Raichafan,smind.
A wondedul
thing happened.This new baby in turo began to crawl
abour, and
crossthe doorw?ywith mischiefin irs face.It elso showedan
amusing
c l e v c r n e .rsn m r k i n g i ' . c s ( J p cr o . x t e r ) . l ( r v o i c e .i r . , o u n d ,
ot
leughte,rnd rcrr(. ir. gesrure(.we,c rhoseof .he lirrle mz.ter.
On
some days,when Raicharanliscenedro its crying, his heart
suddenly
began rhumping wildly aginst his ribs, and it seemedro him
char
his former lirrle mr"rcr wascrving.ome$hcrein rhe unlnoqn
Iand
ot ctearhbe(ruse he hrd losr brs Chan ntr
Phailna (for rhar was rhe nlme Raicharans slsrergave
ro the new
brby) soon began to t:.lk. It learnt ro say Ba,ba and Ma-ma
with
! baby accent. $Zhen Raicharan heard rhose familiar sounds
rhe
mystery suddenly becameclear. The little masrer could not
cast of
spell of his Chan-na, and therefore he had been reborn
in his
The, argumens in favor of rhis were, to Raicharan, altogether
yond dispure:
r. The new baby wasborn soon afrerbis tir.le master,s
death.
2. His wife couid never have accumuhted sucn meflr is ro
_ Srve
bifth to a son in middteage.
3. The new brbl watkedwith a toddle and caled our Ba,ba
and
Ma'ma.Therevas no signjrcking which markedout rhefulurejudge.
Then suddenlyRaicharanremembered thar terribleaccusarionof
: mother."Ah," he saidro himselfwith amazement, ..themother,s
was rght. She knew I had stolen her child.,, .$Chen
once he
come ro this conclusion,he wes filled with remorsefor
his pasr
He.now gavehimselfover, body and soul, to the new
baby,and be_
ne its devoted attendanc.He began ro bring ic
up as if it were rhe
rn ofa rkh man. He boughrz go^arr.: \edow srrn qar,rcoar.
and
Sord-emb'ordered cap.He melrcddown the ornamcnr,of his derd
ifc, rnd madegold banglesand anklets.He refusedto tet the
child play
ith anyonc of the neighborhood, and becamehimself irs
sole com,
i(n) dr/ xnd nighr.
MY rORD, THI BABY / RabindsMth Trgore

f,rrrcllaR-AN MADE uP Hrs MIND. He gave uP the situation where he

As the baby grew uP to boyhood, he was so Petted md sPoilt and
was working as a servanr. and lcft some moncy wirh Phrjlna and
clad in such f,lrery that the village children would call him "Your
said: "I have some business to do at home in my villagc, and shall
InrdshiP," and jeer at him; and older people regarded Raicharan as
be back soon."
unaccountably crazy about the child
sold He went off at once to Baraset where Anukul was maqistrat€,
At last the dme came for the bol to go to school- Raichamn
ukul's wife vas still broken do*'n with erief. She had had no other
his smxll piece of land, and went to Calcutta There he got emPloY'
ment with greet difrculty as a servant, and s€nt Phailna to school
One day Anukul was resting aftet a loflg and weary day in court.
He sParedno Painsto give him the best educadon, the best clothes'
wife was buying, at an exorbienr price, an herb from a mendicant
the best food.
which was said to ensure the birth of a child. A voice of
Mernwhile he lived himself on a mere handful of rice, and would sl
ing was heatd in the courtyard. Anulul went out to see vrho
in secretr"Ahi My little master,my dear little master,you loved mc
there. It was Raicharan. Anukul's heart was softened when he
so much that you came back to my house You shall never sufltt
his old servant. He asked him many qu€stions, and ofered to
from any neglect of mine."
him back into service.
Twelve years passedaway in this manner' Th€ boy was able to rcr'l
Raicharan smiled faintly, and said in reply: "I s/ant to make
and wrire $rell. He wes bright and healthyand good-looking He Pli'l
and was spe<irllr isanceto my mistress."
a great deal of attention to his PersonalaPPearance,
and fincrr ' Anukul went with R-richrraninto the house, whete the mistress
caieful in parting Ils hai( He was inclined to extravagance
I not receive him as warmlv as his old master. Raicharan took no
and spent money free\' He could never quite look on Raicbarao
mantrr' icc of this. bur folded his hands.and said: "It was not the Padma
a f"ther, becaure,though farher\ in affection, he had the
fi.rrl stoleyour baby.It was 1."
ofa servant.A further fault *as this, thar R2icharankePt secret
AnuLul exclaimed: "Grexr God! Ehl \(hat! $(/hereis he?"
ev€ryone that he was rhe fathff of th€ child'
!L(r' Raicharan replied: "He is with me- I will bring him the day after
The students of the hostel, where Pbailna was a boarder'
prerrlyatn.rsed by Rri.harrn ' counrrymannerslnd I h'vc ro Lor"' "
irr rl/ It was Sunday. There was no magistrate's court sitting. Both
ihrr bchind hr. rarhe'' back Phailnajoined in 'hcir run Bur'
rrr'l and wife were looking expectantlyalong the road, waiting
bottom. of their hearts,.all the students loved rhe innocent
llttt' early morning for Raicharant aPPearance. At t€n o'clock he
tenderheartedold man, and Phaihu was very fond of him also
of condesccnsi"l , leadingPhailnaby the hand.
as I have said before, he loved bim vith a kind
Anukul'swife, without a question,took the boy into her IaP,and
Raicharangrew older and older, and his employerwas cont;nrrrrlll
wild wirh excitem€nt,sometimes laughing,sometimes we+ng,
finding fault wich him for his incompetentwork He had beenstrtt'rtt11
tt" ching him, kissinghis hair and his forehead,
and gazinginco his
himseif for the boy's sake-So he had grown pbysicallyweak, rn'l
lrr \rith hungry, eager eyes.The boy was very good-looking and
Ionger up to his work. He would forget things, and his mind lx'
'frl like a eenrleman'sson. The heart of Anukul brimmed over
duli and stupid But his employer expecteda full seNant'sw)tk
rrl th a suddcn rush of affecrion.
of him, anJ would not brook excuses.The money that Rii'l'rr
the magistrrrein him asked:"Haveyou anyPrcofs?"
Ncverrheless
had brought with him from the saleof bis land was exhaus(c(t I lrl
r""t' said:
Raicharan "How could therebe any proof of such a deed?
boy was condnuallv grumbling about his clothes'and asking fot
aloneknowsthar I scolevourbov.andno oneels€in the world."

a(,t
 -----.....

MY rORD. THI BABY / R$indsndh TaSore

lVhen Anukul saw how eagerlyhis wife was clinging to the bo-v.
he realized the firtiliry of askirg for proofs. lr would be wiser to
believe.And then-where could an old man like Racharan ger such
a boy from? And why should his faithful servant deceivehim for THE END
nothing? OF THE PARTY
"But," he added severely,"Raicharan, you must not stav here'
"Where shall I go, masterl" said Raich2ran,in a choking voicc,
folding his hands. "I am old. Yrho will mke in an old man as.,

The mistresssaid: "Let him stay-My child will be pleased.I forgn c

him."
P"*.
/)-i.,-/^**
But Anukul's magisterialconsciencen'ould not allou, him. "No, Mo.ro" -o"! with a start to face the firsr
light. Through
he said, "he cannot be forgiven for $rhat he has done." he toutd stc.r b.re boughdropp,nga.ros"
''trlrn * l':0.* a frzmeof
Raicharanbowed ro the ground, and claspedAnukul's feet. rsainif,hesr,rs.i, *^.1,"_.y ,,,. nr,r..
ter," he cried, "let me smy. It w25 not I *ho did it. It wes Go,l
]:l ,l,l :"p"d
rte,too*eda<ros I,ublc. on whir h a night-lighr
hadgurrercdinro

iU:;i'::i:
H,:'*t11"
Anr.rkul'sconsciencewas worse stdcken than ever,when RaichaLrrrr
tried to put the blame on God's shoulders.
"No," he said, "I could not allo*'it. I cannot trust you anvmo,'
T:*.T*iil1i*t*i
to im€ine that it was himself wholn
he watchea, rhe samehair,
You hav€ done an act of ffeacher]." t+s andlineof cheek.
Bur thethoughrsoon
Raicharan rose to his feet and said: "It was not I who did l-i-.l.lljn::T"
. and rhe mind qenr back to rhe facr
wnrch lenr rhe dar
"$Cho wes ir rhen?" askcd Anukul. rr y,: rhe-6frhofJanuary.
He rouldhardJy
fn:epassed b.li.,;,;r,,
Raicharanrcplied: "lt wes my fate." ycarhad sinceMrs.Henne-Falion
hro grvenherlastchildtcn,s
But no educated man could take this for an excuse.
remained obdurate. suddenllupon hi: backarrornreq an arm
'$?hen Y.tr,:r'Td across
Phailna sew rhat he was rhe wealthy magistrate'sson. .rr'l hi5 mourh.perei. hearrbeganro bear
.J,li::'o,o'g fasr,nor
not Raicharant, he was angry at frrst. rhinkiog that he had h.,I p.t:.T: but with uneasiness.
He sar
":* up and catied across
cheatedall this time of his birthright. Bur seeingRaicharanin disrr,.,, "lfake up.', Francis,sshou.ldersshook and he waved
1abl,e,- a
he generouslysaid to his father: "Father, forgive him- Even il r,rt rched 6st in the air, bur his eyesremained
closed. To peter Morton
don't let him live with us, Iet him have a small monrhly pcnsi,,r, ."9jenly codarken,andhehadtr,eimpression
After hearingthis, Raicharandid not utter anorherword. He lu,l., ,l a:::5
grear ::l "*-.d
bird swooping.He cried again,.qfiZake
'rc wassilverIight ,0,,, ;;;:.;;;.
for the last time on the face of his son; he made obeisancer,, l,rr and cherouchlf rain on the windows.
Francis
old master and mistress.Then he rl'ent out, and was mingled "'rlr bbedhis eyes..,Did you cali orr,Z,,t.
.a.
rhe numberlesspeople of the world. ".t wirh
d'eam. Perersaid con6dcncc. Arrerdi
At the end of the morrh AnuLul senr him some monev r,' l,r, *::::",:1"1T-ii11
hed&ughrhim how far cheir*ra. ,"n..J.*f,
Pcrience
village. But the money came back. There was no one therc ()l rln rt he w-asthc elder, by a marcer of minuces,
end rher bie, "',"#
exffr
name of Raicharen. tcrval oflight, while his brother stil struggled
in pain and dafkn;

366
THE lND OF THE ?,{RTY / c@hrD Grne

had given him self-reliance and an instinct of protection rowards the

other who was afraid of so many things.
*'"thins ,o Perer.Petersaid,.,Nurse,
IlTl,f:* iancis
"I dr€amed that I was dead," Francissaid.
*r"ss,hr (,n5,nd
wonr beo;;;;,r ;;;:,:X said,
Ii:,'1H,"j"'1;::""l,'jllo-
"\Whet was it like?" Peter asked with curiosity. :h",:y.,'
"I can't r€member," Francis said, and his eyesturned wirh relief -j""ljr":l:.:
lend_him l.t'ng i':",
some.i y"r, ir"af..r.f"t6.:
to the silver of day, as he allowed the fragmentary memodes ro fade. -ra"i'i.'u.,e,
"You dreamedof a big bird." ""$l;, );;:1. j":*,,r.a.
r g e ' l l r a l c eh r m f o r a p o o d " ' J 's,Jy,n
dv In D e d /.
bed,
**", r u , ^ , " ]
rras morning. rhe nur"e.:jd.
"Did I?" Francisacceptedhis brother's knowledge wirhout ques
tion, and for a litde the rwo lay silenain bed facing each other, thc
/ind,I ht^.,
c;;;,;;-ilJf",l;.:1io.1..
#,i1.'j:.,1-,.:ti.,;,'".
the door behind her.
same gfeen eyes, the same nose rilting ar the cip, rhe same firm lips "I'T soffy.- perer sajd,
pffted, znd rhe same prcmature modeling of the chin. The fifth of and rhen. w6rr;p.

Jenuary, Peter rhought again, his mind driftirg idly from the image
of cakes to the prizes which mighr be won. Egg-and-spoon races, Hfiir",j::d!
i#:t"TAl-"n;:;,3;r
i;:ii:,;;
spearingapplesin basinsof water, blindman's buff
"I dont want to go," Francissaid suddenly."I supposeJoyce will .,,,# t*l;:*r*,::j
hjs mourhand t."l ,, r';
,"ig,", ;;,."
i:,t.,";i#
' t", thcrmornetcl
be there. . . Mabel $trarren."Hareful to him, the thought ofa paro
shrred with those two. They were older thaD he- Joyce was eleven
;;;;:,T;';:
;l#1ff,,.11,;_;. ;t1;i.:ifl;.
::il:l
and Mabel \farren thirteen. Their long pigtails swung superciliouslr
to a masculine stride. Their sex humiliated him, as they warched hinr
fumble with his egg, from under lowered scornful tids. And last yerr
#-il, ti*j.ti-j*tirfi
*:=:,,;:':tI*l*
himsetfjn rhc dark.
,r ro makea blessed "".".np,"i;;.;
' *
"*
i,"'r, ter and
madero hid,
uirh no nighr
brcath
. . . He turned his face away fiom Perer, his cheeks scariet. "No- tllgrt up.- be wid. and rhen
wirh ,uddcr dr.pcurion,..BLrr
"$rhais the matier2" Peter asked.
"Oh, nothing. I don\ thinlc I'm well. I've got a cold. I oughtni ;:,!*:_':,y;j"11.f1.,',1.-.f,'", sqerr
onrheBibje
r
to go to the Perry." )_,):::""1,,al wourd
be_.,i n;,;";;;,1;:a,l,.Jf,;l
Peter was puzzled. "But, Francis,is it a bad cold?" o;rh He,wou
: lI ; TT_.:,:::."_l"an rc,h"*h,.l-*;;
"It \qill be a bad cold if I go to the prrry. Perhaps I shall die. '
"Then you musrnt go," P€tersaidwirh decision,preparedro soirc
all diificulties with one plain sentence,and Francis let his nerves reh\ Lx*!
r, iil;"#
* *j,,,
j;';l;:''l*#l;1;
.1.i"^'i,j"r.il:
in a delicious relief, ready to leave everyrhing to Peter. But thougl! h*, ", T#,rJjfi,:'":#
he was grateful he did nor turn his face towards his brother. FJi\ '*n^.""*-.. rn Codrhrrqhenrr b,cakra.r
cheeks sdll bore the badge of a shamefuI memory, of the game ol 1.,,111 hi\ morher
cord.rrarcr:...
hide"and'seeklast year in the darkenedhouse, and of how he hrri i,,o,rl:,ljf,1,.,-,
d haveheard-o,.
he mjde
r,shr
|gnt or
ot ir. ..ve
rt "s'/e
ta;il ;#'"'
screamedwhen Mabel Warren put her hand suddenly upon his aLrl
Jn,"ffi
,:IL ;;':T; H::ll'Ji'l
tl:
"bou,
"'"Jd:
He had not heard her coming. Girls were iike that. Their shoesnev r
squeaked.No boardswhined under their tread. They slunk like crr
on padded tlaws. \fhen rhe nurse came in wirh hot warcr FrantL.
;l'::::i!iii ::ir:r;i:,:i::;"r;:
. Hc wasakrnewir' hisnurse, #rhr*f
,";,;il;i,;:,,:'r::J:i

l6ll
THI nND OF TH! PARTY / Gahan Grene
rabbit hutch in the woodshed.If Peterhad been thcre he would ha\(
caredless;the nurse was Peter'snu$e also,but now it was as though
she were employed only fo( his sake,beceusehe could not be trusrerl
to go fot a walk alone. Joyce was only two years older and she tr'
by herself.
She came s$iding towards them, PiStails flaPPilg. She glanct,i
scomfully at Francisand spokewith ostenratior to the nurse."Heil,
Nurse- Are you bringing Francis to the Parry this evening? Mabcl
and I are coming." And she was off again down the strcer in iln'
direction of Mabel \flarrent home, consciouslyaloneand s€lf-sufrcier)|
in the long empty road. "Such a nice girl," the nurse said.But Fran(rr
was silent, feeling again the jumpjump of his hearr, rcalizing h(N
soon the hour of ihe party would affive. God had done nothing l"t
him, and the minures flew.
They flew too quickly to plan any evasion, or ever to PreParehrr
heart for the coming ordeal. Panic nearly overcxme him wh€n. ill
unready,he found himself standing on the doorsteP,with coal coll.rl
tumed up againsta cold wind, and the nurse'selectric torch makrttl{
a short luminous trail through the darkness.Behind him were tlrr
lights of the hall and the sound ofa servantlaying the tablefor dinrrlt,
which his mothet and father would eat alone.He wal neilrlyoverc()rrrr
by a desire to run back into the house and call out to his morltft
rhar he would not go to rhe Parry.that he darednot go Thev .'r,hl
not make him go. He could almost hear himself saying those |rr
words,br€akingdown forever,as h€ krcw instinctively,the ba'rrr
of ignorancethat savedhis mind from his parents'knowledge"l'
afraid of going. I von't go- I daren\ go. They'll make me hr,k t
the dark. and I'm afraid of the dark. I'lI scream and scream irrl
scream."He could seethe exPressionof amazementon his molhr'l
face, and then the cold confdence of a grown-uP's retort. "Don r I
silly. You must go. \re've accePtedMrs. Henne-Falcon'sinvitltt,'tt
But they couldn't make him go; hesitating on the doorstcPs l,r
the nurse\ feet crunched acrossthe frost'coveredgrass to dr' 1l.tt
he knew that. He $rouldanswer,"YoD can sayI'm ill l won t 1,r
I'm afraidof the darl." And his mother,"Dont be silly.Yorr hrrw
there'snothine to be afraidof in rhe dark" Bur he knew thc lil'rry
170
that reasoning; he knew how rhey taught also rhat there was
ing to fear in death, and how fearfully they avoided rhe idea
it. But they couldn't make him go to rhe parq..',I,ll scream.I,ll
"Francis,come along." He helrd the nurset voice acrossthe dimly
t lxwn ?nd saw rhe small yellow circle of her rorch
heel from creeto shrub and back to tree again. ,,I,m coming,', he
with despair, leeving the lighted doorway of the house; he
't bring himself
ro lay bare his last secrets and end reserve
his mother and himself, for there was still in rhe last resorr
furtherappealpossibleto NIrs-Henne-Falcon.
He comfortedhimself
irh that, as he advancedsftadily ecrossthc hall, very small, towards
enormous bulk. His heaft beat unevenly,bur he had control now
his voice, as he said with mericulous accent,,,Good evening,
Henne'Falcon.I. wes very good ofyou ro ask me to your party.',
ith his srrained face lifted towards the curve of her breasts. and
polite s€r speech.he was like an otd withered man. For Francis
very litle wich other children. As a twin he wasin many ways
only child. To addressPeterwas to speakto his own imagein
dir(or, ar imagea little alteredby a flaw in the glass,so es ro
back lessa likenessof what he was than of whar he wished
be, *'hat he would be without his unrqesoninqlear of darkness.
of strangers,rhe Aight of bats in dusk,filled gardens.
"Sweetchild,"saidMrs.Henne,Falcon absentmindedly, before,with
waveof her arms, as though the children were a flock of chickens,
*'hirled them into her ser program of encettainments:egg,
races, three,legged races, rhe spearing of apples, games
ich held for Francisnorhing worse thrn humiliadon. And in the
in(erv2ls when nothing was required of him and he could
alonein cornersasfar removedaspossiblefrom Mabel ri/aren,s
rlgaze,he was rble ro plan how he might avoid the zpproaching
of rhe dark. He knew there was nothing to fear until afaer
and nor unril he wassirting down in a pool of yeltowradiance
by the ren candleson Colin Henne,Falcon's birrhdaycakedid
bccomefully consciousof the imminenceof what he feared_
rcugh the confirsionofhis brain, now asseiledsuddenlyby a dozen
1 l{3 3ND OI THI PARTY / Gnham Gren.

contradictory plans, he heardJoyce's high voice down the table. "After

tea we are going to play hide-and'seek in the dark."
"Oh, no," Peter said, watching Francis'stroubled face with pitl
- ?tll'.TJt'?,e;
H:*,;T*, ::nn.l,:t i:,itfi?:.j,
i;
and an impelfecr understanding, "dont leis. We play that every year."
"But ir's in the program," cried Mabel Waren. "I saw it myself iiliii:iTf
i ;:
ionJess.
reraining.,r,."*r, ,r*a
r.::,,
*ff:I;T*'#
not PI/v Hesrood
I looked over Mrs. Henne-Ialcon's shoulder. Five o'clock, tea. A
quarter to six to half past, hide-andseekin the dark. It's all wrinen ;ll^xl*4::;:1":;:il:.:.JT:;:.,.
brorherr brin. F., ,h.
,lli"r
j::i::ril.;:;
';:;":'rrne fe'or ir\eri
'ea\hed
*;..;;
down in rhe program. "
Peter did not argue, for if hide-and-seekhad been inscrted in Mrs
Henn€-Ialcon's program, nothing which he could say could avert ir
ItstePs
nl,':; 51,'1 ffi;T::"t:T:'
3,olii:.
an istandoI arrt .urr""""ajlil'i:::
Sl
6v,d uur. rerlrnAhim Jone
rrPPinc
Thcn of
t'. *,n..u","Jir"i ,;i'r5nrre ",r,n8e
;,j::,:*r"-'''; ;;: il"#:
ff:.l::ff.:'i
He asked for another piece of birthday cake and sipped his tea slo r'
ilTlT
-i{l}Jr+t;fr
Perhaps it might be possible to delay the game for a quaner of an
hour, allow Francisat lerst a few extra minutes to form a pINn,bur
even in that Peter failed, for children were already leaving the ebl
in twos and threes.lt wes his third failure, and again, the reflecrio'r
ofan image in another'smind, he srw a greatbird &rken his brother''
;+$il1;,fil:ijffi Fr&cis.rd...orcoursc
face with its wings. But he upbraided himself silently for his fo)lr'. I1^:l *:Tr,:, 1'. !:,n:,
;,1"il,'ir.
t':11 ",;;
:::qT. :, * r wilj
9"'1"':1'J',iJi';
and finished his cak€ encouraged by the memory of that adult refrain.
"There's nothing to fear in the dark." The last to leave rhe rabl(, .tIh€. "',;*""
,f.'jpproa(h
f:::: r"::':;;"
,r,. ,u,;,,ri";.
;il
-l#'( ;";:1,#:r';
rrrronerrners
In
the brothers ca.rnetogether to the hall to meet the mustering an(l
th.Jll;: "::*:1,;r
"r
il il;Hll"tiitilfll;
hildrcoscmnhr..r--^..', l;"- :. "" "ture unboundcd,
impatient eyesof Mrs. Henne-Falcon.
"And now," she said, "we will play hide-and-seek in the dark
Peter watched his brother and saw, as he had expected,rhe iil.
fr['jj:,ij"T,ll'j,::::':l',*, j:ri:il;:ri::'ff
r.all rbeligbts.y..
I
;i:::
cupboards.
yo' ,n",, t." ..;;;; i;
tighten. Francis,he knew, had fearedthis moment from the beginn;![ "rri,ji."'^ ,ong as ),ou can. There
will
of the parry, had tried to meet it with courage arld had abandonrl Pcter. too. stood aprrr,
ashamedof rh" -
the attempr- He must have prayed desperatelyfor cunning to ev:r,|,
the game, which v/es now welcomed wiah cries of €xcitement by rll :"."[,,J::
,i:*l"Ji,l1i,:1.,,,,#.il;T: l:j#,]l,:i
rhe orher children. "Oh, do lecs." "we musr pick sides." "Is ry
of the house out-of-bounds?""\[here shall home be?"
"I rhink," seid FrancisMorron, approachingMrs. Henne-Falc,'rr,
fl:l,,,..il::!i;,,'"',tj.1li:,.,.:.ill.:i"
..Thcndarkness
,L,,,*"q
."^. a"*" if..l#*,,,c,n
rnerop ffoorwenr
ora b,r rnd sctrred
his eyesfocused unwaveringly on her exuberant breasts,"it will l{ ",'.,";;;;;";:,':',srnss
no use my playing. My nurse will be calling for me very soon. #l;ill,.li.:.n,,0*,"*.,.i,i,,,il;iT.k#:JJlf
,li ;:'"::i
tneccnnalradiancr
:n,,"jr",. *n,r. ,n" u,," .oi"l,.*o.tn on hooded
"Oh, but youI nurse can waia, Francis," said Mrs- Henne-Fal,,'rr rh*. ,".. ," u..-,i"l,lii"''und wrnss
absencmindedly,while she clapped her hands rogerher ro sumnrrf J:il,ed,ro_r
tyou and Fr.rnci,arco" ,;rl;;;;;;'"::
to her side a few children who were already scleying up the *i,1,
ssircese ro upper floors. "Your morher vrill never mind." ,j",lof
#:#ll lf ,::;;+:
footfatis, i"l:l; :j::.111 ?.,;_"':,',T:
likesmali
c;.',;;;,.dl]"ili,:i:#ill:
\1)
TH! nND OF THI PARTY/Gqhlm GFene

"\(here's Francis?"he wondered."IfI join him he'll be lessfrighi r:uch*. rhj bookcasectosero peter,s
1 :Td heed and he was
ened of all thesesounds." "These sounds" were the caling of silencc u*i.t conrinued
in ,pir"oru, p....,,...ri
The squeakof a looseboard, the cautiousclosing of a cupboarddoor. ::-t T*more bearable,
s intense, " f?, *",
he hoped, but it remained. He knew
the whine of 2 finger drawn along polished wood wri^his,t'ro.hert f,err aD1 not his rha.
own thar he experienced.The
Peter stood in the center of the dark desertedfloor, rot listenin3 ,1.:._llly: .:'" ,n.,b.en.e
or,,;,, ;i. ;;il;';;:
bur waiting for the idea of his brother's whercaboutsto enter hi' a lamrtra, p;rrenrJy
chitd. hc wr;tcd ro be fo.Lrd.
;;;
brain. But Frencis crouched q'ith fingers on his ears,eyes uselessll H-e drd not spcakag:in for berqecn prun.o
rnd him.elr rou.h
closed,mind numbed against impressions,and onlv a senseof strlirr mosr tnrimatecom.rn,on. n1.
.the |
could ctoss tl're gap of dark. Then a voice called "Coming," and :t' rdflow moreswjrrr'
rh.r"
,,0...,,0'.n;;"r1
,fJ,Lff:":il::jT:il:
tbough his brother's self-possession had been shatteredby the suddct' .llld^?O-*1"-
cry, Petff Morton jumped with his fear' But it was not his own ferr ,:1,:t "5*.*nolep.og,e,, ofii" b.orher.s
.""".. . ;;
einorion,
;il;'if:J;
from
\trhat in his brother was a burning panic, admitting no ideasex(cl'l *.l._1:
, v.mch now ""."p*i"a
wenr on and on with the regularity
of a heartbeat.
those which added to the {lame, was in him an altmisric emoti"t' :r Monon rhought with intensity, ..I
am here.you needn,tbe afraid.
that left the reasonunimpaired. "wbere. if I were Francis,shoul(i I
,li-Chts:ill go.ol ,g"i,, Th,. .;.;", rnat movemenris
hide?" Such, roughly, was his thought. And becausehe was, if n'r mg "oo,,.
to.fear.OnlyJoyce,only Mabel$Zarren.,,Hebombarded rhe
Francishims€lf, at le$t a mirlot to him, the answer was immedixtr 'I-18 6,T *ih.:b"ght, of <afery.
bur hc wr, .on.ciou.rh,rr
"Between the oak bookcaseon the left of tbe study door and the leatli'1
settee."PeterMofton was unsurPrisedbythe swiftnessof the resporr"
rear conrrnued. .'They are beginnine
.rl; ;;' i.:'il:'#,:'-,i, co v ',::-""
"ff
Betw€en lhe twins there could be no jargon of relePathy The\' h.r'l T_d
won.,Don't :s ::' rhelii;Tfl
be aftaid.That *r, olrly.oir"on. on
been together in the womb, and they couid nor be Parted. stairs.I
ListcnTheyarefeeti,sf.. ,;. ;;;;. ;
Peter Morton dProed towards Francis'shiding Place Occasionrrll\ ".^.1Y:: T:1".,.1".n.
*ndsbrushing
f,::lr"-.1,::T:: r wan.
ac,,ilil;:;;;,
a boerd rattled, and becausehe ferred to be caught by one ol tl'r Kng nandlc.,rhe.openingof I cupboard door. In rhe caseabove
soft questersthrough the dark, he benr and untied his laces.A t r1
erouch..onryJoyce.
under onryMabeJ
struck the floor and the metallic sound set a host of cautious ictt ::i:i.1":,:r::]
8!rcn. ",l€d
only Mrs. Henne Falcon...acrescendo of ;.;";,; ,;;;;
moving in his ditection. But by that time he was in his stockirrgr lorc thf chrnd€lierbunr. tike a fruir
tree,rnro bloom.
and would have laughed inwardly at the Pursuit had not the n'rt' r rhc rhrldrenrosc(hri in(o rhe ,rdiance..where.)
.11j,:.:,:* )
of som€onestumbling on his abandonedshoesmade his heart tttlt "Have yoir looked ups.airs?',,,\)Zhere,s
lrancisl,,bur they wefe
in the re{lectionof another'ssurPrjse.No more boardsrevealedlJ.r' I agam_byMrs. Henne_Ialcon,sscream.
But she w?s nor the
Morton's progress.On stockinged feet he moved siJent\ and Lrrrtt to notrceFran(i.Morron s rrillncs. whcre
he hadcollapscd agarnsr
ingly towrrds his object. lnsdnct told him rhat he was near rhc \ rlll w?]t rr rhe rouch ofhis brorher.shand petcr
connnuedro hold
and, extending a hand, he taid the fingers acrosshis brother's j',, ,:lg ,.^dpuzzted
T:.i:".,""c*.'".,1 gricrrr na.norme"cr)
Irancis did not cry out, but rhe lerP of his own hearr rcrr.rl',| ororher was dead.Hi. brain. roo young ro re,lizerhe
to Petera proportion of Francis\ terlor "Ifs all right," he whi1, r' 'l' rnrs fuil
dox, yet wondered*i,t ,n olr.u...alp;ty
vrhy it wasrhacthe
feeling down the squacing figure unril he captureda clenchcdlr rrr'l c-of his trrotherl fear went on and
on, wfren Franciswzs now
"It\ only me. I'll sta) with vou." And grasping dle otbcr ti11lrrll, tc hc had been alwaystold there
was no more terror and no more
h€ lGtefled to the cascadeof whispers his uttetancc had crusrl r't

)7J
 " she srvs to me. 'Go
our for a while. Go seeLazer-!(/o1l
At**t, the
He wantsto seeyou abour some.hing
,ii, very
MODERN CHILDREN
/ FrJSSIA
SNOLOMALEICHEM r;sked...whrr i5 hc 5rl.rnx,ous
,* marrerr..
,Yn:;': ,o.ee me
,f,l"o'lpof thrt_mir<h
cosor ou,..re,him;r.;
]i'.^l
and ,l:^l:
knocl<thar iae, our of t,;s teJ.il
so arurious
abourher for?,,shesaysro me.,The
1f:
rDat T I. out
we get- of her, or thc cheeseor buftet/,,
jnl-::, ln'"urg aboutthat,,,r just rhe idea.rt
to the poor thing"n,s,.,:-.rr,
"r:t l: q1": .o s. ,t"ugt,.J ;;
t do.rhar ro a-tir.;ngcrerture.,;,, "."y
cHTLDRIN,did you sav?Ah, you bring them into tlrr' _;.;;]"';:";;;
Moo"""
of rhart..5hccomesbr.k ,r mc ..rhe qhotc 1":
world, sacrifice yourself for them, you slave for them dav and night -"-.;,T^1191
's alrcadythar you.re qortd
a mrn oflearn;ngly;
and what do you get out of it? You think thaa one way ol anothcl
it would work out eccording ro your ideas or station. After 2ll. I i.^.:"1
T1,ce w!r,;;;' i'.J.Hi'J:;'jJ:l ):l
La7er.
^Tt hew"ntle,o.r,e*lone.
,r; ;;"::il:l]
don\ expect to marry them offto millionaires,bur then I don't h:tr' 51:*t.. 'to come
andseeme.Ir,simportanr.,,,
to be satisfiedwith just anyone,either' So I Fgured I'd have ar lc:r"t ffP -l-g' t a,while
you haveto obe) your wife
a lirrle luck with my daughters.$7hy not? ln the frsr place, didrr'r :1,,.*..
me rnro ir, :nd I So I let her
go over ro Anrce"tr rtr o u r l h ' e c
the Lord bless me with handsome girls; and a pretty face, as irt
yourself have said, is half a dowry. And besides,vrith God's l(ll'
0..','.;:";;;:;:il:i
vasnt homF -a7L-.-
lilJ*l,."].;;,YjT..il:. -^-
m;lec rwr).

l'm not the same Te\Te I used ro be. Now the besc match, c\(rl
.a"y,,, saysrhewoman,.,andhe
in Y€hupetz, is not beyond my reach Dont you agree*'ith mc/ .: y.lt be comingbackprertysoon,, wentdown
l1 {"S.t'-....;rg
But there is a God in heavenwho looks after everythin1. "A Lt'l T
J wair Ard-wtute I m *rii.g r fJok,',*"a rhchou,e
nerciful and canparianate," who hls His way with me summer :rirr a lirrte.
s/inter, in seasonand out. And He saysto mq "Tevve, don't trl i::',lj.:' ,1l*: ir La"cr'worr
ll.l*f::nued h,.b."", ;;;;
,.;it-,a *i,h c";;e;,,."1;:
i.i;":
like a fool. Leavethe managementof the world to Me" ^]f.ii " *t!" worrh: a
So listen to srhat can haPPeoin this great world of ours. Arr
coupleof umquars.
";:r" 5ernq6,s55
:o-^lrl
silverceodtrsricks
r^a gita.a gobi.,"."a";' ;
ro wbom does it have to happen? To fevie, shlinazl r,:;r::;;
To make a long stofl short, I had iust lost evervthing I hx'l I
porcer,i'|n -d *;,;;;
il";i::j'S1':'-';
I.rlink:lcomy.cr:n1sirver
i,l;;i;;"'.';J:*
a stockmerl(et investment I had gotten involved in through tlr't l,1l'-r1,", homc"
relative of mine, Menachem-Mendel(may his namc and memor 1 ;-":i1:1,:ir:TH,*n.s . \x/har r rucrry
relowhr
,ll nobody
to support,
u.,n ;;;;i;;;;;;::
forever blotted ou|, and I was very low lr looked as if it wt rl i.n,y1,f
and he himself is a widower. . . ...
over wrth me No more Te\)'e, no more dairy business'
'tirr'l jn. d:"1 opensandin sramps Lazer_Volf
"Fooi," rny wife saysto me. "You have worrjed enough ell,".-r1l
Reb Ter"ye,.'r," -* ,.wr,,...
* . - , ' . t t c.il"_-
get nowhereworying. You'll iust eat vour hearrour. Preren'lr|n to" . gct ^.. ;''.'.
maltct?vhy
I'll tcll \"rl " ' hold
" ^ ' , of yoLr2How goes ir?,,
robbers had broken in and taken everything awat. should it go2,'l say co trim.
"l go:rnd I go, rnd I ger
MODIRN CHILDRIN/ Sholon Alcicben

nowherc.'Ne;ther Sald or heahh nat life ikelf" 2s the Torah says' :c€ of ice-in winter. $Ze've known that from way
back.,,
"Don't complain, Reb Tel'e," he answersme "ComPared a'rtlr me, sweet as susar. ,.That was a tong
rime
.t::."j::.:,' i..*^,:"all_you
..But now-after
what you were $/hen I nrst knew you, you're a rich man today-" ' and l_we,ie practi."ltyt;;#;;,
"May we both have what I still nrcd to make me a rich man fr we?"
'Abtacadabta a*aAzdta s u'"0
I say. "But I am satisfied, .hanL God. famity?
whar areyoutatkingabout,Reb
_11#ut;:n* "f
tne rdtnla szys.
"Y,o! rell me. Reb Tegc. I.m
"You're always there w ith a l]l:r' of Talmtd be comes back' " $? h:rt beginning ro s/ondef. ...
a luclry man you are, Reb Teqe, to know all"' th€sethings- But whll wonderingabo-ut:vcic tarkingrbout
ny nir.h
,,H']
w. The one1::l":
does all that wisdom and knowledge have to do witb us? we hr\f rou *rnt to b.,y f.o- m" ,,
other things to ralk about Sit down, Terye." H€ lets out a yell, "Lcr \ ?."Y-"{.f--:
back his head and lets out a roer. .,That,s
a
heve some teal" And as if by magic the snub-nosedwoman aPP€rrrt o d o n e l " , h eh o * l s a r m c . . . A , o w t
And I milh.ow ar rhar,..
-
snatchesthe samovar,and is of to the kitchen- ,": T \jy. ",hen whx aerc ire rarlsns:bour..
"_I :". \or,
"Now that we are alone," he saysto me, "we can talk businc"' me so I can laugh roo.,,
Herc is the story. I've been wanting to talk to you for a long tinr daughtcr.
we wereurring.rbour
yourdaughrer
]I,::ill:l' \/ou know.
I tried to reach you through your daughter-How manv dmes hrr\r Reb Tevle. rhrr I hare been a
I begged you ro come?You understand, I've been c25ting an eve ,wer for quite a while now. So I
thoughi, whl do I heve to go
"I knov," I say, "that you have been casting an eye on hcr' lrrt iT ov"er_-rhes/orl.d_ger mixed up"wicrr
macchmakers, those
it's no use-Your pains are wasted' Reb Lazer'\7oll There is no tt" ,.or:ll
sarmJ Herc*e bo,h r k""* y;;. ;;i;;i;.';J:
",e.
taiking abouc it." I sec.herin myshopevent hursd,)
::."I":::s^j'l:_,
; made l:1ger ... r ,"
agoodimprc.,io"
"\qhy nor?" he asks,with a frightened look- ,,n.i *i;; ;.;; ;; ;;.i.
housc i\rrt looks.Iikc e ni.e. gLrer""
"\X/hy yes?" saysI "l can wait l'm in no hurry My girl. And rs ror me_r,
)oJ .ee tof
m-pretrvwel off.,i hiw my own hou:e.
Llt;I- A . ouple of srore,,
"But why shoutd you wait, if you can affange;t now?" .*:^:,T a rirrremonclrn rhe che:r.r trveprenl
1l- whv do
"Oh, that's not imPortant," I say "Besides, I feel sorrY f(n rl [ ... . fook, Tevye, we have to do a lot b;;;;;
poor thing." to impr€sseach_other,bluff exch orher? listen "f
to me. Ler,s shake
"look at him," saysLazer'\(olf with a laugh."He feelssorrr l't on ir and call it a match.,,
her. . . . If somebodyh€ardyou, Reb Ter-ve,he'd havess'olrrtlrrt ,:-ll.l., ,*, r ;ustsarandscared. I courdnrsaya word.
1*.0 .Tzci(I.
she was the only one you had. It seemsto me that fou havc I lr wa!: Lrrcr Volf . . . . He hrd .hjldren
more without hel." ,".:::,11:: u", rhenr reminded myself:whara ruckvrhing
r'
"Does it borher you if I keep them7" I sav "lf an-lonc 1' r,* evcnrhingshc.wann A,,d,, h; i.;";',;
*:,t*llTh_eres'ere orher 8;;:
rhings besideslooks. Thcrc was onry
one
'Jealousl r{/ho is talking of jerlousv?" he cries."On thc cotrtt ttl oio him:.he coutdbarety
readr,ispravers.
1^l*t iri'*, nuc
I know chey'resuperior, and that is exacrlr why-you undctit'trl be a scholar? Thereareplenryof *.,lrr,y me,,
::::.,1.10:9t
And dont forget, Reb T€vye, that you can gec something or'r .l I . ,,, Nzrpe\xr.and crer in ychupetz who don.r knoq
lcrter f.om anorher.
Jusr the same, if ir,s rheir tuck co have a
I k-now all r Person can get from you monq rhcy get ail the respecrrnd honor
"Of cours€ a man coulcl wanc.
li[opr^" ct, ,.tronru/ ,t olomAlc].hen

and wisdom
As the saying goes, "There's learning in a strongbox'
in a Purse.. "
"V.1, n b t oy.," he says "why don't you say something?" {i:;:i:::i::!iix;y,#-:ir#:ri::i;
j i
"\trhat do you want me to dol Yell out loud?"
I ask mildly' as
l;{:,i:r:::x *::;;[;::;
ir=i..*;,,,-:'
* #
don't you' thar
if not wanting to look anxious "You understand'
this is something a person has lo think over' lt's no trifle
She'smr
i1;1" i*:r:L:.j#"::
"-".,".r.tiji'".?,
eldesrchild."
"All the bener," he says
'Just becauseshe is your eldest ' _ - Thar

wiII give you e chance to marry otr your second &ughter' too'
an(l :{:{rli.l:}!i
l:har-
;ktii:*j{r
il:1"i:i1
and,r,." sr.r.,o ii. *.ia
-'' *rearns-discus,
then, in time with God's helP, the third Don't you see?" .i;":::
*r',:-,*.0 Lazc,_worr. whirir '(asure
rrcasure
off is n{) "l know . . . Believrme. ,rc ^r"
\hc i>r..
"Amen. The semeto you," I tell him "Marrying them I k;;'.'"1
-' ti l didni I woutdncrcr
,-esuggctedanyrhing.
trick at all. Just iet the Almighw send each one her Predesrin€d .:,
husband."
0,"i""0,,
jT;';nf.
:I,:';TK.J,,,;: **
"No," h€ says-"That isnt what I mean l mean something
qether diFerent l meen the dowrv That you won't- ned
altt'
for.her il,t#i:
ind her clothesI'11rakecxreoftoo- And maybeyou'll 6nd somethinr

*j[::ri:r:if,,tji;l.li*::,,.*:
in your own Purs€besides "
ish".. on yoo!" I shout at him "You're elking jusc as if 1'ol
flerc in the butcher shop. \fhat do you mean-my Pufse?
My Tzeitl is not the sort that I'd have to sell for
money!"
'Just as you say," he answe$ "I meanr it all for rhe best lfyou
Sham(l

J;,l, .;;
",".f:#
rulr.r::ril:t1t,T:i,y*
cr-ruorrrhe 6shshcmakes:
;;;;:"-,:;.f:;r,..ll
donlt like it, lels forget it. lf you're happy without thar' I'm haPf\ "",.],
righl
too. The main thing is, let's get it done with And I mean me ror savinsir. but youie qomeqhar
awry. A house must heve a mistress You know what I meao ruu oonr know vour
mjn. you doni knos,
'Just as you sy," |^ltee. "I won't stand in your way But I ha\c "P:^tlfl mc ar
to talk it over with my wifc. In af,airslike this she has her say lr\ rnd
:':..carc. rzeicr
r, "nJ, .'ii,"^ ontheorhcr. Do
"},,9:lljly-:lt.'
'A l,
no trine. As Rashi says: mother is not a dust rag' Besides,therc\
Tzeitl herselfto be asked.Hovr doesthe saying go?
'All the kinsmctt ifi *'j,,f::
her lirtle 6nger.,, -li'i l','-.,;.i;
were brought to the vredding-and the bdde was left home j.:;?i,;":,,*" mc.revye.yourc a bis roor.
"\ghat ioolishness!"saysl,e!-wolf "Is this something to arl h r oldcr rhan I am.', cvenir you
irrl
aborLt.,Tell her, Reb Tevl'e! Go home Tell her what is what'
get the wedding canoPy readY"
"No, Reb Lazer'rvo1f'''I say."That's not the way you ffeat
a youru
5':#"", 3r*,5r.jnir-1 l',.., rons
Il;,:.1'';ll
fcer ::
as;:;l',:*r
if they r,:"i
.ime,
ii':
hadu."" .ir?t ij.
jjll;
sroppins
:l'- li'"tlt?
-ly l:tc
my wife, seeingriglc x*ry
girl " ,fr", r *""iip.y,
it over' But frrsr' I|l' gaveme e proper
"Al1 right," be says."Go home and talk
Tel1,e,ler's have a iittlc drink How about it?" . Goldc, conrrol yoursell.,,
I siy ro hcr chccrfull),,
xlmosr

J80
NTODIIRNCHII-DREN / Sholon ,{leichen

readr to statt dancing. "Don't screechlike thar, my soul

\Ve h2\'e jtl the ttungs teitl vrill need.Shedoesn,thavea stitch
of under-
congmtulations coming " p'..:l stockines.
And ro,.to,r,.",
il,1:".J^.:,., icotron", "r,.lri"i"i
"Congratularions?For whar? For having sold thar Poor co$ ro !^l.l:,,-:,,* I"o*.",,nd ;;;, ;;:;T;-."";
Lazer-lwolf ?" and ctoaks_she
shouldr,",,"at t"ast
l.:-l':.::l
-one. a fur fo
lhrd ,p.:r...ats,
clo;l< for wcelcdar
"\gorse than that," I sat s and : good onc q irh r
Sarurdays.And how about rLjffe
"Traded her for another one? And outsmarted lazer-Wolf poor -a Drir
,1,, of h,,.
"""'" and
4!u d
i cor\er.
corset.
cs. hendLerchiefs,
handlcrrhi"f- , pa,,sor,
^"--"^; a,,d ,w,.uu,ron_shoe\
fellov..?" ,h; ;;. t chings thar a girl
ys has to have?,' " "x
"Srill worse."
"Talk sense,"she Plerds "look. I have to haggle with him i{' did youget acquaincd
with alr
;ili"G$f;.1"t1"s, rhese
ev€ry word."
"Congratulations, Goide," I say once more "Congratularions rrl
both of us. Our Tzeid is engagedto be married "
'Ar)'l 1",,*i.=!,:f
aiJ
;,?":;il;:;.J::.ilT,'.:::,n
rheralking
"Ifyou talk like rhat then I knorr' vou're drunk"'she says :,:.T. j. *r,h;r; ,")*lr ;"::ffiTi.ll;,
soni *,n'|e'erlbodv
not slightly, either. You're our of your heid You musr have foLlr'l in ,hcramrr\
'/' 'Irc r',',; (o
:;:1l,jj"):::"::..::
ne borhcringhim. Ler.sdo;r prope,r; ;
r real glassful somewhere" ,;;'-^,
Pcrson ha\ ro c'r
him ear a bellytul . .. Pork
"Yes. I had a glassof whiskey with laz€r'\qol| and I had str'"
punch with Lazer'$rolf, but I'm still in my right senses Lo rrr'l
tehold. Golde darling, our Tzeitl has really and crull and oficirllr
become betrothed to Lazer'Volf himself-"
::"::i:rillli':}J.,"li'::i:":",'JJ';
i.,rr,.*..na.,i,i
:::,-:1,.r."**1i,,
' to wort ;a*;..;:;,;"::,,i
And I tell her the whole story from start to finish, how and s lr rr tor a living .
and when and why. Everyrhing we discussed,word for s'ord *:, right r harnessed
-..{D\w my lirtre
"Do you hear, TelTe," mt wife finally savs,"mr herrt tol(l lrrr'
::.:jjl;:
and :,ul.bar,ery
wcnroffro s";u",it wi."i , suL "tv rrrrreord
-^, ,o rhc Boibcrik
old
a1l along rhar when Lazer'Volf wanred to seelou it sas for !rr1!
31.^;.1:I*"
. ,"i
*.:r..P'...";;. ;;;;;ffi";;::l marker

thing. Only l was afraid to think abour it. Mavbe nothing v'"tl'l I .o"g,r,uf"..a'f.o-
"^ ,li.id.,.
comi of it. Oh, derr God, I thank Thee, I thank Th€e. Flcx\r lllv ulacions.
congraruhrionstneb i evye,
when does rhe
Father. . . . May it all be for the best Mal' she grow old with lrit
in richesand honor-not like thzt first wife ofhis, !'ruma-Sarahr lr' ,: .amero
]i. I.: ,t":,n. )ou. t ,ejt ,hcn. ..rr tooft.r:
life with him was none too hxPPv She was, mav she fbrgive rri( I' i5niborn)e,and,h","" i' d,;:';
sayingit, an embitteredwoman Shecouldn't get along witlr r'r1l' "ly
l'lJl?,;;;*" .1* "'he'
Not at all like our Tzeirl. . Oh, dear God. I thank Thcc 'l' ,1:1,.o:rrr..youcanl awey w,ththat!
l)r'i lr wc Lllil",illi-
wenr ir r,err. Whv. how J,,.L. set
God . . -'Vell, Terye,didn't I teII vou, you simpleron ' . . . . , , _ a r e ,R e b T
haveto worri 7 Ifa thing has to happen it *'ill happen
tl well runs dry," I tell them, ..and
"I agreewith vou," said I "There is a passagein the I-'lhtr'/ all rhat,s lefr is a hole in
cov€fs that very Point- - . "
"Dofl\ bother me *'ith Your pessages,"she said "wc !' ll"r rl .1"' bea.hogandrcrve
11
8s Il"
I m rhrough dflivering I.
in thelurrh...Ar
ioLr r,icnds
get readyfor the s'edding. First ofall. makc out lr lisr for l'r7'r \\i be brck.. I rclt rhcm Thcre.ll

lill
.,8J
MODIRN CHIIDREN / Sholon Aleichem

be drinks and a bite to eat. l-et's enjoy ourselves As the Good Book )ts and crocks and ml, cart on
top of mel \!
sxys, tEl)ena beggaralfi celebrdte."'
So I got through with my work as fast as I could and
joined rht
crowd in a drink ot two. \(/e wished each other good luck as peopk'
ril*imti:'.,.'*
1;:+1!''J;;;;*
j;:*:,,,i,i.r rt
do, and then I got back into my cart and started for home agaitr'
happy as could be. lt was a beautii summer day, the sun vas hor'
*1;:mH *ll
xf,[""i]ntt.'i:::I;i".::il i'r$;,,i:-"1
but_on both sidesof the toad there was shade,and the odor of tlr
;:,,li"i:::l^1"*,f
:*i
pineswas wonderful Like aPrince I stretchedmyselfout in thewagorl
and easedup on the reins. "Go along," I seid to the liftle old ho6' j
#]"::;"*,H :Il"l[;u*;i j:l*ji
::#:T:",,.
"go your own way. You ought to know it by no*"' And mvscll' n:1 ni:rorrunc\ mishr bc
lw?irjne n,c. . .
::
I cleaf my thloat and start off on some of the old tunes I am rrl
holiday mood, and the songs I sing are those ol Rash Hashona tnl
Yon Kippur. As I sing I look up at the s\ but my thoughts
xrr :i'lj!t::.:;i.:.i::ffj:x',^:';:
i::lJ
'k, rnd seerhrr.ir\ Tzeirl. ;'::::i
Alhe srght f,". -l f,.,r,'.;-rt., i
concernedwith things below The heavms2re rhe I-ord'sbut the errtl' -,ht I jump do$n f,o,n tr,e *,son.
"f
He gave to the Children of Adam, for tbem to brawl around in r'l I^::1 is rhrr
"Tierl- r"ul Wtr, ,,.,", ;.,.;T;;.
live in such luxury that they hav€ dme to rear each other aPart lt'l Dhe-trls on my neck wich : sob ,.Mr
d:uJ rer. wh.rrare
this little honor or thac Thev don,t even undersqnd how {r! )uri I rsk her )ou ( r) ing
ought to praise the Lord for the good things thar He gives them .Farhcr.
r a r h e r tA
. nd,hc r, choked
qirn rear,
sui *., lh. poor people, who do not live in idlenessand lu\rirl' "3j..'*...':.
give us but one good day and *'e thank the Lord and praise I lirrr' .H';,::,::i'":-:::: Yfj:',n'.0'"" roroL", s., p,,',,ng
aroundher.p,rrjng,.a
l.lm_) k",,.e Le.
-'tsarher.
ie say,"Ohalti,I kre Him"-the HighestOnc-"far.He har nv t,w't Frrher.havepin on m" Hitp
tur the wews of l' rne . .
and m1prayr, He inclin* Hi edr ta tw ,*,t- rryingroi:..r ,.1 , ,.'1,", n. n.,d ..Lirrle
campassiru, thefaod: af Belial arrailedne. ," Here a cow falls d' rr "Y,, root,
,:,:,"i: :::-gi
i_;'l:l:j: heawn \.sakc.,,,,,r,,,li
attJ is injr:..d, therean ill wind bringsr kiruman of mine, a g'ur ;" ,"
8.i"s i_
r",.;,;; *;
)"o"ot ,.rke Bur ir"ir doe,n ..,",'i',.i'.iii_l
fo!-nothing, a Merachem_Mendelfrom YehuPetzwho takesawrl rl
j:,:.j L roperr ro r ou, o r,ar
last oennv: and I am surc that the world has come ro an end-tlr :: s:;"c,'.
l^",,,
do) :","
Apparenrrr
:: ;. -,,
is no truth or jusric€ left anl'whereon earth. . . . But what doc\ | "", ",d;;ea.
runk,you. Farher rhrnk vou...,hc
)rn_. crre,.rnd lallr on r.l
lord do? He moves lazer-Wolf with the idea of taking my daull't ( ag n aod dissolvesin
rears
Tzeitl without evena dowry. . And thereforel give thanksto'llr ruroncdar
dear God, again and again, for having looked upon Ter'-veand "r b e-"i:,,,:".::
comestiresom"*e _ _:oush
..
I vcne'ins
-:: rhe *agonrnd Jett gi
ro his aid. . . - I shall yet have joy. I shall know what it is to *t !,lTo
my child and find her a mistressof a well-stockedhome, wirh I li 1 ",'Jr
mo,hrrqiui.', i,,,?;*::
cool" lrl
",?i.^.Y:::,:
vzc both get the cart and I r.y .o cajm r'I
her oosn
down. tl tettrcr
full of linens, pantries full of chicken fat and Pres€rves, that wr hrd no( Frernr . - . . , , .rnr
- , . r .r,,,;
, : , , , ,,,^;-.".'"""
u n c r .G o d ( n o w . r h c r r u r h
of chickens,geeseand ducks . wantedwas ro shreld ._, o,,. .t,,,-r.-.
*:q,,*, r--- rom povcl).. ..sn jf wr(
Suddenly my horse dashes downhill, and before I crn liit
off t mcant,- I s.rrd,.,,rhrr ,. 1 , 1 "-,.qhn,,tj
vou - , , " " , " jr.,, , . . -\ ( j-:, ( h c . .a r h e . 6 6 1 , 1 1 ,
m1' rtt'; ( . . ^of. rhrr
head to look round I find myself on the ground wirh all ; , , . . we should
,
hrvc r lirrlc jol in our old
.rge .rftc, .rll

1t14
]\4OD!RN CHlt-DREN /Snobn Aleictren

our hxrd work, harnessed,you might say, day and night to a v,rheel o, lerjourself be mrlked.
be rhe mcrnr ot l,velihood for a
barrow-no happiness,only Poverty and misery and bzd Iuck ovr:r man and
you.ri,rrehorf. qr\h ,o chew_rhen
andovet...." hj:.r?ljr:,*", if run
"Oh, Fxther," she cries,bursting into tea$ again. "I'Il hire mvscll
out as a servanl. I'Il caffy rocks. I'il dig ditches. . . -" fffi*.;x
:in*iii:i:::rnl*,"n :*
'#j
rl#
churn.rheburrer.^rt"ir,..r,..*, tuwr' atrrv rhc

L::.:'::',*';: ;;ilil:l:fi ffi","1

r,"_.'\
"\7har are you crying for, silly child?" I say. "Am I forcing vo!/
Am I complaining? It's just that I feel so wretched rhat I have 1(' ;:
get it ofr my chest; so I talk it over with Him, with the Almighrr'
abour the way He deals with me. He is, I say, a merciful Fathcr' flT'J:1{i'i:ii
[l;i:; ;:u *.,T;:;:#il
fi*i
'j"Y.l;;:::,r;::.#;;;,1:i,';::J',i:?:,,,{
,"..p1-1. :
Ah. b,, ,h." ;i ;;;;;'ur'
' oo invthinsro hu'
He hes pity on me, but H€ shows me what He can do, too; arr,i
what can I sal? Maybe it has to be thal vay. He is high ir heavctt
high up, and we are here below, sunk in the errth, deePin th€ exrl, ll"l"p..*lo,1"t.
ln*ofo.l
cheere. ::lli;Tj:
",.."ir,."."J,ri":$
rnd burrcr
So we must say that He is right and His judgment is right; be(xrr!
'rifTk,
*Tl1,1".,:.j::i-t,:: rorrhcirbreakfa.r?
if we want to look at it the other way round, who am I? A s'Lrrlr
[:i,']iitfi :firHt::{
f*.t115: ##ji.1;
rk#*$,::r;:;:y
that crawls on the face ofthe earth, whom the slighrcsr breezc- rl
God only willed it-could annihilate in the blink ofan eye So r'1"'
am I to stand up against Him with my litde brain and give Ilir|
:r;,
ir*;;l ::
::::,
y;:,!::,y);;;i!:i:]i'i
adviceon how to run this little world of His? Apparentlyif He ord:rir"
it this way, it has to be this way. What good are comPlaints?Fr'r\
days befote you werc conceived,the HoIy Book rclls us, an |
ifi*::r[i,ffi
;:, fo-J::0,.
gerchee.e
and;;;;.;,;;' ;::, r"'; i?'l r"
appearedand decre€d:
'Let Terrye'sdaugbter Tzeitl rake Getzel"trrl|
rlr ::'"J:?#i":"]::'iit-
b'rst.out hughing. T'trii^"9 a,'ine
,heven (housh,
ven(houph'
or
ol
,,., r,; ;;J;,d:;;:r
son of Zomch, as her husband; and Iet lazer-Wolf the butchcr t1t , ani-, " - - t t u 8 : I t c o d r i s f e n er d
o
1{":,*h: *..ra';,
elsewhereto seek his mate.'And to you, my child, I say this: Il,rv
God send you your predestinedone, one worthy of you, and rrr'rv
he come soon, Amen. And I hope your mother doesn'tyell rco mr, lt.
,l,'il"l,ffii
:m;.*.U**:.lni:1;;,;;
I'lJ ger enough from her as it is.' we!. well... I say,.,you
\oell. we came home at last. I unharnessedthe little horsc rtl
srt down on the grass near the house to think things ov€r, tlrrr
; i,:,::::".:j[';:i1,;:,*,
i;ll;#J:l
speakof rhe M".";

i::r;;
up some fartastic mle to tell my wife. lt was late, the sun was scll irr/{l nl -. here?" ,.Myrwo
he answers.
flTj feet.,,
in the distancefrogs were croaking; the old horse, ded ro a crcc.\
"j*:":,:.-::l ,n.s',*".* _".,"d,[""ii.jo.",.
:l ..;" ,*
'w^r urr roqrrd rh(
nibbling at the grass; the cows, just come from pasture,waitc,l ttl whercrhcgirrs,,.
,ur, *ri,"
6'r" '!rrc'r
the stalls to be milked. AII around me was tbe beavenlysmrll ,
the fresh srass-like the Gatden of Eden. I sat rhere thinking it rll
ve been*"".i-^
; dll'',i,ii
ll':,il:l:.tf ::..::li-qlJ ,^ --
ii.liJl:
:,
""'. Pot\ andpit.hcrs

over. . . . Holr cleverlythe Eternal One has createdrhis lit(lc \"'rlt of work and you r . 4 L t . u <
n e x r . r w o r k f- ,o. r h
. . ,",. . t r ' r^J^U_w. .
of His, so that every living thing, from man to a simPlc cow rrrrrrl
earn its food. Nothing is free.Ifyou, liale cow, wish rc cNr rl!rl .,jj.
rs l'::.::
m'ch tl.l:",.
aswccan
d..p,,;.;
; ;# l',i.jlll.,;,iJl "!J you

dorigl,, r,:.b; i r,;;; ii J:r:lff

".,;
MODIRN CHII-DREN /Sholon Alcichcm

Everybodyis marrying off his children-everybody, even the widos

Trihubecha."
"Everybody," I say. "Iverybodv excePt Terye Maybe I am not
vorthy in the eyesof the Lord."
"No," he answersquickly, still looking of, where the girls are
"You're misraken,Reb Tewe. Ifyou only wanted to ''ou could marr\'
off one of your children, too. It all dependson you. . "
"So?" I ask. "Maybe yot have a match for Tzeitl?"
"A peIfect fir!" the tailor answers.
"And," I ask, "is it a good match at least?"
"Like a glovel" h€ cries in his tailor's language,sdll looking oll
at rhe girls.
I ask, "In whose behalf is it then that you come? If he smell'
of a butchet shop I don't want to hear another vord!"
"God forbidl" he says."He doesn't begin to smell ofa butcho
shop!"
"And you rerlly think he's a good mxtch/"
"There nevet was such a matchl" he answersPromPtlv. "There ?r'
matchesand matches,but this one, I want You to know, was ma(l{
j."r.T
il;j"',.1*i.."':l,11ififf
xlthr
r,H
enactly to meesurei"
"And who, may I ask, is the man? Tell mel"
"$rho is it?" he says,still Jooking over yonder. "\who is it? \7h\ '
f ;;:.i:i;',1'?,*Hx:
t*t,*l;ll;l *i--::,:ffi]:
me-myselfl" he sar. .'why. r.m
::Yh,y." surprised,r
Vben he said that I jumped up from the ground as if I had bctl
scalded,and he jumped too, aDd there we stood facing cach o$cr jT.i"1l#il11"'.".,J:fi
;:,:"'T;;T ,.1,1,1:;;i:ll
like bristling roosters."Either you're ctazy," I sa) to him, "or you r, .,?j;
b:fi["::iil*",,""sLi;;;;-i;;'ll.,..11.11
simply out of your mind! $rhat are you everything?The mat.lr
maker, chebridegroom,the ushersall rolled into one?I suPPos€vou ll
I
play the wedding march tool l've never heard of such a rhing
affanging a match for oneselfl"
But he doesn't seem to listen. He goes right on talking
"Anyone who thinks I'm crazy is crazy himself! No, Reb Tetr'
I have aII my wits about me- A Persondoesn't have to be crazt rl
order to want to marry your Tzeitl For example, the richesr n L'
in our town-lazer-\Colf, th€ butcher r'anted her too. Do vou thirrl'
ifs a secret?The whole town knosn it And as for being my orr
MODIRN CHILDRTN /Sholun Ald'hen

like a sinner, I saw that he was not trying to get the best
of anybodr ' I can hatdly answer..,Fruma-Sarah.
Fruma_Sarah,
Lazer_\folf,s first
and I thought: "Now, what am 1 becoming so alarmedabout?
Whrt le, - - Shewas,standingherea minute ago.,,
Rcl
am I pltrtine on \Dch arrs tor: Whar is my own PediStee? *
":
or your herd. mv wile say: ro me.
Mry Cod save
my daugl' "::
t o,r.i', eoid.t;ta: And wh?r huge dowry can Igive j: :e\,1'e.uo you know hor long fruma-Sarrh hrs been dead:..
'I kno*'
l..-^nd iohat fi.,e clothes?So maybe Motel Kamzoil is only a tailor' that she,sdead," I say, . but just the
same she was here
be able t"
but at the same time he is a good man, a worker; he'll :: l-",:
right here by the bed, tatking to me.
Then she
make a tiving- And besides,he'shonesttoo. So what haveI got again't rbtet me by"C:,
rh€ windpipe and started to choke me_.
. .,,
him? the matt€r with you, .nrye?,, saysmy wife.
"T€\,Je," I said to myself, "don'r think up any childish arglments t arc you:.1,
X..::^:l :
babbling aboutz you must have
Let them have their way " Yes but what am I going to do aborrt ,i,"..'^d,.r
;; ;;;;;il;:, ;ff iffLffi,T'1:;"iil
t"
mv Golde? I'll have plenty on my hanils there She'll be hard
handle.How can I makeher think it\ all right? "You know wlrrrr' "Iong. may you live, cotde,,' I tell her. ,.It,s lucig you
woke me
Motel," I said to the young suitor' "You go home l'll straighttt' * t'1 of fright +ht on the spot.cer me a drint of
ottr
l:l..f.d
and.Ill_rellvoumy dream.
evefithinq out here. l'11 talk it over with this one and rhat bnj) tbeg)ou.Colde,donibe(ome
morniry, if r"rl ghtened: the Holy Books rell us that sometimes
Everythirig has to be done right. And tomorrow only three parts
'
haven't changedyour mind by that rime, maybewe'll s€eelch orl! a dieamcomeUue.
true rnd rhere+
and rhe resr-""..
mean.-^.r":-- rr-^r ., nornrng
norhing.Ab,olurely
exPect me to chrt'll' here is my dream l^ ,r."- .r..^,^-,i.
"Change my mindl" he yells at me "You - b . . - . , , . dI & e a m t r h a rw c
J\lrl having a celebracionof some kind, i don,t
my mind) tf t do, I hoPe I never live to 8o away from herel know what. Eirher
I teco-e a stone, a bone, right bere in front of you!"
mgagement or a wcdding. The housewas
crowded.All the men
witlu'rt
"\(/hacs the use of svearingT" I asl him "I believeyou there_the raa and the ochetand every.
i_*T:'l-:_i1
. And musicians, ::-
the oxth. Go along, Mocel Good night And may you have Plcrl'rrrl too. . In ,t. -ia" .f,f'. i.l.Ur",i., ifil
olrns, and in cohes yolrJ grandmother
Tzelfl, may hef soui rcst
And I myselfgo to bed, too. But I can'r sleep My herd is splitttttl' Peace. _ ,"
rlr'
I think of one plan and then another, till at last I come uPor'
;:T1T:'il;T:;?".:f: pa,e
asashee,
right one. And what is that? Listen, I'll tell you ' :i.:li:;,:"^'ng
.Mey
It's past midnight- All over the house we're sound.adeq
lh she.look:"| ,Ly ourcnemies tookrhewayshe
;1,i1i1
one i' thir one i' qhrsttinS And 'uddcnlr I sir up 'r"l y.l1y Ard sheq asdrcsred_howdo you
"no'ing. HelPl H+!" It \r''t'r :l;':,:i, 1 i,":"
:cr?-in wfure.,
A shroud.She .Longrrrula
out a horribleyell, as loud as I can: "HelP! crmeup ro me. on.,.
wakesup' rn'l trr
ro reasonthat when I let out this yell everYbody s2ro..l,rmso,happy rhatvou picked.ucha 6nc uor,ngmanfor
of all-Golde. t Tzeitl who bearsmy name.He,s fir,e,
upstandinglad_this
shakesmc "\\ ih *i: "
"May God be with you, Tevye," shegasps,and ., I: named aftet my uncleMordecai,and
upl \rhaCs the matter with you?
lvhar are you howling lil' rlrl :nl"1.Tiyu
if he is a eilor he'ssrill an honestbov
'l 'whe..
for?" jil.:,,..qt do.sa uiro,come
intoourfamiry..
I open my eyes,Iook aroundto seewhereI am' and call 'r't orrtfamilywc have
"r0:.hadteachers,
,r"rr, ,1.*ri,-""i*iirlrl
stancs,and other kinds of poor pmple.
terror,"\(/here is she?\flhere is sbel" (Don't Bur ? ra1lor_neverj,,
rtb'rtt intcrnrpcmc, GotdeJ,t c.it ti.. ,,laayue
"\7here is who?" asksGolde "\7hat are you talking yourgrandmother
IIODIIIN CtllLDRlN /sholom ALe,.hem

WELL,wHy sHouLD I go on and on?

Tzeitl lnows better. . . . \0hen I heard her congratulateme Jike that.
The next d"y rhey were engaged, and not long after were married.
I said to her, '\(hat is that you said, Grandmother? About Tzeirl's
And the rwo of rhem. pr;ise rhc Lord. rre happy.He doesti. own
betrothedbeing a tailor?Did you sayMotel? You meana butchct.
tailoring, goes around in Boiberik from one lzllz to another pickinq
don't youl A butcher named Laze,.Volf?'
up work: and shc i. busl da) and nighr. cooking and brking Jn;
"'No,'says your grandmother again.'No, Terye. Your daughrcr
washing and tidying and bringing water from rhe well. . . . They
is engagedto Motel, and he's a tailor, and she'll grow old with him-il
barely make enough for food. If I didnl bdng her some of our cheese
rhe Lord wills-in comfort and honor.'
butrer once in a while- or a lew grotchensornetimes-they would
"'But Grandmother,' I say again,'what can we do about Lzcr
bc able to gcr bi. But if 1ou a"k her rny Tzeitl. I mean_she
v/olf? Just yescerdayI gave him my word . .'
everythingis asgood asir could be.Jusr let Morel stayin good
"I had bare\ {inished saying this when I looked up, and rorrr
grandmother Tzeitl is gone. In her Placeis Frumz-Sarah I-azer-$goll .
'Reb Te\Te, I have alwr\. So go complain abour modem children. you slave for them,
fust wife-and this is what she says:
:rything for theml And they tell you rhat they know better.
consideredyou an honest mari, a man of learning and virrue ll'rr
And...maybetheydo
how does it happen that you should do a thing like this-ler rrnrl
daughter take my place, live in my house, carry my keys, wear nir
clothes, mt jewelry, my pearlsl'
"'ls it my fault,' I ask her,'if Lazer-Volf wanted it that s'rrr
'lazer-Wolf wili have a rerible fate,:rrr'1
"'Lazer-\7olfl'she cri€s.
your Tzeitl too, if she marrieshim. lCs a pity, Reb Tevye I feel solr
ABYLON REVISITED
SCOTTFITZGEFATD/UN
iED STATES
for your daughter. She'll live s'ith him no more than three \itcL
and when the chreeweeks are uP I'II come to her by night and lll
take her by the throat like this. . . .'And with thesewords Fmrrrj
Sarahgrabs me by the windpipe and begins choking me so lr.rr'l 6fi Jd
that if you hadn't waked me up, by now l'd have been far'. Irr

wHERE'sN{r. Campbell?',Charlie asked.

"Ptu, ptu, ptu," spits my wife three times. "It's an evil sPiritl l\lrr
"Gone to Switz€rhnd.Mr_ Campbellt a sick man, Mr. \721es."
it fall into the river; may it sink into the earth; may it climb rrrrrr
attics; may it lie in the forest-but may it never harm us o' "rrr
"l'm sorry to hear rhar. And GeorgeHardt2,,Charlieinquired.
childreni May thet butcher havea dreamlike rhat! A dark and horrll'|''
"Back.in,America,
goneto work. Anyway,his friend,Mr Scheeffer,
dreaml Motel Kamzoil's smallest finger is worth more than:rll 'rl
One familiar.name the long lisr of a year and a half ago.
him, even if Motel is only a t?,i7ot for if he was named afrcr r"r _from
nrlie scribbtedan addressin his notebook and tore out the pale
uncle Mordecai he couldn't possiblyhave been a tailor by birrl: Arul
"lf you seeMr. Schreffer,give him chis,,,he said.,,Ifs my brother
if my grandmother-may she rest in Peace rook the rrouble to .IrI
hw's address.I havenl setrled on a hotel 1-et.,,
all rhe way from the other world to congratulate us, why, rrll (r
Hc was not reallvdisappointedro find paris wes so empty_But
can do is say that this is a1l for rhe best and it couldn\ possil'lr lu
I $tillnessin the Ritz bar wxs srmngeand porrentous.Ir wasnoc
any better. Amen. Selah.. .'

712
BABYION REVISITED / F. Sco( tuzgt$]d
en Ameican bar anymore-he felt Poiite in it, and not asif he ownc(l
it. lt had gone back into France. He asled for the head barman, Paul,
who in the latter days of the bull marlet had come to work in his
own custom-built car. But ?aul was at his country house today an'l
Alix giving hirn information.
"No, no more," Charlie said. "I'm going slow these days-"
Alix congratulated him: "You were going Pretty strong a couPlc
of yeersago."
"I'lI stick to it 2ll tight," Charlie assuredhim "I've stuck ro ir
for over a year and a half now."
"How do you find conditions in Arnerica?"
"I havenl beer to America for months. I'm in businessin PragLrc
rcpresentidga couPleof concernsthere They don't know about nrc
down th€re."
Aiix smiled.
"Remember the night of George Hardt's bachelor dinner herc'
said Charlie. "By the wzy, x.hat's becomeof Claude Fessendenl"
AIix lowered his voice confdendally: "He's in Paris,but he doet'r'r
come here anymore.Paul doesn't allow it. He ran up a bill of rhirrr
thousand francs,charging all his drinks and his lunches,and usu:rlll
his dinner, for more than a year. And when Paul finally told hirrr
he had to Pay, he gave him a bad checl<-"Alix shook his head sr,llr
"I donl understand it, such a dandy fellow. Now he's all blorr"l
up-" He made a plump apple of his hands.
The placeoppressedCharlie. He calledfor rhe dice and shook wrtl
Alix for the drink.
"Here for long, Mr. lvales?"
"I'm here for four or five days to seemy Iiirle girl."
"Oh-h! You have a litrle girl?"
Outside, the fire-red, gas-blue,ghost-green signs shone smoltrll
through the tranquil rain. lt was late afternoon and rhe streets\( rr
in movement. Ar the corner of rhe Boulevarddes CaPucineshc r'"'lr
He direct€d it co the Avenue de l'OP6ra, which wm or'lt ol lrrl
way. But he wanted to seethe blue hour sPreadover thc magnih, rrt
faqade,and rmagine that the cab horns were the trumPets ()l rln
794
Empire.They wereclosing the iron grill in fronr ofBrentano,s
and peoplewere alreadyat dinner behind rhe rrim lirtle
is hedge of Duval's. He hed never eaaenat a really cheap
rt in Paris. For some odd reasonhe v.ished thar he had.
They crossedthe Seine, and Chariie felt the sudden provincial
rl]iry of (!e Lck Brnk. I spoitedchi. city ror mlrl( he thoughr.
didn't realizeir, but the dayscamealong one after another,and
:n two vears were gone, and everything was gone, and I was gone.
He wrs rhirry 6ve.and good to took ar The trish mobitiN ;f hL
was soberedby a deepwrinkle betweenhis eyes.As h€ rang his
rer-in,law\ bell in the Rue pdatine, the wrinkle deepeneJtil
pulled_down his brows; he felt a cramping seosationin his belly.
om behind rhe maid who opened che door dated a lovelv littie
of nine who shrieked.,Daddyt,,rnd few up, srrugglinSlike a
into his arms.Shepulled his headatound by one ear and set
check againsr his.
"My old pie," he said.
"Oh, Daddy,Daddy,Daddy,Daddy,Dads,Dads,Dads!',
She drew him into the salon, where rhe family waited, a boy and
I his daughrer's zge.his.i*er-in l,w and hcr husband Hc sreered
ion with his voice pirched carefullyto avoid either feigned enthu
n dislike, but her response was more frankly tepid, ttrougtr
_or
minimizedher expression of unalrerable
distrustby directingh;r
rd toward_his child. The two men claspedhandsin a friendly
and Lincoln Petersrestedhis for a moment on Charlie'sshoulder.
The room was warm and comfortablyAmerican.The three children
rvedintimately abou., playing through the yellow oblongs rhat led
orhcr rooms: rhc \heer ot six o.lo(k.pole rn ,he erge, ,mr.k,
thc fue and rhe soundsof Frenchactivity in the kitchen. But Charlie
reiax; his heart sat up rigidly in his body and he drew
-not
fidencefrom his daughter, who from time to tlme came close to
n, holding in her arms the doll he had broughc.
"Rcally excremelywell," he declaredin ariswer to Lincoln,s ques-
"There's a lor of businessthe.e thar isn't moving at all, but
doing better rhan ever.I,m bringing my sisterover from America
t monrh ro keep housc for me. you see,rhe Czechs_,,
B A B Y L O \ R L V l 5 l T rD I q . o a l i z g e r n

His boasting was for a specifrc PurPose;but after a moment, seeing ,t - as the etern,Iy valuable
erement.Everything else
a Iaint restivenessin Lincoln's eye, he changed the subject. "Thosc :I::*
ere frne children of yours, well brought up, good manners." ,j:::.' d."."*. bur ne1 s6
T 1,.., s6 home. Hc ras ( Lrious
"!(/e think Honoria's a greet li.tle girl too."
il':._::,"i[9::::1.j1.,11* ,r,,-"
,r*. a"i,t"
',h.t';fli
Marion Peters came back from the kitchen. She was a tall woman ted (o!rurd,Ntonrmar.". "i,,hc,
,p in. nu. f,grlf.-," r"
with worried eyes,who had once possessed a fresh Americanloveliness.
wrre.,
::',,i5r,,i:'j :::re,1 :here i"- p.pr.," i'- ;"e
:,:d,
Charlie had never been sensitiveto it and was alwayssurPrisedwhcrr
people spoke of how pretty she hed been. From the 6rst there hr,l
been an instinctive antipathy between them. iiiiiiii:i TlTi,:i.
was
;:.t::il$'J:r.:x.;r
Bricktop,s,
*0.,.'n.-ijl"i"'ali[ tr ;.tr;
"\7e11, how do you find Honoria?" she asked.
l:*,ltt " A.fcw.doors
"Vonderful I sras astonished how much she's growr in t(rl ,i
l::::::.""T^y_Ti*y.
::;Tf
fartheron hefoundanother
months. All the children are looking \l'ell-"
"n(re haven't had a doctor for a year.How do you like being brcl
in Paris?"
#j':;,d ii":T:i H,'.:.,!ljf:.
Jtilfl:l
"It seemsvery funny to seeso few Amedcans eround." Yo'.h.rvero be Ja-n d,unk ,"'"'
r,e ,;;;;;
"I'm delighted," Marion said vehemently-"Now you can go int',
ffiJilfr ff*:':,ll:'l::1.:'l':':;.l.uho,e,s
.urroundin3
a store withour their assuming you're a millionaire- \ge've sufferc,l
like everybody,but on the whole ir's pleasanter."
"But it was nice while it lasted," Charlie said. "!fle were a s,"t *.*i.{; *k H :::url;*i:.::':
bu._
I 6.,'".n,
lffiT.
T:#
of royalty, almost infallible, wirh a sort of magic around us. In tlu
lll,l,.r,,*,:,.t_rrim
;;;J:;:", ;#i,.;
wrrhr.ig},r.nei
I _:T {,.*:d -.,.
Ritz bar this afrernoon"-he stumbled, seeing his mistake "thcr, ., rhe e6on and ,;;;;-;;,;;",",'"rrre.
wasn'tamanIknew."
l^:*n Arr rhe
_,". *,. Lrre,iJ.hjrd,\h<."re,,ndhe
i,::i,:;lj:,"1j- :";"
::1'^o* rneanlns l1ai,',,p",";,-t";,ffi;:
She looked at him keenly. "I should thinl you'd have had enoLrl| or,r,.
:l1r: *.,a
of bars." nothing out of something.
:r:_1,:.,: T"\.
"I only stayed a minute. I take one drink every afternoon. urul rhou,:nd.fianc
l:^'.-.:."*"0
ylng , rnglc number.hundred-fian. :",n or.hc\rra,or
"",;;;,;;'
n"or.. ,o,""0 ro a doorman
"I hope you keep to it," said Marlon. ctttrnga crb.
Her dislike wes evident in the coldnesswith which she spokc, i'rrt j.r::: beengivenfor norhjns.tf hrd
l,o"t been8i\cn,evenrh<
it r\f
Charlie only smiled; he had larger plans.Her very aggressiveness
:st;:ii:::;:1T:1-r a..,'""
,'.,,r,.',si,
him an advantage,and he knew enough to wait. He wanted rirrrt
to initiate the discussionof what they knew had broughr hin' r,r
Paris. At dinner he couldn't decidewhether Honoria was mosl l,l'r
;:ilI:*;i:"i.;H":rl
r:1'1i",oi'e,.
;*rnrii#
m'ff:
him or her mother. Fortunate if shedidnt comb-ne the trairs of h,'rli
that had brought them to disaster.A great wave of Protecrivc!! ,. *:*i,p:^, hne fiI d;1. The dcprc:sion
of icsrerdxywa, g6n6
went over him. He thought he knew what to do for her. He belr r,,l ne trked rhf
Fcople on rhe srreers Ar noon he sat
in character;he wanted to juup back a whole Senerationand rrrr"l rorli xt Le Grxnd vatcl oPPosite

196
t97
BABYION RIVIS1TID / F. Scott ritzg.Fld

'-1.i:11,,0a
"Now, how about vegetables? Oughtn't you ro have some vege- .,Etsie,_that
sheboasred
TT:!,,, $ras
hercousin_
tabl€s?" Richard is about at the borrom.,,
,.:,goy,t.rld
"You likeRrchard
"\7e11, yes." rna At,;..aonl,,ou.i.
'Uh,
"\Touldn't you like to have two vege.ables?" yes.I like hrm quit€ wel
( . r , , , i ^ , , " t--^ r , and r liLe h e r a l i r t g h t . . .
"I usually only have one at lurich-"
.:lj,oisll cas""r1yh. d,,,A"J;;r.iir"",,,,o u**
,, ,
The waiter was pretending to be inordinately fond of children lcoln-whichTd. ".k
do you like best?,,
'elle ett mignannela petite? Elle ' 'Oh,
"Q la c exdctenott con?m4
fiu ffinea1re. Unde Lincoln, I guess.,,
"How about dessert?Shall vre wait and see?" of her prescnce.
lj.:,..':.*^,T,".lware ,15,hr) cemein, r
The waiter disappeared.Honoria looked at her father expecrantlv fouowed
:'fr: tr,e..,nano* ir,. p..pr.,,
"\rhat xre we going to do?" *; ^_:,:i,'u]e'
ncxt table bent all their
silences fr"r,'r,_r"*
ethng no morc consciousthan "n", ;;;;1e;
"Firsr, we're going rc a toy store and buy you anything you likc a Ilower.
Then we're going ro the vaudeville at rbe Empire."
'
r r;vewirhfou_-,n. ,.r.a -"..,u..
Shehesieted. "l like it about the vaudeville,but nor the roy store. *1,..:n: "uaa.nr,
"\Chy not?" hete and rearnlnore French.
,"::f:r *:tJ:,:t ro ,,k" .,.. rt woutd have been
"well, you brought me this doll." she had it wirh her. "And l rc
Prddy
.'::-o:,r,,reill. ,r y"" ;" ;;x :;
got lots of rhings. And we're not rich anymore, ar€ we?" ''". h ,,ki";.;
"*d , o. everything
"we never were- But roday you arc ro have anyahingyou wanr " "i,,y."..
"All right," she agreedresignedly. Going out of rhe restaurant,
r man and a woman unexpectedly
\(rhen there had been her mother and a French nurse he had bccrr
inclin€d to be strict; now he extendedhimself, reachedour for a ncr
tolerance;he musr be both parents to her and not shur any of h r "Hello rhere.loraine. .. . Dun<.,.
out of communicetion. thepa.r:Dun.an5.haeffer.
i,"1".i^g.l:1,:",of a friendr"om
"l want to ger to know you," he said gravely. "First ler nI
introduce myself. My name is Charles J. wales, of Prague."
r"""r".
-.?^,.:'.":,q,','
:,.:.
" p,r"b;" ; ;;il,';'.';?T
rhem m:kc monrhs inro q4r:
-__'!!!v da$ !r
ncs of::::i-f'el*. in rne
rhe r2vlsl"
rari,h
"Oh, Daddyl" her voice crackedwith laughter. three yearsago.
"And who ere you, please?"he persisted,and she accepteda r,,1,
".;i;;,,
"My husband<outdn,rcome rhis va. .. .
he 'ard Vc re
;'' :ii:'"il Poor rs
immediately: "Honoria \vales, Rue Paladne,Paris."
"Married or single?" -:":::'ff: :-',irl::1
l. So be
",""
iJrul
"No, not married. Single."
X1,it:'.::T'", u".l '"a 'i,,;,! a"*"r..Dunc.rn asked
He indicared the doll. "But I seeyou have a child, madamr " w," gr,d ior anlxcu,c /"
.;*1.::",:-".i:
ra,nespr\siona,e.p,""".;,,.r,,,,;;;";.*\'
A. arwa)\
arwavsnc
hilerr
rerr
Unwilling to disinherit it, she took it to her heart and rhorrpllrr
ut his oqn rhrrhm $,a,
quickly: "Yes, I\e been maried, but I'm not maffied now l\ll :rcnr now
husband is dead." "'0(rcll,how rbour dinner)..she
asJ<ed
He went on quickly, "And rhe child\ name?"
,,:fl.f, j.::,:ll. me)ouroddres
and
rermerail)ou..
"Simone. ThaCs after my best friend ar school." "Charrie. r bcticve
-,;. *u* .r,..ri'r01.r,,*rl
.toll.n
"l'm very pleasedthat you're doing so wcll at school." thc, and jce if hc\ sober.. n,r,

398
ll^nYlON RIVISITID / f' S.ortlnzSdtd

Charlie indicasedHonoria with his head-Thev both iaughed. rol,ed,ou verymuch..,

"What's your addressl" said Duncan skeptically. :::le
r roved her rOO..,
He hesitated,unwilling to give rhe name of his borel. They were siJenrfor
r rnemsr,.
"l'm not settled yet. I'd berrer call you. S(re'regoing to see rh( Da.tdy. I_wanr ro come

#'':;:,T"':#:;;-lcn'a
d'uddenJ,
vaudeville ar the Empire." and Jive e,,it
"Therel ThaCs what I want to do," lorraine said. "l wanr rc sec .T":il.'r5j*
some clowns and acrobe$ and jugglers. Thar's just whar ve'll do.
*.1
Dunc."
"ilili]:ii13x*il:ru:;,;,Indr.u
.'of .
.,crne
ber
er
"\i/e've got to do an erland first," said Charlie. "Perhaps l!'e'll sc( rour.el do B;, y." *"".;;;;,,;;0, ".,",
Iou rhere."
"All right, you snob. . . . Good-b,v,berutiful lirrle girl."
"Good'by." Honoria bobbed poiitely.
;:1:iXl.Trj, ;::tri:"1H";;J::i
:l*:i;;J'tTi
.I.:: jn,." rrue,.,she:greed tranquiuv
Somehow, an unwelcome encounter. They liked him becausehc
was functioning, becausehe was sedoDs;thel wart€d to s€€ him. '",lfflj'T;:,In*l,Jcomrng
ffi,"^ljiir'l_T.:T
br.iarninc
;; ;;,,.: , cro.k
andherantcd
il;;:';11,:i
becausehe was scrongerthan they $ere no\i', becausethey wantcl
;;;,;l;;:". H:"*
to draw a certain sustenancefrom his strength.
Ar fie Empire, Honoria proudly refusedro sir upon her fathcr r ;":l';;,1*11
J':.'b:?i:"r$:t
Hc waired rn ,h. dr* "'".
folded coat. She was alreadyan individual s'ich a code of her osn. ,vns. inrhc ;*,-;;;:
_,*".,0."),"lj,.ul.,JJ
and Charlie wes more and more absorbedby the desireof purrirrrl iil#;.1,:l; l!
a little of himself into her before she crystallizedutterly- Ir s,r\
hopelessto rly ro kno*' her in so short a t;me.
Betweenthe actsthey cameupon Duncan and Lorrainein ahelobl'\ .offee
;il.:'ff .[il"".",#i:'i;,;,;,::i;1",,,^c scrvi.e
;nr
where the band was playing. "J;'
; ;; ", l;:,,#ff ,"l;.:il,;
"Have a drink?" l-IJji *'T
,,'.:,,."?i;,iJ_,r
o*.,ar.,"g
cn".i.'.p..J.il:
"All right, but not up ar the bar. \7e'11take a table."
"The perfect father."
r:ilj".TJj;
Listening abstractedlyto lorraine, Cbarlie n'atched Honoria's cr,.
knowwhy r rca|v.:mc ro pzri:.
J"::l1lr:::r:, wirh
leave rheir table, and he followed rhem wisrfullv abour the roorr i:Ia?,1f0 hernecklace,"a
r,,*""a.
wondering what they sar'. He mer her glance and shc smiled. ,,;,i;;;;:: l:1:::',iji;, j::.; ^," ,onrin:ed
And,m
"I liked rbat lemonade," shc said.
",ll,i:.[uj,;
l,;,:::;:l',':: ;;;;; ;]
;;,
i j:j5:1..
j :L:i;T,
j;
Going home in a taxi aften'ard, he pulled her over unril her hcrl
: j:i
:1;':lJ1""
restedagainsr his chest.
"Darling, do you ever think about your mother?" c vcrrs,rsor
i:,":i:ff
l;:".#;"11:r,* bc ''rr) ror me ro deny
rh;r
"Yes, someti,nes,"she answeredvaguely. ";:;.';;; b,;,;'_::"
M,.r,,,n tooked ,p r,,,i*i.i'i.a
"I don't wanr you ro forget her. Har.e you gor a picrure of h( ' ",
A s, , r o r d , v"*
i. ur , , * n i r , , am , , ,4c , u ,,
"Yes, I rhink so. Anyhow. Aunt Nlarion has.'' ; :r,:,; ,<r:r1
, , 1ri,r
, : lovcr
l : . ::r
1ycrr,
1 , : 1;,,:,
"
;;u,:;;: ;l;i";:ff:"il;:Jiii],1
400
 BABYION RIVISITID/F Sconrrnzgcrald

You see
che idea of alcohol won't ger too big in my imaginadon "It wes dme enough," he agreed-
the idea?" "My duty is entirely to Helen," she said. ,,I try to think what she
"No," said Madon succinctlY' would have wanted me to do- Frankly, &om .he night you did that
in "
"lt's a sort ofstunt I set mysetf.lt keepsthe matter ProPortion tcriDle thing you haven't really existed for me. I can't help th?r. She
iCs got anl
"l get you," said Lincoln. "You donl want to admit
atffaction for You."
dont take it- Bur
"something like that Som€dmesI forget and "Vhen she was dying she askedme to look out for Honoria. If
in my Posidon
I trv to take it. Anyhow, I couldn't aford to drink hadn't been in a sanitarium rhen, it mighr hxve helped mafters.,,
wh']r Tve don'
The DroDlcI repre'enrare more then sa(ishcdwirh He had no answer.
to keePhousclor
and im bringing my si'rer oler lrom Burlington "I'lI never in my life be able to forget the moroing when Helen
m., and t *int to have Honoria too You know thac ever) at my door, soakedto the skin and shivering,and said you,d
"-futty well we never lel
when her mother and I weren't getting along
m(''r'l
a n v r h i n sr h a th a p p e n €rdo u ' h H o n o r i a l k n o $ \ h e ' f o n d o l Cherlie gripped the sides of the chair. He wanted to launch out
H""
I k"""i - .lble io rakc crre or helnd- well' rher<you are a long expostulation and explanation, but he only said: ,.The
do you feel about it?" I locked her out " and she interrupted, ',I dont feel up to
woul'l
ie knew that now he would have to take a beacing lt ing over thar again."
hst an hour or two hours, but if he adopted the chasrened
attitu<l' After a moment's silence Lincoln said: ,'\fre're qetine ofF the
hjs in the end' bjcct.You wrnr Manon ro 5err,ide hcr Iegrlgurrdiin,hi;rnd gi"c
of the reformed sinner, he might win Point
Keep your temper, he told bimself' You don't want ro be justific'l Honoria. I think the main point fo( her is whether she has
You want Honofla
'Wcve been ralking ir over cver since we ':"' i'l dont blame Merion,"
lincoln firs: Charlie said slo$/ly. "but I think she can
"poke and wc'rehaPl"
r'our lcrter lasrmonrh Honoria'sa derr litrlc rhing cnrire coniidencein me. I had a good record up to rhree years
"
lo ha.nehe, here, but of course thet isnt the question Of course,it\ within human possibilitiesI might go vrrong
'How long erc yoL'
M:rron interrupred'uddenh Soing ro Jr' time. But if we wait much longer I'll lose Honoria,s childhood
sober, Charlie?" she asked l my chance for a home." He shook his head. ,,I,ll simply lose
"Permanently, I hoPe." , dont vou see?"
rrYcs,I see," said lincoln.
"How can anybodYcount on tbat?"
until I gave uP businesslrrr'l
"You know I neve; did drink heavily "Vhy didn\ you chink of all this before?" Marion asked.
.Vhen I consented
I began ro t"tt
came over here with nothing to do Then Helen and to rhe gLrardianship,I was flat on my back

I
around with-" thc marker had cleanedme out. I knew I'd aced badly. and I
"Pleaseleave Helen out of it " t if it would bring any peaceto Helen, I'd agreeto anything
lonti "
He stared at her grimly; be had never been certain how I now it's different. I'm functioning, I'm behaving damn well, so
each other lhe sisterswere
from thc t't"'
"My drinking only lastedabout a year and a half "Plcasedon't swea. at mej" Mrrion said.
w€ came over until l-collaPsed " llc ltnked at her, startled.\Virh eachremark rhe force ofher dislike
"lt was time enough " morc:rnd mo.e apparenr.Shc h2d built up all her fear of

il, 4rl
BARYION REvlSt'llD/ F s'o( Iirzgcrald

life into one wall and faced it toward him Charlie became increasingly t* O.* rrouble..Mrrion spokcas it rhe
phrasehad rnorhcr
against ,
alarme<l at lcaving Honoria in this atmosPhere of hostility
shut
himselt But le pulled his temper down out of his face and Thenl.in the flatnessthat followed her ourbursc,
shesawhim plainly
it up inside him; he had won a Point, for Lincoln relized the absurdity 2nd she knew he bad somehowarived ac
control over the situation.
ol Madon's remark and asked her lightly since when she had obiected Glancing at her husband,shefound no hetp fro_
hi_, ,"
to the word "damfl " rs rt rr werc a matter of no imporrance_she "nd "b.uotiu
'Do qr'hrr threw up the spongJ.
zdvan_
"Another rhing," Charlie said: "I'm able to giv€ her c€rtain you likcl. shecried.springing up lrom herchair...Shc.s
with me your child.J'm nor (hc p"r.on ,o.,rid ;n
tages now l'm going to take a French governess to Prague you, *r1. t ,ninl ;t i.
I've got a leaseon a new aPertment-" w-eremy child Id rather seeher_,,She
managedto checkherself.
couldnt be
H; stoPPed, realizing that he was blundering' They "You two decideit. I can,tstandthis.,,
wrs agan
expecredto acceptwith equanimitt the fact that his income 95.hyt
d from the room; after a moment Lincoln
said:
twice as large xs their oq'n jf dayror her.you
than we can"' seid ,3: l*i :tmost apotogetic: r<nov,howstroniy she
:::: iwas
"I suPPoseyou can give her more luxuries "r)rh., *.;r;;;,";;
were watching :":s.lof:
M"rio.t.lisghen you were throwing away money we "
every ten francs l suPPoseyou'll staft doing ir again"
years'you
"brl,,to," tte said."I'"e learned.I worked hard for ten - r (hink secsnow rharyou_Lan
..1.,,:
E:l'g chird.
T,",rish(.
know-until I got lucky in tbe market,like so many people-
lt didn't ,IL::l-:.:.ji: rnd so we.rni "hc
vcrvwelJsrandrn yourrry
hzPPen again-"
seem any use wotkrng anlmorc' so I guit It wont Honoria's way.,,
There was a long silence All of rhem felt tbeir nerv€sstraining' "Thank you, lincoln.,'
was surc
and for the 6rst time in a year Charlie waned a drink He "I'd bettergo along and seehow sh€is.,,
now that lincoln Peterswanted hirn to bave his child' "I'm golng."
feet verc
Marion shuddetedsuddenly;Paff of her sas' rhat Chadie's He wx still trembling when he reached rhe
street, but a walk down
Dlanteal
'.h. on the earch now' aod her o$rD marcrnal feeling recognized the qlays set him up, and as he crossed
the Seine, he felr exultant.
*'ith
.tr.,.tr"Lr.r. of his desire;but she had lived for a Iong rime t back in his room he couJdn,t sleep. The
image of Helen heunted
in h€r sitter'
a oreiudi.c-a prciudi.etoundcdon a cL'riousdi<brlief hadrovedso unrir rheyhadscnscressl beeun
nrghr' had turn'i l; i-.,:'JTl.n: =
h,pp,ne-. ,nd which. in rhe 'hocl of one rerrible rca,i, in,oshred5.
on rharrerribrcfebru"arl
T.':::*::i.l "*
remcmbercd
to hatred for him- soviridl}.
r.r.* q,,,,.ir,,ig";"
"l cm'r heIP what I think!" she cded out suddenly "How
muc]r ij.,l^,:lff" *?. .ccnear rhe.Frorida.
lT-"11";-,ji* : she andthenhe.rrtemprcd
somethioll
you were responsiblefor Helen's death,I don't know- Iis *'":.and rhen kjssedyoungtd;; ;,;;:;;;
:*.. l*
r rnerc was whar she had hyscerically
you'Ii bave to squarewith your ovn conscience-" said. When he arrivcd home
mometrt
An electric current of agony surged through him; for a he turned.the key in the lock in
wild anger. How could he
in his throlr
he was almost on his feer, an unuttered sound echoing shc would arrivcen hour lareralone,
rhar rhcreroutd be a
He hung onto himself for a mom€nt, anorher moment .:r.'i shc wrnderedrbour in slippers.roo
confu:ed
t].h
"Hold on there," sajd Lincoln uncomfortebly "I never
rhouSlrl ,il<,i.tl- rhe h., .r.,p,"gpn.,,*oni,ry I
lLl " "frermarh,
rhe xrtendanc
,vou
' were resPonsiblefor that " horror. They were ..reconciled,,,
bur
11., "lO i,t
"Heten diid of herrt trouble," Charlie said dul)y was rhc bcginning of the end, and lf"rior,,
*to had imagined

404 405
BABYLON RlVtSlTlD / L Scott Firzge4ld
it to be one of many scenesfrom her sister's martyrdom, never forgor
Going over it again brought Helen nearer,and in the white' soh
light that stealsupon half sleepnearmorning he found himself talking
to her again. She said that he was perfectly right about Honoria an(i
that she wanted Honotia to be with him. She said she was glad hc
was being good and doing befter' Shesaida lot of other things-ver'
friendly things-but shewas in a swing in a white dress,and swinging
faster and faster all the time, so that at the end he could not hcrt
clearly all that she said.
HE \i/oKE uP feeling hePPy.The door of the world was oPen agairr
He made plans,vistas,futures for Honoria and himself, but suddenlr
he grew sad,rememberingall the plans he and Helen had made Sl*
hal not planned to die. The presentwas the tbing-work to do rn'l
someoneto love. But not to love roo much, for he knew the in,ur\
rhat e father can do to a daughter ot a mother co a son by atrachirlt'
them too closelyi afterward, out in the world, the child would rr'1'
in the marriagepartner rhe sameblind tenderness and, failingprobrl'lt
to find it, turn against love and life.
It was another bright, crGP day. He called lincoln Percrs r( rl'
bank where he worked and askedif he could take Honoria whcn lu
left for Prague. Lincoln agreed that there was no rexon for dclrr
One thing the legal gurrdianship Marion wanted ro retain tbirr I
while longer. It would oil things if she felr that the situation \'r1
still in her control for another year' Charlie agreed,wanring onl) rl!
tangible, visible child. He luoched with l-incoln Petersat G'ili('rr\'
trying to keep down his exultation-
"There's nothing quite like your own child," Lincoln said "lllrt
you undersBnd how Marion feels too."
(
"She's forgotten how hard I worked for sevenyearsth€re," llr'rrlrl
said. "She just remembersone night."
"Anothff thing." Lincoln hesitated."\?hile vou and Helcrr "' t'
rearing around Europe throwing money away, we were Just 8.rr1'r,l
along. I think Marion felt rherewas somekind ofiniustice in it r "tt
not even working toward the end, and getting richer and rirlrrr'
"lt went just as quick as it came," said Charlie
"Yes, a lot of it srayedin the handsof sexophoneplaversand
mairresd h6rel-welt,rhe big pacry s o,., noo. i jL,stvij rh,r ro
explein Marion's feeling about thosectazyyears.Ifyou drop in about
six o'clotk. we ll scrrlerhe details
Back at his hotel, Charlie found a note that had been redirected
from the tutz bar where Charlie had left his addressfor the purpose
of finding a certain man.
Dear Chfflie: Yor: werc so strangewhen we saw yoD rhe orher day
.
th2t I wondered if I did sonerhing to otrend you. If so, I,m no;
corsciousof i. In ficr, I haverhoughr$out you roo much foi rhe
last yea! and it: dwrys beetr in rhe bacL of my mind rhat I mighr
s€eyou if I cam€ove! bere.We // have sucl
sprins,like
thenisht
yo',"dr,,.t..h.b",.;.sjill::ffirfr1
see.nsso old larely,but I don't feelold a bit. Couldn\ we ger together
foi old time's sd<e?I've go. a vile hangover fo. rhe m;me";, b"t
will be f€cling betrer this aft€rnoon rnd will look for you about five
in rhe sw€ershop :rr the Rirz.
l-orain€
His finr feeling was one of awe thar he had actually.in his mature
stolen a tricycle and pedaled Iorraine all over the Eroile between
small hours and dawn. In rctrosFct it was a nightmare. locking
Helen didn r 6t in v irh any other .rcrof hi" life,buL the rriocti
ident did-it was one of many. How many weeks ot months of
Siparionro arrive at that condition of utter iffesFonsibilirv?
Hc tried ro picrure how Lorraine had appearedto him then_ucry
tive; Helen was unhappy about it, though she said nothing
, in cherestaurant,Iomaine had seemedtrite. blurred. worn
. He empharicallldid nor wanr ro see her. tr sas a relief to
k, insread,of Honoria, to think of Sundaysspent with her and
nying good,moning to her and of knowinq she was there in his
aa night, drawing her breath in the darkness.
At 6vc he took a taxi and bought presentsfor all the pete$_a
tlnt clorlr doll, a box of Roman soldiers,flowers for Marion, big
n h:rndkcrchicfsfor Lincoln.
40/
B,{BYLON RIVISITED / I. S.oti Fnzger2ld

He saw, when he arrived in the aPartment' that Marion had 'nabreto understand
[m'*:t$l[,y::astounded; howthev
accepted the inevitabl€. She Sreeted him now as though he werc a
recalcitrantmember of the family, rather than a menacing outsider' n.n,', w:sged
his6nscrrogurhtlrr chrlie.
Honoria had been told she was going; Charlie was glad to see that
-f ?ll.T
lhc! borh.slid down anorher."".rd.
ot ,rugr,,.r. Anxiou, and
her tact made her conceal her excessivehappiness. Only on his lap nandswith rhemquickryandpresenred
i i:::,:yri..:*:u
aldManon. them
did she whisper her deJight and the guestion "\(/hen?" before shc Marion,nodded,
:;"...i, ilG;;.j:
slipped away with the other children. :*T]1, the fre; }ler titde girl stood "beside
t:].a,l
her,
He and Marion were alone for a minute in the room, and on an K:j:::.."j.: p"' an Jrmrbour
he,,hoJrder
1Pn".
impulse he spoke out boldlY: ar rheinrru,ion.
;'Family quarrelsare bitrcr things They don't go according to ant Il,i g'1,*'"e1"""rllce
rhcmselvcs
q;itcdfor rhcm
chartie
Afrer \ome concenrrarron Duncan said:
,exPlarn
rules. They'ie not like achesor wounds; they're more like splits in ctu1lero Invire \ou our ro dinncr.
Lorrar.ne
-wc ,bout and I inrisr thar
the skin that won\ heal becrusethere'snot enough marerial-I \('isll ji::,:jT,:."1"*' youraddress ro srop.,,
*:: ctoscr sor
you and I could be on better rcrms " ro rhem.,,ir ,o ro?..,r*,""i,.1_,.a
"Some things are hard to forget," she answered-"lis a guesri()rr
llll:
: corndor."Sorry,bLrtI a.,"
cant. Tell me whereyou lf b. f,lpi.ni
of confidence."There wes no answerto this and presenrlyshe askc'i r in half an hour ,, "nd
"\qhen do you ProPoseto tak€ herl" This made no impression.Lorrain€
sar down suddenlyon rhe side
"As soon as I can get a governess l hoPed the day after tomorro\ fo.cusing
h:r eyeson tuchard,cned,,,oh, wher
i^*1il; :nd a nice
"Not before Saturday.I've got to get her things in shaPe" j*..i;,il;ffi
:::y:-c:me-::r:,irrtres"y-n.r,".J .:,;'::
He yielded. Coming back into tbe room' Lincoln ofered hinr 'r a.perceptibleshrug of her shoutders,
l:: T". :t:f lorraine
drink.
"I'lI take my daily whiskY," he said 'llt 'I,cant,"
It was warm here, it was a home, PeoPletogerher by a firc saidChadie sh"rply. .,you rwo
havedrnner and I,ll phone
children felt very safe and imporrantl the mother and father \1rr
serious, watchful. They had things to do for the children nr"" Her voice becarnesuddenlyunpleasant.,.AI
righr. Bur I remernber
importanc than his visit here A spoonful of medicin€ was' aftct rll' ,j;:r.l:: ." d".' fouf 2m I was
-or. i-po.,r,r, lhan rhe strained relations berween Marion rrr'l 3:::1 TI come
ro g,ve vou r drink. " ""' enough
" "',
: -8,::d :P.'
himself. They were not dull PeoPie,but th€y were verY mucb ir) rltr wirh,biu,,cd "", ",".'
,nsr faces.
:,,:,,1j]"1^T^.1:l wirhun,cnrinfec,,
grip of life and circumstancesHe wonderedif he couldn't do s"ttr rctired along the corridor
ihi"g to g.. Lincoln out of his rut at the benk' "Good nighr,,' Charliesaid.
'Good,nighrt
A long peal at the doorbell; the maid of-all'work Passedrbr"rrllt re(ponded Lorruinc
cmphrrc. ty
end $rent down the corridor' Tbe door opened uPon anothc' l'rrll 'n: '':"
ring, and then voices,and the rhreein the salonlooked up expcctrltlt Jff:.::
-" :::' :::l,ti':in ,h. .i,, t.v,,ion
*" .randing
hadr^r moved.
.r h..;;;.;
on,v
" ,
(1"!lt l.T' .chartic ;;""'"
Medon rose. Then the majd came back along tbe corridor, brokc our...\x/h,(
under the light jnro I )rrrr' rrl -Iii,-,ll "l,jT.t rr ;b.orutcour.
followed by the voices'which deveJoped nor lincoln answered.
:i T.,.,h-. yr:t.. Chadiedr.ppJ ;;
Schaeffer and Lorraine Quxrrtes up his drink,serit downagainand
::l:lit:
rcof'ie I l"k 9 secn said:
They were gay, they were hilarious,they \"rereroaring with llrrr'1"' t rrrvcni ior tuo )e.rr\naving rhc culo..al
nene_..

408
4t)2
BABYLoN REVISITED/ F. Scottlitzg$,ld

He broke ofl Marion had made the sound "Oh!" in one swift' did. So many fellows I hear about back in
furious breath, turned from him with a jerk and left the room maybe
not in thelirst crash,
b* ,h." htl;"t:t:;#'ffX*11
"You children go in and start your soup," Lincoln seid' and
when GeorgeHardt Iost everycent, I hear.Are you back
in the States?,,
they obeyed,he said to Chatlie: "No, I'm in businessin prague_',
'lMarion's not well and she cant stand shocLs. That kind of FoPlc "I heardrhat you losr a lotin the crash.,,
make her really Physically sick." he addedgrimly, ,.but r lost everything r
wanted in
"I didnt tell them to come here. They wormed your name oul ;;Iio*:,*,
of somebody. They deliberatelY- "
lgT jhc mcio? or ho,edays
.weprovqrhimiikfu nishrmarc
_
"li(/ell, it doesn't help matters. Excuse me a minute-" : propie rhcy had mer rnvcljng: then people*ho .o;ldn\
,dd
Left alone,Charlie sat tensein his chair' In the rrext room he coul'l row of fgures or speak a coherenr sentence.
The little man H€len
hear the children erdng, talking in monosyllabJes, alteady obliviou' Id consentedto dance-with at the ship,s
party, who had insulted
to the scenebetweentheir elders.He hea.d a murmur ofconversati()rl ten.feer from the table; the women_and
girls carried screaming
from a farther room, and in a panic he moved out of earshot' ,drink
or drugs out of public places_
In a minute Lincoln came back. "look here,Charlie l think wril -Th5 men who locked their wives out in me
snow, becausethe
better call oIf dinner. Marion's ir bad shrpe." tw of twenty,nine wasn't real snow. If you
didnl *ant it to be
"Is she angry with me?" )vr, you just paid some mone1.
"Sort of," he said, almost rougblY. He wenr ro rhe phone rnd call"d L;n,oi,,.
"You mean she'schanged her mind about Honoria?" "I ralled up be.zu,c rhis thrng i, on my mrnd
H;. Mrrion said
"She's pretty bitter right now l don't know. You Phone mc 'r /thrna detlnirc?'
th€ bank tomoffow." ,,r knowthisthing
shorcly.
^YI,:,n:o:!',,"1."r-answered isn,r
"I $rish you'd exPlain to her I never dreamedthesepeople woul'l your fault, but I cant have her go to piecesabout it. I,m
come here. Irm just xs sore as you zre" d we'll have ro let it slide for six months;
I canl chanceworking
"l couldn't exPtain anything to het nos/-" up ro rhis state again_,,
Charli€ got uP. He took his coat and het and staned down rlr' "l see."
corridor. Th€n he oPenedrhe door of the dining room and sai'l rrr "l'm soffy,Ch?rlie.,,
e strangevoice, "Good night, chjldren " t : U r o h i s . r r b t e . H irsh r s k vg h * w a "
T::"1 c n p r 1 .b u r h e
Honoria rose and r2.naround the table to hug him. when AIi\ Iookcdar ir que.tioningJy. Thcrera,n.t
to nrrl'r :,1,"" "T1
"Good night, sweetheart,"he saidvaguely,and then trying he could do rcnd Honoriasomerhrng.: hc would
,
his voice more tender, trying to conciliatesomething' "Good rrrllltr, .t rhing. romonoq He rhought rrrhe,
angrity rhar
l:_,,,l:, money_he
r-was
dear children." Just had given so many peoplernon"y....
tNo,no more,.,he.said
Chadie went directly to the tutz bar with the furious ideaof lrrr'l11 to rnothe. -aic.r. ,.\rhat do I owe you?,,
Lorraine and Duncan, but they v,/erenor there' znd he rcalizcrirlr''l *"",d .:T: b,:i:.med.ry:
thevcoutdnr
m,r..,.,nlp,i i"1*".
l:
in any casethere was nothing he could do He had not touchcrl lrlt I hc wrored his child. and norhing r,,.r.much good no$,
beside
drink at the Peters'and now he ordered a whisky and sorlrr l'rrtl fact.He wasnt young anymore,with a lot of
ii.e thor.ghtsanj
carne ovef to say hello, rns to h?v€by himself He was absolurelysLrre
Helen wouldn,t
"ICsagteat chaDge,"he saidsadly."\(c do about hxlfthe busitxa! .tl wanrcdhim ro be so alone.

4lo ,lll
 Y:: yhei he did come, wirh rhe boys
all slopping through the
jlll-,T::l theythrewher rrunkandrerescope
andbass
CARRION/ I]NSPRING
TED STATES
WALLACESTEGNER
l1l

F::f l*;:,*::iliti#iir:T
liqryr,,':::
ro-(ry Shr laughcd,;nd trughr hcr
lowcr lrp undcr hcr reerhrd
Drrdo*n h.rd on ir\ remblrng rnd wcnr
aroundro.hakc one hoollike
,"f,:::5.,*i.:,,,::g inro c,rh faLein rurnrnd sceinsin e,lch
,l ,nehardw.ro
w1 ea,1.6oodby.
:jll,T,lT":.,'
-bearded,black
bca,dcd. "omething
.i",",n",.,i i"lnJ+',"r.
8r.y_b,,s,red.
rnem wrlh pu(keredsunkenscar.on
rhe cheekbones, all of rhem
. mar haired.wrathercd.and.ratked;"
ord lumbcr lefr out foL
T*u she came to the door she could smell it' not rerllr lookedsheePish.
or.ooer. or checrful.rnd saidrhjngclike
but sweetlsh
rotten"o""*,
and not coming from any particulardirection' Itney
.,,Y,t.,":: ..scc
you : nice trip. now...or you in Matra
f,rinrlysickening. sourceles'. filling rhe wholeair lhe way ' rrvcl '. r hey.hrd been
hcr famrlr.Shehed lookcdJref rhcm,ied
.,. *"J.f qecd'-the carrionsmellof a whole countt' patched their clothes, unraveledold
"r*, squaremilcs socks co knrt rhem new
brearhine
""if.r*"arit out in the fust warmth acrosshundtedsof cut rhrrr hair, lanced their boils, tended
rnerr wounds. Now
everyihing thar had br'
of chinookhad L'ncovered waslike rhe garhereo-irfamill pzrtrng
at rhe g.are,ideartersonc-
N."ember'Thc lard lav discolored and ugll' 5 " c s funeril
""i.r.".*'.i*. .".tr, .pilledlignite,bonesThe clinkersthat hadgiltrr
,rf, oit., ,.t.,.a h,adbcgun,ro,.ry quire opcnty she
pL ed her chcej<sdo$n,
wavcr"
,t'.i', i",.. foo,i"g i"r the priq and stablelay in reisedgray .S:-er
*l!.j ,, eye. h.r k",.krc,r,,8he;
had used for lifelines ttt ;:::.1: l::,t 1..,And "ith
^l-.. .tt. .oua; ."n. ",-ttg tari"tt they ow_youall take care,,'shesaid. come seeus, you h€ef?Jesse?
the ground_Muck rur'
blizzardyweatherhad dried out and saggedto *en youcome fli sure n"y"" u..,.,,p",.i
l"Jlp a.." in the corralsby the sodroofedstable'the
whitc Tliiilll.ij:t
yoL,rpanf, rhrn rhrr one con.l-h, ,p,^. " qere rhe
{,,gurn$F. you
lifting their ltrl'
washedl,cesvrereyellowed at the cornersfrom dogs man I hrd on ,he (orl j urrle.Don.r
) ou torgerme. Litrle Horn,
a remindel''l
^sai.tstthlm Sunien drifts aroundthe hay yardwere tl sorry we rln out of pie firing,. Whcn
1ou . ome ro Malu l.ll
tr?- *r.ry.i-.. the boyshad had co shovelout thererc keePrlr r(c you i perch pie a yard across.,
of the snow Acrnl
."1o., fro- vl"lking ;nto the stacksacrossthe top 6}c <ould nor h:vc hclpedspeakingtherr
namer. ir ro name
and beyondtlt' rtt
,fr. ** ^na altft.i.f.a yardthe willowswerebare' their permanence.But she knew",thar
The skv wasroiledwith gravtl'r''l though
"- i."a"r." hill wa, trown
.i. r'l
s:e.rh:m,.or most of rhem, when
Ray brought the dri"ve
nf"',.j, nt,ny.tif.l.':. iirrered.rhcpla'eof herwinterimPrisonm( :n]fl!
toMrl inJui\. rhcsewercfricnd. losrfor good
up her backbonc "ul lheyhadrlreadv
wa' etposed.'tgl1 enoughto Pur goo'e{1crh
l* "nge.andreirevc.r
rhing_srecrc.

;::*fl*fi ,TJti;
o'et all or it lr sas likc a brd anddngu'r'1 bJr15.
crrve\,
"',f
n..-.'.""'-.ff
wound,infectedwire cut' ot proudflesh,or the
*iJ i. s""a"g. oe \iith her packedtrunk and
gangrene ol irostrtr'
her telescopcl' 11
il;!;,"'::T
t'i,'."::
"jLl..l1;lliip
Hr,:ru
r.rutfirsbetweenrhe Milk and;he CpR, the
T-Do*n *"s qL,itring.
and two loaded-gtain sacksbehindher,shestoodin the door vva'rrrril ftn hcr, shc wasquifting firsr.
was sick to be gt'tu
for Rav to comJwith the buckboard,and she sxw R:rI slumping, gloomiog down
fforh the buckboad sear

.1t2
, .J
 lvill2ce sieSnel
CARRION SPRING /

wirh rhc rein( wtaPPcdaroundone 8lo\cd

hand Dude and Dinpt' s;'O -Harry willi..ays a raiirord:uwey.scominsrighc
t"]'' "--:I.::l
up tne whrremudV.rllcychissummerS,pose
wcre hip,hor rn rh;h;'nFS As Ruvv and.Lirrle 1-",8i"t rhar.ll..r" l";.-
hi' lril and droPPc'l ' Stcadersin here, maybe a town.,,
a hand up to climb the wheel D'rde rri'ed
but she did not even bother r{l "I s'pose."
bundle oi dung on the singlecree, 'Make it
joking Shewas watchtr'/l a litle easierwhen you run our of prunes,if
make a feceor saysomething provokedand th€rewas
somber dark.face:rl'l storeat Easaend.',
Ray, looking rigit into his gray eyesand his 'Vell,"
done to him llr' she said,,.we won,r be here to run out,,,and
seeirlgall at"o.tie *hat the winter of disasterhad then immed!
cheel:,Iike Ed's and Rusty's,was puckeredwith
ftost scxrs;fros( l) r'l yl.:,,*. a whi€'that gaggedher,.,pee-',out Huffy up!,,
the strain of borri
:i"rn,
Raydid not touch r.rpthe tean.1,Wn^t
nibbl;d ,t the lobes of his ea6; she couid see 7or:,, ir. *a.-;4. !.,
in the lines from his n'"n the next one quicker?',
cra.klne labor, th€ bilt€ness of failure'
'l' Sheappraised._rhe
," 'f.,1'".".f n'' mourh Making room for ho hc did nolrr surlines of his voice,and judged that someof
othen \Pcakingoniy Ior r'r'r' wesgmeral disgustand someof ir was armedat
Wirh her b,,k momcnraril' co rhe her. Bur wher
he want? Every time she made a suggestion
she said through her tight teeth, "l-et's git!" of some out6t around
pluckedwhip llr" tr or Chinool where he mighr ger r job
Promotlv-ie wasalwaysprompt and ready-he hc humped hi. brck
lurch ol rl'
-Upro.i..i The tip snappedon Dinger's haunch' the looked as impfnfrrrblc as r rock. Whar /1
hr wrnr? To comc
not haw tn turt ' here and take another licking2 \7hen rherc wasn-t
b u s q vr h r e s h e r ' o r h a r ' h c ' o u l d ' l i n g ; n d even a certt€
into rhe (ollar 'tr r"l r letr.exc€prmayberhelirrlcone(IrkerheZ
,*lii n.t rr... "Cood-b1l "he 'ried more X and rhe Lazy-S.,
over hcr shou'dr- l'l' where one winter could kill you, as it had jusr
mrrkinar rhan ro them thro$ing rhe word' killed the
tn rhe rrrund n"' rr
a flower or I coin and ro*cd hcr lcft hind
siience Shc lu rr'I She.feltlike yeliing ac him,.,jc lsnt me/| could scand
it. The singleburst of their voiceschoppedof into it. Maybe
her the a'heel P{)rr"l Touldnt like it, bur I could standit. Bur ir
onlv the grate of the tires in gravel; beside lust makesme iick
on ir, fighting her liPs that wrnr''l r'l &e )'ou work yourself to dcarh for nothing. Iook
t.ff"- atf"p She concentrated at your face.
lk at.v-ourhands-you can,ropenthem evenhalfway,
blubber. for calluses.
,,This could be bad for a minute," RaY said She lookc'l "1' what? Maybe three thousand cattle left out of,.n
ihou."rrd, ,nd
over ber nose To tlutt r skin and bone. Vhy wouldn't I be glad co
Obediently she clamped thumb and finger get out? \)trho,rru,
neh,. t'llins hrlt of irying Pan Flar'
qas rhe bonelard rwo -r'r' "1 tT:j Ea(rend?.you.re
jusr"rikc
an old bulrdogwirh
rhem 'frcr \kiirr'r"l 1,.',:*,,1
cr,n:le1 in-somcbodv.s
.i.r.,., '.1,,.'.d otrere itre bo1' had dr'gged ,-t-cclh behind.
zndtiU t*e .r pry1ar to
lr did nol 'r ' rrl c you unclinrhi
them out when they found them dead in the bmsh .aid
Bur shc norhingl .he madeher.eltbrelrhe
x'as blowing 'urt ttt tarntedarr evenly,
that off there they could smell, for the chinook
her nose shc srr! ll' 'l
Iisht airs from the west But when she let go lloodwater forcedthem out ofthe boccomsand up onto
the second
wacerruns ufsrL' trtl
it"rich and rotten, as if it rolled upwind the way odphin. Betow, them Molly saw the warer asronishingly
wide,
were trottrng rr!'w ring_atross
in an eddy Besideher, Ray was s;l€nr' The horses willow ban and pres.ingdceprnro fhe.urbank
bcnd".
tbe willow\ \r ri could heerir. when (hc nhcel. wenr quicrly_a
in the soit sand oftbe Patrol trail On borh sides hushcdrorr like
I'v
qnawed alown to stubs, broken and mouthed and Summc(l "ll i. Cactlewerc balloonily afloat in rhe Lusb where
they had died.
and thc s""'r'l mw a brindle longhorn walrz around the deep watei
i,awin* o*f. f1... -as lloodwater in the low spots' of a bend
his lcgs in rhc air, rnd farrher on a whiteface rhat
of ,,rniirtg tr..t under the drifts of ev€ry side coulee' stranded

414 411
C/\lilt ION SPRING / Wrlltr'c Srgrer

rotated free' and stranded

momentarily 'rmong llooded rosebushes'3nd rrunesirapiocx,.
Karo syrup,everyrhing
chey
li$.j:jt:1,.f*::
agatn
Their bench was cut by a sroecoulee'and they
tiPPed and rocked " r ecr<":,
3f^-o:r_:::i:,,,..,; na^._"'il:; ;:; ;Jil,
yelJowjorsehide gloves.varnishcd*.
h*d|*. ;;;,;;;;,;
dashboard' Rav,s,hand :;l
the shinyboors
ao-n, ,lt. *^p" oftf't horsesback against !f ',".k .h..", ;;;;"- ;:"i::
oo the brake,the shoescreeorrngmud from
th€ tires Therew$ brush "*'""it voile and crepe""d
flowered de chine and curtain net, whole stacks
Thei wheels sank jarsof pcppcrmint.
in the botlom, and stained drifts still unmelted and.r|-;ped
c,ndy
in slush, she hung to rhe sear rarl, ther ighted'
the- lines cracked horehound. . . . She"hccr.
lf:T^:::*,r*,-: giggled.
in and lifted them.out
acrossthe muscling rumPs as the team dug "Vhat?,, Ray,s neck and shoulders were so srifl v,.ith
muscle that
abruptly' in a hollos all but creaked when he turned his head.
of the cold, snowbink breath of the draw Then
spraddledlegs' Remcmber
o" ti..igtt,, a."a.t.lalls staredat her from between rhenishrr u,cdour ra.rsusar
mass of bone and ]"Ij:J^1'1.n,.,r"c,
rharbarchcr divinity.
horns an-d rails and legs were tangled in a starved and druggedrhe boysin afcerbedriire
the gasesof decal :11e
ftA" t", y.., in that iold bonom, pufing with
Thev musi havebeen rhree-deep-piled on one
another' shesuPPosed' rhcdal- Ravsrrd"rook rhcedgeoffeveibodl. '
blizzards' '5rd
,.::j:::i:1
of.lefr
whiie drifting before some one of rhe wintcr's us starvingfor sugar,rhough. ,;; ;;. ;oJ*
aq.ored b\ 2 'r'nLh sooverPowering.rha rhe brearhc'l o',o *b. or fluffq irh thci,
4 1;,,1.1",q1. ";?6ngentikerons..
'he lookrd ro (hc lerr )r'i il^,1::1':,1.
.T-1_*^*:. - amonstheirvhiskers,"d ;;ki".;-f**,';;ff1
ir in decpll ,lt if ro 'amPle the wor't
h'nging,bv ne'r
.rs I long\orn. rrs bcll blown rp rcadvro PoP rnd wonderingwh:r on crrrh h"d
got in,o .e l:
hla(k bii{h whete rl "Nothinggor.inro1,6u.you ,a, "feo
.rnd horn' rron r right clrmp of rrdcr and ius, up we all was..
car's-Pawsin tbe her]\\ pi,rcduprharpin(ushion
snow had left him she sa*' rhe wind make r r.rsurting
-T,ryr::j-1.:-:!t
tove, for, rnd I gor rorr of hlve,i.,t a;d ^k"d
winter hair' h;, ii;.l;.f
'Jesus," Rat said' "when vou find 'em in /'4l" rt wat Rememberwhat he seid?,Ir,s a
doll piller, ain,r it, Mollyj
were bflc(l thought I'd die.,' v?'
iti, boo,.,--n,n and whitened bv many wettings'
seehis glov ' headang,irvanda rcahpra.hed
aqainstthe dash From the coms ofher ele Molh could on the da"b Ra1
the slectc li:^:i:"] r,
iis wrisr laceopen. His wrist looked aswide asa doubletree' hcr in.ararrn.
sheturncdherf,..,*,y
very sight of hi' :-1.:::.9:'**,1ar
rli' t""r jicket was tight with forearm The d down :c,oss rhe warcr rhrr "ni
ncarly, hrl;;;;;._ ;;
"i in his voitc "prcad
strength made her irate the tore of defeatand outrage Doroms. LJrrry
_torm
and brush rirclcd in rhe cddie<.Shc
saw
did. not *ant httr' cavefrom analmost drownedcutbank and
Yet she appnised the tone cunningly' for she. sink, bubbting_From
into it There were berr(I rhey drove, bemeen.thejvater and rhe outer
somehowtu*ing his bullheadedwav back stopethlt rolled
,f-ti"nt ,fr.u -tfi a" thar break their backsand heans in a hopclc"' p']l'rie.(he Cypre.sHirk m;de , ,nowp;rched,
:.".ji:^l'qi
oarkeneddomc a(rossrhc
couritry a hundred miles from anl'where wesr.Thc wrnd cameotr rhem mild
she sa*' the li!r'
wiil, ."rr.*.a .yt', caught in an instant vision' milk rctd}n<ctf, and d,aggcdi, d*p i"," h;;;";
herrd the screendrr i _Pa^an?d'.he
awrre rgain of Rr)." grav cye. ..Hard
bushesbv the front porch of her father'shouse' lnc was
on 1or,.. te rr"id.
sa'r PeoPlePassr"ll some reron he made her mad, as if he
bang behind her brother Charlev (screendoors!)' was accusing her of
or a ball game do" t' howail,tbetimecheybumped
*oien i,t d.."ses' maybe all going to a picnic androlid elong
Genc"l Tl,,.l,r;.tT
slr.uldcr or f':
in thc park by rbe river' She Passedthe front of McCabe's .rhe_
rrver valey rhcy h;d rhis :",r;;;t;;;;;;;
and shelves: dt!"I r IKc r sn:rrt
StoL'eand th.otgh the window saw the counters ol brrrbedwjrc. yor torrldn.rre,uh our
aninhcrc

'1li'
ttl
CARRION SPRING / rl/alhce SreStd

vrithout running into it. Did he blame he{ for going home' or whari 'l.i'"y 'I.he
roilysky hadbesunro breakup in prrche"
\(/hat did he exPecther to do, come along with a whole bunch ol lil-'
DIue.Molly let( rhc
solid bump of Ray.sshouiderL hc ;wined
men on that roundup, sPendsix or eight weeks in pants out among casr a wearhcrrye uprard Coing to be
a re,l sp.ing day... he
the carcasses? And then what? l. ro young Schulzhc.aid. ..How rir in rhar
burro*'go.'d.you
A high, sharp whicker came downwind. The team chuckled an(l
surged into their collars Looking ahead,she saw a horse-Pickercd' "Vouldn't oidinarilygo more'n tvrentyfeeror so.,,
probably, or hobbled-and a man who leened on something "Need any help diggin,?',
rifle?-watching them "Young Schulz,"Ray said,and then therecamt The Schulzboy spat.
the dogs, four big, bony hounds The teem began to dance Ray hcll "Ray . . ," Molly said.But she stoppedwhen she saw
his face.
them in tight and whistled the buggy whiP in cheair when the houn'l "Befn Iong srnceI hclpeddig our .r .oyore. he said.He
" _rime
got too close- hrr asif waiting for a reaccion.,,Beena long
cime since
Young Schulz, Molly saw as they got closer, was leaning on t dd nyrhing forfan.,'
shovel, iot a rifle He had dug a trench two or three feet deeP ar"l 'Oh.
go :herdt .he sJd. .Long as wc don\
miss thar rrain..
rcn or twelve long. He dragged a bare forearm acrosshis forehcr'l can make Mdpre creek by noun fomo.ro$.
,j in And )ou
under a muskrat cap: a sullen-faced boy with eyes like dirty ice Slx l't 9-,::T:
sucha hurry you haveto be theresooner,are you?,,
supposedhe had been living all alone sincebis father had disappcat't Shehad neverheard so much edgein his voice.
He looked at her
late in the wintet. Somehow he made her want to turn her liPs insll' h: n"jd her. She turned so is to keep the
if Schulz boy from
out. A rr'ild man, wo$e than an Indian. She had not liked his fath ' ing her face,and for just a second,f-r. -a n"y ""f
*.r. Af
and she did not like him erc, eye to eye.She laid a hand on his knee. ,,I dont "tin.
know whai
The hounds below her were snifrng at the wheelsand testing llu ig" shesaid.'.HonesdyI don,t. But you better
work it ofl,,
air up in her direcdon, wagging slow tails. Young Schulzwerr back to hi, digging while
Ray unhirchedand
"\flhat\e you got, wolves2" RaY asked. ,pcd rhe rugs and ried rhe horsc. to rhe wheel: .l
hen Ray tool
"Coyotes" shovel and began to fll rhe air with clods.
He moved more dirt
"Old ones down there?" **p:.: ,ne had seengrading the raiiroad back home;
"One, anl'waY.Chasedher in." :::: :*'i:
r," -u,rci,rre,i rongr,"ofl.a.irsprin;
"iind any escaPeholes?" l6o_1:d.lirc\erc:ins
,p,-o .erhimto runningThe,oit qr, .,ndi an;
"One. Plugged it." :^":"1 .",T
I outjn cieanbro$.n shovelfuls.The hounds lay back
'em the hard way"' Ray said "How've you been doit'x o.rt of.ange
"You get warched. Ral, did not look coward
Moll v. or 5rr anyrhing ro
ofi irolves?" tlz; he just moved dirt as if dirt was his
worst enemy. After a
The boy said a ha-rd,four-Ietter word, slanted his eyes sidesrr'l minutes Molly pulled the butralo robe out
of rhe buckioard and
at Molly in something less than apology acknowledgrnent'm:ttln J ir on thc dnhg prairic.Br rh;r rime jr
Sru' nr, genrng cto5ero
"The dogs ain't worth a damn without Puma to kill for'em . rhe sun was tu our. werm on hcr fa.e
rnd hand>.
he got killed they juff catch up with a wolf and run alongsidc |ir" Thc coyote hole ran along about rhree feet
underground_Ftom
I dug out a couPle dens." tcrc shc sat she coutd look right up che trench
and see the black
lVith hG thumb and finger he worked at a pimple under his j'' ing at rhe bottom whcn the shovel broke
into it. She could
The soft wind blew over them, the taint of carrion on)y r suspitt'u' inc the coyotcs,crammedbackat the end oftheir
burrow, herring

4lr'l
419
CARRION SPRING / V/.lhce Stegne!

towrr'l blade while Schulz wenc over to his horse_The boy came back wirh
the noises and seeing the growing light as their death dug
r red.willowsrickscren.oreight fcerlong. iorkedlike a <mallsling.hor
them, and no way out, nothing to do but wart'
r.rhe end. Raypulledaw.ryrhe,hovetand S.hulzprobedri rhc
Young Schulz took the shovel and Ray stood out of the tr€nclt'
cheerful ole with the forked end of rhe sdcL.A hard grunt cameout of
blowingiThe violenc work seemedto have made him more
gloved hrtrr'l and hc brckedup. pulling rhe stick from rhe hole. Ar rhe lasr
He saiJ to Schulz,when the boy stooPedand reacheda
rigl't he yankedhard, and a squirm of gray broke free and rolled
up the hole, "She comes out of there in a hurry, she'li run
was pounced on by the hounds.
uP your sl€eve."
'S.h,:I" time Rry Licked rhem aside.He pickedup chepup by the
gr,-,ntedand 'esumed his digging The un:roubled s]rn:'clt .This
ll! h down, btood on its fur, and ti&ea its r,i"j tegs
ouer, hanging almost overhead,and an untroubled wind stirred l, .""1 !*g
little. Schulzwasdown again,probing the burrow, twisting, probifu
old grass.s(Lere the terraceof the floodPlainrolled up to the prritr
"frrst prn, ty'-istinghard-Again he backedup, working the entangledpuf
the gopher of the seasonsat up and looked them ove!- A,1l"ll
rollirll carefully unril it was in the open, and then landine it over his
-or,.d, ,-"i he disappearedwith 2 fiirt of his tail Ray was
teeth His forearms wc1' likc a su.kcr from the river.The pup landedwirhin rhrecfeet
up his sleeves,whistiing looselybetweenhis
of sii(l the buckboardwheel, and floundeted,srunned.In an instant Mollv
white, his hands blackenedand crackedas the charredend
She smiled' mrkil)l rppeddown and ir in riothc:, hands,rm". There qar
His eyestouched her-speculatively, shethought "morhcred
Lt1'lr il h:r ear shewas bumpedhard, sheheardRe).yelling,
a forgiving, kissing motion of her mouth' but all he did in ltli:C let-
he wx thinkilrl d then he had her on her feet. From his face,she thousht he was
was;orklis eyebrows,and she could not tell what
ling to hit he!. Against her middle, held by the scruff and grappled
Young Schulz was poking uP the hole with tbe shovel har'llr
ith rhe other arm, the pup snapped and slavered with need"leieeth.
Crouching in the ffench in his muskrac cap, he looked like st'r"'
l felt the sting of bi|es on her hands and wrists. The dogs ringed
digging animal; she half expecredhim to Put his nose into rhc lr'1'
, kept off by Ray's kicking boot.
,n-J.nif ^na then start throwing dirt out between his hind lcg'
"God-A'mighty," Ray said, ',you want to get yourself killed?,,
Then in a single conrulsion of movement Schulz rolled sidcvrr'l
't", "I didn'r wanr the dogs to ger him.',
A naked-gummedthing of teeth and gray fur shot-into sight' sct
in a Pinwheelof dogs Mol)y ltrtl" 'l "No. So maybe they get you. What zre you gorng to do with
bled at t* edge,and disaPPear€d
the lilll'r n now, anyway2IFe'll jusr have to Lnock him in the head.,,
to the headso1the horses,iearing and walleyedand yanking
tl"ttt "I'm going co keephim.,,
buckboard sideways,and with a hand in erch bridle steadied
dogs with the shotgutr' ltrrl "ln Malra2"
down- Schulz, she saw, was circling rhe
"rvhy nor?"
it was clear that the dogs bad alreadydone it for him The rort't'1
with "tr He ler go his clurchon her arm.,.He'll be a cutepup for a monrh
and snapping tailed otr scbuiz kicked the dogs away and
I then he'li be a chickenrhief and the,, ,omebod^y,11
quick flashand circ)eand rip rore rhe 'calP and earcofl the t'q'' shoothim.,,
bioodl "nh irs pink 'L:ullbi': " l"'u "At lexsr he'll have a little bir of a life. Get away yor dirty,
t'r laytr'ere*c,. mauled. trde(ing . . ." She cradled the rhudding litle bodv along one a#
rrr
sniffedwtrt'
doc i.r'"Uv murdcred One of rhe dogs came uP
dr'rr' 'l r her mackinaw,keepingher hold in rhe scruffwith her righc
n.lU.,r.,.tt.d our, srnk it5 rce(h in rhe co)orc' shoulder'
from the crowdinghounds.,,I,mgoing
, andtumed hers€lfaway
it a foot or two
Inmc him," shc said. "f don,t care what you say.,,
"RaY ." MollY said
$c slr"\' I "Sc:rll's wofth rhcecdollaa,,' Schulzsrid from the cdgeof the dirch
He did not hear her; he was blocking thc burrow with

, t , tl
4).tl
C,{RRION SPRING / Walhc Siegne!
Ray Licked the dogs back. His eyes, ordinarily so cool and gray,
looked hot. The digging and the excitement did not seem to have
taken the edge off whatever wes erting him He said, "Look, maybe
you have to go back home to your folks, but you don't have to take
a menag€rie along. $Chat are you going to do with him on the train?"
Now it was out. He did blame her. "You think I'm running out
on you," she said-
"I just said you cant take a menagerieback to town."
"You szld naybe I he.dto go home. Where else would I go? You're
going to be on roundup till July The ranch is going to be sold'
'!(r'here
on earth wald I go b'ot home?"
"You don,t have to stay You don't have to make me go back
to ridin' for some outfit for twenty a month and found."
His dark, baftered, scared face told ber to be quiet. DiPPing fer
dovrn in the tight Pocket of his kvis he brought uP his snaP pursc
and took from it three silver dollars Young Schulz, who had been
probing the den to see if anything else was there, climbed our ol
the ditch and took the money in his dirty, chapped hand. He gavc
Molly one infuriatingly cool and knowing IooL with his difty-ice Ees,
scalpedthe dead pup, picked up shotgun and twisting stick and shovel
d€d them b€hind the saddte,mounted, whistled at the dogs,and wirlr
barely a nod rode off toward the northeastem flank of the hills Thc
hounds fanned out ahead of him, rurming Ioose and easy ln rhc
silencetheir departureleft behind, a clod broke and rolled into thc
ditch. A gopher piped somewhere.The wind moved quiet asbreathinS
in rhe grass.
Molly drew a breath that caught a little-a sigh for their quareling,
fot whatever borhercd him so deeply that he gloomed and grumpt'l
and askedsomething impossible of her but when she sPokeshe sPokc
around it. "No thanks for your digging."
"He don't know mucb about living with people."
"He's like everything else in this country, wild and dirry an'l
thankl€ss."
ln a minute she would rerlly start feeling sorry for herself But
why not/ Did it ever occur to him that since November she h:r'l
seer exactly one womani for one day and a night? Did he have rnt
422
how she had felt, a bride of ten days, when he went out with
boys and was gone two weels, through three different blizzards,
sbe stayed home and didn't know whether he was dead or alive?
"If you meanme," Ray said,"I may be wild and I'm probably
, but I ain't thenkless,honey."
Sharned,sheopenedher mouth ro reply, but he wasalreadyturning
to nrmmage up a sarap and a piece of whmg leather to make
collar ald leashfor her pup.
"Are you hungry?"shesaid to his shoulders.
"I put up somesandwiches."
"Oh, Ray," she said, "leCs not creb at each other. Sure I'm glad
getting out. Is that so awful? I hate to seeyou killing youtself
ing this bopekr country. But does that mean vre have to fighr?
maybe we could hawea picnic like we had coming in, back
that slough wherc rhe ducks kept landing on rhe ice and skidding
over end. I don't know, it doesn't hardly seem we've laughed
'"$Zell," he said, "it ain't b€en much
of a laughing winter, for a
He had cut down a cheek strap and tied a rawhide thong to it.
she broughr our the pup and he buckled the collar around
ncc\ but when she set it on the ground it backedup to the end
thc thong, cringing and showing its naked gums, so that shepicked
up again and let ir dig along her arm, hunting darknessunder
riShallwe ear her€?"Ray said. "Kind of x lor of
chewed-upcoyote
"LcCsgo up on the bench."
"\Vanr to tie the pup in rhe buckboard?"
"l'll take him. I wanr ro get him usedto me."
"Okay," he said- "You go on. I'll rie a nose bag on these nags
bring the robe and the lunch box."
thc wrlked slowly,nor ro scaferhepupj until shewasup the little
ch rnd ont<: thc prxiric. From up thcrc she could see not only
42)
CARRION SPRING / !t,lla.e Sregner

the slough and rhe hills. ,,Soon

as the sun comes out, sh€
rhe CypressHills ac(ossthe west, but the vallet of rhe whitemud 't Jook
like rbe samecountry,doe, she/.'
brealing out of them, and a big slough, spreadbv floodwater,and
Molly said nothing. She watched his nosrrils fan in and our
watercoursesgoing both ways out of it, marked by thin willows Just as
srritred."No smell up here, do you think?,, he said.
where the \(/hitemud emerged from the h;lls were three vthitc
But she heard the direction he was groping in, the regret that could
dots-the Mountie post, probabiy, or ihe Lazy-S'or both The siin
d, if rhey did nor watch out, ro some renewed and firtile hope,
was surPrisinglywarm, until sh€ counted up and found thar it *'as
shesaidrarrly,"I cao smellJr.rll rigbr..'
May a. lt oaght to b€ warm
He sighed. He lay back and closed his eyes. After about
Ray brought the buffalo robe and spread ir, and she sat down three
ltes he sdd, "Bot', what a day, though. I v,.on,rget rhrough
One-handedbecauseshe had the thong of tbe leashwraPPedaround on
patrot trail going back. The ice,ll be breaking up before
her palm, she doled out sandwichesand boiled eggs Ray PoPPedrr tonight,
whole egg in his mouth, and chewing,pointed. "There goeslhe Soutlr
you heeri( cruckinand poppin.a minutcago:..
,:1,.,.,j': .O'O
r (Ucnr heirr rr
Fork of the Swjft Cunent, our of the slough- The one this side, thxr
little sctaggleof willows you can s€e,emPties into the Whitemu'l
They were srill She heatd rhe soft wind move in the prairie wool.
That slough sits right on the divide and runs both wavs You donl
d beyondit.6Jlrng thc background.rhe hu,hcd and holloq noi:e
s€e that verY often "
the floodwater, sigh of drowned willows, suck of whirlpools. solash
She ePPraisedhis tone. He was feeling better. For that mattcr' s"
I gurgle a' curbrnks.aved. and the ste.rdl pu.h anj ,*a.h .rnd
was she.It had turned out a beautiful day,with big fair-wearherclott'l
of moving water. Into rhe soft rush of sound came a muffled
coastirg over. She saw the flooded river bottoms below rhem, on lln
like a rree cracking, or a shot a long way oft ,.Is rhat ir?,,
left, darken to wincer and then sweepright back to sping again whll'
said. "Is thar rhe ice letting loose?,,
she could have counted no more than ten. As she moved, the co\(n'
"Stick around till tomorow and you'll see that whole channel full
pup clawed and scrambledagainst her side, and she said' wrinklirrrl
aakes."
Ler nose in her freckle-facedsmile, "Ifhe startedeadng me, I s'on'l' r
Anothcr 'hadoe from onc or rhc big flar bo.romedLtoudschiltcd
if I could keep from yelling? Did you ever read that story about rl!
them and passed.Ray said into the air, ,.Harry $fillis said this
boy thrt hid the fox under his clothes and the fox stafted errirr/i
i surveywill go right through ro MedicineHar. Open up rhis
a hole in him and the boy never batted an eye' just let hi'nself lu
country_"Now in fearshesatverystill, strokingthe soft bulge
thc puF through the cloth. ,.Probablymean a town of Eastend.,,
"No, I never heard chat one," Ray said "Don't seemverv likrlr
does it?" He lay back and turned his face' shut-eved,into rhe srrrr
"Vith a store thar close we couldn\ ger quire so snowed in as
Now and then his hand roseto feedbites of sandwichinto his morrrll
did this winter "
"The PuPt quieter," Molly said "I wonder if he'd eat a pict r ' 'r
Molly srid nothing, because she darednot. They w€re a couple
sandwich?"
It-like rhesloughspreadout northwestofthem_fiowed two ways,
"kave him be for a while l would " (, rhis wild range,sheback.o rown and friendsand family.
"l guess." And
in rhe rhaw of one bright day,rheir last togetherup herenorth
His hand rerchedover blindly and she Put xnorller sandwiclrilr"
thc line, she felr the porentialweakeningof her resolution.She
its pincer claws.Chewing, he cameuP on one elbow, his e,vesr1rr" 'l
f rcctcredon ;Ldivide She fearedthe sofrening rhar could start
He stareda long time down jnro the flooded borroms rnd rhcn rr'r"

424
CARRION SPRING / rvalhceStegnct
her draining toward his side of their never fully articulated argument
"Molly," Ray said, and made her look at him. She saw him as
the country and the winter had left him, lreathered and scarred. His
eyes wefe gIey and steady, marksman\ eyes.
She made a wordless sound that in her own ears seemed almosr
a groan. "You want awful bad to stay, somehow," she said
His fingers plucked a strand of grass,he bit it between his reedr'
his head went sJo-ly uP and down
"But how?" she said. "Do you want to strike the ZX for a job
or the Lazy-S,or somebody?Do you want to open a store in Easren(l
for when the railroad comes through, or whar?"
"Haven't you figured that out yet?" he said "I thought you'd s(!
it in a minute. I wanr to buy the T'Down "
"YoD l!hat?"
"I want us co buy the T_Down and make her go."
She felt that she went all to Pieces.She laughed. She threq, h'l
handsaround so that the pup scrambledand clawed ar her side-"lt rr
Henry," she said, "you're crazy as a bedbug. $0here'd we ger Il!
"Boffovr it."
"Go in debt to st^y uP hete?"
"Molly," h€ said, and she heard the slow grther of determinati"rr
in his voice, "when else could we picl up cattle for twenty dolhrl
a head with sucking calves thrown in? \7hen else could we gcr 'r
whole ranch layout for a few huodred bucks?The Goodnight hcr'l
we were $nning was the best herd in Canada.This spring roun'|"1'
we could take our pick of what's left, including bulls, and burD r'rrt
'em into summer range and drive everytlri|A
brand on 'em and turn
elseto Malta. \tre wouldn\ want more than three,four hundred hcri
$a/ecan swing that much, and we can cut enough hay to bring rlr'rt
many through even a winter like this last one."
She watched him; ber eyesgroped and slipped.
He said, "\(e're never going to have another chancelike thrs rr
long as we tive. This countryt going to change.Therc'll be lr"rrl
steidersin heresoon as the railroadcomes.Towns, saorcs'wbat y(nr'\r
been missing. Womenfolks. We cen sit out herc on the \)qhir(1!rtr'l
426
good hay land and good range and just make rhis goddarned
ry holler uncle."
"How long?" she said. ..How long have you b€en thinking this
"Since we got John's letter.,,
"You never said anything.,,
"l kept waiting for you ro gcr rhc idea rour.ell Bur
)ou wcre
u-benato get our.'
Sheescapedhis eyes,lookeddown, shiftedcarefirllyto accommodate
: wiJd rhing snuggledin darknc..ar her waisr,.rndas rhe mored
foot scufed up rhe scalloped felt edge of the buffalo robe.
By
toe.w.tre hrlf<rushed.rocus.palelylavender.a rhing so tender
uobelievable in waste of brown grass unoer rne great pour
.the
sKy tnrr she cricd our. "Wh). good land. look a( rha(:.._rrking
of ir both as discoveryand as diversion
"Crocus?" Ray said, bending. ,.Don't rake long, once the snow
It lay in her palm, a thing lucky as a fourJeafclover,and as if
hadhad some efect in clearing her sight, Molly tooked down
the
th-facing dope and saw ir tinged wirh fainrest green_Sh€
put the
us ro her nose, but smelled onty a mild freshn.ss, an oio,
no
,re showy than that ofgrass. But maybeenough ro cover the scenr
eies.cameup and found Ray,swatching her steadily.
fmff.,Her
bu think we could do it?,,
"l know we could."
"lt's a funny time to start talking that way, wh€n I,m on my vray
t."
"You dont have to sray out.,,
Snimngrhe crocus,sheput her right hand under the mackinaw
til her fingerstouchedfur. The pup stiffened,but did not
turn
snap.She moved her Engerssoftly along his back,willing
him
rc. for rome reasonshefelr as if shemight bust out crying.
"Havenl you got any ambition to be rh1 first white wom"anin
; hundrcdmilcs2"Ray said.
Pestand,below,him. rhrccor four mile"off.shcsawrhegrcrt rlough
'l(cr)undcr.r dnving (loud
rlr.rdowrnd rhen brighrcn to I blirc
u1
JUST I-ATH!R, TH,{T'S AIL / Hernzndo T€lLq
that flockered with little wind-whiPPed waves. She wondered what
happenedto the ic€ in a slough like that, whether it went on dovn
the little flooded creeksto add to th€ jams in the Vhitemud and
Swift Current, or whether it just rose to the surfaceand gradualh'
melted ther€. She didn't supposeit would be spectacularlike thc
brerkup in the river.
"Mamma and Dad would think v.'e'd lost our minds," she said
"How much would we have to borrow?"
"Maybe six or eight thousand."
"Oh Inrd!" She contemplated the sum, a burden of debt he.rvv
enough ro pin them down for life. She rememberedthe winter, sir
months ofunremitting slaveryend imPrisonment.Shelifted the crocLr.
and taid it against Ray's dark scarredcheek.
"You should never weir lavendet," she said, and giggled at rlr
very idea, and let her eyes come uP to his and stated at him, si(l
and scared."All right," she heard herselfsay."If it's what you want'
JUST LATHEF.,
TI{AT'S AI,I,
H E F N A N DT
oELIEZ]COLOME!A
YI
nE 5AID \orHlNu whcn he enrered.I wrs pa'sing thc bev ,'r rr'r
ra:ors back and forth on a stroP. Wben I recognizedhim I sr:rrtol
to tremble. But he didn\ notice. Hoping to conceal mv emolrt$,
I continued sharpening the razor- I tested it on the mear oi r,,l
thumb, and th€n held it uP to the light At rhat moment ht t'"'h
offthe bullet'studdedbelt that hisgun holster dangledfrom. Ht hr,r11
it up on a wall hook ard Placedhis military crp over it. Thcrr lr
turned to me, looscning the knot ofhis de, and said, "lfs lrot t,
hell. Ci.e me a 'hrve Hc '1r in 'he chrir.
42rl
I.estimated.hehad a fourday beard.The four daystaken up by
latestexpeditionin searchofour rroops.His faceseemedreddenej,
bv rhe sLrn.CarefulJy.I begrn co prcparerhe sorp I cur off
rew srices.droppe.trhem Inro rhc cup. mixcd in a bir ot warm
rer, and beganro stir with the brush. Immediarelythe foam began
rise- "The other boys in the group should have this much beard.
" I continued sriffing the lather.
"But we did all right, you know. $fe got the main ones. \(e
rught back some dead, and we,ve got some others still alive. But
soon they'll all be dead_,,
"How many did you catch?,,I asked
"Fourreen. $Oehad Logo prcrry dcep inro rhe woods ,o fu1d(bem
we'll get even. Not one of them comes our of this alive.
nor
" He lcrnedbackon rhe chrir whcn he:aw me wirh thc lather-
d brushin my hand.I still had to pur the sheeton him.
No
aboutit,I wasupset.I rooka sheetout ofa drawerandkrotted
alound my customer'sneck.He wouldnl stop talking. He probably
ought I was in sympathy wirh his party.
"The cown must have learned a lesson from whxi we did the orher
," he said.
"Yes," I replied, securing the knot ar his dark, swearyneck
'"Thatwas a fine show,
eh?',
tVery good," I answered,turning
back for th€ bfush. The man
his eyes with a gesture of fatigue and sat waidng for the cool
of che soap. I had never had him so close to me. The day he
the whole town ro fiIe inro the patio of th€ school to see
four rebelshrngrng rherc. I (rme ia(c-rofacc q;(h him for an
rnt. Bur the sight of the mutilatedbodiesLept me from nodcing
faccof the man who had directedit ali, the faceI wasnow rboui
trke in(o my hands.lr wx nor an unplea.znrfa.c. certJnll. And
bcard.whnh madehrm .eem a bit older than he wrs, didni.uir
bedly ar all. His name was Toffes. Captain Tortes. A man of
ination, becausewho else would have chought of hanging the
I rcbelsand then holding targerprecdceon certainparts oitheir
icsl I beganto applythc first tayerof soap.S(ith his eyesclosed,
conrrnlcd. "Virhout any effot I could go srrright to sleep,,,he
4),
JUST l-ATllER, TllAT's AIL / HernrndoT€llq
said,"but there'splenty to do this aftemoon." I stoppedthe lathering
and askedwirh a f+ned lack of interest: "A firing squad?""Somc.
thing like thar, bur a little slower." I gor on with the job oflathering
his beard. My hands started trembJing again. The man could nor
possiblyrealizeit, and this was in my favor. But I would havepreferrc,l
that he hadn\ come. lt wes likely ahat many of our faction had seco
him enter. And an enemyunder one'sroofimposes certainconditions
I would be obliged to shavethat beard like any other one, carefullr,
gently, like that of any cusromer,teking Pains to seerhat no sin8l('
pore emited a drop of blood. Being carefulto seethat the litde rulrs
of hair did not iead the blade asffay.Seeingthat his skin ended Lr;'
c1ern,soft, and healthy, so that passingthe back of my hand ovr
ir I couldn't feel a hair. Yes, I was secretlya rebel, but I was el"'
a conscienriousbarber,and proud ofthe preciseness ofmy professirr'
And this four days' growrh of beard was a 6ning challenge.
I took rhe razor, openedup the rwo prorecrivearms, exposedrlr
'11,,
blade and began the job, from one of the sideburnsdownward.
razor respondedbeautifully. His beard was inflexible and hard, rnr
too long, but thick. Bit by bit the skin emerged-The razor raslx,l
along, making its customarysound as fluffs of lather mixed wirh I'rr,
of hair garheredalong the blade. I pauseda moment ro cleanir, r lr rr
took up the strop again to sharpenthe razor, becauseI'm a brtlu t
who does tbings properly. The man, who had kepr his eyescl^.,|,
opened chem now, removed one of his hands from under the sh, r,
felr the spot on his fac€ where the soap h"d b*" clea.edofl,
",,,1
said, "Come to rhe school todxy at six o'clock." "The same rlrrrrl
as the other day?" I asked,hoffified. "It could be better," he rc1'lr,l
"Vhat do you plan to do?" "I don't knovv yet- But we'll rrrrrrt
ourselves."Once more he leanedback and closedhis eyes.I appnr:r,l" ,l
him with the razor poised. "Do you plan to purish them ill" I
ventured timidly. "A11." The soap was drying on his face. I lrr,l r,r
hurry. In the miror I looked toward tbe srreer.lt was tbe s:rnr rr
ever: the grocery store with two or three customers in it.'lhri
irr,r ,l
glancedat the clock: two twenty in the afternoon.The razorcont
on its downward stroke.Now from the otber sideburndown. A r lr', |,,
blue beard. He should have let it grow fike sorne pocts or 1u',,t,
470
r. Ir *'ould suit him well. A lor of peoplewouldn,trecognizehim.
uch to his benenr,I thoughr, as I atempted to covei the neck
smoothly. There, for sure,rhe razorhad to be handledmasterfully,
: the hair, although softer, grew into little swirls. A curly beard.
re.of.the tiny porescould be openedup and issueforth its pearl
blood. A good barber such as I prides Limself on never allowing
is to happento a client And rhis was a 6rst classclient. How
mani
us hrd he ordercd.hotr How manyof u. had he orderedmutiLred:
was betrer not to think about it. Torres did nor know rhat I wzs
enemy. He did not know it nor did the rest. Ir was a secrershared
very few, precisely so rhat I could inform the revolutionaries
of
Tores was doing in rhe town and of what he was plznning
time he undertook a rebel-hunting excursion. So it -^, goin!
be very difficult to explain chrt I had him righr in my hand""ani
him go peacefully-alive and shaved.
Tie beard.was now almo<r complereh gone. He ,eemedyounger.
s Durdenedby )ear\rhdn when he hrd arrired.I suppo,crhisalwarr
ns wrth men who visit barbershops.
Under the strokeof my
Torres.was
beingreiuvenated-rejuvenated
because I am a good
, the b€st in th€ cown, if I mly say so_A little more lather
, under his chin, on his Adam,s apple, on this big vein. How
it is getdngl Torres must be sweating as much as L Bur he is
afraid. He is a calm man, who is not even thinkinq about what
is going ro do wirh the pri,onersrhi: rfrernoon.6n rhe orher
1d l, with this rezor in my hands, stroking and restfoking this
n, trying ro keep blood from oozing from chesepores, can,i even
nk clearly-Damn him for coming,bicauseI'm a re,oluiionaryand
: a murdcrer.
And howersl ir wouldbeto kill him.A nd hedeserves
Does he2 Nol Vhar the deviil No one desewesto htve someone
I make the sacrificeof becoming a murderer. \fhat do you gain
it? Norhing. Orhcn rome alongand orhe,", ,t. hr,t Jne,
"ri
the secondones and rhey rhe nexr ones "nd
and ir goes on like this
I I everyrhing is a sea of blood. I could cut rhis rhroet
iust so,
zipl I wouldn't give him dme to complain and sincehe has his
closed.hewouldn\ seerhe glistening knife bladeor my glistening
. Bur I'm tremblinglikc ;Lrml murderer.Out of hk neik a gusi
,lll
JUSTLATHIR,THAT'SAll, / Hmmdo T6licz

of blood would spour onto the sheet, on rhe chair, on my hands,

on the floor. I srould have ro close the door. And the blood would
keep inching along the {loor, warm, ineradicable,unconainable, unril
it reached the srreet, Iike a little scarlet stream. I'm sure that on( THE SECRETLIFE
solid stroke,one deepincision, would prevent any pain. He wouldnt
suffer. But whar would I do with rhe body? Vhere woutd I hidc
OF \VAITER MITTY
JAMESIHUF8EF/IJN TED STATES
it? I would have to flee, Ieaving all I have behind and take refugc
[a,r zway, far, far away. But th€y would follow undl rhey found rn( a '-z'z
"Captain Torr€s' murderer. He slit his rhroar while he was shaving
him-a coward." And then on the other side. ..The avenger of us /4,h*-//6^Z-L
all. A name to remember-(And here they would menrion my namc I /
He was th€ town barber. No one knew he was defending our causc. rHRou6Hj..The commrndersvorcewrs
And what of a1l this? Murderer or hero? My destiny dependsoll ,.Y.""r): tike rhin
Dreebng. Hc worehis full-drcssuniform wirh cheheavrll
the edge of this blade. I can turn my hand a bit more, pressa lirrl brajded
harder on the razor, and sink it in. The skin would give way liLr :,p ry159 doT rakishlyover one cotd gray eye...\re cant
rq sll. It's spoiling for a huricane if
you ask me.,, .,I,m
silk, like rubber, like rh€ strop. There is nothing more tender ttrrrr asking vou. Lieurenrnr Berg... srd che
commander. ..Thfow
human skin and the blood is always therq ready to pour forth r\ rhe Po!'er lighrs: Rev her up ro
eighry.Fve hundredt We.re
blade iike this doesn't fail. Ir is my best. Bur I don't wanr ro In throughl The poundng of rhr- c\Jinder.
a murderer, no sir. You came to me for a shave.Arrd I perform rr'y incrca.ed.ra.
-Pockera-WckerA pocacrapaltta. -fhe commzndersraredar rhe
work honorably. . . . I don\ want blood on my hands.Just hrlrr, r forming on the pilot window. He
walke<i over and rwisted a row
that\ all. You are an executionerand I am only a barber.Each pcrs',rl complicateddials.,.Switch on number
eighr auxiliaryl,, h€ shouted.
has his own place in the scheme of things. That's righr. His {^v'l .
,uririalr repeaied ..Furl
::1 "i.1", Lieurcnan(
Bers.
place. rgrn:iIn number"qn,
rhJef ,.Full
runerl.. 5hourcd rhe co._rnde.
Now his chin had been stroked clean and smoorh- The m;rn ',rr .th in number.rhrec .Thc
rurrert rrcw. benorngro rherrvariou.
up and looked into the mirror. He nbbed his hands over his slirl tl. n"8: hurrling eighr engincd Nevl
and felt it fresh, like new. I o(hcr and hldruptane.tooked
crch grinned. ,.The OII Van.ll gct us rhroueh...
"Thanks," he said. He x/ert to the hanger for his belt, pistol .rrr,l thev
r-ro one anorher..The Old Man ain.r "
caP.I must have be€n very pale; my shirt felt soaked.Torres 6nislr,l 'I:,:: afrrid ot hclli..
You're,ddving roo fastt,,sxldMrs.
adjusdng the buckle, straighrcnedhis pistol in .he holster antl .rlr,r l^,, Mitty. ,,vhar
you driving so fasr for?,'
automaticallysmoothing down his hair, he put or the cap. Ftuor l l
.,.1:.. Mirr1.Hc tookedat hisnife,in
pants Pocket he took out seveBl coins to pay me for my scr!r,,l ,,lTl-,'.
rrde :ril
hjm.wirh rhesear
shocked ,sronr.hmenr Ste ,eerned
gro*lJunf"nriir,,
And he began to head toward the door- In the doorway hc p;rr',r,| a $range woman who had yeLledat
for a moment, and turning to me he saidi him in r.ro_a. .yo,_, were
to fifry-fivc," she said. .,you know I
don,t tit. to go _; rlr";
"They told me that you'd kill ne. I came to 6nd out. Bur killrrrl *i: up to 6fn-6ve...Wrlrer Mrry
isn't easy.You can take my word for it." And be headedon ,l,,"rr J:,*, droveon toqard
rcrDuryrn srrencc.
rhc ror,inFof rhe SN202rhroughrhe wor,r
th€ srreet. 'n rw(n(yyc.usof N:rly flrins ri,tinF
in rhe ,"_i,., ;n,inr.,.

442
ttJt
TI-l! SECRIIT llF! OIr \l/Al-TER rrrITTY /Jrns Thuder

airwals of his mind. "You're tensedup agein," said Mrs. Miiry. "ICs voice. He sprang to rhe machine, which was
now gomg pockera_
ofle of your days.I wish you'd let Dr. Renshaw look you over." He beganfingeringdetlateli a ro* of
rycke+queep-pocketa-queep.
gtistening dials._ Give me a founrain penl.. he ,nrppcd.
Walter Mitty sropped the car in front of the building where his Someone
wife s{ent to have her hair done. "Remember to get rhose overshocs nrnded hrm , tounrrn pen. He pulJcda r.ulry pr)ron
oul of rhe
while I'm having my hair done," she said. "I dont reed oversho€s." achineand insertedthe pen in its place.,,Tharwill hold
for ten
saidMitty. Sheput the miror back into her bag. "We've beenrhrough rnutcs,"he said..,Geron with rheoperacion.,,Anursehurried
over
all thet," she said, getting out of the car- "You'rc nor a young mar) whispe-red to Renshaw. Mi$y saw the man turn pale. ,,Cormpsis
any longer." He racedthe engine a little. "\fhy don't you wear your .,rfyouwoutdtakeover,
l*,looked
lri' ldat }:'n"l "ervously. rtiril,,
gloves?Have you lost your gloves?" Walter Mitty reachedin a pocker tty him and ar the craven figxre ofBenbow, who dra'nk,
and brought out the gloves.He put them on, but after shehad turnctl S.j1.alr*1dn ,,If you
facesof rhe tvro greatspecialists.
and gone into the buildiflg and he had driven on to a red light, hc | "j th.
ish.- he said.They slippeda whire gown on him:
he adjusreda
took them of again."Pick it up, brother!" snappeda cop as the lighl 1sk and drew on rhin gloves;nurseshrnded
him shining . .
chxnged, and Mitty hastily pulled on his gloves and lurched ahea,l "Back ir up, Mact look out ForrhatBuickt,,\tralterMitt! jammed
He drove around th€ streets aimlessly for a time, and then he dror( brakes."$Cronglane,Mac,,,said the parH.rglot ati"r,dr.rt,
.t!e
past the hospital on his way to the parking lot. - . . ng_at Mitry closely_,.Gee.yeh,,, murteredMitty. He began
"It's the millionaire banker,Vellington McMillan," said the prettr rusly to backolrt of rhe l?ne marked,,Exit Only.;, ,,L.r,reier
nu$e. itYes?" said \X/alrerMitty, removing his gloves slowly. "\flh{, t h c r e . s z i d . r h ea r r c n d a n "r | . l l p u r h c r a $ r y . . M i r t l
got our of
has the case?""Dr. Rershaw and Dr. Benbow, but there are r..,, car. "IIey,. better leeve the kcy." .,Oh,,' said Mitty, ha'nding
the
specialistshere: Dr- Remington from New York and Dr, Prirchar,l r the ignition key. The artendant vaulted into the car,
bacLedit
Mitford from London. He flew over." A door opened down a long, wlth insolenr skill, and put it where it belonged.
cool coridor and Dr. Renshaw came out. He looked disrraughran,l They're so damn coclry,thought rX/alterMity, vialking along
Main
haggard."Hello, Mitty," he said."$re're having rhe devil's own rin! rct; they think rhey know everything. Once he had iried io
take
with McMillan, the millionaire banker and close personalftiend oi chainsofl outsideNew Milford, and he had got them
wound
Roosevelt.Obstreosisof rhe ductal ffacr. Tertiary. rJTishyou'd ftkr rnd the axles.A mrn had had to come out in a wrecking
car
'Clad ro. .ard d unwind thcm. a voung. grinning grr.rgenan.Sin,e
r look rt hrm. Mrtry. then"Mrs.
In the operatiflg room rhere were whispered introductions: "l)r rry alw2ysmadc him drivc lo l geragero have thc.hains
raken
Remington, Dr. Mitty. Dr. Pritchard-Mitford, Dr. Mitty." "I've rcr,l . The next time, he rhought, I,ll wear my ftght arm
ln a sling;
youf book on streptothricosis,"saidPritchard Mitford, shaking han(|. ry,,won't.grin,at lne then. fll have my right arm in a sling and
"A brilliant performance, sir." "Thank lou," said ti/alter Nlirrr rylI seeI couldnt possiblytake rhe chainsoff myself He ficked
"Didn\ know you were in the Stares,Mitry," grumbled Remingnnr the slushon the sidew2lk..,Overshoes,,,he said to himsel{ and
"Coals to Newcasde,bringing Mitford aDd me up here for a rertirfl began looking for a shoe store.
"You rre very kind," sajd Mitty. A huge, compliceted machi'! }lc camc our inro rhc srrecragrin. $rrh rhe overshoes
in
.\fhcn
connectedto the operating cable,xrith many rubes and wires, bcg,rl box under his arm. Valrer Miny begrn ro qonder whar rhe
orher
at this moment ro go pocLeta-pock€ta-pock€ta. "Tbe new anesrheri/(r g was his wife hrd rold him (o ger. She had rold him. rwi.e
is giving wayl" shoured ar intern. "There is no one in the liu.r rc thcy serour from rheichou,c for Wrrerbury.In a qry
h€ h,rred
who knows how to fix jtl" "Quiet, manl" saidMitty, in a low, r',"'l weeklytrips ro rown-he wxsxlwaysgerringsomerhing$.rong.

1J4
IHI STCRIT Lll! OF VATTTR MITTY /J,m6 Thurbs
Kleenex, he rhoughr, Squibb\, ra2or blades?No. Toothpaste,tooth
brush, bicarbonate,carborundum,inidative and referendum?He gave
it up. But she would remember ir- "\fhere's rhe what's'irs'name?"
she would ask. "Don't tell me you forgot the what's-its-name."A
newsboy went by shouting somerhing abour rhe \faterbury rial. . . .
"Perhaps this will refresh your memory." The district attomey
suddenlythrust a heary automatic at the quier figure on the witness
starid. "Heve you ever seen this before?" \(/alter Mitry rcok the gun
and examined ir expertly. "This ;s my \(ebiey-Vickers fifty<ighry,"
he said calmly. An excited buzz r?n around the courtroom. The judgc
repp€d for order. "You are a crack shot with any soft of fuearm,
I believe?" said the distric aftomey, insinuaringly.
"Objectionl" shouted Miffyt attorney. "!(e have shown that drt
defendant could not have fired the shot. \7e have shown that he worc
his right arm in a sling on the night of the fourteenth ofJuly." \falter
Mitty raisedhis hand briefly, and the bickering attorneyswere srilleti
"\(ith any known make ofgun," he said evenly,"I could have killc,i
Gregory Firzhurst at three hundred feet uit|: m1 bft band." Pandc
monium broke loosein the courtroom, A woman's scrermroseabolc
the bedlam, and suddenly a lovely, dark-hairedgirl was in rValtcr
Mitty's a-rms.The district attorney strucl at her savagely.Vithour
rising from his chair, Mitty let the man have it on the point of tlr
chin. "You miserablecurl" . . .
"Puppy biscuit," said walter Mitty. He stoPPedwalking and rl!
buildings of Waterbury rose uP out of the misry couftroom xr),|
suffounded him again.A woman who was passinglaughed."He sri,l
'puppy biscuit,"'she said to her comPanion."That man said'pup1'r
biscuir' to himself" \tralter Mitty hurried on- He went into rl
A & P, not the first one he came to but a smaller one fanher uP lll'
street. i'l want some biscuit for small, young dogs," he said to tlu
clerk- "Any specialbrand, sir?" Tbe greatestPistol shor in rbe worl,i
thought a mcmenr. "It says'PuppiesBark for It'on the box," s:r1,1
Wdter Mitty.
His wife wouid be through at the hairdresser's in fifteen mi,rur.
Mitty saw in looking at his watch, unless tbey had trouble dryirri
it; somerimesthey had trouble drying ir. Sbe didn't like ro gcr r,'
the hotel firsr; she would want him to be rhere waidng
for her as
usual.He found a big leatherchair in rhe lobby, facing"a
window,
and he put the overshoesand chepuppy biscuir on the floor
beside
it. He pitkedup anold .opr of tibintiod do*n inro rhechair.
GermanyConquer,rherXrorldThrorrgh "ank
rhe Air?,, rX/alterMitty
I ar rhe picturesof bombingplanesand of ruinedstreecs.
...
"fhe cannonading hx got the winrl up in young Ra.ieigh,
sir,,,
the sergeant_Crprain Mitty looked up ar him
: 'cer througlirousled
him (o b:d,. he yid wc,lity.;,$(/i(hrhe orhcrs.
t.u fl)
b u r v o uc a n t . 5 i r , ' \ r i dr h e : e r g c arnnrx i o u , l y . , . t r
r J < ctsw o
n to handle that bomber and the Archies are pounding
hell out
the air. Von Richtman,s circus is between here
anJ Szulier."
gor to get thrt ammunition dump,,, said Mitty. ,,I,m
ovcr. Spot o-firandy?,, He poureda drink for rhe sergeant
one for himself rJfar thundered and whined around the dtigout
ba*ered at.the door. There wasa rcnding explosion,and spliiters
through.thcroom. 'A bit ofa near thing...saidCaprain
Mitty
. "The box barrege is closing in,,, said the sergeant.,,lce
live once, sergeant,,,said Mirty, wi.h his faint, fleeting
smile.
do we?" He poured another brandy and tossedit ofl ,iI never
a men could hold his brandylike you, sir,,,sdd the sergeant.
Sgrngy-our.pardon, sir.',CaprainMirty scoodup and strappedon
huge rtfebley-Vickers automatic.,.It's forty kilometersihrough
sir," said the sergeant.Mitry finishedone last brandy.,.AfL
" he srid sof(l). "whar i5n r., The poundng ot
thc cannon in
rsedi rhere was rhe mr raFir(ring of mr.hinc gun..
and from
wherecamc rhe menacingpock.rr.po.kerr-poci.,aof rhe
new
throwers. Strilter Mirty walked to the door of the
dugout
ng. "Atlpr;t dz na blon*." He rurned and wa,ed to che-ser-
Somcthing struck his shoulder.,,I've been looking
all over this
tcl.for you," srid Mrs. Mirry. ,.S7hy do you have to
hide in this
did you expecrme co find you?,,,,Thingsclosein,,,
:fji:? ":l
\(alter Miny vrguely.,.ri/hat?,,Mrs. Mitty said.,.6ia yo,,
g.,
whaCs-irs-nrme? Tbc puppybiscuir?\X/haCs in that box?,,,.Orir_
," srid Mirry. "Couldn,t you havc put chem on rn the srore/,,
4\/
TH! ROCKING HORS! WINNER /D. H. llsienc
''l
waschrnking.saidWalrerMirt1.'Doesit everoccurto you that
I am sometimesthinking2" She looked at him, "I'm going to take
your temp€raturewhen I get you home," she said.
They went out through the revolving doors that made a faintb'
derisivewhistling sound when you pushedthem. It was two blocks
to the parking lot. At the dngstore on the corner she said, "Wait
herefor me. I forgot something.I won't be a minure." Shewesmore
than a minute. Walter Mitty lighted a cigarette. It began to rain,
rain vrith sleet in it. He stood up against the wall of rhe drugstore,
smoking. . - . He put his shouldersbackand his heelstogether. "To
hell vith the handkerchief," said \Talter Mitty scornfully. He took
one last drag on his cigaretteand snappedit away.Then, with thnt
faint, fleeting smile playing about his lips, he facedthe fuing squad
erect and motionless, ptoud and disdainful, \Talter Mitty, rhe Urr
defeated, insctutableto the last.
THE ROCKING-HORSE
STINNER
D H.LAWFENCE
/GREAT8FIIA N
Trs*t * , a womanwbo was beautiful,who startedwith all rlr
advantages,yet she had no luck. She married for love, and thc l,,vr
rurned to dust. She had bonny children, yet she felt they had lt rr
thftst upon her, and she could not love them. They looked rr lrr
coldly, as if they were frnding fault wirb her. And hurriedly slx t,lt
she must cover up some fault in he$elf. Yet whar ir was rhrr 'Ji
must cover up she never knew. Ncvertheless,whcn bcr childrcn sr rr
present,she alwaysfelt the center of her heart go hard. This ooul'l, ,1
her, and in her manner she was all the more gende and inxi()r\ l"r
her children, as if she loved th€m verl much. Only she hcrscll ht *
418
tiat at the center of h€r heart was a hard little Dlacethat could nor
Iovg no, not for anybody.Everybodyelsesaid of her: "She is
a good morher.Sheadoresher children."Only sheherself,and
children themselves,knew ir was not so. They read it in each
eyes.
There were a boy and t\i'o littl€ girls. They lived in a pleasanchouse,
a garden, and they had discreec servants, and felt themselves
ior to enyone in the neighborhood.
Although thcy lived in style, they felt always an anxiety in the
There was never cnouqh money. The mother had a small
and the father had a small income, but not nearly enough
the social position which they had to keep Dp. The father wenc
town to some office. But though he had good prospects,rhese
never materialized.There was alwaystbe grinding senseof
shorrageof money,though rhe srylewas alwaysk€pr up.
At last the morher said: "I will see if l cxn'r make somethins."
she did not know whereto begin.She rackedher brains,and
this thing and the orher,but couldnot find anythingsuccessful.
failure made deep lines come into her face. Her children were
ing up, they would have to go to school. There must be more
, there must be more money. The father, who wrs always very
and expensive in his tasres. seemed as if he never uozld
able ro do anything worth doing. And the mother, who had a
belief in herself,did not sLrcceed
any betrer, and her tasteswere
as exPenslve.
And so the house came to be haunted by the unspoken phrase:
mut bemoreman! Tberc mai bemorenanq!'lhe children could
it ell the dme, though nobody said ic aloud. They heard it ac
ristmas,when the expensiveand spiendid toys filled the nursery.
thc shining modcrn rock;ng horse.bchind rhe 'mrr( doll<
, a voice would start whispering: "There ntffl be more moneyl
m$t 6e morc moneyl" And the children would stop playing,
listen for a moment. They would look into each orher\ eyes,to
if rhey had all hcard. And each one sav/ in rhe eyesof rhe orher
that they roo had heard. "There mxtt be more money! There
bc more moneyl"
TH! ROCKING-HORSD WINNER/D H. tasren.e

It came whispering from rhe spdngs of the still-swaying rocldng

"Doni rhsyl Nobody rt a : Doe,
horse,and even the horse,bending his wooden, champing head,beard nobott knowi.
re.hrps cod. Bur He nev€rrells,.
it. The big doll, sitting so pink and smirking in her new pram, could
.:r.n, then.And rren.tyou lu.k1 erther,\4orhcr:..
hear it quire plainly, and seemedto be smirking all the more self ,,1"
r (rn I be.Itrt I mrrriedan unluckyhu.brnd...
conscious\ becauseof it. The foolish puppy, too, that took rhe placc
"But by yoursel{aren,ryou1,.
of the teddy bear, he was looking so extraordinarily foolish for no
other reasonbut that he heard the secrerwhisper all over rhe housc:
I $as.bdoreI marr,edNow I rhink I am verl
,,j;:1"::-ll).'l*
indeed.'
"Therc m lt be more moneyll'
"Vhy?"
Yet nobody ever said it aloud. The whisper was everyvhere,an,l
"\Weil- t perhrpsl.n- nor reJl). \he ,rid
ther€foreno one spokeir. Just as no one ever says:"\{e are breadr. .nrver.mind
ing!" in spite ot rhe fact rhar brerrh is coming and going all rhc h:,. r:,ee ir <hemeanrir Bur he sar. b1
.,1:--],:.1:*" ir rhar <hc
nne, or her mourh. wasonlr rning ro hide .omerhing
r him
"Moth€r," szid the boy Paul one day, "why don'r we keep a cl 'Vcll.
anvhow. hc ,aia .16u,1, .,t.m a Ju\kv
of our own? \Xrhy do we always use Uncle's, or else a taxi?" pcnon ..
"Vhyl. .13 hir mother. n irh .r sudden
"Becausewe're the poor membersof the famill," said the morhcr .ar.gn
r:"r.9.* her. He didor even know
"But why ,/r we, Mother?" *"Cod why he had srid i.
rold me. hc asscncd.b,rrenine ,,
"\(ell-I suppose,"she said slowiy and bitterly, "it's becauseloul out.
"I hopc Hc did. deari.shc ,a.d,
father has no luck-" .reai"n_,rh a laugh, bur rarher
trcr
The boy was silent for some time.
"He did, lvlotherj,'
"Is luck money, Moth€r?" he askedrarher timidly.
"No, Paul. Not quire. It's whar causesyou to have monel-" "Excellenrl" said ahe mother.

"Ohl" said Paul vaguely."l rbought when Uncle Oscarsaidfll,1

did nor_brrievc
him:o,. ra,he,.
rh,r.hepaid
lL:-Tl-"::,:*
hr a\eflion t his ange,edhirn .omevhjr.
luckel, it meent money." ,nd mrdr
wanr to compel her aftention.
"Fiblq kcre does mean money," said the mother- "But it's lucrr
not luck."
*", r.aguely,in a ch dish yay, seekingtor
l: .3,O11n,L".of,
"Ohl" said the boy. "Then what r luck, Mother?" " Absorbed,taking no heedof other peopti,
::::^:: 1:* , .or.r .r.,ith. he
"It's what ca\rs€syou to have money. lf youle luclg'vou hlr, :-jb:": y,'nwanredof leeki,er"_"dlyi",'i;:;'
money. Thatt why ir\ better to be born lucky rhan rich. lflor'rl ir. he qrn,ed;r. when rherro "i
:: 1"^1ij,i.
/ing dolls.in the nursery,he would sit on hn sirt. rere
fich, you may lose your money. But if you're luckv, you wili als'.r , big rocki"ngho;
get more money." with a ftenzythatmadetherirrre
:s;:f,:i1:*:.:rf:, sirrs
"Ohl lXri you? And is Father nor lucky?"
"Very unluc\, I should say," she said bitcerly.
;i i:l:J::I,y#:'
;5i.,ff::.Tl;,f
dared nor speakro him.
:f*"*-,T;
The boy watched her with unsure eyes.
Vhcn he hrd ridden ro the end of his
"rJrhy?" he zsked. mrd title journey, he
"I don\ know. Nobody ever knows why one person is Iuckr :rr',1 frontof,hisrocking
horse,
sraringnxedly
lTl *:::.11":,".*'n
frccrrs cdmou,h wr, .r€;; ;;.;. r;;i;';.
another unlucLy." .j:l,ll:"j,1
wrrtc.'n{ Al.r\\ -hriXl,r.

440
THli ROCKING-HORSE VINN'R/D H Iwmc€

the left foor in thc war and had gor his present job
Nowl he would silently command the snorting se€d- Now, take ^in
Oscar Cresswell, whose batman he had been, was a perfect
me to where there is luckl Now take mel
of rhe"rurf. ' He livedin rhc racingevcnrs,
,nd ,le smill bo1
And he would slash the horse on the neck with the lirtle whiP
wirh him.
he had asked Uncle Oscar for- He hneu the horse could take him
Oscar Cresswellgot it 2Il from Bassetr.
to where there was luck, if only h€ forced it. So he would mount
"Masrer Paul comes and asks me, so I cant do more than
again, and stalt on hG furious ride, hoping at lasa to 8et there- Hc tell him.
Bassr . his face rerribl serious.as if he were speaking
knew he could get thete. .".said of
"You'll break your horse, Paul!" said the nurse-
"And does he ever put anything on a horse he fancies?,,
"He's alwaysriding like that! I wish he'd leaveof,!" said his eldcr 'qJTell-I_don'r
want ro give him away_he,s a young sport, a 6ne
sisterJoan.
)q sir. Would you mind asking him himself? He soit
But he only glared down on them in silence Nr'rrsegave hrm up of takes
plersuJein it, and perhapshed feel I was giving bim
She could make nothing of him Anyhow he was growing beyon'l away, sir,
you don't mind."
her,
Bassett was serious as a church.
One day his mother and his uncle Oscar came in when he srr5
Thc uncle went back to his nephew and took him off for
on one of his furious rides He did not speakto them- a ride
"Ha1lo, you young jockeyl Riding a winrcr?" said his uncle'
ta man,do you everpucanythingon a horse?,,the
"Aren't you growing too big for a rocLing horse? You're not r
;:i:*:Tt
very litde boy any longer, you know," said his mother'
The boy watched the handsome man closely.
Bur PauI only gave a blue glare from his big, rather closeset er(\
"rJ[hy, do you think I oLrghtn,t to?,, he parned.
He would speak to nobody when he was in fuII tilt His morlxl
t", I thousht perhapsyou mighr give me a tip for
watched him with xn anxious exPressionon her face'
;'}]t.o]ll:
At last he suddenlystopped forcing his horse into the mechanicrl
The rar spcd on inro rhe counfrv.goin8 down ro Un.lc
eallop,rnd did doq n Oscar\
"wclJ. I gor rherel he announ.ed6ercelyhis bluc cyesscrlll1aflr11 rcc in Hamplhirc

and his sturdy long legs straddling aPart. "Honor bright?" said the nephew.
"Honor bright, sonl,, said thc uncle.
"\fhere did you get to?" askedhis mother' t'\7cll, rhen,
Dafodil.,,
"\flhere I wanted to go," he flared back at her'
Daffodil! I doubt it, sonny.\Zhar abourMirza?,,
"ThaCs right, sonl" said Uncle Oscar. "Don't you stoP till \''nl i'l only know the winner,,,said
get there. \(rhat's the horse'sname?" the boy. ,.That'sDaffodil.,,
"He doesnt have a name," said the boy.
"Daffodil,ehl'
Thcre was a pause.Dafi'odil was an obscurehorse comparatively.
"Gets on without all rightl" askedthe uncle. '
"lVell, he has diferent names He was calledSansovinolast wcrL
"Unclei"
nrnx "
"Sansoviflo,eh1 \7on tbe Ascot. How did you know his IYou wonl let it
go any further, wiil you? I promised Basset.,,
"He always talks about horse raceswith Bassett,"seidJoan
"Bassett bc damned, old mant rVhac's he got io do wirh it2,,
The uncle was delighted to find that his small nephew wrs post"l $Vc'rc partners-\fle've
been partncrsfrom the firsr. Uncle. he lent
wirh all tbe racing nelrs Bassett,the young g:rdencr. who harl lrr tt

44t 44J
THE ROCKiNG.HORS! WINNIR/ D. H tlsre'.e
me my first five shillings,wbich I lost. I Promisedhim, honor bright'
it was only betweenme and him; only you gave me thac En_shilling
note I staffedwinning with, so I thought you were lucky. You won'r
let it go anv further, will you?"
The boy gazedat his uncle from thosebig, hot, blue eyes'set rathel
close together. The uncle stirred and laughed uneasily
"Right you are, sonl I'll keep your tip private. Daf,odil, eh? HoN
much ere you Putting on him?"
"AlI exceptrweng pounds," said the boy "l keePthat in r€serve
The uncle thought it a good joke.
"You keePtwenty Poundsin resefle,do lou, you young romancefr
\(har are you betting, then?"
"l'm betting threehundred," saidthe boy gravely-"But it'sbetwecrr
you and me, Uncle Oscarl Honor bright?"
The uncle burst into a roar of laugbter.
"Ifs between you and me all right, vou young Nat Gould," l"
said, laughing. "But tr'here'syour three hundred?"
"Bassetr keePsit for m€. $ce're Partners"
"You are, are you! And what is Bassettputting on Daflodil?"
"He won\ go quite as high as I do, I exPect. PerhaPshe'i1 rl"
a hundred and 6fty."
"lvhat, Pennies?"laughed the uncle
"Pounds," saidthe child, with a surprisedlookat his uncle "Bis!rl
keeps a bigger reserve than I do."
Between wonder and amusement Uncle Oscar was silenr ll'
pursuedthe matrer no further, but he determinedto mke his neplr it
with him to rhe Lincoln races.
"Now, son," he said, "I'm Putting twenty on Miza' and I ll l'rrr
five lor you on anv horse you fancv \(/hat's vour pick?"
"Da{Iodil, Uncle."
"No, not dre liver on Datrodill"
"l should if it was my own fiver," said the child
"Goodl Goodl Righc you arel A fiver for me and a fiver i"r r rt
on Daffodil."
The child had never been ro a race meeting bcfore' and hi' 'r'r
were blue fire. He pursedhis mourh tight, xnd wetchcd A l'rcn' lrr, rtt
Il I
t in front had put his rnoney on Lanceloc_Strild wirh €xcitemeflr.
flailed his arms up and down, yelljng ,,Lancebt! Ldncetot!" in his
Datrodil camein 6rst, lxncelor second,Mirza third. The child,
ed and with eyesblazing, was curiously setene.His uncle bror.rghr
four fve-pound notes, four to one.
"Vhat am I to do wich rhese?,,he cried, waving them before rhe
eyes.
"I suppose we'll talk to Bassett,,,said che boy. ,,I expecr I have
een hundred now; and twenq' in reserve;and this twenty.,,
His uncle srudiedbim for:ome momencs
,,Inok here,
sonl,, he said. .,you,re not serioLrsabout Bassettand
fifreenhun&ed, are you2,'
t But it's betweenyou and me, Uncte.Honor bright!,,
ill_"" 1":
"Honor bright all right, sonl But I must ralk ro Bassett.,,
"If you'd like ro L'e a partner, Unc1e, with Basseccand me, we
all be partners- Only, you,d have to promise, honor bright,
not to lec it go beyond us three. Basset and I are lucky, and
musr be lucky, becauseit w?s youf ren shillings I startedwinning
Uncle Oscar took boch Bassettand paui into Richmond park for
rfrernoon, and there rhey ralked.
r'k's like this,
you see,sir,', Bassettsaid. .,Master paul would get
lralking racing evenrs,spinning yarns,you know, sir. And
"bour
was alwayskeen on knowing if I'd made or if Id lost. It,s about
srnce,now, rhar I pur 6ve shillingson Blush of Dawn for
-and we lost- Then the luck turned, wirh chat
rcn shillings he
from you, that we pur on Singhalese.And since then, it,s-been
itiy srcady,all thinSs considering.$rhat do you say,Master p?ul?,,
lVc're all righr when
we're sure,,,saidpaul. ,.Ir,s when we're not
sure rhrr we go down '
"Oh, but we're careFulther,', said Bassert.
rBur when are yor t r€2" IJncle
Oscxr smiled_
It's MasrerPaul, sir," said Bassett,in a secret,reliqiousvoice. ,.It\
lfhc hrd ir kom hc,rven.Likc D:ffodil, now, for rhe Lin,oln.Th.rr
:N surc eggs.',
,t,t1
THE ROCKING'HORST WINNER/D' H bvr€na

Oscar Cresswell' was "sirre" about Lively Spark, which was a quite inconsiderable
"Did you put enything on Daffodil?" asked The boy insisred on putring a thousand on the horse,Bassett
"Yes, sir. I made mY bit." t for five hundred,and OscarCresswellrwo hundred.livelv Soatk
"And my nephew?" : in 6nr. and rhe berringh:d bcentcn ro oneaq:in.thrm. p,ul
Bassett was obstinately silent, looking at Paul-
I was made ten thousafld.
"I made twelve hundred, didn't l, Bxssett?I told Uncle
bu see," he said, ..I was absolutelysLrreof him_,,
purting rhree bundred on Dafrodil "
Even Oscar Crcssweli had cleared iwo thousand
"ThaCs lght." said Bxsea' nodding'
"Iook here,son," he said, ..this sort of thing makesme nervous.,,
"But whereh th€ money?" askedthe uncle-
he can have it any mrnut( !'It needn\, Unclcl PerhapsI shant be sure egain for a long rime.,,
"l keep it safelocked uP, sir. Masrcr Paul
t wher areyou going to do with your money?,,askedthe uncle.
he likes to ask for it."
course," said the boy, "I started it for Morher. She said she
"\qhat, fifteen hundred Pounds?"
no luck, becauseFather is unlucky, so I thoughr if I was lucky,
"And rwentyl And/r,"tJ, that is, with the twenty h€ made on dx'
ight stop whispering"
t might srop whispering?,,
"lt's amuing!" said the uncle
would, if I *'crt ho|rse-| bate o.]r housefor whispering.',
"If Master iaul offers you to be partners,sir, I does it v'hisper?"
you; if you'll excuseme," said Bassett.
y-x/hy"-rhe boy 6dgered-.,why,I don't know Bur it's
Oscar Cresswellthought about it.
short of money,you know, Uncle.,'
"I'll see the monE," he said
I'r know it, son, I know it.,'
Thev drove home again,znd surc enough, Bassettcame round
tw(nrv bu koow peoplesendMother writs, donl
the giden house with fifteen hundred pounds in norcs The ,ou, Uncle?,,
dcp'''t afraid I do," sid rhe un(le.
pouid" reserue*a" lcft *irhJoc CIee.in rhr Turf Commission
'You \ee,ii" ,ll riShr.Unclc.when I m ','r./ Then we go s'trru' And thm the housewhispers,iike peoplelaughingat you behind
'we, Bzssett?" r back.It's awtu| thar ist I thought if t wasluckv . . .,,
for all we're wotth. Don't
ou might stop it," added the uncle.
"'$ge do that, Master Paul."
re boy watLhcdhim wi(h big blue eycs that hrd rr untrnnl
"And when arc you sure?" said the uncle, Iaughing'
.,Oh, well, sometimesI'.n dbrllulebts'rrc,llke ^bout Daffodil. \'rrrl 6re in rhem, and he said never a word
Zdl, then!" said rhe uncle. .,rJ(hat are we doing?,,
the boy; "and sometimesI have an idea; and sometimesI hrr!'ir'l
we n)'fn shouldn't Iike Mother to know I was lucky,', said the boy.
evenan idea,haveI, Bassett? Then we'recareful,because
go down."
*lr d stop me."
"You do, do youl And whenyou'resure,like aboutDaf,odil don't think she would.,,
makesyou sure,sonnYT"
sutt f ' l"-and the boy writhed in rn odd way-,'I
"Oh, weil, I don't Lnow," saidthe boy uneasil)"'I'm don't w^nt her
know, Uncie; thacs 211."
I (ighr, sonl \ge'll manageir wirhoucher knowing.,,
"It's as if he had it from heaven,sir," Bassettrerrerated'
''l y managed it veryeasily.paul,ar rheorher\ suggesrion,
shouldraYso: saidrhe uncle' handed
' 6vc thousand pounds co his uncle, who deposiied ir with the
But he becamea parrner.And when the Legerwas co'n'rrl1

't t/
446
THrj ROCKiNG HORS! VINNIR/D H. Lawretcc
family lawyer, who was then to inform Paul's mother that a relative
had put five thousard Pounds into his hands,s'hich sum was to bc
fof
paid out a thousand pounds at a time, on th€ mother's birthday,
the next five Years.
"So she'll have a birthday present of a thousand pounds for Src
successiveyears,"said Uncle Oscar. "I hoPe it won't make ic all th(
harder for her later."
Paul's mother had her birthday in November' The housebad been
"whisPering" wors€ than ever latelv, and, even in spite of his luck
Paul could not bear up against it He w25 verv anxlous to see rh(
efect of the birthday letter, telJing his mother about the thousan(l
pounds.
\(/hen rbere were no visitors, Paul now took his meals wich h1\
oarents.as he was bevond the nurserycontrol- His mother went inr"
io-,, ,tearly ..rery d"y She had discovered that she had an odd knl' L
of sketching furs and dressmarerials,so she worked secretlyin tlir
studio of a friend who was the chief artist for the leading drapcr
She drew the figures of ladies in furs and ladies in silk and sequirr
for the newspaperadvertisementsThis young woman artist e!rn''l
severalthousandpounds a year,but Paul's mother only made se'rcrrl
hundreds, and she was again dissatisfiedShe so wanrcd rc be |r' l
in something, and she did nor succeed,even in making sketchesI' r
drapery advertisements
She was down to breakfaston the morning of her birthdav l'rrrl
watched her faceas she read her lette$. He kne*' the lawycr'sic(r(I
As his mother read it, het face hardenedand becamemore ex|r.
sionless.Then a cold, derermined]ook came on her mouth Shc lrr'l
the lctter under the pile of others, and said not a lrord aboul ir
"Didn'r you have anything nice in the Post for vour birtl"ttr'
Motherl" said Paul.
and abscnt
"Quite modentely nice," she said, her voice cold
She wrnr J J) 'o roqn wirl out '2\ing mor(
But in the afternoon Uncle OscarappearedHe said Paul's or"tl" t
lr\r
had had a long interview wjth the Javyer, asking if tbe whol(
thousand could not be advancedar once, as she was in debt
"V/hat do you drink. Unclel" said the boy
l.lrl
"I leave it to you, son.,,
"Oh, let her have it, then! n7e can geasome more with the other,,,
the boy.
"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, laddiel', said Uncle
"Bur I'm sure ro *rarl for rhe Gr2nd Narionrl; ot the Lincolnshire:
else the Derby. I'm surc to know for ane of rhem,,, said paul.
So Uncle Oscar signed the agreement,and paul,s mothef touched
: whole 6ve thousand-Then something very curious happened.The
icc. in thc house.uddenly wcnr rnad. like a choru. of fross on
spring evening.There were cerrain new furnishinss. and paul had
tutor. He wes reallt going ro Eton, his father's school, in the
ov,/ingaurumn. There vrereflowe$ in the wint€r, and a blossominq
the luxury Prul5 morher hrd been used to. And rcr rhe voicer
the house,behind the sprtys of mimosa and almond blossom.and
under the pilesofiridescent cushions,simply trilled and screamed
a sort of ecstasy:"There n6l be morc moneyl Oh-h-h; there nal
more money_Oh, novr, now-wl Now w,w_tnere ma$ be mote
I more rhan everl More than everl '
h frightenedPaulterdbly.He studiedawayat his larin and Greek.
his intense hours wete spent wirh Bassett.The Grand Narional
gone by: he had not .,known,,' and had lost a hundred pounds.
s/rs ar hand. He wrs in agonl for rhe Lincoln.Bur even
the Lincoln he didn't "know,,' and he lost fifty pounds.He became
ld<yed and strange, as ifsomething were going to erpiode in him.
"Let i. alone,sonl Dont you borher aboucicl,, urqed Uncle Oscar.
It it was rs iarhe boy couldn'r realtyhearwhat his uncle was sayins.
"l've got ro know for rhe Derbyl I ve gor ro know for rhe Dc:b1l'
child reirerated,
his big blue eyesblazingwith a sort of madness.
His mother noticed how overwrought he was.
"You'd berer go to che serside.Wouldn,t you like to go now
thc seaside,
insreadof waiting?I think youd better,,'she said,
king down ar him anxiousll her hearrcuriouslyheary because
him.
Bur rhe .hild lirredhis unlannyblueeycs. t routdnr posibll
trfore rhe Derbv.Morhfr: hc said 't touldnt posribll:.'
11e
I.lI ROLKINL.HOR5I V/lNNl R/D H l.tr'__..

had had his rocking horse removed to his own bedroom

"rVby notl" she said, her voice becoming heavy when she I'a'
opposed. "Why not? You can still go from the seasideto see dx'
fierby wittr your uncle Oscar, if that's what yori wish. No need frrr
you to wait here. Besides, I think you care too much about thes'
leces.Ics a bad sign. My family has been a gambling family, an'l
you won't know till you grow uP how much dam'ge it has don(
but it has done damage. I shall have to send Bassett away, and :rsh
Uncle Oscar not to talk racing to you, unless you Promise ro In
reasonableabout it; go av/ay to th€ seasideand forget ir' You're i1l
at the
of the hous€.
"Suely, you're too big for a rocking horset,,his mother had
"Vell, you see, Mothe\ dll I cln hz.vez real horse, I like to have
ta_sonof animal about." had been his gurinr zn<wer.
"!o you feel he Leepsyou company?,,3he hughed.
:'Oh, yes!Het very good, he alwayskeepsme company,when I,m
" said Paul.
the horse,rather shabby,stood in an arrestedprancein the boy,s

"I'll do what you like, Mother, sb long as you don't sendme a$:rf
Derby was drawing near, and the boy grew more and more
dll after the Derb," the boY said
:. }{e hardly heerd vrhat vas spoken to him, he was very frail,
"Send you away ftom where? Just from this house?" his eyeswere really uncanny. His mother had sudden strange
"Yes," he said, gazing at her.
; of uneasincss rbour him. Somcrimc..for half an hour, sie
"Why, you curious child, wbat makesyou care abour this h'rL"
feel a sudden anxiety about him that was almosr anguish.
so much, suddenly?I never kne{ you lovcd it " She
(t' to rush to him ar once, and know he r.as safe.
He gazedat her without speaking He had a secretwithin a ser
vo rughrsbcforcrheDerby.shewasar a big prrry in tov n. when
sometting he had not divulged, even to Bassettor to his uocle Or'"
ol her.rushes of.enxierylbour her boy. het 6r"rborn.gripped
But his mother, after standing undecidedand a little bit strll'rt
hcert,till she,couldhardlyspeak.Shefought witt the iJing,
for some moments, sald:
rt ard main, for shebelicvedin commonsense.Bur ir was too
"Very well, thenl Don't go to the seasidetiII after the Derbl rl
. She had co leave the dance and go downstairs to telephone
you don'r wish it. But Promiseme you won'r let your nerves8(' rrl
country. The children,snursetygovernesswas reribly suorised
pieces.Promiseyou won't think so much about horsemcing rnd 1'12lr'
staftled at being rung up in the nighr.
as you call them!"
Arc the childrenall right, Miss rx/ilmot?,,
"Oh, no," said the boy casually."I won't think much aboul tlrltrrr
'l , yes, they are quite ,ll right.,,
Mother. You needn'tworry. I wouldn't worry, Mother' ifl werc rr 'rr
Paull Is he all rightl"
"If you were me and I were you," said his morher, "I wondcr \\'lr'rl
*'ent to bed as right as a trivet. Shail I rirn up and look
ar
"But you know you needn't woffy, Mother' don't youl" th( I*'y
o," said Paul's mother reluctantly. ,.Nol Don,t trouble. Ir,s ell
rePeated.
. Don't sit up. Ve shall be home faidy soon.', She did not want
"I should be awfully glad to know it," she said wearily
lon's privacyintrudedupon.
"Oh, well, you can, yor know. I mean, you ,28,/ to know lrrl
good," said the governess
needn't worry," he insisted.
It was about one o'clocl when paul's mother and father drove uo
"Oughr l? Then l'It seeabout it," she said-
thcir house.Ali was srill. pauls morher wen o her room ancl
Pauli secretof secrc$ rTasbis rvooden horse' thar wbich lrr'l rlt
off hcr white fur clorL. She had told her malo not to wart
name.Sincehe was emancipatedfrom a nurseand a nurserygovctt" o,

450 4JI
THE ROCKING IIORSE V/INNER/ D H. Lwlence
up for her. She heald her husbadd downstairs'mixing a wbislry an(l
soda,
And then, becauseof the strangeanxiety at her heart, she stol('
upstairs to her son's room Noiselesslyshe went along the uPPcl
colridor- \(/as there a falnt noise? \fhat w"s it?
She stood, with arested muscles,outside his door,lisrening Tbcr'
was a strange,heary, and yet not loud noise- Her heart stood still
It was a soundlessnoise,yet tushing end Powerful Something huSr'
in violent, hushed motion. rlqhat wes it? what in God's name s"r'
it? She ought to Lnow. She felt that she knew the noise She knc$
what it was.
Yet she could not place it. She couldn't say what it was- And orl
and on it went, like a madness.
Softly, frozen with anxiety and fear, she tu'ned the door han(llr
The room was dark Yet in the sPacenea{ the window, sbe hci!'l
and sxw somelhirg plunging to and fro She gazed in fear rrll
amazement,
Then suddenlyshe srritched on the light, and saw h€r son, in lrrl
green pajamas,madly surging on the rocking horse The blazeof lilllrt
suddenly 1it him uP, as he urged the wooden horse' and lit hcr rr1',
as she stood, blonde, in her dressof PaIe green and crystal, irr tlrr
doorway.
"Paull" she cried. "Whatev€r arc you doing2"
'll
"It's Ma.labarl" he scteamed,in a powerful, strange voice
Malabarl"
His eyesblazed rt her for one strangeand senseless second.rr I
ceasedurging his wooden horse Then he fell *'ith a crash r. rl
ground, and she, all her tormented morherhood flooding upol lr
rushed to gather hirn uP.
But he was unconscious,and unconscioushe remained,with "'rl
btain fever. He talked and tossed,and his mother sat stoni\' l\ ll
"Malabarl It's Malabarl Bassett,Bassett,I *nrrl/ Ifs M:thbrrl
So the child cried, trying to get uP and ur8€ the rockinll lr"l
that gave him his insPiration.
"$0hat doeshe mean by Malabar?"askedthe hearFfrozcnrrr"1lri,
4\2
"I don't know," said the fath€rsronily.
"lrhat doeshe meanby Malabar?,, sheaskedher btother Oscar.
"It's one of the ho$es runoing for the Derby,,, vas the answer.
And, in spitc of himself, Oscar Cresswellspoke to Bassett.end
put a thousand on Malabar: at foureen ro one.
The third day of rhe illness was critical: they were waiting for a
tnge.The boy. wirh his rarh€rlong. curly hrir. oas ,o""inj cease_
y on rhe pillow. He neither slept not regainedconsciousness, and
eyeswere like blue stones.His mother sat, feelinq her heart had
rumed accuallyinro r srone.
In the evening, Oscar Cresswell did not come, but Bassett sent
message,saying could he come up for one rnomenr,
iust one
tmcnt2Paul's
morhcrcvaveryangryar thein(,u,ion,bur on second
ght she agreed.The boy was the same. perhaps Bassettmigha
I him to consciousness.
The gardenet, a shortish fellow with a little brown mustache- and
up lir(le brown eves.riproedinro rhe room, rou(hedhi5 imasinarv
to Paul'smother, and srole to chebedside,staringwith glittering,
llish eyesat the tossing, dying child.
riMrstcr Paul!"
he whispered. .,Maskr paulj Malabar came in frct
tight, a clean win. I did as you told me. you've made over sevenw
rusand pounds.you hrvcr vou re gor overcighryrhousnd. Malabar
in all right, IV[asterPaul."
iMalabar!MalabarlDid
I sayMalaber,Morher?Did I savMalabar?
I you rhink l'm luclry.Morher.,I krew Malabar, didn:rl? Over
thousandpoundslI call thar lucky,don,t you, Morher?Over
thousandpounds!I knew, didn,t I know I knew?Malabar
in xll righr. If I ride my horserill I'm sure,then I tell you,
r,jou can go as high as you like. Did you go for all you were
Bassert?"
"l wenr a thousandon it, Masrerpaul.,,
I nevcr told you, Mother, that if I can ride my horse,and ger
, then I'm absolutelysure-oh, absolutelytMother. did I ever
you? | an luckyl"
lrNo, you never did,"
said the mother.
ut thc boy dicd in rhe nighr
451
THE SUNDAY NIENAC! / Robeit Bencbtc,

And even as he lay dead, his mother heatd her brother's voice saytng ner. The last rhrcc or four spoonfuls of i.e
Lreamsomehow losc
to her: "My God, Hester, you're eighty_oddrhousand to the good' youbesin(nrmblinSup yourcakein.teadof errin8
:1 11.-:
. By 1- you havefinished
tbe time
and a poor devil of a son to the bad Bur, poor devil, poor devil. coffie ihere is a d.fi"i,.;r;;;;;;
he's best gone out of a life where he rides his rocking horse to find nr before long, maybe in forty or fift, minurcs, you
will be told
bad news, probably involving the death of sevj
favorite people,
:.even yourself This feeling gives way to
one of ,esig,ration.
bar is rherero live f".. a"u*r"t ,r, .r.;.
--.. ^.
. I Jinr, yourdesserr
begins
orsagree wrth you.
*. nl'"g .oomandwando ingrimtessrl
inro rhelrving
3_r]f ],]r '::t indeed:
THE SUNDAY MENACE T 1u"''c rhis
rhercwill be prccious
Iircteliringdoni
FOBEFTBENCNLFY/UNITEDSTATES that,room afrcrnoon).everlonebegin" ro yawn. The
drift.

TZ*'-.J3**te
Dundry pape|s on tbe floor qhich looked so
co:1 before dinner
arejust depressing remindersof the transitorynatureof human
sbfa and promptty drops off into an
Yl..-"
(rive",.r Ti.r l:1.the
doze.Thechildren,,rr, qu"rr.t,ng,-ong ,i._r.tu".
,nJ
rnvorverhe grown,upsin what rhrearens to be a rathernascy
I * ^ot , gloomy man by nature, nor am I e$ily depressed. I
always say that, no mattff how much it looks as if the sun wct, "Vhy don't yoll go out and play2,,somconeasks.
'q2y what?"
never going ro stop shining and no matter how long the birds carrr is their rctort, and good cr.,., roo.
brl"S" up rhe whole "
on their seeminglyincessantchatter,there is alwaysa good slectstorr" fN" ques.ion-or
whar ro do and rhereis r
just around the corner and a snifry head cold in store for those wh,' d-artempt ar thiniing on the paft of rhe
more vivacious
will only look fot ir. You can't kerP Old StePmotberNaure doNrr ot_rheparty. Somebodygoes to th€ window and
looks out.
for long. goesback.roiis thair, and somcbodyel<cwrnders
over to anorher
But I frankly seeno way out of the problem of Sunday afterno,'rr oow and looks our rlrere.presing rhe nosc
tgrinsr the pane and
For centuries Sunday afrernoon has been OId Nell's Curse amorrll tng absentmindedly agrinsr the glass.Thi, ha. pra.ti.ally no
che days of the week. Sunday morning may be cheeryeoough, wrrlr
irs extra cup of cofee and liaer of Sunday newspapers,but therc 8 ro srxrr(onversarion. one:ay....Heish
a sarrurous
always hanging over it the ominous threat of 3:00 P.m., *'ben rlr
il;l::,Tt, rhercisr lonssiten(ewhiJe1ourookthroLrgh
sun gets atouod to the back windows and Life stoPs dead in its tm( L'
i^,ijl..'-11l]1:l^. ro,seerr.1ou
of newsprFrs riissedanyrhi"g';",f," ."r"i"!t
.Pjl:
No metter where you are-in China, on the high seas,or in a bir'll yl Io-ue\lenlerd rhe shipnewsandrhe bookadvcniscmenis.
nest-about thtee o'clock in the afternoon a pall descendsovcr 'rll Susan B. Anthonylooks.r. if ir mighrbe 2 prslry
:lT: lit:.'
0d book.- you say.
rhe wodd and people every'wherestrrr trying to rhink of somedrrrrp
to do. You might as well try to think of something to do in rltr "Vhar makru1ou think so? qucrio Ed tros\ Ed (rme our ro
death house at Sing Sing, however,because,even if you do it, wlr t' IncrOe(.Irs€
he wasaloncin rown.and non wishe.he hadni.
He
does it get you? It is still Sunday afrernoon. rlrcady.rhink;ng up an cxcusero gcr dn early (fi,n
back.
The Blue Jeebsbegin to drift in along about dcssertat Sun'lrf tncrc berngno good rcr\on why yoLrthink rhar
rhe life ofsusan

/l\4
THE Sul,rDAY MINACI/ RobertBen.nlq
B. Anthony might be interesting, you saynothing- You didn't reallr
think that ir mighr be interesdng, ,nyway.
A walk is suggested,resulting in groans from the rest of rhe group
The idea of bridge arousesonly two out oF the nec€ssaryfour r,)
anything resemblirg enthusiasm. The time for the arrival of Bad Nervr
is rapidiy approaching and b1 now it is pretty fairly certain to involr.
death. The sun strikes in through the window and 1.ou nodce drur
the gleen chaL needsreupholsrering.The rug doesnl look any nu'
good, either.There would be no sensein getting a lot ofnew furnitrrr,
when everyone is going to be dead before long anyway.
It is a funny thing about the sunshine on a Sunday afternool
On other daysit is just sunshineand quite cheer' in i$ middle'clx...
way. But on Sunday afternoon it skes on a penetraringharshr{ i
which does nothing but show up the furniture. It doesn't makc rrr
difference where you are. You may be hanging around the Busl ln '
lunch in Hong Kong or polishing brass on a yachr in rhe N.rrlr
Ser; you may be out tramping acrossthe esate of one of rhe !r,,
pfesiden$ of a big trust company or rerching lndians ro rer,l rl
Arizona. The Sundayaftemoon sunlight mak€s you dissatisfied\\rll
ev€rything it hits. lt has gor to be sropped-
\(/hen the automobilecamein ir lookedasifthe Sundayafren!',rl
problemwassolved.You could climb in at the backdoor of tlx ,,1,1
stermerand pulf our into rhe counrry,wherear lelsr you coul,lrrt
heu peopleplaying"Narcissus"on rbe piano severalhousesl\ ry
(Peopleseveralhousesawayare alwaysplaying "Narcissus"o,r rlr,
piano on Sundayafternoons.If there is one sound that is typi( rl ,
Sunday afternoon, it is that ofa piano being played severalI),'r,
away.) It is true, of couise, that even out in the countrr, milcs .r\ ry
from everything, you could alwaysrcll that it was Sundayaftcrr"rrt
by the strangebehavior of the birds, but lou could at least pi,l ,,rrl
xn open field and turn somersaults(first taking rhe small chlrA.,,lt
of your pockets),or you could run head on inro a large ork, curr..rrrl
insensibiliw. At least, you could in the early days of auromol)rlrrA
But, as soon as everybody gor automobiles, the first thi'rt' rltry
did naturally was ro try to run awar from Sunday afrernorrr. r,rlt
the rcsult that everycountry road within a hundred milcs of rrlr , rtr
116
now raken rhe place of rhe old-time county fair, without the
of the cetde and che jam exhibits. Today the only difference
Sunday afrernoon in the ciry and Sunday afternoon in the
is rhrt, in the counrry, you don,c know the people who are
your lap.
Asidefrorn rhc unplca\anrncs) ot bcing <rowdedjn qith : lor of
on r countly road and not knowing what to talk about
the long hours while thc rutomobilesrre wJiring ro morc
there is the acru?l danger of an epidemic.Supposingsomeone
a child.out riding in the country on Sunday and while they
jammed in line with hundreds of thousandsof ocher
pleasure,
che child came dorfn with tonsilitis. There she would be, a
of disease, in consct with ar leastfwo-rhirds of rhe population,
ofgerms righr end left and perhapsscartingan epidemicwhich
sweep the counary before the.rowds could get back to their
and gargle. Subwaysand crowded tenementshave ions been
izedr. breedingground. for rffiiLtionsof rhe noseand ih,o"..
countryroadson Sundayafternoonsro be left enrirelywirhout
al regulacion?
really have no remedy for Sunday afternoon, at least none that
trve any confidencein. The only one rhat misht wotk would be
lct 6rc ro rhe housealong abour tjlop.m. lf;he 6re serc nursed
g it would causesufici€nr excitemeot to make you forget what
it was, ar lerst unril ic was time to rurn on rhe light; for the
ing. Or you mighr go do$,.ninto the cellar right after dinner
teke the firrnace apart, promising yourself to have ir put together
n by suFpertime_Here,ar lerst, chesunlighrcouldn,rg€r at you.
you could rent a diver,ssuir andgo to rhe nearestbody of water
spcnd rhe afaemoontottering abour under rhe surface,picking
lncmone and old birs of wreckage.
merhod which I myself have rried with considerablesuccess
little expense,however, is to buy a small quantity of Veronal
tc neafesr.druggisr's,
pur it slylyin my coffeeon Sarurdxynight,
thcn bundleoffto bed.Iii/henyou wakeup on Mondaymorri-ing
mry oor fecl crisp,bur SLrnday will be ovcr.
ntl rl,,rr I r.rkcir i\ !vl,rr wc ,,r( .rtrcf
 dealer whose aid is indispensablero their researches. Mr.
!f. Bdtnefl publishes at short intervds very admirablecatalogues
r large and constandychanging srock ofengravings. plans.
anjold
THE MEZZOTINT of mansions,churches,and towns in England and rJtrales.
MONIAGIJERHODESJAMES/GNEATBF:TAIN cararogueswere, ot course, rhe ABC of his subiect to Mr

14,il l*
: but as his museum alreadycontained an cDormous accu_
of topographical pictures, he was a regular, rather than a
buycr; and he rather looked to Mr. Bdinell to 6ll up gaps
thc rank and file of his colleccionthan to supply him with rariiies.
Now, in Febmaryof last yearthere appearedupon tr4r_lfilliams,s
at the museuma cataloguefrom l'4r. Brirnell,s emporiurn. and
you the sl'rr panyrng rt was a rypewdrten communication from the dealet
Solte rrMr aoo I believe I had the pleasureof telling
the nattr
of an adventure which happenedto a frieod of mine by f This latter ran as follows:
of art for the muscuttt
of Dennistoun, during his punuit of objects De,r Sir,
at Cambridge. We beg to ca your attenrionto No. 978 in ou! acconpmying
his retttttt
He did not Publish his exP€riencesvery widely upon c.rarogue,whicb we shall be glad ro send on approval.
to a gruul
to England; but they could not fail to become known
"of the gentlemen who at t lrri Yours fairhfully,
-rny his friends, a.td among other to
time oresidedovet an ert museum at another university
lt wxt l" J. \a/. Britnetl
impressr"rr
be experted thrr rhe 5roryshouldmakea 'onsiderable "tt To turn ro
.No..9?8
in rhe accompenyingcaraloguewz> wrch Mr.
by
vocarion in lines similar to Dennistotrt' '' lxams (as he obscrvfdro himselfr rhc rork oIa momenr,
rhe mind of r m;n tro<e and
" of the mir r.'l tbe place indicated he found the following enrry:
and chat he should be eager to carch at any explanation
*hich tended to ^rk it ,..- improbable that he should cvu I'l
978.-UDknown. Inter€stingmezzorinr:Vicv of a manor house,
lt was' i'nlr('l'
called uPon to ileal $.ith so egitating an emergency ly paft of rhe centur). 1r by r0 inches;btackframe.t2
not exPect('l lrl 2s.
so-e*tat co.tsoiing to him to reflect that he was
was the busirr(r was nor specially exciting, and the price seemedhigh. However.
acquire ancient manuscriptsfor his institutionl that
institution rnr/{lrl r. Brimell, who kncw his busine"sand his cusromir,.eemed
of;he ShelburnianLibr2ry. The authodties of that ro
for srl I store by it, Mr- Villiams wrote a postcard asking for the afticle
if they pleased,ransacl<obscure corners of the Continent
to cont rc Dc scnr on approval, along with some orher engravings and sketches
mattels. He was glad to be obJigedat the momerrt ,ltl
attentionto enhrliog the alreadyunsurpassed collecdonof EniL'|1 ch rppearedin rhe samecaelogue_And so he passedwithout much
topographicaldrawingsandengravings by
possessed tcmentof anriciparionro rhe ordinarylaboi. of the day.
ll:-:,T:'l l]l:
oo,,."."r-, depa'ttet't so homely and familiarrs rlrlr parcel alvrays arrives a day later than you expect it xnd thar
of
"r'i.iu-.a " \(illiams $ll
mav have its dark corners,and to one of theseMr' Brirnell proved. a. I believc rhe phra<egoe.. no erceprion co
unexpectedly introduced. rule. Ir war delivered ar the rnuscum b1 the alrcrnoon posr
ot
inrcrcst irr rld rday. rlrer Mr. trJ(illiamshad lefr his work. and ir wasaccordinsly
Those *ho have taken even the most limited
thcre rs "rrt
acquisitionof topographicalPicturesare 2w2rethat t round ro his rooms in college by rhe attendanr, in
order

4t8
TH! MEZZOTINT/Modrigue Rhodesjffics

that he might not have to wait over Suflday beforc looking through
it and returning such of the contents as he did not propose rc keep. j:j;1L'l neirher
prayer
hadexperienced
:;:ll :lersencies
e human
And here he found it when he came in to tea, with a friend. l":::: ".f::l-*:l:l beins
il ; G;'.;#
rhefiiend_rcr
us cal"himt;?;;"u,;[":
The only item with which I am concerned was the rather largc, lT^'1.;.1,,
Ip the framed engraving, and said: ,,ri/hat,s
black-framed mezzotint of which I have alrcady quoted the shor( rhis place, !Zil_
description given in Mr. Britnell's catalogue. Some more details o1
it will havc to be given, though I cannot hope to put before you .{:,r:}"tl "L.*:: *,i.
-r*r.
saidsziliams,r,lll,i
rllj out,,,
soins
the look of thc picture as clearly as it is present to my own eye- Verv ,1",
:':i."i": ::r::".1,:1
:.ry":F.
.,i E\sex.
HaJ[
s."l,i,iff;
rhc,,,. , ;;;; ;;; ;.'i;.J ;li
neuly the exact duplicate of it may be seen in a good many old inrr :^.^r,,:::
to know it, I suppose?,,
parlors or in the p$sxges of undisturbed country mansions at thc from
"Ir's_ thar man Brit relt, I suppose,
isn't it?,, saidBinks. ,,Is
Prcsent moment. It was a rather indifercnt mezzotint, and an irr mr rhe muscum?',
different mezzotint is, perhaps, the worst form of engraving known
j,Y1,.1.ln,"lr :hourdbuyir if rhepriccw,snve\hi ins5...
It presented a full-face view of a not very large manor house of rln' ,l#i,"1^":,1.j sajd
ffe,nerrhr) rea:on hew;nrsrwosurneas
Iast century, with three rows of plah sashedwindosrs with rusricarc,l I cantconce,ve why.r,t for
masonry about them, a pzrapetwith balls or vasesat the angles,an,l *,.,.r,J.,go";:,Jiil."Tj::
"
n any figures to give ir life.,,
a small portico in rhe center. On either side were trees,and in frorrr
-:'.* rwo guine,s. I shoujd
a considerable expanse of lawn. The legend A. W. F, scalpit 'd'.t :", thrnk...sajd BinIs; ..bur
done.
rhe,moonrighr
lll jlli t :mrta,d],l ,..rn.,,,r,..soJa
"tj,:
engrevedon the n row margin; and the(e was no further inscripri(nr
The whole thing geve the impression thar it was the work of xI lj,,.1lj .1.ro.n"r ,h*8h,,h.. ;;:.;;;;;:.J.1'Jl.r,:::
Irc, ,usr on lhe edge in front.,,
amateur. \7hat in the world Mr. Britnell could mean by a6-ring rlr
trc;ll'am"-vrelt. iri ,rue fhe rishr
price of €2 2s. to such an object wes more lhan Mr. Williams coul,l :^T:t^]:* ..:it is rafher
imagine. He turned it over with a good deal of contempt; upon rlr ]?j,lT:Jl*.'yoL,r 6surc?
oh.le.:Jusr,r,.i*a,
;" ,r,"
front of the picture.,,
back was a paper label, the left-hand half of which had been rorrr
was_hardlymorethan a black
ofr All that remained were the ends of two lines of writing: the lir',r :lr-,-11*O-rl*. blot on the
l'T."11.:t, ofamanorwoman, agood
had the letters -ngl.e1 Hall; the second, -$pt
It would, perhaps,be just worthwhile to identify the place rclk
," r.l.,",*a. ,,,.,p.,,*",_;;;#;',:#T
,i.fi,is:,:r.*;:-q:__the.head
.1Stirr.-
:#;ff'#,'?T,
noriced
irbefore r,.s1ial-,b""gi
;:;"h#;' ^T*:1
sented,which he could exily do with the help of a gazetreer,rrrl I 1,.".;.y*:: i,j":"r
then he would send it bacl to Mr. Britnell, with some remrlr
reflecting upon the judgment of that gentlemen. He lighred rli Professor
J."
i1-"h;
BinkshadLis_",k ," j;;jr;,

l:: ;;';;;;:,T'jH:l#:
candles,for it was now dark, made the tea, and supplied the frirrrl
with whom he had been playing golf (for I believe the author;ri,n
of the university I write of indulge in that pursuit by way of rclrs.r
tion); and tea was laken to the accomPanimenrof a discussionwllr,ll
::l::,'::,y:l
r:fli ill:#i..'l'ffi ;i :;],:;iil
:*';:"[:l,:..l'{::
#
seannrrins
frornGuestlngiey
,; f;;;;
golfing persons can imagine for themselves,but which the conu ;1ir endinglikc chischanr thoughc; il;:
entious nrriter has no right to inflict upon any nongolfing per!'rr. I has
111: "".: andrbisrotren
no indcx of terminations.
Thc conclusionarrivcd at was that certain strokesmiehr havc l)c,r, Htll in Mr. rVilli:rms,s
collqc w^s.LC
scvcn.lr nccd nor bc (lwclr

460
'l
llE MEZZOTINT / IrontaaucRhodcsjams

upon; the less so as he met rhere colleagues who had been playing 'can onrvrc
.:,:.!"1 )ou wh,( Mr. s{/i i;msdid He rook
golf during the afternoon, and words with which we have no concern
were freely bandied across tbe table-merely golfing words, I would
hasten to explain.
I supposean hour or more to have been spent in what is called
ff rilil',"l*i'x,,.;#Ii
Til1"::'#
common room after dinner. Larer in rhe evening some few retired to
\(/illiarns's rooms, and I have little doubt that whist was played and
tobaccosmoLed.During a lull in theseopemrions\filliams picked up f+:t-d'f,1,',#i#lii:.t
the mezzotint from the table without looking at it, and handedir ro
a person mildly interested in art, telling him where it had come from.
and the other pxrticula$ which we already Lnow.
i'Hi:::,Tf
#:l^:'-', orherwisc:
ilTrtff
H:,:,iri{,1iil
hemi'h'[
The gentleman took it carelessly,looked at it, then said, in a tonc ;ff; :*i;*;:.;Ul'iftffi:l"
of some interest: "It's really a very good piece of work, Villiamsr
it has quite a feeling of the romantic period. The light is admirablr'
managed, it seems to me, and the frgurc, though it's rather to('
grotesquer is somehow very impressive." ilFli;qiJ*ffiffitd#
* "Ji:;l
;";: ;:'iiil;Tnll*
"Yes, isn't it?" said\gilliams, who wasjust then busy giving whiskr
and soda to orhers of th€ company, and was unable co come across :'l-:;*i :".:":,. f;
the mom to iook at the view again.
lc was by this time rather late in the evening,and the visitors werc il:f: :::*;"r:;';,,1t1:l;i:::.;l Hsh.sr
".'hi*v w.s
on the move. After they went \Tilliams was obliged to write a lettcr
or two and clear up some odd bits of vork. At last, sometime Prsr
midnight, he was disposedto turn in, and he put out his lamP af(r rrir*u*'* jj::,ffi
*l-llyi:';'$f
t'3;i
[-i*'ffi;'**#ttilit
Iighting his bedroom candle. The picture lay face uPwards on rlx'
table where the last man who looked at it bad Put it, arrd it cauglrt
his eye as he tumed the lamp down. \7hat he saw made him verr
nedly drop the candle on the floor, and he declares now that if hr *t .h,r!tri,iams
had been left in rhe dark at that moment he would have had a llt ''"::i:;:Jl,j:1 *,. ,,,i., ai",,"j,,;;,::;,:,il
::,,::
-hich
*as
But, as that did not heppen, he was able to put do\rn the lighr rrr ;ffi 1.#:;,Jf:,i':,J" no*re.
the table and take a good look at che picture. It was indubitablc
rankly impossible,no doubt, but absolurelycertain- ln the mid(ll, T;,r;.ru_n
u,.g:::j:ilJtlliiit,";,,,,
",
n..,," .,.,;.';"1;Jo.o"';;."crebir- rmo5, rrcmurouq -
of the lawn in front of the unknown hous€ there was a 6gure whcrr
'j.",^::1
:,:.:l:,
o:Yi::'.' -"" r,* ;;'j';ili;::::.Jir:l:
sJ. r\ow, .::
no figure had been at frve o'clocl that afternoon. It was crawlirrl
on all fours rowardsthe house,znd it was muffied in a strangebh,l he said,,,Nrsbet,
I wanr vou t
gament wirh a white cross on the back.
I do not know what is the id.'al courseto Pursue in a sicuati,,r,
;,',1#i
,fiIITi;,#,,".._*;;:fi ,';fl T;lTlilji:
462 -/
TH! MIZZOTTNT/ Mon@8ueRbod€sjans

"VeI," said Nisbet, "I have here a view of a country hou-se- .."s.dr *^.*here. Thequestionis,Hasit happened
lnglish, I presume-by moonlight." ?-f "
l_llrs rr gomg
eaoy, or to come off? you must 6nd out what the
"Moonlight? You're sure of that?" place
Yes," he said,lookins a: rhepicrure
at rhe again.'t
Dicl,re ,din expectyou.rerighr:
"Certainly. The moon appears to be on the wane, if you wish for .ADdiflgr d:n:: mistake
ihere,llb.',h. [;i ;?;;
details, and there are clouds in the sky." Y:::::l
one of the rooms upstai$.',
"All right. Go on. I'll swear," added rlfilliams in ar aside, "rherc "l',lljell you what,,, said lrilliams; .,I,li take the picture
w$ no moon when I sew it fust."
across
" (This was the senior !€ltow of the college,who haJ
" $(/e11,there's not much more to be said," Nisbct continued. "Thc :tl bursar
".= for manyyeaa.y'ft's quirelikell
he. know ir. Ve have
househasone-two-three rows ofwindows, five in eachroqr,excepr rry rn bsex and Su,scx.and he m.rsthrve
' bcenovcr the rwo
at rh€ bottom, wherethereh a porch insreadof the middle one,and- nties a lot in his time_',
"But what ebout 6gures?" said $Tilliams, with marked interesr ,,butjusrret me
takemy
"There aren'r any," said Nisbet; "but-" frst..But look here,lislet;
"S::.-l.t'::y:.-11,ri,,."0 I mrherthink Greenisnl up todaf.
"!7hat1 No frgure on the glass in front?" -. n"1 last nisht, and r rhink r heardhim
"Nor a thing." :"jidown
: for rhe Sunday.,, sayhe wis
"You'll swearto that2" ',J-orviui.rm::.r knowhe.,gone,o Brishron.
"Ccrtainly I will. Bur rhcres yusronc other thrng.' Jllill l:1.: l-. ir nos. r. so acro..ro Ganoodaid get
"\trhat?" "".:::1]l
statement,ll?-c.ipn
and you keepan eyeon it while I,m gone. f,m
begln_
"\rhy, one of the windows on the ground floor-ieft of tlr two gurn-T is nor a very exorbiranrpricetor it
novr.,,
door-is open." Inito:hink
a shon time he had returned, and brought Mir.
Garwood with
"Is it really sol My goodnesslhe must have got in," saidrJ7illiams. stateTent to rhe efecr that the figure, when
with great excitement; and he hurried to the beck of the sofa rrl i^P:..9a
h:d seen ir.. was lr'a:
clear of rhe edge or the pitture. but had
which Nisbet was sitting, and, carchiflgrhe picrure from him, verili.l nor
rer tcross rhc lewn. He remembe.fd I whire
m k on rhe br.k
rhe matter for himself. lt was quite ttue- There was no figure, ar,l its drapery,but could not h.ve beensureir wasa
cross.A document
there was the open window. \X/illiams, after a moment of speechlcs, e.,,*i" rhendrawnup andsigned.and Nisbcr
::: proceeded
surprise, went to the wridng table and scribbled for a short rir:rr PDologrrph rhepi(rure. Now whardo you meanro do.,..he
said.
Then he brought rwo papers to Nisbet, aod asked him fust to sigi .rc you gonS ro sir and warchit all dry.,
one-it was his own descripdonof the picture, which you have jr.l "Well, no, I think not," said \Jfilliams. ,.I rather imagine we,re
heard and then to read the other q'hich was Williams's sratemcrrr rt ro see the whole thing. you see, between
the time I saw it
--,.,.^ rL. .i.L. L.F^.. oighr and rhis morning there wls tirne for lors
of rhings to
"$flhat can ir all mein?" said Nisbet. ppcn.bur rhe,crerture onlr got into rhe housc.lr .ould easil)h;re
"Exactly. well, one thing I must do-or three things, noq' t rb;'rl I throuShirs busine$in rhe time and gonc ro in
own pla.e,g:in:
of it. I must find out from Garwood" this was his last niglrr'' t.the faca of the window being op.r,, f .UrrL,
lno*- _.rn-,h",
visitot-"what he saw, and then I must ger the thing photograph.l ,h:... I.feel quite easyabout leaving it. And besides,
before it goes firrther, and then I must find out what rhe place is " ,,n
ve a krnd i"y..:o
of ider rhrr ir wouldn t changemuch. rl ,r .rll.
in rhr
"I can do rhe photographing myself," srid Nisbet, "and I rvill rme. we mrghr go out for a r,rlk this rfrernoon,
and come in
Bur, you know, it looks very much as if wc werc assistingat rlu tca, or whcncvec it gecs dark. I shall leavc it
out on the rablc

4(t4
TH! MTZZOTTNT/ MonBsuc RhodesJm6

here, and close the door. My skip can get in, but no one else." sn. not where anyone rhat,s
lirble
The three agreed that this would be a good plan; and, furrhel,
that if they spent the afternoon tog€ther they would be less likely j:,
"ui:^,:,""5;fi;i,";:,'l;:;:.Tlill:1,
lairh rhese*o,a" ,r,".*..r.i,
ro be

;;;;;;'r'o"'
tnant vou.sir.'
to talk about the businessto other people; for any rumor of such
a transection as wes going on would bring the whole of the Phas
*-,'"ru
l:m::::.1-r-"-;;;;:,,:'il::-il#'l^'.*'
"':#': '.';5i }fu
mrtological Socieq .rbout rheir ears.
\7e may give them a respite until five o'clock.
At or near that hour the thr€e were entering Williams's st2ircrsc.
,'i*{111.ft
::',::1, i:1"
t.."
l.o "p_ *,,.r,",. il
"ni dil,:,:#.:,:l:
Til
rimecranling.autrou"ty
They were at first slighdy annoyed m see rhat the door of his rooms l.^#,,:::":1"-,1,s on hand:and
was ejar; but in a moment it vas remembered that on Sr.rndaydl
skips came for orders an hour or so earlier than on weekdays.Hov{evcr,
a surprise was awaiting them. The fust thing they saw wes rhe picrurc "dT:,"1"i!;,r*'wti:ti:
& drapcr
hung do-no"..i,"r,.;
";,;;;;
rutj"fi: ln
;:iliili;jLllij
lerning up against a pile of books on the table, as it had been lefr. rhe specracor:
-;'.'-"'i proroundrlrhankfur
Pru'ounol)'hanktul
ilfl1]1,::,:^,':bJe-made
they coujd seeno more
rhan
and the next thing was $f liams's skip, seatedon a chair opposi(..
g zlng ^t it with undisguised horor. ;;Tff5j*"ltiil
.:, *t*, *n
;:.,
;l:,:.Tl.ifi
.* i;':i:f""l:,:
j u"."#;r,::"T,,
How was this? M!. Filcher (rhe name is rot my own inv€ntio,r) 1,,1,:li"n1"". "n i ffi .il;
1,: no,
'was a servant of considerable standing, and set the standard of cr1 possjb,c
l#,i;H:',1.':',:"::l::'ji':
r."".*rai.prr,i, ,osa)rhe
quette to all his own collegc and to severalneighboring ones, ,o,l ilr'n;to*"",. j:';
ar..ii"il:':"f Jl:
nothing could be more alien to his practicethan to be found sirflnll
on his master'scheir, or appearingto take any parricular notice of l)r,, ,n,T companions
, D s.r,
) c . ,,nd wllched
r,o w r r c h e d rhe
ff:rj":,,:..:l::,1n.
h" ,,,.^" o
thanged.
rhe
master's furniturc or pictures. Indeed, he seemed to feel this himscll rhel rsreedar iasrrharii
He smtted violently when the three men were in the room, and g,,r
;,.;;l:,:::-,,,-".:,
T;l",:,lf::ll,"a,
fr:rther dcvelopments.
n,,,i.,
*"iio,?'ff :;:,,Uil"I
up with a marked effort. Then he said: "I ask your pardon, sir, J,,l
taking such a fre€dom as to set down." . d" earriesr
posribre
momenr.
rhe
ffn*:l *::s.,*1
"Not et all, Robert," interposed Mr. \(illiams. "I was meanirrpi
_,,,.,i., ;;;;;::;";:
Hjlffij:';Llq::"^'"".,;
i",',,'
co ask you sometime what you thought of that picture." ;:,j
i."J::LT:
"'1.,."
overgrzctreers ;J::.;:;.T.:
rnd gridebooks
-_"" 'p!'1u,,rr
"ltrfell, sit, of course I don't set up my opinion again yours, lnrr
it aint the pictur I should'ang where my little girl could sec ir " r, ;;:il:;:il,:,t
,d Dcrhrbsh. r."-- :J :-
ff lxir:**::"."d
.;.

la -Enerthe foilowing lines:

. _":
s;ir;_.
^,,,,,1,^ was the luckl
;::lil:l,:li one

"Vouldn\ you, Robert? $rhy notl"

***fi**',
"No, sir. why, the pore child, I recollect once sh€ s€e a D(r'l
Bible, with pictures nor 'alf what that is, and we 'ad to set up \,r11
her three or four nights afterwards,if you'll believe me; and if slr
was to ketch a sight of this skelinton here,or whateverit is, carry,rrr1
of the pore baby, she would be in a taking. You know 'ow ir ri
with children; 'ow nervish they git with a i;ttie tbjng and all. llrl
what I should say, ir don't scem e right pictur ro bc Jaying ab,,L'r
'l
Hll MIZZOTINT / Montasle Rhod.sj.nes

in complere retirement rt the hall, and vas found deed in his studio t ztina gadt _nut hareprannco
on rhe third enniversaryof rhe disaiter, having just cornpleredan :.,y: ry p,: *.id ro 8rr hold oI
rorr rine. roo r'a*., r._"-_i,i ,,,r,..
engnving of the house,impressionsof which areof considerableIzriry. ::::'^::I^':1
ouc-of-rhe-way for an u,r.,. p",";; ;"';;;;;;:;;i.i
.rhhg
11..?;::,: :;:5 T,.::,T1_'oiiawdyhad
man,sed
rhejo;
This looked IiLe business,and, indeed, Mr. Green on his recurn
at once identified the hous€ as Anningley Hall. j,,l'Ti:,;
#,ffil,,y;Y.','
ffiful:'..".1i,:iii:iff
"Is ther€ any kind of explanation of the figurg crcen?" was rhc
question which Sfilliams naturally asked.
"I donl know, l'm sure. $trilliams. lvhat used to be said in rhc
gxr,il'-it'i,:;1.T,il:,*i
*i"l:il,,::1,;,lnr;h*
place when I first knew it, which was before I came up herg w:ls
just this: old Francis rzs always very much down on these poaching
fellows, and whenever he got a chance he used to get a man v,/holr
:il[ii,:;,ffi",l; ;?#:,.":::ff
I have only to add that the picrure
he suspected of it turned off the estate, and by degrees he gor .i(l
:,i"Y ;t:;;;:ilx:#;,fi::'tr_*ji:H
?::,.*;;;
is nov, i

of them all but one. Squirescould do a lot of things then rhat thcr
"i$,;;*#i,t;:..'#*":if trfl;i
daren't think of now. Well, rhis man that was left was what yorl
lind pretty often in rhat country-the lasr remains ofa very old familY
I believe they were lords of the manor at one time- I rccollecr jusl
:Iit|t1ff
it has oever been knovrn ,o
.hr"g. ,;;;.
the same rhing in my own parish."
"Like the man in Tat of the D'Urben'illu," Villiams put in.
"Yes, I daresay;it's not a book I could ever read myseli But rhis
fellow could show a row of rombs in the church there that belons(,| ALLIGATORS
ro hi( an.esro15. and rll that gr'en(ro sour him a bir; bur Frzn.,.
they said, could never get at him-he alwaysLept just on the righr
side of the law-until one night the keepersfound him ar ir in r J
wood right at the end of the estate. I could show you the place norr I
it marcheswith some land that used to belong to an uncle of min.
flattu
And you can imagine there was a ro\r'; and this man cawdy (rh:l
was the name, to be sur€-Grwdy; I thought I shouldget ir-Gawdr'), y ro rheirhrlf of rhe 6frh gredefrom
he was unlucky enough, poor chapl to shoot a &eeper.sre[, dMl :"'.-?" ..T. Maryhnd
farcwirhsomerhins
of ag.oq,nup.s
was what Francis wented, and grmd juries-you know wbat d Hlj" i5 i:.^,.lll" evera"hcs ti,eJ
would have been then-and poor Gavrdy was strudg up in doubi( :::,:, :tbT ih* rikc
a dou.i
;".;?:l #:,,;..:
tl:: *," wx rcadingro rhemdurrng
quick rime; and I've been shown the place he was buried in, on dr L1.:1 homcroom
about
was spied ;;;,",.j,;;;;fJJ:
north sideof the church-you know the way in that part of rbe wo,l,l i,;.^l:Tl:"n: badry
Annie; ""d
rnyone that's been hangedor made away wirh rhemselves,they br|rl
.J,,",
::.j,,T: lv/l" "t.,1 nobody
.",ra uri.,l, ic
"l* t".
them that side. And the idea *'as that some friend of Gawdy's-n,,l
a relation. becausehe had none. Door devill he was the last of hl {!;i,l;:":l,,:fi;:i:,',iy:lT
hanging
downthc backof h.. ;;J",:/,?
":tri ;;;^.i:";l.T;

4oti
TH! AILrGATORS
/Joln UPdikc

cut or braided and her having the crust ro acually argue wirh teachers.
tlme Charlie qrwJoan cry actual tears.
"Vell I'm sorry," she told Miss Fritz, nor even rising ftom her He was as bad as the others:
**: did because they fett like it, he
sear, "bur I don't se:rwhat rhe point is of homework. In Brltimorc :;:::i:. * "thers dil
of a plan,to make himselfmorepopular.i;';;;;;
we never had any, and the l;xlp lxj'As there knew wheCs in thesc ;il;
b..: pretty *ett, U,,r somewhere
books." :^T l"d ll.d sincethen he
o:*"j rherc
was
agrngu.r,,"Jei,i,'s",i.l,nji'.li
Charlie, who in a way enjoyed homework, was ready to join irr 1T: n*,1 rhemratkabouti, on Monda)s_in
the xngfy moan of rhe others. Liftle hurr lines had leaped up betwecn .."11-]:, s,u,rr
rison\ garage..rnd took hike. ,^d ptay.d,;,;;;;,';';.r.,;:l
Miss Fritz\ eyebrows and he felr sorry for her, remembering bow whcn
that September John Eberly had half on purpose spiled pulple Sh(, Hiu Srrect.,niin sp,rngbrqcted
:i:'1j.1,.].dd".., alt over
dl1rocetl,er
*r,"..t,.,r,...uiini i_""J#;ft:;:.j
Card paint on the newly sandpzperedfloor she had hidden her facc :g:r,:nd
,l,/:-lle sincebeforekinderga{en.tsurafrerschool
in her erms on th€ deskand cried. Sbewas afraid of rhe school boar,l 'e scemed,norhing.
:hief:rlemb-ers
for
bim ro do bur go iome promptly
"You're not in Baltimore now, Joan," Miss Fritz said. ..You are irr and do
nomeworkand 6ddlewirh his Cen,rat
Olinger, Pennsyhania." a, neflcan stampsand go
The children, Charlie among rhem, laughed, and
Joan, blushir*
e sofr brown color and raising her voice excitedly againsr the crr
rent of hatred, got in deeper by trying to explain, ..Like rhere, ih
ili;itf{r:ti
il:i!:!lt:hi"H,-:l..f.r
>ach,who_hewouldnl havebothered
ar all s.itfr if tfreyfrrl";c
stead of just readingabout plants in a book wed one day all brirrr: b:i"c at,east a verrvounser
:':*,:1.'::-T':,:i:"':1,'h"l
ro',rh:i:r8...i,r," in,, r;.".r,ous;;,;J;;;;;;
in a flower we'd picAedand cur ir open and look at it in a nitt, :ol,b]ic.lr,
rj|lm .rndrakehim in if
rrrpe" Becauseof her saying this, shadows,of broad leavesand will hc backcdup theirpolnieswrrhiur
slashedforeign flowers,darkenedand complicated the idea they lrr,l
In Science,v/hich tA had in Miss
Brobst
of h€r.
Miss Fritz puckeredher orangelips into 6ne wrinkles, then smihl
;TJ,::"T:Y,.ir":--
'-
;;;;:;il::n Tj:i:,'f
,ll. borh.biing
disrikcd.
,l*l
"In the upper lwels you will be allowed to do that in rhis sctrr.l F'T ,r", ;;o:;;;,;;;;;;';il:
c lac( he d;coveredqa\ she wr.nl
Ali things come in time, Joan, ro pirient lirtle gds." !7hen l(,rl rhar ongfrt. Her mrrks on
aererlwayslowerlhdn h; He
started fo argue thi, Miss Fl]rtz lifted one 6nger and said wirh rl,i. rold hcr...Cr,rfingup all chose
extra weighr adults alwayshave,held back in reserve,.,No. No n),,! , :1:;,:_":l:::,:l *od. or mrybcin Bartim.,.,riqo"gr,,
young lady, or you'll be in rrrzr rrouble wirh me.,, ft qave thc ( l,r1l
couruBcro seerhar Misr FrirTdidn r like her cirher iiE:!,?il:fi 1i:,::";..,:1".:,::"1::,
,^,"0^T,j....:.:
in .rwhite
drew,pi.,,..,i;L;.;;" ;;.i.p::ll
After thet, Joan couldn't open her mouth in classwirhout tl! |
witha.rczn
no:eandsadmrncemouth,
being a great gfoan. Outdoors on the macadamplayground,at rc,,.,r 1.,i,:1, ir,,, rhela,he"
evcx.brack asthepen.il;;;il #;.;,ff;:
or fire drill or waiting in rhe morning for the buzzer,hardly an1l, ll,p]**
"ty
talked to her ex.ept ro say"Stuck up,' or .,!mmy,, or ,.Vhore , rvhr,, ''" :rcerroq doqn,h'oush
,hc
lil':::.11,i"1:i:l:i':u''
r.blue,cro$-tinrsctcaroft rhe borrom edge ',.
from Balti-more." Boys were always yanking opcn rhe bov lrr rtn ,;; ,;;;""""
"f
one or theiignar,
back of her fancy drcssesand flipping Jitrle spitbalJsinto tbc , rrlr Hl.:.:::l:rJ:,-"_-"lrins. wrs.on rhehi8h
gjl,,'e hl:" thc cindertr.rck w,r."secded
of her henging hair. OnceJohn Eberly even cur a seftion of ln.r tirl
I held was vill four.in(hes
; ;;"
;?;
otr with a yellow plastic scissorsstolen from arr class.This wr:, rttr of mud. Hrppy tr,ker ,rme sirh
clxborarciiT,txncmodcr
hc hrrcl
_;_;;;il';,.;f ;ilil'::
47o
TH! ALUGATORS /John Updike
had the American star on the wingtips and a pilot painted insidc
the cockpit and e miniarure motor thar burned real gas.The buzzing.
off and on a.ll Saturday morning, collected smaller kids from S€cond
Streetdown to Lynoak. Then it was ?lwaysth€ same:Happy shoved
the plane into rhe air, wherc it climbed and made a razzing noisc
a minute, then nosedived and crashedand usually burned in the gras
or mud. Happy's father was rich.
Irr the weekssinc€she had come,Joan's clothes had slowly gros'r
simpler, to go with rhe other giris', and one day she came ro school
with most of her hair cut off, and the resr bmshed flat around hcr
head rnd brought into a litde tail behind. The laughter at her s,rr
more than she had ever heard. "Ooh. Baldy-paldyl" some idior girl
had exclaimedwhen Jozn came into rhe cloakroom, and the srulll
words went sliding around class all morning. "Baldy-paldy frorr
Baltimore. Vhy is old Baldy-paldyred in the face?,,JohnEberly kr1,r
making the motion ofa scissorswith his fingersand its juicy tickiru
sound with his tongue. Miss Fritz rapped her knuckles on rlr
window sill until shewas rubbing the achewith the orher hand, xn,l
finally she senr t$/o boys to Mr. Lengel's ofrce, delighting Chrrll
aD enotmous secretamount.
His own reaction to the haircut had been guiet, to want ro Jrr\
her, changed. He had kept rhe other drawings folded in his dc'|..
and one of his instincts was tov/ard compleresersof things, Bar l\t,.rl
comics and A's and Costa Rican stamps.Halfway acrossthe lrur'r
from him,Joen held very still, afraid,ir seemed,to move even a hrrll,
her face a shamedpink. The haircut had brought out her forcln r,l
end exposedher neck and made her chin poinrier and her eyeslar11r
Charlie felt thankful once again for having been born a bor', .r',,1
having no shalp shocLs,like losing your curls or star.ing ro hl,,,l,
to make growing painful. How mucb girls sutrer had been on, ,,1
the first thoughts he had everhad. His caricarureof her waswondcrtrrl
the wofk of a genius. H€ showed it ro Sruart Morrison behin,l l,|,,.
it was too good for him to appreciarc,his dull egg eyesjusr llirL, r,,l
over it. Charlie traced it onto anorher piece of tabJecpaper, nrrl|4
her head completely bald. This drawing Stuart grabbed and ir ',
"
passedclear around the room.
472
NIGHT Hr HAD the dream. He must have dreamed it white lying
asleep in rhe morning light, lor it was fresh in his head when
voke. They had been in a jungle. Joan, dressedin a rorn sarong,
swimming in a cle?r river among allig?cors. Somehow, rs if from
tree, he was looking down, and there v/as e calmness in the way
slim girl ard rhe green zlligators moved, in md out, perfectly
ible under the vindow,skin of the water. Joan,s fxce sometimes
the hoftor she wzs undergoing and somedmeslooked numb.
hair trailed behind and fanned when her face came toward the
. He shouted silently with gtief. Then he had rescued her;
t r senseof having dipped his arms in water, he was carrying
in two arms, himself in a bathing suit, and his feet 6rmly ftred
the knobbybackofan alligatorwhich skimmedupstream, through
shadows of high trees and white fovrers and hanging vines, like
sudboard in a movie shoft. They seemedto be heading towxrd a
bridge arching over rhe stream. He wondered how he would
it, and the river and rhe jungle geve rvay to his bed and his
but through the chafige pcrsisted, liLe a pedalled note on a
the sweetnessand pride he had felt in saving and carrying
gid.
Hc loved Joan Idison. The morning was rainy, and under the
his mother made him rake this new knowledge, repeated
rnd agJn ro him'el. grrhcrcdlike a beU of rmoke. Lovc had
taste, but sharpened his sense of smell so that his oil.loth coat,
rubber boots, the red-tipped busheshanging over the low walls
ing back lawns all along Grand Streer, even rhe dift and moss
the cracks of rhe pavemenr each gave off clear odors. He .would
laughed, if a wooden weight had not been placed high in his
near where his thrort joined. He could not imagine himself
ing soon. lt seemedhe had reachedone of those situetions his
schooi teacher,poor Miss West with her little mustache,had
trying ro prcparehim for- He preyed.Gi,e ne Joan, rf/y'ith the
wcather a solemn llatnesshad fallen over everything; an orange
lurning ar the Bend and four birdson a Elephonewire seemed
havc the same imporrance.Yet he felt 6rmer and lighrer and felt
as edges he must whip around and channels he musr rush
.17:\
TH! ALI-IGATORS/John UPdike

crueltl,'
down. lf he carried her oft', did rescue her from the others' ifl1e were standing bt a window
giving on rhe fusr morning
his own' afrer
he would have defied the gang and made a new one'
fimt, then others escaPing from meanness and t didn't mind it rhe old way
Just Joan and he at .if;;;n* eirher.,,
grt
iomlness, ,.rrrtit his gang *as stronger and Stuart Morison's
would b€ 2 king' with his
rage wes emPty every Saturday Charlie .O,r Anorherpecuti.rr
rhingwa5rherrn benearh
with hirr 1. f:iu.l h€r
oin tooct, fooibrtl g"-e Everyone would come and plead *re. thoL,shnot1o c,osery.
l;ll, illT:,
camc upagende how when she
for mercy. .ir dufl br;_, ;;;; ;;;;; ilT:U::
His fiist step was to ceIIall those in rhe cloakroom he lovedJorrr rng periumed.
horv
Edison now They ca.ed less than he had expected, considering rikeoiinger?"
she was hated. He had more or less exPectedto have to 6ght
witll ffr:'i',1,"i:; i:.lu
his 6sts. Hardly anybodygathered to heir the dream he had picturc'l
himself telling everybody.Anyway that morning it would go zroun'l *:'il :i:: ;ff::#.,1i:.il:: olinserr woudn',
know
the class that he said he loved her, and rhough this was vthat
h'
-,,ffi
r::::1"
wanteal,to in a wey oPena sPecebet*een him andJoan'
n€verth€less,and he stuttered when Miss Frirz had him go
it felt funnl
to rl)c *":li:ll{ri:i:_,t,$ :l;,il:,til:
T*1
lil;::{:il,H 1Sixl*j#
:,,itf
;*ki,:;;i:}ril#:;
blackboard to exPlair something
At lunch, he deLberately hid in the variety store urr il he saw
h(l
",*:.:f:
walk by The homely girl with her he knew turned
strcet. He wzited a mimrrc and then came out and began
to overtal<e Joan in the block b€Meen th€ strcet
offat

n'here
the

the
nert
runnin;
othcl
#i{::
nhi:r
"ti**:
r canebcnr rhe handreh"Fr.*r).
ot h;( ,n"**,
t " 'uzvcSrnr re2nlng
H.,'4'azement
prlrsr-or"'.."
;;;.' wasworrhrwi(e

eirl turned iow.t analthe street where he turned

l"inl.rg,
".,d
up ltiad-stoppc'l
his rolled-up umbrella felt liLe a commando'sbayontt
,price
jn:m:'a:,ll'
lljiiy.*'; rt,,";:,1 ;tTrj -uura reParnfhr bike
Coming up behind her, he said, "Bang Bang " chenexr har'rtuthe J""ra r,r".'r".
She i -t..red, a.td under her gaze, knowing she knew he
his face h€ated and he stared down "\ghy' Charlie"' her
Ioved hcr '
voice sri'l
f,::lX"
iffJ:..:"ijil
:tdJ,!?,;iil.I''*;1
; ;'; ii.'
,,l,r.'r
::;,f
:
with her Maryland slowness,"what are you doing on
this sid€ r'l [:[ l;J'*T.':lJf;;
1;o'*.".; i'ill'illi];
scho"l
the street?"Carl the to$m coP stood in front of tbe elementary the:Irfrnoon,(hemomenrum
of rhe dreamworeo[ :omewhar,
they belonged Notr
to get th€m on the side of Grand Street where on hcr hcnorrccd
at tlr il'^llJ'i;"i':""::i-:avs ri,h a quzJm
Charlie would have to cross the avenue again, by himself'
dangerous five'spoked inrcrsection 2t the Bend
'Nothing," he said' and used up the one senrencehe had PrePxr'rl
ahead: "I like Your hair the new way"'
|igff i,;ii,.r;:;:*,*:*:r";*r#
l'''i"-dr;i;;;;,;;:;T:'i:111'l
i'll;::::."f' :iH;
e'err;cee,cnhr\pi,enrs,s,in_
"Thank you," she said, and stopped ln
Baltimore she must illv l,li".iil
rha(ll"l.:-T:orrd
'ris€, from bchindrhe darkp,ne f"': "'' "s""'-
rhan
rhan
o; r;^
had manner lessons.Her eyes looked at his, and his vision iumpc'l
back from the rims of hff lower lids as if from a brink Yet
in tlr
J;;.;,;,:'i:'";I
Jill'-l,S::l'"^;- :'J"i,'i,i5,::;
sPAceshe occuPiedthere was a great fullness that lenr bim
hejglll
ili :::*l'j:iT'1,:ti
ffi,ff,,;;11##:#ff
;
414
PEIAGEY,{ / Mikbail Zoshchflto

watched them walk out oF sight behind a tall hedge; relief was as r.vm Nit<olle'ichdid bring
homea )pe.jrl lirtc book.
.'' ,h.-""';;,;l;;;."::^'f;
'"1';;'::i;!":X]i,l;i:;
yet a riny ftactior of his reversed srorld. It came to him thxt whal "";:.:"""r1,
l.lere,yolya,..fie said,.,is
he had taken for cruelty had been love, that far from hating her t;.j
rhe hresr r
everybody had loved her from the beginning, afld that even thc
stupidest knew it vreeks before he did. That she was the queen ol Pelageyagavea quier
iaugb, rook the o

;ru;***tlt,t'* t*[ j3J'lilii,llilijlil

.
the class end might as well not exist, for all the good he would ger
out of it.
Bur rhen onf da1 peJagey;.;;;;"
'il-lfi:
j;':,{i:,,",.*!:
So PeLsev., i.,;-.r. *;;""" o
u"::,i'; 0",n.,
'at down ar ,h. ,;t;.;;"i""
worn th'ouAh

PELAGEYA ;H.fi::l ::F ;J,iilJ:[ iL,l,.;.*,.

.onerin rhe,e.;;,;;;;;':r::;:"
M K H AL Z O S H C H E N/KFO
USSIA Y-tT i*1".
re,rc,
r1i.e (re]nonc.qi,hr ne;(
:[*.::::,.:li,gi:,.,a
,crope.
prcci*lirrlehana".,,,

A /-rr,n-
T6ns ared by Mara Gordon
clu de cologne.
Pelageyai hearcg26
"g,,a
x l6ao
prp.,',ii ;.; i.J:.;.irJ;:

i"::'"1"'mc,
ffJ'J,ij:l::::1,!:
hangrnglove lertcrswirh
.he
- ,housh,
vua'/r' \(,n hebe
2n ne be
well cduiarc l-- lies and mrlin! fun of
Rr^ou"^ wAs an illirer?te woman. She couldnt even wrire hcl puur. dumb. rllirrrJre
witer
'' rht cnrcropcrookour rrrererrer:nd
Pelageya'shusband, however, was a responsible Soviet offici:rl il::::":::': unforded
" "."
\hecourdnim,kco.,,
Although he had once been a simple peasant, 6ve ycars of living rrr For rhef'.. a_.a]:,ftulc-
#;:;..:::,::" r,..rr. a il
ri"ji,;;;j.:;T::J:..l,,r",,
the city had taught him rn awful lot. Nor only how to .wrire |r1
name but a hell of a lot besides.
And he was very much embarressedto har€ an illiterare wife.
"You, Pelageyushka,oughr at Ieast to lerm how to wrire yorl
3rui,";i,i::yin',,.;*,.,;;l.J;,'#J
Ij;j[,,:1,::
and'"'k,.",
namer" hS us€d to say to Pelageya. "My last name is an ersy orr ;"i::: ll"oun'lrv P.;",",
,"od; ,;,ft,",':.':,
rrrnNikoraerich
Two syllables-Kuch-kin. And still you cant write ir. It's awkwar,l ' l.jry;::.i::.f
,o r. *k,ng .o.. .",.

:trt1*:,n,;#,,
Pelageyaused to weve it aside."There's no use in me trying rl ;,:;;.".*.::lr:" :.r-elllre.seerncd
learn it now, Ir,an Nikolaevich," she would answer...I,m getting {rr
in years.My finger are getting srifl $rhy should I try to leam r,,
meke those letters now? let the young pioneerslearn it- I'tl mrl,r
Irjij:,i
'r shecourdn.r.
n8.
l*:,If;
i;rli;j
a"a - .r,"* ;, ?. ."_.r,u(
?
K Prg au' rerd .h,
el\e wouldbeembar-
it to my old age just as I am." Pclagev: hid rhe lerer ,n
rhe drcsk. ri^r rcwrns
Pelageya'shusband was a terribly busy man and couldn't wxrrl a *";,.ar., r"^^r,:ii.;;:J.;.T:::, rheja.rrer.
much drne on his wife- He weggedhis headasifto say,',Oh, Pelagcr'.r
Pelageyai"But he kept his moith shut. il:.:"3"1i.'lT,,:l-;,.
i;,",:J.:,.."J,:,111
ill.lll,",,,lj
476
PELAGIYA / Mikhail Zosb.henko

her husband and everl binted that she had nothing agajnst doing 2
little studying and that she was fed up with being a dark and il-lirerate
P€asanr.
Ivan Nikolaevich was overjoyed to h€a! it "That's just 6ne," he HAIRCUT
RN6 LAFDNEF/UN
T E DS T A T E S
said. "l'11 show you how myself"
"Al1 right, go ahead," said Pelageya.
And she stared fixedly at Ivan Nikolaevich's neat' clipPed little

For two soiid months Pelageyastudied her reading every day. She
patiently piecedtogerherthe words from the syllables,learnedto form
the leters, and memorized sentencesAnd evcry evening she took
the tref,suredletter out of the dresserand tried to deciPherits secret
meaning.
Bur it wes no easyjob.
It was the third month before Pelageyamasreredthe art.
One morning when Ivan Nikolaevich had gone of to work.
Pelageyatook the letaer out of rhe dresserand staned reading it.
It was hard for her to deciPher the small handwriring, bur th(
scarcelyPercePtiblescent of perfume from the PaPersPurredher on
The lerter was addressedto Ivan Nikolaevicb
Pelageya read:
Dear ComradeKuchkin:
I2m sendingyou the primer I Pomi!€d l think rhar )our wife
shouldbe ible to masrerthis sst eruditionin rvo or thiE. months
Pronisene, old boy, rhit rou'll m*e her do it Explainro her; makc
her feel how disgusringjt is to be ao illitente pesanr s'omrn
To celebrare
the anniversar,vof ibe Revolution,ve are liquidariog
illireracythroughoutthe n'hole RePublicby all posible means;but
for somereasonwe forger ebout tboseclosesrto us
Be sureto do rhis, lvan Nikolaevi.h
with Communistgreetings,
Maria Blokhinr
Pelageyaread this letter through tvice. Thcn, Pressingher lil
together souowfulJyand feeling somehov"'secretll insulted, she bur'l
Ar(f^--..-^--
c,oT rlNoTHrR BATBERthat comes over from Carrerville and helps
our Saturdays,but the rest of rhe rime I can get along all right
You can see for younelf rhar this ainl no New york City
besidesthat, the most of the boys works all day and donl have
leisure to drop in here and get chemselves prettied up_
You're a newcomer,aint you? I thought I hadn't seenyou round
I hope you like ir good enoughto stay.As I say,we ain,r
New York Ciry or Chicago, but we have pretry good times. Nor
good, though, sinceJim Kendail gor kilted. rJizhenhe was alive,
and Hod Meyers used to keep this town in an uproar. I bet
e,s more laugh.n donc he'e rhrn .rry ronn irs ,ize in
Jim was comical, and Hod was prerty near r match for him. Since
's gone,
Hod tries to hold hh end up jusr the sameas ever, bul
tough goin' when you ain'r got nobody to kind of work with.
They used to be plenty fun in here Saturdays.This place is jam_
SarLrrdays,from four o'clock on. Jim and Hod would show
righr afrer theif supper,found six o,clock. fim would set himself
in rhat big chair, neresr the blue spittoon. Vhoever had been
tin' in that chair, why chey'dget up when
Jim come in and give
to him.
You'd of rhoughc it was a reservedseat like they have somerimes
r tbeayter.Hod would generallyalwaysstandor wall up and down,
$ome Saturdays,of course,he'd be setrin, in this chair part of the
, gcrrin' e hxircut.

,ljt\ 479
HAIRCUT/ tungl-rrdner
$feli, Jim would set there a w'ile without openin' his mouth onh
He'd drop in here Saturdays and tell his experiences for that week.
to spit, and then finally he'd say to me,'Vhitey'-my righr namc
It was rich.
that is, my righr first name, is Dick, but everybodyround here call.
'$rhirey, your noselooks like a rosebrr,l
me \Thitey-Jim would say,
tonight. You must of been drinkin' some of your 2w de colognc'
So I'd say,'No, Jim, but you look like you'd been drinkin' somc
thin' of that kind or somethin' worse.'
Jim v/ould have to laugh at that, but then he'd speak up and srr ,
'No, I ain't had nothin' to drink, but that ain't sayin' I wouldnl
like somethin'. I wouldn't even mind if ir was wood alcohol.'
'Neither would your wife-'Tlrrt
Then Hod Meyers would say,
would set everybodyto laughin' becauseJim and his wife wasnl ,,rr
very good terms. She'd of divorced him only they wasnt no chrn,,
to get alimony and she didn\ have no way to take care of hercll
and the kids. She couldn\ never understandJim. He zar kind ,,1
rough, but a good fella at heart.
Him and Hod had all kinds of sport with MiIr Sbeppard.I dol r
supposeyou've seenMilt. Well, he'sgot an Adam's aPPlethar lo'|'.
more like e mushmelon. So I'd be shavin'Milt and when I'd sr'rrr
'Hey, \(rhirr,
to shavedown hete on his neck, Hod would holler,
wait a minutel Before you crt into it, leis make up a pool and " i'
who cen guessclosestto the number of se€ds.'
And Jim would say, 'If Milt hadn't of been so hoggish, bcil ,'l
ordeted a half a cantaloupeinsteed of a whole one and it migb r rr,,t
of stuck in his thtoat.'
All the boyswould roar at this and Milc himself*ould frrr,r I
smile,rhough the joke was on him. Jim certarnlywasa cardl
There's his shavin' mug, settin' on the shelf, right next to Chlrl,
Vail's.'Charles M. Vail.'That's the druggist. He comes in rc!r,l'r
for his shave, .hree times a week. And Jim\ is the cuP ncrr rr
Charley's.James H. Kendall'Jim wonl need no shavin' mu11'r,
Jim didnt work very sreadyafter he lost his position with rhe
morc, but I'11leave it there just the same for old time's sakc lrrtt
certainly was a characterl
Years rgo, Jim used to travel for a canned-goodsconcern o!,r rrl
Cartewille. Thq sold canned goods. Jim had rhe whole norrll,rtl
half of the Stare and was on rhe road fire davs out of everl \" l'
f80
I guesshe paid more atcenrion to playinrjokes rhan m?Lin'sales.
y th€ concem let him out and he come riqht home here and
everybodyhe'd beenfired insteadof sayin'he'd resignedlike most
would oi
It wai a Sarurdayand the shop was fu1l and Jim got up out of
chair and says,'Gentl€men, I got an important announcement
make-I been6rcd from my job.'
lCell, rhey askedhim if he was in earnestand he said he was and
y could think of nothin' io saytill Jim finally broke rhe ice
. He says,'I been sellin' canned goods and now I'm canned
myseli'
You see,rhe concernhe'd been workin' for vrasa factorv that made
goods, Over in Carterville. And now Jim said he was canned
. He was certainly 2 cardl
Jim had a great tritk rhar he usedro pl.ry q ile hc wa: rravelin.
insence, he'd be ridin' on 2 train and they'd come ro some little
like, well, like, we'll say,like Benton-Jim would look out the
in window and read rhe signs on th€ stores.
For instance,they'dbe a sign, 'Henry Smith, Dry coods.' \a/ell,
would write down the name and the name ofthe town and when
gor co wherever he was goin' he'd mail back a postel catd to Henry
irh at Benton and not sign no name to it, bur hed write on the
well, somethin' like 'Ask your wife about rhat book xgent rhar
t the afternoon last week,' or 'Ask )-our Missus who kept her
gettin'lonesome the lasr time you was in Carterville.,And he'd
the card, 'A Friend.'
Of course,he never knew whar reallycome ofnone of thesejokes,
t he could pictur€ what pnbabl| happened and thrt was enough.
ille people. u7hat he did earn, doin' odd jobs round town,
he spentprerry nearall of it on gin and his family might of
if the stores hadn't of caried chem along. Jim,s wife tried
hand ar dressmakin',bur thcy ain't nobody goin,toger rich maLin'
in this town.
, l i lI
HAIRCUT/Ringrddner
As I say, she'd of divorced Jim, only she seen that she couldn't
support herself and the kids and she was always hoPin' that some
day Jim would cut out his habits and give her morc than two or
thrce dollars a we€k.
They was a time when she would go to whoever he was workin'
for and ask them to give her his wages, but after she done this oncc
or twice, he bert her to it by bolrowin' most of his pay in advance
He told it all round town, how he had outfoxed his Missus Hc
certainly was a cautjonl
But he wasn't satisfied with just outwittin' her- He wes sore th(
way she had ected, tryin' to grab oF his pay. And he made up his
mind he'd get even.\(ell, he waited till Evans'sCircus was adverrisc'l
to com€ to town. Then he told his wife and two kiddies thar hc
was goin' to take th€m to the circus The day of the circus,he t()l'l
them he would get the dckets and meet th€m outside the entran((
to the terlt.
VelI, he didn't have no intentions ofbein' there or buyin'tick'r'
or nothir'. He got full of gin and hid round \cright's poolroorl
all day. His wife and the kids waited and waited and of coursc lrr
didn't show uP. His wife didn't bave a dime with her, or nowhct'
else, I guess.So she finally hed to tcll the kids it was all off:rr"l
they cried lile thE wasn\ never goin' ro stoP
\(ell, it seems,w'ile they was cryin', Doc Stait came alon6;rtr'l
he askedwhat was the matter, but Mrs. Kendall was stubborn rrr'l
wouldn't tell him, but the kids told him and h€ insisted on trrkirl
th€m and th€ir mother in the show. Jim found this out afterwx!'ll
and it was one rcasonwhy he had it in for Doc Stair-
Doc Stair come here about a year and a half ago He's a mi1lrrr
handsomeyoung fclla afld his clothes alwayslook like he has tl" rrr
mad€ to order. He goes to Detroit two or three dmes a yc:u 'rrrrl
w'ile het there he must have a silor take his measureand tben tr"l'
him a suit to order. They cost Pretty near tv/ice as much, bur rlr' I
frt a whole lot better than if you jusr bought them in a storc
For a w'ile everybodywas wonderin'wby a young docror lik( I )'(
Stair should come to a town like this where we alreadygot ol,l I t''
Gamble and Doc Foote rhat's both been here for ycaLsrrrr'l rll
482
p$cticc in tovrn was alweys divided between the two of them.
Then rhey was a srory got round that Doc Stair,s gal had throwed
over, x gal up in the Northern Peninsula somewheres, and rhe
he come here was to hide himself away and forget it. He said
mself that he thought they wasnl nothin, like general pracdce in
place Iike ours to fit a man to be a good all-round dodot. And
why he'd came.
An1*ays, it wasn'c long before he was makin, enough to live on,
rhey tell me that he never dunned nobody for what they owed
and the folks here certainly has goc the owin, habit, €ven in
business.lf I had all that was comin' to me for just shavesalone,
go to Carterville and pur up at the Metcer for a week and
x dilFerent picture every nighr. Fot instance, they,s old George
Jy-but I guess I shouldn't ought to be gossipir,.
I7ell, last year, our coroner died, died of che flu. Ken Beaffy, thar
his name. He was the coroner. So they had to chooseanorher
co be coronerin his placeand they picked Doc Stair.He laughed
first and said he didn'r want it, but they made him take ir It
t no job that anybody would 6ght for and what a man makes
ofit in a yearwould just about buy seedsfor their garden.Doc's
kind, though, that can't say no to nothin, if you keep at him
enough.
t I was goin' to tell you about a poor boy we got here in
-Paul Dickson. He fell out of a tree when he was about ten
old. Lit on his head and it done somerhin' ro him and he aint
been right- No harm in him, but just silly.
Jim Kendall used
call him cuckoo; thaCs a name Jim had for anybody that was off
t head,only he cdled people'shead their bean. That was another
his gags,caliin' headbeanand callin' crazypeoplecuckoo.Only
tr Paul ain't crazy,bur just silly.
You canimaginethatJim usedro haveall kindsof fun wirh paul.
send him to the $Zhite Front Garagefor a left handedmonkey
Of course rhey ain\ no such a ching as a left handed mon-
once we had a kind of a fair here and they was a beseball
bctwecn rhc fats :rnd rhe lcansand beforc the game starrcd
Jim
4lli
HAIRCUT/Rinsbrdn.r
called Paul over end sent him way down to Schrader's hardwere stor'
to get a key for rhe Pitcher's box.
They wasn't nothin' in the way of gags ihat Jim couldn't rhink
up, when he put his mind to it.
Poor Paul was always kind of susPiciousof people, maybe orr
account of how Jim had kept foolin' him. Paul wouldn't have mui lr
to do with anybody only his own morher and Doc SBir and a Sirl
here in town named Julie Gregg. That is, she ain't 2 girl no mo(
but pretty near thirty or ov'er.
\fhen Doc 6rst come to town, PauI seemed to feel like here s r'
a reel friend and he hung round Doc's ofrce most the v'ile; the onlf
time he wasn't there was when he'd go home to eat or sleePor wh.rl
he seen Julie Gregg doin' her shoppin'.
\(hen h€ looked out Doc's window and seenhe{, he'd run do$'l
stairsand joir her and rag along with her to the diff€rent stores l l!
poor boy was crazy about Julie and she always treated him miglrtr
nice and made hjm fe€I like be was welcome, though of coursc rt
w;sni norhin but pirl on her .ide
Doc done all he could to improve Paul's mind and he tokl r'u
once that he re2lly thought the boy was gettin'better, that rhey \"rr
times when he was as bright and sensible as anybody else.
But I was goin' to tell you about Julie Gregg. OId Man Grc11
was in the lumber business,but got to drinkin'and lost the nr,'!l
ofhis money and when he died, he didn't leevenothin'but the h(,'rt'
and just enough insurancefor the girl to skimP along on.
Her mother was a kind of a half invalid and didnl hardlv crrt
leavethe house.Julie wanted to sell the placeand move somewlt r, r
else after the old man died, but the mother said she was born In rr
and would die here.It was tough on Julie, as the young peoplentrr'l
thls rcwn-well, she'stoo good for them.
She'sbeen awayto schooland Chicagoand New York and di1lir, rrt
placesand they ain't no subject she can't trlk on, where vou rrll
the rest of the young folks here and you mention anything ro rl! rrl
outside of Gloria Swansonor Tommy Meighan and they think y,nir
delirious. Did you seeGloria in ly'dga of Vittre? you missedv'tru
4|'1
'Well,
Doc Steir hadn't been here more than a week whcn he com€
one d2y to get shaved and I recognized who he was as he had
pointed our to me, so I told him about my old lady. She,sbeen
'
lor a couple yearsand eirher Doc Gamble or Doc Fooce,neirher
sccmedto be helpin'her. So he saidhe vrould comeout and
her, but if she was able to get out herself, it would be better
bring her to his office where he could make a completetexamina-
So I took her to his ofiice and w'ile I was waitin, for her in the
ion room, in comeJulie Gregg. Irhen somebodycomesin Doc
i/s ofice, they's a bell that rings in his inside offce so as he can
they's somebody to see him.
So be lefr my old lady inside and come out to rhe lronr oflice
thaCsrhe first time him andJulie met and I guessit waswhat
call love at fusr sight. But it wasn't fifry-fifty. This young fella
the slickestlookin' fella she'deverseenin chistown and shewent
ild over him. To him she was just a young lady that wantcd to
the doctor
She'd came on abouc the same businessI had. Het mother had
doctorin' for yea$ with Doc Gamble and Doc Foote and with,
oo rcsults. So she'd heard they was a new doc in town and de-
to give him x try. He promised to call and seeher mother rhat
d^y.
I said a mirute ago that it was love ar first sight on her part. I'm
only judgin' by how she acredafterwardsbut how she looked
him that fust &y in his office. I ain't no inind readef,bur it was
all over her face that she was gone.
Now Jim Kendall, besidesbein, a jokesmithand a pretq, good
inker, well, Jim was quire a iady-kilter. I guesshe run precy wild
rin' the rime he was on the road for them Carterville people. and
;ides rhar. he'd had a couplc lirrle affarrsot the hcrri riqhr here
town. As I say,his wife could of divorced him, only she couldn,t.
Bui Jim was like rhe majority of men, and women, roo, I guess.
wanted what he couldn't get. He wantedJulie Gregg and worked
ls hcadofftryin' to landher.Only he'dof saidbeaninsteadof head.
Vell,Jimt hnbicsrnd his jokesdidnt appealtoJulie and ofcourse
4ll1
 / Riogrrdner
HAIRCUT
he was a married man, so he didn't have no more chaflcerhan, well.
than a rabbic.Thals an expressionofJim's himself Vhen somebodt
didn't have no chenceto get electedor somethin',Jim would alwalr
say they didn'r have no mor€ chancethan a rabbit.
He didn't make no bones about how he felt. fught in here, moi(
than once, in front of the whole crowd, he said he was stuck orr
Julie and anybody that could get her for him was welcome to hr\
houseand his wife and kids included. But she*'ouldn'r have norhir'
to do with him; wouldnl even speal to him on the street.He 6na11\
seen he wasn't gettin' nowheres with his usual line so he decidc,l
to try the rough stufl He went right uP to her house one evenirr'
and when she opened the door he forced his way in and grabbc,l
her. But she broke loose and befor€ he could stoP her, she run irl
rhe next room and locked the door and phoned to Joe Bames.Joc!,
the marshal.Jim could hear who she was phonin' to and he bcrr
ir before Joe got there.
Joe was an old friend ofJulie's Pa-Joe wedt to Jim the nexr il:rr
and told him what would happen if he ever done it again.
I don't know how the news of this lirtle afair leakedout- Chan,.'
is that Joe Barnes told his wife and she told somebodyelse'sNil,
end they told rheir husband.Anyways,it did leak out and Hod NIcr'.,'
had the nerve to kid Jim about it, {ight here in this shop.Jim dn|, 1
deny nothin' and kind of laughed it off and said for us all to wrir .
that lots of people had tried to make a monkey out of him, bur lu
always got even.
Mernw'ile everybodyin town was wise to Julie's bein' wild nt.',|
over the Doc. I don\ supposeshehad any idcar how her facechanl1.l
when him and her was together; of courseshe couldn't of, or sloil
of kept away from him. And she didn't know that we was all nori, rr
how many times she made excusesto go uP to his odice or prs' 't
on the oth€r side of the street and look up in his window to ",
if he was there. I felt sorry for her and so did most other 1>t('1,1,
Hod Meyers kept rubbin' it inro Jim about how the Doc hr(l , ,rl
him out. Jim didn't pay no attention to the kiddin'and you i,'r'l'l
seehe was plannin' one of his jokes.
One trickJim had was the knackofchangin'his voicc.Hc r,,r'l,l
4U(r
you think he was a girl talkin' and he could mimic any man's
To show you how good he was along this line, I'll tell you
joke he played on me once.
You know. in most towns of any size. when a man is dead and
a shave. whv the barber that shaveshim soaks him five dollars
rhc job; ther is, he don't soak him, bt whoever ordeted the
I just chargethree dollarsbecause
personallyI don't mind much
in'a dead person.Th€v lay 2 whole lot still€r than live customffs.
or y rhing is thet you don't feel like talkin' to them and you
kind of lonesome.
Vell, about the coldest day we ever had here, rwo years ago last
inter, the phone rung at the housew'ile I was home ro dinner and
answeredthc phone and it was a woman's voice and she said she
Mrs. John Scott and her husband was dead and would I come
and shavehim.
OId John had always been a good customer of mine. But they
sevenmiles out in the counary,on th€ Streeterroad. Still I didnt
how l could say no.
So I said I would be there, but would have to come in a jitney
ir mighr cosr rhrce or four dollus besidesrhe price of the
So she, or thc voice, it srid that wrs all right, so I got Frank
to drive me out to the place end when I got there, who should
rbe door but old John himselflHc wasnr no more deadthan.
than x rebbit.
,
It dido't rake no privare dctective to frgurc out who had played
this litde joke.Nobody could of rhoughtit up but Jim Kendall.
certainlywasa cardl
I tdl you this incident just to show you how he could disguise
voice and make you believe it was somebodyelse talkin'. I'd of
it v,rasMrs. Scott had called me. Anyways, some woman.
Vcll, Jim waiced till he had Doc Stair's voice down pat; then he
t after r€venge.He calledJulie up on a night when he knew
wrs over in Cartecville.Sheneverquestionedbut what it wes
voicc. Jim said he must sec her thar night; he couldn't wait
longer to tcll hcr somerhin'. She was all excited and told him
;omc ro rhc house. But be said hc was expectin' an imDortant
481
HAIRCLTT / Rirg brdner

'd know that Doc knew and

of courseknowin' that he knew would
long'distancecall and wouldnl shepleaseforger her mannersfor onc(
it worse for h€r than ever. He was goin' to do somethin,,
and come to his office. He said they couldn't nothin, huft her an(l
t it took a lot of 6gurin'.
nolody would seeher and he jusr mffl talk to her a little w,ile. Welt,
\fell, it was a couple days later when Jim was h€r€ ifl the shop
poor .Julie fell for it.
in, and so was the cuckoo. Jim was goin' duck,shootin' the next
Doc elwayskeepsa nightJight in his offce, so it looked to
Julir and had came in lookin' for Hod Meyen to go with him. I
like they was somebody there.
to know that Hod had wenr over to Caftervilleand wouldnl
Meanw'ile Jim Kendall had went ro \ftight,s poolroom, wherc
home till rhe end of the week. So Jim said he hated to go alone
they was a whole gang amusin' themselves.The most of them hr,l
he gLressedhe would call if off Then poor Paul spoke up and
dmnl plenty of gin, and they was a rough bunch even when sobrr
ifJim would take him he would go aloog.Jim thought a w,ile
They was always strong for Jim\ jokes and when he told rhem r,,
then he said,well, he guesseda half,witwasbetterthan nothin,.
come wirh him and seesome fun they give up rheir card gamesan,l
I supposehe was plottin' to get Paul our in the boat and play
pool games and followed along.
joke on him, like pushin' him in the water.Anyways,he said
Doc's olice is on the secondfloor. Right outside his door thq. ,
could go. He askedhim had he ever shot a duck and paul
a flight of stairs leedin' to the floor above.Jim and his gang hid irr
no, he'd neverevenhad a gun in his hands.SoJim saidhe could
the dark behind rhesestairs.
rVell, in the boat and watch him and if he behavedhimself. he mieht
Julie come up to Doc's door and rung the bell and thrr him his gun for a couple of shots. They maoe a date ro meer
was nothin'doin'. She rung it again and she rung it sevenor ci/jlrr
the mornin' and chaCsthe last I seen of Jim alive.
rimes. Then she ffi€d the door and found it locked. Then Jim mrr,L
Next momin', I h?dn'c b€en open more than t€n minutes when
some kind of a noise and she hezrd it and waited a minute, :rr,l
Stair come in. He looked kind of nervous- H€ asked me had
then she says,'Is that you, Ralph?'Ralph is Doc's firsa name.
s€en Paul Dickson. I said no, but I knew where he was, out
They was no answer and ir must of come ro her all of a sud(lor
ck-shootin'with Jim Kendall. So Doc saysthat's whar he had heard,
that she'd been buflked. Shepretty nearfell dowmtairs and rhe wh,,li
he couldnl undersrand
ic because
Paulhad told him he wouldn,r
gang efter her. They chasedher ali the way home, hollerin','Is rlr.rr
have no more ro do wirh Jim as long as he lived.
you, Ralph?'and'Oh, Ralphie, dear,is ihat you?'Jim sayshe coullrrl
He saidPaulhad told him aboutthe jokeJim hadphyedonJulie.
holler it himsell as he was laughin' too hard.
seid Paul h'ld ,sked hrm whrr he rhought oI rhc joke and rhc
Poor Juliel Sh€ didn'r shoq' up here on Main Street for a Lrrr1,.
had told him that znybody rhat would do a thing like thrt ought
long time afterward.
to be ler live.
And ofcourseJim and his gang rold everybodyin town, eve5,h,lr
I said ir had beena kind of a raw thing, but Jim jr:st couldn't
but Doc Stair. They was scaredto tell him, and he might of nc,r r
ist no kind of a joke, no macrcr how raw. I said I thought he
knowed only for Paul Dickson. The poor cuckoo, asJim called hrl
all righr ?r heaft,but just bubblin'overwirh mischiefDoc turned
he was here in the shop one night when Jim was still gloarin v r
over what he'd done to Julie. And Paul took in as mucb of ir .r
Ai noon he got , phone crll from old John Scott. The lake where
he could understandand he run to Doc wirh the story.
and Paul hrd went shoorin'is on John's place. Paul had came
lCs a cinch Doc went up in rhe air and swore he'd makc.lrrrr
nnin'up to the house a few minutes before and said rhey'd been
suffer. But it was a kind of a delicare rhing, becauseif ir gor lrrr
iccidcnt. Jim had shoc :t few ducks and then givc rhe gun .o Paul
fhrt he had beatJim up, Julie wrs bound ro hcar of ir x,rd rl! ,

4lJu 4ir9
THE BURNING CITY / Hjalbrr sbdcrbcr8
and told him to tly his luck. Paul hadn't rcver handled a gun and
he was nervous. He was shakin' so hard that he couldn't control the
gnn. He let 6re and Jim sunk back in the boat, dead.
Doc Stair, bein' the coroner,jumped in Frank Abbott's fliv'verand
rushed out to Scott\ fam. Paul and otdJohn was down on the shore
of the lake. Paul had rowcd the boat to shorq but they'd left the
body in it, waitin' for Doc to come.
Doc examined the body and said they might as weII fetch it back
to town. They was rto use leavin' it there or callin' a jury, as it wx
a plain caseof accidentalshootin'.
Personrlly I wouldn't n€ver leave a pcrson shoot e gun in the same
boat I was in ui ess I was sure they knew somethin' about guns.
Jim was a sucker to leave a new beginner have his gun, Iet alone
a half-wit. It probably served lim right, what hc got. But still we
miss him round her€. He certainly was a cardl
Comb it wet or dry?
THE BURNING CITY
NJALMAFSODEFBEFc
/SWEDEN
1.
I rnoucH Tm rwo wrNoows with rhcir brighr larrice-figurc,l
curtains the level sunlight of ihe winter morning falls in rwo slanrinll
oblong quadrilaterals on thc soft gr€en carpet, and in the warm sunrrl
spacesa little boy skips and dances.He knows but little of the worl,l
as yet. He knows he is little and is going to be big, but he drn
not know either that he has been born or that he will die. He knos,
he is four and will soon be five, but he doesnot know whar is merri
by "^ ye r"; he still measutestime only into yesterday,today, arr,l
tomorrow.
49o
"Papa," he suddenly exclaims to his father, who has just finished
breakfast and lighred his fust cigar of the day-he being a person
to measure time with cigrrs-"Papa, I dreamed so many things last
:right! I dreamed about rhe whole room! I dream€d abour rhe chairs
and the green carpet and the miror and che clock and the stove and
the shuttes and the cupboards."
rJfith that he skips forward to rhe stove, where the 6te fames
and crackles, and turns a somersault. He considers the stove and the
place in front of it as the mo$ importanr and dignified things in
the room.
His farher nods and laughs at him over the corner of his paper,
and the boy laughs back, laughs away uncontrollably. He is et the
agewhen hughter is still only an utteranceofioy, not of appreciation
for the ridiculous. \(hen he stood ar the window somedaysaso and
leughedar rhe moon. ir w;s nor because hc found rhe -;.r fu"^1.
but bccauseir gavc him jor wirh in round brighr fice
r0trhen he has had his laugh out, he ciambers up on a chair and
points to one of the picrures on the wall
" And I dreamed mosr of all about that Dicture." he savs_
The pi. rure is a phorograph of rn old Dut,h paintng, A Bttming
04.
"I0ZeIl, and whac was it you drqim€d?,, his father asks.
"I don't know."
"Come, think!"
"Oh yes, I drcamed it was burning and that I patted a doggie.,,
"Bur generallv vou are afraid of doggics.'
"Ycs, but on pictures I can pat rhem nicely."
Then he laughs and skips and dances.
Ar last he comesup to his father and says,,.papadear,take down
picture. I want Papa ro show me the picture again the way he
yes(erday."
The picture is a new arrival in the foom; it came che day before.
ith thc other picruresaround rhe walls rhe little boy hasacquainted
f long ago: Uncle Srrindbcrgand Uncle Schopaur(i.e.,
opcnhauer)
end UncleNapoleonandugly old Goetheand Grand-
cr when she was young. Bua the Burning City is new, and
4<.)l
THE BUiNING CITY / Hjdmr sbderbery

is furthermore in itself a much mote amusirg Picturc than the orhers "Have the aowe$ burned down or tumbled down?', asksthe boy.
The father humors the litde boy, takes the Picure down from the "They have both burned and tumbled down.,'
"Are the steamboatsdead too?,'
wall, and they enjoy it together. Over a broad estuery that winds
"The boats roo have been gone long ago,', replied rhe father. .,But
toward the seaand is filled with sloops and rowboats runs an arched
arc not stef,mboats,they ere sdling vessels.There were no
bddge with a fotified tower. On the left shore lies the burning city:
cs in those days."
tows of naffow houses with pointed gables, high toofs, churches' and
The lirtle boy stick out his lower lip with a dissatisfedexpression.
towers; e throng of PeoPle running hither and thither, a sea of firc
"But I rr? that they're steamboa$,,'he says.,.papa, whaCs that
and fames, clouds of smoke, Iaddets mised agxinst *'alls, horses
running away with shaking loads, docks crowded with barrels and
He has a mind of his own, the boy does.The fatheris rir€d of
sacksand all manner of rubbish; on the dver e mass of PeoPlein
labor of insrructionand holds his peace.The boy points with
e rowboat that is almost ready to caPsize, while adoss the bddgc
people are running fot dear life, and away offin the forcground stznd
6nger to rhe old Dutch merchanrmenand practlesto himself:
steamer's neme is Bragi, tnd that one's is Hillersea, and tha,t
two dogs snifing at each other. But far in the background,whcrt
the Printe$ Ing€borg.Papa," he cries all of a sudden, ,.is the moon
the estuery widens towatd the sea,a much-too-smallmoon sits on
the horizon in a mist of pale clouds, peeping wanly and sadly ar all
this misery. "No, the moon still exists. lr is the one thins of all there thar
exists. It is rhe same moon you laughed at the other day in
"Papa," inquir€s the little boy, "why is the city burning?"
nursery window. "
"somebody was carelessytith frre," says the father.
Again rhe litrle boy sitsstill and ponders.Then comesyecanorher
"Vho was it that was cateless?"
"Ah, one can't be sure of that so long afterwxrd."
"How long afterward?" "Papa,is it lery long ^go this ciry was burned?Is it as long ago
when we went away on the pfuice$ Ingebarg?,
"It is many hundredyearssincethat city wasburned," saysthe father
This is a bit puzzling to the little boy, as th€ fathet clearly realizcs "It is much. much longer rgo. ,rn5$ersrhc fathcr..,Vhen rhrt
but he had to answersomething. The boy sits quiet a moment an(l bumed, neither you nor I nor Mamma nor Grandma was h€re.,,
ponders. New thoughts and impressions about things stir in his brain The boy's facetrcomes very seriousall at once.He looks positivelv
and mingle with the old. He Poinrs with his little finger on thc
He sits quiet a long while pondering.But it seemsas if
would oor work our for him_
glassover the burning city and says:
"Tdl me, Papa," he finally asls, '.where was I i.hen that ciry was
"Yes, bua it was burning yesrerday, arld now today it's burnilril
tned? \ras it when I was at Grenna with Mamma?,,

The father ventures on an exPlanation of the diference betwctrr
pictures znd reality.
"That is not a real city," he says,"that i5 only a picture The rcrl
city was burned up long, Iong ago. lt is gone. The PeoPlethat tu'l
about rherewaving their arms ar€ deadand don\ exisr anymore.Tlx'
houseshavebeenburned up, the towershavefallen.The bridge isgorrc
"No, old fellow," replies rhe facher,.,when that city burned you
't yet exisr."
Thc boy sticks ouc his underlip again with an atirude as much
to say: No, I can't agreeto such a thing as rhat. H€ then repeats
cmPhasrsi
"Ycs, but where was I thcn2"
His farher answcrs,"You didn't cxist ar ?ll.',

492
lIR!\ooRKs FOR lrSPEaH / Rune! Goddefl

Lttlc
The boy looks at his father with rouad eyes Suddcnly all the "Nrl a Pertyr"
begins 'Just the family and r few
face brightens, the boy tears himself away from his father' and intimate friends.,'
on the green carPet' cryrng
to skip and dance again in the sunny spots "But they are the worst."
at the roP of his lungs: "EIspeth!"
I was somewhere!
"Oho, yesI did, jusi th€ same l was somewhere' It's the questions and the looks, Elspeth would have liked to say.
an idci
He thought his father was only ioking ntith him Such Aunr Euphros')'ne zfld Morne ardJean. trd) Bennerman.all or rhem.
nonsens(
was clearly t-oo ridiculousl The maids used sometimes to talk They know me so well they take it for granted they can ask things
the same'
to him in jest, and he thougbt his father had done but . - . they havcsuchpicking eyes,thought Elspethin dcspair.This
So he skips and dencesin the sunlight' is wholg in me, but they terrerit to pieces..,Morher,,'shehedbegun
but Mother was saying, 'Just Aunt Euphrosyneand Uncle
&thur and Morna and Jean. Major Fitzgerald,of coutse . . .',
"And the Baldocks and Iady Bannerman and Lany and Coiin
p," said Elspeth bitterly.
FIRE\TORKS FOR ELSPETH "They are exactly whom I thoughr of asking,', said Mothcr; then
FUMFRGODOEN/GREATBF]TAN rhc had looked at Elsp€th and her face had hardened. ,.\Zell, Elspeth,

fir-"-r.. ?oJ 4.-^^ Elspeth couJd never say things ro Mother; she could have talked
Aun. Bevisbut rhat would havemadeMothet worse.,.Bevisis
your mother," Moaher often said.
"It-it will all be so complicated,"Ilsperh had saidabout the lunch
\7rar Lls"ort \x'oKr on rhe b'r morning.she was vrsiredbr"' . "I-I wanted it simpl€, quiet and-kind of-usual, Mother.,'
feelineofexrraordinat)simPliciry. Everylhingshehadro do wa: d"tu had picked up Rodedcl and held him tightly to give herself
wind'\ 1
rhere"or" nothing now bur ro go Shefett as if rhr doorsand while Mother rapped wirh a pencil on the blofte(. ..I
make a Prrlr
of the house were alreadywide open; the sun seemedto -if I could just leave,as if it were everyday. . .,,
skl I
ftom her own window over the lawn to the s/ood and the "yo'r caflnot pretend that rhis kind of thing is everyday.',
bla& coclirt
have only to go, thought Elspethblissfully Roderick' her That had stopped Elspeth, and she could not bcar to have the same
sDaniel.lav et the foot of her bed; there was, it was Eue, a gal
rrl again; insteadshe had said desperately,.,Think of the washing
that r"rr
h'er mind'where she must say good-by ro Rodericl-but Father and I shall have to leave at half past two. I shan,t be here
legirimetegricl. norhing disturbing Norhing disturbrng'shethor'111"
-on help Marlowe."
,,id ,*.,.i.d hersclf the bed Then Elsperh Iememtrrcd rl' "!7e shall have to get used to thar.', Motheds voice had been cold
Iunch patty. she picked up her pen. "It will be easiest for everybody. If you
Motltt
How she had plerded with Motherl "A lunch P2rry! Oh' a ar all, you would know what theselasr few hours q,ill be
nol Pleeseno." for your fatheraod me, though I musr sayF*her doesn'tseem
"\rhy not?" fccl it if yot: thought, you couldn,rdo this.',
said, with temeriry'
"It wouldn't be-suitablc," Elspeth had "Oh, Matbet!" Elspeth had pleadedonce rgain but Mother held
"EIsPeth, do I or do I rol know whar is suitable?" hcr hand for silencc,that thin whir€ peremptory hand that looked

494 4.)1
FIRE\{,ORKS IOR ILSPETH / Rumei coddet
fragiie and was strong as iron. Elspeth knew how strong it was and
her nerves tingled. It was almost rime ro go but she could srili b(.
sropped. The hand was heary with rhe rings Mother al*zys worc
diamonds, rubies, sapphires. Elsperh wondered idly what she herscll
would have done witb rhe rings when they came to her. Now rh(1
won't, she thought, with relief No rings, no Lady Bannerman s
emeralds, none of the family silver and pictures and china. Daphnc
will have them all. I have escaped, rhought Elspeth, and her fac(
glowed; she was illed with the inner contentment that was hers no\'
by right-or almost hers-as if it had been given to her, and sl!.
thought, It is my gift from God, my jewels and money, my famiil
Mother had retumed to the subjed of the luncheon parry. "I won!
have people saying we're bundling you oft. They migtrt think fio.
was a family rift, or an uDhappy love afhir."
"Couldn't they think it was choice?" asked Elspeth- At rlrrr.
Mother's neck had stifened as it did when shewas mortally disptersc,l.
shebegento write the invitations, but her hand trembled and Elspr.rlr,
watching, was smitten. Once again she had hurt Mother-for-l,r
nothing, thougbt Elspeth. \(/hen I'm so happy, why canl I L
generous?ntrhy must I alwaysdo it? she thought in despair;do rvlr.rr
SisrerMonica so often said she must nor? Trying to impose her rN|
will, instead of accepting?"In these last few days try to do, tu) In,
everything your parentswant," SisterMonice bad said- "Show rh rrr
you love them . . ." and I can't be five minutes vith Mother bct(r,
we begin. No wonder they doubt me . . . this rebellious and lrr
pleesentgirl to make a nunl
She had looked helplesslyacrossthe room at Aunc Bevis,who lr.r,l
been sewing in the window, and Aunt Bevis bad looked back lr lr r
xnd smiled. Never had anyone as cleareyesas Aunt Bevis; they w.r,
set e little tiited as if, for all her quietness,Aunt Bevis had an cro.r
private and particular view of the world. Is that what mekcs lxr
so-large? thought Ilspeth now, so wirhout walls? She cen lcc (,\, I
the wall-but rhen Mother had caught the look and askedsh:rr1,lr
"Bevis, where'sthe list? You took it when you went to the relcfh(rr
Now it's /arL"
"ICs under the blorter, right-hand sjde," said Aunr Bevis.
196
"Thursday, April 2, at a quarter to one,,, Mother had written On
l^y, 2, rod"y, thought Elspeth in bed, she, Elsp€rh
_Apti
ine Mary Erskine,v/asro enterthe Orderofthe Sistersof Mary
their Convent ofst. Faith at Chiswick, where shehad already
speni
o retre s. She was very happy about it.
"What will you be called?,,her cousin Morna had asked.
"Revermd Mother has agreedrhat I shall be CatherineMary,,,said
peth. "They ar€ sxints, oamesas well as my own.,,
"Sister Cath€rine Mary.,' Moina rri€d it, and relapsed into helpless
"Shut up, Morna!" saidher sister,Jean,but Morna couldnot shut
Soon Jeen and th€n Asperh herself were giggling too, as they
alweys giggled when th€)- were rogether, even though Morna
now twenry and Elspethand
Jcan ninereen.
"But a nun i 't flnny,,'Elspeth had protested.
"Of c-coursenot," said Jern, ,.it's jusr_you_as x 6,111n1,,
The grggling had been ali right; it was the quesrions,the_feeling
insr hcr-rhrr Elsperh couldnor tr(e. I wish I beloneedro on!
thosefamilic\.in trelandor Amcrica.she though,oicn. ohcre
part of family life for a daughteror e sisrerto-enteran
Order.
ours you would thinl no one in the world had ever joined
rn
ler before. "They make it seem so exrraordinary,,rshe had
said
ly to Sistcr Monica, rhe Mis.ressof the Noviies.
"\J(rait," said Sister Monica. .,Vait and they will see.,,
For a long time now people had been exhofiing Etsperh to w?ir.
(teen ts roo young. Don't be ridiculous.', And, ,.Eighreen
is roo
ng. rJ7ait." She had, of course, neededher parents, consenr,
and
one rime it seemedrhat Mother, and Father led on by Mother,
rcr consenc.Then at long lasr rhere vras hope. ,,If, at rhe
-would
of a ye]r you srill want it . . ..'
"l shall sdll want it,', saidnkpeth.
"You alwayswere obscinate,',said Mother_ ,,Even as a little thing
r would rather be sent to bed rhan give in.',
Thetroubleis,thoughtElspeth,rhacIlave alwaysgivenin_excepr
:r this.But, whenrheyearwasup, theyhadgiven theirconsent_if
hcr's could bc cxllcd a consenr. Even then, Mother never lefc
FIREWORKS rOR !LS?!TH / Runer Goddcn
Elspeth alone. "Robert killed, Daphne gone, one might thinl yorr
would realize that you are all we have left."
b(
"But Mother, you didn't mind when DaPhne went away lo
maried. Hong Kong is the other side of rh€ wo d!"
s o\rt." Elspethhad iookedat Aunt Bevisin surprise. Aunt Bevis,s
"Th^t wes q ite diferent," said Mother' "Maffiage is a woman
destiny. I hope I should nevel be so selfisbas to stand between nrr
chla xnd tbet."
"BucMother...!"
It was no use. Mother would not listen.
The news had burst suddenlyon the family and the family frien'l'
Usually Mother took Aunt Buphrosyneand most ofthe neighborho'uI
into her strict confidence.Now, unril the uldmate decisionwas takcrr'
Mother had not breatheda word l suPPoseshe was afraid it woull
spoil my chances,thoDght EIsPeth Young men would shy otr nr'
if they knew. I mightn't get all my dances!Now young men, dan((\'
chances,did Aot matter- Th€ news was out and everyoneseerurl
bewildered.
"But how did ir haPpen?"askedMr. Baldock.
"It began in Pariswben she went on the wreachedlrench famill
exchangeholiday," said Mother. "Tbe daughter. - ."
Yes, there, with dear Jeanne Marie, thotght ElsPerh
"lWhat a place to get th€ idee of being a nun," said Mr' Baldrr t
A mild little man sho gre\{ vjolets, he was Elspeth'sgodfather" Il'
looked at ber as if he had been given a little seedlingto cherish :rr"l
it had grown into a ramPent vine "It seemsso unnrrural "
The family were more de6nite.
"She\ out of her mindl" said Uncle Arthur'
"I can't believe it," said Aunt EuPhrosyne."Not E@ztl/ \)/lrr',
she was always the naughty, disobedientone."
"Euphrosyne is glad, of course," said Mother afterward-"Shc \! r'
alwaysjealousbecauseyou were by far rhe Prettiest l €xPeccshethltrl'r
that now Lsrry will marry Jean."
"Mother, don\, don't say things like thatl"
There had been sometbing a little sadisticabout thc cousins
"They give the novices ail the worst things," said Morna. "\'"ri
scrub iioors and clean lavatoriesand shovel coal "
498
'"Ihey bully you
and humiliate you to 6nd out what you,re madc
I havereadrbour ir.'seidJem.md sheadded,.,lfyou like one
ng more than inocher, it,s taken a$ray.,,
"Life does that to you as weLl,,, said Aunt Bevis. .,As you will
<shad beenquite pink.
The whole neighborhood was roused.
'A well,plu&ed
girl like that!,, said Maior Fitzqerald. .,you
ruld haveseenrhe way 5herodf thar mareoI mine ii rhe Dunb,u
t Cupi not anyone's ride. I (ao cell you..'
Colin Crump had blinled ai Elspeth from behind his
slassesand
seemedro boil up in him as if he wented ro speak;no
counted Colin, but there was trouble with Larry.
"I thoughr you were going to rnarry larry,,' saidLady Bannerman
her gruf voice, and she said, as Elspethknew she would, ,,I
mr to give you my emeralds.',
Elspeth was touched and wenr to kiss her but Lady Bannerman
d her off. "You hurr Larr). she srid: rhe harshnc..in her
voice
Elspeth."You led him on, you litle_vixent,'
"I didn't," Ehpethrerortedbeforeshe couid stop herself ,,Don,l
wcr. Be quiet. Submir,,'SisterMonica had said,but llspeth was
I-ed Iru'' onl She might have seid, He was there before
I led
but that would have been to hurt him nrorc.
"You're not listeningto me,', Iady Bannemanhad said.,,Hard
nails.You young rhingsdon,r carchow you hurr.,,
They all vid that, thoughr Elspeth,but she had to put on this
t of hardness with them, or give way completely.
"Frrher n rwclve years older rhan t,.. said Morher. "Vhen
he
I shall be left alone.If I ger ill . . .,,
shouldyouget ill? you'reawfullystrong.,,
l-Yo.h*: Ihy
"Youre like marble,"saidMother,,.likemarble.',
I'm not. I'm not. If only I were! And Elspeth had thought of
nne Marie who vyasalready professed, and ofJeanne Marie,s-father
mothcr and brothcr who wcrc so glad. Ekperh had borrored
old Rover from Frthcr and driven over ro Chiswrck ro
find
tcr Monicr. Sisrer.ought I ro grve ir all up:..
491)
FIRE\fORKS lOR EISPITH / Rund coddcn

"You must ask yourself thar," said Sister Monica. AII rhe sisters
were the same;when you askedthem, implored them, knelt to rhem, '1";'j:"::l_to_ thatrsmsation
or empriness
Tf i|.f andspace,
they put you gendy back on yout own feet. But perhaps Sister Monic;r oPen
andrr'e;;; ;#;;;:"3;tT';
:.i::::::l-' le+
1'"':
rhe 6;rds,o,nd.d
had spoken ro Mother Dorothea becausethe Reverend Mother ha<l 's ;1e.r it. il;;;:",':r,."iJ,_li;
"" ''-" --
cherubic singing: she opened
sent for Elspeth. her ;;;.'* and looked along
"If you have rhe least doubt, Elspeth . . ."
iil'.jjj j,ll_.:*
-1;" sheusedl: s. r:"^;;;;4.;;;";:,ffi:f
s D;rh rhrr <cp^^) .^ -- r , .
tJj:::
"ICs not my doubrs, ReverendMother, it's rheirs-They make mc
:f ::oi io ,'"; ".;; ;il:? :[ tu rlq voods
wondei if I'm selfish.Morher, what should I do?"
rhc a-..,_. T,
';J'.#lll.lJilil,
she,rhoushr. h^e bcenI vision.
"You should read the Commandments," szid Mother Dororhc,r
;;_;" :;:..::: ll"",mrshc.
;:;il:::j:':*aa-ry."r..i;g
,"1."s, :i:-:t"e's . ;h; i,'""
"The-the Commandments?"
l*,#,
sat up in bed_
?o,";;.r'i,rrr.,ll';"lilLll
"Yes. They are in the right order."
Aunt Beviscamein wirb two cups
Now Elspeth understood. Her frmness shone but she cried, "lt ofrea.It
only I could explei to them, make them see.I-I'm so dumb!"
Revefend Mother was silent before she said, "Perhaps you are gilcrr ;:;hT*tlEl:pcth"had ff:I:ji'*'1fl:w;
;il::;il1r";:'i:i
no words becausethere is no need for words. The acriofl spe.tks. ll-,TJi' ,*T* gi,enalrherthrng.awal:herbooks
,1i",i1"^1""":j:::.:rhedo she.had
Elspeth," and she asked,"Isn'r that the way of the Cross?" hadsince,heq,,, fi".;;
.-,^.1*, :_*:,* rreasures
hrd il.; ;.;Ji.ln,#
"But mine\ such a lirde rhing," said Elspeth, slighdy shockcrl il:
to-g. rhe.ousins.or.. iwo,,td
"A little thing but ir mak€syou suffer.I think you have to conscrrr .jlT: M"*, tik"n,.);;;
;i Jean, my rennis racket.s
to sufef, Elspeth.On the Cross,our Lord did simply what God askc,l , for you...
of Him. He . . . used no fireworks," brought our Mother Dorodx.l *": ,::l h., ,hi,s..h.;;,;;i""ss mounrcd_unril
1:-'n: orher
after a hesitarion. you,,na rffhcrmindif r giremy
lf;:.ffil"::,i:-*_o,rd
mean_,he!u.."
";,n ,. i.-r.,gi"t .,;l
Fireworks. That was a funny word for Rever€nd Mother to us.,
;;:.y",t":,.,..,
rnE re lovety..
Elsp€th had thought. It seemedalmosr irreverent."But . . . the \ltr
darkened,"pleadedElspeth. "The veil was-rert-" jjl.: ln*rn, chemtorer)once...s2id Morhc,.
R€verendMother was adamant."Tbat was given Him," she sxi,l thembur.I. woni ncedrhem...
,'*.:":," lT anyrbr'ng.
wont need "t-]::: I shalt be f,ee. l
"Sometimes thiDgs are given; ir's not for us ro expect or ask. N,,
He did not use His power." Her voice grew deep with feeling. "Th I ;o;; ;" l;;,;Y"ffi::j,:ffi.::j
lli:l"tj;,1!.:;:
rakenin rnd.reaned.. . . "N",uirnsssnorren€d
taunted Him and crowned Him v/irh thorns. They told Him rc corr ;;l ;;;'"'"'t
down offthe Crossand prove Himself God and how did He answr.r'
He let them win; hung there and died-" Reverend Morher's fh,,
l;:.,::.*Jln-1,,:,.:";:;:'";'.".0".'"
After lunr Bcvishrd gone. Ekperh
becamemarvelously kind and she put her hand orr Elsperh'shc.r,l dre.(cd.lr was rhc las. fimc
r sray
*kirc
g,,1rrou..p,r.f;ni
"He didn\ ask for vindicarion but sufferedand died-and lived. l l,.rr
proved Him God." a"i'
;,Hli.H::.,:::1 :.l",les:
;;il
lf;";'Ti,f:i",5tl#*"""""'"'i'..ff:'i:T
Elspeth had thought about it every day since.
"Vhrt willyou wear?-Mornahrdrskcd.currous
The secondof April remained6xed. Mother's invirations went or'r aboutererydcrail.
and were accepted,and the time went guickly rill it came ro tbc [i n,i', "rikc a i,r(hcr
..^. a rrur
u i r tbrrck
dres:
:,:":::.:,:'::-lli'^..b,":l
'u't, siro rlspeh. 'aod black .tockings
4!rrsr

?na shocs..

500
 -
IIRIWORKS FOR IISPITH / Rune coddct

" WooI stockings,flat shoes?"askedMorna. Motber'seyesbadflickercd.Seriously.

"Yes," said Elspeth,and Morna madea face."Go on," saidMornl ;;;ffi;i,l;::T:'lTl'ff:,LT"*
lli,i:::._T:_:::
br.rcn

"TeIl some more."

"For six monrhsI'm on probadon.Then I am a novicefor rw,,
;;;;;#",ffi,fi?#ii
'H'ffii,'i;#;l*?,1'"'r/''i
yeefs.Then I changethe white veil for a black and am a junior fi'r
thfee more. I'm given a black cord with a cruci0\." sausages
for brea-kfast.The rooft srnelled
-wt-nr of coffee,hor
"rVhat will you wenr at nightl" askedJean.
Il, f;r'i."j;"ll:i*11 *9 -sppr:'
"wtat*n tr,ey
g;
"A nigh.gown, I suppose.I didn't ask," saidElspeth,suddenlyshy
Aunt Bevishad roundedon Jean."\7hat do you think she will
wear?A black shtoud?"
::"F''i.iqf
li:xr,
H,:::
];:,"
;j*;*.ul
#;;li;
tatkedabout the food.
'
Aunt Bevishad promisedto takenhperh'sfew remainingthingr L.,,ol: :f,.,
saidMorna. -andnsh.
and send them awry with her Relief Committee box. *;:,1',:1.-.:1r:..
r1a *",o on r,iary..::,rid "' ugh:.,
"You had betterwait six months,Bevis,"Mother had said."Str. ,::,'*O i.""". """'
.11"1.yoult fisr.rnd whatabout
hassix inonths in which ro changeher mind." ,.;l^1...1,
'Lsten." .;r,r*,."'*., rrnr?..
"' *"t'
said Aun( Bevis.
"Mother, I shan'tchangemy mind." ft
d _;;, ;;:,.1:.,
;:i. *,"o'".,
"iil,i;;"
li.ff .:,::l
"No, you won't," saidMother bitingly.
"Mother, if only you could be glad!"
"Gladl" And for the frrst time she had said ro Elspeth,"r)0lr.rr
"'m.
#s{{i:ftii' ;Lr:'*:,,ft
h:',',
i it that drawsyou, Elsperh?Ifhar is it you see?"
Elspeth took heart and cast abour for words. -ICs as if insteadll i:Lr#ii":'J,::,1.;1';"1,1;H
1 ,J..;1 [:
being blown aboutwith life, with all the daysand years,you wcrr,
rootedwhole in a whole place." f,I :l"j"iTlf.":*:":'.'***:lj
"But you hxvea place,a good home," saidMother.
"Yes, but . - ." Elspethmight havesaid,It's like findingyoun(ll
on a map,knowinSwhereyou ate,and then you know the direcri,'rr
m::i"m.4,,"-",t- ""':*
y:::-,.'4.r,,,rhat,s some ;:**t*:ii"n l{,lj:i;
."*fi;; :tT.,TillTlT:;
ll::!'.1ffi,j:i:ll?,.-Y*:',*.:: rhen Mo,her
purupher
But she could only twist her handshelplessly.
"It was rhat horrid little JeanneMade," saidMother.
"It wasn't," said Elspethhody. Then she tried painfirtlyfor rtx, f::F "T{,i :F:riil"f;iil:i*i1# n:.rT:
exacttruth. 'JeanneMarie wasonly a little part. rJrhn Mother,rrr0
;s[t#'#"i1".:{,:: i*"r*:li,:; ;ir#;, "
taughrme," saidElspethwith suddenlight. "Think ofhymns. Dorl
you rememberhow you used to play and we sang?"
"Oh, yes," saidMother, softening."On Sundayeveniogs."
jil" [:1;m x, "'lm:::
;ft#rji-l:,.yi"s,._",,"*-i"^.ii ti:lijl,,:",
"There was that one-'Irving Shepherdof Thy Sheep."' l^l:.ll:":
Tearshad 6lled Mothert eyes.,,It was Roberis favoritebynrr ' d,11:,ji"f,::ill'"kq
tbough Morher wourd :rraish r wirh
whar ";;'ff;,;"",l1l
Morr,*oo,o,r,."
hav"en""a ," [r.* ii",."ulornc?
r,,j
had
"But think of what it meant,"saidElspethimpadently,..wb:rlr farhcrand motheris a commandmen(...
said.Didn't yor meanDs to rakeit seriously?,' a harsh
_1.T::r,l::l ,,Bur
raugh. ofcourse Morher
,,,";r""r'_", ajl]ij,#illll

102
,t)!
TIRIVORKS IrOR !15?!Tn / RuDcr Codd€n
Things are made clear at last, thought EIsPerh,horridly clear,bur
she could not bear it. She said, as she often had said s'hen she hrJ
had to go back to school, "Mother, don't. Not on my last day."
After a moment Mother said, in a normal everydayvoice, "$0hrr
are you going to do this morning?" and Elspeth answered,as sht
had answereda thousand times, "Oh, dI the usual things."
But thar was not quite true; after she had helPedwith the work.
sheplanned to go a1laround the houseand gardenand into the copsc.
vrith Father perhaps, and take Roderick for a last scamper in dr'
woods. I want to seethe bouse for the last time, thought Elsperll,
the old white walls, the flaggedpatb, the lavenderbushes,the slatc,l
roof brooding rmong the ffees. I shall see it again, of course, brLl
I shall be separ:ed, not quite as I am now. She had meant to g,,
all over it, inside as v/ell as out; seeit all: tbe gleam of silver rl,l
brass,the polished mahogany; the crystal vasesof cut dagodils. rlx
worn red brocadeon the searsof the chairs, the Peter Rabbit f.(/,
in the nursery-But there was the lunch Party, of course.
Elspeth dusted the drawing room and P\rt out exrra ashtravsirrr,i
then helpedAunt Beviswith the flowers.Mother waseven more {ir* r
than usual about th€ flowers. "I had rhought of Primroses-\X/li.ir
would 1az like on th€ tabie, Dlsperh?lt's your Pzrty."
"Primroses would be lovely."
But when they were done, Mocher rememberedthe pudding s r'.
white and the whole eFect would be pale. "lt will look hideous rrr
rhis dark room; you must get bright primulas." ElspethPickedorlr,rr1,
and rust primulas,dark crimson,vivid blue and magenra,and arnrr;,,1
them in a great bowl.
As she finished, the telePhonerang and she went rc answct rl
"Hallo," said llspeth, and the voice xc the other end said,unce(rri'rll
"Is that-you, ElspethTCould I speakto your mother?" Sincc tl,, r
heard rhar Dlsperhwas going to be a nun, their friends seemt.l r',
doubt that she could answet rbe rclephonf; but nuns telePh,!!
chought Elspethin irritation; they usetyPevritersand vacuumclcrrrr', .
and go in airplanes,and drive cars; they are not medicval idior'
Everybody'sne{ves were getting overraxed.Mother wcnl t,, 1,,
down, even Aunr Beviswas.ross. I didn't mean ir ro bc ]ik( rl'l
t04
Elsperh unhzppily; she looked acrossrhe lawn, where the
were bending and bobbing along the hedge by the wicker
:e that led into the copse;but time was gerting short and she hrd
help M2iowe make the pudding_ It was one of Mother's favorites.
in grass;rhe mushroomswere meringue shells,lined with
ocolxre and turned upside down on fondant stems; they stood on
base of chocolate mousse decorared with fronds of angelica grass.
'hile
Elspeth was wearily decorating it in the panffy, her father came
d stood by her. "Damned flummery,,, said Father suddenly.
"Dad, I wanc ro come wirh you and seewhat they are doing in
copse,"saidElspethmiserably.
Hc jingl€d his Leysand the silver in his pockets.,The heary
rber'sgone," he said,"exceptthe big beech.It took rwo daysto
thar dos'n. I should like you ro have seen it. Fine rreel', Then
rdded. Bcrre,do r" your morher wanrs.'
Frther never made an outcry_ ,.your mothert a very emotional
mxn," h€ had ofcen said to his children..,she feets.',Her feelines
'c so srrongthar no onc
paid mu.h.rrrcntionro hi,. Vhen Robcrr
killed, Mother collapsed,but Father only seemedmore silent, to
/ a little smaller, a little balder; he began co have indigesrion,
he was as quier and gentle 2s before. Daphne was his favorite,
t when she maffied Cyril, and thac hzd meanr Hong Koflg, he
I only been anxious about her setrlement.He had had ro sell iome
thc land and take olf some of the timber, as he was doing now
thc copse;but he never spoke of bills or worries, €rcepr perheps
t the bullFnches rhxt had invxded the fruit; he only took more
min6 NowadaF he alwayssmelled of soda minrs.
\Then.ElsFerhhad madeher decision,he had said,,.you really
nt to do chis,Kir|en?"
"Ycs, Ded."
llc hrd lookeda. her s$iously..,you know whar ir means?The
vrtions,Elspech,and rhe depdvations.,,
"Ycs. ReverendMother hasexplainedthem clearly',_Elspethmight
rc srid, terribly clearly-'1o me_,,
"l sh:rll havc to sell our somc shares,"said lether. Elspeth was
htcn rnd bc sxid, "Don'r l<xrk wor.ricd. If you had mariied, you
)0)
FIRE!(ORKS rOR EllPlTH / Rund Godden

wirh an expressionthat madeher turn backquickly to Rodedck.

nrould have had to have a seftlemcnt," and he put his hand on hct
shouldcr and said what none of them had said, "This calls for somc
thing handsome."
Elspth, flushed and incoherent with gratitude and tears, had ooly
been able to stemmer, "If-if I werc marrylflg a Pnnce or x
duke...Oh,Dad!"
Now he stayedby her, looking at the pudding' "I suppor yottt
mothet wants all that," and he sighed and went away'
There was one thing that EIsPetb was determined to do dul
morning and thet was to give Roderick a good brush, Ieave him clcttt'
fresh, aid ordered As soon as she had finished the pudding she rrr'l'
him into the cloakroom.
I'r'l
"From the moment you come to St Faith's," Sister Monicr 't"v
said, "you will owfl nothing in the world. Here we don't say
cell,"my bed'; eveiything b€lorgs to th€ Ordet and is lent to y'rt
Not even the handkerchief you use is you6- That isn't hardi r'rr
will see. It will come quite $aturally."
That had been true of most things-excePt Roderick Rorlrtt' L
was not anybody\ dog, not like most sPaniels;his moods wcrr 'tr
dark as his coat; sometimesElsPethwould think there was i bctrrll
'rn
shut up in Roderick, a captured beast,who looked out of his
'He docsn'( rrrt'rrl
and wrung his heart and made him disagreeable
to be cross. He needs undetstanding, Aunt Bevis "
"l shall try to understandhim "
''
"rtrfhcnhe getsa stick and Puts his Pavron it, it meanshc
Wl
wants you to pretend to take it; he's an actor, Aunt Bevis
he pretendshe doesn't want his food, he wents it very mucl)
Not eoenAont Beviscould havepatiencefor tbat! If-il | ||l
knovrn what it was like to leave Roderick, perhapsI shouldD't l"l
'/'Vhar' mind morr ''1"ut
gone. thought -ElsPeth.btrc tn^t s a|tqlarcJt
r soeriel than Father. more than Mother or Aunt B€vis2Bul rlrl
as ihe broshed him, Elspeth saw that it had been dangeroust"
near RodericL; she could not tlusr herselfand tcarc fell on ltis l"
and ran, shiniog, down his black coat.
"Elspeth!"ShewhiPPcdaround lt v.aslarry Bannermen'xrrrvt,l
early.He was standingin the doorwayof tbe cloekroom.l!'l'rrll
ick pierced her, but she pierced Ierry.
'Vhy do you let them
make you go?" said Larry ^ngrily.
"No one'smaking me go. I want to go,,, saidElspeG.
"Then why are you crying?,' said Larry.
"Dont you expec me to fe€lit?,,cried Elsperh,angrilytoo. ,,Do
B think I'm mxde of stonez',
es," said Larry tersely.
Stone! M"rblet Hard as nails! Oh, I,m not. I,m not.
'Elspcrh.
ry rookonc srepncarer. Elsperh:
My Urrlclovet..His
snook wlth teelng,
'l$ry,
Ph6e go ^w y.-
came neuer. "You don,t want to go, It,s an idea that,s got
.No,I-arryl Not"
seidElspethbrearhlessly
betweenthepenr_up
sobs
rt shookher. "It's-it's my life.',
"Elspeth, I love you." He stood above her, his eyes pleading.
Blspeth did noc know what gave her strength to harden her ieart.
whispered.'Larry.couldnr you love
Jean?..
{is eyes blazed and he said, ,'you,re nor the only one who can
their hearr on something.,,
it that Elspeth brust into sobs,crying, ,,Oh, Larryl Go zw-a-ay!,,
ruhed on his heeland went, his srepsringing on the tiles. Elspeth
helplessly,
hcr sobsxiflcd aginsi nodiriik s coar.
irrElspeth!El,spetht lady Bannermanis here,and Colin.,,
Lt me run away,thought Elspeth.Shefelt hunted. I shall so now
t stand any more. There were only two hours or so bJore the
, the peaceand sancrir)woutd ring hcr aroundand she sould
!afe, artained, achieved.It was near, but it seemedfar awav wirh
tc.painful.pricking minuresrhrt lay berween.She .hur her eye,
the rcarsran out under her tids.
l'Elsperh,your morher'scallingyou.,,Elspeth,s
eyesIlew openand
I chin wenr up. It was Lrrry'svorce.buc mer<ifully he did not
in. She hcard thc doorbell ring, Marlowe's steps in the halll
Aun( Euphrosyne s voiceshrilledwirh Morhei,. ShehcardUncle
Csboom.Roderickhada passionfor UncleArthur_Elsperhput

)07
506
FREV/ORKS loR ElsPlTH / Runer Goddcn
him down and he tore out. She herrd Unde Arthuls "H Ia, litrk
dogl" andMother's "Get down, Roddy,"ard then, "Elspeth! Elspeth1
'Just gettirg ddy," celled ElsPeth in 2loud voice and begirr
splashing her facc with cold water, trying to cool her red eyes Thcrr
she heard Mother's quicl pattering stePs in the PAssage.
"EIsPeth, what arc you doing in there?"
"I have been brushing RoddY."
"Brushing Roddyl Everyone'sherc' You Lnow the men want tlr
cloakoom for washing their hands.Come along lt look so rudc
Elspeth combed her hair; she would have to leave ber face irr'l
hope no one would notice. "Now for it," she said and dug her nrrrl'
into her Palms.She saw Mother's slight, tall form in the gray pJcrr0l
dressat the drawing'room door. Mother bent to Pick a rhread 'rll
the carpet; then she went in. ElsPethheard her saying, "Of corrrr'
the poor child has had a great deel to do." Elspeth flinched brrt ,1"
had to go in. Swifdy, breathiessly,she crossedthe hall and rl r
moment she found herself taling glassesaround on a tray, :rs Jr
had a hundred times before; but then she saw thet everything \ rr
different; diferent in the way their eyeslooked at her; the corrtr.r,t
in thei voices as they greeted her; they seemedto edge away ,lr.rw
together against her.
Then she found herselftalLing to Colin CrumP. Colin had irls rvr
been a joke to them; he had been asked to every parry shc ('rrkl
remember,beciuseboys were in short supply; first as a litde bot " rr h
owlish glassesand sticking-out teeth, who stamm€red,ihen as x l l|l
boy with even thicker glassesand gold bracesand a voice th:rt w ttl
up and down; and latterly as this young man, Colin Crumf, $ll
teeth were straight, but whose eyeslooked owlish still as they gl,''rt'
into Elspeth's.She and her cousinshad always run away furrrr l'rrtt,
tried to skip his dances,particularlyllspeth; now shecould nor ' ' rl'r
"I-I think this is sPlendidofyou, El-Elspeth,"he said conli<lcltr'rllr
"I d-don't know how you found the c courageco st-ick out l()r lrr(rl
own way, but of c-course you always d_did "
"Did I?" askedEIsPethuncerrainly.
"ThaCs $rhat always made me admire you so r'r'lremcnrl'ri lr'l
She had neve! known rhat Colin Crump could do anytl'rr'11"l
50fl
Positive as admire. She felt she should say something,br.rtshe could
only smile; the smile felt like a faked simpe!. She thought everyone
in the room was watching her; ostensiblythey were talking to one
rnother, laughing, bur they nevertook thefueyesoffher_ How srrange
that Colin Crump shouidbe the only one to understandher. Colin
rnd pcrhapsAunt Bevis. Shebeganto feel hotly rebelliousunder all
lheselooks, rhesethoughts thar w€re completelyour of symprthy
th her. At the least lirde sigflel I shall break, Elsperh toid herseli
Shecould seethrough the door, acrossthe hall to the dining room;
rablegleamedwith its silver,lace,and the colors of the primulas.
had a sudden vision of the rcfectory at St. Faith,s, the empry,
room, the ebles laid out with a bowl and cup. for each sister.
ho brought her own fork and knife and spoon and heiped herself
a side table. She remembered rhe quier eating while a young
llovice stood and read aloud. She saw the colors of the flowers under
lhc statue oF rhe Virgin; che flowers in rhe convent garden came in
ir seasonsfor Her; €hey did not heve to match rhe pudding. A
nging swept over ElsFeth; she felt she could not wait.
The guests had fallen inro three circles. The younq ones wer€ in
window-except l"rry, who kept by his mother, rossinqdown
ink after drinl<. Iady Bannermanwas silenr but her eyeslooked
Elspethto Jean and back to Elspeth.Jean looked pretty in her
suit. "Is it tometo color?" askedElspech.
"Thcy call it spring red," said Jeafl.
"lt s bnghr tomaco. vid Elspcrhderisivelyand rhen rcmembered
Monicaand said"It suitsyou." Jeandid not hearher. All of
were listming to their elders.
Thc menwereby the fire,talkingjerLily..,Thatdamnedbullfinch,,,
Fathe(.
"Theres a sprrngtrap nor " Uncle Anhur.
"aid
"Hcrring n€rs"-th?r was Major Fitzgerald,and they began to talk
t a gluc of cider apples and of Major Firzgerald's$trorcester
rrmains.Thar was harmless,but on the sofa there was the sound
whispers;the women were on the topic of Elspeth. It was Aunt
fhrosyne who whispered.Mrs. Baldock leanedforward to hear; her
uc straw wirh rhc white bow mer Aunt Euphrcsynet feerhersj
5(I)
FIRIVORKS FoR TLSPETH/ Rud$ Godden

The dmwing room seemed to swim around her; those near

Mother's head was in berween. "Uftedy, utterly, selfrsh," ElsPeth
cesfadedand Morher Dororhea,s,calm, authoritative. directedher:
heard; and Jean heatd, and Morna and larry, and Colin Crump, rhc
o fircworks. Elsperh' handsuncten.hed. and r. ifshe had broken
whole room, and Elspeth felt a butning color flood her necL'
tmslon, everyone relaxed. The clock ticked, Uncle Arthur cleared
"tubston PiPPins," said Father loudly throar, Mother gave a quick little sob and dabbed her
'em," said Major Fitzgerald eyes.
"Can't beat
)'wbere conversation broke out.
After all it vas Aunt Bevis who precipitated it. Aunr B€vis had
"Ribston Pippins?Nothing to beatrhem,,,saidMr. Baldock.
been worrying over the food- She had argued with Mother that therc
"They h"d a nice brown corduroy skir with a little checkedcoat,
was not enough chicken; perhaps if she had not been worrying slrc
' t I chose this," saidJean.
would not have spoken so bluntly "How dare you badger the child,
"Have you heatd the gsimmonses are having a band for their
said Aunt Bevis. "Yes, how dare youl"
lance?" asked Colin Crump of Morna.
Elspeth began to tremble and Colin turned. To her horor Colirr
"From rhe Crane CIub. It will cost a fortune; quite ridiculous!,,
joined in. "You-you shouldn't," seid Colio Crump. "Ddo yorr
led Aunt Euphrosyne.
remember?"he said,and the words seemedto svvellwittr the dificultt
Iady Bannermanpassedher drink ro Iarry. Laffy drank ir.
he hed to get th€m out. "Do you re'membet,Mrs- Ersk_kine,whcrr
"Bevis,.it'sa,quarterpasr.Don,t you think . . . ?,,saidMother,
they c-cameto C'Christ and said His mother and His brethren wctt
?" ,ust thm Mrrlow€ sounded the gong.
st-standingwithout
He could not go on, he was as scarletas Elspeth, but, "Yes"'srrl'l
Aunt Bevis furiously. "Do you rcmemberwhat Christ said?"
"l remember, Bevis," said Mother, her voice higb. "I remembo
and I have always thought it was heaJdess.Heartless!"
There was such a silenc€ that if Roderick had shed one hair "l
OLD CHIEF MSHLANGA
LESSING/CREAT
8FITAN
the carPet it would have been heard Every eye was tumed on Elsp<tIr
She had never felt so exposed. Sister Monica had told her not to spcrl'
but now it was as if, willy-nilly, through Colin and Aunt Bcvis slu'
--1
U...-^''
had been given a voice. Then justi& it, thought Elspeth in agotrl
St. Elizabeth found her apron full of roses.St. Teresahad levitr(i"rl
The wind changedfot St Joan O God!Prayed Elspeth,ber lips sik trt'
HIY vrER! cooD. rhe ycrrs of rrngrng rhc bu,h ovcr her father"
her hands sticky. If, through the oPen $'indow, a wind had swcl't m.whicJr..likceverywhire tarm. wrs largelyunu.cd.broken only
in and flled all the room with sound; if BJspethcould bavc hrirt ionrlly by smrll patchesof cultivation. In b€tween,nothing
lifted up, even two feet ftom the carPet,without a hand touchirrp bur
(rr the long spxrseglass, rhorn and cactus and gulty, gass
her; if roseshad failen or their scent Perfumed the room, evc'r and
lcropand rhorn.And ; iutrrngpicceof rock q hich hadbecn
ot two roses-but she was left. There vas no help, no vindicrti'r' rhru.r
trom,chewrrm 5oilofAfri.a unimaginrbleerasof nme ago.washed
She had to stand there before them aII, helplessand silent Sl!
hollowsand whorlsby sun and wind that had cr"uelli so -any
could feel her heart beating hurtfully; for a moment shc could ottlr sandsof milcs of spaceand bush,would hold the weighr of
feel the hurt, the smart, and then it becamea riny echo, c(h.rr',1 a
girl whosc cycswcre sighrlcssfor anyching but a prle willowed
down two thousandyears-no, nineteenhundred and sixty, ih()trll'r

'5lo 1tl
THE Ol,D CHIEF MSHLANGA / Doris r.$il8
river, a pale gleaming castle-a small Sirl singing: "Out flew the wclr
and floated wide, the mirror cracked from side to side :. ."
Pushing het way through the green aisles of the mealie stalks, tbc
leavesarching like cathedrals veined with sunlight far overhead, widr
the packed red earth underfoot, a fine lace of red stxred witchwctri
would summon up a black bent 6gr:re croaking Premonitions: th'
Northem witch, bred of cold Northern forests,would stand befor(
her among the mealie fields, and it was the mealie 6elds that fa<lc'l
and fled, leaving her among the gnarl€droots ofan oak, snow fallirrll
thick and soft and white, the woodcutter's fir€ glowing red welcotrtt'
thtough crowding tree trunks.
A white child, oPening its eyescuriously on a sun-suffusedl:rrli
nrPe.2 Saunt ;nd riolenr land'c'Pc mighr be supposedro r"'1't
it as her own, to take the msasatreesand the thorn treesas familirrt'
to feel her blood running free and responsiveto the swing ol rlrr
This child could not seea msasatree, or the chorn' for whNl llrr v
were. Her books held tales of alien fairies, her rivers ran slotv ttt'l
peiceful, and she knew the shaPeof the leavesof an 2sh or rrr t ' rh,
the namesof the little creaturesthzt lived in Bnglish streams'\\ ltr rl
the words "the veld" meant strangeness, tbough she could renrc|rl'r'l
nothing else.
Becirse of this, for many years,it was the veld that seemcdrr"r' ,tl
the sur was a foreign sun, and the wind sPokea srrxngeixrrSrr'l
The black peopleon the farm v,/ereas remole as th€ ffees rrrrl I
rocks. They w€re en amorPhousblack mass,mingling and rltitlrrll
md massing like txdpoles,faceless,who existed merely ro sctvt'
say "Yes, Baas," take their monev and go. They changedscrrr"rrI
season,moving from one farm to the next, according to tlr(ir rr
Iandish needs,which one did not have to understand,cornilg lt'
perhaps hundreds of miles North or East, Passing on ^ficr 'r I
months-where? Perhapseven as far away as the fabled gol'l rrrtt
of Johannesburg,where the pay was so much becter than tlr' I
shillings a month and the double handful of mealie meni twi' t 't '
which thq earnedin that part of Africa
The child was taught to take them for grantedr thc scrr'rr'tr I
5t 2
e house would come running a hundred yards to pick up a book
she droppedir. She was called ,.Nkosikaas,'-Chieftainess.even bv
black cbildren her own age.
Iarer, when the farm grew roo small to hold her curiosiry, she
ried a gro in rhe crook of h€r xrm and wend€red miles a day,
vlej to vlei from kEje to AEje, accompaniedby two dogs: the
and rhe grrn were an ,-rmor against fear. Becauseof them she
felt fear.
If a native came into sight along th€ kafir paths halia mile awav.
: dogs wouJd flu.h him up a rrec as jf he -cre r bird. If
he
stulated(in his uncouthlanguagewhich wasby itselfridiculous)
was cheek.lr onc was in a good mood, ir could be a mrrrcr
laughter. Otherwise one passedon, hardly glancing at the engry
l in the tree-
On the rrre occasions wher whire childfen met toqerher they could
nust rhemlelvesby haiting a prs.ing n.rrivein ;der ro male ,
on of him; they could set the dogs on him and watch him run;
could teasea small black child as if he were a puppy-save rhar
y would noc throx. stones and sticks at a dog *ithorrr ^ sen"e
guilt.
later still. cerun gucsrion.pre.cntedrhem.elvcsjn the child's
; and because the answers were not easy ro accepr,
ed ty an even greater arroganceof manner_
It was even impossible to rhink of rhe black people who worked
)ur rhe hou<easkiends,tor it 5her2lkedro oneofrlem, her mortrer
come running anxiously:',Comeaway;you mustn\ talk to
It was rhis.instilledconsciousness
ofdanger, ofsomerhing unpleas_
i, that mad€ ir easyto laugh our loud, crudely, if a servianrmade
in his Englishor if he failedto undersondan order_there
s certein kind of laughter rhat is fear, afraid of itself.
Onc evening,when I was about fourteen,I was walking down
sidrofa mealie6etdrhrr hadbeennew\ ptoughed..oihar the
t redtlodsshowcdrreshand tumbtingro rhc vlerbEond. trke
choppy red sea; it was that hushed and liscening hour, when the
c
scnd long sad calls from trcc to tree, and .rll rhe colors of qrth
1li
TH! OLD CHIIF MSIILANGA / Doris k$ing

and sl-y and leaf are deep and golden. I had my rifle in the cunt old man, "but there wes an afair with some
goats. I remernber
of my arm, and the dogs were at my heels. ng you when you were . . ." The young man
held his hand at knee
ln front of me, perhapsa couple of hundred yards away, a grottl' and smiled.
of three Africans came into sight around the side of a big anrbell' I/e all smiled.
t a,histled the dogs close in to my skirts and let the gun swing it' "lZhai is your name?,,I asked.
my hand, and advanced,waiting for them to mov€ aside, off tl! "This.is Chief Mshlanga,,,saidthe young nan
path, in respectfor my passing-But.hey came on steadily,and rlt "I will aell my farher rhat I met you,,, I saro.
dogs looked uP et me for the command to chase l was angD' lr The old man said:,.My greeringsto your father,
-Cood iirtle Nkosikaas.,,
was "cheek" for a native not to stand offa Path, the momenr l! morning.-I saidpoliJv.6nding rhe polirenc*
diq,utr,
caught sight of you. m la(k of ure
In ftottt *alked an old man, stooPing his weigbt on ro x ni(l "Morning, titrle Nkosikaas,',said rhe oid man, ano stood
asideto
his hair grizzled white, a darL red blanket slung over his shoulhr me Pass.
Iike a ctoak. Behind him came two young men, carrying bundlcs "t I wenr by, my gun.hangiogrvkwa-dly rhe dog: .niflrng
rrd
-Pots, assegais,hatchets. ng, chearedor rher trvoriregamc of chr.ing narire.
likc
The grouP was not a usuai one. They vere not natives sccliirrg imals.
('wrl
work- These had an air of dignity, of quietly follov'/ing their ,n..,*r*. I readin an old exprorcr s book rhc phra.e:
purpose.It was the dignity that checkedmy tongue. I walked c;urtlr )-.j
hret]:T
Mshlangr's (oun(q.. tr wenrlike rhi\: ..Ourdcs,in/rion
wrs
on, talking softly to the growling dogs, till I was ten Paceslrwrl af Mshlanga'scounrry, ro rhe nolth of the river;
and it was our
Then the old man stoPPed, drawing his blanket close. ^U to prospect
for gold in his terrirory.,,
l'rl f-,:, phrasel]. ,*.'iU.ion
' ask
"Morning, Nkosikaas," he said, using the cusrcmzry greetrnF The. his permission',;xs so exrraordrnaryto e
whire
any time of the daY- ld, broughr up to consider all natives as thrngs
to use, thac ir
"Good motning," I said "\(here are you going?" My voirc $'r those quesdons, which could not be suppressed:
they fer-
a little truculent. slowly in my mind.
The old man sPokein his own language,then one of tbe llrrrl On_anotherocc:<ronone or rho:eold prospccro^
who jfitj movc
men steppedforward politelv and said in careful Engiish: "Mr I lr r ^lnca lookjng for nfglec,edreefs.q irh thcir hammer.
rnd renrs,
travels to seehis brothers beyond the rivet." rromcrushed
fock.\amero ,h. r,,nl ,;;,
A Chief! I thought, understanding the Pdde that made r|c 'rl
],r."'f"::if,,"g,rytd
t krng ot rheold drr5. u.ed rhrr phrascagain:.,Thi.$aj rhe
Old
man standbeforeme Iike an equal-more than an equai,for he sh'll' s councry,,' he said. ,.It strerchedfrom tnose
mountalns over
couftesy, and I showed none. way backco the river, hundredsof milesofcountry.,,Thar
was
The old man spoke again, wearing diSnity like an inherit(l I namefor ou. district: ,The Old Chief,sCoontry,,;
he did ,rot
m€nt, still ssnding ten pacesoff, fiankedby his entourage,not l(! rhrl our name for ir-a new phrase which held no implicarion of
at me (that would have been rude) but direcdng his eyeslonn $ In
ovet my head at the trees- As I rcad more books about the cime when this
parr of Africa
"You are the little Nkosikaas from the farm of BaasJorlrrrr " nor much more rhrn nrry
T."ld "p: )erf. before,I found
"That's right," I sxid Chief M\hlrn8, hrd beena famousman. known to
t tt all rhe
"PerhaPsyour father does not remember"' said rhe intcrl'rct' Pbrcrs:rnd prosFdors. But chcn he hao occn young; or may,

5 1.1
) L)
TH! OID cHl!! MSHLANGA / Doris re$ing

never found our "Vhati" exclaimed my mother sharply. "W/her do you mean?"
be it was his father or uncle they sPoke of-I
fntrrl "A Chief's son." The policeman seemedamused."He'11 boss the
During that yElr I met him severaltimes in the P'rt of the
I leamed drxr when the old man dies."
that waslratersed by nativesmoving over the country' "He'd betrernor pui on a Chi€f's son act wirh me," saidmy mother.
sang sr'
rhe Dath up the side of the big red field where the birds When the policemanleft, we looked with diFerenteyesat our cook:
haunted it l'
,h. ,..ognir.d highway for migranrs. PerhaPsI even was a good worker, but he drank too much at week-ends-that
exchanSr'
rhe hopi or meefing him: being greetedby him the "1
how we knew him-
.eemed to ,n'*et thc que'rions rhat troublcd mc
coune.ie". He wasa tell yourh,with veryblackskin,like blackpolishedmeral,
Soon I caffied a gun in a ditrerent sPidt; I used it for shootil; tightly-growingblrcl hrir parccdwhire m;n s fa:hionar onc rdc.
lea"xll
food and not ro give me confdence And now rhe dogs a metal comb from the store stuck into it; very polite, very
rrrr'l
better manners. When I ta* a native apProaching,we olfered t, very quick to obeyan order.Now that it had beenpointed
in my mind h'I'l
rook qrce(jng.;and slowly that other landscaPc we said: "Of course,you can see. Blood alwaystells-"
,nd ,,'t'rfec,irt.:.k dirc.rll on thc Afritan soil rnd I saw the shrl'
back' ls rl My mother becamestdcr q'ith him now she knew about his birth
of cree and hill clearly, and the black PeoPle moved
ttt prospec.l Somerimes,when she losc her temper, she would say:
were,out ofmy life: it \{'asas ifl stood asideto watch a sio*'intrttt bu aren't rhe Chief y€t. you know." And he would answer het
wbose stePs I ((rrl'l
dance of landscapeand men, a very old dance, quiedy,his eyeson rhe ground: "Yes, Nkosikaas."
is One afternoon he askedfor a whole day off, insreadof the custom-
But I thought: this is my heritage,too; I was bred here; it "'\
there is half-day, to go home next Sunday.
.oo.,,ry ,, *.ll as the black man's cohntry: and Pl'nrr "i
"How can you go home in one day2"
roo- ior ali of us, without elbowing each other of the Pavcrrrrrrl
"lt will takeme half an hour on my bicycle,"he explained.
and roads- I watched the direction he rook; and the next day I went off to
s lr tt
It seemedit was only necessaryto let free that respectI feh for this kraal; I understoodhe must be ChiefMshlanga's succes-
s l'trr
I wes talking with old Chief Mshlanga,to let borh black and : rherew* no orher Lraal nearcnough our [arm.
ll
people mee; gently, with toierancefor each other's differco('
Beyond our boundarieson that side the lounrry was new ro me.
se€medquite easy. followed unfamiliar p^ths p st Aa et rhar till now had been part
Then,'oneda1 somerhingnew happened\Torking in our lntr the iagged horizon, hazed with distance.This was Government
l"ty
as servantswere rlways thre€ natives: cook, houseboy,gatctcrr
l' which had never been cultivated by whire men; ar 6rst I could
They used to change as the farm ratives changed:sra)'ingfo'.''
ro rhcir lr'r'rh underscrnd why it was rher il appeared,in merelycrossirgche
mon'h., then rrlo'ing on ,o, neq iob. or ba'k home
l"'{ ndary, I had entereda completelyfresh type of landscape.It was
Ther wcrerhoughrofas "good or "bad narive":which mertrr
l't widegLeenvatley.wheree smallri\er sprrkled.and r;rid wrrer-birds
did ihey beh;'e r:.enanhl wcre rhcy la;y.ef icnt obcdicrrt"'
\\rlril over the rushes.The grass was rhick and soft to my crlves,
respectiul?If the family felt good humored, the phrasewas:
were angry' wc ''r'l trcessroodrall rnd shrpeJy.
."ri uor.."p.., fto-.r* Ut".t ot,gts?" If we
' I wasusrd ro our farm, whosehundredsof acresof harsheroded
better offwi(bout Il! ir1
"These tlained niggers,we would be much bo(e trecs char had been cur for rhe mine furnaces and had
r 'rr'l
One day, a white policeman was on his rounds of the dislrr'
tr'tt' chin and twistcd, where the catde hed dragged the grass
he said laughinglv: "Did you know you have an importrnt
, lcaving innumcrable criss-c(xsing trails chat deepencdeach sea-
your kitchen?"

1t6
 -

TH! OrD CHM MSHIANGA / Doris Lsnng

son into gullies, under th€ force of the mms.

This country had been left untouched, save for ProsPectorswhos
picks had stnrck a few sparks frorn the sutface of the rocks as dxt ;il.iiil?r.l
i::h.':;.,"* j#i#:lr,i
"rili:r::,,:"
foo(hilr\| d,dno,knowwherc
wandered by; and for migrant natives whose Pessinghad ieft, perh'.rps. rj7 3:lrl: | *,. , .,.;;.,.
a charred patch on the trunk of a tree where_ihtir evening 6re hr,l
nestled.
ft was very silent: a hot morning with Pigeons cooing rhroet;l\'
q-;":''-#xf,+:dif#ii,;:"
rhe midday shadowslying denseand thick with clear yellow sp:rtc
of sunlight berweenand in all that wide green park-like vallev, n,'r
a human soul but mysell
I was listening ro the quick regular tapping ofa woodpeckerwhcrr
lir'*
5gifiri+ir*i*lif,i
m€:I hrd ontt ro takemy way
,h1 r1i.;, bacf alone
,-,v"^-, ;;';. ilf.b;i;"'#3:r:]::i
slowly a chill feeling seemed to grow up from the small of my b:r(|. house,and""
a_coupleof hours,watkingwourdreach
to my shoulders,in a constricting sPasmiike a shudder,and at rlr ij:g:::::
This
was the sot of fea. ,h", .on,.r..,
isets ',,.f,11*1;_r:3::";il;
,h,-
roots of my hair a tingling seDsationbegan and rar down over rl! himhowring at,n.i",i..",
surface of my flesh, leaving me goosefleshedand cold, though I w.r, or ret(:Jnd r
w,s mo.f dr:turbed
b1 rhcfi.r rhar
damp with sweat. Feverl I thought; then uneasily, tumed to l(r'l' ::,lJ:.-1gr,
could becomejrr vicrimrnanofrhe
physical
:ensai;;ir..;; i;r,[.:
over my shoulder; and realized suddenly that this was ferr. II \.
extraordinary,even humiliadng. It was a new fear- For all the ICrr"
I had walked by myself over this country I had never knovn t
moment's uneasiness;in the beginning becauseI had been supportr.l
xi::l,r,ii,*li;,:"::1.i.il'1:l..il:
nlsement.,
Deliberarcl)
.ll,-"""11"v,ll,
Ler mvsclf- ,l;"t .f rfr; ,;f
frfri _r,
I, shourd
do shenI en,e.ed
ir_ ir rr couro
by a gun and the dogs, then becauseI had leunt an easyfriendljnlr '!-' coJtd''nd
nnd
for the Africans I might encounter.
I had read of this feeling, how the bignessand silenceof Ahi, r'
under the ancient sun, grows denseand takesshaPein the mind. rrll
J:
1$111* .#:
, which was doubrful, since r *,,

+;i*T:1..in'",*
:,';fi fr
;^tk;'''-

to thefear:toneline,,. il;*,;;;;
even the birds seem to call menacingly, and a deadly spirit corrfr fi::;.j,1":yf
isolation "dded
invaded
me ,h", I ..uld h"rdy;;;;;ff';il.'r::
out of the ffeesand the rocks.You move warily, as ifyour very passrtrl ,,'"jl:.,:*' rhe (resror r sma rr.e and
disturbs something old and evil, something dark and big and an11t
:.r ; vrll.rgeoclow
turn.d,nd gonehomc.rr wara
t tu.rer
that might suddenlyrear and strike from behind. You look ar gr,xtr ,j'
:,,::,ll-111.
I r,.,." ;
ot thar.hcd
ofentwined trees,and picture the animalsthat might be lurking tlllr , ]lj_ i,*,'"r,,.:f8,...-,. "; ; ;;;;;.,;';::i::
you look at the river running slowly, dropping from level ro ltr,l
through the vlei, spreadinginto Poolswhere at night the bucks t,,rrr ftHY;11.5';:1;1[..
'il f,',t.jdlt
:rru::;j;
;n;' "'
to drink, and the crocodil€srise and drag them by their soft n,'. r
into underwaterciv€s. FearPossessed me- I found I was rurning Lorrrr'l T:1.r
;:;:ifil{:T1i.f:'ft i;:.1
i,ff
';'"T;'1'l'-l'i"*1il'^:il
^s r crme (tosel s.rwrhe hurswe.e
lovinql!
and round, becauseof that shaPeless menacebehind me thar n)i/llrl
reach out and take me; I kept glancing at tbe fiJesof [a2lr rvlri,lr,
seenfrom a dif,erent angle, secmedto changewith everystcf so rh rr
fi$::i*tn:i:.ff
nris was oot:rr all likc our hrm
compound,I difty rn(l nogl(crcd

l lll
THE OLD CHIIF I\4SHLANGA/ Doris lisLng

Dl1Le..r (emporaryhome for migranrswho h'd no loois in il "The small white Nkosikaasis far from home." remarkedthe old
' smallbL' l at last.
Arrd no* i d,a'no, tto" wh.rr to do next l callcda
quite nakdl "Yes," I agreed,"ir is frr." I wanted ro say; "I have come to pay
boy, who was sitting on x lot playing a stringedSourd' 'T'll
e:,crp,fo' rhe ofblue berdsround his ne(k' and said a friendly visit, ChiefMshlarga." I could not sayit. I might now
",rinl' h i s m o u r hr r " l feeling an urgenr helpless desire to get to know these men and
' i . a f i . f ' , . h e t ; . ' t h e , h i l d s r u ( kh i s r h u m b i n
as people, to be acceptedby them as a friend, bur the truth
staredshyly back at me.
a desertc'l I had ser out in a spirit of curiosityr I had wanred to see che
For minutes I shifted my feet on the edgeofwhat seemed
women cam( thar one day our cook, the reservedand obedient young man
villase. till at lest the child scuttled ofr, and then some
in th€ir eir' gor drunk on Sund;ts. sould onc day rele orer.
ThJ were draped in briSht cloths, with brassglinting
to cher( l "The child of Nkosi Jordan is welcome,"said Chief Mshlanga.
and on their aims. Thq also stared,silently; then tumed
among themselves. "Thank you," I said,andcouldthink ofnothing moreto say.There
caugh' th( a silence,while the flies roseand began to buzz around my head;
I siid agaln: "Can I seeChief Mshlznga?" I ses'-they
did nor understan'l the wind shook a lirde in the thick green tree rhar spreadirs
,rame; thef did not understandwhat I w"nred l
over the old men-
myseli
the bu$ and sx" "Good morning," l said at last. "I have to rerurn now to my
At last I walked through them and clme Past
a dozen old m€n sat cros\
a clearing under a big sh;dy tree, where
we5 leaning b' l "Morning, Iittle Nkosikaas,"saidChief Mshlanga.
l.ee.d ;n ,1. ground. ralking Chiei Mshlangr
hr I I
,ff*, ,t'. ,r."Ihota;ngr gourdin his h2nd rromwhich I walked away from the indifferent village, over dre fise pasr the
muscle of his face mo!c'l' ing amber-eyedgoats, down throLrgh the rall.srarelyrreesinto rhe
b'eendrinking \(/hen he saw me, not a
aflicted qitlr rich gr€en valley where the river meanderedand the pigeons
f .o"fa i.. he was not pleased:perhaps he r''as
"na the right forms.l tales of plenty and the woodpecker tapped softly.
-y o*n rttyn.r., due to being unable to find
own farm' was otr' The fear had gone; the lonelinesshad set into stiffnecked stoicism;
co.t.tesy Ior'the occasion To meel mq on our
had lexpecr'd t was now a queer hostiliry in the iandscape,a cold, hard, sullen
rhjner bur I 'hould nor hare (omc herc Wh'(
^l Bad enour" itability that walked with me, as strong as a wall, as inrangible
,oufi nor ioin rhem "o'ially: rhe rhing w" unherrd
as a white mirl smoke; it seemedto siv to me: you walk here as a destroyer.I
that l, a white girt, should be rdking the veld alone
ofiici:rl' slowly homewards,with an empty heart: I had learned that if
^[rri, i" ihis part of chebush where on]v Government
".a cannot call a country to heel like a dog, neither can one dismiss
had the right to move
the groul' Prsr wirh a smile in an easy grrsh of feeling, saying: I could
Asain I"stood, smiling foolishly, while behind me stood
'
or trigLAl-cl^d.cn,tre,i"ng womcn rheirfacesrlerrwirh curio'irv r'l help it, I am dso a victim.
'
."r.'", ,"a rn rront of;. s,r the old men q ith old lincd f; I only sawChief Mshlangaonceagain.
2ncientsand thildrcrl One nighc my father'sbig red land was trampieddown by small
their eyesSuarded,aloof It was a village of
besidethe Chi'l tharp hooves,xnd ir was discoveredrhat rhe culprits were goars
and *omen. Iven the two young men wtro kneeled
the young men *r " Chief Mshlanga'skraal.This had happenedoncebefore,years
were nor those I had seens'ith him Previously:
all away working on the white men's farms and
mines' and the Chrfl r8()
for lrr My father confscatedall chc goats.Then he sent a messageto the
,rru". i.p.nd oi relativeswbo were remporrrily on boliday
old Chicf that ifhc wltnted chemhe would h:rvcto pry for:the drmage.

1 , 1|
520
THE OID CHIEF MSHIANGA/Doft li$ing
He arrivedat ou! house at th€ time ofsunset one evening,looking
very old and bent now, waiking stifly under his regally-draped blanker.
leaning on a bjg stick. My father sat himself down in his big chair
below the srepsof the house; the old man sguattedcarefully on chc
g(oufld before him, flanked by his rwo young men.
The palaver was long and painful, becauseof the bad Englisb ol
the young man who interpreted, and becausemy father could nol
speakdialect, but only kitchen kaffir.
From my ferher'spoint ofview, 2t ieasttwo hundred pounds'*'ort l,
of damage had been done to the crop. H€ knew he could not gct
the money from the old man. He felt he was entirled ro kerp thf
goats.As for the old Chiet he kept repeatingangrily: "Tvenry god\l
My peoplecannot lose rwenty goats! \7e are not rich, like the Nk$L
Jordan, to iose tv{enty goats at once-"
My father did not .hink of himself as rich, but rather as vcrt
poor. He spokequicklv and angrily in return, saying that the damrrl
done meant a grert deal to hirn, and rhat he was entitled ro lli,
goats-
At last it grev/ so heatedthat the cook, the Chief's son, was crllt.l
frorn the kitchen to be interprecer,and nov mv father sPokeffucrrrlr
in EngJish,and our cook translatedrapidly so that the old man corrl,l
understand how verl angry my father was. The young man spr,l,
v/irhout emotion, in a mechdnicalway, his ev€slowered, but sh,,r
ing how he felt his position by a hostile uncomfortable ser trl llr
shoulders.
It was now in the late sunset,the sky a welter of colors, thc bir,l.
singing rhfir last songs, and the catde, lo$'ing Peacefullv,moritrl
pasrus towards their shedsfor the night. It was the hour whcn Alrr, I
is most beautiful; end bere was this Patheric,uglv scene,doing r',,
one any good.
At last my father stated 6nally: "I'm not going to arguc :rluu t
it. I am keeping rhe goacs."
The old Chief flashedback in his own language:"That mmns 11,,l
mI people wiil go hungry when tbe dry seasoncomes."
"Go to rhe poljce, then," said my father, and looked triurn|lrr,,r
There was, of course,no more to be said.
422
The old man sat silent, his head benr, his handsdangling helpiessly
over his wirhcred knees.Then he rose, the young men helping him,
and he stood facing my father. He spoke once again, very srifly; and
turned away and went home to his villagc.
"Vhar did he say?" asked my farher of the youog man, who
laughed uncomfortably and would not meer his eyes.
"Whar did he say?" insisted my father.
Our cook stood straighr and silent, his brows kno*ed together.
Then he sFoke."My farher says:All this land, this land you caliyours,
is his land, and belongs to our p€ople.,,
Having made rhis sratement,he walked ofl: inro the bush ?frer his
father, and we did not s€e him agiin.
nexccook rvasa migrant from Nyasaland,wirh no €xpectarions
,Our
of greatness.
Next cime rhe policeman came on his rounds he was told this
story. He remarked: ,,Thac kraal has no righr ro be there; it should
have been moved long ago. I don,c know why no one has done
anything about ir. I'll have a .hzt with the Native Commissioner
ncxr week. I'm going over for rennis on Sunday,anyway.,,
Some time later we heerd thar Chief Mshlanga and his people had
becn moved two hundfed miles east,ro x proper Nltive Reserve;the
Governmenr iand was going to be opened up for white settiement
800n-
I wenr to seechevillage again,about a year afterwrrds.There was
nothing rhere. Mounds of red mud, where the hu$ had been, hrd
long swachesofroning rhatch over them, veined wirh the red galeries
of the white ancs. The pumpkin vines rioted every-where,over
thc bushes,up the lower branchesof trees so thac rhe greacgolden
ballsrolled underfoot and dangtedoverhead:it was a festivalofpump-
kins. The bushes were crowding up, the new grass sprang vivid
8reen.
Thc serrler lucky enough ro be allorted the lush warrn valley (iI
hc chose to culrivate rhis particular section) wouid find, suddenly,
In thc middle of a mealie field, rhe plants were growing fifceenfeet
mll, thc wcighr of rhe cobs dragging ar the sralks,and wonder whir
unsuspccrcd vcin of richncsshc hxd srtucK.

\rHO CARES?
/1 /^\
S""^t^ K"-*^K--
Trru o*rt turvc, rerlly, that Anand and I had in common w,r\
that both ofus had been to college in America. Not thar we sir$
much of each other during those four yearsabroad-he was studyirrpi
businessmanagementor some such thing in Boston and I was takirll
the usual liberal arts courseat \frelledey, and on the rare oc(asi('rl
we met, we hadn't rnuch ro say-but when we gor back to Bomb:rr,
the senseof dislocationwe sharedwas a bond- ln our p2rents'gcrcr I
tion that whole malaise was covered by the comprehensivepir.r!
"England-returned,"which held good er,cnifyou had been studyirry
in Munich or Edinburgh, both popular wirh Indian srudenrsin r hrr
days.The term was used as a qualifrcxdon (for jobs and marri:r14c'1
and as an explanationof the familiar probJemsof readjustment.lir r rr
after che war, in a particular kind of newspaper,you could fin.l. rrr
the personalcolumns, adverrisementslike this: "Wanred: young, l;rrr,
educatedgirl, high caste essential,for Bngland-returnedboy Scrr,l
photograph." The point is that her family would have to demonsrr,rrr,
her desirability-but "England,returned" would rell rbem rlnr,'.r
everything they neededto know about the boy: that his fami\, R,|l
rich enough to send him abroad for his educarion, rhar his chrr, | 1
for a good job were better than mosr, that his wife could prrrl,.rl,l1
exPect an unorrhodox household in which she migbr bc askr.,lr',
serve meat ar meals, enrertain foreigners,and even bave liqu(x ',r!
the premises.She would also know that it would be a dcsir.rl,l,
mariage.
The phrase"England-rerurned"wxs tbe kind oflndianism thrrr rr",l
t21
amusethe British very much when it turned up on a job appli,
ion. To Indians,naturally,it had a seriousand precise-eaning.
t in the course of a genetation thar became increasinqly sensicirie
rrdicule.ir had fallenour oi fa<hion,and by rhe rime"Anrnd and
Eturned to Bombay we had ro find our own description for our
rersy sra(e. We spoke of how our ider, were roo aduancedfor
, or how enterprisecould never flourish in India wirhin the
y grip ofthe familysystem,or we madeill-digesred psychological
rts on the effects of acceptance as a way of life. \a/har we
oI was thzt we wer€ suffering from the England,
-course,
blues.Mine wasa milder caserhan Anand,s,partly because
y parentswere "liberrl,,-not orthodox Hindus. thar is_and. afref
: years of wandcring about the world in the diplornaric service.
prepiredro acceprwirh egurnimiryrnd cvcn a cerraindoubtful
:rovai the idea of my getring a job on a magazine in Bombav.
1ly, rhinSs wereea.ier for me becauseI had bcen throush rhe worsr
my rcadjusrmenrssix ycarsbefore, when I had ,.,rrn-.d rrorr, ,.n
in English boarding schoots.
Anand'sIngland-rerurnedmiserywas more virulenr_his family
s onhodo\. his morher,pokeno Fnglis\rnd disrru,tedtoreien
's, he had beeneducaredenrirelyin Bombay
until he had qo;e
Ameri(efor po.rgraduate (ourses.and his farher.a
ttactor in Bombay, insisted "utcelsful
that Anand, as rhe only son, enrer
family business.
Our families lived lust a few houses from each other. but led verv
fcrent lives. Among the membersof our generarion,however, rhi
s were fading, and Anand and I belonged to the same set,
we had neverparticularly liked eachother. It was a moment
boredom and a fngmentary remind€r that both of us had been
Americathrr brought us together.
It *'as during the monsoon, I remember,and the rain had pelted
orn all morning. About noon it cleared up, and I decided to spend
y lunch hour shopping.I had startedwalkinq toward rhe cenrer
downrownBombaywhcnrhe rainb"gan ominou"llgenrle
6rsr..rhen "ga;n.
quicklyrhrnging rnroa cypical
mon,oonao*"p"o"r.f
ckcclrnro(hehrs(doorwryI saw.rnd ran\lapinroAn,tnd.I r.[her
nqHO CARES2/SanthaRrda Rru
short, slenderyoung man, dressedwith a certain natriness.1r was rhe
building in wbjch his father's firm had its offices,and Anand srood
rherestaring glumly at rhe streamingstreetznd scurryingpedesrrians.
\7€ greeted each other with reselr'e. Neirher was in the mood for
a cheeryexchangeof news.\fle continued to gaze at the rain, at the
tangle of tramc, the wet and shiny cars moving slowly through the
dirry water on the road.
At last, without much inrerest, Anand said, "And whar are you
uP to rhesedays?"
"I uar going to Bo shopping," I said coo[y, "but I don't see how
I can, in this."
"Dxmn rain," he mutrcred. I could hardly hear him over rhe sound
of rhe water rushing along rbe gutrers.
I said, "Mm," and, as a return of politeness,added, "And you?
\(hat are you doing?"
"Heaven knows," he said,with a world of depressionin his voice.
"Working, I suppose."After a pause,he said,"Vell, Iook, since you
can't shop and I can't get ro the garagefor mv car, supposewe nip
around the corner for a bite oi lunch."
"Okay," I said, not knowing quite how to refuse.
Anand looked full at me for the first time and began to smilt
r'Havent heatd thdt \^tely."
"Okay," he repeated.
We raced recklesslydoq.n the srreer,splashing through puddJes
and dodging peoplet umbrellas,until we arrived,soakedand laughing.
at the nearestresraurant.it was no mor€ than a snack bar, realh,
with 3 counter and stools on one side of rhe small room and a fcs
rables on the other. \Ce srood berween them, breathles, mopping
our facesinefecrually with handkerchiefsand slicking bacl wet hair.
still iaughing with rhe silly exhilaratior such moments produce.W(
decidedto sit at a table,becauseAnand said the hard iitte cakesvidr
pink icing, neatly piled on the counter, looked too unapperizing ro
be faced all through lunch.
Our explosiveentrancehad made rhe orher cusromersturn to starcl
but as we settleddown at our table, rhe young men ar rhe counrer-
cletks,probably,from nearbyoffces, selfeffacingand pather;callyrid!
in rheir white drill trousers and white shirrs (the inescapablelooL
of Indian clerks)-tumed rh€ir attentionbackto rh€ir cupsof milky
coffee and their curry puifs. The Sikhs at the next table, brightly
turbanedand exgtnsive of manner, resumedrheir cheerful convelsa-
tion. The two Anglo-Indian typists in flowered dressesrerurned to
thcir whispersand giggles and sodapop.
Vhen the waiter broughr us the menu, we discover€d rhat the
restrurant wrs called the laxmi and Gold Medal Caf6.This senr Anand
a fresh spasmoflaughter, and while we waited for our sandwiches
cofFce,he invented equally unlikely combinacions for restaurant
the Venus and Sun Yat-sen Coffee Shoppe, rhe Cadillac and
Devil Ice,Crexm Parlor, and so on-not very clever, but by that
we were in x good mood and preparedto be amusedby almost
At some point, I remember, one of us said, "\(/ell, how do you
feel abour Bombay?" and the other replied, "Let's face it.
ri utter hell." and we were launched on the 6rsr of our
inable conversadomabout ourselves,our surroundings,our
ilies,our gloomypredictionsfor rhe futur€.\7e hada lovelytime.
A couple ofdays later Anand calledmy ofiice to invite me ro lunch
Baifl. "I'll make up for rhe horors of che laxmi and Gold Medal,,,
hc said. "rve'll go to the Taj, which is ar least air-conditioned.,,
Hc had reserveda table by the windows in che dininq room of
thc Taj Mrhal Hotel, shere wc could .it lnd look out ove-rrhe sr,r.
forbiddingwrter of thc hrrbor rnd warrh rhe mas.cdmon,oon. tiud,
tbove the scatteredislands.Cool against the sreamyrain ourside,s/e
dnnk a bottle of wine , ^te the loc l pa dEfa;e grar, and felt sorry
for ourselves-
Anand said, "I cant think why my father borhered to send me
to America, since he doesn't seem interest€d in anything I leamed
lhcrc."
"Oh, I know, I know," I said, longing to talk about my own
conccrns,
"Can you believe it, the whole businessis run etuctb the.w^y it
*rs fifty yearsago?"
"Of course I can. I mern, rak€ the magazine-',
"l mcrn, evcryrbirrgdone by vaguc vefbal rrringemenrs. Norh;ng
\0HO CARESI/Stnthr Rzm Rru
properly fil€d and accountedfor. And such enormousrelianceon Pull
end influence, and knowing someonein tbe government who will
arrangelicensesand imPort Permi$ and whatever."
"\(ell, it's 2 miracle to me that se everget an issueofthe magaziD(
out, consideringthat none ofthe rypesettersspeaksEngJish,and ther
have to make up the forms in a languagethey don't know, mirrorwiv
and by hand."
"But at least you don't have to deal q'ith the family as weII Thc
am,unt of deed'noodin the form of aged great-uncles,dimwirtc,l
secondcousins,who hare to be emplol.ed!"
"Can't you suggesttbq be Pensioned011-.2"
"Don't think I haven't. My father just smiles and saysI'Il setdc
down soon. whacs the use?"
Our discussionsnearly alvays ended with one or the other of rr.
saying, with exaggerarcdweariness,"\Vell, so it goes. Back ro rll
salt mines now." I never added that I enjo],€dmv job.
That day we didn't rextize until we were on the Point of leavitrtl
the Taj how many peoplew€re luncbing in the big dining room whonr
we knew. On our vay oDt, we smiled and nodded at a number ot
people and stopped at several tables to exchange greetings. \yy'irli
rising irritation, both of us were aware of the carefully unexpressc,l
curiosity behind the pleasantformalities of speech.
Anand and I saunteredin silencedown the wide, shallow staircns.
of the hotel. And it was only when we reachedthe road thar lrt
exploded. "Damn them," he said. "The prying old cats!"
"lt was the wine," I suggested."E"en peoplewho havebeen abro:r,i
a lot dont drink wine at lunchtime-"
.,So? \X/har,sir to them?,'
"$7ell, Dissolute Foreign Ways, and besidesvou're what they crll
a catch, so it's only natural that lhey wonder'"
Anand frowned as we crossedthe roxd to where his car vas parkc'l
against the seawall.He opened the door for me and then climbc'i
in behind the steeringwheel- He didn't stalt the car for a moment,
but sat with ITis hands on the wheel and his head rurned awrrr
from me, looking at the threarening ljght of tbe early afternoorr.
which vould darken into rain any minute. Suddenl,vhc clenched1)i5
t2u
fngers and said, "$?ell, the devil with them. Let them talk, if rhey
have norhing better to do-"
"Yes. An)'way, who cares?"I said,hoping it didn'r sound as rhough
/ did.
We lunched at the Taj several rimes after that, but on each occasion
a bir more defiantly, a bit more consciousof rhe appraising looks,
alwaysLnowing we were the only "unattzcheds" lunching together.
The others were businessmen, or marri€d couples doing duty entet-
ieining, which, for some reason,they couldn't do at home, or ladies
in groups, or foreigners-
Bombal is a big city, but in its life it is more like a conglomeration
of villages- In our set, for instance, everyone knew everyone else at
lcastby sighr. So, ofcourse, everyoneknew that Anand and I lunched
togerher x couple of tim€s e week, and cerrainly our famiiies must
have been told.
My parenrsnever mentioned the matter to me, though there was
o ccrtain warinessin th€ir minner whenever Anand's name came uP
in conversation.If Anand's mother everlecturedhim on getting talked
tbout, he evidcntly didnl think ic worth reP€ating.Of th€m all,
I daresayshe was rhe most troubled, being orthodox, wanting a
good, conservativemarriagefor her oniy son, being bewilderedby what
must have epp€ared to her-it seems astonishing in rectosP€ct-
lophisticarion.
OccasionallyAnand would iake me home to tea after our oltrces
had closed.t rhink he did this out of an unadmitted considerarion
for his mother, to set her mind at rest about the company he wes
kccping, to show her that I was not a Fasr Girl even if I did work
on r magazine.I don't know how much I r€assuredher, with my
thort hair and lipsrick, no r;;Ia in the middle of my forehead.But
rhc always grected me politelv, bringing her hands together in a
tcn^Adr, ^nd gave me c2nny looks when she thoughr I wasnl
noticing. \7e couldnl even speakto each other, sin.e we came from
diflcrent communities and shespokeonly Gujarati, while my language
was Hindi. She would alwayswait with us in the drawing room until
onc of the servrnts brought the tea; then she would lift her com'
frrrmblc figurc out of hcr chrir. nod ro me, und le^ve us xlonc. \(/e
\vHO CARIS?/Sinthr Rana Rau
were always conscious of her Presencein the next room beyond the
curtained archway, and every now and then we would hear her tercuP
clink on rhe saucer. Our conversation, even if she didn't understard
it, was bound to be pretty stilted.
Perhaps it was this silent prcssure, PerhaPs it wes only x sort of
restlessness thar made Anand and me leav€the usual haunts of our
ser and look for more obscure restaurants for oul lunch dates. Liberal
as we considered ourselves, I suPPoseI was beginning to los€ my
Ingland-returned brashnessand intractability. I was not, howev€r,
prepared ro stop meeting Anand for lunch. I liked him and vaited
with someimpatieflcefor his telePhonecalls,the rather Pleasantvoi.e
saying thirgs like "Heilo? ls this che careergirl?" (This was one of
Anand's favorite phrases of defance-if you came from a resPectable
family that could support you, you weren't supposed rc work for
money.) Sometimeshe would say, "This is undergound agenr 5o7.
Are you a fellow resistance fighter/"
In any case,I woutd laugh and say,"Yes," and he would suggest
that we cry some Chinese food, or eat dry cuffied chicken ar a certdn
Irani shop, or, if it was a rainless day, go to Chowpatty beach and
err odds and ends of the delicious,highly sPicedmixtures the vendors
there concoct. By tacit agreement,he no longer picked me uP in his
car. Insrcad, we elther met at the corner taxi rank or arived sePanrel!
et our rendezvous,
Once, when we were driving to Colaba,the southemmost Point
of the island, Anand suddenly leaned forward and asked the taxi drivcr
to stop. On an otherwiseuninspired'looking street,lined with ding!
middle-clesshouses,he had seena sign thac said'Joe's Place."Anan<j
was entmnc€d, and certainly the sign did look exotic amonS tlr('
bungalows and hibiscus. Joe's Place-named by some homesick
American soldrer,who had found his way therc during the war-
quickly becameour favorite restauranr.lffe felt it was our discovcl,
for one thing, and then it had a Goan cook, which meant rhat y(nr
could order beef. Most Hindus will not allow beef on rhe Premiscs
It is, as a result, the cheapestmeat in Bombay, and we ate a lo1 ('l
it at Joe's Place.
The proprietor, whom Anand insistedon crlling Joe, cven tlxruglt
5Jo
he was fat and iolly Indian, soon got used ro seeingus elmost every
" rhere
other day.\ge.ouldn\ imaginehow hc mrde ro1 money since
never s€emed to be anyone there besides Anand xnd me Joe waited
on table, so there welen\ even waicers Anand said that it was Probably
a front for black-market aclivities xnd that you cor'rld expect anything
of a man who ran a Joe's Place in Bombay We crme to feel so much
xr home at Joe's that we bought him a checkeredtablecloth, to lend
the place a bit of class, and he would spread it cercmoniously over
the corner rable, invariably pointing out thxt it had been hundered
rrught him
sinceour last mcal.Wr kcPr a bottle ofgin arJoe' rnd
to make freshJime gimlets with it, so that we couid have a cocktail
before lunch. He hxdn't a licenseto sell liquor, so he always shook
enyone
our cocktailsin an opaquebottle labeledStoneGinger, in case
We would sit ar our rable betseen the windoss ghncing ot't
jasmine bush, rhe
occasionallyat the Patch of straggly garden, tbe
des..ltow trafli.. ani talk How we talkedl On and on Sometimesit
vas "In the States,did you ever " or "Do you rcmember-" kind
of talk. Somedmesit was about incidents at home or in our omc€s
Ve talked a lot about Them-a flexible term, including any relatives
or friends!r'econsidcred old-f;,hioned.interrering acking in under-
standing- All through the sticlry Postmonsoon monchs, into the
-brilliant
cooler, days of eariy winter, we trlked lt seemsa miracle to
details
llle now that we could have found so much ro say about the
of our reasonably Pedestrian lives
If *'e'd been a bit older or more observant, we would c€rtainly
was
have known thar this state of afrairscouldnl last mucb longer' I
dimly aware chat every day of life in Bombay relaxed out antagonism
r tiny bit and blurred the outlines of our American years However,
I nwer guessedwhar Anand's family's counterattackto his England-
rcturned discontent would be Anand's mocher was a drrcct' uncom_
plicated woman, and in h€r view there was one obvtous way to cure
the whole disease.
lr was at Joe\ Place rhat Ana$d announced th€ arival of Janaki
I had got thire early, I remember,and was sitting at our table when
AnanJc,r-" in. He always had a certain tension in his walk, bur
531
\IiHO CARES?/Smth Rrna Riu
thet day it seemed morc Pronounced. He held his naffow shoulders
stiffy and carried an air of trouble, so I asked him at once v,/hether
enlthing was the matter.
"Matter?" he eskedsharyly."why shouid anything be the matter?"
"\fiell, I don't know. You just look funnv-"
"\X/ell, I don\ feel funny," he said, deliberately misunderstanding.
Joe brought him his gimlet and inquired rather despairinglv if I'c
wanted stezk again.
Anand waved a hand at him imPatiently and said, "later. Ve'll
decid€later." Then he looked at me with a Portentous frown. "D()
you *zaar what They've gone ^nd done natlr?" he seid. "They've invitcd
^ corrsin-^ dittant consin-to sta) "
This didn't seemto me any great disaster.Cousins,invired or nor.
were eternally coming to visit. Afly relativeshad tbe right to tufrr
up whenever it was convenient for them and stay as long as rhc\
liLed. But since he seemed so distressed,I asked carefully, "An,i
I suppose you'li be expected to fit him into the firm in som(
caPacitY?"
"Her," Anand said- "lt's a girl."
"A gi ? ls she goirngto work in the business?"This was reellr
cataclysmic news.
"Oh,ofcoure not. Czn't you seewhar Thel're up to? They're rryin1l
to arrange a marriage for me."
I could think of nothing to say excePtan unconvincing "Surcll
He went on without paying any attention. "I dar€sayTh€y rhinl
They're being subtle. Throwing us together, you know, so that nr1
incomprchensible,fareigt'-he emphasized the word bitrerlv'
"preferencefor making up my own mind about thesethings wil) n,,r
be ofrended. life xre to grow imperceptibly fond of eacb other. Oh
I see the whole plot."
"You must be imagining it aIL"
'
"She errived last night. They didn'r even tell me she was coming
"But PeoPIeare forever droPPing in."
"l know. But she wzs im,ited. She told me so."
"Poor Anand." I was sorry for him, and angry on his behall Thcrc
532
had never been any romantic exchanges between Anand and me, so
the girl didn't representany personalrhreat; but I honesdy rhought
that a matter of principle was involved. \(/e had so often egreed that
the syscemofaranged marriages was rhe ultimate insult ro onet rights
as a human being, the 6nal, insupportableinterferenceofdomineering
ilics.I rried to think of somerhingcomlorting to ,ay. bur could
y produce, feebly, "\fiell, rll you have to do is sit it out-"
"And watch her doing little chores around the house? Making
quiedyindispensable?"He addedwith a sour smile,"As the
roII by. Do you supposewe will grow old gracefirlly togetherT"
"Oh, don't be such a fool," I said, laughing. "She'Il have to go,
"But s.ill I live that long?" He seemedto be cheering up.
"It's racherunfair to the poor thing," I said, thinking for rhe first
of the girl. "I mean,if they'vegor her hopesup."
"Now, don't start symparhizingwirh l:ar The only way ro finish
thing once and for all-to make rny position clear-is to mary
elseimmediately. I supposeyou wouldn't considermarrying
would you?"
"Heavens, no," I said, startled. "I don't think you need to be as
ic as thar."
"rVell, perhapsnot. $Ze'll see."
At last I thought to ask,"\rhat's she cdled?"
'Janaki."
"Pretty name,"
i'It makesme vomir."
coULD hardly wait for our nexr lunch date, and when we met a
plc of dayslater at Joe's PlaceI startedquestioningAnand eagerly.
l, how are things?How are you making our with Janaki2"
Anrnd scemedrcmote, a bit boredwith the subject.'Joet" he called.
Morc ice, for Petc'ssake.Gimlers aren\ supposedto be mulhd." He
his fingerson the tablein a f2miiiar, nervousmovement. "He'll
lcarn," hc said resignedly.Thcn, afrer a paus€,'Janaki2 Oh,
.'$ rll right, I suppose.A minor pcst."
"ls shc bcing terrillT swcecto yott?"
WHO CARIS?/Saf,draRamaRau
"Oh, you know. I will say rhis for her, she manages to be pretty
unobtrusive-"
"Oh." I was obscurelydisappointed.
"Itt just knowing she'salways tberc th^t's so infuriadng."
"lc would &ive me crazy."
In a voice that was suddenly cross, he said, "She's so uornafl4."
"Hovers about, you mean?"
"Not thar, so much, b[t t can seeher bEing l'll ert a good dinner
or have had a good day at rh€ omce, or some demn thirg."
"It sounds rather flattering."
"I daresaythals rhe straregy.ICs pathetic, reJly, how lirrle They
know me if They think she's rhe sorr of girl I'd want to mary."
"lghac sort of girl uo ld you wanr io marry?"
"Heaven knows," Anand said in a hopelessvoice. "Someonequite
different, anyway. I knew one once"
"Was there a girl in America?" I askedvith inrerest-
"lsnt rhere alwaysa girl in Americal A sort of traditioo. In our
fatherJ rime, it used to be the daughter of the landlady somewhere
in Earl's Court. Usurlly blond, alwaysaccommodating."
"And yours?"
"Accommodating. But severalcuts abovethe landlady'sdaughrer.
She was a senior in college..And she had quite a nice family, if you
can standfamilies,rarhertimid, but determinedto believerhat a Good
Home Environment was a girl's best protection. I dont rhink rhei.
would have objected if we'd got maried."
"rVhy didn't you marry her, rhen?"
"Oh, I don't know. I guess I couldn't see her being an lndian
daughter inJaw living in a Bombay family and whar a mess rhal
wouid have made- Huft feelings and recriminadons and disap-
pointment all around. I'm not s€ntim€ntaiabour her," he said ear.
nesdy, as if it were afl imporrant point. "I mean, I know she wasn (
particularly goodlooking or anything, but I had a separateidenrir!
in her mind. I wasnt just somebody'sson, or someonero marry, ol
someonev,'ith good businessconnections."
"And all that is what you are to Janaki?"
"I supposeso. Vhat else could I be?"
51,{
As we left Joe's Place after lunch, he said, "I rhink you'd better
come to tea ao meet her. Vould you like tol"
"I was hoping you'd ask me."
"Okay, then- Tomorow?"
Full ofexcitement,the next day,I met Anandanddrovehomewich
him. "ls your mother going co be crcssabout your asking me?"
"Vhy shouldshe be cross?You've beento ceawith us before."
"Oh, don't be so dense,"I said,thinking, Poorgitl, it's going to
be very frustrating for her if he insists on treating her as a crsual
in come for a hoJiday. "Does your mother tectfully leave you
done with her for tea?"
"Never. The two ofthem chatter abour domestic details.Ifs really
vcry boring."
To me ir wx far from boring. For one thing, Anand's rnother was
cordixl to me than she had been on previous visits, rnd I
wherher she could alreadv be so sure of the successof her
that I v,/asno longer a danger. And rhen rhere was the suspense
waiting to see what Janaki would be like
She crme in tr'ith the servant who carried the tea tray. holdine
the curtain of the dining-room archway so that he could manage
easily. A plump, grxceful girl witb a very pretty face and a
tarive, vuln€rablesmile, vrhich she seemedreidy to cancelat once
you werent going to smile with her. I saw, instantly, that shc was
morhe(-in-law's ideal quiet, obedient, helpful- Her hair was
back into the convention?l knot at the naDeof her neck: she
^ tiaa ol her forchet4 wor€ no mxkeup except for the faintest
of lipstick, and even rhar, I decided, was probably a new
iment for her. a concessionto Anand's \(esternized tastes.
She spoke mosdy to Anand's mother, in Gujarati, end I noticed
shc had already assumedsome of the duties of e hostess.She
rcd rhe tea and xsked,in clear,lilting English,wherherI rook
llk rnd sugar, handed rround the plates of Indian savoriesand
s,
Aftcr thc first mouthful, I remarkedformally,"This is delicious."
Anand'smorhcr caucht rhc rone. even if she didn't understand
worrls. rnd sr somcthing io Gujrrati ro Anrnd.
' Jt 5
WHO CARES?/Sinthr Ram Rru
He translated,without much intercsa,'Janeki made rhem."
Janaki, in embarassment,wiped her mouth on her napkin, anrl
then gazed in surpriseand alarm at the pink smstrron the linen.
"How clever you are," I said to Janaki. "l wish I could cook
"It is very easyto learn," she repljed difidently.
"There never seemsto be any rime for it."
Entirely without sarcasmor envy she said, "That is true for som(
one like you who leads such a busy and interesting life."
I felt ashamedof myself, for no reasonI could quite put my 6rr
ger on.
\r(re continued to talk banalities, and Janaki kep. up her cn,l
admirably, managing to seem interested in the most ordinary conr
mefiasand srill keepinga watchftl e]e our ro seetbat cups and plxks
were filled. Th€ conversationgraduallyfell entirely rc Janaki and 'r{
becauseAnand retr€atedinto a sulky silence.I remember thinkinlt
that one couldn't really blame him. It must have been maddeniD;
to have to fac€ this sweet and vapid polieness every day afrer worlt
At last he jumped up and said abruptly that he had some papcl
to go through- I left soon after-
Janaki saw me to the fronc door and, s'ith an unexpccredsponrr
neity, put her hand on my arm. "Pleasecome to tet again," sbe s:u,l
"I mern, if you are not too occupied. I should so much like ir I
have no friends in Bombay."
"I'd be dclighted, and you must come to rer wirh me."
"Oh, no, thank you very much- P€rhapslater on, bur I musr )crrrl
the ways of this house 6lst. You seethar, don\ you?"
I mlked home, wondering at her mixrure of nervousness:rr,l
corfidence,at the fact that shealreadyfelr cerrainshebad a permarorr
place in that house.
At our next lunch date, it was Anand who asked rbe eager9u(.
tions. "\frell? !trhat did you rhinl( of her?"
And I replied noncommittally, "She seemedvery plcasant."
"You sound like my mother. She says,'A good,naturedgirl. li,rl
should counr yourself fortunate.' I supposeshe askedyou ro bc l! r
friend?"
"How did you know?"
536
"She's not as stupid as she looks. She said rhe sameto me. '\(ill
not allow us to be friendly, Anand?"' He attemptcd a saccharin,
incing falsecco.
He frowned. "The thin end ofthe wedge,don't
see?It would be funny if it wer€n'tso sad."
"r0Zell, at least she's very goodJooking," I said defensively.
"She's too fat."
"l think it rather suits her."
"A strong poinc in her favor, my mochff says, to make up for
puniness." Anand was sensitiveabout his height. He said, in a
y voice,daringone ro sympathize wich him, "Eugenicallyvery
Strong,hcalthygirl likejaneki merriedto a weaklinglike me,
we have a chance of strong, healthy children rhat uke aftfi her.
chil&en, you see,are rhe whole poinr of rhis straragem.I'm an
y son and must ptoduce some. My mother has a rather simple
to these things."
"You must admit," I said racheruncomfortably, "thar she'd make
very good mother."
"Not 2 doubr in the norld. She's a narural for rhe pert of the
Earch Mother. But I r2ther resent being viewed in such an
turel light."
Tt{E wEEKsthat followed. Ianaki dominated our conversarionat
ime. and I had (ea vr'ithrhcm quire frequerrll. Somerimc,.if
hend rqaskept late at his ofrce or had ro atrend a board meeting,
end I would have tea alone, and she would ask hundreds of
ions aboucAmefica,rrying, I rhought, to build up a picture
Anand's life rhere and the backsround that seemed to influence
m so much.Sheclaimedto be uniformly enthusiastic
aboutevery-
I American, end for me it was rather fun, becauseit made me
so suPeriorin exPerience.
Shc would question me, sometimes openly and sometimes in-
dlrccly, about Anand's restesaod prefercnces-We had a long session,
rcmember,rbout her looks.Shouldshewearmakeup?Shouldshe
hcr hair? \(hat about her clothes?I told her she was fine the
shc was, bur she insisted,"Hes he re?/rrsaid enytbing? He musr
vc mitdc Jrrlf tcmxrk?"
WllO CARIS?/ S.orbaRamr R:u
"\{rdl," I said reluctandy, "he did once menrion lhat he thoughf
you were just a fraction on the chubbv side."
Vithout a traceof rancor,Janakisaid,"lwill quicklvbecomethin'
"Hexvens! Don't take the remark so seriousl)'."
"It is noch;ng," Janaki assuredme. "On€ need onl,vavoid rice an,l
g.41."She did, too. I noticed the differencein a couple of weeks.
\(rhen Anand was rhere, the atmosPherewas much more straine,l
Frorn the frigid politenessof his early days n'ith Janaki, his manncr
gradually changedto irritation, which exPressed itselfin angrv silenr,
and later in a kind of undercoverreasingsometimeslacedwith mali.(
For insrance,he would greet her with something like, "\Vhar hrr(
you been up to today?Hemstitcbing the sheets?Crocheting for tJ,,
hope chestl" and Janaki would look puzzled and smile, as rhougl'
shehad missedthe point of a cleverjoke. Actuallr, shewasabeautilr I
needlewomanand did a good deal of exquisitelv neat embroidcr! ,,rl
all kinds of rhings antimacassars,doilies, face tos'els-infallil,lr
choosing hideous designs of women, in enomous criflolines, \'l
tering the flowers in 2n English garden, or bunches of roses\i11,
ribbons streaming from tbem. Once Janaki answeredAnand\ 1rl
quiry quice seriouslywitb an accounrof her da], the household j,,1,
she had done, the g'omen who had calledon his mother and had hc, ',
served coffee, and even produced the embroiderv she had hc,r,
working on.
"\{ronderfully appropriare for India. don't vou think?" Alrri'i
remarkedto me with rather laboredirony. One cou)dn\ help dislikilrl
him in this role of tormentor. The fact was, of course, tlrar 1 $ r"
getting imPercePtiblyfonder ofJanaki as his imPatience*'irh her g'( \
more oveft. There was, to me, both Sallantry and an aPFcr|rrrl
innocencein her undaunted conviction that eveiything B'ould lrLrr'
out dl right. What I didn't recognize$as the solid realism bchr','
her attirude. I sterted to susPeft the calcuhtion in her narurc riri
day when Anand had been particularlv difflcult. He bad insistc,l "t
talking about books she hadn't read and addressingremarks t() l! I
he knen' she couldn't enswer.
, All rhc s:Lmc,,r. homc he continucd to be oflhand or ovcrbearing
Janaki said nothing for a long rime and then admittcd. \!,rl
becoming lack of pretension, "I'n draid I read orrl,r thc st,rri,
"
tts
the lllastmted Veeh\. But, Anand, ifyou vould bring me
some books
you think good, I would read them.,'
"I'll see if I can find rhe time,,'he replied in a surly voice.
rvhen
Janeki showed me ro the door thar evening, I said in
considergblc exr.perarion. W\v do rou pur up wrrh ir: He nccdrr.r
be so disrgreeeble whcr hc ,rlks ro you .
"It is narural thar there should be difficulties at 6rsr. Afrer his life
in America, there are bound to be resenrmenrshere.,,
'!{ell,
I rhink you are alrogethertoo forbearing.I woLrldnt stand
_
h for a.recond." Privately, I had begun to rhink she must, alcer
all,
Then Jxnaki said, ,,\rhat would you do?,,
"kave, of course.Go back.', And ar that momenr I realized
what
she meanr. Go back to whar? To another berrothal arranged
by her
clders?Irarning ro pleesesome orher manT Here, at least,
sheiiked
her future morher-in law.
"And besides,"she said,.,I know rhar realiy he is kind.,,
In the end, Janaki turned our to be rhe wisesr oI us all, and
I
haveoften thought how lucky it was that shedidnl follow my advice
then- Not rhar Anand capitulatedall ar once. He remainedirritable
lnd carping; but graduallv he becameenmeshedin .har mosr
satis_
facrory of roles, a reluctant pygmalion.
I noricedit 6rsr one day when he finishedhis lunch rarher
hurriedly
tnd said, as we were going beck ro our oflices,,,Thacgirlt conversa
tir)n is d'i\in8 mc nu(. Lhjnk I rcafi hrd bc,rer"buyhe, .ome
hnks. A. lorg a. l m .r u. k q irh her . omp;nr... he addedrr^k_,,rrdr1.
rwc paned ar rhe book.hop.
rnd in tarc..on\ers/ron\ | lcrrned
thilt Jrnrkr sri doing her t.omeeork wirh ditrgen,crnd
ptea.ure.
I i o m r h c n o n ' h . n g . m o \ e d f a i r t yr : p i d t y t b e g e n r o
. a nri<ip;re
An:rnd. frcqrenr .uggerrionr(h,, *, ,p;nd prrr oi thc l.rn.h
hour
m',pF'ng ,u.urllr rl(trcr rngfucior,Jrcxp.e*rd ..We.vegot ro
ger
tl';" Firl in(o somc les, provinriai.lool,irgrari... "Th", ti,r;.
ijrl
n,. oorhing but 6lm music. I rcally musr get her some decencclassi_
cnl stuli"
witlr hcr.Shc(.rn,rincdcrtm,rnd:rcccpring,,r wi ing pupit who kncri
vHo c A R E S T /$ n r h ) R : m i R , o

thar her srupidity was a great trial to her teacher.Stili, cherewasnt

sard'aspersuasivelv
asI courd."ror him
a doubt in my mind about the changeofattitude going on in Anand. ,, ;t;;oo:T,.;::,t'nt-"'I
and I was certain that the Pygmalion story could have onlv one
."::'j.."f:.i: makinsuphermindabo'rsomething
endrng. t.'['ff..rl.,
Anand's parcnrswere evidenrty equally confident of tbe outcome. "Absolutelysure_',
fot one day at tea he announcedwith exuberancethat his father was
going ro send him to New York on a businesstriP He v'?s Pleased.
he said,becauseit meant that at last he was to be trusred with somc
real respoflsjbility.
#."r',
;Ii;iil.ffili ::i*,:ur:ii::Ti
well. I srrd inejfecruajlv.
'
I said, "And it will be such wonderful fun to be back in America Ho* crn one m2ke rhe jdea
timc . ol rom:nri
"Oh, yes.That, too, narurally But I don'r know hos' much
I'tI have for rbe bright lights and Parries" He had moved so
into the correct businessman'sviewPoint that I wanred to laugh
smooth]r

$[e becrme so absorbedin discussingthe details of the triP rhal

il[#T:"i,;r*iHl]j:,i,Lil
it cameas guite a shockwhen Janaki suddenlyspokein a flat' decisirc
voice."I, too, am leaving.I arn going back to my home." Deed silencc
for a moment, "Tomoffow," she sdd-
"Bur zrrJ-" I began.
*d*r*t
t-r*'f:fiiffi
,,'i#:
"It is my decision," she said. ,,,,i"i:i: l":ii:^:';i:::: repea,ins
r mu.rp.l my
Anand didnl say anything, just stood up, with all his brighr
i:l*:#.|r
g'aitc'l r ren.eethrr rhe,ed,ou.
bu.ine*
important planning gone, and walked our of the room We l,:T:fi:;-.yr*! or
to heer his stud)_door slam. :i::jlj"'."::9i::",r.",",,."ri,3
b... ;;.;.i,t",",::il,''il:,;."j
; ;..',:,;i:T:
Then my affectionlor Janaki (and, of course,curiosiry) made nr( :if;,1'*,::'l-:::1'"
n.";,;;:;,j"":_ :::::"::
l'il.;
rsk, "But why zar, just when things are going so well?" lHi il",i: ".",::llt ii".,
-',' ;.;;. il;;:
;".'i:T::.:iT.:Y":
"It was your advice,don't yoD remember?"
"But tbings were diFerenr then."
lJ:';i",T:::::::t!
vc slit her throar first.

"Yes." She nodded as though ere borh recognizedsome Panlcrl

Iar truth. #:y .::i*,i:il,.::tt
Jtrui"T",h"#T ;:
At the time I thought sbebelievedherselfdefert€d-I w,5 surPris''l
[:i::j3r,!1,i
;",Ji:
jtt;
]i::;..,xr
J,;'#;*-
llit
hlji_'':ri,!l "i:*:
and concernedthat what seemedso Plain ro me should remain obscr"
to her. "listen," I said cautiously, "dont you see rhat he-th?t rrl
spjte of everything, he has fallen in love with vou?"
I don't know quite whar I had expectedher responseto br: '
ffi :::;;r$:1#
crc'!,,,n;',onro 6nd her,cruriLl
and ;,; ;"",.',,
:: ;:,",,;:::i:
rorc*hich"shedi..oLrn.ed
bur ,"
radiant smile, PerhaPs,or even a senseof triumph. I hadn'r expc(r' 'l Ii,ij:. ,::: li .,, r., ,, ,L
:':.1':
li'",".,,, r,^insor. r;"ra"._
*.,.,",rr,
;: ;::. : ;;
her to glare ar me xs rhough I were an enemy and say, "Oh, kr'
I don't vant hiifr' to lo1,eme. I want him to marry me " il'lil ,'::l:'.:iil"::r"1,r;
i, wh:r
r you,vi 1; u.,r\i,'orv..",,,.,.,
-;..;::,
rr.w:is
rhc,,,,
rr,,,,,,..'
.1"i.',li
.-"lll'l;,1i.i;
540
WHO CARES?/Smthr Rin2 Ra!

"\Zell, yes. Then I realizedthat-',

rbsurd thing was that nobody would have been more appalled than
fcmini'r' "All your resentmefitand bed mannerswere
Janrki if you hrd crlled her I lust that_,, I wanted
to hurry him through the story.
As it s'zs, I heard with anxiery Anand on the Phone the next day,
saying,"Let's lunch. I want to talk to you-Joe's Place?One o'clock?" "!fell, yes."
I ias certain thatJanaki had gone home' with only the indignities "Well, congratulations,,,I said uneasily.
"It's firnny, isn't it,,'he said in e conndenr voic€,.,thei
of a few new clothes and a lot of tiresome slk to remernber' Their plans
should have worked out-but so differently. I donf
As soon as I saw him, I knew I was wrong He had the conven- s,rpposetiey,li
ever understand.,'
tionally sheePishlook that makesthe announcing of good news quite
"It wouldn't be worth rrying to explain.,,
pointless.He said, "An eventful evening, wasn't it?"
"Heavens, no. Look, lm taking
"Yes, it was, rather," Janaki our to lunch tomorrow.
and then he \Cill you join us?',
There was 2 long pausewhile he looked embarrassed
"Oh, no, surety-,'
srid all in a rush, "Inok, this is Soing to seernridiculous l mean
"She asLedpanicularly thar you come. She likes you
well, Janaki and I are going to be married-" very much,
you know..rnd bcsides.
"Ylu couldn\ do a more sensiblething"' I said' much relieved' shedoesni feclquirc comrorrable g;;n8 our
wrthour a cbaperon.'
He looked startled. "Sensible?Perhapsit seemsthat way to you'
"In that c^se-,' I said, with a nzstin€sslost on Anend. And
Actually, we're in Iove with erch orher'" all
'With earh ltber?" I echoed incredulously, ard rhen regretred it- the time I was rhinking, Have we all been made use of? A sympatheric
rnorher-in-law, a man you can flatrer, a guilibie friend from
"I knew it would seempeculiar to you l daresayyou've thoughl whom
you can leam bacLground and fighting conditions, wirh
I hated her rll this time." He smiled et me in a rathet suPeriorwa.Y' whom you
crn check tactics and their effects. Now thac she has won,
"I rhought so myself for a wbile. And Janaki, as you well imagine' she must
had every reasonto thjnk so. And I must say it certainly rcok 2lor have.nothing but contempt for alt of us. But simulceneously
I was
wondering, Is she, after all, reaily in love? It was r srate
of courage on her Paft I mein, when you think " she didn,t
know how ro cope with, and she could hope only ro
"You'd better start at the beginning," I said, suddenly feeling use the w€apon
shc kncw..an abitiruro pleaseo, ,ry ,o pLr,.. Why .he, or
l'Okay. I heard you leaveyesterdav,and then I heardJanaki come how could she. tell me all rhat herself_arealm ot which "hould
.which lhe $ds
into the hall-you know that timid way she has of walking and 8o unsure, was so far out of her experience?
stand oumide my study door' I was in quite a sete; but I daresar' Now thar I havemet so many
. Janakii of the world, I think I
that I wouldn't hav€ done anything about anvthing if she hadn't I Itnow which explanation was righr.
we ll mccr,- Anand was :a1ing.,.ar thc Taj. if thrr
mean, if someonehadn't taken the initiative." ."So s all right
wrth you?'
"Yes," I said, knowing what was coming bur unable ro shzke ofl
He hrd reserved a table by the windo*s.
my gloom. "She came to explain why she was going home " Janaki was a bir late,
to bc sure-she cxphrnedbrearhlesrly_
"She said you see, she isn't the Passivegirl you rhink sht thrr we would be rherebeforc
llcr, becauseit would havc becn agonl ro sir alonc.
told me that quite against her plans or anythjng she's exPected' '
she'd I know this will seemsilly-bur she'd fallen in love wirh mc ordcred from .he Indian menu, and Anand said, with
-We only
| flceting, questioning glance xt me,,,No wine, I cbink. There
"I see.And thet accounted for her behavior' Trying all the tim( really
to Pleaseyou, I mean " hnt any winc et all that goes with Indian food, is therc?,,

t 1:l 14J
 driverjustwhereto turnandwhereto
i,A;:l|]i'il:i "e so
The,girls.were ofan age.and rhc peoplc
OVERTHE RIVER AND rhel rrlked abour wcre
* hrsrn.rmesonrr. red. Bob.Gwen.
THROUGH THE \rOOD iT"::'_:"-
usieningl. wrh somc (are. Jean.Mrry. Lil
JOHN O NAFA/ UN]TEDSTATES
Mr. \Xirn6cld di,corered rh,, ,.hool
and boys whom they knew slightly were
l.gt:i1,":*. mentioned
by rheir last names.

/,"(*'-"/J^--^, f".H1ruff
.l:r:,:il:.:'l#,.#:.:::.'_:1,
lupplied everyother word q,hen Sheitawas tdking.
Shewas smallesr
lf, of the rhrec,girls.
LVIR. \VTNnFLDshar rnd .oar rnd bag werc in rhe hall of hr. ll.rr and rhc peppykind.Mrs Frrnsrorrhlooked
our
and when the man downstairsphoned to tell him the car was*aitirrq.
;il?:,J',:H
.r;# d'j^",,h
jiiJii;.:li,":,,', ;-.
";-
he wes tll ready. He went downstairsand said bello ro Robert. rlr ',rwonder ir,ha,chilJ;;ri;;;;;6;;.:"JH::riJT:*'.tJ,X
giant Negro chauffeur,and handedRobert the bag and followed hir"
y:k theworldshow
*,l,rae.
7aa. *i,r, r,, .i
out to the car. For che fust time he knew rhat he and his grrn,l
lf -**.ri,'f..
f..li: "*,,,
",i"
you wereas attractiveas t{i* n-n"*o,
daughter were not to make the rrip alone, for there were rwo girl .
with Sheila,and she introduced them: "Grandfather, I'd like to hr',
,"i,r,. .fi#:;il:K:ir::',:*::JTIT:*l
ndc-rstood
rhat he wz. nor cxpccredro , onrribureto
you meet my friends.This is Helen $rales,and this is Kay Farnsworr tr the corvcrsrrion.
we-srop here._,5ridShcjla.lr qr. D:nburv.:nd
My grandfarher,Mr. Vinfield." The names meanr norhing co ^tl thcr .rme to
IX/infield. \fhat did mean something was rhat he was going ro hrr{ halt in front of the old hotel. ,,lrouldnt you
like to srop here,
nndfether?,'He understoodrhen rhat his daugt
to sir on rhe strapontin, or else sit outside wirh Robert, whicb {.r', ter lad tolj Sleil"
srop,here:.obcdicntlyand cirh no digniq hc
no good. Not rhat Robert wasn'r all dght, as chauffeursgo, l,r'r 8or out. When he
Robert was wearing a raccooncoat, end Mf. rJtrinfeld had no raccrrrr ,: ,T *:. rhe thref girts were6ni.hing
11":: their cisa.erres,
:nd
coat. So it was sit ourside and freeze,or sit on the lirtle searinsr,l,
hc.climbed backin rhe czf he noticedil"r,:;';;;;;";;;
In looking2t him and continuedcolook at
Appafently it madeno differenceto Sheila.He got inside,and s lr rr him, almostasthough
he closed the door behind him, she said, "I wonder wbat's kecpirrl, mrkng r poinr of nor hcipinghim _rt,h."gh
.wcrc ; ;,;:;
ftclp He nasnr. rea y n olJ n;^. ln o/t/
Robert?" nan. stvl re
"He's strapping my bag on that thing in rhe back," said l\tr
tnsworthaskedMr. Vinfield if he,dminj
$finfield. Sbeila obviously was nor pleasedby the delay, bur ir .r opcnrnga wrnoow.He
ncd it. Then Sheilasaidone window didn,i
minute or two they got under way, and Mr. rJTinfieldrather adnrrrr,l maki any difference;
che way Sheila caffied on her conversarionwith her two friencls.!rl enough ,,r,ryr
to tetthesmok.g., o,.,r.
I ::],:-:,',1.1,,1,r.:]".1r
nt-rir fc-els
at the same dme routed and reroured Robeft so th2t they wcl.(.,,rrr
good,',srid Miss \yzaies.Then: ,,BLrtwhit abo,.,tyor,
rtJ/lnn:T].\|ol fe il
ot lhe cry in no rirre. To Mr. rx/infeld ir wa. plea,antrnd .r l',', a terribledraughrthete..,Hereplied,for the
: tuscrf his
like old times to have the direction and the driving done for.r.,,,r voicc thus far, that he did nor mrncl.
And at rbfi
cnr rh.. gids tlrought thcy srw a crr bckrnging
Nor that hc evcr drove himself any more, but whcn be hircd l , ,r ro rLL.xrythcy
'ivr,,__ra,,,_,,,:,i
, :rn<lrhcywcrcin Shcfiickl,
ir" """ ,f,. il".l

5,1,1
OVIR TH! RlvlR AND THROUGH THE I{OOD/John O'Hata
before Miss Farnsworth realized that the windows were open and
crearing a terrible draught. She realized it when the robe sliPPed oli
her leg, and she askedMr. $7in6eld if he would mind closing the
window. But he was unable to get the crank started; his hands were
so cold there was no sffength in them. "\qe'll be tbere soon," said
Sheila.Nevertheless,sheclos€dthe windows, nor even acknowledging
Mr. \0infield's shemedaPologies.
He had to be 6rst out of the car when they afiived at rhe housc
in Lenox, and it was then that he regrefted having chos€n the
scrapontin.He stsrtedto get out ofthe car,but when his feer rcuched
rhe ground, che hatd-packed frozen cinders of the driveway flew up
at him. His kneeshad no strength in them, and he srayedthere o'1
the ground for a second or two, trying to smile it ofl Helpful
Robert-almosr too helpful; Mr. Winfield wasn't thar old-jurnped
out of the car and Put his hands in Mr. \Tinield's armpits. The girls
were frightened, but it seemedto Mr. $0infield that they kePt lookinfi
towatd the library window, asthough they were afraid Sheila'smorhe.
would be there and blaming them for his fali If they only kne*' . .
"You go on in, Grandfather,if you're sure you're aU right"' said
Sheila."I have to tell Robert about tbe bags."
"I'm all righc," said Mr. Winfreld. He went in, and hung up his
coat and hat in the clorhes closet under the starrs.A relePhonewas
there, and in front of the telePhone a yellow card of numbers fre
quently calied.Mr. \(/infeid recognizedonly a few ofthe names,but
he guessedthere was an altogether different crowd of peoplecoming
up herc these days. Fifteen years m2kes a ditrerence, even in a Plac(
like lenox. Yes, it was fifteen years since he had been uP here in
the summertime. These trips, rbeseannual rriPs for Thanksgiving,
you couldn't rell anything about the characterofthe placefrom rhesc
trips. You never saw anybody but your own family and, like todav.
thelr guests.
He went out co the darkenedhall and Ula, the maid, jumPed il
fright. "Ugh. Oh. lt's you, Mr. 'I[rinfield. You like to scareme "
lvber. s
"HeIIo, Ula. Glad ro s€e you're still holding the forr.
Mrs. Dzy?"
"Upstairs, I rhink . . . Here she is now," said UIa.
His daughrercame down the saeps;het hand on the banister
wesall he could se€at 6rst. ,.Is rhat you, FatherlI thought I heard
"Hello, Mary,,,he said.Ar the foot ofrhe srairstheywenr rhrough
the travestyof a kiss that both knew so well. He leanedforwardio
that his headwas abovcher shoulder.To Ula, a good Catholic,it
must have looked like thc kiss of pf ce. ,,pdr( titi," Mr. .u|infreld
felt like saying,but he said,,,rJ7here haveyou_,,
"Fatherl You re freezingl', Mrs. Day tried very hard to keep the
vexatiooout of her rone,
"ft was a cold ride,,'he said.,,This time of year.S(/ehad snow
flurics betweenDanbr:ryand Shefield,but the girls enjoyedit.,,
"You go right upstairsand havea bath, and I,ll sendup*whef
would you like?Tea?Chocolare? Coft'ee?,,
He wasamused. The obviousthing would be to offerhim a drinlq
tno rt wes so apparenrthrt she was talking fast to avoid thar. .,I
think cocoawouid bc fine, bur youd better havea real drink for
Sheilaand her friends.,,
"Now why do you rakeihar tone,Father?you couldhavea drink
lf you wantedit, but you,reon the wagon,aren,tyou?,,
"Srill on it. Up therewith chedrivei,,
"!f:Jl, and besides,liquor doesn'rwarm you up rhe sameway
tomcrhinghor does.I'll sendup somechocolate. I,vepur you in your
old room, of course.You'll have to sharethe bathroomwith one
of Shcila'sfriends,but rheCsfte bestI could do. Sheil2wasn\ even
lurc shewascoming till chevery last minute.',
"l'll be rll righr. Ir soundslike-I didn'r bring eveningclothes.,,
"We'rc not dressing.,,
Hc wcnt upstairs.His room, the room itself,wasjust abour the
mmc.bur rhe furniturewasrearunged. his favorire.hdirnol where
hc likcdir,besr, but ir w.r.a goodhou.e:you .ould tell r rl. being
llr(.l in, thi JeaLtod;r. tomorrow.Lirrlctourhe..,,h,.ay,.flo*erl
It nccmcdyoungand whirc, cool with a warm breath,comfortable_
Ind ;rbsolu(clv \rrangcro him rnd.moree(pecially. hero it. Whatevcr
ol thc fjrsrrhi\ houschadhcld.rr wasgonenow.He srr in the.bair
In(l lit :r ciF,trcrrcIn:r w.Lvc. in:r lump,in a gu"r rtrc,,t.lrt).,uBhtr
1.t/
OVIR THn RMR AND THROUGS THE \(/OOD/John O'Hu
came to him. Most of the year they were in the back of his mind'
but up hete Mr. \Finfield held a soft of annual review of far-of, but
nevet'out of-sight regrets.This house,it used to be his uncil Mary's
husband bought it. A good Pric€, and in 1921 he cerrainly needed
the money. He fleeded everything, and today he had an income from
the mon€y he got fot this house,and that was about all. He remem'
bered the day Mary's husband came to him and said, "Mr. winfield.
I hate to have to be the on€ to do this, but Mary-Mary doesn't-xeil
sh€ thinks you wer€n't very nice to M$ Vinfeld. I don't knoN
anything about it myself, of course,but thaCs what Mary thinks I
expecrcd,naturally, I thought you'd come and live with us now rhrt
Mis. \lflinfreld has died, but-well, the Point is, I know you've lov
a lot of mone1, and also I haPPento know about Mrs- \fin6eld s
will. So I'm pr€paredto make you a Pretty good ofrer, stdcdy legiti
mate based on current values, for the bouse in lenox- I'll Pry d)f
delinquent taxes myself and give you a hundred and 6fty thousan'l
dollars for the houseand grouods That ought ro be enough to prtt
off yout debtsand give you a fairly decentincome. And, uh, I happcrr
to have a friend who knows Mr- Harding quite well. Iact, he scc
the Presidentinformally one night a week, and I know he'd be onlr
roo glad, if you were interested . "
He rememberedthat had temPtedhim. Harding might have fixc'l
ir .o he could go ro London.qherc Enid Waler wJs Bul elcn th r'
it was too late. Enid had gone back to London becausebe didn t
have the guts to divorce his wife, and the reasonhe wouldnt divor' '
his wife was that he wanrcd to "Plotect" Mary, and Mary's stand'rrl1
efld Mary's husband'sstanding,and Mary's little daughter'sstandinrl
and now he was "Ptotecting" them aI over again,by selling his hour
so thet he would not become a family charge-Protectrng the v(r\
same PeoPlefrom the embaffassmentof a Poor relarion. "You (rrrl
have the house," he told Day. "ICs worth that much, but no morr'
and I'm grateful to you for not ofering me more- About a Polirk rl
job, I think I might like to go to California this winter. I have sollu
friends out there I haven't seen ,n years" He had known thar thrr
wes exactly what Mary and her husbandwanted, so be'd gone'
There was a knock on the door' lt was Ula wirh a trry. "wlrl
5.1r'l
two cups,Ula?" he sdd.
"O..h.-Pi?u:
llo
cups?So I did. I,m just so usedro puting two
cups.".Shehad left the door open behind her, and as Je arranged
thc things on the marble,toppedtable he saw Sheila and the rwo
girls, standing and moving in rhe hall.
"This is your room, Farni€,', said Sheila. ',you're down this wav.
Hclen. Rememberwhar I rold 1ou. Farnie.Corre on, Helcn...
"Thank you, Ula," he said_She went our and closedthe door. and
be stood for r.momeor. Lonrempl.rring rhe chocolarc.rhen pourcd
out a cup and drank it. It made him a little thirsty, but it was
eood
rnd warming and Mrry ras nghr: ,r wa\ berrcrrhan a drinkl
He
out another cup and nibbled on a biscuit. He had an idea:
iss lamsworth might like some. He admired that
sirl. She had
.rnk.He bershekncs whzr shcwanted.o-.eemedro,;d no melrcf
utumporianr wer€ rhe things she $.anred,cheyvrere the rhings
wanred, and noc someoneeise.She could damn well thank the
, too, that she was young enough to have a whack at whatever
wanred, and nor have to wait the way he had. That girl would
e up her mind about a man or r fortune or a career,and by God
would attain whatever it was. If she foLrnd,as she surely would
, rhat norhing ever wes enough, she,dat least 6nd it out in rime;
d ear\ dkillusionmenrcarrieda compensarory philosophicalani_
de, srhich in a hard girl like chisone srould t"k .rottrirrgfro-
charm.Mr. Vinfield felt her charm,and beganregardingheras
mosrinrcresringpersonhe had met in manydull,rears.Ii s,ould
ftrn to ralk ro hcr. to so.rndher our and scr how tar .he h;d
roward,say,ambirionor disillusionment. It would be fun
do, rnd iL would be iusr plain nice of him, rc former mrner
of
house, to invire het to have a cup of cocoe with him. Good
He made his choice berweengoing out in rhe hall and knockine
on her door.and kno.king on her door to rhe barhroom.He de.idel
the sccond procedurebecausehe didn,t wanr anyone to seehim
cking on her door So he entered rhe bathroom and tapped on
door thac led ro her room. ,'In a minu.e,,'he thought tre helrd
sxy. Bur (hcn hc kncw hc must have been wroog. It souncled
DINTA! OR MINTAr, I SAY IT'S SIINACH / S.J. lerelflan
more like.Come in-" He hered people who knocked on doors and
had to be told two or thrce timcs to come in, aad it would makc
a bad imprcssion if he started the frieodship rhat way.
He opened the door, and immediately he saw how right he had
been in thinking she had said "In a minut€." For Miss Farnswonlr
v/as standing in the middle of the room, standing there all but nudc
Mr. \qiDfield insranrly knew rhar this was the end ofany worth-whil<
life he had left. There was cold murder in the girl's eyes,and loathing
xtrd contempt 2nd the promise ofthe rhoughr his name foreverwoul,l
evoke. She spoke to him: "Get out of here you dirw old man."
He returned to his room and his chair. SIonrIyhe took a cigarctr.
out of his case,and did not light it. He did everything slowly. Thtr(
was all the time in the world, too much of it, for him- He Lnc"
it would be hours beforehe would begin to hate himself For a whil.
he would just sit there and plan his own teffor.
DENTAL OR MENTAL,
I SAY IT'S SPINACH
S J PEFELMAN
/UN TED STATES
As DrNTrsr Gxrs FoRcrps,The Nerv YorL Times reportedthe unurr.,l
caseofa man who leapedout a window as the dendst got the forccl"
Briefly, the circumstanceswere these.A war worker in Sraten isl;rr,l
tottered into a dental parlor and, indicating an aching molar, moin(l].
"It's killing me. You\e gor ro pull ir ouc." The dentist grinncd 1,1.,
a Cheshirecat-The NewYorkTimes neglectedro sayso,bur aChcshrr,
cat who was presentat the time grinned like a dentist-and rer, k '1
for his insrruments. "There vras a lerp end a crash," continucs rl',
accounc."The astonisheddentist saw his patienc spring througl, 'li,
t50
closedwindow and drop ten fert to the sidewalk,wherehe lay dazed."
Thecasualty wassubsequently treatedat a near-byhospitalfor abrasion
rad shock by Drs. J. G. Abszian and \(alrer Shocl, and then,likc
I worm, creptbackto the dentist,apologizedand offeredco pry for
the damagc.On one point, however,he remainedcuriouslyadamant.
Hc sdll hxs his tooth.
As a party who recentlyspenta whole morning with his knees
bracedagainsta dentist'schest,srhimpering"Don't-don't-I'll do
rnything, but don't drilll" I am probablyrhe only mm in Amelica
cquipped to sympathizewith the poor devil. Ever since Nature p!e-
lqntcd me xt birrh with a sct of ahircy'twoflawlesslittle peadsof
tssorced sizes,I neve!oncerelaxedmy vigilant stewardship of same.
From thc ageof six onward,I constantlypolishedthe enamelwith
Pceoutbritrle, massaged the incisorstwice daily with_lollipops,and
chcwedtef,y and chocolare-covered caramelsfaithfully to exerciscrhe
gums.As for consultinga dentist!€gularly,my punctualitypractically
tmounred ro a fetish. EverytwelveyexrsI would drop whareverI
wasdoing and allow wild Caucasian poniesto dragme to a teputable
orthodontist-I guessyou might sayI was hippedon rhe subjectof
dcntalcare.
Vhen, rherefore,I inadvertentlystubbeda toorh on a submerged
6hcry in an old-fashioned lasr week and my coupeericochetedoff
thc ceiling,I felt both dismayedand berrayed.By elevenrhe next
horning, I was seatedin the antechamber of one RusscllPipgrass,
D.D.S.,limply holding a copy of rhe National ceoglaphicupside
down and pretending to be absorbedin Magyar folkways. Through
thc door cornmunicating with the arenathrobbeda thin, blood,cur-
dling whine like a circularsawbiting into a greenplank. Suddenly
tn car'splirringshriekroseaboveit, recedinginto a chokedgurgle.
I nonchalantlytappedout my cigaretrcin my eardrumand leaned
ovcr ro the nurse,a Medusatype with serpentswrirhing our from
undcr her prim white coil
"Ah-er-pa(don me," I observed swailowinga bit of emerypaper
I had bcenchewing."Did you hearanythingjust then?"
"Vhy, no," she replied,primly ocking backa snakeunder her
(xt. "Vhat do vou mcrn?"
DINT,{r OR MINTAL- I sAY IT'S SPINACH/ S J Pcaino

"A-a kind of a scratchysound," I faltered. "Ong ong ong," I wheezed.

"Oh, that," she sniffed carelessty."Impacted wisdom toorh. \(/e
"H'm'm'm, a cleft palare,"he mused "Just as I feared And you've
have to go in through the skull for those, you know.', Murmuring
gor betweentour and five thousandcavities $(/hile we're at it, I think
someinconsequendalexcuseabout lunching \.irb a man in Sandus\,
we'd better terr our those lowers with a jackhammetend Put in some
Ohio, I dropped ro rhe floo! and was creeping toward the corridor
nice expensivecrowns. Excuse me." He quickly dialed a telephone
on all fours when Doctor Pipgrassemerged,rubbing his hands."rJ(rell,
number. "Is lhat you, Irenel" he asked."Russell.Listen, on that \thite
here's an unexpectedwindfalll" he cackled,his eyesgleaming with
tnink coxt we were talLing about at breakfast go right ehead, l've
cupidity. "look our-slam rhe door on him!" Before I could dodgc
changed my mind. . . . No, I'Il teli you later' He's filthy with it"
past, he pinioned me in a hammerlock and bore m€, kicking and
"I-ook, doctor," I saidwith a casualyawn. "lt\ norhing really-just
srruggling, inco his web. He was tfling ro wrestle me inro rhe chxir
I funny tickling sensationin char reat tooth l'il be back Tuesday-a
when the nu$e feced in, brandishing a hear,yglass ash tray.
yexr from Tuesday."
"Here, hit him with rhisl" she panted. "Yes, yes,"he interruPted,Patting me reassuringly"Don\ be afraid
"No, no, we mustn'r bruise him," mutrered Pipgras' ,.Thcil
how; lhis v{on't hurc a bit " \(irh a slow, cunning smile, hc prodr'rced
relativesalways ask a lot of silly questions." They fnally made mt
ftom behind his back a hyPodermicofthe tyPeusedon brcwery horses
comfy by strapping me into the cbaL with half a dozeD rox/els, tihcd
g y h p . p l d n g e dr r i n t o r h c8 r ' r m l h e r i P o t m y n o s e
i n d . d i i L e n d i nm
my feet up and pried open my teeth reirh a spoon-"Now rhen, s.hcr(
instantly froze, and my tongue rook ofl rhe ProPortions of a bolt
are his X-rays?" demandedthe doctor.
of flannel.I ried to cry out, but my larynx was ouc lo Iunch Seizing
"\7e haven't any," retumed the nurse. "This js rhe 6rst time hc \
the opFortunity, Pipgrasssnatchedup his drili, took a firm purchase
been here."
on mt hair and teed oil A mixture of sensation,toughly comParable
"\(rell, bring me any X-rays," her employer barked. ,.\7hat diffcr
to beirg alternarelystiletroedand inflated vith a bicyle PumP, over-
ence does it makel \(rhen you've seenone rooth, you,ve seen rhcrr my
€ame me; wo thin wisPs of smoke curled upward slowly from
all." He held up thc X rays againsr the light and examined thcn:
€!rs. For$nately, I had been schooled from boyhood to withsmnd
crirically."rvell, friend, you're in a peck oftrouble,', he saidar lengrh thrt rattled
Fsin without flinching, and beyond an occasionalscream
"You may as well know the worsr. Theseare rh€ reerh of an eighr\
ihc windows, I bore myself s'ith the stoicism of a red man Scatcely
year-ordman. You got here just in dme.,, Plucking a horrendoL^ wiPed
nincty miflutes lacer, Doctor PiPgrassthrust aside the drill,
nozzle from the rack, he shot compressedair down my gullet rhrrr before
his si.. m;ng forehead and shook the mass of ProroPlasm
sent me inco a srrangledparoxysm,and peeredcuriously ar my inhr,s
him.
"\a'ho put those in, a steamitter?,, he sneered_ ..you oughr r,,
"\?ell, we'rein the homestretch,"he announc€dbrightly, extraccing
be arrestedfor walking around with a job like rhar.', He rurn((l fill
I rubber sheet from a draver. "$(/e'Il Put this dam on you and
abruprly at rhe rusrle of greenbacksand gJaredar his nurse_.,Sechc,(..
hcr in r jifil,. YoLr dont ger claustrophobia,do youl"
Miss Smedley,how many dmes have I told you nor to count (ll.
"\vh-what's that?" I squexked
patienCs money in front of him? Take the waller outside and F,,
"Fcar of being buried alive," he explained smoorhlv "Kind of a
through it there." She nodded shamefacedlyand slunk out. ..Thr !.
Itifling fceling. Your he,rrt srarrsracing rnd you think you're going
the kind of thing thar createsa bad impression on rhr hymrD,' over
cm,ry.Purc imaginarion,of cou$e." He Pinned the Nbber sbeet
growled Doctor Pipgrass,poking ac my rongue rvith a shalp sriLlr with my thoughts
my i,rcc,slippcJit oucLthe ooth .rnd left me alone
"Now what seemsro be the trouble in rhere?" tlo/tma
fn lcsstirr.c ihrn it ukcs t<r rclltc. I ws a gr'rclui\tc l:'1cmb-:r'

552
THn DROVE&'S 'iqlF! / HcnrYra{son
cun ldade,of the Cla\tstroPhobiaClub My facehad turned a stunning
shadeofgreen,my heartwasgoing like Big Ben,anda setof castanets
in my knees$rs playingthe Malaglena.Summoningmy lastreserves
of strength,I castofrmy bondsandcatapulted throughthc anteroom
to freedom. I lcft Pipgrassa fleece-linedovscoat worth sixtydghi
dollars,but he'svelcometo it; I'[ stringalong nicelywith this big
wad of chewinggum over my rooth. On me it looksgood
THE DROVER'S\rIFE
HFNFYLAWSON7 AUSIFALIA
\^rrr\***'
Tt, t*o-*-*o HousEis built of rouod timbcr, slabs, and
stringybark,and flooredwith split slabs.A big bark kitchenstandinl
at onc end is largerthan the houseitself,verandaincluded
Bushall round-bush with no horizon,for the countryis flat N,r
rangesin the distance.The bush consistsof sonted, rotten natirc
apple trees.No undetgrowth. Nothing to rclicve the eye savc thc
darko greenof a few she-oaks which are sighingabovethe narrow'
almostwatedesscreek.Nineteenmilesto the nearestsiSnof civrll
zation-a shanryon the main road.
Thc drover,an ex-squatter,is away with sheep.His wifc rrr',1
children arc left here alone.
Fourragged,dried-uP-looking childrenareplayingabourthe hou.,
Suddenlyone of them yellsr"SnakelMother, here'sa snakel"
The geunt, sun-brownedbushwomandashesfrom the kitclrcrr.
snatchesher baby from the ground, holds it on her left hip rrr'l
reaches for a stick.
"\Cherc is it?"
"Herel Goneinro thewoodheaPl"
( 'l
yellsrheeldestboy-a sharP-lx,
Jt4
urchioof elevcn."StoPthere,Mothcrl I'll havehim SrandbacklI'll
hrve the begger!"
"Tommy, comc here,or you'll be bit Come hele at oncewhen
I tcll you, you little wretchl"
The youngster cornes rcluctandy, carrying a stick bigger than
himself.Then hc yells, triumphandy: "Therc it goes-under the
bouse!" and darts awaywith club uplifted Ar lhc sam€lime the big,
blrck, yellow-cyeddog-of-all'breeds,who hasshown the wildest intcr-
art in the proceedings,bteakshis chain and rushcsafter that snake'
Hc is a momenclatc, howevet,and his nosereachesthe crack in the
Almostat the samemomcnt
dlbs just asthc end ofits tail disappears
lhc boy's club comesdov.rnand skins the aforcsaidnose Alligator
!*cs smallnotice of chis,and proceedsto underminethe bullding;
hc is subduedaftcr e struggleand chaincdup They cannot afrord
losc him.
Thc drover'swife makcs rhc children stand together neat the dog
while shewatchesfor chesnake Shegcts two smalldishesof
llk and sets thcm do$m near the well to temPt it to come o!rt:
t an hout goesby and it doesnot show itsell
l! is ocarsunset,and a thundcrstormis coming.The childrenmust
broughcinside.Shewill not take them into thc house,for she
lws the snakeis there,and may at zny momentcomeuP tnrougn
Grick in the rough slab floor: so she cardes severalarmfuls of
into the krtchen, end then takcs th€ children there The
khcn has oo floor-or, rather en exrthenone-called a "gtound
' in this parr of the bush.Thereis a large,roughly madcrablc
thc ccntcrof the Place.Shebringsthe childrenin, andmakesthem
on this tabl€. Thcy are two boys and rwo girls-mere babies She
rhcm somesupper,and theo, beforeit gcts dark,shegoesinlo
housc,and snrtchesup somepillows and bedcloth€s-exPecting
rcc or lay her hend on chesnakeany minute. Shemakesa bcd
thc kitchcntablefor the children,and sitsdown bcsideit to wacch
nrIht.
ihihns an cycon thc corner,xnd a grecnsaplingclub iaid in readi-
on thc drcsscrbv hcr side;rlso her sewingbaskerand a copyof
YtnngLaliel .Jarmal shc hasbror'rghtthc dog inro thc toom
THI DROVIR'S ria/IFl/ HenrylaNson
Tommy turns in, under protest, but sayshe'll lie awake xll nighl
and smesh that blinded snake.
His mother asks him how many rimes she hes told him nor to
He has his club with him under the bedclothes,andJac$ protests
"Mummyl Tommy's skinnin' me alive wif his club. Make him rakc
Tommy: "Shet up, you little-! D'yer want ro be bit lrirh rhc
snake?"
Jackv shuts up.
"If yer bit," saysTommy, after a pzuse,,,you,ll swell up, an' smcll.
an'turn red an'green an'biue all over till yer busr. $7on,r hc,
Morher?"
"Now then, dont frighten the child. Go ro sleep," she says.
The two younger children go to sleep,and no*, and rhen Jncl,r
complains of being "skeezed".More room is made for him.
PresentlyTommy says:"Morhert lisrer to them (adjective) l;('k
possums.I'd like to screw rheir blanky necks.',
And Jacky protests drowsily.
"But they don't hurt us, the litde biankst"
Mother: "There, I told you you'd teachJac\ ro swear.,,Bur rh.
remark makes her smile. Jacky goes to sleep.
PresentlyTommy asks:"Morhert Do you rhink theylleverextritrrr
rhe (adjective) kangaroo?"
"fordl How am I to know, child? Go ro sleep.',
"\Will you wake me if the snake comes our?"
"Yes- Go io sle€p."
Near midnight. The children are all asleepand she sits thcrc rr ill
sewing and reading by turns. From time ao cime she glancesrour,l
the fioor xnd wall plate, and vrhenel.ershe hears a noise she rea(lx.
for the scick. Th€ thunderstorm comes onJ md the wind, rusl:il1
through the cracksin rhe slab wall, rhreatensro blovr out her canrltr
Sheplacesit on a sheireredpart ofthe dresserand fixesup a newsprlr r
to pforect ir. At every flash of lightning che cracksbetweenrhe sl:rl'.
gleam lik€ polishedsilver.The thunder rolls, and the rain comcsdrrrl
Alligztor lies xr full length on the floor, wirh his eyes
turned
towardsthep?ftition.Sheknowsby rhis rhat rhesnakeis there.
There
arc large cracks in that wall opening under the Iloor of rhe house.
She is nor a cowxrd, but recenr events have shaken her nerves.
A little son of her brorher-in-law was larcly birten by a snake, and
died. Besides,she has not heard from her husband for six months,
lnd is anxious about him.
He wasa drover.;nd.r.rrred ,gualing herewhen rhe) werem.rrried.
c clroughrot t8- ruined him Hc had ro s.(ri6(c rhe fcmnanr
oI
flock and go droving again. He intends to move his family into
jrearesl rol/n when he comes back, and, in rh€ meanrime, his
who keeps a shanty on the mein road, comes over aborlr
oDcea month with provisions.The vyife has sdll a coupie oF cows.
Onchorse.and r lew.hecp. Thc brorher-rn_laq kill, ore or rhc latter
occasionallv. giles her whrr shcnecd.ofir and ukc. rhe re.r In re"urn
lor other provisjons.
She is used to being lefulofle. She once lived like this for eishteen
rnrhr. As a girl she burtr thc u.u.rl .asrlc. in rhc air; bur
ilt her
lish hopcsand:rpir.rrion, h.rc long beendead.She 6nd, all
rhc
r and recrearion she needs in the ya/.ng Ladiet,Jaumal,
U5a"g" t'1h her!-takes a pleasurein rhe fashion plates.
-
Hcr husbandis ,n Ausrrzlien,and so is she.He is careless. but
Soodenoughhu.bandlf he hrd the mcan:hc qoutd rakeher ro
city and.keep her there like a princess.They xre used to being
t,.or at leastshe is. .,No usefretting,', shesays.He may forget
imcs rhat he is married; bur if he has a good check
when 1e
back he will give most of it to her. \irhen he had money
he
her to rhecrryscverrlri.nc.-hired, ,r;1*r, dcepingcomian-
t, and put up at the beschotels.He r.lsobo,lgti lr"i a
bu;gy,
I thcy had to sacrifce rhar along with the rest.
'l'hc
lasr two children were born in rhe bush_one while
her
d was bringing a drunken doctor, by force, to arrend to
her.
! wils alone on rhis occrsion,and very weak. She had been ill wittr
fcvcr. Shc prxyed to God to send her assistancc.God sent Black
'y-thc "whitcsr"
Ain in all thc land.Or, rt lcmt, (iod scnr King
|ny lusi, xnd hc srnt tlhck Mrrry.Hc pur his hlir(.kfir(r.ft)urr{i
lH! DROVIR'S WIIE/Hcnry Liwson
the door post, took in the situationat a glance,afld saidcheerfully:
"A1l right, missus-I bdng my old woman,shedown alongacreek."
One of the children died while she was hete alone. She rode
ninereenmilesfor assistance, cdrying rhe deadchild.
IT MUST B! nearoneor two o'clock.The 6reis burnioglow. Alligator
Iiesvrith his headrestingon his paws,and watchesthe {'ail. He is
not a very beaurifuldog, and the light showsnumerousold wounds
wherethe hak will not grow. He is aftaid of nothing on the face
of the earth or under it. He will tacklea bullock as readilyas he
will tacklea fea. He hatcsall otherdogs-exceptkengaroodogs-and
hasa matked dislike ro friends or relationsof the family. They scldom
call, however.He sometimesmakesfriends with strangcrs.He hates
snakesand haskilled many,but hc will be bittcn someday and die;
most snakedogsend that way.
Now and then the bushwomanlaysdown her work and watches,
endlistens,and thinks.Shethinks of thingsin her own life, for rhere
is little elseto think about.
Thc rain will makethe grassgrow, and this rernindsher how she
fought a bush fire once while her husbandwas away.The grasswx
iong, and very dry, and the 6re threarened to burn her out. Sheput
on an old pair ofher husband\trousersand beatout rheflameswith
a greenbough, till greai dropsof sootypcrspirationsroodout on
her foreheadand ran in streaksdown hcr biackencdarms.The sight
of his mother in trousersgready amusedTommy, who worLed Iike
a little hero by her side,but the tcrrifiedbabyhowledlustily for his
"mummy." The fire would havemasteredher but for four excited
bushmenwho arrivedin the nick of time. It wasa mixed-upaffair
all mund; when she went to tale up the baby he screarned and
struggledconvulsively, thinking it wasa "blackman";and Alligaror,
trusting rnorc to the child's sensethen his own instinct, chargcd
turiously,and (beingold and slighrlydeaf)did nor in his €xcitement
at first recognizehis mistress'svoice,bur continuedto hang on ro
the moleskinsuntil chokedoff by Tommywith a saddlestrap.The
dog'ssorrowfor his blunder,ard his anxieryro let it bc known thar
it wasall a mistake,wasasevidentashis raggedtail and twelvc,inch
55ll
lrin could make ic. It was a glodous time for the boys; a day to
look back co, aod telk about, and laugh over for many years.
She thinks how she fought a flood during her husband\ absence.
thc stood for hours in the drenching downpour, and dug en overflow
Sutter ro save the dam acrossthe creek. But she could not saveit.
Thcre are things thrt a bushwoman cennot do. Next morning the
drm was broken, and her h€art was nearlybroLen too, for shethought
how her husbandwould feel when he came home and saw the resulr
of ycarsof labor swepr away. She cried then.
She also fought rhe pleuropneumonia-dosed and bled the fevr
$maining carde, and wept again rrhen her two best cows died.
Again, she fought a mad br:llock that b€sieged rhe house for a
dry. She made bullets and fired ar him through cracks in rhe slabs
wirh an old shotgun. He was deld in the rnorning. She skinned him
Ind 8ot s€venteen-and-sixp€nce for the hide.
Shc also fights the crows and eagles rhat have designs on her
chickcns. Hel plan of campaign is vety otiginal. The children cry
"Crows, Motherl" and she rushesout and aims a broomstick at rhe
birds as though it were a gun, and says"Bungl" The crows leave
In e hurry; they are cunning, but a woman's cunning is greater.
Occasionallya bushman in the horrors, or a villainous-looking
tundov.ner,comes xnd nearly scaresthe life out of her. She generelly
tclh the suspiciouslooking strangerthat her husbrnd xnd two sons
lrc at work below rhe dam, or over at the yerd, for he alwayscunningly
lnquircs for rhe boss.
Only last week a gallows-facedswagman-having satisfiedhimself
thar rhere were no men on the place-threw his swag down on the
vcranda,and demandedtucker. She gave him something ro eat; then
hc cxpressedhis intention of staying for the nighr. It was sundown
thcn. Shcgor a barrenfrom the sofa,loosenedrhe dog, and confronted
thc strxngcr, holding the brtteo in one hand and the dog's collar
wicb thc other. "Now you go!" she said. He looked at her rnd at
thc dog, said "All right, mum," in a cringing tone, and left. She
wis a dcterminedlooking woman. and Alligaror's rellow eyesglared
uoplcxsantly-bcsidcs, thc dog's chax'ing-up apperatusgready rc-
rcmblc.lth:rr of thc rcprilc hc wrs namedafter.
THE DROVER'S WIF! / HcnN ra{"on
She has few pleasures to think of as she sits here alone by thc
fire, on guard against a snake. All days are much the same to her;
but on Sunday afrernoon she dresses herseJf, tidies the children,
smaftens up baby, and goes for a lonely walk along the bush track,
pushing an old perambulator in front of her. She does this every
Sunday. She takes as much care ro make he$elf and rhe children lool<
smart as she would if she were going to do the block in the ciq.
There is nothing to see,however,and not a soul ro meer.You mighr
walk twenty miles along rhis track without being able to fix a poinr
in your mind, uniess you are a bushman. This is becauseof rhc
everlasting,maddeningsameness ofthe stunted ffees-that monorony
which makes a man iong to break avey and ffavel as far as trains
can go, and sail as far as ship can sail-and further-
But this bushwoman is used to the lonelinessof it. As a girl-wifc
she hated it, xnd now she would feel srrangeaway from it.
She is glad wben her husband returns, but she does not gush or
make x fuss abour it. Shegets him somethinggood to eat, and tidicl
up the children.
She seemscontentedwith her lot. She loves her children, bur has
no time to show it. She seemsharsh ro them- Her suffoundings r(.
not ferorzble to the development of rhe "womanly" or sentimenrxl
side of nature-
IT MUst BEnear moming nowt but the clock is in the dwelling housc
Her candle is nearly done; she forgot thar she was out of candlcs
Some more wood must be gor to keep the fire up, and so she shuts
the dog inside and hufiies round to rhe woodheap. The rain hr,
clearedofi She seiz€sa stick, pulis ic ou., and-crashl the whole pilt
collapses.
Yesterdayshe bargainedwith a scrayblackfellow to bring her sornc
wood, and while he was at work she went in s€archof a missinll
cow. She was absentan hour or so, and the native bJackmade goo,l
use of his rime. On her return she was so astonishedro seea goo(l
heap of wood by the chimney thar sbe gave bim an cxrra 6g (n
tobacco, and praised him for not being lazy. He thanked her, an,l
left wirh heid erect and chest well out. He was d1f lasr of his rrihc
a king; bur he had built thar woodheap hollov.
She is hurt now, and t€ars sPring to her eyesas she sits do{n again
the table. She takes up a handkerchief to wiPe the tears away,
pokes her eyes with ber bare fngers instead The handkerchief
full of holes,and she 6nds that she has Put her thumb through
and her forefinger through anoth€r'
This makesher laugh, to rhe su+rise of the dog Sh€has a keen,
keen, senseof the ridicuious; and some time ot other she will
use bushmen v/ith the story
i(to
She had been amusedbefore like that. One day she sat down
a good cry," as sh€ said-and the old cat rubbedagainsther
and "cried too." Then shehad to laugh.
LtusTBEneardaylight nov.- The room is very closeand hor because
rhe fire. Alligxtor still wacchesthe wall from dme to cime.Suddenly
becomesgreatly interesced;he draws himself a few inches nerrer
partition, and a thrill runs thtough his body. The hair on the
ofhis neck begins to bristle, and the battle light is in his yellow
She knows what this mems, and lays her hand on the stick
Iower end of one of the Partition slzbs has a large crack on both
An evil pair of small bright berdlike eyesglisren at one of these
The snake a black one-comes slowly out, about a foot, and
its head up and down- The dog lies still, and the woman sils
one fascinated-The snake comes out a foot further' She lifts her
ck, and the reptile, as though suddenly e$/areof danger,sticks his
in through the crack on th€ other side of the slab, rnd hurdes
gcr his tail round afterhim. Alligator sPrings,and his ,awscome
Fther vrith a snap.He misses, for his noseis large,and the snale's
body closedo-n in rhe angle formed by the slabsand the floor. He
InrPsa8a;na<Ihe tail (omrs round He ha' the \nakc now. and tugJ
It our eight€en inches.Thud, thud, comes the woman's club on the
Thud. thud AlliS2rorSivc' rnorhcf
9('und. Allig2ror pult .rgrin.
oull and hc bas rhe snakeour-a blrck brute frvc feet long. The
irca.l risesto d*rt abour, but the dog has rh€ enemy closeto the ne.k
Hc is e big, heavy dog, but quick rs e terri.r He shakesche snake
$ though hc fclt thc originrl curscin common with mrnkind Thc
TH! HUNTSMEN / PaulHorgm
eldestboy wakesup, seizeshis stick, end tries to get out of bcd, but
his mothe! forc€shim back with a grip of iron. Thud, thud-the
snake'sback is broken in severalplaces.Thud, thud-its head is
crushed,end Alligaror'snoseskinnedagain.
Shelifts the mengledreptile on the point of her stick, carriesir
to the 6re, md throws it in; then piles on the wood and waaches
rhe snakebum. The boy and dog watch too- Shelaysher hand on
the dog'sheed,and all the frerce,angrylight diesout of his yellow
eyes.The younger children are quieted, and presentlygo ro sleep
The dirtylegged boy standsfor a moment in his shirt, wetching rhc
{ire. Presentlyhe looks up at her, seesthe teersin her eyes,an(i,
throwing his armsround her neck,exdaims:"Mother, I won't nevcf
go drovin'; blastme if I dol"
And she hugs him to her worn-out breastand kisseshim; an,l
rhey sit ihus togetherwhile rhe sickly deylight breaksover the bush
THE HUNTSMEN
tilw,^
E^rt o" about a dozen miles ran the river.'lb a placc rx.rl
"o**
its edge before dawn on SaturdeycameMr. Pollock and his yourrl, r
sorLMadison, accompaniedby their dog, Punch. It was a cold rn,'rrr
ing in autumn. The boy was hardly awake,vet. His farher br(l r,,
nudge him to climb out of the car when rbq stopped in r rlrrl,l'
of rust'btown selr cedar at the end of the sandy road Mr. P,'ll,"l
knew about. For yearsit had brought him from rhe peved hiAir$.r\
and through the low dunes of sand and clay to his favorire spor l,,r
duck hunting.
Madison left the car,carrying his own new sbotgun. Ovcr his l',r, r
1().2
shoulder was siung his canvasbag for shells. As they moved
to walk besiderhc river to the blind, the fathet did not have
r tcll Madison to be as quiet aspossible.He merelygaveby example
lcssonin the caurion and delicacyofhow to move when thelc wete
ducksout on the river.Punch,en eldcrlyrat-tailedspaniel,wenl
vily but silcDtly ori the sand,peusing at inrervals to be sure the
thcrs were following. As they came between two huge clumps of
cedar rhat rattled in th€ faint cold wind before daylighr, Mr.
ock halted and held his freezingfist by his ear.The gesttue said,
!" Madisonturned his heedand held his breath.
Thcn, yes,how could his fathereverhaveheardit. ir wasso faint.
now he couldhearit too*the recdy.murmuroussoundofducks
and ralking over rhete, out of sight under the high carvcd
banks of che red PecosRiver eerth.
The boy's h€art beganto pound. He loved his farher for this
Pcricocc.They stood shivering in the greying dark until there was
more sleepy music from thc hidden water. Then thev rvalkcd
up the river, keeping a,r,ayftom the brnk unril Mr. pollock
(he shallos, dirr canyon which led ro his favorire blind The
lose beforc them a little, making a small peninsulescreenedat
cdgc by x sparerank of young willows, Here \ras the place.They
lc down and allowedrhe day to come. Ir wa5now nor fir oft.
?hough nobodyknew ir, Mr. Pollock camefor this as much as
tnything elsc.ln rhe spectacle of rhe naturalworld he found his
[, his music,his art gallery.This was his culture,and what it
r ro him he had no way to tell, exceptthrough example,fot
13bcnefitof his sons.All his feelingswereburied,anyhow.He was
lhot, herry man who walkedleaning backward,to carryhis weight
y. He was e director of the local bank and the hahaeer of a
xnd loan ?ssocietion.During businesshouts he was a leadinq
of Main Srree..Many pcoplefelt abourhim as rhey wor.rid
rt a doctor, for he knew and helpedwith sedousproblemsin
r frmilicswhich had ro do wirh rhe possession and safetyof their
trncs.His largclight cyessaweveryrhingandbetrayednothing.His
outh wessmeLlin his big ficc, and he sdd liftle, but whenhe spokc.
w|ls bclicvcd.
1C)
 TH! FUNTSMIN / paut Horg,n

\(/herever rhe town showed its mind or sftergrh, youd

see a far'distanrlifr and loom of the southernmost Rocky Mounrains
Pollock. If Mr. pollock would sit on platforms ,-r, ,il..r,
.rrdor..rn"lr. Madison Pollock ar twelve had the energyand rhe laughabledating
of civic desiresor ambitions, his wife was likely to be one
of the r balf-grown cat. Of all the pollocks, he was rhe funniest and th!
speakers.Her voice was loud and harsh, somehow inappropriate
ro high,spirited. He loved to show o[ knowing exactly how co
her small size; bur everyonewas alwaysimpressed
J. people delight in his antics. He, roo, r,as a good student, and
to bend the public will ro her personatbeliel Shegoverned ". ",-ggl"a
her ffi;\. had a few plgmy enemiesbecausehe seemedto have been born
in n u, h rhc samcq r). or crq rrrlmrngrhcm with icr rnxrous
viraltr'. all the books in his head,for he never studied,or said he didn1.
which wasa happyjoke among rhem ali until in someissue
sheyieldej probrblydidn\. He $.asrhe only blond pollock. His eyeswere
ro r he rcrr\ fhardrqay\ seemedro lie rn wairing behind
hcr pineh no.* I blue, his chfeks a furious dusi<ypink, and his whole self,no
qegtr*e5. Bur ,he w+ a. apr ro wcep for rrappinc.s
anj her goo.r what he did, seemedalways to look dry and clean
t o n J n c . n \ u c h r ( i n d s o b e rh r . b a n dr n d ; r r q u s u c h
won&rfr,l Thc last member ol the Pollock familr was punch, rhe spxniel,
boys, as she vr'asout of,,neftes.,,
to was an acrual character becausethey had all put their chffadefs
The parents embracedso compierely their stadon in middle
lifc o him ever since his puppydom. Now, in his priviteged tater life,
that it was hard co imagine either of rhem as ever having
been bo\, nch was a leeding citizen of the alleys of rown, and wirh his
and girl. Especiallywas this impossiblefor rbeir sons co*do.
ft *.", ings to himself, he made his daily touf ofinspection andgluttony
as though Mr. and Mrs. pollock had ceded to their sons
all gra.e\ rhe bacl:)'ardsofcountless friends Thev r-ould hear him corn_
of person and 6ber, and were contenr to lose those beauties
i,hiclr with his collar chain and rags cinkling, and would know thar
had once servedtheir mindlesspurposein rhe founding B,
of the fami1r.. ls day,like all the orhers,would pursue its rerssuringcoutse,under
Idwin was eighteen, his brorher Madison tv,elue. Soih
*ere grearsky whose light, beedngupon houses,and screets,and plains,
rrllel rhan rheirparcnrr.rnd frr morc comn-unicatrve "lreri,
rhanrhe farhcr long riv€r, coutd show everything excepr what the iunre
Give eirher of the boys something ro mke parr in, and, _rhe
according tuldbring.
to theit. ages,rhey fling rhemselvesinro it, and prerrl sooir
end up in chargeof-would it ldwin was a grear local athlete. ie was als,
AITING FoR D,{yLt(rHT by the river, Mr. pollock and Madison
en honor mxn in high school studies.Boys and girls
alike admiretl ivcred companionablv-Behind them rose the river,s easternbluflt
tum as e terrible cynic, and the yearbookin his senior
year said rhrr n cold shado*'. But they could see the edge of the skyline now,
rt you ever wanted a shock, just ask Edwin pollock for
his honcsr turlined bv a fainr lifr of pearly lighr. As still as rhe rest of the river
opinion of anyrhing. But ir added rhat he al$?ys grinned
s,hen I)( ,rld, they rlaited. But rhey naited in groffing exciremenr,for over
gale ir, which accounredfor all che.,broken hearrsi he lefr
scarrerc,i d abour rhem proceededthe immense arrival of dal. The light
around him. So tribute was alrerdypaid in parhetic and heanfelr
nel s
'o Edwin,
p o w c r 5o f L o m c l i n e s, u r n g r h a n d w l m r h j n t i f c .l t . $incd behind rhem, and turned ro rh€ color of embers,and in ihe
domc of rhe sk1-' camea smoky blue, and then chewesrerns\ showed
was a junior public figurc in the small city, and was
loved most ol I p,rle rosr agxinsr which rhe curved shadow of the sleeping earth
all bcrau,c he ne\er \eemcdro lroo it
lwcPt n dying imxge. Lirrlc clouds that were losr jn the dark now
going co college,Lc was raxrng a
.Now,_before lear ro learn ttr crmc rc sho$ )ike wisps of flrme in rbe eest. Nfhlr wlts that oow,
value of a dollar-his farher,s far".ite *o.dr_by sclling fanl on rhc cndlcsswcsrcnr horizon?Thc r.txy light c,rmedown, dispclling
rmplement machineryup and down rbe pecosvei)cy,which
hy fcrrilc thc bluc c:l|rh shrtl<xv,unrl sfLrik rhc rips ()r rhc mounruinswhi(h
and prosperousin the wildernessof dry pl;rins rll ,rl,run<t,
gr:rccdhr ro rcnrorcll faictl rlu rorrrin1rsrrrr

1("1
TH! Hl-t{TSMlN / ?xul Horgan
It suddenlysecmed colder.Madisonhuggedhimselfamundhisgun.
The grand vision beforethem arosein their sPirits,too, and theit
faceswereopenwith rhe wonderand promiseof this splendor.All
rhiswaswhat Mr. PollocLmeedtandsdd nothingabout.His grearest
momentwas srill to comc,and nothing musr destroyit.
Dovrn the distantmountainscreptthe growing iight, unril soon
lhere was a bladeof goldenlight cutting acrossthe whole Plein xr
thc rnountainbase,and behind the escarPment to the eastblaze(l
visibleraysof g1oryas ihe sun showedi$elf ar last,tearingthe long
quiet horizon cloudsinto silkenragsof 6re.
Just then the air was6llcd from everywherewith soundasstartlinlq
as the vision which grew and grew and spilledover the world. ljl,
from the blacklazywaterrosethe birdsin saluteto the sunrise.Thcjl
callsmadea chorusthat veeredandveriedlike the wind.Theywheel((l
and shutteted,stirringlikc a strikeof life itself,and went of to tastc
the slry.
Madisonvrashalf standingin the big commotionof all naturc
His emptygun wasraised.His fatherreached up andpulledhim dov'rr
again."They'll comebackandsetdcdown,"he saidin his mild,grainl
voice,"if we keepstill."
Madisonsubsided. He swa.llowed. As thor.rghtlessly as a duck, hc
himselfhadsalutedthe day,out ofan excitementolderrhanmemorv
and a recognirionof glory as nearas his impassive father.
The light wasnow drawingerstwardacrossthe plains.Farmhousc'
beganro show,Iittle cubiclespouredwith gold. Treesstood phil
Greenfieldsof winter wheatlookedout of the lecedingtwilight. ll
a f€w rnomentstherevould be no mystery,no startlinggrandcrr.
but oniy daytime,and a forgottensun climbing overhcadshowinl:.
common,the red rocksof the clili-s,the endlesssweepof the plain'
the smok€'defined town, and the mountairtswith their fainr hov(l
ing clouds.
TH! DUcKsRlTURNlD.Madisonsawrhembeforche heerdthcm,litrl,
twinkling specksof blackthat movedrogetheragainsrrhe dove-wirvl
colors of the nofthern sky. Then came their sound again, frrrr,
everywbere, as though a cloud couid be heard.
Mr. Pollock noddedand silently thrust two sheilsinto his errn
I thenclosedjr Madrson(opiedhrm. warchinghi" tatherno-,
llcad of the flight. Punch quivered, his nose lifted to the skv.
Mr. PollockgaveMadi:ooa half look and raj:edhrs qun in a trial
Then he indicatcdrhet if the birdsflew ovet rhem and stared
&ttlc on the river beyondrhe willows, they would shoot.
Hcrc they crme. growing specksalong rhe silver rcflec(ion of rhe
barcls. The air drummed.All sound vanishedand only sisht
lcft. tense.as rhc grns maderheir arc. wirh rne cnrle and
"r"ifr
t of the ducks.Thcn, by a commonpowerof agreementr they
fircd.The shotsbroke ahewhole adventurein stunninqstrike.
dawn,.and boy, and father,and sky liIe, and river world blazed
an instantof ringing silence.
Thc flight struckupwardagainand weregone beyondspeed.But
o fcll, and rhey saw rh€m.afld thev knew where.
Mrdison jumped to his f€et. He was chatgedwith love for rhe
hc had helpedro kill. All hunrsmenfrom beforehis or n :mrll
lmc stired in him. His reethchatteredwith mindlesspowetand
. Bur his fathershowedhim in silenrexamDlehow to break
gun andlayit for sefetytsakeon rheground,andlovingly,because
li! cxciringoily smell,its sweersmoorhwood, its power of com-
dominion over living rhings.rJfirh a hand on Punch,Mr.
lock led the way through the willows to the shallowwxter and
wherc their gamelay on the long mudbanl in midstream.
Mrdison'sbellyfelt full to burstingwith joy. He wishedhis brother
tin could seehim.now. He wantedto be likc Edwin in everv
-his bodv.hi. sqle. his mind and hi. famouscynlcism. He feJi
t Edwin right now, and as he walked he spreadhis legs somewhat
[dwin did, and madca ratherhard,boiledexpression on his face.
was morc like it. None of rhat childishexcitemcnt.Madison
his bcstto seemoflhand;the masterof his gun, and of his power
lill, and provide.
1'lll{ 'tH!y MovED dov/nsrrcrm. Thcy had chrnces ro shoot rhree
timcs bcfo.c Mr. Potlockseid that rhey,dberrerthink about
ting back.as hc intcnclcd<r bc at his ofrcc by rcn o'cl()ck.whcrc
1r7
THE HUNTSMIN /lxul Horgxn
rher€ was other querry ro size up and bring ro rerms- He had his
canvaspouch pock€tsfull ofbirds, whoseinert weight bumped against
his stride with the majestic bother of all trophies.
Madison carried three ducks b,v hand. There was still enough babv
in him to want to hold them forever, just as rhe). were, just as he
had made them, wich thejr tiny head and neck feacheringof green
and blue fire, their stripes of white, black and brown, rheir leithert
bills, their dear death. Punch was allowed to carry one bird in his
important jav{s.He almost prancedin slow dignity as they rerurncd
down the river ro the hidden car. All three of them felt the samc
feelings.
Mr. Pollock unlocked the car and opened the back door on rh(
left side. The back seat was covered by hearry brown wrappnrg
paper-Mrs. Pollock's contribution to the good senseand economr'
of the expedition. There they put down their bleeding ducks.
This was about nine o'clock. There were no m).sreriesleft in rix'
day. True, it was turning a ijtde colder, for low gray clouds wetc
unfolding from the east. But everyrhing stood clear and simple, ri(,
far just like another dzy.
"Mad, you take the guns and put them in the car," saidMr. Pollock
"I counted one more duck that we knocked down last cime. l'll rakc
Punch and go back and find him. You wait here."
Madison hadnt seen another duck faIL But one thing rbar sl
nevff done was to question the father-aloud anyhow. He mok }lr
Pollock's gun, which was left open at the break, and empty of shclls
He savr the man and the dog trudge ofi. He went around the ..rl
to the orher side end opened the fronr door. There he hurriedly prLr
the two shotguns on the seat, side by side, making the same angl,
with their open chamben and banels,muzzlesouts'ard. He shut rl,,
door on them with a vague feeling of forgetting something, bur l
seemedmore desirrble at the moment to get around to tbe orl!,
sjde of the car in a hurry, in order to watch Mr. Poilock and PunLl,
as they rarrled and crackedrhrough rhe rall reedsup rhe river. Th( i,
wer€ a few pauses,vhile th€ hrher would halt and reconstruct rln
.]nglesof llight, sight, fire and fall. Then the searchwould continrr,
Finally Punch gaveout his wheczingbark, at tbe verr instant Maclis.r,
saying ro himseif, Tl:q'/l nererfnl )t, becatsety'tre bn,t ane.
As the rerrievers walked patienrly back toward the car, punch
fied in his Froudlv tifted jaws one more dead duck.
Vell, sure enough.
8o it was that everybodyeisecame io fifld out where Madison had
!.the guns, and hor'. Madison,sgun was releasedby the opening
lhc cer door, and siid along the mohair coverinq ofthe seertowara
floor of rhe car. It srruck with force The breech closed as the
thumped or rhe lloor, and what Nladison had half forgotten
took effect-He had not removed the shells from his gun. The
trct of the gunstockon the foor jared the gun sharply.One bar,
fircd.
Ladisonwas right there, for he had come around the car to watch,
finally ro take his place on rhe front seat.
t flash of color and sound whar did it do go of?
duck fell from Mr. Pollock,s hand. Ir trailed a trifle of slimy
on the dried mud earth. Mr. Pollock bent forward and made
rgonizedsound ofgroan on the word,.,Oh,h-h,,, and fell down,
Ing, too, slowly, until he was humped leaning against the car
his arms around his middle, his head forced back and his eyes
lng from che lower lids up, slor-ly, shutting out the iighr of the
rnd thc mind, borh.
V/\s ^t.oNE wirh his younger son and
bya
of.pople, puned his lips and pinched them with his 6ngers,
,nkl, ncafly aloud, "Now ler's see.,'
It his hc-:rrtwas banging with sick hurry in him, and choking
ln tlrc rhroat. Hc wantcd to talk to his father, but his fathelr
lonc. k)r rhc rirnc bcing-hc could scethat_rLodlrc wrs rtl.li(l
TH! HUNTSMIN / PaulHorS$

lar thc backseer,the inert necksmd headsof the deadducksrolled

to reach him, fol he knew whose fault it was that Mr' Pollock
sideto sidein liftle arcs.Mrs. Pollock\ brown DaDer
wasmoisr
there IilG something else.
stained in places.
He knelt down and put trG arms under Mr' Pollock's shouldeLs il(/hcn he rea,hed fhe highwa). he sropped rhe car jusr off the
thinkins to lift him into the car' He could not budge him-
on rhe shoulder of the road. He sat there, numb, for a little
Plans-occurred to him PerhaPsif he waited a liftle *'hile' NIt
crl as three or four cars went flashing by.
Pollock would {ake uP refreshed, and they would get into the
ducks irr \Ihar would he heve ro sayif he sroppedsomeonelHow could
and so back to to*n, arld he and Edwin would clern the
cvcr sayir? He hopednobodywould stop.
the backvard.and Mom wouid cook them, with an appleand an oniorr
hett' Hc looked borh ways. The highway v.?s now empty as far es he
inside each one. Or PerhaPsDr. Dave Sessionswould come by
olyounF see. His heaft fell with piry and relief, even as he licked his
duck hunting, and operateat onc€,with thc heroic assistance
mouth in a panic of disgust over his great betrayal.
Madison Poilock.
to fecl But here came a car, way up at the crest of the cliff, where, in
Or perhapshe, too, would simply die He closed his eyes
he was crying anrl dccp cur, the highway rook its course acrossthe great wilderness
f'o- ttis -outa *. \(rhen he opencd rhem again,
ich led ro \fest Texas and beyond. The car came fast down rhe
fully aware of what he had done.
managc(l slope toward the bridge
.is reality returned to him, he saw whai he musr do He
of tlx Inviring his own doom, Madisongot out and sreppedinto the
inch by inih to move his father down to enth from the side
to shake his herr(l r lane. Long before he could seeth€ driver he began to wave his
car. Mi. Pollock was breathing werly. He seemed
fiu He ended by leaping off the ground a few times.
blindly at Madiion e' rhe boy rnoved him Now rhe <ar wa'
--'*itt""
hungrily after rkl Thc driver began to slacL€nhis speed,and when he saw that this
p", 4"".0 on goard. The dog looked
mastct I boy, he slammed on rhe brekes-Somethinq totd him before
bov. but stavedwhere he was meant to be, besidehis still
fev'rtimes he had stoltrr ttoppcd thar here was bad rrouble,which spokeso poweriully
Madison eorinto thc car,and rememberedthe
twelvr ugh rhat young, jumping 6gure alone in that big spreadof
rides alon-ein it, againstevety law of the household:no boy of
happen-and all tlx try. The boy did not come to him, so he left his own car and
should be alloweJ to drive, think what could
ro the wbimPerinsgod" "' back to find young Madison Pollock, with his teeth cha*erinq
rest of Mrs. Pollock' rimclessobedicnce
his right arm poinring of up the river and trying to tell.
He pinched his lips and again said,"Now let's see,"as he tehearsc'l
"tl/har's it, sonz" eskedthe driver.He vrasTim Morherwell.of
gear int" Soil ConservationService.He squarteddown before Madison and
the technique of diiving He started the engine, put the
car leapc'l to chew on a march, not looking at him, bur musing in his
reverse end let the cluich go, but too suddenly The
much gx' cc as though they were cwo men with ali rhe time in the world
backwatd and then stoPPed,the engine sralled with roo
dccide or exchangesomething important. He had noriced blood
He startedover again,this time swinging ;n a n'ide arc to tum aroun'l
forwar' I tlt boy's lield jacket. !(hat might have put it thefe he was already
and headfor the highway over the dunes.Justbeforehe drove
father woul'l ngining, when Madison managedto rell him whaclay up the sandy
Madison glanced Lack feafully to see if perhaps his
going wttl' d by the river
sharply cail to him, asking, "rwhere do you rhink you're
drive it " f im noddedmildly, but he loscno cime.He pulledhis wearhered
that car?You know you are not supposedco
govcrnmentpickup truck well off rhe highwayand rerurned
But there was no such threat, and he whined along in secondgerrr'
Mr. Polkrck's car. Hc drove Madison back up rhc rivcr.
.q"rine qirh rhe lift and boggleof rhe car over rh' unevenror'l

570
THE HUN-TSMEN/Pxul Hor82n

reason that someonehad let the air out of his bicycle tires.
As they went, Madison tried to tell him hol' ir had happenc'l
went to see,and ir was true. The brotherslooked ar eachother,
"I did it," he kePt rePeating.
knowing who had done it. They did nor d;cuss it. Instead,
"\tre'll see," Tim replied, and wondered, like so manv people ttt
drove Madison over to school in the car, but he could nor
the next few days,vhat could everreclaimthis bor from this rnorning
him get out of rhe car and fall in with the tumbling boys who
Madison was awry in elery possiblewal His thick yello*'hair l':t'
(n touch footbali on the playfeld.
tangled and uPright. His face was white, but square PAtches
of these days, you know, Mad,,, said Edwin, meaning ther
dusky peachred tried to show on his cheekbonesHis eyeswere s'lll
have to staft school again sooner or hter
He kept trJing to put his hands on his round young rhighs ih
ison shook his head. "Never. I can\."
.o-pot.tt., but they wouid not stav there, and would spring up rrt
y not1"
the eir as though moved by counterweights'
In a moment the) came to a halt and got out of the car' Punr lr
n shngged.He didn'c know.
was there, trembling with fear and strangeness'and stood up to grcct How about try.ing,sry jusr the firsr p€riod7,,askedEdwin. ,.I,ll
to be here when che bell rings after che first period, and if
them \tith a high, stifledyawp, but did not leavehis post Thev crn"
still wanr co rhen, I'll let you out of it."
forward and Tim benr doq'n. Almost at once he san'that the firl!,
ison shook his head
was dead. rr\Ircll, then, what do you want to do?"
They got to town as soon asthey could mamge, and in ten minutt
th€ news wes ev€rY_where-
brothers ser in silence, smring suaighr ahead through the
' ield vhile Edwin played a lictle jazzy cune on his reerh wirh
IF PloPrr DID NoT S,{Yit aloud' thel spoke plainly with their ct't
ihumbnail. A couple of boys sponed the car and ran ovet to get
"Oh, that Foor boyl He will never 8et over rhis!"
son,calling his name.Madison croucheddown and said hoarsely,
In everybodv'sface,Madison read,"That is rhe boy who killed I'i'
I c on, come on. I,eCsgo, leCs go.,'
fxther," and somehow in those who looked at him or ralkrd llb"L
forgiveness' in drove ofl
him, awe was mingled with pir.v, and guilt with /ithout furrherdiscussion,
Aftef the thr€€ days the rest of Saturday,ail da,vSundat' urrr'l
ndwin simplyler Maddystaywith him
t' dayashe wenr on his businesscallsdown rhe valley.This made
Monday afternoon,when the funcral was held-Madison Pollock I
Lcand drovsy day lor Madison, and when it was overl and they
in danger. Edwin knev it The boy's teerh I'ould chatter suddcnlr
home for supper, he was ready to go to bed earlv.
Bv turns he longed to be with his mother, and could nor berr facil|
was barely half past sevenwhen someonedrifted with heavily
hir. "uy babyj' she would sob, smothering him with crusbirrl
'l' stcps up on the wooden porch and knocked once or twice on
sympathy. And then again she would have hours during vhich
bcvcledplace,glass pane ofthe front doot. Edwin put on rhe porch
would exile him in siient grief and widowhood He *'as afraid nr'"
t :rnd could see thfough the whirc net cuftain inside rhe glass
ofatl that ldwin would not like him anvmoreHespenthoursasrl''
:r fami)iar 6gure srood rhere, s1owlyspinning his fawn,colored
at night breaking his will on terrible schemesto make evcrtthrlrl
h:rt on his foreEnger.Ir was Tim Morherwell, ofiband aod mild.
up t; everybody But an imP of maturiry abided in him' and t"l'l
' Hc c;rmc in rnd shook hands,saving rhat he just happenedto be
him how uselesswere rhese waking dreams He must shrink c\'
vln8 up rhis srrect, :rnd thought of looking in for I second, ro
from rhem.
lf rhcrc wrLs.inyrhing hc could do, and ro rcll MN pollock rh.t
Tuesdavmorning he did not s'rnt to go back to scbool gtrttrl'

t7)
TH! HUNTSNTIN / Ptul HorEan
he certainlyfelt for her. At this, she raisedher head with a hazy socirl
thcir
smile, as tlough to say that P€oPlelike her shor'rldnot inflict
misfortunes uPon others, but the imPosture lasted only a moment
beforeher little facewith its passionatelyrrembling eyelensesePPeare(l
to dissolvelike molten glass,and she lay back in her chair, subject
to the grief that pounded upon her from vithout-
Edwin askedTim to sit down, which he declinedto do' In a minu((
or tvro, Mrs. Poliock recoveredenough to ask Edwin to show Tinr
the messag€s of symPathythey had received,and the long list ofthosc
who had sent flowers.Tim examined rhesegravely,while the widos
watched him hungrily for signs of dolorous Pride in the tribute pat'l
to the stricken family Tim read what people said about Mr' Pollock'
and gave the papersback to ldwin witbout a word, but wirh a black
,ra.k"linelook rn l^i, eleswhich waslike rhoughritselfmademanife''
Ur, pJto.k co'ercd her faceand rept agarn Edwin telt r<ham''l
of her, and then, for feeling so, ashamedof himself'
Vell, he had to be going, said Tim ldwin went out to the Pickul'
truck with him, and the real purposeof the call becameclear' Th(\
'
talked for about fifteen minutes, Tim at the wheel, Edwin leaninll
his chin on his fiscson the open windowsill of the car' Their convcr
sation was muted and serious Tim felt younger, Edwin felt oldcl
and both felt like good men, assembledin honor cf what needc'i
to be done for someone-in this case,Madison Pollock'
Edwin said,yes,his brother was in a bad way' and said somethlnii
had to be worked out. Tin said he suspeccedas much, and witl'
modesry and diffidence told what he would do about it if it wcrr
his kid brother.
'$(rhen
the essenrialmatter $rasfinished' there was 2long rermin:rl
oause.after which Tim, Ytherehe sat, jumPed comically,as thouSlr
ire felt an electric shock, and said, "l'd better ger a move on or t!)f
litrle woman won't acr so little, time I get there Seeyou, Ed "
"See vou. Tim. Sure do thank You "
Tim svritchedon his car lights and drove ofi Edwin watched hin'
round the next corner.The red taillight on the truck spoke for Tinr
as long as Edwin could seeit, admireit and covet rhe goodly srrengtl'
ir stood for-
The nexr morning, Mrs. Pollock, in the name of what Dad would
wented, declaredthar this time Madison must go ro school, and
Edwin to drive him th€re again.
Madison turned whic€. "No, I cxn'r."
"Yes, you can- Oh, srhat have I done to deserve- You know how
fether slavedto give you boys a good education,and now, here
sir, and won't-" Her brokenheattedrighteousnesswelled up in
, more powerful rhan grief i*elf, and she crushed the boys with
very \amc rote whr.h h,d given rhem being.
Madison left the table and wenr to the bacl:vard-There he was
rly sick at his stomach. Edwin found him there, shuddering
the back steps like a srawing cat.
ICome on, Maddy," he said,
and practically dragged the boy to
car. They drove of, heading sourh toward the school. Madison
his jaws and bracedhis feet againstthe flootboardsthe closerthey
to the red brick scbool building, but ldwin, without a glance,
right on pes. and conrinued on south and our of rown down
valley.
"l'd gain his confdence," Tim had said. ',I wouldnt hury.,,
So once agaifl-this rime defving the su6ering authority at home
Edwin took his brother with him, and did the same all the rest
thc week. Thq visited farms in the broad flat valley, and while
in talked business,Nladison was let alone just to fool around.
spenr one afrernoon tinkering with an ailing rracor. One
ing rhey lingered wich 2 lirde crowd of itinerant cofton pickers
had a bonfire going under some coftonwoods by an irrigation
h; rnd to guitar music, clapped hands and country song, rhe
tlrble twilight ceme dosn like forgivenes over Madison and
ryonc in .he woild. SometimesEdwin took him along to hzve
ofbeer, rhough Mad drank only soda.Another time they called
I girl Edn'in knew in cheliftle town of Dexter. and the conversa-
, firll of evocative memories and half suggesredplans, brought
rlison a wondering scnseof mofe trouble, sweeterthan his aw-
lkinrl.
Snturdri'-onc week aftcr Madison's firsr rime our
lllioN- Iilwin, b:rving m:rclcI fcrv prepnrrtions in l)rivrrrc.gor up
THE HLNITSIIEN / Prul Horgr.
at four ir the morning and went in his shiv€ringnakednessto Maddl .
sleepingporch and yroke him uP. "Come oD, get uP," he said.
Madison was stunned with sleeP."Vhat for?"
"Never mind what for. I've got vour clothes We can dressin drc
living room, where it's warm- Be quiet. Donl wxke Mom-"
The boy followed his brother' ln the front room they got dtesnll
stealthily. It was exciting. "$(here're we goingl"
'
"Never you mind. Come on. \fle'll get breakfastdovntown
Edwin was dressedlirst. \Caiting for Maddy, he sat down at r1!
dining'room table, and wrote a note wbich Mrs. Pollock told evcrr
body later she would LeeP forever'
"Dear Mom," it said, "don't worry' Mad and I have gone oll "r'
a job. Back during the dav. Taking Puncb 2long for the buggr' ri'l'
Be a good girJ and don't worry' Love and kisses'I."
He propped ir uP against the crysral fruit bo*'l in the cenrcr "l
the table, where she would easily find it. He knew that $hen \lr
came to his fond, impudent advice to be a good girl, sbe' in $'l)"rrr
there remained no degreeofgirl srhacever,would w€cP over ir \\rrl'
famished pride, to see rhat the Power of the family had PAsse.tr"
him, the fustborn, now escaP€dinto his own life. It was not ttrr'
to make her weep.It was almosca kindness,for in rhesedxvs ir !r\'
'
her solaceto feel anything but the main dream of her shocking l"
The boys went gendy out the front door, and around to rll
backyard to Punch's house, which they had built togerher so l'r'r1
ago. He knew th€m now as they approached,and mildly brngc'l 1"'
ugly rattail on the floor of his residence
"Come on, Punch, old boy," said ldwin softly The selfimport ""
old dog got up slowly and stretchedhimself' 6rst fore 'nd rhcn 'ril
And then with a prankish lunge he assumedthe gaiety of a pu;'1'r
but could nor sustain it, and sober\ followed hjs mastersro rl! Li
car, which was parked in the alley. Idwin unlocked ir, they rll r1"r
in, and Edwin drove ofl The night was black and emPry in drc "' 'l
streetsof town.
They had cofee, cannedorange juice and ham and eggs in (:ll 1 lr'
the Greek's, without conversation,though nor without comrt't"'
cation, for Edwin couJd feel Maddy rhrobbing bes;de hior $ril
wonder. Edwin once rurned on his swivel stool to face
son and cuff him nezr the ear-an action which said that he
not to worry, or be afraid, or in doubt, for this was still the
ily, doing its besc for him, no matter hor. rhings might look.
It was still pitch dark when rhey drove of agaifl and headedout
the easr,where the road,forked to go either down the valley
ou! to cherivrr. Madison looked sidewiseto question his brother
in, .hough he felr the look, did not acknowledgeic, but merely
on in general confidenceand repose.
At the crossroadschey were slowed down bI a tralic liAht which
nkcd.rllnighr long. \Iadisonlookcdro rhe r ighr.r tun8rh; highw-\
ich would rake them on one of cheir familiar davsofsalesmanshio
thc valle\ fa'm\. Bur Edw.n. rerJmrng high gcar drorc $rrig\r
on the orher highwal, which led to the river. Maddy,s teerh
Thc 6nr palcsrrip. ofdal noe showedrheadot rhem in 'heea.-
, ic was rhere-\izith it camea colder feeting. Edwin speeded
n$ though ro race rhe dawn.
Vhere were rhey goingT Maddy pur his hend on the door handle
him wirh an uflformed modon char he mighr open the door
| $pecdor no speed,get our right now. \trh)- nor?Edwin caughr
out of rhe cornerof his eyein the hallJight of rhe instrument
. He began to whiscle e litle rune inside his ceeth,leanedover
snappedthe door handle up to a locked position
Dy rhe time rheysawrhe river,its slowsparse warerswerereflecing
I fiin t earlytight in rhemidstof hearrshadeoverthe earth Maddy,
tcrror,borh did and did nor believeit when the familycar slowed
at the aar end of the PecosRiver bridge and rook the sandy
f of the roed rhar ran over the dunes, in che same darkness,
thc samewillows, in rhe semecold, ro the samescreenofsah cedars
I wctk ago this morning.
lN sTopPEDthc car xnd gor out. He opened rhe rear door for
Lh, who scr:rmbledforrh wirh his head lifted amid the marshl
lls rn rhc fiintly srirLingrir Ar the luggagecompxrtmcnt,Edwin
Itrrkcrlrhc hrndlc rnd flung opcn rhc licl. He ttxrk our rwo slr<x-
'lE! HLI\ITSMEN / ?aul Horgrn

gum, a canvasbag full of shells, and two pairs of rubber boots
"Come on, Madl" he called
The front door openedand Madison sreppedout, againsthis wislr
Edwin threw Maddy's boots to him- "Put them on-"
"\Fhat for?"
P[t inem on.
Mrddy was overwhelmed He was numb, inside and out He Plll
the boots on.
Edwin handed him his own gln
ducks"
"Take it. Go on \(re're going to get some
feel it in his grasP'
Madison took it. He could hardly
l)(
Edwin led the way uP rhe river to the blind where' long ago'
too, had 6rst come with his father. The day was nearing Again' sk\ '
mountain, Plain and earth's own curve evolved toward the momcrrl
of glory and revelation
6nce again not only all light but all sound and all spacebeat up.r'
the senseswhen the sun rose-The ducLswere tbere again They ll''l
the shadowsand streakednoisily into the lofry light Like his fadn
Edwin stayedtheir fire at the dawn flight The birds would returrr
To be ready-
"Load," said Edwin
Madison fumbled with his gln He could not bandle it' Edqirl
took it from him and loadedit, closedit, which cockedit, and han'l'"l
it back. "You take the 6rst one, Mad."
lx
They waited. The older brother set his iaws He kne,*' vhat
was doing, and the Pain he was ceusirg'
Presenilythe birds were coming over again Edwin Pointed Nl"ll
son saw only a dazzle of fiying black specksin tbe yelowing dr\
"Now," whisP€redEdwin
11
Madiion raisedhis gun and ffied to sight, leading the flight' whi(
l'll
seemedeverywhere He was shaking He 6red alone NorhinS.
He brought down his gun His headwas ringing He looked at Edl il
"Tough," said Edwin
Madiion thrust his gun ar ldwin for bim to rake "lrt me g"'
he said in Pitiful modestY
Bdqin shook his herd and pu.hed rhc gun brck in his brother'<
"You'll do better next time."
(I wilP
ttSure."
ldwin. whisrlingsilen(\. rurned his gazeo'er rhe "lcy.
Vb.t? thovght M^dison. And rhis wasastounding:powerfully like
free and lofring, the idea blew through him, end he thought,
Alne I uill.
looked at Edvin to 6nd an explanationofthe excitcmcnt which
so fast in his being. But Edrvin was immovable, watching the
rcaches of the sl(y-
rrl will get some next time," whisperedMadison. "l got thtee last
rday,and I'lt ger more today.'
Bdwinnoddedbncfly.His heartbeganro rhumpwirh rclref.He
never have said so, but Edwin knew they had come here to
dcath in its place, and were going to succeed.
THE GUEST
T A M U S /F M N C E
A L B E RC
Alh^l Ar,-^t
1,a^srared
byJur n o Eren
scHooLMAsrERwas watching the two men climb toward him.
wirs on horseback,rh€ other on foot. They had not yet taclled
lbrupt risclcadingto thc schoolhouse
built on the hillside.They
toiling onward, maling slow progressin the snow, among the
on the v.lr exp.rnscoi rhe high. de.crredpl.rreau.From rime
llmc thc horsestumbled.Without heeringenythingy€t, he could
thc brcathissuingfrom the horsc'snosrrils.On€ of thc men,at
kncw rhe rcgion. They were following thc rrail alrhough it had
rcd dryr.rg,r undcr a leyerof dirry whitc sn,rw lhc vhool-

57r'l
TH! GUIST/^lbstcDus
masrerc2lculatedthat it would take them hrlf an hour ro get onro
the hill. lt was cold; he went back into the school to get a sweatel
He crossedthe empty, frigid classroom.On the blackboardthe four
rivers of France,drawn with four different colored chalks,had beerr
flowing toward their estuaries for the past three davs- Snow had
suddenlyfallen in mid'October after eight months ofdrcught without
the transition of rain, and the twenty pupils, more or less,vrho live(l
in the villages scatteredover the Plarcauhad stoPPedcoming- $(/ith
fair weather they would return. Daru now heared only the single roorr
that was his lodging, adjoining the classroomand giving also ont,r
the plateeu to the east. Like the classwindows, his window looke,l
to the south too. On that side the school was a few kilometers fronr
the point where the plareaubegan to sloPetoward the south. In clcrr
weather could be seenthe purple massof the mountain rlnge whe('
the gap opened onto the desert.
Somewhatwarmed, Daru returned to the window from which hc
had first seenthe two men. They were no longer visible. Hence thcr
must have tackled the rise. The sL1 was not so dark, for rhe snos
had stoppedfalling during the night. The morning had openedwirl,
a dirty light which had scarcelybecome brighter as the ceiling o,
clouds lifted. At two in rh€ afternoon it seemedas if the day vcr.
mere\ beginning. But sdll this lras better than those three dals vhcrl
rhe rhick snow was falling amidst unbroken darknesswith littk
gusts of wind chat rattled the double door of the classroom.Th(rl
Daru had spent long hours in his room, Ieaving it only to go t,'
the shed and feed rhe chickensor gec some coal. Fortunare\ the d.
livery rruck from Tadjid, the nearestvillag€ to the north, had broughi
his supplies two days before the blizzard. It would return in fortr
eight hours.
Besides,he had enough to resist a siege,for the little room s L
cluttered with bags of r.heat chat the adminisrration left as a stu l'
to disribute to those of his pupils whose families had suffcrc,l
from rhe drought. Actually they hrd all been victims becausetlrr
were all poor. Every dey Daru would distribute a ration to llx
children. They had missed ir, be knew, during these bad days. P,,.
sibly one of the frthers or bjg brotbel'swould come rhis 2ftero(r)ri
5ll()
he could supplythem with grain. Ic wasjust a matt€rof carry-
them over ro rhe nexr harvesc-Now shiploadsof wheat were ar-
ng from Frxnceand rhe worsrwasover.Bui it would be hard to
thac povercy, that army of ragged ghosa wandering in che
ight, the plateaus burned to a cinder month after month, the
shriveledup little by little, literally scorched,every stone burst-
into dust under onet foot. The sheephad died then by thou-
and even a few men, herc and there, sometimeswithout any
knowiog.
In contrasr wich such poverty, he who lived almost like a monk
his remote schoolhouse.nonethelesssatisfed with rhe little he
and with the roush life, had felt like a lord with his white-
walls,his narrowcouch,his unpaincedshelves,
his well, and
wcekly provision of water and food. And suddenly this snow,
hour warning, without the foretasteof rain- This is the way the
was, cruel to live in, even wirhout men-who didnt help
tcrs eithcr. But Danr had been born here. Everywhere else. he
Hc steppedout onto the terracein front of the schoolhouse.The
ncn were now halfway up the slope.He recognizedthe horseman
lducci, rhe old gendarmehe had known for a long time. Balducci
holding on rhe end of a rope an Arab who was walking behind
with hands bound and head lowered. The sendarme waved a
lng to s/hich Daru did noc rep1y,lost as he wls in contemplarion
hc Arab dressed
in a fadedblue iellaba.his feecin sandalsbut
with socks of heary raw wool, his herd surmounted by a
shor rhiche. They were epproaching. Balducci was holding
s horsc in order not ro hurt the Arab, and the group w,rs
rrg slowly.
Ithin earshor.Balducci shoured: "One hour to do the three
nlctcrs from El Ameuri" Daru did not answer.Short and square
hlr tlrick sweacec.tre watched them climb. Not once had rhe Arab
I his bcrd."Hcllo," saidDaru whencheygor up onto rheterrace
in lncl wrrm up." Brlducci painfully got down from his horse
nt lctting go thc ropc. From under his bristling mustrchehe
I rt thc schooLn.rstcr.
His linle d:Lrkeyes,dc.crsctundcra rrnncd
THE GUIST/ Albcacmus
fotehead,and his mouth surounded with wrinkles made him lool
artentive and studious. Daru took the bridle, led the horse to dtt'
shed, and came back to the two men, who were now waiting frrr
him in the school. He led them into his room "l am Soing trl
'
heat up the classtoom,"he said. "\7c'II be more comfortabletherc.
'$0hen
he entered the room again, Balducci was on the couch ll(
had undone the roPe tying bim to the Arab, who had squartc'l
near the stove. His hands still bound, the rleila pushed back orr
his head, he was looking toward the window At 6rsr Daru notjcf'l
only his huge lips, fat, smooth, almost Negroid; yet his nose $rr!
'lhe
strzight, his eyes were dark and full of fever. cblcbe revezled tt
obsdnate foreheadand. under the weathered skin now racherdist"l
ored by the cold, the whole face had a restlessand rebellious Lr'l
that struck Delu when the Arab, turning his face toward hinr'
looked him straight in the ey€s-"Go into the other room," said llx
schoolmaster."and I'll make you some mint tea" "Th2nks," llrl
ducci said. "\(hat a chore! How I long for retirement." And rr'l
dressinghis prisoner in Arabic: "Come on, you " The Arab got ";'
and, slowly, holding his bound wdsts in ftont of him, went i|r"
\{rith the tee, Daru brought a chair. But Balducci was alnrt'lt
enthroried on the ne est PuPil's desk and the Arab had squrrtt"l
against the tetcher\ Placfotm facing the stove,which smod bet!!'r rr
the desk and the window. lVhen he held out the glassof tea to rln
prisoner,Daru hesitated?t the sight of his bound hands."He miiil'i
perhapsbe untied." "Sure," said Balducci. "That was for the rtrl''
He startcd to get to his feet. But D2ru, setting the glasson tbe ll'' 'r'
hadknel besiderhe Arab.\lfiir hour'al ing anyrhing.rhe Arrb wrr' r' l
him with his feverisheyes.Onc€ his hands were free, he rubbc,l l'tr
swoll€n wrists against each other, took the glass of rea, and sLr{l"l
up the burning liquid in swift little sips
"Good." said Daru. "And where are vou headed?"
Balducci withdrew his mustachefrom the tea "Here, son.'
"Odd pupilsl And you're sPendingthe night?"
"No. I'm going back to El Ameur' And you will deliver this lcll""
to Tinguit. He is cxpected at Police headgua(ers"
5ir2
Balducci was looking at Daru with a friendly liftle smile.
$fhatt fiis storyl" eskedthe schoolmaster.,,Are you pulling my
"No, son. Those are the orders."
"Thc orders?I'm not . . ." Drru hesitated,not wenring ro hurr
'l
old Corrican. mean.rhrr's nor mr job'
i'\vh"rl VheCs the
meaning of rhat2 In wartime peopie do all
tds of jobs."
'rTben I'11weit For
the declarationof warl,,
Balducci nodded.
"O.K. But the orders exist and they concern you too. Things are
*ing. ir rppc.rn.The.e is rrlk of .r forrhcomrngre,olt. \0e a,e
Drru still had his obstinarelook.
"Listen, son," Balducci said. "I like you and you must understand
only a dozen of us at Il Ameur io patrol throughout the
c€rriroryofa smali departmentend I must gec back in a hurry.
w$ told to hand this guy over to you and recurn wichour deiay.
couldnt be kept there. His village was beginning to sri(; rhey
to take him back. You must take him ro Tinguir romorrow
thedayis over.Twencykitomerers shouldnl fazea huskyfellow
you.After rhzt,ail will be over_You,ll comebackto yout pupils
your comfortablelife "
Echind the wall rhe horse could be heard snorting and pawing
I crrth- Darlr was looking out rhe window. Decidedly,the weather
(lcaring and rhe lighr was increasing over the snowy plareau.
n all che sno{'s.as melted, the sun would rake over again and
more would burn the 6elds of stone. For days, still, rhe un-
ing sky would shedirs drv lighr on rhe solitaryexpanse
where
hing had any connecrion with man.
"Alicr all," he said, turning around roward Balducci, ,.what did
do/" And, before the gendarmehad openedhis mouth, he xskedl
hc speakFrench?"
"Nrr. not a word. Wc had been looking for bim for a month, but
wcrc hrding him. Hc killed his coL,sin'
" l r h c . r g . r i n surs r "
'r'|ll
GUIST / Alben C.nus

The revolvershone against the black painr of rhe table_\fhcn rhe

"I don'r think so. But you cen never be sure."
ldarme .urned roward him, rhe schoolmastercaughc rhe srnell of
"\(hy did he kill?"
thcr and horseflesh.
"A family squabble,I rhiflk. One owed the other grain, ir seems lListen. Balduccr,"
Daru said sudcienlr,"everybit of this disguscs
ICs not at all clerr. In short, he killed his cousin with a billhook
and first of all your fellow here.Bur I won't hand him over.
You knox', lke a sheep, kreezLl"
t, yes,if I havero. Bur not that_,,
Balducci made the gesture of drawing a blade acrosshis throrr
The old gendarmesrood in fronr ofhim and looked at him severely.
and the Arab, his etcencionattracted, watched him with a sort o1
"You're being a fool,,'he said slowly. ,,I don,t like it eirher. -1ou
anxiety. Daru felt r sudden vrath against the man, against all me| 't get used
to purting a rope on a man €ven efcer yeits of ir,
with their rotten spite, their tirelesshates, their blood lust.
you're even ashamed-yes, ashamed.But you can] let rhem heve
But the kettle was singing on the srove.He servedBalducci mor<
I wey."
tea, hesitat€d,then servedthe Arab again,who, a secondrime, dranl'
"l won't hand him over,,, Daru said again.
avidly. His raisedarmsmade the jellabafall open and the schoolmastcr
"lt's an order, son, and I repeat ir.',
saw his thin, muscular chest.
"That's right. Repeat to them what I,ve said ro you: I won,c hand
"ThanLs, kid," Balducci said. "And now, I'm o11."
He got up and went toward the Arab, taking a small rope frorl
Dalducci made a visible effort ro reflec. He looked et rhe Arab
his pocker.
:rt Daru. At last he decided.
"V/hat are you doing?" Datu askeddry1,r'.
"No, I won't rell rhem anlrhing. lfyou want ro drop us, go ahead;
Balducci, disconcerred,showed him the rope.
not denounce you. I have an order to deliver the prisoner and
"Don\ bother." r doing so. And now you,ll just sign this paper for me.,,
The old gendarmehesitated."Ifs up to vou- Of course,you a'r
"Thcre's no need. l,l1 not deny rhat you left him with me.,,
" l ) o n l b e m c : n w i , h . n e .I k n o q ) o u l l , e l tr h e r r u , h y ^ u . F r r o m
"I have my shotgun."
tcrboursand \oL are I mrn. Bu(
"lWhere?" )oL mu". <.gn.rh:r, rhe rule...
Drru openedhi. dr.ner. rook ou r Ii,rtc ..lr,jjc oor.tc of purpte
"In the trunk." l. thr redwoodcnpcnhordcr
wiLh,te..",gern, .rr". p." li ,iJ
"You ought to have it nerr your bed."
Itnxkrngmodetsof pcnman,hrp.
rnd signcdThcgendarne.aref.Llh
"$a.hy? I have nothing co fear."
''You the paper end pur ir inco his vallec. Then he rnoved toward
rc cnu). .on. lf rl-eresrr upri.ing.no onc rs safc.wcie .'
ifl the same boat."
"l'll secyou oq" Drru said.
"I'11 defend myself. I'll have dme to see them coming."
"No," said Balducci.',Th€re'sno use being polire.you insulred
Balducci began to laugh, then suddenlythc musracbecoveredthr
white teeth.
llc krokcd ;rr the Arxb, morionless in the same spot, sniffed
"You'll have dme? O.K. That's just what I was saying.You barc rvishly,and rurned away roward the door. ..Good-by,son,,, he said
elwaysbeen a ljtde cracked.That's why I like 1ou, my son was likc
h c , l r r ' l , u r b c l r r r rhdr r n B a t t 1 r . . i : p p e , r ,rrcrdJ d e r toyu r . r J ct h c
thac."
I t t r f t r w . rrnl r<rlrr l i r q ' p c r j ' cH, .l , r , , , . r e p , s c r c r r r r , , h, l)cr,llI s n . , w .
At the sametime he took out his revolver and pua ic on the desli
r. lr(nscsritrcdoo tl:c orhcr siilc of thc rv:rllrrrrl st.vcrrrl
clrirkcns
"Keep iti I don\ need two werpons from hcre to El Ameur."

1114
THEGUlisT/ AlbcrtCrnus
fluttered in fright. A moment later Balducci reappeared outside thc
window leading the horse by the bddle. He walked toward the lirtlc
dsewithout turning around and disappeared from sight with thehorsc
following him. A big stone could be heard bouncing down Daru
walked back towa(d the Pflsoner,who, withour stiffing, never rook
his eyesoff him- "\qait," the schoolmastersaid in Arabic and went
toward the bedroom As he was going through the door' he had I
second thought, went to the desk, took the revolver, and stuck ir
in his pocket. Then, withoul looking back, he went inro hrs room
Ior some time he lay on bis couch warching the skv gradu
ally close over, listening to the silenc€-It was this silence rhat ha(l
seemed painful to him during rhe first days here, afrer the vxr'
He had requesteda Post in rhe litde to*n at rhe baseof the foot
hills seParatingthe upper plateaus frorn rhe desert Th€re, rock\
walls, green and black to the norrh, Pink and lavenderto the south
marked the frontier of eternal summ€r. He had been aamed to rr
post farther noffh, on the plateau itself ln the beginning' the soli
i.rde and the silencehad been hard for bim on thesewastelandsPeo
pled only by stones Occasionally, furrows suggestedcultil'ation'
tut they had been dug to uncoler a certain kind of stone goo'l
for buitding. The only Plowing ber€ was to harvest rocks Elsewhetc
a rhin layer of soil accumulated in tbe hollows would be scrapc'l
out to enrich Paltry village gardens.This is the wal it was: bare rock
covered rhree quarters of the region Tovns sprang up, flourisherl'
then disaPPeared; men cam€ by, loved one another or fought bit
terly, then died- No one in this desert' neither he nor his gu€sl'
mettered. And yet, outside lhis desertneither of them, Daru kne$ '
could have really lived.
\7hen he got up, no noisecamefrom the classroomHe vas amazed
at the uomixed joy he derived from the mere thoDsbt tbat the Arxl)
might have fled and that he would be alonev/ith no decisionro mxkt
But the Prisoner was there He had merely strerchedout betwecr
the stove and the desk.\(ith eyesopen, he was staring at rbe c€ilin8
ln that position, his thick liPs were particularly noticeable'giving
him a pouting look. "Come," said Daru Tbe Arab got up an<l
followed him. In the bedroom, rhe schoolmasterpoinred to a chrir
thc table under the window- The Arab sat down without taking
Sycs of Daiu.
Arc you hungry?"
" the prisoner said.
ser the table for two. He took fiour and oil, shaped a cake
frying'pan, and lighred the liftle scovethat functioned on botded
lVhile the cake was cooking, he went out to the shed to get
cggs, dates, and condensed milk. Vhen the cake was done
rt it on the window sill to cool, heated some condensedmilk
with wzter, and beat up the eggs into an omelette ln one of
molions he knocked against the revolver stuck in his right pocket
tct the bowl down, wenl into the classroom,and put the tevolver
dcsk &awer. Vhen he came back to the room, night was fall'
Hc put on the light and seived the Arab "Ert," he said The
took a piece of the cakc, Iifted it eagerly to his mouth, and
'And you?"he asked.
Aftcr you. I ll eat too."
thick lips openedsiightlv.The Atab hesitated,then bir inro
crke determinedly.
me over, the Arab looked at the schoolmaster.
ludSe?"
I'm simplykeepiogyou until tomoriow."
do you ear with me?"
hungry."
Arabfell silent.Darugot up andwentout He broughtback
ding bcd from rhe shed, set ir lp between the table and che
perpendiculrrto his own bed. From a hge suitcas€which,
t in a co.rre.,se.ved r shclf for PaPers,he tool two blankets
"s he stoPPed,felt useless'
$rrangedthem on the cemP bed. Then
r;u down on his bed. Thcrc was norhing more to do or ro get
, Hc had to look at this mm. He looked at him, therefore,trying
lrnrginc his facc bursting wich rage. He couldn't do so. He could
nothing but the dark y€i shining eycs and che animal mouth
"10?hydid you kilt him?" hc askedin a voicewhosehostiletone
rprisc<lhim.
187
T H ! G U E S T /A L b er C r m u s
The Arab looked away.
"He ran awal. I ran after him "
He raised his eyesto Daru ag:rin and thev were full of a sort "i
woeful iflterrogation. "Now whet will rhe,vdo to me?"
"Are you afraidT"
He stiffened,turning his eyesawaY.
"Are you sorry?"
The Arab stared at him oPenmourhed Obviousll he did n"r
undersrand.Daru's annoylnce $rasgrowinS. At the sametime he l( ll
awkward and self'consciouswitb his big bodl radged berween rlx
"lie down there," he said impatiently "That's your bed."
The Arab didn't move. He called to Daru:
"Tell mel"
The schoolmasterlooked at him.
"Is the gendarmecoming back tomorrowl"
"I don't know."
"Are you coming with us?"
rVhv?"
"I donl know.
The pdsoner got uP and stretchedout on top ofthe blankets l'r
feet toward the window. The ligbt from the electric bulb sh('rr
stmight into his evesand he closedthem at once
"\{/hy?" Daru rePeated,standing besidc the bed-
The Arab openedhis eyesunder the blinding light and lookcd 'r
him, trying noc co blink.
"Come with us," he said
ln the middle of the night, Daru was still not adeeP He lr'r'l
gon€ to bed after undressing comPlereh; he gen€rallYslePt nrk''l
But vrhen he suddenly realized that he lrad nochirg on, he h' l
teted. He {elt vulnerable and rhe t€mPtation came to hrm to l'L I
his clothes back on- Then he shrugged his shouldersrxfter zll lu
wasn\ a child and, if need be, he could break bis adversati "'
two. From his bed he could observehim, lying on his back 'tLll
motionless wicb his eyes closed under the harsh ligbr' \(rhen D""'
turned out the light, the darknessseemedto corgulate all of a sr"l
den. Little by little, the niSht came back to life in the n'ind""
5llll
the starlesss\' wes stiffing gendy. The schoolmastersoon
out the body lying at his feec.The Arab scill did nor move,
his eyes seemedopen. A fainr wind was prowling around the
Perhapsit would drive away the clouds end the sun
reaPPeaf.
During the night the wind increased.The hens {luttered a little
then were silent. Th€ Arab turned over on his side with his back
Dnru. who thousht he heard him moan. Then he listened for his
's breathing, become heavier end more regular. He listened to
breachso close co bim and mused without being able to go to
ln this room where he had been sleepingalone for a year, this
bothered him. But it botheredhim elso by imposing on him
ofbrotherhood he knew well but refusedto acceotin the oresent
msrences.Men who sharethe same rooms. soldiersor Drisoners.
a straflgealliancexs if, having cast off cheir armor with their
thing, they frarernizedevery evening, over and above their differ-
, in rhe ancient community of dream and fatigue. But Daru
himself; he didn't like such musings, and it was ess€ntia1
rlccp.
A little later, however, when the Arab stirred slightly, rhe school'
r wrs still not xsleep.\rhen the prisonermadea secondmove,
itiffened, on the alert. The Arab sas lifting himself slowly on his
with rlmo'r rhc morronoir.lccpw:lkcr. scareduprighr in bed.
*nited motionless v'ithout turning his head roward Daru, as if
wcrc listening atientively. Daru did not stir; it had jusr occurred
him that the revolver was still in the drawer of his desk. It was
tar (o act at once-Yer he continued to obsen'ethe prisoner,who,
the s2me slirheq morion, pur his feet on the ground, waited
tt, then began to stand up slowly. Daru was about to call out
him when dre Arab began to walk, in a quire natulal but ex-
rtf(linrrih silent w,rr. He was heading toward the door er the
')l rhe room rhxr opened inro thc shed. He lifted the larch
h prccrution rnd lent out, pushing the door behind him but
Ithout shutting ir. Drru had not stirred."H€ is running away,"
nrclclythoughr. 'Good riddrncel"Yet he listencd:rtrcntively. The
r wc|c not lluncLingtthc gucst nust bc on rhc plrrrcrLu A iLint
'lHE GUIST Albed Cinus
/
sound of water reachedhim, and he didn't know what it was ur'
tit the Areb again stood framed in the doorway, closed the du"
carefully, and ceme back to bed without a sound Then D;rrrr
turned his back on him and fell asleep.Still later he seemed,frrr"
the deFhs of his sleeP,to herr furrive stePs around tbe schor'l
house. "I'm dreamingl I'm dreamingl" he repcatedto himsell Ar"l
h€ went on sleePing.
'When
he awoke,the sky was clear;the loosewindow let in a col'l
pute air. The Arab was asleep,hunched uP under the blankets nr)$
iris mouth open,utterly relaxed.But when Daru shook him, he statr''l
dterdfully, staring at Deru with wild eyes as if he had never sc't'
him and such a frightened exPressionthat th€ schoolmastersrePl"'l
back. "Don't be ?fraid. It's me. You must eat " The Arab nod(i.t
his herd and saidyes.Celm had returnedto his face,but his expresr""
was vacant and listless.
The cofee was ready.They drank it searedtogether on the foldrrrli
bed as they munched their Piecesof cbe cake. Then Daru led tl"
Arab under the shed and shovredhim the faucet where he waslx'l
He went back into rbe room, folded the blanketsand the bed, m:r'i'
his own bed and put the room in order. Then he wmt through rl'
classroomand out onto the tefface The sun was alreedl risinS trt
the blue sky; a soft, b+ht light was bathing the deserrcdPla('ll
On the ridge the soow was melting in spots The sroneswere ab"lrr
to reapperr.Crouched on the edge of the plateau, the schoolmrrst'r
looked at the desertedexpanse.He thought of Balducci He had lrt'tt
him, for he had sent him of in a vay as if he didn't wanr to I'
associatedwith him. He could sdll hear the gendarme'sfarewell :rrr'l
without knowing why, he felt strangelyemPty and vulnerable i\t
rhat moment, from the other side of the schoolhouse'the Pris(nr'
coughed. Daru lisrcn€d to him almost despite himself and drl
furious, threw a P€bblethat whistled through the air before sinkirll
into the snow. That man's stupid crime revolted him, but to hlrrl
him over v/as contrery to honor' Merely thinking of it made httrr
smart with humiliation. And he cursed at one and the same ritr"
his own peoPlewho had sent him this Arab xnd rhe Arab too \'1r"
had dared to kill and not mrnaged to ger awey.Daru 8ot uP, wrlkr 'i
590
circleon the terrace,waited motionless,and then wenc back into
lchoolhouse-
Arab, lerning over rhe cemenr floor of the shed, was wesh'
his teeth with two 6nsers. Daru looked at him and said:
." He went back into the room ahead of the prisoner. He
a hunting jacket on over his swerter and put on walking'
, Sranding,he waited until rhe Arab had put on his chtcheand
They went into the classroomand the schoolmasterpoint€d
thc exit, saying:"Go ahead."The feilow didnt budge. "I'm
" said Deru. The AIab wenr out. Daru went back into the
and made a package of piecesof rusk, dates, and sugar. In
classroom,before going out, he hesitateda second in front of
dcsk, then crossedrhe threshold and locked the door. "Thacs
wey," he said. He scarredtoward che east, followed by the pri
. Bur, a short distance from the schoolhouse,he thought he
r slighc sound behind them. He retraced his steps and ex-
ncd the surroundinss of the house: there wes no one there.
Arab wrrched him withour seemingco understand."Come
oaidDaru.
walkedfor an hour and rescedbesidea sharDDeakof lime-
The snow was meltins fester and faster ano
ing up the puddles at once, rapidly cleaning the plateau,which
Ily dried and vibrated like the air itself \Zhen chey resumed
ng, the ground rangunderrhet feer.From time to rime a bird
thc spacein front of them with a joyful cry. Daru breached
in
the fresh morning lighc- He felt a sort of rapture before the
frmiliar expanse,now almostentirelyyellow underirs domeof
rky. They walkeden hour more,descending rowardthe south.
rcacheda level height madeup of crumbly rocks.From there
rhc platcru'lopcddown.ca'rvard.rowarda lor plain s hererhere
l fcw spindly rreesand, co the south, toward outcroppings of
rhrt gave the landscapee cbaotic look.
Dlnr surveyedrhe two directions.There wes nothing but the sky
thc horizon. Not a man couLd be seen. He turned toward the
h, who wrs looking rt him blaokly. Daru held out rhc package
hinr. "'l':rkcir," hc srid- "Therc arc datcs,brcad,:rnd sug,u.You
trl
TH! GUEST/Albc( Cimus
can hold out for rwo days.Here are a rhousandfrancsroo.,,The Arr ,
took the packageand the money but kept his full hands at chc'r
level as if he didn't know what to do wirh what was being giro,
him. "Now look," cheschoolmastersaidas be poinred in the djrecri(ri
of the east,"there's the way to Tinguit. You have a two hour s,:rllt
At Tinguit you'll 6nd the administrarion and the police. Thei, rl
expecting you." The Arab looked roward the east, srill holding rl!
packageand the money againsi his chesr.Daru took his elboq, er,i
turned him ratherfoughly toward the south. At the foor ofthe hei8l,1
on wbich rhey stood could be seen a faint path. "That,s rhe rlrLl
acrossthe plateau.In a day'swalk from here 1,ou,ll6nd pasturelanrl
md the first nomads.They'l1 take you in and shelreryou accordirrr,
to rhetu law." The Arab had now rurned toward Daru and r s(,ir
of panic was visible jn his expression "lisren," he said. Daru sho,,l
his head: "No, be qui€t. Now l'm leaving rou." He turned his bl, .
on him, took two long steps in the direction of the school, Iook,,l
hesitandy at rhe morionless Arab, and smrted off again. For a f(\
minutes he herrd norhing bur his own srep resounding on rhe (,)1,1
ground and did not turn his head. A moment later, horvever. t,,
mrned around. The Arab was srill there on the edge of the hil1. lLr.
arms hanging now, and he was looking at rhe schoolmasrer.DiriL,
felt something risein his throat. But he sworewith impadence,\!,r!(,1
vaguely, and smrted off egain. He had alreadygone some dist;r1,,
n'hen he again stoppedand looked. There was no longer anlone,irl
the hill.
Daru hesjtared-The sun was now rarher high in the sl-v and r.,.
beginning to beat down on his bead.The schoolmasrerrerracedl),.
sreps,et first somewhat uncertainJy,rhen s'irh decjsion. Vhen 1,,
reachedrhe litde hill, he w"s barhed in sweer.He climbed ir as lu.r
as he could and stopped, our of brearh, at the top. The rock-ficl,I.
to the south stood our sharply againstrhe blue sky, bur on rhe plrrl
to the eastr steamyheat was alreadl rising. And in that slighr hlz,
Daru, with heaq heart, made out rhe Arab valking stowJr,on rl,,
ro2cl to Pflson.
A litrle later, standing before the windos' of tbc classroom,rt,,
schoolmesrerwas watching rbe clear light b,rrhing thc whole surti,,
thc plateau,bur he hardlysawit. Behindhim on cheblackboard,
the winding French rivers, sprawled the clumsiiy chalkedup
he had jusc read: "You handed over our brocher. you will
for this." Daru looked at the s\', the plareau,and, beyond, the
lands stretching all the way ro the sea.In rhis vasclandscape
had loved so much, he was :.lone.
PATIENCE
N GEI 3AL'H N IGFEATBRTAIN
, ./ .t- z, "z
./L,,--( ,/) c-1:,.2".2 ,^
J'/
Y sH^REof thc meal had been some whitebait, some cheeseand
p of cofee. The bill was for four pounds, rhree and sixpence.
You once told me rhat the last proprietor of rhis place wes
" I saiCrather biccerly."It wasn't by any chancefor highway
Uncle Chxrlesshook his herd. "No-just ordinary murder The
nces were not uninreresting. I \(''ill rell you aborr ir some
," He sighed. "If I were i younger man, wirh less knowledgc
thc world." he srid sadly."I supposeI shouldbe offeringto pay
bill, or at leasrro spliric wirh you."
y?" I said. asronished.
()n the grounds rhrr I have won some money. I won twenty
five
|l(ls xt thc Nlershalls at bridge lest nighr.',
"Vcll, ir's verl decent of you. . . .',
"lfut you and I know,' said mI Uncle Charles tirmly, .,that to
I rum of rhlr kind can be dre heigbr of misforrune. I do not
rhc Nlxrshxllswell, rnd have onlv played nirb rhem a couple
lft|]$ bcforc. Ilur rhcv rrc.r p.rir of qLriftly incompctcrlr pcfFofmers
r, prrltrll num<1,would h:rvcncrnt r stclLcly rw,ror rtrrrcpounds
PATMC!/ Nigel Bdchin
a week to me for the next ten years.As it is, having lost twentl _lir,
pounds in an evening, they wiII never ask me there again. I oi(1l
hard to avoid it. But when I doubled their final ludicrous slam 1r,l
in an effort to save them, they merely redoubled. They made rr,,
tricls and I went out into the nighr. The thing may or mav n,'t
end in a divorce betweenthem. It is certainly rhe end of bridge s irlr
them for me,"
"You believe in small profits and steady returns)"
"It is cheonly possibleprinciple nowedays,in any foffn ofgambllr'r1
whicb involves skill When the Duchessof Devonshirewas preprrrr,l
to lose fifty rhousandpounds at a sitting, it was different. Bur rr .r
mere five shillings a hundred, one must be preParedto consideron, I
winnings asa modestpensionrather than asthe making ofa forrurr.
"Nobody can affotd to play high nowadays."
"Nobody evercould." My Uncle Charlessmiledgently to himsell I
have,in fact, taken part in a game of clrds which endedin one of rlu
playerswriting a ch€ck for eight hundred pounds, and he certair,lr
couid not afford k. But even so, it was, in a way, an illustration , I
my point rhxt to win may be disastrousand to lose Profitxbl(
"I don't quire follow you."
My Uncle Charlesglanced round the restaurant."You have p.rr,t
rhe bill," he said. "If you were to order two more brandies,n,,".
it is possible,though not likely, that rbey will forget to charger,',,
for them. In the meantime, I will clarify my last sratement."
"r HAv! NEVERbeen enthusiastic about the French fuviera whi,l,
to me, is a place to which all the peopleI want to avoid go in orl r
to meet each other. I cannot now recall why, some twenty_ive lcxr'
ago, I spent some time at Nice; and the whole incident is made c' c,,
more baffiing by the fact that I apperr to hzve been stayingin a hotr I
Bur it was certainly in the bar of a hotel in Nice that I first n,,t
Mr. BranderHeavistone.\7e were sitting at adjoining tables,and w r,
inadvertently introduced by a wiirer who spilt a tray of drinks or, '
the pair ofus. Mr. Heavistonewas not a difficult man to get to knr,"
and by rhe time we had mopped ourselvesup and had made sur,
594
none of che liquid had gone on his comPanion'sdress,he was
ng repl?cements for all the three of us- Mr. Heavistone was a
Am€rican who wore rhe tyPe of ether thick sPect?cles
tnrgnify the ey€sof the wearet.He was a quiet, soft-spokenman
I rether slow, courteousmanner.The English havea maddening
of assuming rhat all Americans of this ryPe ate Southerners
, Mr- Heavistonecame from Detroit, and I think he had made
, ofwhich there xppearedro be a good derl, in someoffshoot
eutomobileindustry.
companion, whom he introduced as Miss Tracey,was obvi
English. In fact, in both appearanceand manner, she might
lrt for a very flattering Porffait of The Inglish Girl. I guessed
et about twenty-fve. She had light brown hair, vety fine blue
lovelyskin, and very nice manners.
must say that as casual acquainrancesto Pick uP in a bar in
, rhey were both excepriondly plersant.How rhey had fust mel,
r knew,but they did not know one anorhervery well PerhaPs
had spilt a tray of drinLs over them somewh^rexrlier. $?e
t l plcasanthalf hour together and thefl Parted-
r. Hcavisronewas sraying in the hotel and so was I, and during
xt few days I saw him s€verrl dmes, and exchanged a few words
couple of occesions,Miss Traceywes with him, and somewhen
this time I lerrnt that she lived in a villa just outside the
with her father. who was a retired soidier. From what she s:rid
that th€y were not well ofi, and merely lived in the South
becau'cof her frrhcis health shc seemedro worry a good
tbout rhe fict rhat her father was bored and rether loneiy, and
avcninq she askedme to come oul to the villa with Mr. Heavi'
rnd henelf ro m€et him. NIr. Heavistone,I gathered,had been
couple of times before. I had nothing to do, she was a very
ivc girl, rnd I liked both her xnd Heavisrone,so I was glad
lc(cPt.
villa was a couple of miles to rhe east of rhe town, and very
ls I cxpecred comfortable,pleasant,bur quite unPrerentious.
'li:rccy
| more or lcsscompletedthe picturc-a tall, handsome
ol :rboutsixty with closclycut iron-grxybrLirand.r bearingof
?ATIENCE/ Nigel Frlchir
quiet dignity. He wasplaying patiencewhen we arrived,and I gathcl('l
frorn his daughter that he spenr many bours doing so- I am no exll,i
ar patience, and did not recognize the form of rhe game he \r1
playing; but Herviscooe did, and insisted that he should finish r
Hos/ever, the game cameout in a few minures,and rhe Colonel rl! rl
joined us, and we sat and chatted verv pleasancly.Ir was obvious rl,.rr
rhe Colonel and bis daugher *'erc devoted to one another, and,,','
could nor help feeling that jt wes a slightly pathetic househol,l ,|l
which rhe elderly man and the voung girl both worried a good ,l,.rl
about the oth€r, without the meansto do much about it.
"Cofonel Traceyand Heavistonetalked a good dealabour parr r',, ,
of w\icb they were both fond, and in rhe course of conversefl,)rI
was askedjf I pJayed.\(hen I said that I did nor play patienccl,'it
was fond of other card games,I saw the Colonel's facelight u1, llr
seemedto hesitarefor a moment, and I saw him glancealmosrgurlr lq
at his daughter. Then he said: 'Do you play poker?'
"'Do you, Mr. Heavistone?'
"'I have done, Colonel.'
"'Then we must make up a liftle schoolone evering.'He 1,",1.,'l
ar h; daughter deliantly. 'l hardly ever gec a chance to plat l,,l.,r
now, and I'm very fond of it. That would be nice, wouldn\ ir. 1, ,,'l
'Of course,'withoDt, I thought, r r,, ll
"Miss TBcey smiledand said,
enrhusiasm-But the Colonel insistedon going on and arranSi'li i,
u5 (o come our and plav rro cvcning' Iater. He sa, ' ly
"lrr"
delighted at tbe prospect,and when we were leaving he rcrrir'|,
us both in turn pf rhe engageoent.
"By now Mr. Heavistone and I were on terms of consrlrr.rl
friendship, and it was our habit to meet in the bar most cr.rrrr'p
before dinner. The evening after our visit to the Colonel\ \'ill., r,
were sitting rhere wheD Miss Traceyentered.\0e, of course.r,., r'l
greer her and offeredher a drink. Sheacceptedand sar down sirl ,r,
but ic was noc diffcult to see thar she *?s nervous and ill :rr ' , '
Afrer a very few rninutes' rather labored conversation Hcir\i\r fu
happened to mention thar rve should be seeing her tllc loll,,\',r!
evening. Miss Traceyhesitatedfor a moment and then s;ricll,lrr,,rlr
196
I-I v,/anrco ralk to you about that. In fact to be quire frank
what I came about here this evening. I hoped you'd be here
. . . would you mind if I askedyou something?'
Hcevistonesaid:'S0hy sure. Go ahead.'
looked at her glass and twirled it by che scem. 'Ifs about
and-and piayingpoker.'
saidgenrly:'You don'r like him to pla).,do lou?'
'Ho* drd
1ou know thar." shc .r,d .hrfpl).
'l saw your face when he proposedit.'
'lCs noc rhat I don't like hlff\ to p/.1),' she said slowly. 'In fact
him to, because he doesloveit and he'sverylonell',and do€sn1
much fun. It's jusc . . .'she lookedup, and the blue eyeswere
woried.'\7ell frankly, I'm alwaysscaredthar he'll lose more
hc can zford-'
'Docs he tend to lose?' said Heavisrone.
rOh, not particular\. He sayshe's a very good
Playerand I dere'
hc is. Bur once or r$ ice when he's played with people,he's told
lftcr the sorr ofemounts they wer€ pl2ying for, and l've wondered
would have happened if-if he had lost. You see, the poor o1d
hasn\ a cencexcept his pension and . . . Once he playedand
two hundredpourd. in,n even'ng He ta: rcrrrblyplcascdrnd
Daddy, went straighr off and spent ic on me, which was very
of course-But I couldnt help wondering what would have
ncd if he'd /orr the two hundred. He'll never lisren ro me. He
Inugbs and sayshe\ too good a player to lose too much. But
cvcn the besr of playersdo heve runs of bad luck . . . l'
rcy do,' I srid with feeling.
rcy ccrr2inly do,' said Mr. Hexvistone.
what I wanted ro ask lou,' said Ironora,'was whether you'd
nrx-not playing for much romorrow. I've no right to ask you,
It rwrymakeit awfuliy dull for you. But you'vebochbeenvery
, n(l I rhought perhapsyou wouldnt mind . .' There were
In hcr cyes.
'Dont you
r. I lclvistoncgave her a gende pat on che afm.
,' hc s:Liclin his soft, slow drawl.'\(rc'll watch it, won't we,
PAIIINC! / NlSel Balchin
"'Of course.'
"'Only he'll try ro make you play for a lot. He alweysdoes.'
'l
"I said: never play for more than I can a6ord, and that's pra(rl
cally nothing.'
'but
"'I can't honesdy say that,' said Mr. Heavistone, sniling, I ied, the CoIoneI made a coupl€ of attempts to get the
certainly never like to play for enough to make any differencc r,,
anybody present And that goes if we play for matches.'
"She said: 'Oh no-youll hzve to play for nnething otherwisehr 1l
be hurt. But just-not an awful lot.'
"'Be all right if he lost ten pounds?'
"'Yes. Quite. But not-nor much more than that.'
'Tben we know where we arc'
"'O.K.,' said Mr. Heavistone-
"She gave us both a small end rather parhetic smile.'Mind r',,rr
he mustn't ever know I askedyou. He'd be . . . I don'r know r'l,.rr
' he'd do.'
'Hell, we understand,I ,,,
"'That's dl right,' said Mr. Heavisrone.
Have another drink.'
"She said: 'No, thank you. l've got to get back and seeto Dr,l,lr
dinner. Good-by and thank you very much. Seeyou tomorrow.'
"${rhen she had gone Mr- Heavisronesaid: 'Now that's a nicc 1lrrl'
"'Yes. As a matter of fact if the old boy does like to bang ir rr1,
I'rn glad she told us. Otherwise ir mighr have been a bit awkrv.,r,l'
"'l doubt rhe Colonel'd come to much harm, my poker being rl,r,
way it is. He's probabiy preny good. He's certainly a smaft perio,,r,
Prayer.'
"'Can you be a smart patienceplayer?I thought ir waspure cillr,,'
"'\a/ell it is and it isn'r. But I'd saythe Colonel would be all rirtl,r
Still, you never know. Something might have gone wrong. .,,,,1
znyhow I wouldn't like rhat little girl to worry. Might havc l,,l
awLward, 2s you say.'
"'I wasnt reelly thinLing of him so much as of me-'
"Mr. Heavistoneeyed me. '\trhy/'
"'Vell, I very rercly play cards for much money. And ccrr.rrrrlr
not vith anybody I don't know-even if ir's somebody likc rl"
Colonel.' Mr. Heavistonesmiled his genrle smile. 'Nor me,' h r.rr,l
'So now we can all play a shilling iimit just for rhe hell of ir.'
t98
wENr. we didn t pl.ry.rshillinglimir rhe tollowingevening.
was<errainly
a veryharmle.s
game.tronoradid nor phy. bur
was a fourth man abour whom I can now rememberabsolutelv
cxcept rher he spokeEnglish like an Italian. As his daughter
to e more interesting level, but when he gor no supporr from
or me he did not press it. I fanq konor: had been
him. He struck me as a good player.bur not excep(ionally
was one of those people who go a trifle exaggeratedly calm
ionless when they bluff, which is an elementary fau1t, but
ih very te$ peoplecrn spot in themselves. Howcvcr.on rhe
he vron abour a couple of pounds, and so did L Mr. Heavi,
lost about rhreepounds-He wasa poor playerend obviously
played rhe game much. It was not an exciting evening, but
pleasantenough and the Colonel obvious\ enjoyed it im,
y. On the wry home Mr. Heavistone said: '\Vell I hope the
goes out romorrow and buys ko a box of candy with his
lv s the patt€rn of severxleveningsthat followed. Usually the
Italian personmade a fourth. and on one occasionthere were
us. The Colonel always made some efforc to get us to play
money, bur never pressedit when we objected.On rhe whole,
I rc$onable player, he usually $ron; but in the whole of the
or four occasionswe went there I doubt if anybody was more
lcn Pounds uP or down. Mr. Heavistone never said so, but I
hc was a trifle bored by che whole business.He did not really
much, and would have been happier just to sit and talk
-as, indeed, I should. But the Colonel liked his game
, rnd on one occ?sionwhen we tried playing bridge instead,
fclt that it was a wxsceof veluable time. It was all very
I andpleasanc
ifa crifledull, and so it remainedright up until
cvening when M. de Grouchy called.
r of us were playing as usual-rhe Coloncl, Mr. Heavistone,
i:rn ;rnd myseli The only unusual thing about rhe occasion
t Mr. I{c,tvisrcne,whoscgame had improved considefablywirh
PAIIINCI / Nigel B.l.hin

practice,had beenlvinDing. He mal have*'on rhirtv shillings.kor" r,t thar he had rriedthis Partybeforeand didn't
Itrongimpression
had left the room a few minures before. we had jusr finisheda lr.'r"1,
'Daddy-here\ M de Grouchv'Shc ''rl to try ir rgain. As LeonoB went our with him rhe Colonel
when shereturned and said:
cver mind, we?e four whicb is always a nice game.'
ir as though something delighrful had happened,buc there*'as s'r'" nced ar Hca'istore and hc .rt me lhe .amc rhoLgh' of
thing in her fece rhat lold me thar it vasn't delightful ar all ll'r
had occurred to both of us. If the Colonel had taken two
Colonel, however, seernedgenuinetl' pleasedand jumped up srtt"11, pounds offde Grouchy rhe last time he had been rhere, he
'\(ell well just rhe man w€ n'ant,'and Proceededto indoduc( 'r\
hlrdly offer him a hand in a game where, with a bit of luck,
"Presumably,from his name and his appearance,A'1 de Grorr'lrv t win thirty shillings-Ve had promised Leonorato keep the
was a Frenchman.He was a s1im,rather daPPer,youngish man " ttlt
rmoll,and I for one didn'cparticularlyrelisha big gamewith
very sleekblack hair and a sallow skin. But his Inglish sas absolut'lv r like de Grouchy, He,Ivistone$'ho wasn'r a good Plxyer,
perfect, and if he had an accent at all it was verl faintly AmeLi"'t
Colonel ro worry about. On the orher hand, we could hardly
"I cannot sa) I took ro M. de Grouchy 2t lirst sighr' I nor "'
to play, particularly now che Italian had ducked ouc.
rhat he greeted rhe Colonel with considerablvless s'armth drl| tl '\X/ell come along, here's de Grouchy
Colonel said briskly:
Colonel showed rowards him; and though what he said n'xs f"lLrr
jn his smile .rn'l l'rr to give us rhe monev- I-eCsge. going.' He moved lowxrds
enough, rhere was something sligbtl,vinsolent
m.rnner. \a/b;le he s'as being inrroduced ro Heavistone, I crrrlllrl
visronesaid in his guiet s-ar:'Look, gentlemen I don't want
Leonora'seye and she gare me a quick, anxious shakeol the l" ' I
rhe fun, bur I'm a smalftimer at this game, and sot my
For a moment I didn,t unde$rand $'hat she was rning to se\ llL,r
hcrc-'
rt 5()0n becameclear,
' come,'saidthe Coionel.'lt wont hurt us to bang it uP
"De Grorichy was saying: I happened to be in Nic'. |"l
' once.' His eyeswere shining with Pleasufexnd excit€ment
thougbt I'd just dtoP in to seeif therc was anr chanceofml re\c'rl!
0ll been good bors for a long time. Here's a chenceco make
"'You couldn\ have come at a berrer time,' sa;d the Coloncl I I (lllr money.'
turned to us.'Last time de Glouch) washere I trimmed him Prolr rll
mly not hurt vou sir, buc ir might hurt me. I'm a poor pl;ryer
T*'o hundred pounds. *'asn't itl'
'Bur \"rr
"'somerhing like that,' said de Grouchy, *'ith his smile 'rc righr in thc middle of a streak of luck. Come on you
r','i]l admit Colonel, that the cardsran for lou.'
lcr me down, Heavistone.'
"'Oh les. Up ro a Point anyhos'The Colonel smiled et lL'rr
'But the cardsahays /a run for rhe good plaver, 1'ou knol'' rr;r had come back and was sitting by the fire very cens€znd
, l-lcr facewas rxrher pale-
"'That\ exacdy whar I want to see,'said de Grouchv. He s rrll"l '$7e11.I agree with Heavistone .' when
'\Xrell rrrt lnrtcd ro say:
over to the tableand flicked somecardsrhrough hn fingers.
I allo\u-edto come in?'
'' t sLrrcli'thcre is no problem,' he said, with thc smile that
"The Imlian saidquicklr:'You will take m1'placc.sir' I ht" 'You and I wish ro
rrrrcwrnr to kick him. Plav Poker, Colonel.
go.'
,icnrlcmcn do not s,ish to trust rheir skill or rheir luck against
"The Colonel starredto Protestbut rhe Imlian n,rs alreadrbrxr "'1'
a (xr) (l{)onc oF two things.\X/c.rn Phy FofPoints,rhe Points
ro I-eonora.He was a remarkabJyimPercePtiblelirrle man, an'l l'
rr us lr:rvingu r:Lthcrhighcr vllLrc,whcn wc comc to settle,
simpJy faded himself out of thc room 6rmi1, ncadr xnd rlrPidl\ I
tlx l!)inrs bc(wccnrl)trrl.or b(rwccrrrrs lntl rhcrn Or wc crn
PATIINC! / Nigel Btlchin
play m ordinary game in which, after all, anybody can alwaystlrr"l
in his cards if he feels that the risks are becoming excessive.'
"There was no answer to thar-particularly said as he said rr I
glanced at Leonora and saw her give a tiny helPless shrug ol rl
shouldersand sinL wearily back in her chair. Heavistone had g't
dightly red at de Grouchy'stone. He hesitatedfor a mometr ''ru
then said coidly: 'Very well, Colonel lf you wish it. I oniy hlrl"
don'c spoil your 8ame.'He sat down and so did I.
"It wasn't a very happy start to the game and it didnl conrrrrr
very happily. De Grouchy mxde no secretof the fact that hc "l
after the Colonel-and not in any friendly way Andthe Coloncl I'rl
it and liked it. Heavistone sruck to his guns and playedveri srr'r
so thar he was hardly ever in the game, which was x Pity, si,n( ll
streik of luck was continuing. I comPromised-Ior a while I klr rrr
way very carefully,and during thar rime I c,me to two conclusr(lrr
that de Grouchy was a first-classplayer and rhat tbe Colonel \'r {
far worse one playing high than he was when playing our fri( rllly
game where there was no money in it ln fzct, I didnt like tht l'^'
of it at all.
"As the cards fell, the tust balf hour was slightly farcical. rr"
Heavistoneand l, $/ho weren\ seriouslyin rhe game, held ven il'"
cards,and de Grouchy and the Colonei, who were panring trt 't
one another'sthroats,held nothing at all Even they weren't Prtl"'rr'
to go very far on a pair of tens, which was lhe sort of thing rl',t
took the pots-usually after Heavistone had thrown in thre( '!r
Eventually I got tired of it and took ten pounds offde Glor"lr
holding a fuII house to his three kings SThen he saw my hrrrl I
'Only a full house?I rhoughtyou musr lr''
smiledthinly and said:
as that.'
ar leastfours to be as reckless
"After that things began to warm up a bit' as he and the Cr'l"rl
began to get more cards; and right from the smrt de Groucltr l'rl
the edge on him. It v/asn't rhxr he lras particularly l-rcky, tll''1li
he hrd what little luck was going lt was mainly tbat he was sirrrl'lv
che better player, and that he could sPot the Colonel's ovetcrlr' '
sionlessbluff every rime. I had a few cracks ar him myself in'l '(l
balancewas slightly uP. But he tever went very bigh with mc. '""1
60-r
the Colonel was our he barely prer€^ded to be incerested_After
hour I should say he was about 6fty poundsup on the
and a few down to me. Then he had a very good parch
up a coupleof big pots,so that by aboureleveno'clock
ccnainly had his revengefor his two hundred pounds, and a
$as getting more and more unhappy, and so was Heavistone.
both rememberingwhat konora had said. 'If he'd lost two
instead of winning ir, I don't know what would have
' The Colonel himself seemed
much less woried than we
Pcrhaps a bit of rhesparklehadgoneout of him, but hecertainly
tt acting like a man who had lost enough to marter to him.
t cleveno'clock Hervistone looked ar his watch and said: .$fell.
I hate to breakup a good parry but . . .'
Colonel said: 'Oh come now Heavistone-we czn't let this
8et away wich it. It's only eleven o'clock.'
said:'I'm a bit wearymyself.'
'Vhat are you worrying rbout, Chades?You're winning.'
Grouchysaid:'I am, of course,at everybody's
disposal.But
timc-on vhich occasion I was losing-we broke up ar four.'
fVcll, if you think ln going on till four in the morniflg,
sir,
wrong,' said Heavistone,It was the nearestto an acid rematk
I cver heerdhim make ro anybody
Colonel sighedand said:'They'vegot no staminathesepeople,
thcy de Grouchy2 Look Heavistone, I tell you what-give ir
hour and rhen we'll stop. At rwelve sharp.'
rl doni reallywant ro, Colonel.'
rBut you must give me a chanceto take it back from
this fellow.
bccn running all his way for rhe last hour, and now ic ought
rMr. Hervistone hesitaredand looked
at me. But I had nothins
. If there was any trurh in what Ironora had said,the Colonel
Prcrtywell in already.If he *?nred to try ro ger himselfout,
lhc risk ofgoing in further, one could hardly stop him. Heavistone
hclplcssly:'All right. Twelve sharp thcn,'and on we went.
lf thc previous hour hrd been worrying, thc lasr hour wrs a
6t).J
IATIENCiI / Nigel tsalchin
nighrmare; for de Grouchy $rent straight into as big a run of lrr,l
as I have ever seen.ft wasn't only rhat he held good cards,bur rl,.,r
they were always/ff1 good enough, and at poLer that can be hc.rr
bteaking. I can even remember an actual occasionwhen thev b,'rl,
held a full house, de crouchy's being queens and sevens,and rll
Colonel's being knavesand 6r'es.Ir was all like that, and there \i.
nothjng we could do but sit and watch it. The Colonel didn\ ll,r
badly. In facr rhe more he lost the better and more calmly he secn,,,l
to play. But there was norhing he could do about it. There \ [
nothing anybody could ha\-e done about it. He had reasonrl,l,
cards even good ones.He played rbem reasonablyand he losr pLir(ll
cally every hand. By midnighr, he must have owed de Grouch\ rl
IPr$ fi,,P h''n.l.e.l h^"n,1(
"As we threw the cards in ar frve to twelve Heavistone lool,,l
at his wxtch and said: '\l.re -that's that.'
"The Colonel smiled and said: 'The verdiccof the umpires is 'lL,l
ther€'s time for one more over.'He was sril as calm as ever. il rl"
stmin was telling, ir merelymade his facelook rather older than u{,1
"De Grouchy said: 'ln which he hopesto hir many runs.' Hc \ r,
obviously proud of hG klowledge of English colloquialism.Noh'lr
else said anlthing, and rhe Colonel dealr.
"My cards,I remember,were of no interest. I had a pair of sis, .
and drew one more six. Heavistone rold me afterEardsthar h. 1,.,,1
a pair of queensand a pair of fours Neirher was the som of lrrr',1
which was very relevant in the circumstances.But from rhe \,rl
outset, de Grouchy and the Colonel went out against one anorlr I
De Grouchy calledfor two cardsand the Colonel took one, ancl rlu rr
rhe 6rn begrn. I was pr€tty sure from the start of it that rhe Coli,r! |
held fours of something, and for a long time m,v guess was rl,.r1
d€ Grouchy had a full house. But he went on with completc ,,u,
fidence and eventually I began to wonder. He must guessrhxr rlu
Colonel held fours, after thrt draw of one card. The guestion '.
"
whether he had drawn the four of something or i,hether hc $ '
blufrng-or indeed whether they both were."
My Uncl€ Charlespausedand tappedrhe ash off his cigar. I nor i, , I
that his hend wrs trembling slighrly. "I have impjied," he s:rid,"rl,.,
wrs no' rerlli r \en good PIi)ct. In iur(ile ro him. I
ey that in his place I should have done eractly what he did.
a lor of money do*n, and on his cards he hed rhe right
he had caught de Grouchy at lzst. In fact, his newes held
bctter than the other man's, and when eventualh de Grouchy
to three hundr€d pounds co seehim, he vras still raising with
of a man who will do so indeinitely- The Colonel put down
kings and de Grouchy smiled xnd Put down four eces.
was 2 momenr's pause and rhen Mr. Heavistone said:
'There\ no justice. Moral never
Colonel smiled and said:
lSeinsr the run of the cards.'
'Yon uolriett me. I thought you'd
Grouchy said: Picked uP
oker to four.' Ir was the only rhing he said io rhe course of
ning wirh no unpleasanr
edgein it.
raid norh;ng, having nothing in particular to say. Afrcr a few
ts rhe Colonel gathered up th€ cards as though he was nor
'\(ell t'eil-a pleasanc
hcr sure what he was doing and said:
, if mildlv disastrous.Add up, will you?'He turnedto konora
ivxs still sitting staringinto the fire.'Darlin8, bring me my
will yout' She brought it, and the end of it was that he
our a checkfor eight hundred and rhirty odd pounds and gave it
Crouchy and shescoodand watchedhim. He wasan elderlyman,
noticed th2t he signed the checkwithout a tremor, and turned
lcd ar her in a crookedway.I hadbeensorryfor the Colonel
that evening, but that was the moment I really disliked.
clviston€ and I *.ere silent in the crr going back to Nice, but
ber saying:'Whar will the old boy do now? I doubcif he's
rlplrt hundredpoundsJn rhe world.'
f, l-lcrvistonewas siient for a moment and then saidwith sudden
rflhcr st:rrding bitrerness:'No, sir. Buc he\ got a daughrer."'
t^y (hxt I hy xwxke rhat night v"orr,vingabout Colonel Traceyt
bc rn c\xggcrrrion.I em constitutionrLlly
w,rLrl<l inctpableof
rw,rkcxt nighi worrying rbounnybo.ly s ttt,uhlcs,inclucling
?,AIIINCE / Nigel Bdchin

my own. But I musr confess that I felt very unhappy about rhe whoh t cad and ought to shoot yourself Is being a gendernanbeing
affair. $Thilst nobody could very well hold Heavistone and myv.ll o! just not being found out?'
responsiblc.lhe facr remeined lhar lronora hrd more or less c,rrr : 'Either or both.'
mitted the Colonel to our care,and we had sat by, howeverexcusahly, anyhow, how do I lay handson sevenhundred and fifty
and let him do exacdy the thing that she had most feared.I rv.u in the nexr fe* houtsl Heve),0t. got.even hundred and frfr)
fotcibly reminded of a dme when, as an undergraduatg I had b.frr
given charge of rhe only son of a widowed mother on Boar ll,r, my dear.'
nighr, and ar four o'clock the follo$/ing morning had been frrr,rl thoughr not. Nobody ever has.'
to lay the body on her doorstep,ring the bell, and run. I was rherr.I,!a that villa belong to you?'
embaffassed, though not at all surprised, when konora walkcd ilt o. \Ce only rent it.'
the lounge of the horel on rhe following moming when I \r,rl thing you can sell?Jewelry or anything?'
drinking my morning cofee. Mr. Heavistong unfofunately, hi(l r,rt s my watch.And my necklace that wasmummy's.They're
yet appeared. . bit, but not as much 2s thzt.' She ficked onc of the lumps
"I said all the obvious things-how sorry I was, how unfolrul rr away impatiently. 'The maddcning thing is that in about
it had all b€en, how we had seen no obvious way out, and v,,,rr ths I gct a thousand pounds.'
I then braced myself for the reproaches.
"In this, however, I had underestimatedkonora. She apolofrr, rl my aunt's will. $Ch€n I'm twentv-five. But that isn't tiil
for having given us what she felt must have been a very unplt..r,,rl
evening, pointed out rather bitterl), rhat it w"s no responsibilirr r ou might borrow on it.'
ou$ if the Colonel would do these rhings, and thanked us lir l . But not by midday today which is about the latest it's likely
effofts to stop him. She then smiled in a lather srrair€d wry ,ll rny good. Shc suddenlygave x slighdy h)srericrl giggle.
said: 'Strhat I want from you is some advice. What do I do rr,w Uncle Hcavistone? He must have seven hundred and 6ftv
"'He cen't afford to lose rhe money?, hc wouldn't miss.'
"'He not only can't aFord it-he hasn't got it., lhouldn't think so. He's only here on holiday. But you might
"'H€ gave d€ Grouchy a check.'
"'Anybody can write checks.He hasn,tgr, €ight hundred
lrorrrrrl
hy notT'
"'Absolutely. He's got one hundred and sevenpounds, r|rc.,rl could l?'
cightpenc€in that account, and the monthly bills are duc in :r w askedme.'
nfihen rhr( rrr de Grouchy rrie\ ro cashthar theck rhc b.rrrl * ly for fun.'She smiledwryly.'l cxn hxrdlygo round asking
refuseit, and Daddy will then talk some nonsenseabout hir tr,l|r acquaintances to pay Daddy'sberting losseswhen I've no
and shoot himsell Or say he wi[.'She picked up a couplc ol trrrrr
of suger and began to foll them as if they were dice..I donl lrr,i, rHow aboutyour aunt'swill?'
stand about male honor,' she said bitterly. ,It seemsrhacyou r rrr 1,[ rEut why shouldhc, anyhow?'
cardsfor money that oughr ro pay the tradesmen,or rnat y()Lrrr.rvrl rl'vc ncverscenwhy anybodyshouldlend anybodymoncy.Bur
got, and as long as you win you're srill a gentleman. But il y,ur 1,, y cxpcricnccthcy oftcn do.'

606 t7
?ATITNCT / Nigel Bil.hln
'You really think he might?'
"She hesitated.
"'If he's got it. He was very put out about the whole thin8.'
"Leonora sat for a moment in silence.Then she glanced ar hr
u,arch and sat up. 'Right,'sbe said quierly. 'lr is now ten rhir\ |
shall go and try to borrow sevenbundred and fifty pounds ofl i\lr
'You-you woul,Irt
Heavistone,if I can find him . . .' She paused.
like to come with me, Charles?I hal'en'r got a lot of experiencc,,1
rhis soft of thing."'
M) Un.le Lhrrlc. pau.rd. There$ere rerrsIn hcr cvcs."hr .' l
pensively."I havealreadysaid that the) n'erevery blue eyes.Ve firrrn|
Mr. Heavistone on the tertace."
"As oNE who has borrowed a good deal of monel in his time. I rrrr
perennially interestedin tbe psychologyof rhe touchee.The e\f, rr
enced borro$er, of course,knows his man. He knos's wherhcr r1"
'Of corL'.,
poor wrerch, in an agony of embarrassnenr,will mucrer
old man, of course'and pressthe money into his hand; or whctl" t
he will setde for half the amount requested;or whether he will ,t
with artifcial irmness that he never lends money but will x'illirrllr
give it you; or whether he will produce the mon€y and txk( rln'
opporrunity of offering a few words of advice.All these,and nr.rrry
others, are rhe common coin of borrowing, and in my expel<rr,r
thesepitiful defensivetechniquesare nor greatly afected by tbe srrrrt
involved. Bur I must say that I have never seenanybody bolrow i,!r,
pounds, let aione seven hundrcd and fifty, as quickly as Itrrr"r
borrowed it oli Mr. Her\.istone. The thing, in fact, struck mr rr
mildly indecent. Mr. Hervistone was sitting in a deck chxir on rln
terrace. I said, with painful joculariry, 'Hallo, Heavistone- 11.,, !
Leonora,who wants to borrow some money of you,'
'
"Mr. Heavistonegot up and said:'NIoney?How much, m) d(.,,
"Leonora looked at him and smiled but she couldn'r sayanytlrrrl
so I said:'Oh-ebouc seven hundred end fifry.'
"'Pounds ot dollars or what?'
"tr{r. Heavistonemadea mental calculetionand clickcd bis tor11,,
ou!
case. he srrd.'l .hall hrre (o go up ro m1 room. I don r
that much with me.'
was sone about 6ve minutes. \{rhcn he camedown he handed
a thick bundle of notes and said: 'It's in dollars,but maybe
't mttter. It's money.'
Iooked at the notes for a momenr, and then she stepped
and kissedMr. Heavistone on the cheekand turned and ran
Shedidn't sayanyrhing.
t. Heavistone stood and looked aft€I her and after a while he
'l deresay.But what\ my chance of ever seeing rhat
back?'
!tid: 'She'sgot some money coming ro her.'
I shouldrbink she'lJprr lou b;ck'
. Heavisronesaid: 'rJ7hysevenfiftv? The Colonel droppedover
hundred.'
hc sayschere'sa hundredin rhe bank.'
r. Heavistonewas still lookine in rhe direccionin which leonora
'rhereare somepretty good people
Bone.Jeez,'he saidsofcly,
'
t . Y o u k n o w I w o u l d n r , a r c . r l o r r f I n c v e r' . r w ' h a r b a t k
Uncle Charles paused and then suddenly whipped round ac
d said: "Have I told )-ou this stoq' before?"
o," I said.
shook his herd. "I canl think why not. One of the most
irrg aspecrsof growing old is this sudden conviction-usually
y justified-that one has cold people things before. Buc how-
for the next two days I saw nothing ot Mr. Heavistone or
, being involved in a visit aLongthe coasr.I still don't know
induced me, when returning to Nice on the rhird day, ro go
I ouc of my way to visit the Colonelh vilh. Nor why, rs
as I s:rwit, beforeI had left my car,I knew it wasempty. Perhrps
knows) some vestigeof the brains I was born wirh had feally
ncrl witlr mc throughour the whole affair. I like to think so,
to point to thc hct thet on rhe whole rr;LnsactionI personally
In pockct to thc cxtcnt of some fourrccnpounds.But rhis is
rhc iororcdirtcp(,int,which wN thxt rh. (i,l(,r)clrrntlIronrra
I , ! n ( . ' 1 , . r ' ' l r a l ' . r , 1I r , r g , r r ' . , . , r , t , 1 ', , r , 1 . , \ . , , , , 1, 1 , , , , , , ,
rAIltNCt/N.'igelB2l.hin

i\lr bu mean de Grouchy wes in it?'

one aPPearedto know their next address,and that Probabll
q'as driven back to NL" re. He had srarbilling, didn't he?'
Heavistonet money had gone too As I
I kept thinking of Mr. Heavistonet face as he looked after Leon'rl ut down rather limply and said: '\{zhen did you tumble ro all
and I must confessI felt slighdy sick You must remember rhrr I
\vas a good deal younger rhen than I am now- Inde€d, I remcrrl' I fitst time you and I wenr out there, sir.'
going inro che bar and having a large brandy bcfore I went t" " w h r o n e r r r hd r d ) o u g i , e h e r r h e m o n e y . i
Mr. ttear.istone,merelybecauseI was not looking {orward to rcllrrrg , Hcavisroneshook his head.'l hope they don'r try co spend
him what had haPPened . The top note was rwenty bucks all right. I thoughr it
"Mr. Heavisconewas in his room playing patience-I thinl rli' vrorth that, and maybe the Colonel can buy her a box of
game must have beenat a rather crirical srage,beceusehe Put"rrr()rlr'I wirh it. Bur rhe restcosrfive dollarsthe lot aca shop on Madison
iard down and consideredfor a moment before he looked rourll rt tC. I had a lot mote bur I gave it ro a con maD in Paris_They
'Hallo,' he said, ttill hcr' l It for conjurersfor that trick where they keep pulling thousands
me s/ith rhe curious magnified eyes
' out ofa hac.'He shook his head again.'lr's surprising how
thought you'd gone
'No. I've been along the coast Look here,Hevistonc l rrl in Europe know about wher proper American money looks
"I saidr
lVe'r'e been swin'll"l' u'd rhink they wouid by now. They'vehad enoughof ir.'
sorry but I'm afraid I've goc a shock for you
''Wel id: 'Eicher I've been so slow ther I ought to be in a home,
' you've been damned quick. Haa did you spot ir?'
"'Well, you haveat leasl
"'\a.bo by?' ll, you don\ play patience You ought to play patience.It,s
,,,The Coloneland his daugbter.Thev'vebolted.' lxme. Now the Colonel was a smaft patiencepliyer.'
"Mr. Heavistonerook anothercardfrom the pack,considtr'l rt
'She isn't his daughter'' h' 't Vell the firsc cwice I wenr out there wirh the girl, rhe
and puc it down rvith a little grunt
gently, 'she's his wife. Come to thet' he isn't a Coionel' wrs plaving perience;and he was plaling a sort of parience
"'How d'youknow?' Mrs. Kirchn€r\ Ramp,which verr few peopleplay.And what
"'You 6nd thesethings out-after'' , iir, be got ir out both times. Now I don,t know much about
"'Did you know thev'dgone?' !r you've seen,bur I know a lot abouc parience,and if you
"'I thought theywould be' He turnedand lookedat me an'l r1' Kitchner's Ramp our once every six months you,re lucky.
'TelI you the trurh, sir' when you didnl sh"s 't you and I wenr there and he got it our agdn just conve-
a iittle chuckle.
be gone roo' to ri to come and ralk to us, I knew the Colonel was a smat
).esrerday,I thought you'd
.,.r.1trrhy?, th crrds, ?nd rhat thel camr s'hen he called rbem_,
that Poor Sirl rlr'l
"'lvell, think it over' She was so embarrassed,
she couldnt ask for the money l',r had ro come and ' tlidnt hc t:rke us in the ordinary way? lXrel think it over,
'My God!' |||hr y()u d hav€ plaved him for three thousend dollars, nice
"l said:
"'Thougb rnind you,'said Mr' Heavistone,'Iwasn't surc 'rl'l nr \'()u sxid you wouldn'r ro me. Nor would L Nor would
you, any more lhan about the Italian Now he mal havc hc.rr I $r thc wry it went wxs to build up a big srory rhrough
I
it o, he may not. Bur I doubt it, becausetben thel sould h i' ur,l tlrcn hrvc rLhig loss to a foLrrletrcr m:rn like dc GLouchy
'
split the money four ways insreadof three
AMONG THE TATHS TO ID|N /Trunan ClPole
"I said: 'I must have mI head artendedro. Bur even now, rhrr:,
one bit I don\ see.\Why oa e?j.th$aald he chelr himself ar paric,r,{
"Mr. Heavistonesmiled. 'If you pla)'edparience,you wouldni I l
that questjon, sir. More people cheat ar pacjencerhan ar anlrhrlr)1
else.'He pointed to the table- 'Nog' look ar this. If rhat lasr ,.'r,l
I turned up had been a nine, then it rvould have come our. Thc rr \l
cerd jn the deck ri a nine. And I haven't got a game our l.r ,l
{ortnight. Seewhat I mean?'Mr. Heavistonesighedand grrhel(1l rl'
the cards.'Malbe the Colonel just playedpatienceto give him plr, r', r
vrith his trick decks.Ir mkes a iot of practice to be as good ,rs rl, rl
Or maybe he was like the rest of us and liked to win. After rll. lr,
always had to lose when it came to the big hand, and you .ri !,
that could be dull, sir."'
AMONG THE
PATHSTO EDEN
TRI]MANCAPOTE
/L]N TED STATIS
.v\6,* C o-leclf,
Or'u Slrunoav w Ma:ncrr,anoccasion ol plexanrwindsen,l,..rrlrr
clouds,Mr. Ivor Belli bought from a Brooklyn fiorisr a lirr ,,,
of jonquils and conveyedthem, firscby subsay, rhen foor, r,,
immense cemeteryin Queens,a sirc urvisicd by him sincc l" lr,r
seenhis wife buried there the previousaurumn. Sentiment crrrl,l rrr
be credited with returning him today, for Mrs- Belli, to rvlr,'r', I
had been married Nr'enty-sevenyers, during which timc n" I
Produced two now grown and marimonially-settled daLrgltrc'. I
been a woman of many natures, most of them tryjng: L( l,r,l I
desire to renew so unsoorhing an acquainrance,even in sl,irr rlii
bDt a hard winter had jusc passed,and he fclt in nced ol r r',, r
air, a heartJifting sctoll throug)r the handsomc,sprin,j-l,r(,1'1r,
,rrl
6t)
: of course.rarher as an extra dividend. it was nice that he
be able to tell his daughters of a iourney to rheir mother's
espccizlly so since it might a litcle appeaserhe elder girl, who
resenrful of Mr. Belli's coo comfortzble accePtenceof life as
alone.
ccmerefywas not a rcPoseful,PrerryPlace;was, in fact, a
frighteningone: acresof fog-coloredsronespilledactossa
y grasscdand shadeless Plateau.An unhinderedview of Man'
in's skyline provided the location with beauty of a stage'prop
it loomedbeyondthe graveslike a steePherdstonehonoring
quiet folk, irs used-upand very former citizensrthe juxtaPosed
made Mr. Belli. who was bv profession a tax accounrant
equippedro enjoyirony howeversadisdc,
rhcrefore smile,actually
-yer, oh God in heaven, ics inferenceschilled him, roo,
the buoyant stride carrl'ing him along the cemetery'srigid,
paths. He slowed until he stopPed, tbinking: "I ought ro
tnken Morty to the zoo"t Morty being his grandson,eged three.
it would be churlish not to continue, vengeful: and v/hy waste
uer2The combinzrion of thrift and virrue rea.tivated him; he
brcarhinghard from hurry when,at last,he srooPedro jam the
ls into a rock urn perchedon a rough gray slab engravedwith
ic calligraphydeclaringthar
SARAH Blr-rl
190119t9
[rcn the
DIVOTED WIF! O! IVOR
BELOVID MOTHTR O! IVY AND REBTCCA.
l, whet a relierro know the qoman. rongucrr" finall1srilled.
bl visions
thc rhought,pacifyingasir was,and though supporred
lrh ncw and silent bachelof'saparcment,did not relight che sud-
sDullcd-oursens€of immortrlity, of glad-to-be-2liveness, which
dxy h.rd crrlicr kindled. Hc had sct forth exPecing such good
tlrc :rir. the w.rlk, thc xron:r of:Lnothcr qrLing about to be. Now
wirhcrl hc hrd vorrr x s(rffi rhc srrsl,itrc wrLsf.rlse,without rcal
AMONC THn PATHS TO EDEN /Trunan C4or.
warmrh, and the wind, it seemedro him, had grown rather irLl,l
As he gave the jonquils a decorativepruning, he regreftedhe coul,l
not delay th€ir doom by supplying them wirh $rarer; relinguishihll
the flowers, he turned to leave.
A woman stood in his way. Though there were few other visir,'r.
to the cemetery,he had not noticed her before,or heardher appror(ll
She did not step aside.She glancedat the jonquils; presentlyher tr,.
situated behind steel-rimmedglasses,swewed back to Mr. Belli.
"Uh. Relative?"
"My wife," he said, and sighed as though some such noise ".,,
obligatory.
She sighed, too; x curious sjgh rhat implied gratificarion. "(,(,
I'm sorry."
Mr. Belli's face lengthened. "Vell."
"lc's a shame."
''l '
hope if wr'n r a long iilne... Anrrhing painful
"No'o-o," he said, shifting from one foot to the other. "ln l'l
' rh.rrwr' who.he eminded him or. Mi*Ja.k)on:
sleep." Sensing an unsatisfiedsilence,he added, "Herrr condiri('r
"Gee. ThaCs how I lost rny father. Just recently. Kind of g,', '
us something in common. Somerhing," she said,in a aonealarnlir)ttl\
plainrive, "something to talk abour."
" know how you must fe€l."
"At least they didn\ suffer. That's a comforr."
The fuse attachedto Mr. Belli's patienceshortened.Until no$ lu
had kept his gaze appropriatelylowered, observing, after bis inlrr.rl
glimpse of her, merely the woman's sho€s,which were of the snr,lr.
'
so-calledsensibletype often worn by aged women and nurses I
great comforr," he sajd, as he execurcdthree msks: raised his o,
r'pped his har. took r rrcp forrard.
Again the woman held her ground; it was as though she had lu. ir
employedto detain him. "Could you give me the rime?My old cl' l
she announced, self-consciouslytapping some dainty machir,rrr
strapped ro hef wrist, "l got ic for greduating high schoo). Ilr.rr
why it doesn't run so good any more. I me?n, ir's prerrl old. lt1,l
it makes a nice app€arxnce."
611
. Belli was obliged to unbutton his topcoatand plow around
gold watchembcddedin a ve.t pockct.Mcanshile.he r rutinized
, really took her apart. She must have been blond as a child,
coloring.ugge.rcdso: rhe .lcan 'hinc of heLScrndinavirn
hcr chuolcy cheeks, flushed wirh peasant healch, and the blueness
gcnial eyes such honest eyes,attractive despitethe thin silver
surounding them; but rhe hair itself, what could be dis'
of it under a drab felt hat, was poorly permanentedfrizzle
particular tint. She was a bit teller than Mr. Belli, who was
t-cight with rhe xid of shoe lifts, and she may have weighed
i rt any mce he couldnt imagine that she mounted scelesroo
. H€r hands: kitchen hands; and the nails: not only nibbled
bur painredwirh .l pearlylacaucr
quccrlypho"phorcscent.
She
n plain brown coar afld carried a plain black purse. Vhen the
nt of thesecomponentsr€composedthem he found they assem-
thcmsclvesinto a very decent-looking person whose looks he
i ihc nail polish was discouraging; still he felt that here was
tlc you couldtrust.As he rruscedEscherJackson,
MissJackson,
trry.Indccd.
thl( rhe comparisonwas fair-to Miss Jackson, who possessed,
had once in rhe courseof, quaffel informed Mrs. Belli, "intef
clcganceand eleganceotherwise." Nevertheless,the woman
ring him seemedimbued with that qualiry of good-wi1l he
'irrcd in his secretary,Miss
Jackson,Esther (as he'd larely,
.mindedly, called her). Moreover,he guessedthem to be about
mc age:ratheron the right sideof forry.
rn. Exrctly."
nk of rhacl \?hy, you must be famished," she said, and
pcd hcr pume,peeredinro it as rhoughic vrerea picnichamper
wirh su{icienr rreacsco furnish a smilrgisbord. She scooped
I lisrful of peanuts."I practicallyliv€ on peanutssincePop-sinc€
vant rn),on€ to cook for. I must sry, even if I do sayso, I miss
owrr tooking; Pop alwavs said I was better than any testaurant
wcnt (). But itt no plersurc cooking just for yourself,even
yorr r',arnukc prstrics lighr rs rr lcxf. (;o (m. Hxve some.They're
AT4ONG THI PATHS TO lDtN /Trum2r Crprc
Mr. BelJi accepred;hc'd alwaysbeen childish about peanursr,,1,
as he sat down on his wife's grav€ ro eat them, only hoped his ffi.rl
h1d more. A gesrureof his hand suggesceddrar she sit besideljrr,
he was surprisedto seethat the inviterion seemedto embaffessl! r,
sudden additions of pink saruratedher cheeks,as though hed r{,,1
her ro transform Mrs. Belli,s bier intc a love bed.
"ft's okay for you. A relative. But me. Sfould she like a srrlrrli,I
sitring on her-resring plac€?',
"Piease.Be a guest. Sarahwont mind,,' he told her, grarefut rl,r
dead cannot hear,for it borh awed end amusedhim to consideL*l,rr
Samh,thac vivaciousscenemaker, rhar energeticsearcherfor lipr, I
tracesand strayblond srrands,nould sayifshe could seebirn shc ,rrl
pemurs on her tomb wirh a woman nor enrirely unattracriv€
And then, as sbe assumeda prim perch on rhe rim of rhe gr.,\l
he noticed her leg. Her lefr leg; it sruck srraight out like a sriff y,r,,
of mischief with *-hich she planned ro trip passers,by.
interest, sbe smiled, liftcd the leg up and down. ,.An accideni. \,,11
know. \a/h€n I was a kid. I fell offa rotler coasterar Coney. Holr..r
It was in the paper. Nobodv knor,s why I'm alive. The only rtr rr1
is I can't bend my knee. Others,ise ic doesnl make any di6i(r!,
t r L c u r r o g o d a n ,i n g . A r e 1 o u m r c h o r u d r n c e r . . '
Mr. Belli shook his head; his mourh was full of peanurs.
"So that's somerhing else we have in common. Dancing. i ,//r,/y'
like it. But I donl. t like music, though.,,
Ir4r. Belli nodded his agreement.
"And llowers," she added,touching the bouguer of jonquilsi I ltrrl
her fingerstraveledon and, asthough shewere readingBraille,bnrst" ,l
2crossthe marble ler.eringon his name.,,Ivor,',she said,mjsl,,,,
nouncing it. "Ivor Belii. N{y name is Mary O,I{eaghan. But I \r.tl
l wefe Icalian. My sisteris; well, she maffjed one. And ob, bc\ r, tl
of fun; happy.naturedand ourgoing, iike all Iralians. He savs ,r r
spaghetti'srhe best he's ever had_ Especiallythe kind I makc v,tL
sea'foodsauce.You ought to tasie ir.,,
Mr. Belli, having finished the peanu$, swcpt rhe hulls off h's Lrl
"You've gor a customer.But he's not ftalian. Belli sounds likc rl rr
Only l'm Jewish."
frowned,nor with disapproval,
but as if he had mysteriously
DCr,
family camefrom Russia;I was born there."
last informacionresroredher enthusixsm.accelerated
it. "I
whar they sayin rhe papers.l'm sure Russiansare the same
y else.Human. Did yor see the Bolshoi Ballet on fi?
dnt that make you proud to be a Russian?"
thoughr: she means$,ellt and was silent.
cebbagesoup-hot or cold-with sour cream.Hmnn. See,"
producing a second helping of peinuts, "you uErehsngry.
krw-" She sighed."How you must m;s your wi,'e'scooking."
$ true, he did; and the conversationalpressurebeing applied
tltlxtite made him realizeit. Sarahhad set an excellent table:
on time, end well flevored. He recelled certarn crnnamon'
li:rrt-dry..Afrcrnoons^f gr-!\ ,nd wrnc. .r.rr,hr liren. rhe
Aware ot t,,i " silver;followedby a nap-Nloreover,Sarahhad neverasked
r l r ya d i s hr h e. o u l d h e a rh e r. a l m l r h u n r r l i n gi n r h ek i r ,h e nr .
complainedof housevork; and she had contrived to make
lrin6 of two girls a smoorh seriesof thought-out, affectionate
I Mr. Belli's conrribution to their upbringing had been to be
hing wirness;ifhis daughers were , credit to him (Ivl'living
xville, and married to x deflral surgeon; her sister the wife
junior parins io thc law firm of Finnegan,toeb
J, Kr.rkower,
)wcr), he had Sarahro thank;they were her accomplishmenr.
wlr much ro be said for Sarah,and he was glad to discover
I thinking so, to find himsclf remembering not the long hell
tr slrc had speni honing her tongue on his habks, supposed
r),ioA, woman-chasing vices, but gentler episodes: Sarah
lrrg ,'tl hcr ..cll-mrdchar.. Srrah ).rrrFrinB,nrmb. on snory
rw sills for winter pigeons: a ride of visions that towed to sea
Iunh of hrrshcLrecollecrions.He felt, was a1l at once happy to
nrorrnfirl, sorry he had not been sorry soonert bur, though he
ruincll,v:rluc Srrah suddenly,he could not pretcnd rcgret that
lllc ',)gcrhcrhad tcrminated,for tbc currcnt ifrlrngemcntwxs,
lhr wlr,nc, prcicrrhlcby firr. Ilorvcvcr,I( w;sl,((l tl)ut. instcrd
tr,lrrils, k h,rdbn,L,gIrItr xn orl,i(1. rl,( 8r|, s,t't shcll rtlrvrrys
AI{ONG THI P{IHS TO IDEN/Trunrn CaPo€
salvagedfrom her daughrcrs'dztesand stored in tbe icebox unril (lx \
shriveled.
"-xren't they?" he heard, and wondered who had spoken urrtrl
blinking, he recognized Mery O'Meagban, whose voice had Inlrl
playing along unlistenedto: a shy and IuIIing voice,a sound srftng ll
small and young to come fmm so robust a figure
"l said they must be cute, arent they?"
"S?ell," was Mr. Belli's safe reply.
"Be modest. Bur I'm sure rbey 2re. If they falor their farhcri lr,l
ha, don't take me serious,I'm joking- But, seriouslv,kids just ltv
me. l'11 trade anv kid for en) grownuP that ever lived- N{\'sl\r'l
has five, four boys and a 8ir1. Dot, rhaCsmy sisrer,she'salwats LIL I
me to baby'sir now that I've got the dme and don't have to l'^'h
after Pop every mirute. She and Frank, be's my brorher_inlx\. rl(
one I mentioned, lhey say M2{, nobody can handle kids likc r'ri
At the sametime have fun. But it's so easy;there'snorbing lik( l!'l
cocoa and :r mean pillow 6gbt to make kids sleepy.Ivy," shc '.,"1,
reeding aloud the tombstone'sdour script. "Ivy and Rebecce.S\, ' t
names.And I'm sure you do your best. But two lirtle girls \\'irl,"rrl
e mother,"
"No, no," said Mr. Belli, at last caught up. "II/'s a mother h(r ' ll
And Becla's expecting."
Her facerestyledmomentary chagrininto an exPressionofdisln lr' I
"A grandfather?You1"
Mr. Belli had severalvanities:for €xamPle,he thought he wes ual
rhafl other people;also,he believedhimself to be a walking conrl', 'r
his digestion, and an abiliry to rerd upside down, were odrcr ,t'r
enlarging items. But his reflection in a mirror aroused litdc i|rrrt
applause;not that he disliked his aPPearance; he jusr knes'rhrr ll
was very so-what.The harvestingof his hair had begun decadcs'r:,r,
now his headwasan almost barrenfield. While his nosehad chrrr, t' t
his chin, though it made a double effort, had none. His shorrl,l,rt
werebroad;butsowas the rest ofhim. Ofcourse he s'asneat l.,ll
his shoes shined, his laundry laundered, twice a dav scrapc,l ,',,1
talcumed his bluish jowls; but such measuresfailed to camoull,rl'
acrually they emPhasized,his middle'class,middJe'agedordinrrrir,'
flaftery;afrcrall,
, he did nor dismissMary O'Meaghan's
compliment is often the most Potenr.
I'm fift1'one," he said, subtracting four years."Can't say
rhewind hadsubsided,
It," And he didn\: wrhaDsit wasbecause
th of rhe sun qrown more aurhenric-\flhetever the reason,
he wa52giin immoflrl. a man phnning
rion. hrd rc-rBnircd.
ne. ThaCs nothing. The prime. ls if you take care of
i A mrn your age needstending so. $Tatching aftet."
in a cemetery one was safe from husband stalkers?The
crossinghis mind, pausedmidway while he examined het
tnd gullible face, tested her gaze for guile. Though teassured,
t ir best to remind her of their surroundings."Your fither.
-Mr. Belli gesturedawkwardly-"nearby?"
Oh, no. He was very firm; absolutelyrefusedto be buried.
'l at home." A disquiedng image gathered in Mr. Belli's head,
r her next v,,ords, are,"did not fully dispel-"L'eU,"
"His ashes
gged, "that's how he wanted it. Or-I see-you wondered
l'z herel I don'c live too far away. ltt somewhereto walk, and
. . ." They both turned to stare at the slfline where the
of certain buildings flew pennantsof cloud, and sun'dazzled
glittered like a million bits of mica. Mary O'Meaghan said,
n pcrfectday for a parade!"
llclli thought, Yau'rea ,ery nie girl; ther' he said it, too,
hhcd he hedn'r,for naturallyshe askedhim why. "Because.
rhit wasnice what you said.Abouc parades."
? So many things in commonl I never miss e parade,"she told
umphandy."The bugles.I plrr the bugle myself;usedto, when
[t SacredHeart. You seid before-" She lowered her voice,
h approaching r subjecr that required greve tones. "You
I you were a music lover. BecauseI have thousandsof old
l-lundreds.Pop was in the businessand that was his job.
hc Lctircd. Shellacking recordsin a record factory. Remember
Moryln2 Sheslaysme, shereallyknocksme out."
(:irrisr," Ilc q,hispered.Ruby Keeler,Jean H.rrlow: those had
bur Helen Nlrrgrn, :rlbinoprtlc,
lrccrrbLrri LrLlblcinfiLturLtions; .t
AIIONG THI ?ATIIS TO IDEN / TrumanCrpoG
sequinnedvrrairh shimmering beyondZiegfefi footlighcs_ rrulr, rj Liti
he had loved her.
"Do )'ou believeit? Tbar she drank herselfto death?On accorrrrr
'
of a grngsrcr:
"It doesD't matrcr. She was lovely.,'
"Somerimes,like when I'm alore and sort of fed up, I prcr,r,,l
I'm her. Pretend I'm singing in a nighr club. It,s fun;
,vou knor
"Yes, I know," said NIr. Belli, whose own favorite fanrasynrr rrr
imaginc the adventureshe might have if he were invisible.
"May I ask: would you do me a favor?',
"If I can. Certainly."
She inhaled, held her breath as ifshe were swimming under a r rlr
of shyness;surfacing,she said; ',\7ould you ljsteo ro my imiirr,,,,ri
And tell me your honest opinion?" Then she removed her glrr".,r
the silyer rims had biften so deeply rheir shape was permanorrtl
printed on her face-Her eyes,nude and moist and helples, srr r, ,,1
stunnedby freedom;the skimpily lashedlids flunered tike long.c:r1,rr,
birds abruptiy let loose. '.There: everyrhing,ssofr and smokr,. N,,$
tou've got to use your imaginarion. So pretend I,m sitrjng ,,rr ,r
piano-gosh, forgrl, me, Mr. Belli.,,
"Forget ir. Okay. You're sirring on a piano.',
"I'm sitting on a piano,', she said, dreamily drooping hcr tr, r,l
backward until it assumeda romanric posrure. She sucked irr lrr
cheeks,parted her lips; et the same momenr Mr. Belli bir inr,, l,rr
For it v/as a tacdessvisit thar glamour made on Mary O'I{ergt,.r,rf
filled,out and rosy face; a visit that should not have been pir,l jr
all; it was the wrong ?ddress.She waited, as rhough listenirrl r,,r
music to cue her; then, ,'Don't eL,er hau me.naa that y0 're hetu.'!l,n
ir ubereyu belang.Etnlthing seen: n right uhenyz,rc near. )vhn p, ,,
auq it's all utung" ^nA Mr. Betli \'rs shocked, for vhar hc n,,
hearing was exacly Helen Morgan's voice, xnd rhe voice, \\.irl, r1
vulnerable sweetness,refnement, irs render quaver roppliDg t,,r,t!
notes, seemednor to be borrowed. bur Mary O,Meaghan's rrr| ,
naturd expressionofsome secludedidenrity. Gradually sbeabrrr,l,,r",l
theatrical poses,s2t uprighr singing with her eyes squeezc(tslrLr
"-I'm. la dcpmdent,V/henI nutl con/ort, I ahta.y.t lD h ),, . t),tt
tk! 'Ca te ;f yu do, I'll bare na aneta run lr." Until roo
lEither she nor Mr. Be1li notic€d rhe coflinladen entouraae
their privacy: a bhck caterpillarcomposedof sedateNegroes
|fficd at rhe whire couple as though they had stumbled upon
ofdrunkengraverobbers-excepronemourner,a dry-eyed little
ho startedlaughingaod couldn'rsrop; her hiccuplike hilarity
,' long after the orocessionhad disappearedaround a distant
tlrat kid wasmine," saidMr. Belli.
fccl so ashamed"
y, listen.\ghat for? That wasbeautiful-I mean it; you can sing."
nks," she said; and, as though setting up a buricade against
ding tears,clamped on her spectacles.
icvc me, I was touched. Whar I'd like is, I'd like an encore."
as if she were a child to whom he'd handed a balloon. a
wI|..J
b loon that kept swellingunril ir swepther upward,danced
ont wich just her toes now and rhen touching ground. She
ro say:"Only not here.M:rybe,"she began,and once more
ro be lifred, lilted rhrough the air, "maybe somedmeyou'll
cook you dinner. I'll plan it rerlly Russian.And we can play
thoughr.cheapparirionalsuspicionthat had previouslypassed
)c,rcturnedwith a heaviertread,a creaturefat and foursquare
r, Bclli could not evict. "Thank you, Miss O'Meaghan.That's
hing to look forward to," he said. tusing, he reset his hat,
his corr- "Sicring on cold stone too long, you can carch
ry, never. You shouid zeL,r/sit on cold stone."
rcn will you come to dir,ner?"
Itclli's livelihood rarher dependedupon his being a skilled
lor t* cxcuses."Any time," he answeredsmoothiy. "Excepr any
Nnrr). I'm r $x man; you know what happensto us fellows
rr(| Ycs sir," he s'rid, xSxin bo;sting out his wrtch, "back to
'Srill hc couldn't-could hc?-simply srunrcro{
t rxl filr mc
l r c r s i r i n g o n S r r r h s , p v c 2 t l ( o w r ( l l n r c r r L r t c s yl i;r r r h c
ANTONG THt PAIHS TO llDlN / Trumrn CiPore
pemuts, if nothing more, though there was more-PerhaPs ir \',
due to her that he had rememberedSanh's orchids withering in t1,,
icebox. And anlway, she rrllr nice, as likeable a woman, stranger, ,
he'd ever met- He thoughr to take advantageof rhe weather bur rl!
wearher offerednonei clouds were fewer, the sun exceedingly!;sil,l,
"Turned chilly," he obsen'ed,rubbing his hands together-"Coul(i l"
going to rain."
"Mr. Belli. No*'l'm going to ask you a very personaiquesrir,,,
she said,enunciating eachvord decisively."BecauseI wouldn\ r'rlt
you to rhink I go about inviting just anybodyto dinner. My intenti,,r,.
are-" her eyeswandered,her voice wavered,as though the forrh.irl'l
manner had been a masqueradeshe could not susrain."So I'm goi',r1
to ask you a very personalquestion. Have you consideredma|r",1
zgain?"
He hummed, like a radio warming uP before it speaks;shen lu
did, it amounted co stetic: "Oh, at n-I age. Don't even wanr a,l,'t'
Just give me TV. Some beer.Poker once a week. Hell. \X/ho thc li, il
would want me?" he said; and, wich a twinge, rememberedRebct,.1.
mother'inlaw, Mrs. A. J. Krakower, Sr., Dr. Pauline Krakoscr '
female dentist (retired) who had been an audaciousparcicipantir' '
certain family plot. Or wbat about Sarrh\ best friend, che persisrrlr
"Brownie" Pollock? Odd, but as long as Sarahlived he had enjor,,l
upon occasion raken adrantage of, "Brownie's" admiradon; rlr',
wards finally he h^d tald her not to t€l€phonehim an1 more (.ri,l
she had sbouted: "Everything Sarahever said, she was right. You irl
Iittle hairy little bastard"). Then; and then rhere was Miss Jacks,,'
Despire Sarah'ssuspicions,her in fact devout conviction, nothlrl
untoward, very untoward, had transpiredberweenhim and the pl.r
ant Esther, whose hobby was bowling. Bur he had alivayssurm;\ '1
and in recent months known, that if one day he suggesteddlir,l'.
dinner, a workout in somebowling allev . . . He said: "l ?rarmir i,,l
For tw€nty-sevenyears.Thafs enough for any lifetime"l but ir li
said it, he realizedthat, in jusi this momenr, he had come t,,.,
decision, which vas he uaalzl ask Esther ro dinner. he would r.Ll.,
her bowling and buy her an orchid, a gala purple one wirb a tavcn,l,,
ribbon bow. And where, he wondered, do couples honelmorrr ,"
622
Ar thelxtest NIay.Miami? Bermuda?Be(mudal "No, I'v€ never
ir. Marrying agzin."
would have assumedfrom her accentivePosture thrt Mary
an e/as raPdy listening to Mr. Bclli-except that her eles
hookq, roamed as though she were hunting at a party for a
, more promising face.The color had drained from her own
lnd with it had gone most of her herlthy charm. She coughed
coughed. Raising his hat, he said: "ICs been very Pleasant
),ou, Miss O'Meeghan."
here," she said, and stood up. "Mind if I walk with you
g te?"
did, yes; for he wanted to mosey along alooe, dflouring the
nourishment of this spring+hiny, Parade-weather, be alone with
mnny though$ of Esther, his hoPeful, zestful, live-forevermood-
plcisuie," he said, adjusting his stride to her slower pace and the
t lurch her scif leg caused.
rBut it /r/ seem like a sensibleider," she said argnmenl2tively.
rherewas old Annie Austin: cheliving prool 'irell, nobody
t betteridea.I mean, everybodywas at me: Get married. From
diy Pop died, my sisrer and everybodywas seying: Poot Mary,
i's to becomeofher? A girl that cant type. Take shorthand $rith
lcg rnd all; can't even wair on table. what haPPensto a girl-a
woman-rhat doesnt know anything, never done anything?
( cook and look afte! her father. All I heard was: Mery, you've
n) gea married-"
"So. \flhy fight .hat? A 6rrepersonlike you, you ought to be
. You'd makesomefellow very haPPy."
"Surc I would. But zr,Da?"Sheflung out her zrms,extendeda hand
rd Manhattan, the country, lhe continents beyond "So I've
; I'm not lazy by nature. But honestly, frankly, how does
dy everfind a husbrnd?lI chey'renocvery,veryPretty;a terrific
'cr lf r)'et rc tust-oh ordinar\' Ljkc me '
"No, no, not at all," Mr. Belli mumbled. "Not ordinery, no
Itln'r you makc somcthing of your talentT Your voice?"
lihc strppccl. strx,d chsping lrr.l Lrnchqring her purse "Don\
rkc lirn. I'lcrsc.lvlv lifc is lr sr:rhc. Arrrl slrcinsisted:"l an ordL'
AI1ONG THlj P{TIIS TO EDIN / Trunrn Cafore
nary. So js old Annie Austin. And she says rhe place for me r,,
lind a husband a decent, comfortable man is in the obitur,r
For a man who believedhimself a human compass,Mr. Bellj hr,1
the anxious experienceof feeling he had lost his way; with relief lu
saw the gates of checemeterya hundred yardsahead."She does?Slu
saysthat? Old Annie Austin?"
"Yes. And shet a very practical woman. She feedssix people,r,
$t8.75 a week: food, clothes,everything.And rhe way she explain,,l
it, it certainly soudtd logical. Becausethe obiruaries are full ,,1
unmarried men. \Y/idowers.You just go ro the funeril and sorr ,,1
introduce yourself: sympathize.Or tbe cemetery:come hereon a nr,,
day, or go to SToodlawn,there are alwayswidowers walking arourr,l
Fellows thinking how much rhet miss home life and maybewish,r,r
\XzhenMr. BeIIi understoodthat shewasin earnesr,he wasappall(1|
but he was also entermined: and he laughed, jammed his hands I
his pocketsand threw back his head.Shejoined him, spilleda laught'
that restoredher color, that, in slglarking style,made her rock agair'.l
him. "Even I " she said, clutching at hjs arm "-even / can sr,
the humor." But it was not a lengthy vision; suddenlysolemn, slu
said: "Bur that is how Annie mer her husbands.Both of them: irl'
Cruikshank,and then Mr. Austin. So it nff, be a pracricalidei. Dor'r
You think?"
"Oh, I do think."
She shrugged."But ir hasn'r worked out too well. Us, for jnsrrr)(,
I/e seemedto have such a lot in common."
"One day," he said,quickening his sreps."\7ith a livelier fellx
"I don\ know. I've met some grand people. Bur it always crr,i.
like this- like us . . ." she said, and ieft unsaid somerhing morc. | (
a new pilgrim, just entering through the gates of the cemeterl. lr."l
aftached her interest: an alive lirtle man spouting cheerywhisrli t.
and with plenty of snap to his walk. N{r. Belli noticed him. r,"'
observedthe black band sewn round tbe sleeveof chevisiror's briyll,r
green tweed coat, and commenred: "Good luck, Miss O'Meagl,.L,,
Thanks for the peanuts."
624
ADMIRAL'S
NIGHT
&" -'t^.-)" ^' ,.44,
IGns ded by w Lah L G,o.smai
nrB otlocK in the afternoon Deolindo the Nostril (a
ct given him by his cre*' mates) left the Navy Yard and walked
uf the Rua de BraganF His corvette had just returned from
tnining cruise; he came ashore as soon as he could obtain
llis friends had said to him, laughing: "Hey, Nostrili You'rc
to have a real Admiral's Night, aren\ you? \(ine, a guirat,
nr,veva'sarms. Genoveva'sloving little . "
Indo had smiled. Exactly so: an Admiral\ Nighr, as rhe phrase
ws awaiting him onshore.The pasion had begrn threemonrhs
thc corverte'sdeparture.Genovevawas a brown skinned girl
thc country,rwentyyerrsold, with dark, knowing eyes.They
t rt a friend's house and had fallen madly in love, so mrdly
had been on the poinr of doing a mad ching: he was going
thc Navy, and she wes going to run eway with him to the
tcmotc village in the interior
Ignacia, s'ith whom cenoveva lived, had dissuadedrhem.
l)colindo had decidedro follow ordersand sail on the training
L As r murual guaranry they had decided that rhey ought to
[n r)ath of fid€litt.
rwcur by God in heaven.And you?"
I rkr."
yar"
rwcrrrby God in hexven.Mry the holy light f.ril me at the hour
r n)ccrinS.)f minds wes clulycclcbrrtcd.No onc coulcldorrbt
ADMIRAI'S NIGHT /Ma.hrdo d€Asis
their sincelity; she cried like one possessed,
he bit his lip to c,-rr,
his emotiofl. Finally they parted. Genovevawarched rhe corver. \l
off and returned home with such ension in her heart that ir sc!rr,
as though something dreadful was going to happen,but nothing ,l|,
The days went by, the weeks, rhe months, ten months, rhcn I
cofiette returned and Deolindo with it.
There he goesno$r, up thc Rua de Braganga,rhrough Prainhr .,'
Saude,until he comesro Gamb6a,q'here Genovevalives,iusr bc\,il
the Inglish cemetery.There he will probably find her leaning or rl
windowsill, vaiting for him. Deolindo preparesa few words s,i
which to greer ber. He has alreadycomposedthis: "I took an ,,.rr
and I kept it," buc he is working on somerhingberrcr. He remcriltr
women he saw all over the world: Italian; Marseillaise,Turkish. r',.,rr
of them pretty or at leastso rhey seemedto him. Nor all, he con,, ,1,
were exacdy his dish, but some of rhem cerrainly-\r'er€,and c\{ rl
they did not really interest him. He thoughr only of Genovelr lll
house, her sweet iitde house, its walls crackedby the sun, rrr,,l 'r
sparse,o1d, broken down furniture, rhese he r€m€mbered(h(ii I
stood beforeexoticpalacesin distant 1ands.By considerableabncl| r,
he bought in Trieste a pair of errrings, which he now carriesrr' I
pocket together with some less impressivelittle gifts. And \l,l
she going to give himT Very likely a handkerchjefembroideltrl
his name and wirh an anchor in the corner, for she is verl
at embroidery.
About this time he arrived in Gambda, passedrhe cemercr\. .rl
sropped at the bouse. The door was closed. He knockc,l .rr
irnmediately heard a famiiiar voice, that of old Ignacia. who r,1ur,,
the door with exclametionsof great surprise.Deolindo, imprrrL,rr
askedfor Genoveva.
"Don't talk about that crazygid," said the old s'oman
about the advice I gave you. See,she'sgone off"
"But whar was it? rx/hat happen€d?"
The old woman told him to take it eaq, ir was norhi,rg, irsr ,rl
of those rhings that happen. lt was nor worth g€rtjng anSrr il'L,l
Genoveva'sherd was rurned - . .
"\fho turned it?"
you Lnow Jos6Diogo, rhe cloth peddler?She'swith him.
t imaginehow in love rheyere.She'siike a cruy girl. That's
had2 nghr.Jos6Diogo would nevergo home.They'dwhisper
isper,until one dal I sxid I didnt want my houseto get a
Good Fecherin h€aven,it wrs a dayofjudgmenrl cenoveva
tt me with eles this size,sayingthar she ne\-etgaveenyone
nameznd rhat she didn't needcharity.Vhar do you mean,
, Genoveva?All I sdd wasI don't want whisperingxr my door
tix o'clock ar night. . . . T$/o days larer she moved xway and
lPoke to me ageifl."
hcre is she living?"
FormosaBelch, beforeyou cometo the quarry.The house
bcenpeinted-"
indo had heardenough.Old Ignacia,a little sorry she had
so freely,advisedprudence,
but he did not listen.Offhe went.
nor relatehis rhoughtson rhe way, for they were wholly
lized. ldeas navigaredabout his btain as in e rempest,amid
sion of s'inds end foghorns. Among them gleameda sailor's
vcngetuiand bloody.He had passed through Gamb6aand the
dc Alferes, and had enteredFormosa Beach.He did nor knorv
mbcr of rhe hous€,but knew that it $-asn€erthe quarryand
painred,and wirh chehelp of peoplein rhe neighborhood he
find ir. He had no reasonto foreseethat chancewould take
of Genovevaand seat her at the window, sewing, ar the very
t wh€n he came along. He saw her and sropped.She, seeing
m of a man, raisedher eles and recognizedrhe sailor
'Whcn
all thing'l 'he excl,rimedin 'urprl.c. drd vou ge
(lome in, Deolindo."
rising, she openedthe door and let him in. Any man would
bccome wild widr hope, so frank and friendty was the girl's
t, Mnybedre old woman had becn mistaken or had lied. Maybe,
, tlrc pcddlecs song had ended. All this indeed passedthrough
llnrlts mind, widrout rhe exxct form of rerson but swifdy and
Ituously. Gcnovcvelcft ihe door open. had him sit down, asked
rlrc voyige, ind siid .hit she thoughr he h.rd gained weighc;
)ti('n. no inriolNcy.Deolindo krsr rll hr1>c.flc hrLdno knife
1,,'l
ADMIRA|S NIGHT/Mr.hado deAsn
with him, but he had his hands; Genoveva s'as a small piec(,,1
woman, he could ersily scrangleher. For the firsr few moments lu
thought of norhing else.
"l knov/ everyrhing," be said.
"Vho rold you?"
Deolindo 'hruggedhi. shoulder".
"\Fhoevs it was," she continued, "did they tell you I was in 1,,'r
with somebody?"
"They told you the truth."
Deolindo startedtoward her, but the l'ay she looked at him n'.rlr
him stop. Then sbe said rhar if she let him in, it was becauv.l
thoughthim xn intellig€nrman.Sherold him everyrhing, how rcirl,lt
she hrd mis'cd hrm. rhe propo'irionr Ihc peddlerh,d n'a,1,.t'
refusais,until one morning, withour knowing how or why. sh l, rl
awaken€din love with him.
"Reall1. I rhough, of you r lor.
Ju'r a.k lgnrLir l-oq n". | |
c r i e d . . . . B u t m y h e a r rc h a n g e d . . . . I t c h a n g e d . . . I ' m r < l l , r
you all this as if I were ralking to a priest," she concluded,slrrrlrrr
She was not smiling in mockery. Her manner of speechsug1l,r,
a combination of candor and cynicism, insolenceand simplirirr.
cannor exFlain it bener. Perhapsthe vords insolenceand ct,!i|n
are poorly chosen.Genovevawas not defendinghers€lfar ell, slu lt
no moral smndardsro indicatea needfor defense-Vhar slr ir
saying,in brief, was thtt it would havebeen better nor r,' l,.r
chxneed. rhat she had rcallv loved him or she would not hiv. | ,.1
willing to run awaywith himt but that, asJosEDiogo had inrcrr, rr
and conquered,one might as well accepr the facr. The poor ..rr
cited the parting oath es an erernal obligation, becauseof rvl'r,l, h
had agreednot to deserthis ship: "I swearby' cod in healc,r Il
the holy light fail me at rhe hour of death." He had becr s'll'rr
to sail only becauseshe had sworn rhis oath. \X/ith thosc N,,,,1 |
his earshe had gone, traveled,waircd, and re$rned; rhey hrrrllr.'
him rhc strength to live. I swearby God in heaven.IhI rl! l,,l
light fail me at the hour of dearh . . .
"Yes, all right, Deolindo; it was the truth. S(hen I s\!,,r I
628
lruth. I ev€n wanted to run away with you. Bur rhen other
happened. . . this fellow came along and I began to like
rhat'sjusr v,,hypeopleswetrrnot ro, so that they wonl like
clse. . ."
it, Deolindo.Did you neverrhink of anyonebut m€?Dont
wili Jos€Diogo comebick?"
not coming back today."
?'r nor coming.He's working in Guaratiba.He'tl probablybe
day or Saturday.. . . S(hy do you want to know? \Zhat did
do to you?"
lPs any other voman would have said substanciallythe same
bur few would have expressedit so candidly. See how close
we are at this poinr. $(r'hardid he everdo to you?\trhat
ls rock thar fell on your headeverdo ro you?Any physicist
plain why a rock falls; it hasnorhing to do with you.
indo declared,with a desperategesture,that he wanred to kill
er. Genovevalooked ar him with contempt, smiled slighdy,
I depre.rrive cluck wirh her tongue. And when he accused
ing.atitude and lying, she could not conceather amazemenr
lying?'What ingrarirude?Had shenot alreadyrold him thar
sworewas rhe rruth? The Virgin thete on rop of the bureau,
it was the truth. Is this horv he repaid her for her suffering?
! who talked so much abouc fideliq, had he alweysthought
whereverhe went?
rnswcr wr5 ro puL hr. hand in hi. pockerand rzke out rhc
hc had broughr.Sheopenedit, lookedar rhe gifts one by
tnd nnallycameupon the earrings.They werenot, they could
cxpensrve;rheywere even in poor tase; but thq, wereglorious
tkl. Gcnoveva rook them in her fingers, happy, dazzled,ex-
onc side and rhen rhe other, closeLyend ac efmt lengrh, and
Put them on. Then, ro appraisetheir effect,she looked in the
t mirlor h.roging on the wall berween rhc wiodow and the
Sltc stcppcdback,rppro:rchcdthe mirfof nArin. rurncd her hcad
ADMIRALS NIGHT/Ifx.lado de A5!s
from side co side. "They're very pretty, very!" she said, bowing h,
thanks. "\rhere did you buy them?"
He did nor reply Indeed, he had no time to do so, for she fir,l
two or three more questions at him, on€ right after the other. .
confusedwas sheat receivinga wonderful gift in excbangefor hai i"r'
fallen out oflove with him. Confusionfor five or four minurcs; mrr I ,
two. Thefl she took off the eanings, contemplated them, and 1'L,r
them in the 1it1e box on the round table in rhe middle of the ro,,r,,
He, for his parr, began to think that, just as he had lost her bec:rrr'"
of his absence,so now rhe other might lose her; and probablr' '1"
had sworn no oath at all ro the peddler.
"TalLing and fooling around all afternoon, and now it's nirtl,l
already," said Genoveva.
Indeed, night was swiftly falling. One could no longer sec rlr
Lepers'Hospital and could hardly make out Melon Island; evcrr rlu'
rowboats and canoesin front of rhe house blended with thc ,,,,r,1
of the beach. Genoleva lit a candle.Then she sat down and L.l.,,l
him to tell her sornethingabout the countri€she had seen.De,,1",,1,
refused. He said he was going; he rose and took a few steP\ l1!l
the demon of hope was biting the poor devil's heart; he set ,1,\
and began to talk about his experienceson the voyage. Gcn,,\,
listened attentively. lnterruprcd by the enrrrnce of a woman | ,, r
who lived nearby, Genovevaaskedher to sit down, too, antl l, t
to "rhe pretty storiesDeolindo is relling"; there was no othcr Llrtt
The grand lady who lies awakeinto the morning becauseshc, ,rrrr
put down rhe novel she is readine doesnot live the lives of rl( ' I
acrersin it more intimately rhaD rhe sailor'sexlover was li\irtt i
scenesthat he nfiraed; shewas as freelyabsorbedas if rherelrr,l u
nothing betweenthem but the telling of a story-\7ha. marcr ' r,, I
grand lady the author ofrbe book? \x/har matreredro .his girl r 1! ill
of rhe tales?
Hope, meanwhile,had begun to deserthim, and he rosc. ,r" ' ,r
for all, to leave-Genovevadid not want ro ler him go until |r, i,,' r
had seen the earrings; she showed them to her with
their beautyand value.The other womxn $xs cnchantcd,plrir ,1,l"
y, askedwherher he had bought them in France,and requested
to pur rhem on. "Reatrly,they'rebeautifui."
Sucssthe sailor sharedthis opinion. He liked to look at them,
rhem ro be ri-tur 11madefo- her.ard lor a feq rr.red
"e.ond.
and delicateplexure of havingmadea fine gift; buc for only
hc was sayinggood-by, c€noveva accompaniedhim ro the door
k him once more for rhe gifc and probably ro saysomepolitely
words. Her friend, whom she had left in the room, heard only,
't be foolish, Deolindo"; and from the sailor, "You'll see." She
not hear rhe rest, which was spoken in whispers.
ndo walked offalong rhe beach,downcascaod slow, no longer
rP€auoustourh of the afternoon but sorronful and old or, ro
mctaphor common among our sailors,halfway down dre deep
, Gcnovevx wenr back indoors, bustling and chxtry. She told
,rborr hcr nrral romzn.e. prri'ed grerrlt Deolindn.
tcr and 6ne manners-Her friend declared that she found him
ahrrming.
rerlly nice bor'," repearedGenoveva."Do you know whar he
d me?"
r?"
o( h€'sgoing co kill himself"
['t worry, he *'on't really- Thais how Deolindo is: he says
btrt he doesn'tdo them- You'll see,he won't ki1l himself. Poor
hc's jealous. . The earrings arc gorg€ous."
ncvcrs,rwany like rhem herein fuo."
thcr did 1," seid Genol-eva,examining them in the light. Then
I thcm awar and invited rhe s-omxn to sew s,ith her. "Let's
hilc, I wrnt to finish my blue camisole . . ."
wrs righr: the sailordid not kill himseif.The next day some
nrrrtcsshppedhim on the shoulder,congratulatinghim on
iril's Ni8hr,:rnd asked abour Genoveva, whether she had
r lrt rluring his rbscncc,shcthcr shc wes still pretty. He
to cvcltbinS rvith a sly,:rnd srtisficdsmilc. rhe smile of a
ir3 inw,u(lll thc nrcmoricsof thc nitlrr bcfi,rc.
 d. ICs better ro Iive somehow rhan not to live at all.',
cnsueda lively discussion.The banker,who was then younger
nervous, suddenly losr his temper, banged his fist on the
THE RET Urd tuming to the young law"yer,cried out:
ANTONCHEKHOV/FUSS]A
I lie. I bet you two miilions you wouldn't stick in a cell even

A1q+4
o you mean it seriously,"replied the lawyer,.,rhen I bet I'll stay
but fifteen."
f "Gendemen, I stake two mif

You sraketwo millions, I my freedom," said the lawyer.

I r was a dark antomn night. The old banker was pacing from ,,,rr
h wild. ridiculourber.ame ro pa.,. The bankcr.who ar thar
to corner of his study, recalling to his mind the party he gul
too mrny millions to count, spoiied and capricious,was
the autumn fifteen yeers before. There were many clever pc(,1,1,
himselfwith raprure.During supperhe said to rhe lawyer
the party and much interescingconversarion.They talkedamon;,rl
things of capital punishment. The guests, among them nor ., I'
to your senses,
young man, beforeit's roo late.Two miilions
scholars and journalists, for the most parr disapprovedol ,.,1,rr
thing ro mq but you stand to lose three or four of the best
punishment- They found it obsolete as a means of punirhrrrr
trf your lif€. I say three or four, because
you,ll neverscickit
unhtted to a Christian state and immoral. Some of tbem 11,,,,'11
krnger-Don'r forgeteither,you unhappyman,tharvolunory
that cepital punishment should be repJaceduniversallv by lil, tt
hcavierrhanenforcedimprisonment. The idearhat you have
prisonment.
to free lour'clf rr rn) mumenr qill poi.on rhe wholc of
"I don't agre€with you," said rhe bosc."l myself haveexprrr il,
fc in the cell. I piry you-"
neither capitai punishmenr nor life imprisonmenr, but if ,,rr rr
judge a priori, then in my opinion capital punishment is morc rrlr
now rhe banker,p:rcingfrom cornerto corner,recalledall
d askedhimself.
and morc humane than imprisonment. Ex€cutjon kills insr:rr|\, I
did I make rhis bet? $fhat's the good?The hw1'erlosesfifteen
imprisonment kil1sby degrees.\Mho is rhe more humane exc(u ,,
his life and I throw away ffio millions lVill it convince
one who kills you in a few secondsor one who draws rh( lrt, r
lhrt capitxl punishmeflt is worse or better than imprisonment
of you incessanrly,for yexrs?"
No, nol All scuffand rubbish. On my part, it was the caprice
"They're borh equally immoral," remarked one of rht pirl
ll'fcd man; on dre lawyer's pure greed of gold.
"becausetheir purpose is the same, to take away life. flx .r 11,
rccollcctedfurther what happenedafrer rhe ev€ning parry. It
not God. It has no righr to rake away that which ir cenr,,r 1
irlcd rhar dre lawyermuscundergohis imprisonmentunder
back, if it should so desire."
tlucs( obscrvation,in a garden wing of the banker,shouse. It
Among the companywas a laqer, a young man of abour rr, '
Itcd rhrt during rhe period he would be deprivedof the righr
five. On being askedhis opinion. he said;
thc threshold, ro see liviog pcople, co hcar human voices,
"Capital punishment and Jife imprisonmenr are equajll irrr!',,r,1
tttcivc lcttcrs:rnd newsprpers.He was permirtcd to hrve a
but if I were offeredthe choicebetweenrbem. I would cclt:rinlr , l, "
I iortnrmcnt,to rs:Ldbooks.to writc lcrccrs,ro drink winc rnd

612
THI B /Anrot Chekho!
smoke tobacco. Bv the agreemenrhe could communicare,bur "'
in silence,with the outside world rbrough a little windon' spt' tt
constructedfor rhis Purpose.Iverything necessary' books' rnusic r rt
he could receive in any quantiq by sending a note throulili I
windo{. The agreementprovided for all rhe minut€st details.\ lrr
made the confinemenr stricrly solitar,Y,and ic obliged the lasr"
remainexactlyfifteenyearsfrom twelve o'clock of November 1'r' lrr
co twelve o'clock of November 14, 1885. The leest attempt "" I
part to violate the.onditions, to escapeif only for two minurcs l" l'
the rime, frced the banker from the obligation ro Par hjm rlr I
millions.
During the lirst year of imprisonment, the lawyer' as far rs i! $
possibleto iudge from his shorr notes,sufferedterribly from lon' lrrr
and boredom. From his wing day and night came the sound 'il I
(\rrl
piano. He rejected wine and tobacco. "\yine," he wrote,
desires,and desiresare che chief foes of a Prisoner; besides,|]"rl'11
is more boring tban to drink good wine alone, and robac((' l'11
the ai1 in his room."
During the 6rst yearthe la!r'yerwas sent books ofa light chrr'r't
novels with a complicatedlove interest,stories of crime and l rrrl
comedies,and so on.
ln the secondyerr the Piano was heard no longer and tll l r"
askedonly for classics.ln the fifth year, music was heard agrrrt
the pdsoner askedfor wine Those who watched him said thrt 'lttt
che whole of that year he was only eating, drinking, and lvir1l r
his bed. He yawned often and talked angrily ro himsell il'u'l"
did not reed. Sometimesac nights he would sir down ro s'rir' I
would write for a )ong time and rerr ir all uP in ch€ mornrnll l\l'
rhan once he vras heard to w€eP.
ln rhe secondh3lf of thc sixth year, the Pdsoner began zc '1"'r
to study languages,Philosophy,and historl He fell on thcsc rLl'r'r
so hungrily that the banker hardly had time to 8er book' dr"'
for him. In the spaceof four yearsabout six hundred volunn u'
bought at his request.
It wrs while thet Passion lasted that rh' b'rnkcr rcc(i\{'l rl
following letter from the prisoner:"h{r dear iniler. I rm rvttttt'r' t "
dx languages.Show them to expets. Let rhem read them.
do not find one single mistake, I beg you to give orders to
8un 6red of. in chegarden.By the noiseI shall know rhar
havenot been in vain. The geniusesof all agesand countries
dilferent langlages; bur in them all burns the same flame
you knew my heavenlyhappinessnow that I can undersrand
Thc prisoner's desire was fulfilled. Two shots werc fired in
by the banker'sorder.
on, after the tenth yee!, rhe lawyer set immovable before his
reid only rh€ New Tesrament.
The bankerfoundir stranse
nrn who in four yearshad masteredsix hundrederudite
nhouldhavespentnearlya yearin rexdingone book, easy
tnnd and by no merns thick. The New Testamentwas then
by the historyof religionsand theology.
the last two yeersof his confinement the prisoner read en
ry amount, quire haphazard.Now he would apply himself
nnruralsciences,
rhen he would readByron or Shakesp€ale.
urcd to comefrom him in which he askedto be sentat the
a book on chemisrry, a textbook of medicine, a novel,
areatiseon philosophy or theology. He read as rhough he
plmming in the sea among broken pieces of wreckage,and
dcsirc to save his life w?s eagerly grasping one piece after
lR recalledall rhis, and chought:
)w at twelve o'clock he receiveshis freedom. Under the
t. I shall have ro p"y him two millions. IF I pay, it,s all
th mc. I am ruined forever. . . .
ycrrs before,he had too many millions to count, but now
{liii(l to ask himself which he had more of, money or debts.
Ittg on rhc srock exchange,risky speculacion,and rhe reckless-
which he could not rid himself even in old age hrd gradually
his busincssro decay;and rhe fearless,
self-confidenr,
proud
husincsshrd becomean ordinarybanker,cremblingat every
lull in thc markcr.
t .orscdbcr. muLmrrrcd thc old mrn clurctring
trishcrrtlin
THI BET/Antod Ch.khov
despair-- . . "Vhy didn\ the man die? He's only forty years ,,1,1
He will take away my last farthing, marry, enjoy life, gamble on rl,,
exchange,and I wilt look on like an envious beggrr and hear rlr
'l'm obliged to you for rhe happirr',.
samewords from him everyday:
of my life. let me help you.' No, ir\ too muchl The only estrrli
from bankruptcy and disgraceis that the man should die "
The clock had just struck three. The banker was listening. In tlr
house everyonewas asleeP,and one could hear only the frozen trc.,
whiniog outside the windows. Trying to make no sound, he n!'L
out of his safe the key of the door which had not been opened l,'r
fifteen years,put on his overcoat,arld went out of the house ll,r
garden was dark end cold. It was raining. A damp, penetrating r*t','l
howled in the garden and gave the tr€es no rest.
Though he streined his eyes, rhe banker could see neithct rl"
ground, nor the white slatues,nor lhe Sarden wing, nor rhe (r(,'
Approaching the gatden wing, he cailedthe watchman tn/ice. Ili, r'
was no answer.Evidently the $ratchmanhad taken shelter ftom rl,,
bad weather and was now asleepsomewberein the kitchen or r1,
greenhouse,
If I have the courageto fulfill my intention, ihought the old lr',,r.
the suspicion will fall on the vatchman 6rst of all.
In che drrknesshe groped for the stepsand the door and enro,,l
the hall ofthe gardenwing, then poked his way into a narrow p:rs.,ri,
and struck a match. Nor a soul was there. Someone\ bed, witl, r,,'
bedclotheson it, stood rhere, and ao iron stove loomed dark in rlr
cotner. The seils on the door that led into the prisonert room r, r,
'!(hen
the match went out, the old man, trembling from agitrtr,,',
peepedinro rhe lictle window.
In the prisonert room a candle was burning dimly. Thc p ',r,, t
himself sar by rhe table. Only his back, the hair on his herd. .Lr'l
his hands were visible. Open books were strewn about on drc t:Ll'|,
the two chalrs, and on the carper near rhe table.
Iive minutes passedand the prisoner never once srirred. llr,, ,'
yearsrconlinement had taught him to sit morioniess.The hrrl.,,
tapped on the window wirh his finger, bur dre prisoner nrrrrk , ,
t in replv. Then the banket cautiouslv tore the seds from
door and put the key into the lock. The rusty lock gave a hoarse
n and the door creaked.The banker expectedinstantly ro hear
Cryof surpriseand the soundof sreps.Threeminutespassedand
wls as quiet insideas it had beenbefore.He madeup his mind
Bcfore the table sat a man, unlike an ordinary human beins. Ic
r skeleton,wirh tight-drawnskin, with long curly hair like a
's, and a shaggy beard. The color
of his face was yellow, of
cnrthyshade;the cheeksweresunken,rhe backlong and narrow,
thc hand upon which he leanedhis hairv head was so lean and
y rharit waspainfulto look upon.His hair wasalreadysilvering
gray,and no one who glancedat the senileemaciationof the
would have bclicvcdrhzr he $r. only fony ye:n old On rhc
beforehis bendedhead,lay a sheetolpaper on which something
wrirren in a tiny hand.
Poor devil, rhought the banker,he'sasleepand probablyseeing
llions in his dreams.I have only to cakeand throw rhis half-dead
ng on the bed, smorher him x momenr with the pillow, and the
carefulexamination will find no trace of unnxrural death. Bur.
, lct us read what he has writren here.
'l'hc
banker rook rhe sheer from the table and read:
(Tomorow
at twelve o'clock midnighr I shall obtain my freedom
the right to mix with people-But before I leave rhis room aod
ahc sun I think ir necessaryro say a few words to you. On my
clcar conscience and before God who s.es me I declare to you
I despisefreedom, life, health, and all that your books call the
ings of the world.
"l'or fifteen yearsI have diligently studied earthiy life. True, I saw
thcr the €arrh nor the p€ople,but in your books I drank fragrant
c, sang songs, hunted deer and wild boar in rhe forests, loved
rncn.. . . And bcautifulwomen,like cloudsethereal,createdby
mrgic of your poets'genius,visitedme by night and whispered
nrc wondcrfultrles, rvhicb rnrdc my headdrunken.
"ln your booksI clintt<l rlrt srrnrrnits of Elbruzand Mont Blanc
ls;rw flr)lr thcrc h,xv rlrc srrl rosc in thc moLning,and in the
THI BET/Antod Ch.khov
despair-- . . "Vhy didn\ the man die? He's only forty years ,,1,1
He will take away my last farthing, marry, enjoy life, gamble on rl,,
exchange,and I wilt look on like an envious beggrr and hear rlr
'l'm obliged to you for rhe happirr',.
samewords from him everyday:
of my life. let me help you.' No, ir\ too muchl The only estrrli
from bankruptcy and disgraceis that the man should die "
The clock had just struck three. The banker was listening. In tlr
house everyonewas asleeP,and one could hear only the frozen trc.,
whiniog outside the windows. Trying to make no sound, he n!'L
out of his safe the key of the door which had not been opened l,'r
fifteen years,put on his overcoat,arld went out of the house ll,r
garden was dark end cold. It was raining. A damp, penetrating r*t','l
howled in the garden and gave the tr€es no rest.
Though he streined his eyes, rhe banker could see neithct rl"
ground, nor the white slatues,nor lhe Sarden wing, nor rhe (r(,'
Approaching the gatden wing, he cailedthe watchman tn/ice. Ili, r'
was no answer.Evidently the $ratchmanhad taken shelter ftom rl,,
bad weather and was now asleepsomewberein the kitchen or r1,
greenhouse,
If I have the courageto fulfill my intention, ihought the old lr',,r.
the suspicion will fall on the vatchman 6rst of all.
In che drrknesshe groped for the stepsand the door and enro,,l
the hall ofthe gardenwing, then poked his way into a narrow p:rs.,ri,
and struck a match. Nor a soul was there. Someone\ bed, witl, r,,'
bedclotheson it, stood rhere, and ao iron stove loomed dark in rlr
cotner. The seils on the door that led into the prisonert room r, r,
'!(hen
the match went out, the old man, trembling from agitrtr,,',
peepedinro rhe lictle window.
In the prisonert room a candle was burning dimly. Thc p ',r,, t
himself sar by rhe table. Only his back, the hair on his herd. .Lr'l
his hands were visible. Open books were strewn about on drc t:Ll'|,
the two chalrs, and on the carper near rhe table.
Iive minutes passedand the prisoner never once srirred. llr,, ,'
yearsrconlinement had taught him to sit morioniess.The hrrl.,,
tapped on the window wirh his finger, bur dre prisoner nrrrrk , ,
t in replv. Then the banket cautiouslv tore the seds from
door and put the key into the lock. The rusty lock gave a hoarse
n and the door creaked.The banker expectedinstantly ro hear
Cryof surpriseand the soundof sreps.Threeminutespassedand
wls as quiet insideas it had beenbefore.He madeup his mind
Bcfore the table sat a man, unlike an ordinary human beins. Ic
r skeleton,wirh tight-drawnskin, with long curly hair like a
's, and a shaggy beard. The color
of his face was yellow, of
cnrthyshade;the cheeksweresunken,rhe backlong and narrow,
thc hand upon which he leanedhis hairv head was so lean and
y rharit waspainfulto look upon.His hair wasalreadysilvering
gray,and no one who glancedat the senileemaciationof the
would have bclicvcdrhzr he $r. only fony ye:n old On rhc
beforehis bendedhead,lay a sheetolpaper on which something
wrirren in a tiny hand.
Poor devil, rhought the banker,he'sasleepand probablyseeing
llions in his dreams.I have only to cakeand throw rhis half-dead
ng on the bed, smorher him x momenr with the pillow, and the
carefulexamination will find no trace of unnxrural death. Bur.
, lct us read what he has writren here.
'l'hc
banker rook rhe sheer from the table and read:
(Tomorow
at twelve o'clock midnighr I shall obtain my freedom
the right to mix with people-But before I leave rhis room aod
ahc sun I think ir necessaryro say a few words to you. On my
clcar conscience and before God who s.es me I declare to you
I despisefreedom, life, health, and all that your books call the
ings of the world.
"l'or fifteen yearsI have diligently studied earthiy life. True, I saw
thcr the €arrh nor the p€ople,but in your books I drank fragrant
c, sang songs, hunted deer and wild boar in rhe forests, loved
rncn.. . . And bcautifulwomen,like cloudsethereal,createdby
mrgic of your poets'genius,visitedme by night and whispered
nrc wondcrfultrles, rvhicb rnrdc my headdrunken.
"ln your booksI clintt<l rlrt srrnrrnits of Elbruzand Mont Blanc
ls;rw flr)lr thcrc h,xv rlrc srrl rosc in thc moLning,and in the
TH! RET/Anion Chekhov

evening suffusedth€ sky, the ocean and the mountain ridges $rrlr the window into che garden. He had gone to the gate and
'l
a PurPiegold. I saw from there how aboveme tightnings glimnr' r' The banker instantly wenr wirh his servantsto the wing
cliaving the clouds; I saw green forests,6elds, rivers' lakes, ort " ishedthe escapeofhis prisoner.To avoid unnecesslryrumors
I heard sirenssinging, and the playing of the pipes of Pan; I rout lr tl the paper with che r€nuncierion from the table and, on his
tbe wings of beaudful devils who came flying to me to sPcrrl 'rl locked it in his safe.
God. . . . ln your books I castmyselfinto bottomlessabysses, sr l" ' I
"
miracles,burned cities to the ground, preached new religions "'rr
queredwhole countries.
"Your booksgaveme wisdom.Ali that unwearyinghuman
rb(nrlllrl MAN NTHO COULD
createdin the centuriesis comPressed to a litrle lump in my skr'll RK MIRACLES
know that I am cleverer than you all.
your books,despise
"And I despise an'l " '
ali worldly blessings
dom. Everything is void, frail, visionary and delusive as a ntt' '11'
Though you be proud and wise and beaudtul,vet will dea "'1
you from the face of the earth like rhe mice underground; an(l \"rrl
posrerity, your history, and tbe immortaliq of your men of t' L"'tr
will be as frozen drg, burnt down togelher with the rerrestrial]rl"l{ DoUBTFULwhether the gift wes innare. For my own part, I
,,you ere mad, and gone the srong way. You rake falseho,ll I' It came to him suddenly. Indeed, until he was thirty he was
truth and uglinessfor beauty. You would marvel if suddenlr' '11 tic, rnd did noc believe in miraculouspowers. And here, since
and orange trees should bear frogs and lizards instead of fruir' ''r mosr convenient place,I musr mendon thar he was a little
if roses should begin to breathe che odor of a ss'€ating hor{' had eyesof a hot brorin, very erect red hair, a mustache
do I marvel et you, who have bartered heaven for earth l '1" r lnds that he twisred up, and freckles-His name was ceorge
want ro understandyou hiftcr Forheringay-not rhe sort of name bv any rneansto lerd
br sl't' axpectationof mincles-and he was clerk at Gomshott,s. He
"Thac I may show you in deed my contempt for thar
ly addiced to asseriil-eergumenr. lt was while he was
you live, I waiveth€ ts'o millions of wbich I once dreamc(lL'
Tbat I may deprivemvscJt"t r rhe impossibility of miraclesrhat he had his first intimarion
pamdise, and which I now despise.
dght to them, I shall come out &om here five minutesbeh't' t arrraordrnarrpowers.
pirticular argument was being held in the bar of the long
stipulared term, and thus shall violate the agre€ment"
lVhen he had read, the banker Put the sheet on the tablt, l ' n, rnd Toddy Beamishwas conducringthe oppositionby a
tnrrus bnt effective"So Jat! s^y," that drove Mr. Forheringay
the head of the st(angeman, and began to weep He went 'r't
vcry limit of his parience.
rhe wing. Nfler at any other time, not even after his refribl( l'''
' wcrc presenr,besidesrhesetwo, a very duscycyclisr,landlord
on the exchange,had he fclt such contemPt for himself rs "
'
Coming home, he 1aydown on bis bed, but agietion end rcrr ' | I 0h(l Miss Mxybridge. rhc pcrfecdy respectableand rather portly
him a long time ftom sleePing - . lof rhc DLrgon. I{iss NftIbrklge rvassranding wirh her back
The next morning the Poorwatchmancamelunning to hiri rr , l,tnhcringxv.wrshing ghsscs:rl)c orhcfswerc watchinghim,
ot lcssinlusc(l try rhc prcstrrrill(tti('ivcncssof rhc assercive
told him that they had seen the mxn who lived in thc rving ' l"rh
THI MAN \(/HO COULD !'ORK MIRACM/H. G. Wclh

method. Goaded by the Torres Vedras tactics of Mr. Beamish. Ilr t:.ky. had a metal receiver,or rhe whole place
,"" ], would
Fotheringaydeterminedto make an unusual rhetorical effort. "LruJ't bccn in.a blaze.NIr. Cox was rhe 6rsr ro speak,anj his remark,
here,Mr. Beamish," said Mr. Fotheringay."Let us clearlyundersu'ul of needlessexcrescences, was ro the effec;hat Fotheringaywas
what a miracle is. It\ something contrariwiseto the courseof nirr,,r, ,. Fotheringal, was beyond dispuring even so fundam-ental
a
done by power of \fill, something what couldn't haPPenwitl,,,,,r Ou on as rhar H. w;. r,ronish.d bcr.ondmeas;rear thc thrng
being speciallywilled." llld o(c_urred The subrequenr co,rvcrrariorrhrew :o,olurelyrJ
"So )au s y," said Mr. Beamish, rePulsinghim. on the matrer.so far as Fotheringaywas concerned;chegeneral
Mr. Fotheringay appealedto the cyclist, who had hitherto b.,rl )n not only,foliowed Mr. Cox very closelybut very veheiently.
a silent auditor, and receivedhis assent-given with a hesitatingcotrlilt ne acr_uscd Forheringarot a .ill1 rrick. and prc,cnrcdhim ro
and a glancear Mr. Beamish.The landlord would expressno opini,t I es a loolr.h de,rrorerof tomrurr and se,urirt Hi, m:nd
$"s
and Mr. Fotheringay,retuming to Mr. Beamish, receivedtbe ur.\ lornadoofperplexiry, he ras himselfinclined to agreesrith chem,
pected concessionof a qualified assentto his definition of a miflr, l, Itc made a remarkably ineffectualopposirion to che proposal
of
"For instance," said Mr. Forheringay,greatly encourag€d."11,,,
would be a miracle. That lamP, in the natural course of nar{L,. went home flushed and heared, coat collar crumpled,
eyes
couldn't burn like that upsy'down, could it, Beamish?" ing rnd ears red. He watched each of the ,.., .*.,Ir-p"
"Yau s y it couldn\," said Beamish. 0usly as he passedir. It was only when he found himself
alone
"And you?" said Fotheringay."You don't mean to say ehJ' in Church.
Rowrhathe wasabrero grapple
lu$l/
ll,twithi.j-'.
his memories
"No," said Bermish reluctandv. "No, it couldn't." of rh€ occurrence,
and "Wt ai o,.,
"Very well," said Fotheringay-"Then here comes someone,ii\ ,l hrppened?" "sk,
might be me, along here, and stands as it might be here, and s,r, had removed his coat and boots, and was sirting on
rhe bed
'Turn upsv'do" r his hands in his pockets repeating rhe texr of his defense
to that lamp, es I might do, collecting all my will for
without breaking, and go on burning stcedr.'-Hullol" fcnteenth rime, "l didnt want rhe confoundedthing ro
upset,,,
It was €nough to make any one say "HulJo!" The impossible.rl" it occured ro him thar at the precisemoment he had
said rhe
incredible, was visible to them all. The lamp hung inveted in rli mrnding words he hrd inrdvertently willed rhe thing he
said,
air, burning quiedy with its flame pointing down. It rvas as sol,l thtt when he had seen the lamp in rhe air he had felr
that il
as indispucabJeas ever a lamP was, the Prosaiccommon lamP of rl Indcdon him ro mainrain it there withour bemg clear
how rhis
l-()ng Dragon bar. dorrc.He had not a pafticularly complex mind, or he might
have
.,inaduertenrly
Mr. Fotheringaystood with an extendedforefnger and the knirr, 'l It,for a rime ar willed,,, embraclng,as it does
_thar
brows of one anticiparing r catastroPhicsmrsh. The cyclist,who \ | rlrrtruresr problems of voluncary xcion; but es ir was,
the idea
sirting next the lamp, ducked and jumped acrossthe bar. Eve$b(!i\ rr).him with e quire acceptablehaziness.And from
thar, follow
jumped mor€ or less.Miss Mavbridge turned and screamed.For ne:rrl\ rt I musr admir. no clear logical parh, he came to the
test of
three secondsthe lamp remained still. A faint cry of mental disrn
camefrom Mr. Fotheringay."I can'ckeepit up," he said,"any longcr l.l. l)oinrcd fcsolurelyro his candlerod collecredhis mind,
though
He staggeredback, and cbeinverted lamp suddenlyflared,fell again lift ln did r foolishrhing. .8r friscdup,,,hesxrd.Bur
in I second
the corner of the bar, bounced aside,smashedupon tbe floor ltrl t lcclingvunishcd'l hc c,rnrltc w,rsr,risccl,
hLrngin the rir onegiddy
[r.Ir i|(l rs NIr li)'lrcrjrSl\ r]lsl!!1, li.il wrrh I snlash
on his

(,4o
o,t L
TllE MAN WHO COUID I/ORK MIRACIES/ H. G. Vells
toilet table, Ieaving him in darkness save for the exPidng glos "l
its wick.
For r dme Mr. Fotheringey set in the darkness,Perfecdystill. "ll
did happen, after all," he said. "And'ow I'm to exPlain it I /,//
know." He sighed heavily, and began feeling in his Poclets fi! I
match. He could 6nd none, and he roseand groped about the torl t
table. "l wish I hed a match," he said. He tesorted to his coat, rrrr'l
there were none there, and then it dawned upon him that mim,l' r
were possibleeven with matches He extended a hand and scowlr'l
ar it in the dark. "Let there be a match in that hand," he said. llr
felt some light object fall acrosshis palm, and his fingersclosedulu'rl
After several ineffectual attempts to lighr this he discovered it " n
a safetymatch. He thr€w it down, and then it occu(ed to him rllrl
he might have willed it lighted. He did, and perceivedit bunrrr'1
in the midst of his toil€t table mat. He caught it uP hastily, !n,l rr
went out. His percePtionof possibilitiesenlarged,and he felr for 'rr,'l
rcplaced the candle in its candlesdck."Herc! 1az be lighted, :,r,1
Mr. Fotheringay,and forthwith the candle was flering, and hc 'rrv
a iittle biack hole in the toilet cover, witb a wisP of smoke ri''r,1
from it. For a dme he stared from rhis to the li*le flame and l, r lr
and then looked up and met his own gaze in rhe looking glass ll
this h+ he communed srith himself in silencefor a time.
"How about miraclesnow?" saidMr. Fotheringayat lasr,addrcsrrr
his re6ection.
The subsequentmeditations of Mr. Fotheringay w€re of a t( !r I
but confuseddescripdon.So far as he could see,it was caseof I'Lrl
willing with him. The nature of his first cxPeriencedisinclined I'rr
for any furtber experimen$ excePt of the most cautious tyPc llt
he lifted a sheetof PaPer,znd turned a glassof water pink and t lr
green, xnd he createda snzil, which he mireculouslyannihilarcd rtl
sot himself a miraculous new tootbbrush. Somewberein thc srrrill
hours he had reachedthe fact that his willpower must be of a prrtL'rr
Iarly rare and pungent quality, a facr of which he had certainlr l'ul
inklings before, but no certain assurrnce.The scareand Pet'pl(\ rf
ofhis 6rst discoverywas now qualified by pridc in this evidcn,' "l
642
darity and by vague intimarions of advantage.He becameaware
lhe church clock was strikinq one. and as it did nor occur ro
thar his daily duties at GomshorCs might be miraculously
wirh, he resumedundressing,in order to get to bed withouc
delxy. As he struggled to get his shift over his head, he was
with a brilliant ide] "I-er me be in bed," he srid, and found
so. "Undressed,"he stipulated; and, finding rhe shee$ cold,
hastily, "and in my nightshirr-no, in a nice soft woolen
in. Ah!" he said wich immenseenjoymenr. ,'And novr let me
asleep...."
awokeat his usual hour and waspensiveall rhrough breakfast-
wonderingwhetherhis overnighcexperience might not be a
ly vivid dream.Ar length his mind urned again io caudous
ts. Ior instance,he had three eggs for breakfasc;rwo his
had supplied,good, but shoppy,and one was a delicious
goose cgg, laid, cooked and servedby his extraordinary will.
ried off ro GomshorCsin a statepf profound but carefully
excitementj and only rememberedthe shell of the third
whcn his landladyspokeof ir that night. All day he could do
becauseof this asronishinglynew selfknowledge, buc this
him no inconvenience,becausehe made up for it miraculously
last ten minutes.
thc day wore on his stateof mind passedfrom wonder to elation,
tbc circumstancesofhis dismissalfrom the long Dragon were
ble to recall, and a garbled account of the matter that
tcachedhis colleaguesled to some badinage.It was evidenche
i bc careful how he lifted frangible artieles,but in other ways
i promisedmore and more as he turnedir over in his mind
ntcndedamong orher things co increasehis personalproperty
tatious acrs oF crearion.He called inro exisrencea pair of
rplcndid diamond studs, and hastily annihilated them again as
Gomshott cameacrossthe counringhouseto his desk.He was
young Gomshorr might wonder how he had come by rhem.
trw quire clearlyrhc gifr requiredcautiofland watcbfulness
in
isc, bur so far ls hc toulil jLrclgcthc difficulties attending
cry would bc no gfcxrcrrhrn rhoschr hrd alrerdyfacedin
THI MAN \i/HO COULD VORK IIIRACLES/H. G. \veils
the study of qcling. It was that analogv,PerhaPs,quire as mu.li rr
the feeling rhat he would be unwelcome in the long Dragon. i,ri
drove him out after suPPerinto rhe lane beyond the gaswork\' 1'l
rehearse a few mirecles in Private.
There was possibly a certain want of originality in his atrenrlr
for apart from his willpower Mr- Iotheringav was not a vert.\t{l
tional mafl. The miracle of Mosei rod came to hjs mind, but rl
night was dark and unfavorabl€to rhe ProPercontrol of large mir'r rr
lous snakes.Then he recollected the storJ of T'lnnba rer th^t hL lrl
read on the back of the Philharmonic Program.That seemedrt) |,Ll
singular\ attractiveand harmless.He stuck his walking stick :r ', r
nice Poonah Penanglarr'yer-inro the turf that edged the foorl'rrl
and commandedthe dry wood to blossom.The air was immec| Lr,l
lirll ofthe sccnt ofroses, and by meansofa match he saw for hirr, ,
that this beautiful miracle was indeed accomplished.His satish,r,,
was ended by advancing foostePs. Afraid of a premature disc,,,,r
of his powers,he addr,essed the blossoming stick hasrilv: "Go br' I
\(/hat he meant was "Change back"; but of coursehe was conllr',,
Th€ srick recededat a considerablevelocitr" and incontinendr'' r'r
a cry of anger and a bad vrord from rhe ePProachingPerson."\\
are you rhrowing brambles at, you fool?" cried a voice. "Th:rr ri
"I'm sorry, old chap," said Mr. Fotheringay,and rhen realizinll tl
awkward nature ofthe explanation,caught nervouslyat his rnusr.,,I
He saw \rinch, one of the three lmmering conssbles,advan.irl,l
"\(hat d'yer metrn by irl" askedthe constable."Hullol Ir\ \ ,r
is ir? The gent that broke rhe lamP at the Long Dragonl"
"I donl mean anything by it," said Mr. Fotheringav "Norl,,tt
at zll,."
"\Vhat d'yer do it for then?"
"Oh, botherl" said Mr. Fotheringey.
"Bother, indeedl D'yer know thet stick hurt? rvhat d't'cr ,1,'
for, eh?"
For the moment Mr. Fotheringay could not think what lr l,
done it for. His silenceseemedto;rritate I{r. \{/inch. "You\I l"rl
assaultingthe police, young man, rhis rime. Thrfs q'hat lrz,l,,r,'
6.14
here, Mr. ntrinch," said Mr. Fotheringay,annoyed
"l'm very sorry.The fact is-"
could think of no way buc the rruth.
wls working a miracle." He tried ro speakin an oftland way,
as he would he couldn't-
king a-l 'Eredon't you ralk rot. \(orking a miracle,indeedl
I Vell, rhat'sdownrighrfunnyl \[hy, you'sthechapthacdon'c
in miracles.. . . Factis, this is anotherofyour sillv conjuring
that'swhat this is. No$', I tell you-"
Mr. Fotheringal-never heard what Mr. rx/inch was going to
He realizedhe had given himself away, flung his valuabte
to all che winds of heaven.A violent gust of irritacion swept
rction- He turned on the constableswiftlv and fie(cely."Here,"
"l've had enough ofthis,I have!I'll show you a silly conjuring
I willl Go co Hadesl Go, now!"
Iotheringay performed no more miraclesthar night, nor did
blc to seewhar had becomeofhis flowering stick-He returned
town, scaredand very quiec,and went to his bedroom."lordl"
"iCs a powerful gift an extremely powerful gift. I didn\
mcan es much as thxt- Not reallv. . . . I wondef what Hades
rat on rhe bed taking offhis boots. Scruckby e happy thoughl
the constableto Srn Francisco,and wirhout any more
nce with normal causationvent soberly to bed. In the night
mcd of rhe anger of \Winch.
ncx( day Mr- Forhefirgay heard two interesring items ofnews.
had planted a mosr beautiful ctimbing roseagainstthe elder
(i(nnshotCs private house in che lullaborough Road, and the
tr lrr ^s Ra$'ling's Mill was to be draggedfor ConstablerJ(/inch.
, li)theringay was absrractedrnd thoughcful all that day, and
cd no miraclesexcepr certain provisions for ri7inch and the
. ofcomplcting his dxy's s1,rk with punctual perfectionin spite
rhc bcc swrrm of thouglrrsrhar hrrmmedchroughhis mind.
thc cxtrroldinary:rbstrrctions rrn,lnrcckncssof his mannerwxs
THE MAN WHO COU]-D \qORK MIRACIES/H. G FdL
remarLedby severalPeoPle,and made a matier for jesting. FoI rlld
most Part he was thinking of Winch.
On Sunday evening he went to chapel, and oddly enougb, III
Maydig, who took a certain inrcrest in occnlt matters,Preach€dnl!r(
"things thet are not lavful." Mr. Fotheringay wes not a rctrrll
chapeJgoer, but the system of assertive skePticism, to which I h r
alreadyalluded,was now very much shaken The tenor ofthe ser'rr'
threw an entirely ncw lighr or these novel gifts, and he sudddr
decidedto consult Mr- Maydig immediatelyafter the service.So !r
as that was determined,be found himself wondering why he h3(l r'
done so before.
Mr. Maydig, a lean excitableman with quite remarkablylong r'' "t
and neck, was gratified at a requestfor a Privarc conversation'r"l
a young man whose carelessness in religious matt€rs was a srrlilrl
for peneral remark in the town. After a few necessarydeiar'', I
conducted him to the srudy of the Manse, which was contigrr"rt
to the chapel, serrcd him comfortably, and standing in ffonr "l
cheerfulfire- his legsthrew a Rhodian arch of shadowon the oplu' ' t
wall-requested Mr. Fotheringay to state his business
At fi$t Mr. Fotheringay was a liftle abashed,and found "rr
difrculty in opcning the mxtter. "You will scarcelybelieve mt I
Maydig, I am afraid"-and so forth for sometime. He tied a qu(ll
at last, and askedMr. Maydig his oPinion of miracles
Mr. Maydig wassrill saying"\Vell" in extremelyjudicial tont r'1r
Mr. FothedngayinterruPtedagain: "You don't believe,I suppor tlt
some common sort of person-Iike myself, for instance-as ir rrrrll
be sitting here now, might have some sort of twist inside hirrr tlt
made him able to do things by his will "
"ICs possible,"saidMr. Maydig "Somethingofthesorr, P'ilr'rl
is possible."
"lf I mighl makefreewith somethinghere,I think I miSh' tl
you by a sort ofexperiment," saidMr' Fotheringay "Now rhxt I I )l' r '
jar on the table, for instance.\ghat I went ro know is R'herlxl \ 11
I am going to do with it is a miracle or not. Just half I n"r"'t
Mr. Maydig, Plezse."He knitted his brows, Pointed to drc r.l'r"l
jar and said: "Be a bowi of vi'lets "
tobzcco jar did as it was ordered.
Maydig strrcedviolently ec rhe change,and stood looking from
isr ro rhe bowl of floeers.He raid nothing. Pre,enrly
tured to lean over the rable and smell rhe violets; they were
and very fine ones. Then he scaredat Mr- Forheringe),
did you do that?" he asked.
Fotheringa)pulledhis musrache.'Jusr hold it-and rhereyou
that a miracle,or is ir blackart, or what is it? And what do
k's the matrer vrith me? Thafs what I wrnr to ask.,,
a most exrraordinaryoccufience."
this day last we€k I knew no more that I could do things
than you did. It camequite sudden.ICs somethingodd about
l l , I s u P p o s e .r n d r h r r \ r s l / r 1 5 I c a n \ e e '
,r/-the only thing Couldyou do orherthingsbesides rhar2,,
yesl" saidMr. Fotheringay'Jusr anyrhing.,'He thoughr,
recalleda conjuring entertxinment he had seen.,,Herel,,
ted. "Change into a bowl of fish-no, not rhar-change into
bowl tull ofwater with goldfsh swimming in it. ThaCsbeterl
ttt ther, Mr. N{xvdig?"
astonishing. It's incredible. You are cither a most exrraor,
.,. But no-"
could change ir inco anything," said Mr. Fotheringay. ,Just
Here! be a pigeon, will you?"
lnother moment a blue pigeon was lluttering round the room
rking i{i. Maydig duck every dme it came near him. .,Srop
will you," said Mr. Fotheringay;and rhe pigeon hung morion,
thc eir. "I could change ir back to a bo\[,l of flowers,,' he
lnd ,rfter replacingthe pigeon on the table worked rhar miracle.
t you vili wanr your pipe in x bic,,, he said, and restored
hb;rccojar.
, Maydig hrd followed all these Larerchanges in a sort of
lln)r)' silencr.He staredrr Mf. Fotheringayxnd, in a very gingerly
ncr, pickcd up rhe roblcco jrr, cxaminccl it, rephced it on the
"lltc/l!" wrs rhe only cxprcssionol |is fcclings.
rw, rftcr that it's clsicr ro cxplrrirrwlr:rr t (rnrc:rhour," srLid
{ , 1/
THI I'IAN \VHO COULD \NORK MIRACLIS/ H. G NttIs
Focheringay:and proceededto a lengthy and involved narrari\r'',1
beginning with the afair of rhe hmP in rli,
his strangeexperi€nces,
by persistentallusionsto Vinc|
Inng Dragon and complicared
he went on, rbe transienrpride Mr. Maydig\ consternationhad crrLa,l
passedeway;he becamethe very ordinaryMr. Fotheringayof elcr\,lr
intercourse again. Mr. Maydig listened incently, the tobacco ir I
his hand, and his bearingchangedalsowith the courseof the narrlrr\ |
Presefltly,shile Mr. Fotheringaywas dealing wirh the miracle oi rl
third egg, the minjster inter&Pted with a fluttering exrendedhrrr',i
"lt is possible," he said. "It is credible. Ir is amazing, of c,,,rr
but ir reconcilesa number ofdifficulties. The power ro x.ork mii.r,h
is a gift-a peculiar quality Jike genius or second sight hitbcrr,,
has come very rarely and to exceptionalpeople. But in this cas,
I have alwayswondered at the miraclesof Mahomet, and ar \','rtl'
miracles,and the miraclesof Madame Blavarsky.But, of coursc \ ,
it is simply a gifrl lt carriesout so beautifully the argumentsoi rlfl
grcrr thinkcr' Mr. l\4a1dig ' voi,e .rnk-"his Gracerhe Dr L.
Argyll Herewe plumb someprofounderlaw-deeperthan rl( ,, 'll
narylaws of nature.Yes yes.Go on. Go onl"
Mr. IotherinSay proceed€dto tell ofhis misadvenNrewith \\'if,
and Mr. Maydig, no longer overawedor scared,beganto jerk his l',,r1
about and interject astonishment."It's this what troubled mc D'rl
d r . l o r h e r i n g a y :; r ' s r h i ( l m n - o r r m i r i ' l v I n J . ' , ,
p r o . c e d eM
advice for; of coursehe's at San Francisco-wherever San FLIj, rr
may be-but of courseit's awkward for both ofus, as lou'll v, /\l
Maydig. I don't seehow he can understandwhat has bappen<,| it
I daresayhe's scaredand exasperatedsomerbing tremendor\. rl
trying to get at me. I daresavhe keepson starting off ro conrc lr I
I sendhim back,by a miracle,everyfew hours,when I rhink ,,1|
And of course, that's a thing he won't be able rc undersrrn,l rr
it's bound to annoy him; and, of course,if he takes a tickcr ,.,
time it will cost him a lot of money. I done the besr I coLrl,Ll,
him, but of coursejt's difficulr for him to Put himseif in mr ;'l "
I chought afterward that bjs cloth€s might have gor scorchc,l \,
know-if Hades is al1 it's supposedto be-before I sbifted lrirr, I
thar caseI supposethey'd have locked him up in San Frxn.is,, I
t I willed him a new suit of clothes on him directly I thoughl
But, you see,I'm alreadyin a deuce of a rangle-,'
,\ Maydiglooked serious."I seevou are in a mngle.yes, ir,s
t posirion. How you are to end it . . .,,He becamediffuse
, we'll leave rJTinch for a litcie and discussthe larger
, I don't rhink this is a caseof the black art or anyrhing
tort. I donl think rhere is any raint ol criminality abour it
Mr. Fothcring:1-lone whrrever.urle* rou ;rc .Lpprcs,ing
I f:rcts.No, ir's miracles-puremiracles-miracl€s,
if I maysay
thc very highest class."
trgln ro pace the hearrhrug and gesticulace,while Mr. Fother,
nt wirh his arm on the table and his head on his arm, looking
d, "I don'r see how I'm to manage about \(inch,,,he said.
1lft of workingmiracles apparendy a verypowerfulgift,,'said
itydig,"wi[ 6nd a way abour\f/inch-never fear.My dearSir,
x most rmporranr man-a man of the most astonishing
Itics.As evidence,for exxmple! And in oihe! ways,the rhings
ydo "
1'4 thoughr of a rhing or rwo," said I{r. Fotheringa}.
tomc of the things came a bir rwisry. You saw thar 6sh ar
r{)ng sot of bowl and wrong sort of fish. And I thought
!!e very p.opcr
ProPcr course," said Mr. Maydig, course
the propercourse."H€ stoppedand lookedacMr. Fother-
"lt's pracrical\.anunlimiredgifr. let qs resryour powers,for
. lf they really are - . . if they really are all they seemto be_,,
$, incredible as ir may seem, in the study of the little
Ithind cheCongregarionalChapel,on rhe eveoing of Sunday,
lhcr I0, 1896, Mr. Fotheringay, egged on and inspired by
ly(liA, bcgxn to work miricles. The reader\ artention is specially
itcly called ro the dare.He will object, probably has already
ll, th:rr ccrtrin points in this story are improbrble, that if any
ol thc sort rlreedy describedhrd indeed occurred,they would
hccn in rll thc p:rpcrsr vcrrrrrgo.Thc derailsimmediately
rU l,c will Ilnd piI.(i(ulirdyllr|1l'o irrfctr. L,cclusc.rmoog
other
TllE MAN \/HO COUrD \{ORK MIRACIES/H G $/enr
things they involve rhe conclusion that he or she, the readc|tt
quesrion, musr have been killed in a violent unPrecedentedrnrrrirrI
more than a year ago. Now a miracle is nothing ifnot improb 'l'1',
and as a matter of fact the readeraar killed in a violent and unpt" '
dented manner a yearago. In the subsequenrcouise ofthis stor\ rlrrl
wili become perfectly clear and credible,as everv right'mindcLl ""1
reasonabler€aderwill admit. Buc this is not che place for rhc 'r,'l
of the story, being but lirtie bevond the hither side of the nrl,l'llr
And at 6rst the miraclesworked by Mr- Folheringaywere timid I rrh'
miracles-little things with the cuPs and Parlor fitmenrs, as l({l'hr
as the miracles of rheosophists,and feeble as thev were' thc\ ('rrt
receivedwith awe by his collaborator' He would have prefer"l t't
setde the \trinch businessout'of-hand, but Mr' Maydig woul'l r'rt
let him. But after they had vrorkeda dozen of rbesedomesrictri' 'lt
ti€s, their senseofPower grew, their imagination begaoto shos' ''1 'tt
of stimulatioo, and their ambition enlarged.Thei r lirst largerent c' Iu' '
was due to hunger and the negligenceof Mrs. Minchin, Mr. Nlrt\'lLr I
housekeeper.The meJ to {hich the minister conductedMr' li'rl' r
iflgay was cerrainly ill laid and uninviring as refreshment kr tsrt
industrious miracle workers; but they were seated,and N{r' lilrr'lt1
was descantingin soffow rather than in anger upon his bousekccl',
shoftcomings,before it occurredco Nfr. Forheringavtbat an op1'r 'tr
nitv lay beforehim. "Don'r,r'ou think, Mr' Mavdig,"he sxid. rl
isn't a liberty, I-"
' ncc-through the crack of the door. Poor womant A mosl
"My dear Mr. Fotheringayl Of coursel No I didn't think
Mr. Fotheringaywaved his hand "What shall we hare?" hc 'Lr'l
in a large inclusivespirir, and xt Mr. MavdiS'sorder. revisedthc 'r'11'
very thoroughly. "As for me," he said,eveingMr' Maydig's selc'rt' rt,
I ll
"I am alwaysparcicularlyfond ofa tankard of scout and a nic( \"
rarebit, and l'11 order that. I ain\ much given to Burgundr'. ""1
forthwith stout and \(elsh rarebit promptlv apPerredar his comrrr'rr"l
They sat long at rhetusuPPer,talking like equals,as Mr' Fothcrtt'r't1
presently perceivedwith a glow of surpriseand gratificarioo. "l 'll
the miraclesthey r.ou1d presenrl,r' do. "And by rhe \\'a), N{r. NIx\'l r
said Mr. Forheringay,"I might PerhaPsbe able to help iou
l quite follow," said Mr. Maydig, pouring out a glassof
old Burgundy.
Fotheringay helped himself to a second Velsh rarebit out of
, and took a mourhful. "I was thinking," he said,"l might
(cban, chzn) to wo* (chan, clJtn) ^ mill;.cle\ .ith Ma.
n (.h.n, thtn)-make her a better women."
Maydigput down the glassand lookeddoubtful."Shet She
y objectsto interference,
you know, Mr. Forheringay.
And-as
of fact-ic's well pest eleven and she'sprobably in bed and
Do you think, on rhe whole-"
Fotheringayconsideredthese objections- "I don\ see rhat it
'r be done in her sleep."
n time Mr. Mxydig opposedthe idei, and rhen he yielded.Mr.
ngayissuedhis orders,and a litde lessat rheir ease,perhaps,
gentlemen proceededwith their repasc.Mr. Maydig was
on the changeshe might expect in his housekeepernexr
ith an optimism that seemedeven ro Mr. Fotheringay'ssuper
n littlc forcedand hecric.when a seriesofconfused noisesfrom
began.Their eyesexchangedinrerrogations,and Mr. Maydig
room hastily. Mr. Fotheringay heard him calling up to his
r and then his foorstepsgoing sofcly up to her.
I minute or so the minister returned, his step light, his face
t. "Vonderful!" he said, "and touchingl Most touchingt,,
bcgan pacing rhe heanhrug. "A repentance-a most touching
ul changei She had got up. She must have got up ar once.
hd got up out of her sleepto smasha privare botcle of brandy
box. And to confessir tool . . . Bur this gives us-it opens-i
nm:lzing vistx of possibilities.If we can work rhis miraculous
c thing's unlimiced seemingly," said Mr. Fotheringay. ,,And
t Mr. Vinch-"
lltogcther unlimired " And from rhe hearthrug Mr. Maydig,
rlrc IJ(rinch diliculry:rsi<lc, unfolded a seriesof wonderful
,$ls-proposrls hc jnvcntcJ rs |c wcnt:Llong.
w l r . r tt h , c 1 ' r , 1 r ^ . r 1w.( , / , 1 . ( \ , , , , , . , , n \ c , n
]H! IIAN WHO COULD \'ORK IIIRACLIS/H G. v/ells
of this story. Sulice it that they were designedin a sPirir of inlLrrrr"
benevolence,the sorr of benevolencethat used to be called 1"' t
prandial.Sufficeit, too, that theProblem of\X/jnch remainedunsol'"1
Nor is it necessary to describehow far rhar seriesgot to its fulfillnnrt
There were astonisbingchanges.The small hours found Mr- lvlrt!
and Mr. Fotheringaycareelingacrossrhe chilly market squereurr'lr
t h c . r i l l m o o n ,i n , ' o r ( o t e , . t r s 1o t r h ; u m a r u r g yM. r ' l r l a | d r 1'
flap and gesture,Mr. Fotheringay short and brisrling, and no lirrl"
abashedat his grertness.Thev had reformed every drunkard in r|r
Parliamentary division,changedall the beerandelcoholro watcr([lr
Maydig had overruledMr- Forheringayon this Point' thet lrr'l
further, greatlyimProvedrhe railwaycommunicationof thc In.i
drainedrlindets swamp,improvedthe soil of Ote Tree Hill "rl
cured the Vicar\ wart. And thel were going to se€what coul'l l'
done with the injured pier at South Bridge "The Place,"SasPe'llll
Maydig, "won'c be the same Place romorro*'. How surpriscil "'l
thankful everyonewill bel" And just at tbat mom€nt rhe church ( L'' I
srruck thfee-
'that's rhree o'clockl I mu\r I
"l say," said Mr. Fotheringat.
gening back. I've got to be at businessbY eight And besidcs,llrl
\(/imms " ot lessercrashes.A vast vind roared throughout earth and
"\(re're only beginning," said lur' Maldig, full of rhe srvctttu
of unlimited power."\(/e're only beginning.Tbink of all rhc 1:''"
we're doing. V/hen PeoPlewake-"
"But-" said Mr. Fotherjngal.
Mr. Maydig griPPedhG arm suddenlr' His eves\r'ere brighr 'rrr
wild. "My dear chzp," be said, "there\ no burrv look" hepoLrrr'r
to the moon at the z€nith-"Joshual"
'Joshua?" said Mr. Fotheringa).
'Joshue," said Mr. Maydig. "v/hy not/ StoP it."
Mr. Fotheringay looked at the moon.
"ThaCs a bit tall," he said after a Pausc
' t||cx'rncc of rhings lvis rerlly cxrrcmeLvsrrange.,,The sky\ all
"Why notl" saidMr. Maydig "Of courseit doesn't stoP YoLr I 1'
the rotation of the earth, vou knovr' Time stoPs. It isn\ as rl "'
$reredoing harm."
"H'ml" saidIUr. Fotheringay "\{re " He sighed "l'll rr,v Hct'
672
buttoned up his jacker and addressedhimself to the habitabie
with as good an assumptionof confidenceas lay in his power.
p rorating will you," said Mr. Fotheringay.
tinently he was flying head over heelsthfough the air er the
dozcnsof miles a minute. In spite of the innumerable circles
dcscribingper second,he rhoughr; fot rhought is wonderful
qr as sluggish as flowing pitch, sometimesas instanraneous
. He thouqhr in a second,and willed- "Ler me come down
sound. \Thatever else happens, let me down safe and
willcd it onlv just in time, for his clothes,heatedby his rapid
through the air, r'ere alreadybeginning to singe.He camedown
I tbrcibl€,buc by no meansinjuriousbump in whar appeared
I mound of fresh,rurned€arrh.A larg€ massof metal and
ry, cxrraordinarilylike the clock tower in rhe middle of che
s(lurre,hir rhe eafth near him, ricocheredover him, and flew
bricks and masonrv,like a bursting bomb. A hutling
t onc of chelarger blocks and smashedlike an egg. There was
that made all the mosc violent creshesof his past life seem
sound of falling dusr end this was fotlowed by a descending
, so that he could scarcelylifi his head to look. For a while
n)o brearhlessand astonhhed ev€n to see where he was or
h:td happened.And his 6rst movement was to feel his head
ure him.elf rhrr l-ir <rrcaminghri- w.rs
"rrll hi. oqn
ll" gaspedMr. Forheringay,
scerceableto speaklor rhe gale,
had a squeakl \X/hxt's gone wrong? Storms and thunder. And
r minure ago a fine nighc. Ias Maydig ser me on to rhis sort
i[ Vlhat a windl If I go on fooling in this way I,m bound
tvt:r thunderingaccidentl... \7here'sMaydigl . . . \0hat a
run(lcdmesseverything's inl"
t Lrrkcd about him so far es his flapping jacket would perrnit.
I xoyh('w."srid NI.. ForhcringxJ. "And rheCsabout all rhar is
Itt And cvcn rhcrc ir looks likc:r rcnilir grle coming up. Bur
r tlu rnrDnovcrhcr<l..Jusr i,r ir {rs i',sr nov. I}right as middry.
THE If-{N WHO COUrD \fORK MIRACLIS/H. G. velts
But as for the rcsr- \trhere's the village?\ghere's-where's anythrrrg
And what on earth ser this wind a,blowing?l didnt order no s.iful
Mr. Fothcring:1rt'ugelcd ro ger ro hi. feerin vain.rnd rt(Lr ,,,
failure, remainedon all fours, holding on- He survelcd the rrlorrrttr
world ro leeward,with rhe tails ofhis iacker streamingover his 1,,.ul
"There's sornething seriously wrong,', said Mr. Fotheringay Arr
what ir is-goodness knows."
Far and wide norhing was visible in the white glare rhrougii rl
haze of dust that drove before a screaminggale but tumbled nr.r.r
of earth and heapsof inchoate ruins, no trees,no houses,no ftnlll
shapes,only a wildernessofdisorder vanishingar last inm rhe dr tir
beneath the whirling columns and streamers,the lighrnings .rrr
thunderings of a swifcly rising srorm. Near him in the liviil r,l
was something rhat mighr once have been an elm tree, a snrr.t,,l
massof splinters,shiveredfrom boughs to base,and further a r" ,.r, rl
massof iron girders-only too evidently the viaduct-rose our ,,t 1[t
piled conftsion.
You see,when Mr. Iotheringay had arrestedrhe rorado. (,t ,tl
solid globe, he had made no stipulation concening the rrining r,,,v
ables upon ics surface.And rhe earth spins so fast rhat the \rrtrl
at its equaror is traveling at Iarher more rhan a rhousand mil( .
hour, and Mr. Maydig, and Mr. Forheringay, and everybo,lr .ir
everything had been jerked violently forward ar about nine nil.,
I
second-rhat is to say, much more violently than if they hi(i l" r
fired out ofa cannon. And every humao being, every living crc.rrrrr
every house, and every tree-all rhe world as we knos. it-hurl lr r
so jerked and smashedand utterly desrroyed.That was all.
TheserhingsMr. Fotheringaydid nor, of course,fully rpprr,, rrr
But he perceived rhar his miracle had miscarried,and with ri,.r,
great disgust of miraclescame upon him. He was in darkncs rr,,*,
for the clouds had swept togetherand blorred out his,nonkr,ry
glimpse of the moon, and the air was full of 6tful struggling ru rrr, ,l
wraith of hail. A great roaring of wind and warers filled crrrlr rrll
sky, and peering under his hand through the dust and slccr ro r rr,,l
ward, he saw by the play of the lightnings a vasrwall of w,rrcr
l!,,,, L1l
l" screamcd N{r. Forhcringays fceble vorce amid the
" cried Mr. Fotheringay to the advancing watet. "Oh, for
r momenr," said Mr. Fotheringayto the lighrnings and
"Stop jest a moment while I colled my thoughts And
t shall I do?" he said."lI/hrr rha l aoaLordl I wish Maydig
," said Mr. Fothetingay. "And for goodness' sake leCs have
rcmainedon all fours,leeningagainstthe wind, very inrent
cverythirg fight.
l" he said."Let nothing what l'm going co order happenuntil
iOfl . . . Iordl I wish I'd rhoughl of thar beforel"
lifred his litde voice rgainst the whirlwind, shoutinglouder
in the vain desireto hear hims€lfsPeak."Now then-here
Mind rbout (ha( $r'h1rI raid ju5r now. In the hrstPlz(e.when
let my
8ot to sayis done, let me lose my misculous Pov,/er,
bccomeiust like anybodyelse'swill, and all thesedangerous
be stopped.I don't like th€m. I'd rather I didn't work'em
to much.Thaasthe frrst thing. And the secondis-let me be
job, but iCs
lust beforethe blessedlamp turned up. Ifs a big
Have you gor it? No morc miracles,everythingas it was me
ln the Long Dragon just beforeI drank my half'pint. That's
dug his fngersinto the mold, closedhis eyes,and said,"Off!"
hing becameperfectlr still. He Perceivedthar he was standing
,ta, say," said a voice
opcnedhis eyes.He was in rhe bar ofthe long Dragon, atguing
mirecleswith Toddy Beamish.He had a vagr:esenseof some
rhing forgotten that instantaneouslyPassed.You see,excePtfor
lon of his miraculouspowcrs,everything was back as it had been;
nltrd ^nd memory ihercforc wcre now just as rhey hed been at
tlrnc whcn rhis story bci r. So thlt hc knew absolutelynothing
I thrt is rclcl hcrc, knows norhinS oi rll thxt is rold h€re to
A COUNTRY LOv! STORY/J@n Sta{od
this day. And among orher things, of course,he srill did not bcl ,
in miracles.
"I rell you rhatmiracles,
properlyspeaking,
can'tpossibllhagr,,,
he said, "whatever you like to hold. And I'm preparedto pro\r
uP to the hjlc."
"That'swhatr?r think," saidToddyBermish,and "Proveir it r,
"loo\ here, Mr. Beamish," said Mr. Forheringay."Ler us cl,.'rl
undersrandwhat a miracleis. ICs somerhingcontrariwiseto rhe c,,rrr
of nature done by power of \a.ill. . . ."
A COUNTRY LOVE STORY
;a; -d;)r-z
A* ^*"rqu" SLETGH srood in rhe yard, snow after snow b.r',|,
up againstits erodedrunners.Here and there upon the bleachc,l rr
splintery seat were wisps of horsehairand scrapsof the black l,.Lrl
that had once upholsteredit. It bore, with a1l its jovial cunc
air not so much of desuetudeas of slowed-down dash. as it
",
horses,unable to go another srep,had ar last sroppedhere.Th( sl,,l
had come with the house.The former owner, a gifted business*,rr',r
from Castine who bought old housesand sold them again r ir1, ,r
their pidalls still intact, had said when she was shos'ing rhcrr 1l
place,"A picturesquedetail, I rhink," and, 'r'aving it away,bad r,', r,,
ro the well, which, with enthusiasrnrnd at considerableJengrlr I
said had never gone dry. Actually, May and Daniel had foun,l rlr
detail more distracting than picturesque, so nearly kin lvls ,r r,
ourdoor arts and crafrs, and when rhe woman, as they del,rr(,| (l
her car, gesruredtoward it again and said, "Painr rhar up a bir
",'lr
656
cheenand it wrll rc.rllvadd no end to your yrrd. ,imultr-
lhudderscoursedthem. They had planned to remove rhe sleigh
thcy did anyrhing else.
partly becausethere were more importanr things ro be done,
ly becrusethey did not know where to put it (a sleigh could
lhe usual senseof the words, be rhrown away), and parrly
it scemeddefiantly a part of the yard, as entitled ro be there
ntly as the trees,they did nothing about it. Throughout rhe
, theysawbirdsbrieflypauseon irs rakishfront and sawthe
s wash its runners; in the autumn they watched the golden
ill the seatand nescledryly down; and now, wirh rhe snow,
ed this new accumulation.
llcigh was visible from chewindows of the big, bright kitchen
rhcy a|e all their merls and, sometimes too bemused with
solirude to talk, ther gazed out ai ir, forgefting rhet food
ul^ting on its history. Ir could have been driven cavalierlyby
on o[ some sea crptain\ family, or it could have been used
fu haul che household'sUni.erians ro church or co take the
rlk aeoundthe countrrside on errandsofgood will. They did
of whar its office might have been, and rhe facr of their
wiN often nettl€someto May, for she felr they were silent roo
of the time; a little morosely, she thought, If something as
,lnd as provocative as rhis 2t which we look together-and
ls, cven rhough we didn\ wmt ir, our own property-cannor
$$ to calk, what canl But she did not disturb Daniel in his
r ntusings;she held her tongue, and ouc of the corner of her
w:rtched him watch rhe winter cloak rhe sleigh, and, as if
computing a dificulr sum in her head, she tried to puzzle
rr it was thxt had stilled rongues thar earlier,before Daniel's
, hrd found the davs roo short to communicare all they were
(' sry.
hnrj bccn Drniel's docror's idea, not theirs, that had brought
to rhc solcmn hinterlend ro sray after all the summer gentry
rlclirtcd in rheif bcrch rvrgons. Thc Nofrhern sun, rhe prisrine
llr nrlrl walks rnd soundlcssnighrs. s:rid Dr. Tellenbach,perhaps
firr his nrtivc Switzcd:rrxl.
*rr,l<l rL, morc ri,r rhc "Profcssor's"
A COUNTRY lOVl S'IORY/Jein Sdlrotd

srrl'l
convalescentlung than all the doctors and clinics in the Daniel and Dr. Tellenbachthan betweenDaniel and hersell
Privately he had addedto May that after so long a seasonin rhc r'trl objectedfurrher, citing an occasionwhen her husbandhad
(r'rr
itadum (Daniel had been there a yeer), where everything was hcad in his hands and mourned, ,.I hear talk of nothins but
l't
to a Iow pitch, it would be difrcult and it might be shatrering cupsand X-rars.Areni pcopleiorere5red in 'he ,rareof rhe
nearli' filry
"the bov'i (not now the "Professor,"although Daniel,
t'tt
was his wife's senior by twenty yea$ arld Dr' Tellenbach'sbv Dr. Tellenbach had been adamant, and ar rhe end, when she
ol ih
to go back at once to the excitements and the intrigues n to go, he said,"You are bound to find him changeda little.
o,ri.ne.sity,to what, with Gnicking humo,r' the Doctor c.alled r|r lllness removes a thoughtful man from his fellow beings. It
omnium'satherum of the schoolmaster's life " The rigors of a colr'tt ing with an exacting mistresswho is nor conteflt wirh half
(o r''r
*inrer oould ber' no'hing. he in'istcd whcn comP'red rhr rttendon bur musr chim it ali.,,Shehad thoughchis figure
wanted to wrtte b'u'L
of feuds rnd cocktail Parties All professors absurd and disdained to ask him what he ncanr.
itr rl
didnt theyT Surely Daniel, a historian wirh ell the material ly, when the time came for rhem ro move into the new
world at his lingertips, must have something up his sleeve thar and she found no alterations in her hr:sband but found, on
"'rr
1''r
l:e tlte raisan d'itre for this year eway? May said she supposed ht cr hand,much pleasurein their country life, she beganto
voice x5 |
she was not sure. She could hear the reluctancein her Dr. Tellenbach.
In the beginning,it waslike a secondhoney-
rl
escapedthe Doctor\ eyes and gezed tbrough his windows rr for they had moved to a part of the North where they had
mountains behind the sanitarium ln tbe dragging monihs DLrl rn and theyexploredir rogerher,sharingits chxrmjngsights
had been sone, she had taken solacein imagining rhe time $l' nds.Moreover,rheyhad neverowneda housebeforebrrt-had
theytwui reurn to iust that Pandemonium tbe Doctor so depl"r' llvcd.in city apartments,and though the house rhey bought
b..".rr. it had been pandemoniumon the smallestand rrr I nnd derelict, its lines and doors and window ligha were
"r,i
discreetscale,she smiled through ber disaPPointmentat rhe I'rl I, and they were possessed by it. All through the summer,
L'
man's Swiss innocence and exPlained tbat tbey had alwal's rcd, "To think rhat we own all of thisl That it actually
quietly, seldom dining out or entertaining more than twrce a $1r
to usl" And they wanderedfrom room to room marveling
"Twice a week!" He was aPPalled windows, from none of which was it possible,o ... ,., ogly
he would fud a sc"'tt
"But I'm afraid," she had Protested,"that lcy looked to che souch upon a dver, ro the norrh upon a
l'r
year of inactivity intolemble He does inrend to write a,booli thc west of them were pine woods where rhe wind forever
n.rt
Le rner.ts to *.ite it in England, and we can't go to England volcing e v?in entreaty; and to rhe easr a rich mant long
i' rr
"Enqlandl" Dr. Tellenbachthrew up his hands "Good air thrc ren down a hill to his old, magisterialhouse. It v/as
reco-ie.td"tion for your husband.Good air and lirtle talk " rcn anrhoseb€wircheddrys,tharthereweretimeson rhe lake,
rrl
She seid, "lr's talk he needs,I should think, after all this May wasgatheringwater lilies as Daniel slowly rov,ed,that
visit
of communing only with himself excePtvhen I came to sccn on his face a look of abstraction and she had known
rl
He had looked at her with exaggeratedp4tience,and then' corL' wns vr'orldsaway, in his memories,perhaps,of his illn€ss and
I import"r
but authoritative, he said, "I hoPe you will not think njrrrirm rof whiLh hc would nevehpeakl or in rhe rhoughl
vhen I tell you that l am very welt acquaintedwirh your hush'r" bix'k hc wrs going (o w,i'e rs soon. he srid, r. ,hc $inrcf
"
and, as his physician,I order this retreat Fle quite agrees rnd thcre vrs nothing to cio bur work. Momenrarily the look
St.r"g to t". that there was a greater degree of understa|(j1l lhcr:rnd shc rcmcnMrc,l rhc t),)c()r's words, but then,
A (OITNTRY LOVI STORY, JeanSntior'l
imrnediateiy herselfagain in the securityof married love, she crrrll
at another warer tily and pulled at its long stem- Companion.rl,
tbey gardened, trking special pride in the nicoriana rhar sc,r l
nighftime fragranceinto their bedroom. Together, and with fr,l
rion, they consulted cerpcnters,plasterers,and chimney swecl\ |
the blue evenings they read at ease,hearing no sound but rlrrr r
the night birds-rhe loons on rhe lake and the owls in rhe R)1, r
trees. \ghen the days began to cool and shorten, a cricker .xrr, I
blesstheir house,nightly singing behind the kitchen srove.Thcr r1
two far and idle rabby cats, who lay insensiblebeside the 6r.1,1,1
and onl)' srirred themselvesto purr perfunctorily.
Becausecbey had not moved in until July and by that rinr. rl
workmen ofrhe region were alreadyengaged,most ofthe major rl,rl
of the house were to be postponeduntil rhe spring, and in Or r,,lr
when May and Daniel had done all they could by rhemseJv. 'r
Daniel had begun his own work, May suddenlyfound herselfs irll rr
occuP?tion.\trhole daysmight passwhen she did nothing morr rlr,r
cook three meals and s/alk a little in the autumn misr and Ix r rl
cats and wait for Daniel to come down from his upstairs srrr,lr r
talk ro her. She began to rbink wirh longing of rhe cro*dc,l ,l
in Boston before Daniel was sick, and even in rhe year pasr. \l!
he had been away and she had gone to concertsand recitals:rrr,l[t
done good deedsfor crippled children and had endless\ shoplr.i I
presentsto iighten the tedium of her husband'sunwilJing exiL r\r
longing, she was remorseful, as if by desiring another she bo, rl
this iife, and, remorseful,she hid av/ayin sleep.Somerimesslx L
for hours in the daytime, imitating the cats, and when ar lx ,r ,l
got up, she had to push avray rbe densesleepas if it werc r ,1,"
One day at lunch, she askedDaniel to take a long walk u irl, lr
that afternoon to e farm where the owner smoked his own slrr'.r1r
"You never go outdoors," she said, "and Dr. Tellenbachsur,ll
musc. Besides,it's a lovely day."
"I can't," he said."l'd like ro, but I can't. I'm busy. You go .il,,,!
Overtaken by a glst of loneliness,she cried, "Ob, Danicl, I l,r\
nothing to dt!"
A moment's silencefel], and chen be seid, "I'm sorrv ro 1'r,r r,,
this, my dear,bur you must surelyadmit rhat itt not my
8ot sick."
shame, her rapid, overdone apologies,her insistenc€rhat
mattered in the vorld except his health and peaceof mind,
everything worse, and at last he said shortly to her, "Stop
f child, May. Lct\ just leave each other alone."
the vert 6rst in their mariage of 6ve years, was the
ng of a series.Hardly a day passedthat they did not bicker
thing; they might dispute e question of fact, argue e matter
, carcheachorherour in an inaccuraq,andeveryquarrelended
iel's saying co her, "\Chy don'r you leaveme alone?" Once
"I've beensickand now I'm busyand I'm no longeryoung
io shifr rhe focusofmy mind eachtime it suitsyout whim."
, rhere were alwaysapologies,and then Daniel went back
ntudy and did not open the door of it again until rhe next
Finally,ir seemedto her that love, the v€ry centerof their being,
oft, overgrown, invisible. And silenr wirh hostility or
wirh trivial reproach,they tried to dig ic out impulsively and
not-could only maul it in i$ unkempt grave. Daniel, in his
tlwal from her and from the house,was preoccupiedwith his
, of which he never spoke except to say that it would bore
most of rhe dme, so it app€ared
ro May, he did not worr).
ehat was hrppening to them. She felt rhe cold old house
w enveloping her as if it were their common €nemyr mali-
bcnt on bringing them ro disaster.Sunken in fairhl€ssness,
ttrrcd, ,c meairimes,atrophied within the presenthour, at the
t and whimsicrl sleish that stood abandonedin the mam-
found herselfthinking, If we redeemedit and painted it, our
would hav€ something in common with Henry Ford\ Wayside
Antl I might make this very observationto him and he might
it wirh disdain and we might once again be able to mlk to
othcr. Perhxpswe could t,Llk of Villiamsburg and how we
rvcd of it. HcL mind wcnt roiling on. ViLlilmsburg was perc
r honcy'noonrril; somcwhcrcout lcct wctccnranglcdin suckcrs
A COUNTRY rOVE STORY/Jan Snllord
as we stood kissine under a willow tree. Soon she found drLr .
did not carefor this line ofthought, nor did shecarewhat his rcsl',rr
to it might be. In her imagined conversationswith Daniel, shc r!
spoke of rhe sieigh. To the thin, ill scbolar whose scholarshil,.rl
illnesshad usurpedher place,shehad graduallytakena weighrr I
unviolenr dislike.
The discoveryof:his came,not surprising her, on Christmr' I
Thc knowlcdgcsank like a plummcr..rnd ar rhe vme rime J, r
thinking abour the sleigh, connecting it with rhe smelt of rht I
on damp days, and she thought perhapsir had been drawn hr r
very animalswho had beenstabledthereand had pervadedthe rirr,l
with their odor. Tbere must have been much life with;n this 1,,{l
once but long ago. The earth immediatelybehind tbe barn s'u .
by everyoneto be extremelyrich becauseof the horses,alrhougl, r|
"
had been none there for over fifty years.Thinking of this soil, r r'
earlier she had eagerlysifted through her fingers, May now rc L,,
that she had no wish for the spring to come, no wish to 1,1.',,,
garden, and, branching out at random, she found she had n,,
"r
to seethe seaagain,or children, or favorite pictures,or even h.r "w
faceon a happy day. For a minute or two, shewas almosr enrlllr,rr
in this state of no desire,but rhen, purged swifdy of her cyn',
she knew it to be false,knew that actually she did havea desi( l
desire for a desire.And now she telt that she was stationar\ Lrl
whirlpool, and at the very moment she conceivedthe notion ., I
of wind brought to the seat of rhe sleigh rhe 6nal leaf from thi , I
tree that stood besideir. lt crossedher mind tbat she mishr c(nr'r,
the wood of the sleigh in its juxtaposition ro the living trc. .ir
to rhe horses,who, although they were long since dead, renri,,,ll
sweating,n:nning life everycimeshc (,
her of their passionate,
to the barn for 6rewood.
They sat this morning in the kitchen full of sun, and, spr.ri,r
not to him but to the sleigh, to icicles,ro rbe dark, morionles 1"r
woods,she said,"I wonder if on a day like rhis rhey usedt,, r.,l
the pastor home after lunch." Daniel gazedabstractedlyat rhc b|ql,t
silver drifts besidethe well and said nothing. Presenrlya wagon w irl
Pasthauled by two oxen with bells on their yoke. This was tk l',lr
662
ys passcd.taking ro an unkoown desrinanonan agcd mrn
hat and an aeedwoman in a shewl. Mav xnd Daniel listened.
, with impromptu anger,Daniel said,"What did you
ng," sh€said-And then, aftera pause,"It would be lovely
Pond today."
hccled on her and pounded the table with his fist. "I did
for this!" The color rose feverishiy ro his rhin cheeksand
wrs agirated."You are trying to make me sick again. It
w:snl rr. for you while I wrs gone?"
no, nol Oh, no, D:niel, ir was helll'
, by the same token, this must be heeven." He smiled, the
catching out a student in a h1lacy.
vcn." She said the word bitterly.
why do )ou srayhere?"he cried
a che2pimpasse,
desolate,
crue,unfair.Shedid not answer
a while he seid, "I almost believe thereh something you
iold me."
bcganto cry at once, blubbering acrossthe table at him. "You
thrt before. What am I ro sayl $that hrve I done?"
at her, imperwiousto her teffs, without mercy and yet
contempt. lrl don't know. Bur you've done somerhing."
as if she were looking through someoneelse'sscrambled
|nd bur€au drawersfor an object that hed not been named
bur nowhere could she 6nd her gross ofiense.
ically she askedhim if he would have more coffeeand he
ily refusedand demanded,"\7ill you tell me why it is you
me? Is it a compulsion?Can't you control it? Are you
1ll^r DAl, oNwARD, Mxy felt x c€rtain stirring of life within
tu(lc, ind now and agrin, looking up from a book to see if
hl)cr on the stove wlls right, ro listen to x ret renovrting its
within-x"bousc,to wrrch rhc bcllcd oxcn pass,she nursed her
huggc.l it, rcptrrcd l,is :rwrirlworls cx,rctly:rs he had said
,{ COUNTRY rovl STORY/Jer Siaford
th€m, reproducedthe way his wasrcdlips had looked and his brlgl,
irr'ighred ere". She could not -eadfor long,rr an1 time. nor. .
she sew. She caredlittle now for planning changes;n ber house: \l
had meant to sand the Dainted floors to uncover rhe wood of I
wide boards and she had imagined how the long, paneledwindo$
of the drawine room would look when yellow velvet curtains hrrl
there in the spring. Now, schooledby silenceand indifference.il
was immune to disrepairand to the damagedone by the wind .rr
snow,and she looked,as Daniel did, wirhout dislikeupon dre ,
and nastywallpaperand upon the shabbykitchen floor. One da1..1,
knew that the sleigh would stay $'here it was so long e5 they srr\,
there. Iron every thought, she returned to her deep,bleedingin1r,r1
He had askedher if she were going mad.
She repaid him in the dark afternoonswhile he was closetedr".r
in his srudy, hardiy making a sound savewhen he added voo,l r
his fire or paccda litde, deep in thought. She sat at the Litchen (.11,
looking at the sleigh, and she gave Daniel insult for his injuLr I
imaglning a lover. She did not imagine his face, but she imag,,"
his clothing, which would be costly and in the best of raste,.l
his manner, which would be urbane and anticipatory of her 1('.r
whim, and his cleverspeech,and his adept courtship that would b.rtl
the momenr he looked at dre sleigh and said, "I musr ger li,l ,
that lor you at once-" She might be a widow, she might be div<r,,,
she might be committing adultery. Certainly there was no nc(,l 1
speciE,in an affair so securclylegal. There was no need, rhat is, rr
to a point, and then the point came when she took in the facr rl
shenot only believedifl this loler bur loved him and d?ended \ali,,ll
on his companionsh;p.She complained to him of Daniel rn,l I
consoledher; shc told him storiesofher girlhood, when shehad ;1.r'l
gone to Parries,squired by boys her own age: she dazzledhim s,rrr
timcs with the wise comments she made on th€ books she rcr,l I
came to be true that if she so much as loole4 at the sleigh, sln {
weakened,failing with starvation.
Often, about het daily tasks of cooking food and wasbing ,lr'1"
and tending the firesand shopping in the generxi storc of rhc vill.,rr
she thought she should watch her step, that ir was this sorr of rl,r,I
lnakeone go mad; for a flhil€, rhen,shewent back co Daniel's
sherpeningits razoredge-But she could not corral her alien
and she tlembled as she boughr splir peas,fearful that rhe
loafng by the stove could seethe incubus of her sins beside
could not avert such thoughts when they rushed upon her
at tea with one of che old religious lzdies of the neigh,
so thxt, in the middle of a conversationaDour a oeaconess
shc redred from them, seekingher lover, who came,ficeless,
rrms oucsffetched,even as she sat up straight in a Bostori
cvcn as she acceptedanother cup of tea. She lingered over
Platcsand rhe simpleralk,postponingher return ro her own
md to Deniel, whom she continually betraved.
not long after she recognizedher love that she began to
P cvenbeforerhe dawnand ro be all dayguick ro everything,
t of all the signs of age and eccenfficiryin her husband,and
Frcd him in every pardcular to his humiliation, in her
ith the man whom now ir seemedto her shehad alwavsloved
when Daniel, in a rare mood, kissed her, she drew back
ly and he srid gendy, "I wish I knew what you had done,
r." He looked as if for written words in her face.
l:rid you knew," she said, terrified.
why do you wish you knew?" Her bafiled voice was high
niic. "You don\ talk sensel"
'l
" hc said sedarelv. ralk .en)e ,l$a).. lr
" Hcr eyes stole like a sneak to che sleigh. "But I wish I
your morive,"he saidimpartially.
I Dinutc, she felt rhar rhey were two maniacsansvering each
rlrcstions thar had not been asked,never touchiflg the matter
d lxcrusc they did not know what rhe marier was. Bur in the
nncnt, when he rurned back to her spontaneouslyand clasped
I bcrwccrrhis handsand said, likc a tolerant facher,,,I forgive
rrling, bccruse you don'r know how you persecureme. No
rtwscxccprthc sulTcrcr whrrrrhis sickncssis," sheknew again,
ly, rh:rr rhcy wcrc n(,t hrnn('niousr-vcnin rhcir xbemxr;ons.
A COINTRY rOVE STORY/Jean St.R'od
These days of winter came and went, and on each of theil rlr
breakhst and as the oxen passed,he accusedher of her con,, r
misdeed. She could no longer truthfully deny that sh€ was rl,,rll
for she was in love, and she heard the subterfugein her owl ,,
and felt the suilry fever in her veins.Daniel knew it, too, and $ rr, I
her. $then she was alone, she felt her lover's presenceprot.,ttt
her-when she walked Past the stiff sPiraea,with icv cobwcbsl,,r
between its twigs, down to the lake, where the black, unmcrr.rt
water was hidden b€neath a lid of ice; when she walked, insrcr,l.
the salt river to seethe tar'pxpershackswh€re the men caught :rrt
through the ice; when she walked in the dead dusk uP the hill i,,
rhe store, catching her breath the moment she saw the sleigl, I
sometimesthis splendid being mocked her when, freezing R'irl, I
of the consequences ofher sin, she ran uP the stairsto Daniel s ,,"
and burrowed her head in his shoulderand cried, "Come down\r',rl
l'm lonely, pleasecome downl" But he *'ould never come. xr,,l
lasc,bitterly, calmed by his calmly inquisitive regard,she wer)r l,r,
alone and stood at the kitchen window, coyly half hidden l,,l,r
For months she lived with ber daily dishonor, ratded, aslr.t,,r
stubbornly clinging to her secrer.But shegrel' more ard mort Lll
when, oftener and oftener,Daniel said,"Vrhy do you lie to mc7 \\/l
does this mood of yours meanl" and she could no longer sltr 1,
rhe taw nighrs, she lay straight besidehim as he slept,and shc 't,t
at the ceiling, as b+ht as the snow it reflected,and tried rr'r
rhink of the sleigh out there under the elm rree but could rl,l
only of it and of the man, her lorer, who was connecredsrrl,
somehow. She said to herself, as she lisrened to his brearbin11. " in his lapel. Young as he was, he did not, even so, seem
I confessed to Daniel, he would understand that I was lonclr rrt
he would comfort me, saying, 'I am here, May. I shall never L t l
be lonely agaio."'At th€setimes,shewas so seParaaed from thc \1'rl
so far removed from his touch end his vpice, so soliBry, drr|J
would have sued a strangerfor comPrnionshiP.Daniel slept ,k,1'ly
having no guilt to make him toss. He slePt,indeed, so well 11',rI
never even heerd the ditcher on snorrrynights rising wirh I g',,
over rhe hill, Ringing the snow from the rord and wxrning ,,r lrt
by lights that fust fashedred,then blue.As it passed
their
thc hurled snow swashed like flames. All nisht she heard the
adding up rheir ruts in the walls and heard the spirit of
creaking and sofrly clicking upon the stairs and in the artics.
y spRrNG,when the whippoorwills beggedin the cattailsard
reeds,and the northern lights prtinarcd che leke and the
, and che stars were latge, and the huge vine of Dutch-
had stzrted to leaf out, May went to bed late. Each night
on thr back .rep. wriring. herring (he .nuffiing of a dog a.
lcd it for home, the singl€ cry of a ioon. Night ?fter night,
for the advenr of her rebirth while upstairs Daniel, who
tolerxntly of her vigils, slept, keeping his knowledge of
himself"A symptom,"he hadsaid,scowlingin concentration,
tcmarkedupon her new habit. "f.et it run its course.Perhaps
lhis is over, you wiII know the reasonwhy you toffure m€
obsessions xnd will stop.You Lnow, you may reallyhave
t disorder of the mind. It would be nothine to be ashamed
could go to a sanitarium,"
night, looking out the window, she clerrly saw her lover
in the sleigh. His hand wes over his eyesand his chin was
by a red silk scarl He wore no hat and his hair was fair.
tall and his long legs stretched indolenrly along the floorboard.
youngerrhan .hc hrd imaginedhim ro be and he <eemed
ftril, for there was a delicatc paltor on his high, intelligent
rnd there was an invalid's languor in his whole artitude.
r white blazer and gray flannels and there was a yellow
to her generation; rather, he seemedto be the reincarna,
$omeone's uncle as he had been fifty years before. May did
unril he vani,hed.and thcn. cvcn rhough.l.e knew now
thc wrs rrulv bedeviled. the onlv emotion she had was bash,
, mingled wirh doubt; shc was not sure, that is, that he
hcr.
night, shc slcpr r whilc. Shc lxy nc.rr to Diniel, who was
in thc moonlight Shc toull rcll rlrLr thc sleepshe would
,{ COUNTRY rovll STORY/Jern Sbllod

have tonight would be as helvT as a coma, and she was a\'1r' in the srove and started to the barn for kindling. But
the moment she was oveltaken of the cold and che damp and the smell of rhe horses,
She was in a canoe in the meadow of water lilies and hcr l" did not go bur stood there, holding rhe poker and leaning
was tranquilly taking the shell ofa hard-boiledegg "Howinrirrrrtr rs if ic were an umbrella. There was no place wxrm to go.
he said, "to eet an egg with you." She was nervous lest thc ( rrtr timcis it7" shewhimpered,heartbroken,and moved rhe poker,
tip over, bui at the same dme she was charmed by his vil 1rr),1 I the lion foot of the firelessscove.
the way he lightly touched her shoulder wich the varnishedp.r,l, now rhat no change would come, and rhat she would
"May? May? I love you, May." |r her lover again. Confounded urcerly, like an orphan in
"Ohi" enchanted,she heard her voice replying "Oh, I lort r, confinemenr,she wenr ourdoors and gor into the sleigh. The
th's imperturbablecar stretchedand rearrangedhis posirion,
"The winter is over, May. You must forgive the hallucinari, . y set besidehim wirh her handslocked rightly in her lap,
a sick man." wond€ring over and over again how she would live rhe rest
' lifc.
She woke to seeDaniel's fair, pale head bending toward hcr I
is old! Heis illl" she thought, but through her terrs, ro decei!, lrl
one last time, she cried, "Oh, thank God, Daniell"
He was feelins cold and wakeful and he askedher to mek. lrl
a cup of teet before sbe ieft the toom, he kissedher hands and .'r
and said, "If I am ever sick again, don't leave me, May "
A\rORN PATH
EUDOFAWELTY/t]N TED STATES
Downstairs,in the kitchen, cold with shzdowsand $rith the ('l'rl
sion of dawn, she was belaboredby a chill "lVhat time is ir' !
said aloud, although she did not care.She rememb€red,nor f(ir I
t*-J._.-.^q-
reeson,a day s/ben she and Daniel had stood in the yard last O, i"l
wondering whether they should cover the chimneys rhar woul'l rl
be used and he decided that thev should not, but he had s:rr'i
$ l)[cEMBER-a bright frozen day in the eafly morning Far
hopeno birdsget trapPed."Shehad replied,"I thoughrthey rll
Iitl, thc counrry rhere was an old Negro woman wirh her head
at about this dme for the South," and he had answered,
n lcd rag, coming along a path through the pincwoods. Her
uninteltigible reproach in his voice, "The starlings sray." Afl(l 1
remembered,againfor no r€ason,a day when, in pride and excitcl,,
*rs PhoenirJackson.
Shewasr.eryold andsmallandshewalked
in rhe dark pine shadows,moving a little from side ro side
she had burst into the housecrying, "I saw an ermine-It was ft rrrl
ntcps,wirh rhe balancedheavinessand lightnessofa pendulum
poised and let me watch it quite a while." He had said categori,,l
"Tber€ are no ermines here." ltunrllirher<lock
crrliccl a thin, small crne made from ao umbrella, and with
Shehad not protesrcd;shehad sighedas shesighednow and t,,'t,
to the window. The sleigh sas li.rid in this light and no on, thc kclt rapping thc frozen earrh in front of her. This made
r n , l p n r . r c n r n ^ i . c i i , ' t , ( r r l t . r r r ,r h r r . e e m . d m e d r r r r i r e
in it; nor had anyonebeen in it for many years.Bur at that ttlt)l'u
(hi'ling oJ tLsolir:rr1Iittlc birrl.
the blacksmith'scat cameguardedlyacrossthe dewy 6eld and clir"l"
into it, as if by carefulplan, and curled uP on che scat May Prtrl'l' wrrr :r drrk srriltd rlrcssrt.rthirrl rlrrvrrro hcr shoetops.and
A V/ORN PA'IH / ludora Weftl
an equally long apron of bleachedsugar sacks,v.'ith a full po,L,
all neat and tidy, but every time shetook a step she might have lrLllr
over her shoelaces, which draggedfrom her unlacedshoes.Shelo,'1,
straight ahead.Her eyeswere blue with age. Her skin had a parr,r
all its own of numberlessbranching wrinkles and as rhough a \'lr
licde rree stood in the middle of her forehead,but a golden ,,,,
ran underneath.rnd the two knobs of her cheekswere illumbc,l I
a yellow burning under the dark. Under the red rag her haiL ,,rr
down on her neck in the frailest of ringlets, still black, and \f irli
odor like copper.
Now and then there was a quivering in the rhicket. Old Ph," I
said, "Out of my way, all you foxes,owls, beedes,jackrabbits.,,'
and wild animalsl . . . Keep our from under these feet, lirrl( l"
*'hites. . . . Keep the big \i.ild hogs out ofmy path. Dont ler r"'r
of those come running my direction. I got a long way." Und, I
small black-freckledhrnd her cane,limber as a buggy whip, r,,
switch at the brush as if to rouse up any hiding rhings.
On she went. The woods were deep and srill. The sun nu,l, r
pine needlesalmost too bright to look at, up where the vind r,,1.,
The conesdroppedas lighf as ferthers.Dovn in the hollo* \ L. r
mourning dove ir rra. not roo Ia,c for him.
The parh ran up a hiil. "Seem like there is chains abou. ni\ l,
rime I ger this far," she said, in the voice of argumenr o1d 1''1
keep to use with themselves."Something always teke a hol(l ,,1
on this hill-pleads I should scay."
Afrer she got ro rhe top she turned and gave a full, sevcr, l,r
behind her where she had come. "Up through pin€s," shc \.,,,1
lengrh. "Now down through oaks."
Her eyes opened their widesr; and she started do*'n gcnrlr
before sbe got to the bottom of the hill a bush caughr lrt, ,l'r
Her fingerswere busy and intenr. but her skirts were full rr',1 ,,r
so that before shecould pult them free in one plecethey q'cft , r,tl
in another. It was not possiblero ellow the dressto tear. Lr, rl
thorny bush," she sdd. "Thorns, you doing your appoinrrl ,l
"
Never want ro let folks pxss, no sir. Old eyes thought li'r,
pretty lirtle g/e/, bush."
610
, t(embling ail over, sh€srood free,and after a momenr dared
for her cane.
so highl" shecried, leening back and looking, while the thick
over h€r eyes-"The rime gerting all gone here.,'
lhc foot of this hill was a place where a log was laid across
comes the trid," said Phoenix.
ng her right foot out, she mounted rhe log and shur her eyes.
hcr skirr, leveling her cane fiercely before her, like a festival
In some parade,she began to march across.Then she opened
and she wes safe on rhe orher side.
I as old as I rhought," she said.
ihc sat donn to rest. She spreadher skircson the bank around
folded hcr hand" over hcr knee,.lf rbo\e her wa. a nee
ly cloud of mistleroe- She did not dare to close her eyes,
r lircle boy brought her a plare with a slice of marble cake
c sPokero him.
t would be acceptable,"she said.But when she went to take
was just her own hand in the air.
thc lcft that tree, and had ro go through a barbed-wirefence.
rhc had to creepand crawl, spreadingher kneesand stretching
like a babyrrying to clirnbthe steps.But shetalkedloudly
fr she could nor ler her dressbe torn now, so late in rhe
she could nor pay for having her arm or her leg sawed
,ltc gor caughcfast where she was.
ht she was safe rhrough the fence and uP out in the
Big dcadtrees,like blackmenwirh one arm,werestanding
Purplcstalksof rhe wirheredcorron6eld.Theresata buzzard.
ho you warching?"
lhc furroe,.she madeher wry along.
lhl this nor rhe seasonfor butls," she said,looking sideways,
thc good Lord made his snakesto curl up and sleepin rhe wincer.
tc I dont seeno rwoheaded snakecoming around that tree,
it comc once. Ir took a whilc to get by him, back in the
I'isrcd rhrouShrl)c okl (oll,r rrntlwcnr inro r ficld of dead
A WORN PATH / Eudora \\/eltr
corn. It whisperedand shook and !r'astaller than her head."Tl)r,rr
the maze now," she said, fot there was no path-
Then there vas somerhing tall, black. and skinny there, nr,,'r
before her.
At lirst she took it for a man. It could have been a man drrr,r
in the field- Bur she scood still and listened. and it did nor ',,.r
a sound. It was as silent as a ghosr.
"chost," she said sharplv,"who be you the ghost of? Iof I l1,l
beard of nary derth close bl."
But there s'as no answer-only the ragged dancing in rhc " r
She shut her eyes,reachedout her hand, and touched,l \l(,
She found a coar and inside that an empciness,cold as ice.
"You scarecrow,"she said. Her face lighted. "l ought ro b( ll
up fot good," she said with laughrer. "My sensesis gone. I t,,','
I rhe oldescpeople I ever know. Dance, old scarecrov,'' sl). .l
"while I dancing with you."
Shekicked her foot over the furrow, and with mouth draNr),1,'\
shook her head once or twice in a little struttitg way. Somr lrL,
blew down and whirled in streamersabout her skirts-
Then she went on, parring ber wal from side co side sirl, rl
cane, through the whispeting field. At last she came ro the rr,,l
a wagon rrack where rhe silver grassblew betv!'eenthe red t,u| | |
quail were walking around like pullets, seemingall daint,vand lrr .' r'
"\(alk pretty," she said."This the easyplace.This the eastg,,rttl
She followed the track, sn'aying through the guiet bxfc irlr
rhrough the little stringsof treessilverin their deadleaves.parr , rl
silver from v/eather,wirh the doors and windows boardcd slrrr'.
like old women under a spell sitcing there. "I rvalking in their .|l, 1r
she said, nodding her head vigoroush.
ln a ravine she vent where a spring s'as si)endr flon'ing rlr', u'1
a hollow log. Old Phoenix bent and dranl<."Sweer gum mrk( il
water sweet," she said, and drenk more. "Nobodv know sh,, r',r,
this we , for it was here whcn I *,as bornl"
The track crosseda swamPyParr s'here the moss bung rs r l,tt
as lacefrom everyiimb. "Sleepon, alligators,and bloN vour btrl,l', ,'
Then the track wenr into the road.
6/2
deep the road wenr down between the high green-colored
Overheadthe iive oaks met, and it was as dark as a cave.
dog with a loiling tongue cxme up our of che weeds by
. She was meditating, and noc ready, and when he came at
only hit him a little with her cane. Over she wenr in rhe
llkc a little puF of milkweed.
there, her srnsesdrifred away.A dream visited her, and she
hcr hand up, but norhing reacheddown and gave her a pull.
hy there and presentlywent to rzlking. "O]d woman," she
hcrself, "rhat black dog come up out of the weeds ro strll
iand now rherehe sitring on his fine tail, smiling at you."
itc man fnally camealong and found her-a hunter, a young
wirh his dog on a chain.
, Granny!" he laughed. "\flhat are you doing there2"
ing on my back like a June bug waiting to be turned ov€r,
" she said, reaching up her hand.
liftcd her up, gave her a swing in the air, and set her down.
ing broken,Granny?"
sir, them oid dead weedsis springy enough," said Phoenix,
lhc had got her breath. "I thank you for your trouble."
do you iive, Granny?" he asked,while the two dogs were
Ing at each other.
y back yonder, sir, behind the ridge. You cant even seert
hcrc."
your way home?"
o rir, I going ro town."
fhy, thais too farl Thar's as far as I walk when I come out
f, rnd I get something for my trouble." He parted the stuffed
(;lrried, and rhere hung down a little closedclaw. It was one
b.)bwhires,wirh its beak hooked birrerly to show it was dead.
, you go on home, crannyl"
lround to go ro town. misrer," srid Phoenix. ',The time come
l{rvc xoodrcr hugh, lilling thc whole landscape."I know you
fttrcri pcoplcl Voulcln't missgoing ro town to seeSantaClaus!"
'fhc
somcrhinghclil okl I,lr<rrrixv(ry s'ill <lccplinesin hec
-4 V/ORN ?ATH / Eudon Velq
facewent into a fietceand diferent radiation. Vithout warninS. Jl
had seenwith her own eyesa flashing nickel fall out of the l, rrr
pocket onto the ground.
"Hos old are qrs 5ryin8.
)ou. Grrnnyl'he
"There is no telling, mister," she said, "no telling "
Then she gave a litde cry and clappedher hands and said. t
on away from here, dog! Iookl Iook at thar dogl" She laugl!,|
if in adrniretion. "He ain't scar€dof nobody. He a big black ,1,,x
She whispered,"Sic himl"
"\Fatch me get rid of that cur," said the man. "Sic him,
Sic himl"
Phoenix heard the dogs fighting, and heard the man runntnll ttt
rhro$ring sticks.Sheevenhearda gllnshot. But sbewasslow\'bor,lrt
{orward by that time, further and funher forward, the lids strcr,lr
down over her eyes,as if she were doing this in her sleeP Hcr ,lll
was lowered almost to her knees.The yellow palm of her han,l , ,rr
out from the fold ofher apron. Her fingersslid dosm and alorrll rlr
ground under the pieceof moley nr'ith the graceand carethc\' \, ',1
have in lifting an egg from under a setting heD. Then shc \1,,\l
srnightened up, she stood erect, and the nickel was in her 'r1rr
pocket. A bird flew by. Her lips moved. "God watching me rbc \ lr'I
time. I come to stealing."
'\\i
The man came back, and his own dog panted about them I n ahcsrreet,"
I scaredhim of that time," he said,and then he laughed a,l(l lrlrl
his gun and poinred it at Phoenix.
She stood straight and faced him.
"Doesn't che gun scareyoul" he said, still Pointing it
"No, sir, I seen plenty go off closerby, in my day, and i"r l'
than $/hat I done," she said, holding utterly sri[.
'
He smiled, and shoulderedthe gun. "Well, Granny," he s.ul. r,
must be a hundred years old, and scaredof nothing. I'd gir, t,
a dime if I had any money with me. But yoD take my ad!i(, I
stay home, and nothing wiII happen to you."
"I bound to go on my way, misrer," said Phoenix Shc irr, rr,',1
her head in the red rag. Then rhey went in different directi,rr" l,,tt
she could he2r the guo shooting again and again ovcl drc lrill
walked on. The shadows hunp from the oak ttees to the road
dns. Then she smelled woodsmoke, and smelled rhc river,
savi a steepleand the cabins on th€ir steep sreps.Dozens
black children whirled around her. There aherd was Natchez
. Bells were ringing. She walked on.
3hc paved city it was Chriscmas rime. There were red and green
lights strung and crisscrossed ever).where,and all turned on
daytime. OId Phoenix would have been lost if she had not
hcr cycsrghrznd depended on hcr fccr ro know qheLero
hcr.
pausedquietly on the sidewalkwherepeoplewetepassingby.
camealong in the crov/d,carryingan armful of red-,green-
dlvcr'wrapped presents; she gave of, perfirme like the ted roses
summer, and Phoenix saoppedher.
missy,will you lrce up my shoe?"Sheheld up her foor.
t do you want, Grandma?"
my shoe," said Phoenix. "Do all right for out in rhe countly,
lrouldn't look right to go in a big building."
still rhen,Grandma,"saidrhe lady.Sheput her packages
on .he sidewalkbesideher and lacedand tied both shoesdghtly.
\ lece'em with r cane,"sdd Phoenix."Thenk you, missy.
't mind askinga nice lady ro rie up my shoe,when I gets
ing slowly and from side to side, she went inro the big
and inro a cowerof steps,where she walked up and around
lround unril her feerknew ro stop.
cn(cred a door, and there she sew nxil€d up on the viall the
t that had been scampedwith the sold seal and framed in
jokl frrme, which matched rhe dream that was hung up in her
Hcrt I bc, 5hesaid Therr qrs a txed and ceremol;alr(iffncrs
hcr body
A ch:rritycase,I suppose,'saidxn rtrcndanrwho serat rhe desk
'l
l'lxrcnix only kxrkcd rbovc lxr lur:rd ltcrc wrtsswcat on bcr
t h c w r i n k l c sr n l r r r s k i n s l u r x I i k c . r h r i g h ro c r .
A WORN PA'IH / ludorr WcL,v
"Speak up, Grandma," the womm said. "\(/hat's your namc/ \\i
musr have your history, you know. Have you been herebefore?\\rl, rt
seemsro be the trouble with you?"
Old Phoenix only gavea twicch to her faceasif a fly werebodr t't'1
her'
"Are you deaf?" cried the attendant.
But then the nu6e came in.
"Oh, thafs just old Aunt Phoenix," she said. "She doesn\.,"'
for herself she has a little grandson. She makes these rips ju.l
resular as clockwork. Shelives awayback off rhe Old Natchez'Il.r,,'
She bent down. "WeIl, Aunt Phoenix, why don't vou jusr rrl,
sear?we wont keepyou standingafteryour long trip." Shepoirrr,,l
The old woman sat down, bolt upright in the chair.
"Now, how is rhe boy?" askedrhe nurse.
Old Phoenix did not speak.
"l seid, how is rhe boy?"
But Phoenix only waited and sraredstraight ahead,her facc ' '
solemn and wirhdrawn into rigidiq'.
"Is his throat any better?" askedthe nurse. "Aunr Phoenix.,l,,,,
you hear me? Is your gandson's throat any befter sincethe lasr rrl
.,..,,.^-- c.. rr- -^a:"i^^/'
\(/irh her handson her knees,the old voman waited, silcnt, , ,,,
and motionless,just as if she were in armor.
"You mustn'a take up our time this way, Aunt Phoenix," rhc r','r
said. "Tell us quickly about your grandson,and get it over. Hc L,rr'
dead, is he?"
At last there came a flicker and chen a flame of comprehcr',
acrossher face,and she spoke.
"My grandson.It was my memor.r'bad left me. There I srrr.r'r
forgot why I mademy long trip."
"Forgot?" The nurse frowned. "After you came so farl"
Then Phoenix was like an old woman begging a digni6c,l t,"
givenessfor waking up frightened in the night. "l never did 11 ,"
schooi, I was too old at the Surrender,"she said in e soft voicc. | ,,t
an old s'oman without an education- It was mr memory fiil ,',
My litde grandson,he is just thc srme,and I forgor ir jn dre comr',r'
never heals,does itl" said the nurse, speakingin a loud,
cc to old Phoenix. By now she had a card with somerhing
on ir, a litde list. "Yes. Swallowed lye- When wxs it?
two-three yearsago-"
ix spokeunaskednow- "No, missy,he not dead,he just the
Bvcrylitde while his throar begin ro closeup again,and he
to swallow- He not get his breath. He not able to help
; So the time come arcund, 2nd I go on anorher uip for the
medicine."
ri8hr. The dodor said as long ls rou came to get ir, you
hlvc it," said rhe nurse. "Bur it's ari obstinxte case."
littlc gmndson,he sit up therein rhe houseall wrapp€dup,
by himself,"Phoenixwenr on. "\7e is rhe only two left in
. He suffer and it don't seem to put him back at all. He
|wccr look. He going to last. He wexr a little prtch quiit and
t holding his mouth open like a little bird. I remembersso
now. I not going to forget him again, no, the whole enduring
I could tell him from all the others in crercion."
ri8ht." The nurse was r)dng to hush her now' She brought
bottle of medicine. "Charity," she said, meking a check merk
k.
Phoenix held rhe bottle close to her eyes,and then carefully
into her pocker.
tlunk you," shesaid.
Christmastime, Grandma," said th€ attendant."Could I give
fcw penniesouc of my purse?"
pcnni€sis a nickel," saidPhoenixsriffly
's a nickel," saidthe arrendant.
ocnix rose carefully and held out her hand. She r€ceivedthe
lnd rhen fished rhe other nickel out of her pocket and laid
thc ncw one. She staredat her palm closely,with her head
shc gave a t.rp qitlr her rarc on lhc floor.
is is what comc to mc () do," shc srid. "I going ro rhe store
lruy my chilcl .r littlc rvintlnrillrhcv sclls,mrdc out of paper.
tg to lin<lit hrr<lto lxticvc rlrcrc*rrh l thing in the world.
TH! OUTSTATION / !0. SDnerft Maugham
I'll march myself back where he waiting, holding it sffaight up ir
this hand."
She lifted her free hand, gave a litrle nod, turned around, erl
walked out of the doctor's ofrce. Then her slow step began on rlrr
stairs,going down.
THE OUTSTATION
/ G R E A TB RT A I N
W S O M E F S EMTA U G H A M
| ./ -"^ n his hand.
h( \.( /lA'u+{ta'*
,v _r
\,l
Jro *r* assistantarrived in the afternoon. Vhen the Resid.,r,
Mr. \Tarburton, was told rhar the prahu was in sight he put orr lrrr
solar topee and went down to the landing stage.The guard, crrtlrl
little Dyak soldiers,stood to attencion as he passed.He noted rrrlt
satisfactionthat their bering was martial, their uniforms nert .'rr
.lean.rnd their gun..hining. Thcy wcrc a credir ro him. Fr"r 't
landing stage he watched the bend of the river round which rrr
moment the boat would sweep.He looked very smart in his s1lil'
ducks and whire shoes.He held under his arm a gold-herded)vlrrl.r,,
cane which had been given him by the Sultan of Perak.He awr||,
rhe newcomer with mingled feelings.There was more vork in rl
district rhan one man could properly do, and dunng his peli,"ir't
tours of the country under his chargeit had been inconveni{rr Il
leave the station in the hands of a native clerk, but he ha,l l,,t
so long the only white man there that he could not face thc r' ,',t
of another without misgiving. He s/as accusromedro loncliri,,\
During the war he had not seenan English facefor three yclrr .,'rrl
once when he was instructed to pur up aD aforestefion olli,(r l|r
was seizedwith panic, so tbat when the sranger was duc to r'
",
having arrangedeverything for his rcception,he wrote a notc tr llrrrl
hc was obliged to go upriver, and fled; he remained away till
informed by .r messengerrhar hir Sucsr had lcf(.
the prahu appexred in the broad rexch- It was manned by
, Dyals under vzrious sentences,and a couple of warders
waiting on the landing stage to take them bacl to jail. They
sturdy fellows, used ro rhe dver, and they rowed with a powerfirl
As the boar reach€d the side a man eot out from under the
awning and steppedon shore-The guard presentedarms.
we ere ar last. By God, I'm as cramped as the devil I've
you your mail."
spokewirh exuberantjovialiry.Mr. \farburton politely held
Mr. Cooper,I presume?"
t's right. \fiere you expeding anyone elsc)"
question had e facetiousinlent. but rhe Residentdid not smile.
y nlme is Warburton.I'11showyou you! quarters.
They'llbring
t kit along-"
prcceded Cooper along the narrow parhway and rhey entered
nd in which srood a small bungalow.
had it made as habitable as I could, but of coutse no one
llvcd in it for a good many yexrs."
was built on piles. It consistedof a long living room which
onto a broad verandr, and behind, on each side of a passage,
'll do me all righr," saidCooper.
I d:rrcsay you wanr to havea bath and a change.I shaltbe very
plcascdif you'll dine with me ronight.$7ill eighr o'clocksuit
Any old time will do for me."
Rcsident gave a polite, but slighrly disconcerted,smile and
rcw. He returned co the fort where his own residencewas.The
aonwhich Allen Coopef had given him was not very favorable,
hc ws a fair man, and he kncw rhat it was unjust to form an
ftrn on so brief a glimpsc. (inpcr seemedto be about rhirty.
wrs :r t,rll. tliin fcllow, wit| :r srllrw itcc in which tbere was
n sprx of colrrr.lt wxr r li(. rll in ()r)cronc. Hc had a large,
THE OUTSTATION / \{/. SonerserMxugham
hooked nose and blue eyes.\Xrhen, entering the bungilow, he had
taken off his topee end flung it to a wairing boy, Mr. rJ(arburton
noriced thar his large skull, col'eredwith short, brown hair, contrasrerl
somewhat oddly with e weak, small chin- He was dressedin khakL
shorts and a khaki shirt, but they were shabby and soiled; and htr
battered topee had not b€en cleaned for days.Mr. Warburron rellecrcJ
that the young man hrd spent a week on a coasdng sreamerxn(l
had passedthe last forty-eight hours lr-ing in the bottom of a prahu
"\{re'll seewhat he looks like when he comes in to dinner_"
H€ went into his room where his chings were as neatly laid oll
as if he had an English yalet, undressed,and, valking down the strir.
to the bxthhouse,sluicedhimself with cool water_The only concessjol
he made to rhe ciimare was to wear a white dinner jacker: brrr
orherwise,in a boiled shirr and a high collar, silk socksand patenr
leather shoes,he dressedas formalty as though he were dining at tr
club in Pall Mall. A careful host, he went inro rhe dining room r,
seerhat tbe table was properly laid. Ir was gay with orchids and rt,
silver shone brightly. The napkins were folded into elaborateshapc.
Shadedcandlesin silver candlestickssheda soft Jight. Mr. \{Iarbun,,rr
smiled his approvel and returned to rhe sitting room to anair tr
guest. Presentll he appeared.Cooper wes wearing the khaki shorr
the khali shirr, and the ragged jackecin which he bad landed. \l
\{'arburton's smile of greeting froze on his face.
"Hulloa, you're zll dressedup," said Cooper. "I didn\ kno* r,,r,
were going to do that- I very nearly put on a sarong.''
"It doesn't matter ar ail. I daresayyour bo$ x/ere bus!.,'
"You ne€dn't heve bothered to dresson my accounr,you kn()\
"l didnl. I alwaysdressfor dinner."
"Even when youle alone?"
"Especiallywben I'm alone," repliedMr. \Tarburton, wirh I trr ,l
He saw a twinkle of amusementin Cooper'seyes,and he ll1r.lr,1
an angly red. Mr. \(.arburton was a hot remperedmai; you |rLr,l,r
have guessedthar from his red face *irh irs pugnaciousferrLrrr..,,,,1
from his red hair, now growing white; his blue eyes,cold xs .r ,,,1,
and obsenrng, could flush vith suddcn wrarh; but bc rvls r r,,,,,
!h. world and he hoped a just one. He must do his best to get
vith this fellow.
t'Vhcn I lived in London I moved in circles in which it would
been just as eccencricnot to dressfor dinner every night as not
hrve a bath everv morning. sfhen I came to Borneo I saw no
to discontinue so good a habit. For three years,during the
, I ncver saw a white man. I never omitred to dresson a single
on which I was well enough to come in ro dinner. You
nor beenvery long in this councry;believeme, there is no betler
ro maintain rhe proper pride vhich you should have in yourself
a white man surrenders in the slightest degree to the influerices
gurround him he very soon loseshis self'resPect,md when he
you ma1.be quite sure thet the nativeswill soon
his self-respect
to respecrhim."
t'Vell, if you expect me to
Put on a boiled shirt and a stiff collar
this heat I'm afraid you'll be disaPPointed"
you will, of course,
"Vhen you are dining in your own bungalow
as you think fit, but when You do me the Pleasureo{ dining
me, perhapsyou will come to the conclusion thar it is only
kc ro wear the costume usual in civilized society"
1Vo Malay boys, in sarongs znd songhaks,wirh smart whit€ coars
brrss bucrons,came ini one be ing 9in pdhitt, and th€ other a
on which were olivesand anchovies.Then they went in to dinnet
, Varburton flatteredhimself that he had rhe best cook, a Chiflese,
Dorneo, and he rook great trouble to have as good food as in
dilficult circumscanceswas Possible.He exercisedmuch ingenuity
m^king the best of his materials.
t'Vould you care ro look ac the menu?" he said, hmding it to
It wrs wrirren in Frenchand the disheshad rcsoundingnames
wcre waited on by lhe two boys. In oPPosite.orners of the
rwo mofe waved immense fans, and so gave movem€nt to the
rir. The fare was sumptuous and the chamPagneexcellent.
"t)o you do lourself likc this cverv day?" said CooPer'
Mr. \t/rrburron gxvc tht nr(lru a carclessglance
"l lrrrvcnor notic.(l rhr rl( ,lirrt(r is rrnvdiffeleotfrom usual,"
THr OU'ISTATION / w' Somers MluShrn
he said."I eat very little myself,but I make a point of having a propcl
dinner servedto me every nigbt. lt keepsthe cook in practice an(l
it's good discipline for rhe boys."
The conversztion proceededwith efrort. Mr. IJTarburton was elabo
rately courteous, and it may be that he found a slightly maliciou'
amusementin the embarrassmenr which he therebyoccasionedin hi'
companion. Coopet had not been more than a few months in Senr
bulu, and Mr. \trarburton\ inquiries about friends of his in Kurlr
Solor were soon exhausted.
"By the way," he seid presently, "did you meet a lad calk.l
Henn€rley?He's come out recenrly, I b€lieve."
"Oh, yes, he's in the police. A rotren bounder."
"l should hardly have expectedhim to be rhat. His uncle is nrr
friend Iord Baffaclough. I had a letter from Iady Barraclough onlr
the other day asking me to look out for him."
"I heard he was related to somebodyor other. I supposerhrrr.
how he got the job. He's been to nton and Oxford and he dorsrrr
forget to let you know ir."
"You surpriseme," said Mr. \{/arburton. "All his family have bc,,,
at lton and Oxford for a couple of hundred years.I should hrv
expectedhim to trl<e ir as a matter of course."
"I thought him a damned pdg.''
"To what school did you go?"
"l was bofn in Ba6ados. I was educatedrhere."
"Oh, I see."
Mr. $(arburton managed to put so much offensiven€ssin() Lr\
brief reply that Cooper llushed. For a moment he was silent.
"I\e had two or three lefters from Kuala Solor," continucil nlr
\Tarburton, "and my impression was thar young Hennerley \'.,, I
great success.They say he's a fust'rate sPortsman."
"Oh, yes,he'svery popular. He's just the sort of fellow rhey rv,,,'l,l
iike in K.S. I haven'tgot much usefor rhe frsr-rare spor$man nr\ ', i
Whar does it amoun( lo in rhe lone run rh/r a man crn pl.,) r'..11
and rcnni. berterrhan other pcoplciAnd who care"it t'e.1,, ,,.r,
a break of sevenry'fveat billiards? They attach e damncd siSlrr r,,,
much importance ro rhat sorc of thing in Dngland."
vou think so? I vas undet rhe impr€ssion thrt the first-rate
had come out of the war no worse than anYoneelse"
ifyou're going to crlk of the war then I do know what I'm
rbou(. I wrs in rhe samerrgimenl 15 HcnneLlg rnd I crn
that the mm couldn't srick him at zny Pdce"
do you know?"
I was one of the men,"
, you hadnl got x commission."
fat chanceI had ofgetting a commission.I was what was called
ial. I hadnl been to a pubJic school and I had no inlluence.
in the mnks the whole damfled time."
frowned- He seemedto have difrculty in preventiflg himself
brcakine into violent invective. Mr. \Tarburton watched him,
lc blue eyesnarowed,watchedhim and formedhis oPinion.
he bcganto
the conversa(ion. ro CooPerrbour the
"P€ak
thit would be required of him. md as the clock st$ck rcn
I won't keepyou arry more. I daresayyou're tired by your
shook hands.
h, I say, look hete," said Cooper, "I wonder if you can find
boy. The boy I had before n€ver turned uP when I was st2rting
K.S. He took my kit on board and all that and then disapperred
\ know he wasnt there till we were out of the river-"
ll rsk my herd boy. I have no doubt he can find you someone."
right. Just tell him co send the boy along and if I like the
of him I'll takehim."
rc was a moon, so thac no lantern was needed.Cooper walked
from the fort to his bungalow.
wonder why on earth they've sent me a fellow like that?"
tcd Mr. Varburcon. "If thet's the kind of man th€y're going
out now I don'r think much of it."
strolled down his Sarden. The fort was built on the toP of
hill :rnd rhe gardcn can down to the rivecs edge; on the bank
In :rrbor,and hithcr it wxs his h^bit to come after dinner to
r chcroot. And ohcn frrrm rhc rivcr that flowed below him
THI OUTSTATION /\{ someFrMru€han
a voice was heard, the voice of some Malay too rimorous ro venrlrr
into the lighr of day; and a complaint or an accusarronwas sorrlt
v.afted to his ears,a piece of informarion was whispeftd to him ,,1
a useful hint, which othervrise would never have come inrc his oji( Lrl
ken. He threw himself heavily into a iong rattan chai.. Cooperl lrl
envious, ill-brcd fellow, bumptious, self,assertive and vain. Bur t\tr
'$(/arburton's
ifiitation could not \rithstand the silent beaury of rl|r
night. The air was scent€dwirh the sweet,smellinqflowers of a l|,
that grew et the entrance to the arbor, and the fireflies,sparklrr
dimly, flew with their slow and silvery flight. The moon maLlc
pathway on the broad river for the light feet of Siva,s bride. rr
on the further bank a row of palm treeswas delicarelysilhoucrr
againstrhe sky. Peacestoleinto the soul of Mr. \Tarburton.
He was a queer crerture and he had had a singular career.Ar rh
ege of tw€nry'one he had inherited a considerablefortune, a bu n,[,
thousand pounds, and when he lefr Oxford he threw himsell r|ll
the gay life which in those days (now Mr. Warburton was r r,,rr1
of four and 6fty) offered itself to the young man of good flrrrrty
He had his flat in Mounr Sffeer,his private hansom,and his hurrrrr
box in \Tarwickshire.He $/enr to all rhe placeswhere the fashiorr.rlr
congregatc.He washandsome,amusingand generous.He vas a Jrttil
in the society of London in rhe early nineties, and societythcr ll
not lost its exclusiveness
nor its briiliance.The Boer lgar v/hich sh(
it wasunthought of; the Grear\(ar which destroyedir wasprofln i
only by th€ pessimists.It was no unpleasantthing to be a rich y,,rrr
man in those days,and Mr. \trarburton,s chimneypieceduriDll rl
seasonwas packed with cards for one great funcdon rfter, !,rtl
Mr. \J(/arburtondisplayedrhem n ith complacency.Ior Mr. rJ(rrlbrrr rrr
was a snob. He was not a timid snob, a limle ashamedol l"l
impressedby his b€ters, nor a snob who sought rhe intjDri, \ |
Personswho had acquiredcelebrityin politics or notoriery in rtr .rrr
nor the snob who was da-zzled by riches;he was rhe naked,un:r,l|rtr,
ated common snob who dearly loved a lord. He was tou(h\ rrl
quicktempered, but he would much rather have been snubln,l lr
a Personof quaiity rhan flattered by a commoner. His namc 111,,,r
insignificantly in Burke's Peerage,and it was marvelousro wiri t, rtr
684
he used to mention his distant rehtionshiP to the noble
y he belonged co; but oever a word did he say of the honest
manufacturer from whom, through his mother, i Miss
ins. he had come by his fortune. lt was the t€rror ofhis fashion-
lifc that at Cowes, maybe, ot ar Ascot, when he was with a
or €ven with a prince of the blood, one of these rel?tiv€s
clxim acquaintancewith him.
failing was too obvious not soon to become notorious, b\rt
nvagance saved it from being mere\ despicable The great
hc adoredlaushed at him, but in their heartsfelr his 2dotation
unnatunl. Poor \garburton was a dreadful snob, of course,but
all he was a sood fellow. He was always ready to back a bili
ln impecunious nobiemxn,and if you werein a tight corneryou
safely count on him fot 2 hundred Pounds He gave good
rs. He playedwhisl badly, but never minded how much he lost
company was select. He happened to be a gambler, an unlucky
but he was a good los€r, aod it was impossiblenot to admire
coolnesswith vrhich he lost five hundred Pounds at a sittinS
prssion for cerds,almosc as strong as his Passionfor titles, was
cluse of his undoing. The life he led was exPensiveand his
Iosseswere formidable. He began to plunge more heavily,
on horses,and then orl th€ stock exchange.He had a certxin
foundhim an ingenuous
iciry ofchamcterand the unscrupulous
. I do not know if he ever realized that his smart friends laughed
bchind his back, but I think he had an obscureinsdnct that
gould nor afford to aPPearother than carel€ssof his rnoney He
lnto the hands of moneylendersAt the age of thirty-four he was
c was too much imbued with the sPirit of his classto hesit?te
choiceofhis next steP.I(hen a man in his set had rr.rnthrough
moncy he wena out to lhe colonies-No one herd Mr. \garburton
. Hc made no complaint Lecausea noble friend had advised
trous specularion,he pressednobody to whom he had lent
to rcpay ir, he p:rid his debts (if he had only knonrn it, the
blood ofthc Livcrp<xrlrnlnufictur€r cameout in him there),
rt hclp from no onc, rrn,l, ncvcr hrving done a stroke of work
TH! OUISTATION / !q. Somdst Mrughm
in his life, looked for a means of livelibood. He remainedcheerlrrl,
unconcernedand full of humor. He had no wish to make an\'(t!
with whom he happenedto be Dncomfortableby the reciral of l,rr
misfortune. Mr. I(/arburton was a snob,but he was also a gendernrrr
The only favor he askedof any of the great friends in whose drriil
companyhe had lived for yearswas a recommendation.The able nr.rrr
who was ar that rime Sultan of Sembulu took him into his seNr,
The night before he sailed he dined for the last time at his clul'
"l hear you're going ewey,Warburton," the old DuLe ofHercli,r,l
said to him.
"Yes, I'm going to Born€o."
"Good God, whet are you going there for?"
"Oh, l'm broke."
"Are you2 I'm sorry. Well, let us know when you come br.l I
hope you have a good dme."
"Oh, y€s. lots of shooting, you know."
The duke noddedand passedon. A few hou$ later Mr. \trarbuir,'rl
watched the coaslof Ingland recedeinto the mist, and he left bcl' r"l
everything which ro him rtzde life worth living.
Twenty years had passedsince then. He kept up a busy i,'rr,
spondencewith various great ladiesand his letrers v/ereamusinlt rrrl
chatty. He never lost his love for titled persons and paid (rr,lrrl
attention to the announcementsin Tbe Tirus (which reachr:,Il"rtt
six weeksafter publication) of their comings and goings. He po rr",rl
the column vrhich recordsbirths, deathsand mariages, and h r',rr
always ready with his letter of congratulation or condolencc. lll
illustrated paperstold him how people looked and on his pcri,,|r, rl
visits to England, able to take up the threads as though dro l,,ll
never been broken, he knew all about any new person who l,rl,lrl
haveappearedon the socialsuface. His interestin the world of ll.l'r,,rt
was a. vivid as when himselfhad beena heurc in ir. lr still '.,"',,1
to him the only thing thar mattered.
But insensibly another interest had entered iqro his liii llr,
position he found himself in flattered his vanity; be was no l"r,/(r
the sycophantcraving the smilesof the great,he was thc masrcr$ l! d,
word was law- He was gratifed by the guard of Dy:rk soldnrr "lr,r
6a6
arms as he passed.He liked to sit in judgment on his
rcn. It plexed him to comPose quarrels between rival chiefs'
the headhunterswere troublesomein the old days he set out
them with a thrill of pride in his own behavior. He was
varn not to be of dauntless courage, and e Pretty story was told
coolness in adventuring single'hand€d into a stockaded village
demanding the surtender of a bloodthirsty Pimr€ He becamea
adrninistrator.He was strict, just and honest
d little by little he conceived a deep love for the Malays He
himself in their habits and customs He $ras never tired
inp ro rhcir talk Hc adrriredtheir virrues,and with a "mile
r shrug of cheshoulderscondoncdtheir rrce'
tn my dey," he would say,"I have been on intimate terms wirh
of the greatestgentlemen in England, bur T have n€vet known
gcntlemen thzn some well'born Malays whom I lm Proud to
my friends."
liked their counesyand their distinguishedmanners,their
tlcnessand their suddenpassions.He Lnew by instinct exactly
to tre* ahem. He had a genuine tendernessfor them But he
forgor that he was an English genrlemanand he had no pitience
thc white men who yielded to native customs-He mad€ no
AJId he did not imirate so many of the white men in
a native woman to wife, for in intrigue of rhis natute, however
to him not only shockingbut undigni-
ificdby -r,orn, seemed
A man who had been called Geotge by Albert Edward, Prince
could hardly be expectedto have any connection with a
, And when he returned to Boroeo from his visits to England
now with somethins like reliel His friends, like himself,
no longer young, and there was e new generation which
I upon him as x tiresomeold man. Ir seemedto him that the
nd of today had lost a good deal of what he had loved in
llnghnd of his youth. But Borneo remained th€ sxme lt wzs
! to him now. He meant to lemain in th€ serviceas long es was
and the hope in his hcxrt was that he would die before at
hc was forced to rctire. H. h:rd strrtcdin his will that wherever
dlcdhc wishcdhis botlyro hc hrorrghrbrck to Sembuluandburied
TE! OUTSTATION / \v Somerst Mangbam
among the people he loved wirhin sound of the softly flowing Lir, i
But these emotions h€ kept hidden from the eyes of men; xrrl
no one, seeing this spmce, stoutl well,ser-upman, with his cl(..r,
shavenstrong fac€ and his xrhitening hair, would have dreamedrtr.rr
he cherishedso profound a sentiment.
He knew how the work of the station should b€ done, and duLir'1i
the nexr few days he Lept a suspiciouseye on his assistanr.He s.r\
very soon that he was painstaking and comperent.Ttre oniy fauh ln
had to find with him was that he was brusque with the natives
"The Malays are shy and very sensitive,"he said to him. "I rhirrl
you will 6nd that you will get much better results if you take c.r,
alwaysto be polite, patienr and kindly."
Cooper gave a shorr, graring laugb.
"I was born in Barbadosand I was in Africa in rhe war. I dorr'r
think there's much about niggers thar I don't know.,,
"I know nothing," said Mr. rVarburton acidly. ,.Bur we were r,,r
talking of them. lVe were talking of Malays."
"Aren't they niggers2"
"You are very ignorant," replied Mr. \rarbufton.
He said no more.
On the first Sundayafrer Cooper'saffival he askedhim to dinnr r
He did everyrhing ceremonioudy,and though rhey had met on rlx
previous day in rhe ofnce and larcr, on rhe fort verandawhere rhrr
drank a gin and bitters together at six o'clock, he sent a polite nor{
acrossto the bungalow by a boy. Cooper,however unwillingly, canrr
in evening dress and Mr. \Tarburton, though gratified rhar his s,;stl
was respected,noticed with disdainthat the young man's clotheswc,r
badly cut and his shirt ill-fitting. But Mr \farbunon wx in a gorrl
t€mPer that evemng.
"By the way," he said to him, as he sbook hands, "I\e talked r,,
my head boy about finding you someoneand he recommendst)L
nephew. I've seenhim and he s€emsa brighr and wiliing iad. nfoul,l
you like to seehim?"
"l don'r mind."
"He's waiting novl."
Mr. \r7arburtoncalledhis boy and told him to sendfor his nepher
moment a txll, slender yourh of twenty appeared. He had large
eyes and a good profrle. He was very neat in his sarong, a litrle
coat, tr.d ^ fez, wirhout a tassel, of plum-colored velvet. He
ro the n2me of Abas. Mr. $farburton looked on him with
and his mznner insensiblysoftenedas he spoke to him in
and idiomaricMzlay.He wasinclinedro be sarcrsricwirh white
but wirh the Malayshe had a happymixrureofcondescension
kindliness.
He stoodin the placeofthe sultan.He knewperfecly
to preservehis own digniry, and ar the sametime put a narive
ill he do?" saidMr- rSfarburton, rning to Cooper.
I daresayhe's no more of a scoundrel than any of the resi
lhcm."
r. !trrrblrrton informed the boy that he was engeged and dis,
him-
ou're very luclry to get a boy like ihar,,'he rold Cooper. ,,He
to a very good farnily. They came over fron Malacca nearly
hdred yearsago."
don'r much mind if the boy who cleansmy shoesand brings
n drink when I wanc it has blue blood in his veins or not. All
is that he should do what I teli him and look sharp abour it."
. \Earburton pursed his lips, but made no reply.
went in to dinner. Ir was excellent,and rhe wine wes good.
lnllucnce presently had its effect on rhem and they ralked not
withour acrimony, but even with friendliness.Mr. \Tarburton
to do himself well, and on Sunday nisht he made ir a habit
do himselfevena lictle becrerthan usual.He besr.nro think he
unfair to Coope!. Of course he was nor a gentl€man, but that
not his fault, and when you got to know him it might be rhat
would turn our a verygood fellow His faults,perhaps,
werefaults
m{nncr. And he was certainiygood ar his work, quick, consci-
s rLndthorough. Vhen rhey reachedthe dessertMr. \Tarburton
lctling kindly disposedtowardsall mrnkind.
"1'hisis your first Sund:ryrnd I'm going to give you a veryspecial
ill l)ort. I'vc ooly g(x rbour two <krzcnof it left and I keep
tl rfc(irl o.(l|"\i(,ns."
THr OUTSTATION / Va SomersdMrughan
He gave his boy instructions and presentlythe bottle was broug|l
Mr. Wrrburron wrrchcd rhe bo1 open ir.
"l got this port from my old friend CharlesHollingtor Hed hi,l
it for forty yearsand I've had it for a good many. He was well knorrr
to have the best cellar in England."
"ls he a wine merchant?"
"Not exactll," smiled Mr. \(rarburton. .,I wx speakingof L,,r,l
Hollington ofCastle Reagh.He's one of rhe richestFers in Engixn,l
A very old friend of mine. I was at Eton wirh his brorher_,,
This was an opportunity thet Mr. \Tarburron could never nr.,r
and he told a little anecdoteof which the onlv Doinr se€medr() l{,
Ihat he kncw rn earl.The porr nas ccnainlt 'i.y g"oa. h. a.,,l
a glass and then a second.He lost all caution. He had not t:rl|l,,|
to a white man for months. He began to tell stories. He sh(\f,,l
himself in the company of rhe great. Hearing him you would lr.'"i
thought that ar one rime ministries were formed and policiesdcc',1,,1
on his suggestionwhisperedinto the ear ofa duchessor thrown ,,\, I
the dinner table to be gratefully actedon by the confidentialadLrr r
of the sovereign.The old daysat Ascot, Goodvrood and Coweslrr, r
again for him. Another glass of port. There were the gre3r |,'1,
prrties in Yorkshire and in Scotland to which he wenr every 1,.r
"I had a man calledForeman rhen, the best valer I ever hatl, .l
why do you think he gave me notice?You know in the housckccl,r
room the ladies'maids and the gentlement gentiemen sit acc('r,[l
ro the precedenceof their masters.He rold me he was sick of 1,,,rr
to Pa.rtyaftef party ac which I was rhe only commoner. Ir r!r(|
thet he alwayshad to sit ar the bortom of the table and all (lx l(
birs were taken before a dish rcachedhim. I told the srory r,, r
old Duke of Hereford and he roared.'By God, sn,'he said, 'il I r,
King of England I'd make you a viscount just to give youlrl.rl
chance.''Take him yourself, Duke,'I said. 'He's rhe besr vrl,.r I
ever had."Vell, \Tarburton,'he said, 'if.he's good enough t,,r r,,
he's good enough for me. Send him rlong."'
Then there was Monte Carlo where Mr. \(arburron and rb(. ( ,r ,rl
Duke Fyodor,playing in partnership,had broken rhe b,",1,,,
evening;and therewasMarienbad.
At MarienbadMr. Varburr,,r,t,rrl
690
baccerat with Edward VIL "He was only Prince of \7ales
'George,if you
of course.I remembcrhim seying ro me,
on a fve you'll lose your shirt.' He was right; I don'i think
sard ? ffuer word in his life. He was 2 wonderful man l
said he was th€ greatesa diplomltist in EuroPe. But I v/as a
fool in those days, I hadn't the sense to txke his advice. If
if I'd never dnwn on a 6ve, I daresay I shouldn't be here
*'as n'atching him. His brown eyes,deePin their sock€ts,
hardand supercilious,2nd on his IiPswasa mockingsmile H€
hcrrd r good deal about Mr. \trarburton in Kuale Solor.Not
sort,end he ran his dislrict like clockwork,cheysaid,buc by
what a snob!They laughed at him good-naturedly,for it was
ro disliLe a man who was so generousand so kindly, and
had alreadv heard the story of the Prince of \triales and the
of beccarat-Bur CooPerlistenedwithout indulgence.From the
ing he had resentedth€ Resident'smanner. He was very sensi
rnd he w.ithed under Mr. $?arburton'spolite sarcasmsMr.
urton had a knack of receivinga remarkofwhich he disapproved
t dcvastatingsilence.CooPer had lived little in England and
i peculiar dislike of rhe English. He resented especially the
hoolboy 'ince hc alrrys lcarcdthar hewrsgoingroPrtronizc
Hc was so much afraid of others putting on airs with him that,
r as it were to 8et in firsr, he put on such airs as to make
nc think him insufferablyconceited.
ar all eventsthe war has done one good thing for us," he
It lilit. "lcs smasheduP the Power of the aristocracyThe Boer
rrrrrcd ir, and 1914 put the lid on."
grcxt familiesof Englard are doomed," said Mr lxarburton
thc complaccnrmelancholyol n enigr! who r€membered the
of l,ouisXV. "They cannotaffordany longer to live in their
and their Princelyhospitalirywill soonbe nothing
hl pal;rces
I mcnx)ry."
ntl ,r drmned good job too in my oPinion "
y poor (ltxlpcr, wh:tt cxn yorr know of thc glory that was Greece
llrc gnndcur rhri wxs llonx /'

TH! OUTSTATION / w' Somersr llauglxm
Mt. Varburton made an ample gesture. His eyes for an
grew dreamy s'ith x vision of rhe past.
"\(/ell, beiieve me, we're fed up with all thar rot. What .q,e* rrr
is a businessgovernment by businessmen.I q,,asbom in 2 Cj,,\l
Colony and I've lived practically all my Jife in the colonies.I ,1,,1
give a row of pins for a lord. \fhaCs vrrong with Ingland is !j,,t,
bishness.And if there's anything rhar gets my goar it's a snob..
A snobl Mr. \trarbufton's facegrew purple and his eyesblazcdNr
anger. That was a word that had pursued him all his life. Thc rt r r
ladies whose socieryhe had enjoyed in his yourh were not in.lrr,
to iook upon his appreciationof themselvesas unwofthy, bur ( \, I
gfeat ladies are sometimesout of temper and more rhan oncc Nl
\(arburton had had the dreadful word flung in his reerh.He kn, $
| nanves.Ir bircerlyamusedMr. $Tarburtonto observethat rhis
he could not help knowing, thar therewere odious peoplewho c.r ,,l
him a snob. How unfair it wasl V/hy, there was no vice he ii,LLrr,l
so detestableas snobbishoess.
After aII, he liLed to mix wirh pc,,t t,
of his own class,he was only at home in their company, and 1,,,r
m heaven'sname could anyone say that was snobbish?Birds ,,J I
fearher.
"I quite agree with you," he answered.,.4 snob is a man qtr
admiresor despisesanother becausehe is of a higher socialrank rtr.rrr
his own- It is rhe mosr vulgar faiJing of our English middle cl:r,
He saw a flicker of amusemenrin Cooper,seyes.Cooper pur I
11
his hand ro hide tbe broad smile thar rose to his lips, and so nr.r,h
it more noticeable.Mr. $Tarburron,shands trembled a lirrle.
ProbablyCoopff neverknew how greatlyhe had of,endedhis ct r
A sensitiveman himself he was srrangelyinsensiriveto the feclirrr.\
of orhers.
Their wo(k forced rhem to seeon€ anorher for a few minutes rr,,u
and then during rhe day, and they met ar six to have a drjnk ,rr
Mt. Varburton\ veranda.This was an old-establishedcusrom of rtl
country which Mr. Warburton would no.for rhe world have broL,,,
But they arc their mealsseparatell,Cooper in his bungalow and i\t,
\(/arburton at the fort. After the offce work was over rhey wal[,]
till dusk fell, but they rr'alked apaft. There were bur few parhs 1,,
this country, where the jungle pressedcJoseupon the planrarions,,r
6t)2
-
rlllage, and when Mr. Sfarbuton caught sight of his xssistanc
Lngalong with his loose stride, he would rnake a circuit in order
id him. Cooper, with his bad manners,his conceit in his own
mcnt:nd hi5 inrolerance. had rlreadygor on hir nervc.;bur ir
till aooper
not hed beenon the.(arion for a couplcofmonrhs
m incidenthappenedwhich turned rhe Residendsdisiikeinro
herrcd.
:. \Carbur-ronwas obliged to go up,counrry on a tour of inspec_
rnd.heleFt_ahe starionin Cooper,s chargewith morecon6de;ce,
hc had defnitely come to the .oncl rsin that he was x capable
', The only thing he did nor like was that
he had no indulgence.
weshonest,just afld painstaking,but he had no sympat;yfor
, who lookedupon himself as ev€ryman'sequal,shouldlook
so many men as his own inferiors. He was hard, he had
no
n(c wirh the native mind, and he was a bully. Mr. \Tarburton
quicklvrealiTedthache M:Ja1sdislikcdand iearedhim. He q"s
lltogetherdispleased.
He woutd not haveliked ir very much if
&rsi$tanr
had enjoyeda popularitywhich might rival his own. Mr.
tu|ton mede his elaborateprepar3rions,serour on his expedition,
in rhree weeks rerurned.
.rnwhile rhe mail had arrived.The first thing that srruckhis
wlrcnhe enreredhis sirting room wasa greatpile of opennews,
flt, Cooper had met him, and they went into the roorr|rogecher.
V:rrburron rurned ro one of the servanrswho hxd been
left
Ind :rnd srcrnly askedhim what was the meaning of those open
lrr, Cooper hastenedto explain.
I w:rnted to read all about rhe \X/olverhampronmurder and so
Tiner. I brcnght rhem back again. r knew you
I'l,:"d.y:::
hl'lt mind."
Mt. Varbunon tLrrnedon him, n,hite wirh anger.
"llur I do mind. I mind very much.',
"l.nr lxry," said Cooper, wirh composure_"The fact is, I simply
ol wlit till you crmc hrck "
"l wonclcryou didn'r opcn n,y tc.rrcrs ts wcll.,,
( i n , l ' C ' , , , , n , , , \ ( , l . , r r r i k. |. lt J r r , , t
nr.
"\.,.l,crrrion
TH! OUTSTATION / I[ Somer*t M2uaham
"Oh, thaCsnot q\rite the samething. After all, I couldn't imagirrr
you'd mind my looking at your newspaperc.There's nothing pri\,:ri,
in rhem."
"I very much object to anyone reading my paper before me.,, I tl
went up to rhe pile. There were nearly thifty numbers there. "I rbirrl
it extremely impertinent of you. They're all mixed up.,'
"\fe can easily put rhem in order," said Cooper, joining birn rr
the reble.
"Donl touch them," cried Mr. \Tarburton_
"I say,irt childish to make a sceneabout a litde thing like rh rr "
"How dare you speekto me like that?"
"Oh, go to hell," said Cooper, and he flung out of the roonr
Mr. $Tarburton, trembling with passion,wai left contemplrr"rl
his p?pers.His greatestpleasurcin life had been destroyedby rlr,r
callous,brutal hands.Most peopleliving in out of-che,wayplacesrvtr rr
the mail comes rear open impatiencly their papersand taking thc lr I
onesfust glancear the larestnews from home. Not so Mf. \garbu ,,r1
His n€wsagenrhad instructions ro write on the oursideof rhe wf:rt,t, I
the dateofeach paperhe disparchedand when the grearbundle alrr,, ,l
Mr. $Tafburton looked at thesedrtes and with his blue oencii nrirr
bercd rhern. His head bol s ordersqere ro phce one on rht ..,t,tr
everymorning in the v€randawirh the earlycup of tea,and ir
".,r
Mr. Strarburton's
specialdelight to brea} the wIapperas he sill"r
his tea, and reed the morning paper.k gave him the illusion of l,\ rr
at horne. Every Monday morning be read the Mondey Tine\ at ,l
weeks back and so went through rhe week. On Sundayhe rtl,l /
Obrener.Like his habit of dressinsfor dinner ir was a rie ro civilizir,,
And it was his pride that no matter how exciting the news s.rr I
had never yielded to the temptation of opening a paper bctirrr rr
ellotted time. During rhe wat the suspensesometimes b:r{l 1,,r1
intoierab)e,and when he read one day that a push was begun lr l,ll
undergone agoniesof suspensewhich h9 mighr have savedlrlf.,I
by the simple expedient of opening a later paper whicb lay wrrrrtl
for him on a shelf. lt had been rhe severesttrial ro which t! t,r,l
ev€! exposed himself, bur he victoriously surmounred it. Arr,l rl,rt
clumsy fool had broken open those near right packagesbccrrr..,lrr
694
to know whether some horrid womrn had murder€d her
husband.
. \Tarburrons€ntfor his boy and rold him to bring wraPPers.
up the papers as neady as he could, Placed a wraPPer round
tnd numb€red it. But it was a melxncholy task.
shall never forgive him," he said. "Never'"
coursehis boy had been with him on his expedicion;he never
without him, for his boy knew exactly how he liked chings,
Mr. Varburton was not the kind of jungle rrevelerwho was
ro disDensewith his comfortsr but in cheinterval sincelheir
he had beengossipingin the se.vrnts' quarters.He had learned
Cooperhad had troublewith his boys.All but the youth Abas
lcft him. Abashad desiredto go roo, but his unclehad placed
thcreon the instructionsof the Resident,and he wasafraidto
wirhourhis uncl€\ p€rmission.
told him he had donc well, (urn. siid rhe bo1 "Bur he is
v;shes to know if
Py. He saysit is not a good hous€ and he
y 8o as the others heve gone-"
he must stay-The tuan must have sefiants. Have those who
hrcn replaced:'
ruan, no one will go-"
, Varburron frowned. Cooper was an insolent fool, but he had
ci:rl posirion and must be suirably ptovid€d with servmts. It
scemlyrhar his houseshouldbe improperlyconducted.
rre the boys who rm away?"
arc in the kampong, ruan."
ind see rhem tonight rnd tell rhem that I expecr them
in Turn Cooper's house ar dawn romorrow,"
s:ryrhel vilt noc go, tuan."
my order?"
hry had bccn with Mr. Varburton for fifteen years,and he
cvcry inronarion of his master'svoice. He was not afraid of
thry h;rd gone rhrough too much together, once in the jungle
irlcnr h;Ldsnvedhis lifc rnd once, uPs€t in some raPids,but
thc Rcsident woulil hrwc bccn <lrowncd;but he knew when
irlcnt must bc olrycrl rvitllrrrt tlrrcstion
THr OL{STATION /1 /. SonerfrMaughah
"I will go to the kampong," he said.
Mr- \trarburton expectedthar his subordinare.would take the lirn
opporrunity ro apologiz€for his rudeness,but Cooper had the ill,br0l
man's inability to expfessregret; and when they mei nexr mornil!
in the ofrce he ignored the incident. SinceMr. \Tarburron had b(f|
away fot three weeks it was necessa4for them to have a someslrrr
prolonged intervievr.Ar the end of it Mr. Varburton dismissedhrr,,
"I don'c think there's anything else, rhank you." Cooper tunr,l
to go, but Mr. \Tarburton stoppedhim. "I understandyou,ve br, rr
having some trouble witb your boys."
Cooper gave a harsh laugh.
"They tried to blackmail me. Thev had the damned cheek to rr,rr
awa). all e\Lep( lhar incomperenrfcllos Abas-hc krlew sher ,,
was well off-but I just sat dght. They've all come to heel agrirlI
"\(/hat do you mean by that?"
"This morning they were all back on their jobs, the Cbinese,,,,
and all. There they were, as cool as cucumbers; you would lLrr
thought they owned the place. I supposethey'd come to rhc,,,il
clusion thet I wasn't such as fool as I looked.,'
"By no means.They camebackon my expressorder.',
Cooperflushedslightly.
"I shouldbe obligedif you wouldn't inrerferewirh ml
"They're not your private concerns.\flhen your servantsrun .rr.
ic makes you ridiculous. You are perfecrly free to make a fiu,l
yoDrself,but I cannot allow you to be rnadea fool ol Ir is unic, rrr
that your house should not be properly srafed. As soon as I lr
that your boys had left you, I had them told to be back jn rl
Placesat dawn. Thafll do."
Mr. $rarbufton nodded ro signify thar rhe inrcrview was er r| , r
Cooper rook no notice.
"Shall I tell you whar I didZ I called them and gave rhc rtr
bally lot the sack.I gave them ten mjnures.o ger our or r(. , ,
Mr. Varburron .hruggedhi. shouldcr,.
"\rhar makesyou think l.ou can ger others/"
696
told my own clerk to seeabout it."
'S9arburton
refleced fot a moment.
think vou behaved very foolishlv. You will do well to remember
lure thar good mastersmake good servants."
there anything els€ you want to teach me?"
should like ro teach you manners,but it would be an zrduous
and I have not rhe time ro waste.I will seethat you get boys."
don't pur yourself to any trouble on my accounr.l'm quite
of getting rhem for myself"
Varbuton smiled acidly.He had an inkling rhar Cooper
him asmuchashe dislikedCooper,and heknewthat nothing
galling than to be forcedto acceptthe favorsof a man you
low me ro tell you thrt you have no more chanceof getting
or Chinese servantshere now rhan you have of getting an
burler or a French chel No one will come ro you except
order from me. \trould you lrke n e ro give i(?'
o,"
you please.Good morning."
Varburron wacched the development of the situation wirh
humor. Cooper's clerk was unable to persuadeMalay, Dyak
to enrcr lhe house of such a master.Abas, the boy who
faithful to him, Lnew how to cook only native food, and
, n coarsefeeder,found his gorge rise against the everlasting
was no v/aer carrier. and in thet preat hear he needed
bathsa day. He cursedAbas,but Abasopposedhim with sullen
tnd would not do more than he cbose. It was galling to
tltlr thc lad stayedwith him only becausethe Residentinsisred.
r on for a forrnight and then, one morning, he found in
thc very servantsnhom he bad previouslydismissed.He fell
!i{)lc,rt rage,but he had learneda iittle sense,and this time,
t x word, he let them stay. He swrllowed his humiliadon, but
ricnt conrempt he hxd felt for M.- \Cxfburtont idiosyncrasies
irrto:r sLrllenhetrcd:thc llcsidcntrvith this maliciousstroke
him thc hughingsrrxkol lll rhc nltives.
lwi) nrcnnow hckl no .rxurrni(xtior with onc anorher.They
'lHE OLITSTATION / W. SoncNr Msughan

personrl m hard rt ir. He liked to see them work. He took pleasute in

broke the time'honored custom of sharing, notwithstanding
man- q'ho hePFnc(l ising rask for them: rnd seeing quickly enough thar rhey were
dislike, a drinL at six o'clock with any white
though the orhcl made to do uselessthings the prisoners workcd badly. He
to be at the station Each lived in his own house as
lhe work' ir q " d them by lengthening their hours. This was conuary to tne
drd nor e.rist Now ih,r cooPer had fallen inro
in the omcc ons. and as soon as ir was broughr ro rhe artentionot Mr,
necessaryfor them to have little to do with one another
he had to gi!( , without referring the matter back to his subordinate. he
Mr. 'i(/arburton used his orderly to send any message
lefter' They saN instructions that the old hours should be kept; Coopet, going
his assistant, and his instrucdons he sent by formal
did not exchangc for_his walk, was astoundedto seethe pdsoners,,Jling
one another constantly, that was inevitable' but lr.[
not zvo;(l the jail; he had givcn insEuctions that they were ,ror to-kno.L
half a dozen words in a week The fact that they could
Tbey brooded ovcr till dusk. \fhen he askedthe warder in chargewhy they had left
catching sight ofone another got on their nerves'
walk' coul'l work he was told rhat ir was the Residenr,sbiddins.
their an"tae;nism and Mr' Varburton, taLing his daily
Vhite vrith rage he strode to rhe fort. Mr. Wa-rburton, in his
think of nothing but how much hc detestedhis assistant
ttrey woul'l rs white ducks ,nd his neat topee,with a walking stick in his
And the drea-dfulthing was that in all probabiliq'
Mr' STarburttrr folJowcd by his dogs, was on rhe poinr of.c.rning out on his
remain thus, fxcing each other in deldly enmity' till
to sen'l stroll. He had watched Cooper go and knew th* hc had
went on lerve tt -ight be three years H€ had no reason
very well rll n the road by the river. Cooper jumped up the srepsand went
in a complalnrto t."dqu^net'' CooPerdid his work
(omPtarnrs reacncl ight up to the Resident.,.I want to know what the hell vou mean
at rhar time men werc hard ro gct True' !ag!e
There w25 cer counrermandingmy order that the ptisonersv,.ereto work till six,,,
him and hints that the n2tives found Cooper h2rsh
But when Mr- rvxr butst out, besidehimself with fury.
tainly a feeling of dissatisfaction among them'
v'as that cooPcl Ml. Warburton openedhis cold blue eyesvery wide and assumed
bnrto., lookeJ into sPecinc cases,all he could say
have been misplacc'l exprcssionof great surprise.
had shown severity where mildness would not
and had been unfeeling when himself would have
been symPatbeti( "Are you out ofyour mind?Are you so ignorantrhat you do not
to task' But Mt onr that char is not the way to speak to your ofncial sup€rior?,,
He had done nothing-for which he could be taken 'Oh, go to hell.
ilm. Hatred will oftel make a man cl€ar'sighre(l The pdsoners are my pidgin arld you,ve got no
Vr.b,rrto., *"t.t.d
natives j.rithottt ht to interfere. You mind your businessand I'll mind mine. i want
and he had a susPicion thet Cooper was using the
he felt that thu: know what the devil you mean by making e demned fool of me.
consideration, yei keeping within the lav', because
go too fir in the place will know that you,ve countermanded
he could exasperatehis chief One d^y pethaps he would my
the incessa'rl
None knew better than Mr' \Tarburton how irritable
one's sell Mr. Verburron kepcvery cool.
heat could make a man arrd how dificult it was to ke€P 'You
night He smiled softly to himsell Sooncl had no power to give th€ order you did. I countermanded
control after a sleePless
becauseit was harsh and tyrannical. Believe mc. I have not made
or ller CooPrr would delivcrhimdi inro his hrnd
laughedxlou'l lf such a damned fool of you as you have made of yourself,,
$[hen at iast the opportunitv cameMr' Warburton
made rords'.built shcd' "You disliked m€ kom rhe firsr moment I came here. you,ve done
Cooper had cha,ge oi tlte Prisoners;they
down_srrexnr' erything you could to make the placeimpossiblefor me because
rowed when it was necessaryto send the Prahu uP'or
thems€lves ll wouldnt lick your boorsfor you. you got your knife into me
kept the town clean and otherwise usefully employcd
Cooper kcpt se I wouldn't flarreryou..'
well-behavedthey even on occasionservedas houseboys

or9
TH! OUTSTATION /\at sone!$ Maugbxd

"Let him wait a little. I shrtl v'rite to Kuala Solor and ask thar
ground' and
CooPer,sPlutteringwith rage,Y'/asnearing dengerous Cooper should go elsewhere."
and moft Piercing'
Mr. Itrarburtonh eyesgrcw on a suddm colder "Tuan Cooper is not good wirh the Malays.,,
but I was perfect\
"Yo., ar. wrong l ihought you werc a cad'
satisfied
"- vith the way you did your work " The boy silenrlywirhdrew.Mr. l7arburron*as lefr alonewirh his
lV"" ,""1. yoo iamned snob. You thought me a cad because rghts. He sew the club at Kuala Solor, the men sittinq round
in Ks what ro exPect'
I hadn't been to Eton Oh, they told me tablein the wirdow in rheir flannels,
when the nieht h;d dri.en
ltrtrhv.don't you know that you'le the laughingsto&. of the whole in from golf and tennis, drinking whiskies and ginpahits and
wlen
-"iitl f .orfa hardlvhelp burstinginto ' roar of laughter ing when they told the celebratedscoryof the prince of \Fales
vales My God'
,i" l.ia u"". ..f.u*ttd ttorybout 't't Princeof himself at Marienbad. He .washot with shameand misery. A
By Cod' I'd rather
ilovv,tt.1'rttort.a,t thc club when rheytold it ! They all thought him a snob.And he had alwaysthouqht rhem
be the cad I am than the snob You ate " good fellows.he had alwaysbeengenrlemanenough(o ler ir
He got Mr. !(/arburton on the raw' :e no diference to him thar they wele ofvety second-rateposition.
;'If housethis minute I shall knock you
ion do,t', gtt oot of my barcd rhem now. Bur his harred for rhem wa, nothine comoarcd
down," he cried. his hatled for Cooper. And if it had come to blows Cooper
facein his
The other camea little closer to him and Put his -- have thrashed him- Tears of mortiication ran down his red.
me, touch me," he seid "By God' I'd like to seeyou lut face- He sat there for a couple of hours smoking cigarette after
"Touch
"
me. Do you want me to sayit again?Snob- Snob , and he wished he were dead.
Mr' rJr?Iburton' a strong'
Cooo.. -"" three inches taller than At last the boy came back and askedhim if he would dressfor
6fry-four' His
^";;i; y."tg man Mr' \Tatburton was fat and
the arrn and pushed
clenchedfist shot out cooPer 'eught him by Of couse! tte alwaysdressedfor dinner. He rosewearily from his
him back. ir and put on his stif shin and the high collar. He sat down at
l'm not a gentlemanl know
"Don't be a damnedfool Rem€mber prcttily decorated table and wrs waited on as usual by the two
how to use mY hands" whiie ftro othe$ waved th€il qrear fans. Over there in rhe
his pale'.sharpface'
He gxve 2 sort of hoot, and, grinning all over , two hundrcd yardsaway,Cooper was eeting a filthy meal
his heac in his anger
i.t-o.5 ao*n ,tt. utt""da steps Mr- \0arburton' only in a sarong and ^ baju. His feet were bare and while he
ttis bodv
;;;;; r;,n" his ribs' sank exhaustedinro a chrir' hc probably read a derectivestory. After dinner Mr. \Zarbutton
horrible moment he
it"rJ ,",i',r'"n he had prickly hear'For one down to write a lccter The sultan was away, but he wrote, privately
he wrs consciousthat
,i."r-lt i. *,i gtr"g ro cry' But sr'rddenly confidentially, ro his representative.Cooper did his work very
regarned conrrol
his hlad boy wason rhe verandaand insrincrively he said,bur the factwasthat he couldnl get on v/ith him. They
of whisky
.ir'i-*ff in. boy came forward and filted him a glass getting dreadfully on each othe/s nerves and he would look
it and drank it to
^i witf'o"i t *ord Mr' $garbrlrton took it as a very great favor if CooFr could be transfcred to another
"oat
the df€gs
askedMr' Syarburton' trylng
"\chat do you want to sayto me?" Hc disparchcd
thc lerter ncxt morning by specialmessenger.
The
ro Forcea smileonro hl srraincdlips rr camer fortnight larcr wirh the month,s mail. lr was 2 private
"Tuan,thea(sistrnr tuanis a badman Abaswishcs agarnto teave
nnd rrn as follows:
him "

lt)l
THI OUTST,{TION / \!l. Soncr$ Mauahan
My dear vafburron:
I do not vant to mswer your letter ofrcially and so I en wtiring
you a few iinesnyselt Of courseif you insist I will put the mrrrer
up to rhe Sultan, but I thi* you would be much wiser to drop it.
I know Cooperis a rough diamond,but he is capable,and he had
r pretty thin time in thc war, and I thiok be shouldbe given everr
chan.e. I rhink you are1 lirtle too much inclined to atBch imponance
ro a m2n's sociil poskion. You musr remember rhar rim6 have
changed.Of coune itk a very good thing for a man ro be a gentleman,
but ir's berter rhet he sbould be competentand hardworkin& I think
if you'll exercisea little tolennce you'I ger on very we[ wnh Cooper.
Youls very sincerely,
Richard Temple
The letter dropped from Mr. $(/arburron's hand. Ir was easy r,)
readbetwe€nthe lines.Dick Temple,whom he had Lnown for twenr\
years, Dick Temple, who came from quite a good county famil\,
rhought him a snob and for that reasonhad no patiencewirh hi'
request. Mr. Varburton felt on a sudden discouraged witb life. Thr
world ofwhich he was a part had passedaway, and the future belongc,l
to a meaner generation. Cooper represented it and Cooper he hatc,l
with all his hearr. He sfferched out his hend ro his glass and rl
the gestrue his head boy stepped forward.
"I didn't knov/ you were there."
The boy picked up the oficial letter. Ah, that was why he wlr
weiting.
"Do€s Tuan Cooper go, tuan?"
"There will be a misfortune."
For a moment the words conveyednothing to his lassitude.llrrr
only for a moment. He sat up in his chair and looked at the bor
He was ell attention. "whet do you mern by thar?"
"Tuan Cooper is not behaving righdy with Abal"
Mr. \(arburton shrugged his shoulders.How should a man lik,
Cooper Lnow how to treat s€rvants?Mr. Varburton knew the tylr
he would be grossly familiar with them at one moment and ru,l,
and inconsideratethe next.
102
"lrt Abas go back to bis famJly."
'"Iuan Cooper holds back his wages so that he may not run away.
has paid him norhing for three months. I tell him to be patient.
he is angry, he wiII not listen to reason. If the tuan continues
use him ill thcre will be a misfortune."
'"You
were dght co tell me."
The fool! Did he Lnow so litde oFthe Malaysas to think he could
injure them? It would scrvehim damned well right if he got
is in his back. A kris. Mr. Varbuton's heart se€medon a sudden
miss a beet- He had only to let things take their course and one
&y he would be rid of Cooper.He smiled faintly as the phrase,
inactiviq, crossedhis mind. And now his hear beat a lirtle
icker, for he saw rhe man he haredlying on his facein a path$ray
the jungle srirh e knife in his back. A fit end for the cad and
bully. Mr. Wrrburton sighed. lt was his duty to warn him end
course he musr do it- He wrote a brief and formal note to Cooper
ing him m come ro rhe forr rr once.
ln ten minutes Cooper stood before him. They had not spoken
one arother sincethe day when Mr. Varburton had nearlystruck
He did not now ask him to sit down.
"Did you wish to sef me?" Cooper askcd.
He was untidy and none too clean. His face and hands were covered
little red blotches where mosquitos had bitten him and he had
hims€lf tiil the blood cam€. His long, thin face bore a sullen
"l undersrand
rhat you arcagainhavingtroublewirh your senanrs.
my headboy's nephew,complainsth?t you haveheld back his
for three months. I considerit a most arbitnry proceeding.
lad wishes to leavc you. and I certainlv do not bhme him. I
insist on your payingwhat is due to him."
"I don\ choosethat he should leave me. I am holdinp back his
as a pledge of his good behavior."
"You do not know the Malay chamcrer.The Malays are very
itivc to injury and ridicul€.They are passionate
and revengeful.
is my duty to warn you that ifyou drive chis boy beyond a certain
inr you run r grcrt risk."
70.1
TH! OUTSTATION / \t. Soner$ Maughan

Coopd gave a contemPtuous chuckle. wrs a bad rime for both of them: they ate their dinners
"ntrhat do you think he'll dol" , eachin his own quart€rs,and they got deliberatelydrunk. They
the only white men within rwo hundted miles and they lived
"I think he'll kill you."
in shouting distanceof each other. Ar rhe beginning of the year
"\fhy should you mind?"
rX/arburton,with a faint laugh "l rr went down with fever, and when Mr. $Cxrburton caught sight
"Oh, I wouldnt," replied Mr.
should bear it with the utmost fortitude. But I feel the oflr(rrl him again he was surprisedto see how thin he had srown. He
obligation to give you a proper warning." kcd ill and worn. The solirudc..o mu. h morc unn;ruiat bc.ruse
vls due to no necessiry, was gerting on his nerves. lr was getting
"Do you think I'm afraid of a damned nigger?"
Mr. \Terburton's too, and often he could not sleepat niEhr. He
"It's a matter of entire indifferenceto me."
awake brooding Cooper was drinking heavily and surely the
"S7ell, let me tell you this, I know how rc take care of mls( ll
khg point w:s near:but in hi: deating.oirh rhe n;river he rook
that boy Abas is a dirty, thieving rascal,and if he tries any monli.l
to do nothing that might expose him ro his chieft rebuke. They
tricks on me, by God, l'I wring his bloody neck."
a grim and siient baftle with one another. It was a test of
"That was all I wisbed to sayto you," said Mr. \Oarburton."(i,uul
nce. The months passed,and neither gave sign of weakening.
evcning."
were like men dwelling in regions of eternal night, and their
Mr. $0arburtongave him a little nod of dismissal.Cooper {luslr"l,
v,rereoppressed with rhe knowledge that never would rhe day
did not for a moment know what to say or do, tuned on his lrfr I
for rhem. lr lookedr, rhoughrheirIire, qould.onrinue forc,er
,hd stumbled out of the room. Mr. Warburton watched him go w i rIr
chis dull and hideous monotony of hatred.
^n icy smile on his lips. He had done his duty. But what woull 1r'
And when ac Iast the inevitable happened it came upon Mr.
heve thought had he known that when CooPer got back ro lrrr
eburton with ali the shock ofthe unexpected.Cooper accusedthe
bungalow, so silent and cheerless, he threw himself down on his [,1
Abas of stealing some of his clothes, and when the boy denied
and in his bitter lonelinesson a sudden lost aII conffol of himr.ll '
rhefr rook him by rhc scruffot rhe ne.k and ki. ked him down
Painful sobs tore his chest and hearT tears rolled down his rl,rrr
stepsof the blngalow. The boy demanded his wages, and Cooper
cheeks.
g at his head every word of abuse he knew. If he saw him in
After this Mr. \(arburton seldom saw CooPer, and never sp,'Lr'
compound in an hour he would hand him over to the police.
to him. He read his Timer evety rno'ning, did his work at the ollt, r',
morning the boy wryJaidhim outqiderhe forr ehcn he ra:
took his €xercise,dressedfor dinner, dined and sat by the ri".t
ing over ro his ofiice, and again demanded his wages. Cooper
smoking his cheroot. Ifby chancebe ran ecrossCoolrr he cut l,rrrl
k him in the face with his clenched fist. me Uoy fett to che
dead. Each, rhough never for a moment unconsciousof the pl1'rrr
and gor up with blood streaming from his nose.
quity, acted as though the other did not exisr. Time did notllrrl
Cooper walked on and set about his work. But he could not attend
to assuagethei animosity. They watched one another's actions rr,,l
ir. The blow had calmed his iffitation, and he kne$.thar he
each knew whet the other did. Though Mr. lVarburton had lu,rr had
re too fa!. He was woffied_ He felt ill, miserable and discourased.
a keer shot in his youth, with age he had acquired a distasrr l,'r
the .idioininSoffite s.rr,\.{r Varburron, and hr. impul"f q; ro
killing the wild things of the jungle, but on Sundaysand holi,l.rl
and tcil him what he had done; he made a movemenrin his chair,
Coop€r went out with his gnn: if he got something it was a trior,,i'll
t he knes/ wirh what icy scorn he would listen to rhe story. He
over Mr. \Tarbuton; if not, Mr. Warbufton shruggedbis sborrl,l,'
ld seehis prrronizing smile. For a momenc he had an uneas fear
and chuckled. These counter'iumpers trying to be spolrsrrrrr'

704 7ot
THn OUTSTATION / W. SonerFr Maugham
of what Abas might do. \(arburron had wamed him all righr. Fl,
sighed. n(het a fool he had beenl But he shrugged his shouldcr.
impatiently. He did not care; a fat lot he had to live for. lt I r'
all \Tarburton's fault; if he hadn't put his back up nothing like drr.
would have happened.$(arburton had made life a hell for him fro',
the start. The snob. But thel were all like that: it was becauselr,
was a Colonial. It was a damned shame that he bad never got llil
commission in the war; he was as good as anyone else. They vcr,
a lot ofdirty snobs.He was damnedifhe was going m knuckle untlcr
nosr. Of cou$e warburton would hear of what had haPPened;(lr
old devil knew everything. He wasn't afraid. He wasn't afraid of :rlr
Malay in Borneo, and \Tarburton could go to blazes.
He was right in thinking that Mr. \Tarbunon would know s'|ur
had happened.His head boy told him vben he went in to tilltrl
"\(/here is your nephew now?"
"l do not know, tuan- He has gone."
Mr- \trarburton remained silent. After luncheon as a rule he sl(l,r
a lirtle, but today he found himseJfvery wide awake. His eycs rr,
voluntarily sought the bungalow where CooPerwas now restinS
The idiotl Hesitation for a little was in Mr. \Tarburton's mirrl
Did the man know in what peril he was? He suPPosedhe ouAlrr
to send for him. But each time he had tried to reasonwith Coolr r,
Cooper hed insulted him. Anger, furious anger welled up suddcllr
in Mr. \Tarburton's heert, so that th€ veins on his rcmplesstood ,'r'r
and he clenchedhis fists.The cad had had his warning. Now iei hrrrr
take what was coming to him. lt was no businessof his ;rn,l rl
anything hapPenedit was not bis fauit. But PerhaPsrhey vtould wirll
in Kuala Solor that they had Bken his advice and transferredCo,'1ur
to enother statron.
He was strangelyrestlessthat night. After dinner he walkc.l rr1,
and down the veranda.\(/hen the boy went away ro his own qurtt, t.
Mr. Sflarburton askedhim whether anything had been secn of l,.[
"No, tuan. I think maybehe hasgone to the village of his motl,rr'
Mr. \trarbuffon gave him a sharpglance,but rhe boy was Joohrrlt
down and their eyesdid not meet. Mr. Warburton went dow'r I',
706
river and sat in his arbor- But peace was denied him. The river
ominouslysilent. It was like x grcar se{pentgliding with
ish movement rov{ards the sea. And the trees of the iunqle over
water were herly with a breathless menace. No bird sane. No
ze ruffcd rhe lcavesof the crs,ias. All zround him it secmedas
something waited.
He walked across the garden to the road. He hed Cooper,s bunqa_
v 'n tuI view from rherc.There rrs a lighr in hi. ,t,,i"g """.
acrossrhe road floaredthe sound of ragtime_Cooperwasplaying
$amophone. I4r. Warburron shuddered;he had never qot ovet
instinctive dislike ofth2t instrument. Bur for that he would have
over and spoken to Cooper. He rurned and went back ro his
hous€. He r€ad late into the night, and at last he slept_ But
did not sleep very long, he had .effible dreams, and he seemed
tre awakened by a cry. Of course that wes a dream too, for no
-from the bungaiow for instance-could be heard in
his room.
ley awake till dawn. Then he heard huffied steps and che sound
voices.his head boy burst suddenll inro 166 1oo. wirhour his
and Mc liflarburron's heart srood still.
Mr. \Tarburtonjumped out of bed.
"I'lI comeat once."
He put on his slippers,and in his sarongand pajamajackecwalked
osshis compoundznd into Cooper\. Cooperwas lying in bed,
his mouth open, and a kris sticking in his heart. He had been
in his sleep.Mr. \Carburton srarted,but not becausehe hzd
expected to see iusr such a sight, he started because he felt in
f a suddenglow of exulration. A great burden had beenlifred
his shoulders.
Cooper was quite cold. Mr. lTarburron took the kris out of th€
, it had been thrust in wirh such force that he had to use
I cfoft to get it out, and looked at it_ He recognizedir. It was
kris rhar a dcaler hrd offercd him some serk< before and which
knew Cooperhad boLrght.
".w'he.eis Abas?"he askedscernly.
"Abrs is ar rhe villageof his mother'sbrorher.',
1t\l
TH! OLTTSTATION / w' Sohdset Mtughan
The sergeant of the native police was sonding at the foot of the
bed.
"Take two m€n and go to the village and arrest him-"
Mr. Warburton did what was immediately necessary.with set face
he gave orders. His words w€re short and P€remProry. Then he went
back to the fort. He shavedand had his bath, dressedand went inro
the dining room. By rhe side of his plate Tbe Tinet n its wrapper
lay waiting fot him. He helped himself to some fruit. The head bov
poured out his ter while the second handed him a dish of eggs. Mr.
warburton ate with a good appeti.e. The head boy waited.
"What is it?" askedMr. Varburton.
"Tuan, Abas, my nephew, was in the house of his mother's brotber
all night. It can be proved. His uncle will swear that he did not leavc
the kamPong."
Mr. \trarburton turned uPon him with a frot n.
"Tuan Cooper was killed by Abas. You know it as well as I Lnox'
it. Justice must be done."
"Tuan, you would not hang him?"
Mr. $(r'erburton hesitated an instant, and though his voice remained
set and stern a change came into his eyes-It *,as a flicker which the
Malay was quick to notice and acrosshis own eyesflashed an answering
Iook of understanding.
"The provocation was very great. Abas will b€ sentenced to a rcrm
of imprisonment." There was a pause while Mr- rvarbunon helped
himself to marmaiade. "\7hen he has served a Part of his sentencc
in prison I will take him into this house as a boy. You cxn train
him in his duties. I have no doubt that in the house of Tuan CooPel
he got into bad habits."
"Shall Abas give himself up, tuan?"
"It would be wise of him."
The boy withdrew. Mr. Warburton took his Triar and neady slir
rhe wmpper. He loved to unfold the heary, rustling Pages. Thc
morning, so fresh and cool, was delicious and for a moment his eycs
wandered out over his gerden with a friendly glance. A great weight
had been iifted from his mind. He turned to the columns in whicl)
were announcedthe births, deathsand maffiages.That was what hc
708
looked at firsr. A oame he knew caught his attention. Lady
had had a son at last. By George, how pleased the
old
must bel He woold write her a note of congratulation by
nexr mail.
Abas would make a very good houseboy.
That fool Cooper!
rHE FAMTLY
F^+#.E[IN
o Xg/^'r\gft
Rs. FI^lLoRrrN had a nephcw in (he prirsrhood bur rhrr
didn.r
oer awaytrom rhe bof(le.Her husband.big Ila oor
Hallorrn,
becn a patrolman on the Montreal waterfront, but qin and
cahoots
rhe Bbck Hook Gang had gor him off rhe .lp, ,o-.
u"rrs
,re. Flerfoot rhen worked as a bouncer in a
ioint in St. H'enri.
gin and a depressionlaid that iob by rhe heels,and Mrs. Hajloran
gone tearfully back to chaffing.
She chated in an ofice building and in Sr. Timothy,s Church in
th Griffinrown.Rubbingthe wa s on her long, leanchin. .he
renrlyhmenrcdthar trish Sr. Timorh). $rs plumpeddorn
In sweanngdrsran.e ot rhe rough ltaLan.ecrjon.$Vhrr e,,rrh
/sy,fat Dego women,pushcartsloadedwith red and
greenpeppers,
perr-dmebad men, M$. Halloranfound the neiehborhoJ
too
l.
Mrs- Hallorer had a concavechest, thin gray hair, and sha1p,red
HoE', e/irh her drinking, this chaste rnatron mrnaged to k"eo
hct placcat .he church wasmore thrn her snooping neighborscould
lcll. But the curly-haired,plump-cheekedcleric who functionedas
bursarfor the establi:hmeni deaitmildlywrrh srnsot rhe fesh.He
70r)
A PRIIST lN THn IAMILY/ lf,o Kcnnedt
was, as he liked to say with a chuckle, always getting parishioner\
out of jail or into the cops; and the charwoman'scaurious tipplinl
on weekdays and flagrant jags on Sarurdaysnever loomed larger thrr
peccadilloesin his tolerant mind- Besides,her nephew was a priesl
M$. Halloren's neph€w worked for souls in the wilds of Bririsl'
Columbia. As she had never ffaveled fafther than Abuntsic the goo,i
woman was somewhat vague as to th€ conditions of his employmenr
and habitat, but she never let people forget there was an ordainc,l
priest in the family. Gossiping with friends, she liked to bring rh.
talk around to rhings religious. Tben she'd say whar a blessing ir
was to have e nephew who prayed daily for her sins, edding rhxr.
though her soul was as scarlet,herJoey'smonthly novenato the Hol\
Virgin for his poor old aunt would bring her still to glory.
Shealwaysbreathedstrongly ofgin when shetalked about relignrl
The drink provoked her to thoughts of heavenly ecstasy;the nrl
crucifix on her scrawnycbescheavedand bobbed with the fervor ,'t
her devotion. But liquor alsobrought out a violenr discasce
for forergl
devils.For insrance,when she passedher large Irelian neighbor, trlr.
Castelano,on the tenement stairs,she would sneerdisparagement,,1
all Neapolitan womanhood. She wouJd say in a thin voice to rlu
stairs: "May Jesus,Mary and HoIy Joseph put boils on her nccl
At St. Timothy's, Mrs. Hallorant companion in toil was a micltll,
aged widow with flat, rcd hair and a squint. Mrs. Scully was a gu'i
soul, though rheumatic, and one Thursday, iust before l,enr, Ir(l
complaint confined her to bed. Nolan, the sexron, pulled a long i:r,,
when he heard of ir. Mrs. Scully's chapped 6sts were needcd l,,r
weshingpewsthat day,and no doubt, he decided,Mrs. Halloran rvrrrl,l
be tipsy.
Mrs. Castelaro came into the refectory tbat morning with x r.rl,
of woe about her husband going to jail agin and no money in rl,,
house. f,rther Hoffman caLled\oian in.
"Hete's a poor soul in distress,"he said."Bandy Cast€hnohxs l!. I
peddling booze again. They\e nxed him with a strerch dris rir,,
And it's my wish, and the will of God Alnigbty, that l):rrr,lr
unhappy spouseshould have bread on her table. So what can *t 11r,,
her in the way of work?"
7t0
Nolen looked critically at Mrs Castelano's grcat th€ws znd blowsy
place that was
costume and said sute she could take Mrs Scully's
ill of the gout.
czn work for
"Tfr"..,"U.". Castelano," Fath€r Hof,man said' "You
your children and the SacredHean ofJcsus at on€ and the same time'
Nolan, rell this woman whar to do "
Timothy's
THATAFTERNooNMrs Halloran entered the precincts of St
thinly
rrmed with the requisiresof her trade-a PaiI of hot water
for
rudded, a gray cloch for wxhing the Pews, ' PaiI of clear $/atet
et home
the last ab=lution. She vras late for work, having lingered
to hagglewith Flacfootand tipple strength for her labors D€Positirg
jzw co see her
her pail" at the herd of the nave, she dropped h€r
loathed Italian neighbor in Mrs Sculiy's sread-Mrs Castelanowas
rlready wiping the Pew woodwork, and she nodded briefly
Mrs. H;lo;an bristted She scoodover her pails with arms akimbo
and loosed a tentetive brordsid€:
$rhat
"An' may I be rskin' where Mrs Scully is at todayl An' for
erc you worl:rn' in her Place?"
large
"Mrs. Scully, she'ssick in her legs," said Mrs Castelano,her
the to wash
bosom rising a little "she don\ work Me, I got iob
in the churcl till she's6ne." Her glance took in the other's condidon'
,',|(/hen she come back, too, maybe," she added
"An' is it you who're makin' asPersionsat me, Mrs Castelano?
To what end, may I ask?\Zould you be graftin' my job for your far
sclf? !7ould you be keepin'your boorleggerhusband on zl wages?"
Mrs. Castelano breathed deeplv and gave her wet cloth a v{rcnch
house
"Me, I talk to you after," she said,"rot now in the holy God's
work, too, yes"
-Mrs.to work. Better you
I got
Hallonn plunged her cloth into soaPywater' \/ith a vixenish
back turned ro che Italian woman, she wiPed i Pew vigorousty'
Murtering to herselfat intervals, she washedand dried Savagely,she
poked inro cornersas rhough stabbingher enemywith a cloth-draped
finger.
-Miss
Brown, the littlc dricd sPinstcrwho caredfor the altar llowers
rnd lincns,cntcrcd rhc.hLrr(h f()nr thc srcristy She alwayswore
'|l
A ?RIEST tN lHE IAn{IrY/Lco Kennedy
somb$ woolen suirs,and hats that exciredneitherpity nor adrniration
She had a brittle, erhereallook and q'alked witb a slight lisr .o drc
right. One feh rhar a breath rhar could flufter a candlewoutd dousc
her outright.
Miss Brown began to clear tbe altar. She paid no attention to rhc
two charwomen in rhe dimly lit aisle; she was thinking rimidly of
Father Hoffmant curly head and broadish girth. The one comfon
of her arid virginity was the occasionalnearnessof this honesr and
holy man-
Mrs. Hallonn regarded Miss Brown's birdliLe movements wirlr
disfavor.She resentedthat socialbalancewhich set herselfat one end
of the church with scrub pails, and this lopsided holier-rhar-thou ar
the altar with her paws on rhe monsrrence.She conrinued to s*,ab
down Pews.
\fiarching Miss Brown bobbing about up front, Mrs. Hxlloran
began to think of the duty of wom€n co God and how her sisrcr
had done credit to her race and family by presenting nephew
Joer
to holy ofders. She lingefed over her own barren lor, and she rhoughr
with distasteof Mrs- Castelanot seven.The big sowl
"Mrs- Castelano" she struck her favorite motif-,.did I everspeak
of my nephew in orders, my own sister,s child? As I alvays say, ir
pd€st in the famiiy should slip me rhrougb Purgarory wirh just rh(
bit of a singe."
"Sure," said Mrs. Casrelano,pJying her rag, ,.you told me plenti
For me, I donl like so much rhoseIrish priests.Young one, old onc,
rhey are not much pdest. look hefe, St_Timorhy's_ Vhat rheji gor/
They gor no Irish priest. They gor Farher Hoffman . . . a name fol
a German fella. For me, I like Iraiian priest. Like rhe pope.,,
Mrs. Halloran twisted her wash clorh violently. ,.you,ll be sayin
next the Iord Jesus was a Dagol An' Saint perer and Sainr paul
It was a dark day for the biessedfisher of men when be set up thr
holy wood in h€athen Rome. No good came out of rhar counr\
. - - for theret no good in it. An, it's rhe blighr and curse of rtrc
Catholic Church ther rhe Pope is a wop thar can'r ralk Englisht,
An outraged madonna flashedblack eyesar hcr anragonisr.Or(li
narily cowlike and placid, her anger was gathering likc clouds bcfirrr
7)2
But Mrs. Halloran splurreredon: "For what are yout fat
good, bur to snore at confessionand sneezein the fonr? Ir\
likes of them as breals the heart of his Eminence rhe BishoD.
keepsthe Irish parishesprayin'for light to arraythefuschernifl'
" Her voicescreamed up amongthe organpiPes."You Dagos,
I Gunmen and whorcs! Peddlersof bathtub qin!"
Shaking*'ith rage, Mrs. Castelanodropped her wash cloth in the
water, retrievedit sopping, and slashedMrs. Hallorzn acrossthe
rh. She sguexledand vruck .ag.rin rnd rgain.
Thc Irish woman, spitcing filthy water and abuse,foughc free of
piston arm. Seizingher own pail of slops,she delugedMts.
who screechedat the shockand was still unrecoveredwhefi
Halloran's wash cloth slappedher stingingly acrossthe eyes.
Half blinded, she whirled to where she dimly saw hff antagonist,
struck our wirh cloth and 6st. Mrs. Halloran evadedher blows
deliveredwhat thDmps afld scmrchesshe mighr. Their turmoil
che church.
Miss Brown had beenworking quiedywhen pandemoniumbroke
in God's rabernacle. She thrilled wirh horror ar the sactleee
wirh h€r hands.The churchwasempty
madefutile lirrie gesrures
faithfLrl and sh€ Dravedthar no one would come before the mad
could be quieted.
A bellow from Mrs. Halloren shock€d her from the static pose.
swung wide the altar gale end ren scre)ming to Part the ffomen.
Farher Hoffman! Mr. Nolanl Thev'll kill each otherl"
"Love ofJesus!" A biow from Mrs. Castelanocaughr the spinster
bowled her inco a pew.
The priesr end sexcon,busy in the sacristy,were startled to heer
umedcries.
"FarherHotrmanlFatherHoffmanlA scandal in the church,Father.
Oh, hurrr, for rhe love of God."
Again attemptingro pxrt the furies,Iittle Miss Brown had her
hnt draggedoff, her hair torn, and one eyedamaged. Shereeledout
of the rxdius of whirling fists and collapsedin a pew, weePing
hystcricrlly.
Thc chrrwornco hdrcdu<l kickcdxt onc xnother,howlingabuse
7t)
A PRIIST IN THE FAMI'Y / L.o KcnDcdI
and panting for breath. Mrs. Halloran's right cheek was channeled
with the marks of four clawed fingers; the ilress of Mrs. Castelano
was torn half off he! shoulde6, disclosing e shoulder bruised where
it had been banered by the pail.
They separated for a moment, then with loud cries flew at each
othe! again. Ar that momedt the priest tore down the aisle with Nolan
at his heels; the men dragged the combatants apart and husded all
the women into the sacristy, pausing only behind closed doors to
draw a free breath.
"ln the name ofJudgment, what scanalalis this? " The Priest's eyes
bumed. "lWould yor.rbe murdering each other, and you employed in
the house of God? You, Mrs. Halloran, with gin on your bre*h,
and you, Mrs. Casteiano, with your dress balf off"
The last named, a panting mountain of a woman ready to subside
in tears, tri€d clumsily to fasten her dress.
"\fhat can a Christian say to such business?" the priest continued
in iighreous wrath. "Such devil's work under Szint Timoahy's rose!
Mrs. Castelano,did I give you a job this day that you could be tearing
and clawing this woman\ face, and swabbing her blood with your
floor cloth?"
The Geman cleric\ excited accent imPlied a sourh-of-lreland
mother. "ArId Mary Mother, crowned in Heaven, what a batered
mess you've made of Miss Brown: Miss Brown, what starled this
fiendish ruction, that yourself should be clavred like a tomcat? But
wait . . . wait - . . this is no case for me . . . Nolan, be calling the
cop off his beatl"
At this, the women made great outcry: Miss Brown bleating there
was scandd enough; Mts. Cestelanov/ailing that her man was in tbe
jail already, and what would her children do if she followed; Mrs
Halloran demanding what was religion coming to, when Catholic
pries$ turned their parishione$ over to the bulls? Father Hoffman
motioned Nolan out noneth€less,and closed the door after rbe
sexton. He esked Miss Brown to tell him calmly ho*' rhe row began
Nursing her bruises, Miss Brosrn said dazedly, ""fhc:,e ladies htd
some kind of argument that ruIned into a screamingbattlc Thcy're
,rl, wretches,Father,but the skinny one was yelling rhe arrl curses
-/
t4
'r seewho srru(k rhe first bloq, but beforeGod, thi: woman
the shame of the parish!"
Fxther Hofhnan sighed his weariness. "Go on," he said.
"Ifell," Miss Brown babbled, pulling he6elf togethet, "ith l/re
Italian lady blearedmy eyc. 6ur rhar arherone would prompr
to murder! Yes, her fxce ri scratched,but she bashedthe big
with the pail on her. . . well, chest,and she a mother, judging
her figure!"
Mrs, Casrelano cried out that she was r mother serenrimcs over
God's help.
Fether HoFrnan said. "Hush. be stilll" and told Miss Brown to
home and tend to her wounds. He swore her to silence, promised
give the womcn their desetts, and with a friendly Prt on the cheek
madeher dejectedspirit flickerandriselike rhephoenix,ushered
out. Then, wirh an expressionof gravity, he confronted the
"Mrs. Castelano,I'm thinking that, in spite of your actions,you're
sinnedrginst rhm sinning.God knows His houseis no place
a free'for-all, but knowing you both as well as I do, I sc€ fit to
no borherthis time. But think of poor Bandylanguishing,and
cbildretr! hungry mouths, bcfor€ you go bashing peopleabout
head. I'll be Ietting you off, and more than that, I'Il be letting
keep your job, but not a word of this to a soul, on your honor
a Cltholic. Now go tell Mr. Nolan I said you were to scay. And
'd
berter<omeand confessro me ihis nighr."
Mrs. Castehnowenr ou( sb;mp€ring.and rhe pricsr 6xed Mrs.
with a calculatingeye."If I didn't know you and your man
wcll, I'd be sending you off ro the iail nowl You're a blot on the
of rhe parish,Mrs, Halloran.lCs x lot of troubleyou'remrking
, and a powerofhellfire you'refixing for the hereafter.
And with
priestin the familyl"
The woman began to weep with sentimental religious fear.
"Thc Almighry lord is forgiving of sin, but bitter to thosewho
nake it a habit. You're too fond of rhe gin."
"Yes, Father."
"A womin of your ycan shouldhaveher cyesset on eternaliife.
A IRMT IN THE F,AMltY/lf,o K.nnedr
The pleasures ofthis life passiike snowbeforethe sun,andJudgmenr
aweitsus the other sideof the gnve. Think well of ahatwhen youil
be ddnking. Drink, Mrs. Halloran, is one of the Church's greeresr
enemies,and rhe devil'sown brewl"
He observedher reaction shrewdly."Are you prcparedto burn in
hell, my poor woman?Not for the term of your iife, but for rll
etemity, a length of time you can't possibly imagine?"
"No, FetherlI swearro Jesus,nol"
"Swearing by the Holy Name will bring you no neuer to glorr
. . . but confession will. Mrs.Halloran,I'd like to hearyourconfessior)
nowl" He went to a closetand mok his stole from a hook, the|
seatedhimself in an easychair and motioned to Mrs. Halloran R)
kneel. The wornan,teffor rweakingher bowels,got down besidehnr
and blessedherself.
"Bless me, Father,for I have sinned; I confessro Almighty Go,l
and to you, Iather . . ."
Her confessor heardher out and pronounceda nominalpenancc
The man\ naturalkindlinessmadehim regardher benevolently. "A1).
Mrs.Hallosn, the Saviourlovesa peniteflrlYour soulis now aswhi
as the lilies of the 6eld, but keepit sol lor your soul'sgood an,l
for the good of your job in the church,will you promiseio quir
th€ liquor? I'm rhinking of FatherJosephO'Connaught,and hoN
he'd feelabouta drunkenaunt. ICsfor his sakeI'rn lening you kecl'
your place,though the saintsknow you'vetried me sorely-- - ."
Mrs. Halloranthankedhim wirh fervot-She tuckedher hair ul'
under her kerchiefand went bacLinto the church-Mrs- Castelan{,
was working already;her broadbackwasstitr and forbidding.Mfs.
Hallorangot her pails,6lled them, and then commencedworking
too. In her mind shebeganto ratde of the prayersof her penanc.
Hail, Mary, fil of grace,the Lod i ulith tbee,ble$edart tha" ana .\
uamm dn' ble$edi thefrx;t . . .
He said it was because Joey is a priesr.Isnt thar fine now? FI(
wouldn't frre me becauseof my nephew.. . -
. . . of t|ry ua?"b,Jetri. Ho$ ALary,Matlxr of God . . .
I alwayssaida priestin the famiJyis God'sown blessing. An,Jocr
makesa monthly novenato Mary for me. . . .
,..Pratfor^innen...
Prayerir a blessing.Joey's prayerswill get me through Purgatory
as blez€s . . . but jusc th€ seme . . . they've savedmy bacon
below as well. . . .
. nou at' at the bour of aar dzath,Anen.
THE COPANDTHE
ANTHEM
Mr,,',/
N Hts BENCHin Mzdison Square Soapy moved uneasily. \7hen
geesehonk high of nights, and when women withour sealskin
grow kind to theit husbands,and when Soapymoves uneasily
his bench in the park, you may know thar winter is near at hand-
A dead leaf fell in Soapy'slap. That was Jack Frost's card. Jack
kind to rhe regllar denizensof MadisonSquare,and gives fair
ins of his annuel call. At the cornersof four streetshe hands
his pxreboard to the North $(/ind. foorman of the mansion of All
tdoors, so that the inhabitxnts thereof may make ready.
Soapy'smind becamecognizant of the fact that the time had come
for him to resolvehimself into a singular Committee of \Cays and
Mcans co provide againsc rhe coming rigor. And therefore he moved
uncasily on his bench.
The hibernatorial ambitions of Soapywere not of the high€st. In
them vere no consider.tions of Mediterraneancruises,of soporific
Southern skiesor drifring in rhe VesuvianBay. Thrce monrhs on the
Island was what his soul craved.Three months of assuredboard and
bcd and congenial company, safefrom Boreasand bluecoats,seemed
.o Soapy thc essenceof rhings desirable.
For years the hospitablc Bhckwell's had been his winter quetters-
717
THE COP,{ND TH! ,{NT}tlM/ O. Henry
Just as his more fortunarc fellow New Yorkers had bought thcil
dckets to Palm Berch and the tuviera each winter, so Soapy had marl'
his hurnble arrangementsfor his annual hegira to the Istand. An{l
novr the time was come. On the previous night three Sabbath nes\
papers,distributed bene2th his coat, about his ankles and over hi.
lap, had {ailed to repulse the cold as he slept on his bench near dn'
spurting fountain in the ancient square.So the lsland loomed bi8
and rimely in Soxpy'smind. He scornedthe provisionsmade in tln
name of chariry for the city's dependents.In Soapy'sopinion the La\
was mote benign than PhilanthroPy.There wx an endlessround oi
institurions, municipal and eleemosynary, on which he might set oul
and receivelodging and food accordant with the simple Jife. But t,'
one of Soepy'sproud spirit the gifrs of charity are encumbered.Il
not in coin you must Pay in humiliarion of spirit for every benclir
receivedat the hxndsof PhilanthroPy.As Caesarhad his Brutus, evcrr
bed of charity must have its toll of a bath, every loaf of bread ir'
comp€nsationof a privare and personalinquisition. \X/hereforeit is
better to be a guest of the law, which, though conducted by n:1es.
does not meddle unduly with a gendeman'sprivate a{hirs.
Soapy, having decided to go to the Island, at once ser aboul
accornplishinghis desite.Ther€ were many easyways of doing rhis
The pleasantesr was to dine luxuriously at some exlrnsive restaurant.
and then, after declaring insolvency, be handed over quierly an,l
wirhour uproar ro a policeman.An accommodatingmagistrarewoul(l
do the rest. Soapyleft his b€nch and strolled out of the squarean(l
acrossth€ level seaofasPhalt, where Broadway and Fifth Avenue go\
together. Up Broadway he turned, and halted at a glittering cafi.
where aregetheredtogechernightly the choicestproductsof the grapc,
the silkworm and the proroplasm.
Soapy had confidencein himself from the lowest button of hi'
vest uPward. He was shaven,and his coat was decent and his nflr
black, ready tied four'jn'hand had becn presentedto him by a ladr
missionary on Thanksgiving Day. If he could reach a rable in tht
resmurantunsusPected successwould be bjs. The portion of him thrt
would show above the table would raise no doubt in the waiter s
mind. A roastedmallard ducl<, thought Soapy,would be about tbc
71rl
a-with a bottle of Chablis, and chen Camembert,x demitasse
a cigar. One dollar for the cigar would be enough. The total
not be so high as to call forth any suPrememanifesletion of
from the caf€ management;and yet the meat would leave
6lled and happy for the journey to his winter refuge
But as Soapv set foot inside the restaumnt door the headwaiter's
fell upon his frayedtrousersand decadentshoes Strong and ready
tumed him about and conveyed him in silence and haste to
sidewalk and averted the isnoble fate of the menacedmailard.
Soapyturned offBroadway. It seemedthat his route to the coveted
was not to be an ePicureanone- Some orher way of entering
must be thoughc of-
At a cornerofsixth Avenueelectriclightsand cunninglydisplayed
behind plareglassmade a shopwindow consPicuous.SoaPytook
cobblesroneand dashedic through the glass.PeoPlecame running
rhe corner, 3 policeman in the lead. SoaPystood still, with
hands in his pocLets,and smiled xt the sight of brassbuttons
"'tl0here'sthe man chet done th2t7" inquired the ofiicer, excitedly
"Don't you 6gure out that I might have had something lo do
ith it?" said Soxpy,not without sarcasm,but friendly, as one greets
fortune.
The policemrn's mind refusedto acceptSoapyeven as a clue. Men
smashwindows do not remain to parleywith chelawt minions.
Thcy take to rheir h€els. The policeman saw a man halfway down
block n'nning to ca.ch a car. \Zith drawn club he joined in che
Pursuir.Soepy,with disgustin his heart,Ioafedalong,twice unsuc-
acssful.
On the opposite side df the street was a restaurantof flo grear
Its
Prctensions.Ic catered to large appetites and modest Purses-
crockery and atmospher€ were thick; irs soup and naPery chin. Into
ihis place Soapytook his accusiveshoesand telltale rrouserswithout
challenge. Ac a rable he sat and consumed beefsteak,flapjacks,
doughnuts and pie. And then ro the waiter he betrayedth€ fact that
thc minutest coin and himseif were srrangers.
"Now, get busy and call a cop," said Soapy. "And donl keep a
gcnrlcm.rnwai(inA
 TH! COI AND TH! ANTHIM/ O Hen4
"No cop for youse," said the waiter, wirh a voice like butrer cakc,
and an eye like the cherry in a Manharran cocktail. '.Hey, Conl.,
Neatly upon his left ear on the cailous pavement rwo waircrs
pitched Soapy.He arose joint by joint, as a carpenter,srule openr.
and beat rhe dusr from his clothes.Arrest seemedbur a rosy dreaff
lhc l.iand.eerred ren far awal A policrmrn r.ho.rood befu,c ,
drugstore two doors away laughed and walked down the streer.
Five blocks Soapy traveled belore his courage permitted him i(,
woo capture again This time the oppotunity presenredwhar l<
Iatuously termed to himself a .,cinch.,,A young r,,,omanof a modesr
and pleasingguise was srending before a show window gazing wirlr
sprightly inrerest at its display of shar.lngmugs and inksrands,anLl
two yards from rhe window a large policeman of severedemeanor
leanedagainsr a water plug.
It was Soapy'sdesign co assumethe fole of the despicablean(l
execrated"masher.,'The refned and eJegantappearance
and the contiguity ofrhe conscientiouscop encouragedhim ro belierc
thar he would soon feel the pleasantolicial ctutch upon his arm ther
vould ensurehis winter quarterson the right ijrrle, tighr lirrle islc
Soapy striightened the Jady missionary,sreadymade tie, dragged
his shrinking cuffs into the open, ser his har at a killing canr ancl
sidled tovard rhe young voman. He made er.esar her, {.as raker
with sudden coughs and ,'hems,,,smiled, smirked and *anr brazenli
r l - o u g h r h ei m p u d e nrrn d c o n r c m p . i bltr<r : n 1o l r h r ' m a , h c r . . V r . i ,
half an eye Soapysaw rhat the policeman was watching him fixedl1.
The youtrg woman moved anay a few sreps, and again bestorved her
absorbedartcntion Dpon rhe shaving mugs_Soapy followed, boldll
srepping to her side, raised his hat ano saro:
"Ah there, BedelialDon,r you wanr to come and plar in my yard?..
The policeman was srill looking. The persecuredyoung woman
had bur to beckon a finger and Soapvwould be pracricallyen rourc
for his insular haven. Already he irnagined he could feel rhe cozr.
srrmrh of rhe *"rron horre.Tne
loung som"n ir..d him:nJ
srrerching our a hend, caughr Soapl,scoar sleeve.
'Sure, Mike,"
she said, jo,vfuliv, ,,if rou,I blow me ro a pail oi
suds. I'd have spoke to you sooner.but the cop was warching.,,
llo
ri7ith the
loung woman playing the clinging i.q, to his oak Soapy
valked pzst rhe policeman overcomewirh gloom. Ue seemeddoomid
lo liberry.
Ar the nett corner he shook of his companion and ran. He halted
ln the districc where by night are found che lightest streers,hearts,
vowsand librerros.\flomen in furs and men in greatcoatsmovedgaily
In the winrrv air A sudden fear seized Soapy that some dreadftii
lnchantm€nr had rendered him immune ro arrest. The thought
brought e litde of panic upon it. end when he ."-e ,rpon a,rotle,
pliceman lounging grandly in front of a trensplendenrthearer he
Crughrcr rhr jmmcdirrc srraar' ot dlorde lv .ondurr...
rhe ddes.rlk Soxpy began to yell drunken gibberish ac the top
-On
ofhis harshvoice.He danced,howled, mved, and ocherwisedisturbed
thc welkin- The policeman twirled his club, turned his back to Soapy
tnd remarked to a citizen: .,,Tis one of them yale lads celebratin,
ofhis vicrirrt $c gooseegg th€y give to rhe Harrford College.Noisy; but no hifm.
Vc've instmctions to lave them be.,,
Disconsolare,Soapy ceasedhis unavailing racket. \folrld never ,r
pliceman iay hands on him? In his fancl the Island seemed an
unattainableArcadia. He butconed his thin coar against the chilling
wind.
In , cigar srofe he saw a nell-dressedman lighting ^ clgx ^t 2
rwinging lighr. His silk umbrella he had set by the door on entering.
&upy steppedinside, securedthe umbrella and saunteredoff with
It slowly The men at .he cigar light followed hastily.
"My umbrella," he said, srernly.
"On. is it?' sneeredSoapy.rdding insulr to petit larceny..,S7ell,
why don'r lou call e policemant I took ic. your umbrellat \Zhy donl
you call a cop? There stands one on rhe corner.,,
The umbrella owner slowed his sreps.Soxpy did likewise, with a
frcsenrmenrrh:t lLr.k woutd Lg".r .rn :g,in,r t-.im I he potj,emrr
lrx'kedrr rhe rso (uriou5L.
"Of course,"seid the umbrella man ..thar s-weLt, you know
how
rhcsc mist,rkesoccur-I-if
it's vour umbrella I hope you,l1 excuse
|nc-l fickcd it up dris rnoming in I rcsraunnt_If you recognize
rl irs loLrrs,$h!-l hol)c y,)Lr'll
721
THE COP ,{ND TH! ANTHIM/O. genr'
"Of courseit\ mine," said Soapy,vicioudy.
The ex-umbrella man retrert€d. The policeman huffied to assisr
a tall blonde in an opera cloak across the street in front of a streetcaf
that vras approaching two blocks away.
Soapy walked eastward through a screetdamaged by improvements.
He hurled the umbfella wrathfully into an excavation. He muttered
ageinst the men qrho wear helmets and carry clubs. Becausehe wanted
to fall into their clutches, they seemed to regard him as a king wbo
could do no wrong.
At length Soapy reached one of the avenues to the east where thc
glift€r and turmoil was but faint. He set his face down this towaftl
Madison Square,for the homing instinct surives even vhen the homc
is a park bench.
But on an unusually quiet corner Soapy came to a standrtill. Her.
was an old church, quainr and rambling and gabled. Through onc
violet-stained window a soft light glowed, where, no doubt, thc
organist loitered over the keys, making sure of his mastery of th.
coming Sabbath anthem. For there drifted out ao Soapy's ears swecr
music that caught and held him transfxed against the convolutions
of the iron fence.
The moon was above,lustrous and serene;vehiclesand pedestriani
were few; sparrowstwittered sleepilyin the erves for a little wbil<'
the scenemight have been a country churchyard-And the anrhcnr
that the organist phyed cemented Soapy to the iron fence, for hc
had known it well in the days x/hen his life coneined such rhings
as mothers and roses and ambitions and friends and immacuhrr
thoughts and collars.
The coAjunction of Soapy'sreceptivestaaeof mind and rhe iI
fluencesabout the old church wrought a suddenand wonderfuI chang.
in his soul He viewed with swift horror the pit into which he h:r,l
tumbled, the degradeddays,unworthy desires,ded hopes,wreckr,l
facuhiesand basemotivesrhar made up his existence.
And also in a moment his heart respondedthrillingly to this norcl
mood. An instantaneousand strong impulse moved him ro brrrl,
with his desperatefate. He would pull himsclf out of thc mirci lr
would make a man of himself again; he would conquer dre evil r I'ur
722
taken possession of him. There was time; he vrzs comparativelv
rg yet: he resurect his old eaget ambitions ;d p"r.";
-would
n withour fatering. Those solemn but sweet otgan notes had set
a revolurionin him. Tomorrow he would go-inro thc roaring
rtown district and find work. A fur importer had once oferel
a placeas driver. He would find him romorow and ask for the
ition. He would be somebodyin the world. He wodd_
Soapyfelt a hand laid on his arm. He looked quickly around into
: broad face of a policeman.
"What are yorl doin' here?',askedthe oficer.
"Nothin'," saidSoapy.
"Thm come along," said the policeman.
"Three months on rhe Island,', said rhe Magistrate in the police
urt the ne{t morning_
RRIAGEA TA UOOB
MANSFIELD/GNEAIERTAIN
'N HrS
vAy to the starion $trilliam remembered with a fresh pang
disappointment that he v,rasraking nothing down to the kiidiei.
lirrle chapslIt was hard lines on them_Their fint words alwavs
as they rin (o grecr him. "\rJflhrrha'e 16Lrt., for me. dadd1i..
hc had norhing. He would have to buy them some sweets at
station. But thar was what he had done for the pastfour Sarurdavs:
ir faccs had fallen last time when they saw the same old boxes
aE rr.
And Paddyhad said,"I had red ribbing on minebee-lorcl,,
And Johnny had said,,,ICsalwayspink on mine. I hete pink.,,
But what wrs Villiam to do2 The affairwasn'rso easilysettlccl.
72!
IIARRIAGII ,\ r-A MoDr/Kxiherine r4fsfeld
In the old days,of course,he would have raken a taxi of to a decenr
to)'shop and chosen rbem something in 6ve minutes. But nowadai's
they had Russien toys, French toys, Serbian toys toys from God
knows where. lt was over a year since Isabel had scrapped the old
donkeys and engines and so on because they were so "dreadfulll
sentimental" and "so eppallingly bad for the babies'senseof folm."
"It's so important," the new Isabelhad explained,"rhat they should
like rhe right things from the very beginning. It savesso much rimc
later on. Really,if the poor pets haveto spendtheir infant yearsstaring
at these horrors, one can imagine them growing up and asking ro
be taken to the Royal Academy."
And she spokeas though a visit to the Royal Academywas certai|
immediate death to any one. . .
"\Cell, I don't know," said 1Jfilliam slowly. "Vhen I was their
age I used to go to bed bugging an o1d rowel wirh a knot in it.'
The new lsabel looked ar him, her eyes narowed, her lips apan
"Dear Williaml l'm sure you didl" She laughed in the new wa1
Sweetsit would have to be, however,thought \(/illiam gloomilr'.
fishing in his pocket for change for the taxi'man. And he saw thc
kiddies handing the boxes round they v/ere awfully generouslitrle
chaps-while Isabel\ precious friends didn'r hesirate ro help them
Vbar ebout fruitl $Tilliam hovered before a stall jusr inside rhr
station. \(hxt about a melon each?rJTouldthey have to share rhar.
too? Or a pineapplefor Pad, and a melon forJohnny? Isabel'sfriends
could hardly go sneakingup to the nurseryar cbechildren'smeal-times
All the same,as he bought rhe melon William had a horible vision
of one of Isabel'syoung poets lapping up a slice, for some reason,
behind the nursery door.
\(ith his two very awkward parcelshe strode of to his train. Thc
platform was crowded,the train was in. Doors bangedopen and shur
There came such a loud hissiDgfrom rhe engine rhar peoplelooked
dazedas they scuried to and fro. \Xzilliam madc straight for a first class
smoker,stowed alray his suit,caseand parcels,and taking a huge wad
of papersout of his inner pocket, he flung down in the corner anrl
began to tead.
'7
24
"Our clienr moreoveris positive. . \Jfe are inclined to reconsider
, . . in the event of-" Ah, that nas betrer. \(/illirm pressedback his
frttened hair and srrerchedhi. legs a, ros rhe.arriage floor. Thc
&mi-tiardull gnr*ing in hi: breasrquiereneddoor ;\ i,h regard
lo our decision-" He took out a blue pencil and scoreda paragraph
llowty.
Tqro men came in, steppedacrosshim, and made for the farther
corner. A young fellow smrng his golf clubs into the rack and sar
down opposite. The train gave a gentle lurch, they were off $trilliam
glancedup and saw rhe hot, brighr stetion slipping away.A red-faced
Sirl raced along by the carriages,rhere was somerhing strained and
dmost desperatein the way she weved and called. ..Hyscerical l,'
lhought \Tilliam dully. Then a greasy,blaclcfaced workman at the
cnd of rhe placform grinned at rhe passing tr2in. And \I/illiam
thoughr, "A filchy life!" and wenr beck to his papers.
\7hen he looked up again rhere were fields, and beastssranding
_
for sheher under rhe dark rrees.A wide river, with nrked children
tPhshing in rhe shrllows, gJided into sight and was gone again.
The s\ shone pate, and one bird drifted high like a dark fleck in a
lcwel.
"r07ehaveexaminedour client's corespondence61es.. . .,, The last
&ntence he had read echoed in his mind. ,,\tr€ have examined . . .,'
Villiam hung on to rhat senrenc€,bur ir was no good; it snapped
In rhe middle, and the fields, rhe sky, the sailing bird, the water, all
ttid, "Isabel." The same thing happenedevery Saturday aftemoon.
Vhen he was on his way ro meet Isabelthere began those counrless
lrhaginarymeerings.Shewas ar the sration,srandingjust a liftle aparr
from everybodyelse; she was sirring in the open raxi ou$ide; she
wis ar rhe garden gate; walking acrossthe parchedgrass;at the door,
or jusr inside rhe hall.
And her clear,light voice said,,.Ir,sVilliam,,, or ,.Hillo, \7illiamt,,
or "So Villiam has come!" He couched her cool hand, her cool
(hcck.
'fhe
exquisite freshnessof Isabeli \(rhen he had been a little boy,
it was his delight to run into che garden after a shower of rain and
rhakc rhc rosebush over him. k,rbel was rhat rose,bush,pct soft,
MARRIAGE A L,{ MoDE / Kathcride Mansficld
sparkling and cool And be was still that little boy But there wrs
no ,unning into the g^rden now, no laughing and shaking The dull'
pe$istent gnawing in his breast started again. He drew up his legs'
tossedthe paPersaside,and shut his eyes
"What is it, Isabel?what is it?" he said rcnderly. They were in
theit bedroom in the new house.lsabelsat on a paiared stool beforc
the dressing-tablethat wes strewn with little black and green boxes
"\(hat is what, \irilliam?" And shebent forward, and her fine lighr
hait fell over her cheeks
"Ah, you knowl" He stood in the middle of the strange roonr
and he felt a stranger. At that Isabel wheeled round quickly and faccrl
him.
lvilieml" she cried imploringly, and she held uP rhe hrit'
"Oh,
brush: "Please!Pleasedon't be so dreadfullysru$' and-tragic' Youtc
alwayssaying or looking o! hinting that I've changet Just becausc
I've got to Lnow really congenial people, and go about morc' an(l
am frightfully keen on-on everything, you behave as thouglr
I'd-" Is^bel tossed back her hair and laughed "killed our love or
something. ICs so awfully absurd"-she bit her lip-"and it's so
maddening, !(jlliam. Even this new house and the servanrsyou
grudge me."
"Isabeil"
"Yes, yes,ith true in a way," said Isabel quicLly "You think thcl
are another bad sign. Oh, I know you do. I feel it," she said softlr-.
"every time you come uP the stairs.But we couldn't have gone on
Iiving in that other Poky little hole, Itrilliam Be Practical, at leasti
\(hy, there wasn't enough room for the babies even "
No, it was true. Every morning when he cameback from chambefs
it was to find the babieswith lsabelin the back drawing-room-The|
werc having rides on the leopard skin thrown over the sofa back
or they werc playing shops with Isab€l'sdesk for a counter, or Pa'i
was sifting on the hearthrug rowing away for dear life with a Iittlt
brassfire shovel,while Johnny sbot at Pirateswith the rongs Ever\
€vening th€y each had a pick'a_backuP the naffow stai6 ro their ftr
old Nanny.
Yes, he suPPosedit v/as a Poky litde house A little white hous(
726
blue cutains and a window box of perunias.\Tilliam met their
at thc door wirh "Seenour pecunirs:Prclr) rernhcfor London,
you thinkl'
But the imbecile thing, the absolutely extraordinarl' thing was rhat
hadn't rhe slightest idea rhat Isabel wasn\ as heppy as he. God,
blindness! He hadn't the remocestnotion in those davs thar
really hated rhat inconvenient little house, ther she rhouqht rhe
Nanny was ruining rhc babies.rh.rr.he was de,perarelyLonely.
ing for new peopleand new music and pictures and so on. If rhey
't gone to that
studio party at Moira Monison,s-if Moira
ison hadn't said as rhey were leaving,',I,m going to r€scueyour
s€lfsh man. She'slike an exquisitelittle Titania,'- if Isabelhadnl
rcith Moira ro Paris-if-if . . .
The train stopped at another station. Bettingford. Good heavensl
d be there in ren minutes. \(illiam stuffed the papersbeck inro
pmkers;the youngmanoppositehadlong sincedisappeared. Now
other rwo got out. The late afternoon sun shoneon women in
frocks and little sunburnt, barefoot children- It blazed on
rillcy yellow flower with coarse leaves which sprawled over a
of rock. The rir ruffiing rhrough thc wrndoe smclledof rhc
Had Isabel the same crowd with her this week-end. wondered
iaml
And he remembered the holidays they used to have, the four of
, with a litle farm gid, Rose, to look after the babies. Isabel
a jerseyand her hair in a plait; she looked abour fourreen.lordl
his nose used ro peell And the amount they are,and rhe amount
slept in rhar immense feather bed with their feet locked to-
.... \trilliam couldn\ help a grim smile as he thought of
horror if she knew the fulI extent of his scntimentality.
Llo, Villiam!" She was at the station after a]l, sranding just as
had imagined, apart from the others, and-Strilliam,s herrt
"Hallo, Isabcll"IJTilliamstarcd.He rhoushtshelookedsobeauriful
hc had to saysomething,"You look vcry cool.',
"Do I?" s:ridIs:rbcl."l <krn'tfccl very cool. Come along,your horrid
MARRIAGE A LA MODE / K,rheride Man$eld
old train is late. The taxi's outside." She put her band lightly on
his arm as they passedthe ticket collecrcr. "We've all come ro meet
you," she said. "But $re've left Bobby Kane at the sweet shop, to be
called for."
"Oh!" said rJ7illiem. It was rll he could say for the moment.
There in the glare waited the ta-\i, with Bill Hunt and Dennis
Green sprawling on one side, their hats tilted over their faces, vthile
on the och€r, Moira Morrison, in a bonnet like a huge strawberry,
jumped up and down.
"No ice! No icel No ic€!" she shouted gaily.
And Dennis chimed in from under his hat. "Ozl1 to bc had from
the fishmonger's-"
And Bill Hunt, emerging, added, "With uholz 6sh it tt."
"Oh, what a borel" wailed Isabel.And she exPlainedto William
how they had been chasing round the town for ice while she weited
for him. "Simply ev€rything is running down tbe steep clifs into
the sea,beginning with the butter "
"We shall have to anoint ourselveswith the butter," said Dennis.
"May thy head, \ViIIiam, lack not ointmen.-"
"Iook here," said Villiam, "how are we going to sir? l'd betre.
get up by the driver."
"No, Bobby Kane's by th€ driver," said Isabel. "You're to sir
between Moire and me." The taxi started."!(/hat have you gor in
rh^.. - r".i ^". -'..F1.)"
".
"De-cap-it-atedheadsl"saidBill Hunt, shudderingbeneatbhis hat
"Oh, fruitl" Isabelsoundedverypleased. "Wise lvillixm! A melo,,
and a pineapple.How too nice!"
"No, wait a bit," said\Filliam, smiling.But he reallywasanxious.
"I brought them down for the kiddies."
"Oh, my dear!"Isabellaughed,and slippedher hand througb his
arm."They'dbe rolling in agoniesif theywereto eartbem.No" sh
pattedhis hand "you mustbring themsomethingnext dme.I refus'
to pert with my pineapple."
"Cruel IsabellDo let me smellitl" saidMoirr. Sbeflung her arnrs
acrossr$filliamappealingly. "Ohl" The strawberrybonnetfell forwrr,l
shesoundedquite faint.
728
'A Ladyin Love
with a Pineappie,,,
saidDennis,as the taxi drew
before a little shop with a stdped blind. Out cameBobby Kane,
arms fulI of little packets.
"I do hope they'll begood. I've chosenthem becauseofthe colours.
are someround things which reallylook too divine.And jusr
at this nougat," he cried ecstatically,,.just look at icl ICs a perfect
ballet."
But at that moment the shopman appeared. ,,Oh, I forgot. The,r.,re
ne of them paid for," said Bobby, looking frightened. Isabel gave
shopmana notg and Bobbywasradiantagain.,,Hallo,rX/iltiaml
sitting by the driver-" And bareheaded,all in white. with his
he leaptinto his place..,Avantit,,
rolled up to rhe shoulders,
cried. . . .
After rea the orhers went of ro bache, while \(/illiam smyed and
e his peacewith the kiddies. But Johnny and paddy were asleep,
rosc-redglow had paled.bat: wcrc flying. and s(ill rhe br-rhci.
not reorned.As rJfilliamwandereddownstairs, chemaidcrossed
hal carryiry a lamp. He followedher inro the sittinq-room.It
a long room.,olouredycllow.On the oall oppo";riWillirrn
one had painted a young man, over life-size,with very wobbly
ofering a wide-eyeddaisyto a young woman who had one very
armandoneverylong.rhin one.Overrhechajrsand<ofirhere
st+s of blrck material, coveredwith big splasheslike broken
and werywhere one looked rhere s€emedto be an ash,trav
.W'illiam
of cigarette ends. sat down in one of the arm-chairs
, when one felt with one hand down the sides,ir wasn,t
come upon a sheep with chree legs or a cow that had lost one
or a very fer dove out of the Noah's Ark. One fished up yet
:r litde papet-coveredbook of smudgedJooLing poems.. . .
thought of rhe wad of papers in his pocket, but he was too
artd rired to read. The door was openi sounds cam€ from
kitchen. The servants wete ralking as if they were alone in the
Suddenly there came a loud scleech of laughrer and an equally
"Sh!" They had remembered him. Villiam gor up and wenr
gh rhe Frcnchwindowsinto the garden,and as he sroodthere
the shadow he heard the betherscoming up rhe sandyro2d; rheir
MARRL{GE A LA MODE / Katherine Mmsicld
voices rang through the quiet.
"I think it's up to Moire to use her little arts and v.'iles"
A tragic moan from Moira.
"\tre ought to have a gremophone for the week-ends that played
'The Maid of the Mounta.rns."'
"Oh nol Oh nol" cried Isabel'svoice. "ThaCs not fair to William.
Be nice to him, my childrenl He's only staying until tomorow
evening. "
"leave him to me," cried Bobby Kane. "I'm awfully good at
Iooking aftff people."
The gate swung open and shut. \Tilliam moved on the teracel
they had seen him. "Hallo, Villiaml" And Bobby Kane, flapping
his towel, began to leaP end Pirou€tte on the Parched lawn "Pitt
.$Cilliam.
you didn't come, The water wes divine. And q'e all wenr
to a little pub afcerwardsand had sloe gin-"
The others had rerched the house. "I say, Isabel," called Bobbv.
"would you like me to wear my Nijinslcy &es to'night?"
"No," said Isabel, "nobody's going to dress. ntre're all starving.
\Tilliarn's starving, too. Come along, mer amir, let's begin with sar-
dines."
"I've found the sardines,"said Moira, and she ran into the hall.
holding a box high in the air.
"A Lady with a Box of Sardrnes,"said Dennis gravely.
"rVell, william, and how's londonl" asked BiIl Hunr, drawing
the cork out of a bottle of whisl{'
"Oh, london's not much changed," answered\Villiam.
"Good old london," said Bobby, very herty, sPearing e sardine.
But a moment latet william was forgotten- Moira Moffison beg:n
wondering what colour one's iegs reaily were under water.
"Mine are the palest,pal€st mushroom colour."
Bill and Dennis ate enormously. And lsabel frlled glasses,an.l
changedplates,and found matches,smjling blissfully.At one momenr
she said, "I do wish, BiII, you'd painr it-"
"Pairt what?" said Bill loudly, stufing his mourh with bread.
"Us," said Isabel, "round the table. It would be so fascinatingin
twentl years'time."
730
Bill screwed up his eyes and chewed. ,.Lighis wrong,,, he said
rudely, "far too much yellow,,; and went on eating. And ihat seemed
to charm Isabel, too.
Bur aft€r supper they were all so tired they could do nothing but
yawn undl it was Jate enough co go ro bed. . . .
It wes nor until \Tilliam wxs wairing for his taxi rh€ oext aftefnoon
thet he found himselfalonewith tsabel.rifhen he brought his suit_case
down into the hall, lsabel left rhe others and went over to him. She
stooped down and picked up the suit cese...\rhat a weightl,,she
said, and she gave a lirtle awkward laugh .,let me caffy itt To the
gete."
"No, why shouldyou2,'saidv/illiam. ..Ofcoursenot. Giv€ it to me.,,
"Oh, pleasedo let me,,, seid Iszbel.,.I want to, really.,'They walked
togerher silently. rlTilliam felc thcre w?s norhing ro say now.
"There," said Isabel rriumphantly, setting rhe suit-casedown, and
she looked anxiously along rhe sandy road. .,I hardly seem to have
sren you rhis rime. shc.rid breathlc.sll."tr\.o shoft. i5n\ ir.,
I feel you vc only jusr come. Ne\r rime- . The fr\i (rme inro
sight. "I hoFe they look after you properly in Iondon. I,m so
lorry the btbies have been out all day, but Miss Neil had aranged
It. Thcy'll hatc mis<ingyou. Poor Vittirm. going ba.k ro London...
T}e taxi turned. "Goodbyet,,She gave him a tittle hr.rrriedkiss;
qTasgone.
hedgesstreamedby. They shook through the empty,
. ..Fijjs,.1ees,
blindJooking little rown, ground up the sre€ppull ro the station.
The rrainwar in. Villam mrde srrrighrro, .r fi,"r-hs",moker,
-
flung backinro rhe Lorner.bur rhi. rime he lrr rhc papcnalone.
He.foldcdhis armsagainsrrhe dull. per:i.renrgnawing.;nd began
m hrs mrnd to vrlre a leiter ro lsibel
THEposr waslate asusual_ They saroutsidethe housein long chai$
undcrcolouredparasols. Only BobbyKanelay on the turf at Isabel's
fcct. Ir was dull, sdlling; the dry droopedlike a 1lag.
-Do you rhink
therewill be Mondaysin Heaven?,, askedBobby
.
childishly.
7Jl
MARRIAGE A L,{ MODE/ KatherincMm56eld
And Dennis murmured, "Heaven will be one long Monday."
But Isabeicouldn't help wonderingwhar had happenedto thc
selmon they had for supper last night. She had meant to hxve fish
mayonnaise for lunch and now . .
Moira wasadeep.Sleepingwasher latest discovery."It's J, wonder
firl. One simply shutsone'seyes,thals all- I/s J, delicious."
rx/hen the old ruddy postman camebeating along tbe sandyroa<l
on his tricycle one felt the handlebarsought to have been oars.
Bill Hunt put down his book."Letters,"he saidcomplacently, an,l
they all waited.But, heard€ss postman-O malignantworld! Ther.
was only one, a fet one for Isabel-Nor even a paper.
"Ard mine's only ftom \cilliam," said Isabel moumfully-
"Irom \Tilliam-already?"
"He's sendingyou back your marriagelines a5 a gentle r.
minder."
"Does everybodyhavemaffiagelines?I thought they were onlr
for servants,"
"Pagesand pages!Look at her! A Lady readinga Lerter," sir,l
Dennis.
AI1 da ing, precioutIsabel,Pagesand pagesthere were. As Isxlx l
readon her feelingofastonishmentchangedro a sdfledfeeling.\Vhrl
on earth had induced $filliam. . . ? How extraordinaryit was. .
\fihat could havemadehim. . . ? Shefelt conFrsed, more and mor"
excired,even frightened.It was just Jike $trilliam. lVas ir? I( $'rr
absurd,ofcourse,it mustbeabsurd,ridiculous-"Ha, ha,ha!Ob dcr r"
'$0hat
v/assheto do? Isabelflung backin her chairand laugbedrrll
.hc ,ouldnt stopLughing.
"Do, do tell us," saidthe othefs."You must tell us."
"l'm longing to," gurgledIsabel.Shesat up, gatheredrbe lcit.l
and wavedit at th€m. "Grrher round," she said-"lisren, iCs r,',
marvellous.A love-Ietterl"
"A love letter! But how divinel" Da iltg, Prccioutltabel. Bnr Jt'
had hardlybegunbeforethetulaughterinteffuptedher.
''Co
on. Isabel.ir's perfecr.'
"Ir's the most marvellous 6nd."
"Oh, do go on, Isabel!"
Godforbid, n1 darliag, tbat I shaatdbea drag any* happiness.
"Oh! oh! oh!"
"Shl sh! shl"
And Isabel went on. Vhen she reached the end they were hysterical:
bby rolJcd on the turf and almost .obbed.
"You must let me have it jusr as it is, entire, for my new book,,,
Dennis fumly. "I shall give it a whole chapter.,,
"Oh. lsabel.'moanedN,toira,'rhat wonderfulbir about holding
in his ams!"
"I always thought those letters in divorce caseswere made up. But
ry pale b€fore this."
"kt me hold it. ler me read it, own selt" said Bobby
But, to rheir surprise,Isabel crush€d the lerter in her hand. She
laughing no longer. She glanced quickly at them all; she looked
"No, not iust now. Not just now,,,she sramm€red.
And before they could recover she had run inro the house, throush
: haII. up rhc srairsrnro her bedroom Down ,he sat on rhe
the bed."How vile, odious,abominable, "i-de
mlgar,,,muneredIsabel.
pressedher eyeswirh her knuckles and rocked to and fro. And
in shesawrhem,buc not four, morelike forty,laughing,sneering,
rng, sfferchingout thefuhandswhile she read them nri iam,s
ter. Oh, what e loathsome thing to have done. How could she
nt darling,tbat r $oatd tu a thag on
.don: _?./..f0rbid,.ry
bapPine$.
VlilL,^m! Isabelpressedher faceinto the pillow. But
felt that even the grave bedroom knew her for what she was,
ow, tinkling, vain. . . .
Presently from the garden below rhere came vorces.
"Isabel, we're all going for a bathe. Do comel,,
"Come, thou wife of \rilliamt,,
"Call her onc€ before you go, call once yetl,,
Isabel sat up. Now was the moment, now she must decide. \r7ould
go wirh them, ot stay here and write ro $trilliam. \(hich. which
ould it be?"I mtrst make up my mind.,,Oh, but how could there
any quescion?Of coLrrseshe would scayhere and write.
"Tiranial" pipcd Moira.
7t\
THE NIGHTINGAL!/ Mixim Gorq

"Isa-bel?"
:^if.
No, it was too drmcult. "I'I-I'll
\Tilliam later. Some other time. I?ter.
v'rite," thought lsabel hurriedly.
go with them, and write to
Not now. But I shall .efiAn4' ff{^;:';.ru;'.fiix,n';':T"r
l'tJl'i;;**I
hervoudy rwisring.hiscarefirJlynirn"med
srlgntty andreemedro rwitr h. The
french bcard,Ieanedforward
lad1.on thc orher hrnd, had scrrled
And, laughing in th€ new way, she ran dosrn the stairs. a8:rnst,rhe back of rhc bcn<h and .a,
there a, ,mmobile i! a jrrrue.
jl..lj"_.i1..-9lT'f his,ranc
withbo,hhends
rnd,.., h,,;bi;
on rhem,hun(hed him\clfrorward
r", "g
altsilenr..
Thesrcamer ";Jffi;';;':il::';
shuddercd
__llt :*" ,. i, .n"*d ;;;;;
fjll"r rhe
::-**:: beJow courd k h;J;-;;;ff;:;T
THE NIGHTINGALE rrampling of teer rnd peak of l;ughrer: and from rhe

rtl6#d
zJmosrsighins.ong. which sraciosr
,""T::,:::r1f-1
and againin att the noises,ti", r,""aSfJna.J-i"," every
,.:1.:.
;;;;:t
y,: of abrupt and incohplere sounds.
isn't it? . . . Shoutdn,t
we go downto our cabins,
ill.bfu
,' the {.:"n,
old man suggested, raising his
head.
In the meancime,floaring ftom iomewhere
ooru srlAMERwas proceedingon its way betweenKazarr a good way 06 ceme
J"u srrange.huslrywhisrling that resembled
" : yerrning.long-rc,rraincd
and Kozlovl<a. ,h r^_ some - ,, but
"^_^ small , __
f,from poweful, ;.;;;:;;,.il,l.
It was qui€t and fresh on the Volga- Evening was falling- A rne passengeisraised their heads. "nd
Iilac-colored mist was beginning to envelop the hilly bank of thc
manexcraimed
wi'lharaugh
river; the opposite bank of meadovland had becn flooded and pushc,l "i;L?l"i'.i::":::.i,'j
far back to the hodzon. ln pleces, green islets of submerged trecs iray end lisren,Papa.
-r,er's . rhc young lady suggcsted.
rose abo'e the water. The noise of the paddlessoundeddully in thc
here.andtneyha\eno obje(rion
damp, thick air heary wirh the fragnnce of fresh foliage. A bror<l ,i:
er,"t"Ilil- -":,.1t
he ar$wered, risirg. :.,1r
,.Burru be
band of foaming water stretched behind the steamer, and waves wet - .A e'f*, Af,-ffirg;i;
Bur. leavinghis )enrence
unfin;rred.rlJojd "man
sent rolling towards both banks. The sunset was burning do*l :^.j:l again.
down
aheadof the steamer,and night was catchingup in the rear.Here anrl The mghtingales ringrng, joyful, nerve_stiring
trill rang and liited
there in the darkening sL1 sta$ kindl€d faintly. t* notes rushed so fxt,
:::j.'nj-T: impetuo,,sli one aftet
A group of first-classpassengerson the promenade deck was murcrl ir s.eemed "o
thesonsster; il;;;;id;:';'j
ro a minor key under the influence ofthe melancholyevening,*'biclr ::ler:-:har
n: yinre,d sayin r,is song.Neroousii
was nascenr on the river. Therc were four passengersseated therc ..::"'"1^,:;:::r:g- :o
an old man, tall and stooping, wexing a soft, wide-brimmed hrt,
the brim of which overshadowedthe whole of his face, includinll f;i::#$"d'ff rhe
::i:::J:ilffi
fc,erish
p,";,",,
*.:",',Y;":',',*
the beard; beside him sat a young lady, wrapped closely in a gr:rr' l,:I: "..': ,;7,:,;;;;;?;J;il1#;:
",:H*.Tl1l
'::j",:l gll'ngphceroa mino,ncrody.
inrerrupted
shawl, staring dreamilyout ofher bJueeyesat the hilly, woodcd banlL
" *" .r.,".r.r;ig
T
i;;;;:,;;# l;j:[,T;
Nor far from rhem, on the samebench,satanotherpair-a dryJookirlt rps ar ll
his own song. "o,^a
".

734
7Jt ,
TH! NIGHTINGAIE / Mrxin Gorky
lverything on the steamer grew hushed Every noise, excePt for
the monotonous thud of the paddle wheels, had vanished somewhere.
The song poured out and ruled both the river and the Passengers,
who listened to it in silence. The young lady smiled drearnily; the
maffied lady's face lost something of its seriousnessand stricmess. The
old man sighed and said:
"There we have it, the playful and fantastic wisdom of nature! A
small, uselessbird is endowed with such a wealth of tone . , . but
the cow, though a useful animal, is capable only of uttering a single,
unpleisant mooing tone. Both in our life and in nature, men 6nd
rhe crude and ugly useful, whereas, what is beautiful and enjoy-
able . . . rouching to the soul . . . man finds useless."
"Don\ talk, Pape . . . I canl hearl" the daughterexclaimedmrtly
The father smiled skePticallyxnd growled again: "But you must
egree that, if cows sang like nightingales, it wouldn't be at all
bed, eh?"
"Do stop it, Pxpa!" the daughter imPlored
"All right . . . all right . . . I'Il keeP quiet! But he's stoPPed
too . . . that rhapsodist of love . Have you had your 6lll Srell.
shall we go down to the cabinsl"
"Ircs sit here a little looger. . " the married lady said slowlr
in e hushed voice.
The nightingale was still singing But now his song had grown
faint and dying. . . . The sunset had burned out- The waters of th(
Volga had grown dark and solidJooking- The moon was dimbingl
and the hilly bank cast dark shadows upon the calm surface. Tberc
was the glerm of a bonfire in the hollow of a hill, and the crimsorr
band of the re{lected fire sparkled and quivered on the river. It w.\
wonderfullyquiet....
The nightingele's song broke ofr . .
A SArroR APP!,{R!D on the Promenad€ decl
For a while he shuffed about on one sPot; then he removed hr\
leather cap,looled at the passengers thcnl
and rcsolutelyePProached
"You wouldn't like to hear the nighringale, would you?" llr
inquired rather awkwardly for some reason
'/)6
"What's thac?" rhe old man askedsqueamishlywith a wry expres-
sion.
"The nightingale, if you wishl . . Th€re's a boy here . . . who
whisrles like a regul2r nightingale . - - cod's rrutht,, the seilor ex-
plained, backing away from the old man's piercing scruriny.
"Bring him along. . . " che maffied lady said curtly. The man
beside her began to shift nervously on the bcnch.
"ls it necessary,Nina?" he demanded, frowning sourly.
The young lady scared at the seilor with wide,open eyes.
"Vould you wxnc me to bring him?" the sailor askedagain.
"Yes, of course.I rold you so," the lady snappedangtily.
"He'Il come by himselfl" the sailor clarified and then disappeared.
"The devil Lnows what this isl" the old man explained, raising
bis brovrs. "Some sort of a boy who whistles like a regulat night
ingale. . - . Ve heard him already, believing he was a real nightingale
and, listening ro him, one of us began philosophizing. . . . \What
awild fowll" And he shookhis headreproachfully,feelingembarrassed
by rhis wild fowl.
A boy of about fourteen appearedon deck.
He was wearing a jacket, narow trousers and, on his head, a new,
visored cap tipped slightly to one side. His freckled face, his rolling
gair, his thick, short fngers and his sun bleachedyeltow hair, pro-
daimed him to be a villager. He approached the group, removed his
visored cap, bor.ed, shook his headand, leaving it uncovered,silently
began to fidget with che visor as if trying to straighrcn it. . . . The
passengersalso scrutinized him in silence. There was a puzzled look
in the young lady's eyes.The boy's gray eyesswept boldly over their
faces. "Would you have me whistle?" he ask€d.
"rS7^\it you whisding just now like e nightingale?,,the old man
inquired.
"Yes, me. The barman had askedme ,,
"Is that all you do . . . whisrlel"
"Exactly so. . . - I board rhe steamerandtravel asfar asKazan. . . .
Then I do the recurn trip from KLz n. . ,,
"lwell, rhen let's hear you whisrle, plcasel"
"I don't want ro hcar ir," rhc y()ung hdy srid in a low voice.
TH! NIGHTINGAIE / Maxin GorkY
The boy looked et her, Puzzled.
"\trho tzught you this?" the married lady asked the boy in a bus\
contielto.
"rVhy,I myself ..Iwasaherdsboy . I comefrom hereabouts,"
he said, waving his hand vaguely towards the river bank, "from a
village . . . I'd be minding the herd and Jistening all dal. to 2ll sorrs
ofbirds. . . . So I began whistling to the birds myself . . . well, end
so I learned lktle by Jittle. . . . I can vthistle like a siskin. . . the
robin, too. . . . But that's not as rousing as the nightingxle. And
I\e become such a good hand at the nighdngale that I even txke
in the hunters. I'll sit in the bushesand let riP!Just like a red bird,
honestl" As he talked, the boy's face glowed with the proud aware
nessof his masteryand the vanity of an artist.
"When I became such a good hand at it," he went on, "there
were village folk who said; Just go on, Misha, don't stoP. Just go
on whistling. . . . You might pleasethe gentry who travel by steamer'
Maybe you'll get somewhere.' So offl went. - - Then I started riding
on these here steemers. . - . lt's not roo bad, I get on. At rimes they
give so much money, my eyes PoP. Money's cheaP to the Sentry-"
He btoke ofl realizing that he had said too much, and thm asked
bashfully: "STould you have me whistle now?"
A silence of sweral seconds ensued before the married lady com_
manded curtly: "\trhistle!"
The boy threw the ceP at his fcet, Put his 6nge$ to his mourh
and arched his throat. . . For some reason his face was smiling, but
he took some time to begin. First, he pullcd his fingers our of his
mouth, wiped his lips, snorted and made all kin& of grimaces-
At last the yearning, sighing whistling ftsounded apin. It rang
out and died away. And then suddenly the full lilting trill of I
nightingale's roulade rang out in the air. The young lady quivercd
and sighed sadly- . . . The maried lady smiled glumly and con
temptuously; her companion hunched himself and grimaced ner
vously; and the old man staredseriouslyand inrently at the boy's facc.
This latter had rurned very red and sq'ollen from the clforr; but his
dilated eyesremaineddull and inexpressiveand did not illumine hinr
in any way. The "nightingale" crackled,trillcd and, throbbing, stoppt'l
7.ill
for ao instanr and then renewedits singing, calling . . . and sighing
nostalgically.The imiaation was remarkablyexact.
"Papa,tell him . . . to stop,,,theyoung lady saidin a low voice.
She suddenlyrose and walked away,looking pal€ and vrith tcars in
her eyes.
"Enough!" the old mao said with a wave of his hand.
The "nighringale brokeofi his song.wiFredhis lipswirh his h.rnd,
pickedup rhe visoredcapand heldit out rowlrdsrhc old man.sh.rnd.
fhere was a rustling of paper- . . .
"My humble thanksi" the boy said, and quickly disappeared,de_
scendingsomewheredownscairs.The lady followed him with her eyes
and smiled ironically. Her companiongrowled somerhinqto himself
andraisedthc collarof his ovrrcoir. . . . The night deepened.gror ing
thicker and &rker. The water looked black now. The brnk; of th;
ivcr were lost in the shadow_ But the stars were rlready gleaming
n the slry and, es befole, rhe water churned monotonouslv benearh
paddle wheels of rhe veamer.
"An artist!" the old man exclaimed,changing his position. ,,An_
victim of the public. . . . Thzt,s how ic is-the public will
w anything that gives it ple$ure . . . rhe weight lifting of a
stroflg man and a virruoso playing the violin. And ir feels fut_
:lwhen i. observesthat a man is readyto do anything in order to
it its attmtion - . ." But appxrendythe othets were not listening
him, for nobody answered.
"But if.rhat sailot had not come,', he begen again after a pause,
'e would have remained convinced
that we had heard a bird iamed
the poe|s rather than a scrubby little vilage lad, a pretender.
r , . . vesl To learn thc rrurh is nor so grcar a pleasure. . when
rllusion is mo.r beauriful."
go," rhe ladysaid,rising.They all got up and went to their
."kt's
(IDrns.
"kna is probablyweepingby now . . shet sucha n€rvousgirl,,,
thc old.mrn added."But that's all right. . . . Graduallyshe"must
useoro rhe tllflrng,toolsh pranksof life. . . She.llfind ir eesier
to.dcal,with largerand more scriousissues. . Vh1 arc you rrcm-
, Sonye2 Is it tlrechill2,'
7t9
TH! LAUNCH /MAX AUb
"No, it's nothing. Don't worry," the lady rePliedsoftly Her
nenous comPanionglancedindifferently at her through his colorless
behind the
and ironically screwedup eyes.Then ihey all disaPPeared
cabindoor-
The moon, escending, casther refleccionsuPon the dark v'/atersi
and,gleamingfaindy,they quiveredon the vacillatingsurfaceof rhe
In the distancequivering Points of light appeared.
A feeling of sadnesshung over the drowsy river.
THE LAUNCH
hnx At^A.
TT
fap sao h. ra. born in Bermeo,bur rhe rruth w;< rh'r he cam'
from a little tovn acrossthe mouth of the Mundaca River, a settle
ment which was known bv no name, or by manl' names,v/hich i'
the same thing.
The beacheiand clifs of this areawere all that he knew of rhL
world. For him, the Machichaco, Potorroari and Uguerriz marke'l
Ultima Tbule; for him, Sollube was Olvmpus; Bermeo, Paris; an'l
the Atalaya mall, the Elysian Fields.The wide expanseof his world
his Sahara,was the Laida, and the end of bis world to the east s'es
the steep,flat-toPPed,reddish Ogono Beyond was Elanchoveand rh'
gentlemen of Lequeitio, in hell.
His mothet was the daughter of an overseerin an arms facrorr
in Guernica. His father lras a miner from Matamoros; be did not lir'
long. They called him El Chirto, perhapsbecrusc he was helf-crazt
.when he becameill he left the Franco-Belgianmines of Somofl)'
tro, and went to work in a srwmill factoly Thcrc, rmong tbc wo(!l
planing and doveailing machines,Errem6n Churrimendi grew up.
He was fond of the iittle steamboats,the tunny boats, the pretty
Iittle sardinefishing smacks;the fishing tackle: the trodines, the sieves,
rhe fish traps, the ners. The world was the sea,and the only iiving
beings were the hake, the eels,the seabass,and the tunny. And he
loved to catch moviog 6sh in the water with a deep fisherman,snet,
to 6sh for anchoviesand sardineswith a light, ot at dusk; and ro
catch the boniro and cuna wirh a spirning rackle.
But he no sooner put his feet in a boat than he becameseasick.
And rhere was nothing he could do rbout ic. He tried all the oficial
medicines,and all the recondite ones, and all advice, spoken and
whispered.
He followed the advice of Don pablo, of the dmgsrore; of Don
Sarurnio, of the Ciry Council; of Cindida, Don Timoteoh maid; of
the docror from Ztrnz, who was a n?rive of Bermeo. To no avail.
He had onlv to put one foot in a boat, and he becameseasick.
He tried a hundred straragems:he would get aboardon an empcy
sromach,or after a good breakfasr,sober,or drunk, or without having
slept; he even tried the magic cures of Sebasriana,che woman from
rhe edge oF town; he tried crosses,lemons, rhe righr foot, the left
foot, ar 7:00 a-m. on the dot, at low tide and at high tide, on the
right day of the week.
He wenr after Mass,after severrl,,O\rr larhers,,,and he tried pure
willpower and even in his sleephe heard: ,,I,ll never be seasickagrin,
I'll never be seasickagain. . . .', Buc norhing helped A" soon ^. he
pur his foot on a moving plank his insides turned tound and
round, he losr all senseof balance,and he was forced ro huddle in
thc corner of the boat ro keep out of the orhers,way, hoping to sray
unnoriced.
Hc spenr some terrible moments. Bur he was nor xmong those
who despair,and for many yetrs he repeatedlydared the adventure.
llccruse, narur;rlly, the people were laughing at him-not much,
but they were laughing ar him. He rook ro wine. \a/har else could
hc &)? Chacoli rvine is e rcmedy. Erram6n never married, the ider
tlcvcl even occurrcdr(, hi'n Who would m:rrry lrim? He was a
S r r x l r r , r n I i v c r v o n c : r , l r r r i rrrtcr rulr l. t c w x s n o t c v c ng u i l t y o f r n y

TH! LALnICH/ IGx Aub
thifig. But he got seasick. The sea made spoft of him, end with
out any right.
He slept in a cabin by the estuary'. Ir belonged to him. There was
a beautiful oal< there-if I say there uat, it's for a good reason. Ir
uds re lly ^ splendid tree, with a tall trunk and high bmrches. A
tre€ the likes of which thete ate not many. lt v,rashis tree, and eve4
day, every morning, every evening, on passing by, the man woul(l
touch ir as ifit were a horse'scroup or rhe side ofa beauriful woman
Somerimes he even spoke to it. It seened to him that the bark s'ns
warm and that the tree was grateful to him. The roughness of thc
tree pedectly matched the rough skin on the man's hand. There wxs
a perfect understanding between him and rhe tree.
Eftam6n was a m€thodical man. So long at rhere was variery il
his worl he did whatever he was asked,willingly and tidily. He wrs
asked to do a hundred odd chofesi to repair nets, to dig, ro hcl1,
in the sawmill, which had been his father's; to him ir was all t|c
same wherher he raised a thatch or celked, or eamed his few pcsctr,
by h+ing to bring in the 6sh. He nevef said no to anytbing. Eraman I
also sang, and sang well. He was grearly respectedin rhe ravern. O,r.
of his Basquesongs went something like rhis:
A tbe Barq e! ale dlihe.
A vre one.
And u.lJat'!the ndtter uiti tbat arre?
Thdt'r Bftanin.
A d h e \ L l e d t h er e .
One night Effam6n dreamedthat he was not seasick.He w.s ll()rc
in a litde boat, far out on the sea.He could s€ethe coasrlineclcrrill
in the distance.Only the red Ogofio shone like a fake sun whi,t,
was sinking in the middle of rhe eafth. Erram6n was happicr rl,."r
he had ever been in his life. He lay down in the boctom of rhc l!,rl
and began ro watch the clouds. He could feel the incessantroclirrl
motion of the sea.The clouds were flying swiftly by, pushcd hy ,r
wind which gteetedhim withour stopping; and rhe circling so 3rrlt
were shouting his welcome:
742
I
"Effam6n,Erram6nl"
And xgein:
"Eram6n, Erram6n!"
Tlre douds were like lace doves.Effam6n closedhis Ees. He wes
the wxrer and he $7asnor seasick.The wavesrockedhim in their
backand forth, backand fotth, up and down,in a sweer
ing motion. All his youth sras about his neck, and y€t, at thar
. Ertam6n had no memories.no orher desirethan ro continue
just as he was. He caressed the sidesof his boat.Suddenly
handsv,rerespealing to him. Eram6n taisedhis headin surprise.
was not mistakenlHis boar was madeof the wood of his oak
So shocking was rhe effect thar he woke up.
Frcm that moment on, Errem6n's life begzn to change completely.
cntered his head that if he made a boat out of his rre€ he would
again become seasick. ln order to prevent himsclf from com,
ing this fiime, he drank more chacoli than usual; bui he could
sleep.He turned over and over in his bed, houndedby the stars.
lisrenedto his dream-He tried to convincehimself of theabsurdicv
"If I've alwaysbecnseasick, I'll continuebeing seasick."
He turned over on his left side.
He gor up to look at his re, and caressed ir.
"Will I cnd by winning or losiag?"
But deepinsidc he knew he shouldnoc do it, that it would be
crime.ttras ir his tree'sfault thar he sot seasick?But Efiam6ncould
resist the temptarion for long. One morning he himseldaided
Ignxcio, the one from the sawmill, cut down the tree. Wh€n the
fell, Eram6n felr very sad and alone as if the most beloved
ber of his family had died. It vrashard for him now to recognize
cabin, it wx so lonely. Only with his back to it, facingthe estuary,
he feel easy.
Every afternoon h€ went to see how his tree was changinginro
boar. This tool phce on chc beach wherc his friend Sentiago,
thc boatwright,wasbuilding it. The whole rhing wxsmadeof the
trunk; thc kecl, the floor timbtrs, the frame,the srem,rhe be,rms,
74J )/
THE LAU\rCH / Max Aub

a spring wirh a thoLrsandholes.And the seaseemedto be sprouting

even rhe seersand rhe oars, and a mast, just in case.
branches.
And so it was that one August morning when the sea did n,r
Eram6n crossed himseli
s€em like one, it was so calm, Erram6n plowed ourward on it \{rill
He was never seenagain on che shoresof Biscay.Some said rhat
his new boat. It was a marvelousboat, it flew at the slighresrurgirrrl
he had been seenaround San Sebastiln,orhers that he was seenin
of the man; he dipped the oars gentlv, throwing back his shouldcr.
Bilbao. A sailor spoke of an enormous octopus which had been seen
before he slightly contracted his arms, which made the boat flt. |('r
abour rhar time. But no one could give any information abour him
the 6rct rime Erram6n felt drunk, ecstatic. He drew away from Ilr
with any certainry. The oak creebegan to grow again. The people
shrugged their shoulders.The rumor spreadthat he was in America.
He dipped the right oar a few times to make a turn, rhen rlrr
Tben, norhing.
orher in order to zigzag thtough the wate(. Then he &ew rhe oll
in and began to caressthe wood of his boat. Slowly, the boardss'crr
letting in a little water. Erram6n raisedhis hands rc his foreheadr,'
dampen it a litde. The silencewas absolute;not a cloud, not a brec^
nor even a seagul1. The land had disapp'ared,submerged.Errani,r'
put his hends on the gnnwale to caressit. Again he removed lrr'
THE \TREATH
L!C F F A N D E L L OT] A L Y
hands wet. He was a lirtle surpised: splasheson the wood had l()rl
since dried in the sun. He glancedover the inside of rhe boat: ll,rrrr
every Part water w2s slowly se€Pingin. On the botrom there r'u.
already a small puddle. Erram6n did not know whar to do. Ag,ril
z*/
he passedhis handsover the sidesofhis boat. There was no guesti,rr
abour it; the wood was gradualll lerring water in-
D*. c:"^ peusedbefore the entranceto che public gardenswhich
Erram6n looked around; a slight unexinesswas beginning to gn:r"
roseon a hill on rhe outskirrsofrown. He lingereda moment,looking
his stomach.He had himself helpedin calking the boat and was srrr,
et the rusric gate, an iron bar suspendedbetween columns. Two
rhar the $r'ork had been well done. He bent down to inspect tl,r
melancholycypresstreesloomed behind rhem, melancholydespitethe
sermsrthey $'ere dry. It was the wood that was letting the s'ate' rrr
lambler rosestwining in and out of their dark branches.A steeppath
wirhouc thinking, he raisedhis hand io his mouth- The vater \r.rl
lcd from the gate co rhe rop of rhe hill where a pergola stood our
lmong the trees.
Desperately,he began to rov/- But despite his frantic eliorts rlu
Enjoying the warmth of the eady sun, he waited lezily for his inertia
boat did not move. It seemedto him rhar his boat was caught am()rrli
to pass so rhat he could siroll in thar old desertedgarden. ln the
the branchesof a giant underwater tree, held as if in a hand llr
cool shadeof the northern slope of the hill rhe air was heavy with
rowed xs hard as he could, but the boat did not budge. And rr,,r
themingled fregranceof mint, sag€and vild plum; the birds twittered
he could seewith his own eyeshow the wood ofhis tree was exu< 111
inccsszntll in rhe nearby rrees,r'elcoming the return of spring_The
clean, fresh waterl
doccor gratefully breathed in rhe scenredair, then srarted slowly up
Erram6n fell to his kneesand beganto bail witb his hands,beclr'.,
the parh. New green bursting from ail the plants, whire burrerflies
he had no bucket.
lluttering over thc flo\,,'crbcds-.rll grvc a misty, dreamlike mrn ro
But the huil coflrinued to oozemore and more warer.It wes rlcx,l\

/ 11
114
TH! \!/R!AIH / Luigi PiEnd.Io
his unhappy thoughts. How beautiful it was, this peacefulgard.n
where few if any ever came to strolll
If it were only mine, he thought, and this yearning was echo(,l
by a prolonged sigh.
How many, Iike himself, had come here to walk and to sigh, li
ir w€re only mine? It is fate that whatever belongs to everyone ncrtr
belongs to anyone in particular. At every turn a sign was postc,l
DON'T T'(ALK ON THE lrO\IER BEDS. DON'T DdMAGE TI{E PLANIS
DoN'T prcK THErLowERs.You could take a look in pessing!OwD(l
ship m€ans "I" not "we," and only one person could say "l" hrrr
rhe gardener.ln a sense,he was the true proprietor and for tbis lr
was paid, given a hous€ to live in and allowed to pick the flow<rr
which belonged to everybodyand to no one, some of which he s,rl,i
for his own profrt.
The singing notes of one Fraicular bird, soaring high above tlr
others, suddenly reminded tbe doctor of a long-ago vacation he h,r,l
spent on a dairy farm lost among trees in open country nerr the s(r
He had been only a small boy, but bow he loved hunting! w|,,
could remember how many little birds he had shor and killed rlrrr
The everydaycaresand problems of his professior were ser asi,l,
for the moment, but not rhe facr thar he had rurned forty hjs llsl
birthday. For him, he thought, the berftr parr of life was over arr,l,
unfortunately, he could not say he had ever really enjoyed beinp
young. Th€re were so mary wonder{ul things in lifel It could bc s,
beautiful. A radiant morning like this made up for many sorr(^v\,
many disappointments.
An idea suddenly occuffed to him and he paused: Should lu
run back to the house for his young wife? They had been mrLrir.l
sevenmonths now, and he would have liked to sharethis encharrt
ing walk with her- But after a moment's indecision, he continrr.,l
slowly along the path. No. This enchantment must be for hirrl
alone.
His wife might have felt it, had she come here ro walk by hcrsclt
ind without his having suggestedit. Together, the charm wouicl lu
lost. Even now, as he thoughr about it, some of the radiancelrr,l
faded. A bitter tasre of sotrow, vaguely sensed before, rose in his
throat-
He could not reproach his wife for anything, poor dear; certainly
she was nor ro blamefor rhegrr) hair ar his remplesrnd srrcaking
his bcard. She wx all goodness. But she $r'asonly twenty-two, eighreen
yearsyounger than h€. He hoped the afecdonate reqard she had shown
for him during rheir bnrt engigemenrwould nart,,.rtty rurn ro love
once rhey were maffied and she rcalized how much he loved her_like
a young men despite his gray head. She was the fustj he had nev€r
Ioved another woman.
Idle dreams! Iove, real love, he had never been able to awaken
in his wife-and never would, perhaps. She smiled when he appeared
and she showedrn many rhoughrtul lirrlc $,rys rhar (hc lik;j him.
but rhis was not love.
His pain mighr have been less poignant were ir not zggravated
by an incident in his wife,s life which he was unable to trear with
the samegentle indi gencehe usually showed for most other thinss.
\vt/ith,ll rhc fervor of her cighreenycers,.he had fillen in Iove
with a young studencwho hrd died of qiphus. He knew this because
he had been the doctor called to the boy's bedside.And he also knew
tbat she had almost lost her mind, lockinq herself in her room in
the dark. refusing ro cre rnyone ,nd nevei leaving rhc house. She
even wanted to become a nun. Everybody at the cime talked of
nothing else but the sad fate of those two young lovers parted by
death.The boy had beenpopular for his easywir and charming, poiire
rnanner,vrhile she who wept unconsolablyafter him was considered
one of rhe most beautiful girls in the town.
A year passedbefore her family was able to persuzde her to arend
r few garherings. Everyone was moved by her demeanor, her sad
cxpressionand sofr smile-especially the men. To be loved by her,
to rouse her from her obsessiveloss, to restore her to life. to vouth.
[rcamc the dream,rhe ambirionof 2ll of rhem.
But sheclung ro her mourning. Malicious rumors beganro circulate
thrr. tor all her modestyand humilirl. ,he mu,, ,rke, cenain pride
in her grief, reelizing rhe love and admiration it inspired But this
w,rsidle t,rlk, prompted by jcrkrusl,and resencment.Thac her feelines
/4/
THE \{REATH lji8 P'tuniellu
were genuine was proven when, within a few months, she refused
four or five offers of maffiage from cbe more eligible young men
But trvo yearsafter the tragedy, by which time no one dared present
himself becauseof the certainty of being refused,Dr. FrancescoCimr
proposedand was immediateiy accePted.
After the first surpdse, however, everyone rried to exPlain his
victory: she had said yes becausethe doctor was no longer young.
and no one would imagine thet she had married him for love, true
love; she had saidyesbecause,as r radonal man, he would not expecr
to be loved like a young rnan and *'ould be satisfied if she accorded
hrm afection, devoted respectand gratitude.
He soon found out how true this was, and it hurt. He had to
check himself constantly to keep from blurting ouc some remark
which mighi betral his suffering. It was tofture to feel young and
not to be able to expresshis passionfor fear of losing her esteem.
He had been young for only one woman: his old mother, who
had died three yearsbefore. Sh€ {ould have sharedhis joy in this
beautiful morning, and he would have run to ger her *'irhout giving
it a secondthought. Tbat blessedold womanl He *'ould have found
her huddled in a corner,rosaryin hand, pmying for all the sick under
his care. Dr. Cima smiled wistfully, shaking his bead as he climbed
the path up the hill In praying for his patients,his saintly old mother
had shown little confidencein him or his training.Jokingly he accused
her of rhis once end she was quick to reply thac she was not praying
for his parients at rll but was simply asking God to help him care
for rhem!
"So you think that wirhour God's help . . ." he began, but she
did not let him linish.
"\(rhat are you saying?\(re need God's help always,my sonl"
And so she prayed from morning until night. He alnosr vTished
he had had fewer patients, so as not to dre her so much. His smile
returned. Remembering his morher, his thougbts resumed the ain'
unreaiity of a dream, and the enchantment of the da! was restored.
Suddenlyhis train of thought was inerrupted by the ncw gardener.
weeding up above in a grassyp1ot.
"I'm h€re, Srjrrl Dattare.H^\e you been iooking for me long?"
71u
"I? No, really . . ."
"It's ready-ready and waiting ever since eighr o'clock," the gar-
dener said, stepping forward, cap in hand, his forehead pearled with
sweat."lf you want to se€it, n's right here in the pagoda.\(e can
8o there now."
"See vhat2" askedthe doctor, halting. "I don't know . . ."
"But, Signor Doctor-the wr€athl"
'Wredhl'
The gardenerlooked at him, equally astonished.
"Excuse mg bur isnt today the lvelfthl"
"Yes. \Zhat of it?"
riYou sent your maid day before yesterdayco order a wreath for
today. Remember?"
"I? For rhe twelfth2 Ah, yes, y€s," said the doctor, pretending to
remember."l . . . yes, I senr the maid, of course."
"Violets and roses,don't vou remember?"the gardenersaid,smiling
& the doctor's absentmindedness. "Iis been ready since eight this
morning, Come and s€e it."
Forcunatelyrhe gxrdener walked ahead,so he was unaq,areof rhe
sudden change in FrancescoCima's face as he followed along mechan
ically, dazedand distressed.
A wrearh? His wife must bave secredy ordered x wrearh- The
twelfth, of course-the anniversarvof that boy's death. Still such
grieving, afcer rhrce yerrs? She wented to send a wreerh in secrec,
cvm now rhar she was married to himl She who was so timid, so
modest,?nd yet so bold! So she still loved thar boyl 'X/ould she cary
his memory in her heart for life? \(rhy had she ever married him?
Vhy, ifher heaft belongedto that deadboy and alwayswould? \ff/hy?
Vhy? $7hy2
He raged inn'ardly as he walked along. He wanted to seerhe *-reeth,
yes, see it $'irh his own eyes before he was willing to believe his
wife capableof such deception, such treachery.
When he saw it on an iron table propped against rhe wall, it
sccmed as though ic were intended for him and he stood there a
long, long timc gazing rt it.
The gnrdencr,io his own w.ry,mistookhis silencefot xdmintion.
TH! \X/Rn,{rH / rulgi Pinndcllo
"Beautiful, huh? All fresh roses and violets, you know, picked at
dawn. A hundred lire, Doctor. Do you know how much work ir
is to put all those little violets rogethff one by one? And the roses.
They're scarcein winter and as soon as the seasoncomes on everybodl
wants them. A hundred lire is very liftle. It's really worth ar lean
another twenqr."
The doctor tried to speak, but he had no voice lefr. His lips part€d
in a pitiful smile and firrally he managed to get out, "I'll pay you
for it. A hundred lire-too litde. Roses and violets, yes. Here arc
"Thank you, Signor Doctor," said rhe gardener,quickly taking thc
mofley. "I rhink it's well worth it."
"Keep it here," the doctor said, putting his wallet back into hir
pocket. "If the meid comes, don'r give it to her. I will return for
it mysell"
He went out of the pagoda and down the winding path. As soon
as he w?s alone and unseen,he stopped and clenchedhis nsrs, hj\
face twisting into a sobbing laugh. "And I'm the one who paid for
irl"
Vhat should he do now? Take his wife back to her farher's hous.
wirhout, of course,saying anything ro hurt her? That war whar sh(
deserved.kt her go off and cry for that dead boy at a distance withour
playing unfairly with the herrt of an bonesr man whom it was hcr
duty to respect,if nothing else.Neirher love nor respect?She refuse(l
the younger men and accepred him because to her he sermed okl,
and she v/as sure he would not dream of claiming her love. V/irlr
that gtlzzled beard, he would shut an eye, even both eyes, on hcr
cofisuming sorrow. An old man couldn't object to anyrhing. So shc
had planned to senda wrearh on th€ sly. Now thar she was marrietl,
at least she had not thought it firting ro go hefself. Yet, howevcl
old het husband might be in her eyes,this wx carrying things coo
far. Shehad sent the maid to order the wreath in proofofher undying
love, a-ndthe maid would thqn have taken it co che boy's tomb.
How unjust the deeth of that boy had beent Had he lived, hrJ
he grown to be a man and becomefamiliar with all the lirrle deceil\
of life and had married his dear, loving girl, she would soon havc
750
discovered thar it is one thing to male love from a window at €ighteen
xnd quite another to fac€ stern, evcryday realities when the 6rst ardor
cools and the tedium of daily living lerds to quarreis. Thacs erhen
a young husband grows bored and 6rst considersbeing unfaithful
to his wife. Ah, if only she had known such an experiencewith that
young man, rhen. perhrps. rhis "old one . . .
He clenched his hands so hard ihzt the nails dug into his palms.
Iooking down at his whitc, trembling hands, he got hold qf himself.
The 6rst shock had passed.He stood there staringt then, seeing a
bench not far ofi he went over stimy and sat down.
After all, wasn't this "old" man proposing to act like any young
blood make a sc€ne, crezte a situation? And all those who had so
readily pieced together her reasons for acc€pting him would then
excleim, "For shemel r,X/hat on earth for? A wreath of flowers? \rhy
not? She always senr a wrerth to rhe cemetery on the twelfth, but
the new gardener didn't know thzt- This yeff too she remembered,
naturally, becxuse the doctor has not b€en able to make het forgef.
It was wrong of her, no doubr, but one cannot reesonwirh cheheart,
And after all the boy is deadl"
That is about what it would amount to.
Then whar should he do? Let ir go? Pretend to know norhing
about it? Go back to the gardener and tell him ro gire rhe wr€arh
to the maid, the wreath Cima had intended to keep th€re to confront
her wirhz
No. Nor that. He would then have to ger his money back from
the mrn and rake him inro his confidenc<.
Vell, what then? Go back to th€ house and demand us€less
explanarions?Face his wife with her poor subterfuge?Punish her?
How contemptible all that wes! How distasteful!
Ir was sedous,xnd ir wenc deep-serious becauseof the ridicule
it would causewere his wife's true feelings for him to become known.
He must control himselfand realizethat it did no good to fe€l young
as long as everyoneconsideredyou meture, almost oo the shell A
very young man might have made r scene,bur at his age he must
win his wife's rcspccrrnother way.
Hc got up, perfcctty crlm now, yct wirh a Ieeling of lisdessness-
711
THE WRIATI] / I-trigi Pnxndello
The birds continued to rwitter gaily in rhe garden, but where was
the enchantmencof a moment ago?
FrancescoCima walked out of the garden and srarftd home. rJFben
he cameto his own front door his calm r,anished.Suddenlybreathless,
he wondered how he had ever managed rhe sreps on such shaky legs.
Th€ idea of seeing his wife again now . . . She musr be feeling sadder
than usual today, but she would probably know hov to concealher
soffow. He loved her-oh, how he lor.edherl And deepwithin himself
he knew thar she deservedto be loved becauseshe wx good, just
as good as rhe perflction of her delicate fetrures showed her to be,
and the depth of het velvety black eyes, the pallor of her lovely face.
The maid opened the door. The sight of ber disconcertedhim.
for the old woman was in on rhe secrer,a sort of accomplice.She
had seffed his wife's parents for manv years and v,rasnow devoced
to her, so it was likely she would not talk. And certainly she would
not be able to assess, nor even ro underscand,what he was aborir
to do. In any cese,she was an oursidet.He wanted this to be a secret
berweenhis wife and himself
He went straighr ro her room and found her combing her bair
before the mirror Between her raised arms he caught sight of her
face, rellecting a look of surprise ro seehim home ar this hour.
"I came back," he said,"to invire you ro com€ our with me."
"Now7" she asked, turning around without lowering her arms,
smiling faindy, with thxr lovely massof soft black hair piled loosely
on her head-
Her pale smile upsethim almost to the point of tears.He imagined
it held a profound pity for him, for his lor.e of her, as well as her
own sofrow'
"Yes, now," he replied."It is so beautiful out,of,doors.Hurry. We'll
go to the little garden,then farrher on, into tbe country. rx/e'll rake
^ c rriage."
"Vhy?" she askedalmost unconsciously..'Why coday?',
At that question,he fearedhis expressionwould surelybetrayhim.
It was alreadya srruggle to keep his voice calm.
"\(ouldn't you Iike to go today?" he said. "It vdll do you good.
Hurryl I want you ro come wicb me." He went ro the door and
772
tumed. 'l'11 wait for you in rhe oflic€."
In a shorc time she was ready. lor that matter, she always did as
he x.ished except where her heart was concerned, lnd there h€ had
lro power. She had put up thec timid oPPosition: IfhJ tuda!? Yet
wen roday, despite the sadnessshe must be feeling, she had obeyed
him and was readv to go for a ride in the countr), wherever h€ wished
They went out 2nd walked awhile rhrough the small town; rhen
he hired a carriageand orderedthe driver to stoP at the little garden
He vrenr up alone, Aking his wife gendy to wait for him there a
Dismayed when she saw him coming down rhe Path followed
by rhe gardenerwich the wreeth, she almost fainred But he encour'
aged her with a look.
"To the cemet€ry!"he said to rhe driver, jumPing into the carriage.
As soon as thq. started ofi she bursr into teats xnd covered her
hce wich her handkerchief.
"Don'r crl," he said softly. "I didnl wanr to sPerk about it at
home, and I don't want to sxy anything now. Pleasedon't cry lr
crne about by accident. I had gone for a *alk in lhe garden and
the ge(dener,thinking I had otdeted the wreath, mentioned it. Don't
cry anymore. 'We will go znd leel'e it there together'"
She kept her eyes hidden in the handkerchief until che carriage
came to r stoP at the gate of the cemetery.
He helped her down, rhen Picked uP the wrearh and sralked in
with her.
"Comc," he said, taking che first Pach to the left and looking rt
the graves,one by one, along che row
It was the next to the last grave along thac Path. He took off his
her to Iay rhe wrearh ar lhe foot of the grave, rhen stepped back
quierly and wirhdrew to give her cime to say2 Praler' But she sByed
there, silent, with the handkerchiefstill Pressedro her eyes.She had
nor a rhoughc, not a tear, for the dead boy. As though lost, she
suddenly rurned and looked at her husbafld as shq had neve! looked
at him before.
"Forgive mel Forgive me, FrancescolTake me home," she cried,
clinging co his xrm.

THE EIGHTY-
YARD RUN
C"^U[*,
Hr p,{ss was high and wide and he jumped for it, feeling it slap
flatly against his hands, as he shooL his hips to throw of the halJback
who was diving at him. The center noatedby, his handsdesperatelr
brushing Darling's knee as Darling picked his feet up high and
delicately ran over a blocker and an opposing linesman in a jurnbic
on the ground nerr the scrimmageline. He had ten yardsin the cler
and picked up speed,brearhing easily,feeling his thigh pads rising
and falling against his legs, listening co the sound of clearsbehind
him, pulling awayfrom them, wa.ching the orher backsheadinghim
of toward the sideline,the whole picture, rbe men closingin on him.
the blockers fighting for posicion, rbe ground he had ro cross,all
suddenlyclearin his head,for the 6rst rime in his life nor a msanine
le". confu.ion of mcn. .ounds.spccd.He smiled a lirrle to him.el.
as he ran, holding the ball lightly in front ofhim with his two hands.
his kneespumping high, his hips twisring in the almost girlish run
of a back in a broken field. The 6rst halfback came ar him and he
fed him his leg, then swung at the lasr moment, rook the shock of
the man's shoulder without brerking stride, ran right through him,
his cleats biting secur€ly into rhe turf. There was only the safety man
now, coming waril). ar him, his arms crooked,hands spread.Darling
tucked the ball in, spurtedat him, driving hard,hurling himselfalong.
his legs pounding, kneeshigh, atl two hundred pounds bunched inro
controlled attack. He was sur€ be was going m get past the safeq.
man. \tri.hout thoughr, his arms and legs working beaurifully to
gerher, he headedright for rbe safetyman, sti$armed him, feelinq
754
blood spurt instantaneouslyfrom chemant noseonto his hand. seeinq
his facego awry.herd rurned.rnourh pulled ro onc.ide. He pivoced
away, keeping the arm locked, dropping the sefety man as he ran
casily toward the goal line, with rh€ drumming of ciears diminishing
behind him.
How long ago2 It was autumn then, and rhe ground was gefting
hard becausethe nighcs were cold and leaves from the maples around
the stadium blew across the practice 6elds in gusts of wind, and the
girls were beginning ro pur polo coats over their sweaters srhen rhey
came ro watch pracdce in the afternoons. . . . Iifteen years. Darling
walked slowly over the same ground in th€ spring twilighr, in his
ncat shoes,a man of thirty-6ve dressedin a doubie-breasred suit, ten
pounds heavi€r in rhe ffteen years,but not fat, with the yearsbetween
r92t zrjd, 1940 showing in his face.
The coachwas smiling quierly to himself and rhe assisrantcoaches
were looking at each other with ple2surethe way they always did
when one ofthe secondstringerssuddenlydid somerhing 6ne, bring-
ing credit ro them, making th€ir $2,000a yeera tiny bit more secure.
Da-rling rrotted back, smiling, breathing deeply but easiiy,feeling
wonderful, not tired, chough this was rhe rail end of practice and
he'd run eighty yards.The sweat poured off his face and soaled his
jerseyand he liked the feeling, rhe warm moisrnesslubriceting his
skin like oil. Off in a comer of che 6eld some players were puncing
end the smack of leather againsr rh€ ball came pleasantlyrhrough
tbe afternoon air. The freshmen were running signals on rhe next
field and chequarterbackt sharp voice, the pound of the elevenpairs
of cleats, the "Dig, now dig/" of rhe co?ches, the hughter oflthe
playcrs all somehos/ made him fcel happy as he trotted b3ck to
midfeld, liscening to the applauseand shouts of rhe students along
rhe sidelines,knowing thet afrer thar run rhe coach would have to
strrt him SaturdayagainscIllinois.
Fifteen y€ars,Darling rhoughr, rememberingthe shower after the
workout, the hor water steamingof his skin and the deep soapsuds
and all rhe young voicessinging wich rhe water streamingdown and
towels going end manxgcrsrunning in and our and the sharp sweer
smcll of oil of winrcgrecn rncl cvcrvbodyclapping him on rhe bnck
751
T}1E IIGHTY-YARD RUN /INin Shiw
as he dressedand Packard, the captain, who took being caprain very
seriously, coming over to him and sheking his hand and saying,
"Darling, vou're going to go placesin rhe next two yerrs."
The assistant manager Iussed over him, wiping a cut on his leg
with alcohol and iodine, rhe lirtle sdng making him realizesuddenl,v
how fresh and whole and solid his body felt. The manager slapped
a piece of adhesive tape over the cut, and Darling noticed the sharp
clean white of the tape against the ruddiness of the skin, fresh from
lhe shower.
. He dressedslowly, the softnessof his shift and the sofr warmth
of his $/oo1 socks and his flannel rrousersa reward against his skin
after the harsh pressureof th€ shoulder hardessand thigh and hip
pads. He drank three glassesof cold water, the liquid reaching doxrn
coldly inside of him, soorhing the harsh dry placesin his rhroat and
belly left by rhe sweat and running and shouring of pracrice.
Fifteen years.
The sun had gone down and rhe sky sras green behhd the stadium
and he laughed quietly to himself as he looked a. rhe stadium,rearing
above the tr€es,and knew that on Sacurdaywhen the 70,000voices
roared as the ream came running out onto the 6eld, part of thac
cnormoL' s,tlurewould be Ior him
He valked slowly, listening to the gravel crunch satisfactoriil
under his shoesin the still twilight, feeling his ciothes swing light\.
egainst his skin, brearhing the rhifl evening air, feeling the wind
mov€ softly in his damp hair, wonderfully cool behind iris earsand
at the nape of his neck.
Louise was waiting for him at the road, in her car. The top was
down and he noriced all over again, as he alwaysdid when he saw
her, how pretty shewas, the rough blonde hair and rhe targe,inquir,
ing eyesand the bright mouth, smiling now.
She threw the door open. "rJ0ereyou good today?" she asked.
"Pretty good," he said. He climbed in, sank luxuriously into the
soft leether, stretched his legs far out. He smiled, thinking of rhe
eighty yards. "Pretty damn good."
Shelooked at him seriouslyfor a momenr, then scrambledaround,
like a little girl, kneeling on the searnext to him, grabbedhim. heL
hands along his ears,and kissedhim as he sprawled,head back, on
the seat cushion. She let go of him, buc kept her head close to his,
over his. Darling reached up slowly and rubbed the back of his hand
against her cheek, lit sofdy by a street lamp a hundted feet away.
They looked at each other, smiling
Louise drove down to thc lake and they sat rhere silendy, watching
the moon rise behind the hills on the other side. Finally he reached
over, pulled her genrly to him, Lissed her. Her lips grew soft, her
body sank inro his, rears formed slowlv in her eyes.He knew, for
the first dme, rhrt he could do whatever he wanted with her.
"Tonight," he said. "I'11 call for )rou at seven'thirty.Can you get
She looked at him. She was smiling, bur the tears were srill full
in her eyes."AlI right," shesaid."I'll get out. How about you? \fon't
the coach raise hellz"
Derling grinned. "I got the coach in the palm of my hand," he
said. "Cao you wzit rill seven,thirry?"
She grinned back at him. "No," she said.
They kissedand she started the car and they went back to town
fot dinner. He sang on the way home.
Christian Darling, rhirry-fiveyearsold, sar on the frail spring grass,
greener nov/ than it ever would be again on the practice field, looked
rhoughtfully up at rhe stadium, a desertedruin in the twilighr. He
had started on the fust team that Sarurday and every Saturday after
that for the next two )ears, but it had never been as satisfactoryas
it should have been.He never had broken away,the longest run he,d
ever made was thirty-five ya(ds, and that in 2 geme that was already
won, and then that kid had come up from rhe rhird ream, Diederich,
a blank-faced German kid from rVisconsin, who ran like a bull, ripping
lines ro piecesSarurdayafter Sarurday,plowing through, nevergerting
hurt. never ,hanging hi. expre:'ion.scorrngmore poinr.. gaining
more ground rhan 2ll rhe rest of the ream pur togerher, making
everybody'sAll'American, caffying the ball three times our oI four,
keeping everybody else our of the headlines.Darling was a good
blocker rnd he spcnt his Saturday afrernoonsworking on the big
Swedesand Polackswho playcd rrcklc and cnd for Michigan. Illinois,
717
THn UGHTY YARD RUN/ lmin Shrw
Purdue, burling into huge pile-ups,bobbing his head wildly to eludc
the great raw hands swinging like meat-cleavers at him as he wenr
charging in to open up holes for Diederich coming through like l
locomotive behind him. Still, it wasn't so bad. Everybody)iked hnl
and he did his job and he was pointed out on the campusand bots
alwaysfelr impoftant when they inrroducedtheir girls to him ar rheil
proms, and Louiseloved him and watchedhim faithfully in thegamcs.
even in the mud, when your olrn mother wouldn't know you, enrl
drove him around in her car keeping the top down becauseshe wrrs
proud of him and wanted to show everybodythat she v/as Christirn
Darling's girl. She bought him crazy presents becauseher father wrs
rich, watches, pipes, humidors, an icebox for beer for his room.
curtains, wallers,a lifty-dollar dictionary.
"You'll spend every cent your old man owns," DarJing protestt,l
once when she showed up ar his rooms with seven diferent packagcs
in her arms and tossedthem onto the couch.
"Kiss me," Louise said, "and shut up."
"Do you want to brcek your poor old man?"
"I don't mind. I want to buy you presents."
,.rvhy?',
"It makes me feel good- Kiss me. I don't know why. Did yoLr
know that you're an important figurc?"
"Yes," Darling said gravely.
"$rhen I was wairing for you at the library yesterdaytwo girls
savryou coming and one of them said to the other, 'Thatt Christial
Darling. He's an important figure."'
"You're a liar."
"I'm in love with an important figure."
"Still, why the hell did you have to give me a forty pound dic
tion ryl "
"I wanted to make sure," Inuise said, "thaa you had a token ol
my esteem,I want to smother you in tokens of my esteem-"
Fifteen years ago.
They'd married when they got out of college.There'd been othcr
women for him, but all casualand secret,more for curiosityt sakr.
and vanity, women wbo'd thrown rhemselvesar him and llarrerc(l
7t8
him, a pretty mother at a summer camp for boys, an old girl from
his home town who'd suddenly blossomedinto a coquette, a friend
of Iouise's who had dogged him grimly for six mooths end had taken
advantageof the two weeksth?t Louisewent home when her mother
died. PerhepsLouise had known, but she'd kept quiet, loving him
completely, filling his rooms with presenrs,religiously watching him
battling with rhe big Swedes and Polacks on rh€ line of scrimmage
on Saturdayafternoons,making plans for maryiflg him and living
with him in New York and going with him there to the night clubs,
the rheaters,lhe good restaurants,being ptoud of him in advance,
tall, white-teethed,smiling,large, yet moving lighdy, with an arhlete's
grace, dressedin evening clothes, approvingly eyed by magnificendy
dressedand famous women in theater lobbies, with Iouise adoringly
ar his side.
Her father, who manufactured inks, set up a New York ofiice for
Darling to manageand ptesentedhim with three hundred accounts,
and they lived on BeekmanPlacewith a view of rhe river wich fifteen
thousanddollars a year betweenrhem, becauseeverybodywas buying
everything in those days,including ink. They saw all the shows and
went to all the spe2kexsies md spent rheir fifteen rhousand dollars
a year and in che afcernoons louise went to the aft galleries and the
mttinees of rhe more serious plays that Darling didn'r like to sit
through and Darling slepr wich a gid who dancedin rhe chorus of
Rualie and with the wife of a man who owned three coDDermines.
Darling pfuvedsquash(hrec rimc. r oeek and 'emaineJa. solid ,.
a stone barn xnd louise never took her eyesoff him when they were
in the sameroom togerher,wetching him with a secret,miset's smile,
with a trick ofcoming over to him in the middle of a crowded room
and sayinggnvely, in r low voice, "Youte rhe handsomestman I've
cver seen in mv whole life. $rant a drink?"
Nineteefl cwenty'nire czme to Darling and ro his wife and father-
in-law, the maker of inks, jusr as it came ro everyone else. The
farher-inlaw waited until 19ll and then blew his brainsout and when
Darling went to Chicago co seewhat the books of the firm looked
like he found out all that was lefr werc debtsand threeor four sallons
of unboueht ink.
THI t]GHlY-YARD RLN /lrwin Sh2$

"Plerse,Christien," Louisesaid,sitting in their neat BeekmanPlace

Louise kissed him lighdy on the top of his head as he sat rhere
apartment,with a view of the rjver and Prints of paintings by Dufy
squinting at rhe piccureson the wall, cheglassof whisky held firmly
and Braque and Picassoon the wall, "please,a'b!. do you want to
in his hand. Sheput on her coar and went out withour sayinganother
start drinking ar two o'clock in the afternoon?"
vrord. lqheo she came back in the early evening, she had a job on
"l heve nothing elseto do," Darling said,putting down his glass,
a woman's fashion magazine.
emptied of its founh drink. "Pleasepassrhe wbjslq.."
Thq moved downtown and Louise wenr out to work every morn-
Inuise filled his glass."Come take a walk with me," shesaid."\l(/e'll
ing and Darling sat home and drank and Louise paid che biJls as
walk along the river."
they came up. She made believeshe was going to quir work as soon
"I donl wanr to walk along rhe river," Darling said, sqdinting
as Darling found a job, even though she was raking over more
intensely ar the pdn$ of painrings by Du!, Braque and Picasso.
responsibiliry day by day ac the magazine, interviewing authors,
"rVe'll walk along Fifch Avenue."
picking paintersfor rhr illusrrzrionsand coucn.gerring r<trc..e"ro
"I don\ wrnt to walk along Fifth Avenue."
pose for piccures,going our for drinks with the right people,making
"Maybe," louise saidgently, "you'd like to come with me to some
a thouland new friends whom she loyally introduced to Darling.
art galleries.There's an exhibition by a man named Klee. . . ."
"I don'. like vour hat," Darling sxid, once, when sh€ ceme in in
"I dont want ro go to any art galleries.I n'ant to sit here and
the evening and kissed him, her brearh rich with martinis.
drink Scotch whislq'," Dading said. "Yrho rhe hell hung those
"rJThat'srhe maccerwith my hat, Babv2,'she asked,running her
goddam pictures up on the wall?"
fingers through his hair. "Ir-erybody saysir,s very smart.,'
"l did," Louise said. " l i s r o od : m n e d . m r r r , h c v i d . - t r ' . n o t l o r y o u t r \ r o - . . r h ,
a
"l hate them."
sophisticatedwoman of thifry-1ivewith admirers.,,
"l'll take rhem down," Louise said-
I-ouisetaughed.',I'm pracicing ro be a rich, sophisticatedwoman
"Leave rhem there. It gives me sometbing to do in the afternoon.
of thirty-five wirh admirers,"shesaid.He staredsoberlyat her. ,.Non,
I can hate them." Darling cook a iong swallov. "I5 that the way
don't look so grim, Babr. It's sdll the same simple little wife undet
people paint these days?"
the har." She rook che hat ofi rhrew ir into a corner, sat on his lep.
"Yes, Chrisrian. Pleasedonl drink anl more-"
"See?Homebody Number One.,,
"Do you like painting lik€ that?"
"Your breath could rufl a train.,,Darling said, not nanring to be
"Yes, dear." mern, bur talking out of boredom, and sudden shock at seeing his
"Really?"
wife curiouslr a suanger in a new har, wirh a new expressionin_her
"Really."
eyesunder the licde brim, sectet,conndenr, knoi-ing.
Darling looked carefllly at the prints once more. "Little Iouise
Inuise tucked her head under his chin so he couldn,t smell her
Tucker. The middle-westernbeauty. I like pictures with horsesin
brerrh. "I hrd to rake an aurhor out for cockrails,,,she said. .,He,s
them. IX/hy should you like pictures like rhat?"
a boy from rhe Ozark Mountains and he drinks like a 6sh. He's a
"I just happen ro have gone ro a lot of galleriesin the last few
Communist-"
years..."
"\fihar rhe bell is a Communist from the Ozarks doing writing
"Is that whar you do in the afternoon?"
for a woman s fashion magazine?,,
"That's what I do in the afternoon," I,ouise said. Louise chuckled. "The magazinebusinessis geting all mixcd up
"I drink in the afternoon."
thescdi),s.The publishcrswrnr r<rhirvcI foot in cvcry crnp. Anrl

thl
THE IIGHTY YARD RUN/ IFin Slav
anyway,you can\ 6nd an authol under sevenrythese &ys who isnl
a Communist."
"I don't think I like you to xssociatewith all those PeoPle,Iouise,"
Darling sdd. "Drinking with them."
"He's a very nice, gentle boy," louise said "He reads Ernest
Dowson."
"\rho\ Ernest Dowson?"
louise patted his arm, stood up, fixed het hair. "H€'s an English
Poet."
Darling felt that somehow he had disappointed her' "Am I suF
posed to know who Ernest Dowson is?"
"No, dear. I'd better go in and take a bath."
After she had gone, Darling went over to the corner where the
hat was lyirg and picked it uP. lt was nothinS, a scraPof srraw, a
red flowet, a veil, meaninglesson his big hand, but on bis wife's head
a signa.l of something . . . big city, smart and knowing women
drinking and diningwith men other than their husbands,conversation
about things a normal man wouldn\ know much about, Frenchmen
who painted as though they used their elbows insread of brushes'
composerswho wrote whole symphonieswithout a single melody in
rhem, write$ who knew all about politics and women who knew
all abour writers, the movement of the proletariat, Marx, someboB'
mixed up with frve-dollar dinners and the bestJooking women in
America and fairies who made them laugb and half-sentmces imme_
diately understood and secretlyhilarious and wives who called their
husbands"Baby." He Put the hat down, a scraPof straw and a red
flower, and a litcle veil. He drank some whisky straight and went
into chebathroom where his wife was hing deep in her barh, singing
to herself and smiling from time to cime like a Iitde girl, paddling
rhe weter gendy with her hands, sending uP a slighc sPicy frzgrance
from the bach salts she used.
He stood over her, looking down at her. She smiled uP at him,
her eyes half closed,her body pink and shimmering in rhe warm,
scentedwater. AII over again, with ell the old suddenness,he was
hir deep inside him with the knowledge of how beautiful she was.
how much he neededber.
762
"l came in here," he said, .to tell you I wish you wouldn't call
looked up at him from the bath, her eyesquickly
1e'Baby."'She
full of sorrow, half-undetstandingwhar he mernt. He knelt and put
his arms round her. his sleeves plungedhecdlessllin (he warcr.hi,
shirt and jacket soaking wet as he clurched her wordlessly, holding
her crazily tight, crushing her breath from her, kissing her desperarely,
searchingly, re$erfu lly.
He gor jobs after that, selling real estate and auromobiles, but
somehow,although he had a deskwich his name on a wooden wedge
on it. and he wenr (o rhf of6(e religiou.lyar ninc each mornrrt,
he nerer managedto sell anrrhing and hc ne.errrrrdeany .oney.
lourse was mrde as<isranr ediror, and rhe houseqrs zlvars fuli
of strange men and women who talked fasr and got angry on abstract
subiecrslike mural painting, novelists,labor unions. Neqro short,story
writersdrank Loui\e\ liguor. and a tot ofJews.and b;!,otemn lnen
with scaffed facesand knotted hrnds who talked slowly but clearly
ebour pirkcr linesand barrlcsvirh grns.rnd lcadpipeat mine_"hafr_
hcads and in front of factory gates. And Louise moved among them
all. confidenrly. knowingwhrr rhcy wcrerrlking;bour. wirh opinron"
that they lisrened ro and argled abour jusr as though she were a
man. She knew everybody, condescendedto no one, devoured books
that Darling had never heard of, wrlked elong rhe stree$ of the ciry,
excired,at home, soakingin 2Il the million dd€s of New york without
fear. with constant wonder-
Her friends liked Darling and somedmes he found a man who
wanted to get of in the corner and talk abour the new boy who
playedfullbrck for Pr;nceron. rnd rhe dcclineof rhedoublewing_ba.k,
or evcn rhe surc of rhe 5(ock markcr.bur for rhe mosr pirr he sar
on the edge of things, solid and quiet in the high siorm oF words.
"Thc dialectitsot rhe siruarion. . lhc rhe.rrerha. bceneiucn over
to expcrr jugglers Pic25solWhar mdn has i rishr ro painr old
bonesand collccrren rhou\anddollarsfor rhem: . L f .""a n.-1"
behindTror<ky. . . Poew:s rhe lasr Amcricrn (ririL When he diel
rhey put lilies on the grave of American criricism. I don,t sey this
bccausethcv pannedmy Lst book. but . '
Once in x while he ciugbt Louisclookingsobcrly:rnd considelingly
tht
TH! IIGHTY.YARD RUN/ltrit Shan
ar him through the cigarette smoke and the noise and tne avoided
her eyesand found an excuseto get up and go into the kitcben for
more ice or to oPen another bottle.
"Come or," Cathal Flaherty was saying,standrngar rhe door witb
a girl, "you've got to come down and seethis- Ics down on Fourteenth
Street,in the old Civic Repertory,and you can only seeit oon Sun&v
nights and I guarantee you'll come out of the the*er_ singing "
Flaherty was a big young Irishman with a broken nose who was the
lawver for a longshoreman\ union, and he had been hanging around
the house for six months on and off, roaring and shutting everybodl
else up when he got in an argument. "Ir's a ne$.'PlaY, llVaiting fu
L{4; iLt's alntt taxi-drivers."
"Odets," the girl with Flaherrysaid. "lt's by a guy namoedOdets.''
"I never heard of him," Darling said.
"He's a new one," the girl said.
"It's like watching a bombardment," Flaherty said. "l saw it last
Sunday night. You\e got to seeit."
"Come on, Baby," louise said to Darling, excitement ,in her eyes
already."$tre\e been sitting in the Sundav Trzar all da,v, this'll br
a great change."
"I see enough taxidrivers every day," Darling said, n,or becaus(
he meanr that, but becausehe didn't like to be around Flalhertv,sh,,
said thiflgs rhat made louise laugh a lot and whose judgment slrt
acceptedon almost every subject. "kt's go to tbe movie'"
"You've never seenanything like this before," Flahet!' said. "ll(
wrote this pley with a baseballbat."
"Come on," Louise coaxed,"l bet it's wonderful."
"He has long hair," the girl wirh Flahertysaid. "Odets- I met hirrr
ar a party. Het afl actor. He didn'r saya goddam thing all niSbr'
"I don't feel like going down to Ioufteenth Street," Darling $i,l
wishing Flaherry and his girl would get out. "lcs Sloom v."
'Oh, helll" Lruise said loudly. She looked coollv at Darling..r'.
though she'd just been introduced to him and was makiing up lrr
mind about him, and not very favorably.He saw her lookiing rt lrir".
knowing rhete was somerhing new and d;rngerousin her hcc :rrr,L
he wanted to saysomething. but Fiahertv wirs the,e rnd his drmrr 'l
764
girl, and ant-vray,he didn't know what to say. ,,I'm going,,, louise
seid, getting her colr. "I don,t think Fourteenth Street is gloomy.,,
"I'm relling you," Flaherty wes sayingj he\>ing her on with her
coet,."ir's the Bacde of Gerrysburg,in Brooklynese.,,
"Nobody could get a word our of him,,' Flahertyt girl was saying
as they went throDgh the door. ,.He jusr sat rhere ali night.,,
The door closed. Louise hadn,t said good nighr ro him. Darling
walked around the room four times, chen sprawiedout on rhe sofl
on top of.rhe Sunday Times. He lay there for 6ve minutes looking
tl]e thinking of Flaherry walking down the srreet talkini
1t Tilingt
in rhat booming voice, between the giris, holding rheir arms.
louise had looked wonderful. She'd washedher hair in the after-
noon and ir had been verv soft and light and clung closeto her head
as sh€ stood there angrily purting her coat on. Iouise was gefting
pretrer every year, parrly becauseshe knew bv now how pretty she
was, and made the most of it.
"Nuts," Darling said, standing up. .,Oh, nuts.,,
He put on his coar and went down to rhe nearestbar and had
6ve drinks otr by himself in a corner before his monev ran our.
-I-HEyEARssince
then had been fogg1, and downhill. Louise had been
nic€ to him, and in a way, loving and kind, and they'd fought only
oncg when he said he was going to vote for landon. (,,Oh, Chrisr,;,
she'd s2id,"doesn't a4drizg hapFeninsid€ your head?Don,r you read
the papersl The pennilessRepublicanl,,) Shed been sorry iatet and
apologizedfor huning him, bLrt apologizedas she might ro a child.
He d tried hard, had gone grimly to the art galleries, the concert halls,
the bookshops,trying ro gein on the trail of his wife, bur it was
He was bored, and none of what he sav,,or heard of dutifull),
read made much sensero him and finally he gave it up. He had
thoughr, many nighrs as he ate dinner alone, knowing that Louise
would . ome home htc anddrop .itcnrly inro bedwirhoui er plrn, ion.
or gcrr'ng a drvor(c.bu( he kncw rhc lonelines".thc hopcln,rres..
of not seeingher again would be too much to reke. So he was good,
completcly devoted, rerdy ar rll rimcs ro go anyplice with hc.r,do
7o'
THE IIGETY YARD RUN/ Iqin Shxv
aaything she wented. He even got a small job, in a broker's o6ce,
and paid his own way, bought his own liquor.
Then he'd been oFeted the iob of going from college to college
as a tailor's representadve-"$ge want a man," Mr. Rosenberghad
'There'sa universiry
said, "who as soon as you look at him, you say,
man."' Rosenbetg had looked approvingly at Darling's broad shoul
ders and well-kePt weist, at his carefully brusbed hair and his honest,
wrinkle-less face. "Frankly, Mr. Darling, I am willing to make you
a proposition. I have inquired about you, vou are favorably knov'n
on your old carnPus, I unde$tand you were in the backield with
Alfred Diederich."
Darling nodded. "\qhatever haPPenedto him?"
"He is walking around in a castfor sevenyearsnow. An iron brace.
He played professional football and they broke his neck for him-"
Darling smiled. That, at least, had turned out well
"Our suits are an easyploduft to sell, Mr- Darling," Rosenberg
said. "na/e have a handsome, custom-made garment. whar has Brooks
Brothers got that we haven't got? A name- No more."
"I can make {ifty, sixty dollars a week," Darling said ro Iouise
thar night. "And exPenses.I can savesome money and thm come
back to New York and really get started here."
"Yes, Baby," Iouise said.
"As it is," Darling said carefully, "l cen make ir back here oncc
e month, and holidays and the summer. We can seeeacb other ofren "
"Yes, Baby." He looked at her face,lovelier nov at thirty'five than
it had ever been before, but fogged over now as ir had been for 6ve
yearswith a kind of patient, kindly, remote boredom.
"What do you say?" he asLed."Should I rake it?" Deep within
him he hoped 6ercely,longingly, for her to say,"No, Baby, you stal
right here," but she said,as he knew she'd say,"I think vou'd betrcr
take it."
He nodded. He had to get up and stand with his back to he.,
looking out the window, becausethere were rhings Plain on his fecc
that she had never seen in the frfteen years sbe'd known bim "Fifg
dollars is a lot of money," he said."I never thougbr I'd ever see6fty
doilars again." He laughed louise laughed, too.
766
GIRISTTANDARLTNGsAT or rrrr frail green grass of the practice 6eld.
The shadoq. of the stadium had reached out and covered him. In
the disrance rhe lights of the university shone a liftle mistily in che
lighr haTeof cvening.Fifreenyea'(. Fhherry even now ras callinq
for his wife. buying her a drink, fJling wharererbar rhey were ii
*'rrh that voice of his and rhat easy laugh. Darling half,closed his
eyes, xlnosr saw the boy fifteen years ago reach for the pass, slip the
haltback.go skirrering lighrly down rhr held, hi. kneesh;qf, and fas,
and gnceful. smiling ro him.elf becausehc knew he oi going ,o
get past rhe safety man. That was the high point, Darling thought,
tfte€n yeirs ,go, on en autumn afternoon, twenty years old and far
fjoLn d:"r!.. wiih the air coming easity inro his Jung:. and a deep
feeling inside him that he could do anything, knock over anybody,
outrun whareverhad ro be ourrun. And rhe .hooer afrer and rhe
tbfte glassesof w?rer and the cool night air on his damp herd md
Luise sitting harlessin the open car wich a smile and the 6rst kiss
she ever really meant. The high point, an eighry-yard run in che
pracrice, and a girl's kiss and everything after ther a decline. Darling
laughed He had prrcricedthe vrong rhing. perhaps.He hadn:r
practiced for 1929 and New York City and a girl who would turn
into a woman. Somewherc, h€ ahought, rhere musr have been a point
where she moved up to me, was even with me for a mom€nt, when
I could have held her hand, if I'd known, held tight, gone with her.
VeII, he'd never L-nown. Here he was on a playing fieid that was
ffteen years away and his wife was in another ciry havine dinner with
morhcr and berrcrmrn. speakingeirh hirn a difie,ent.n'eolanguagc.
a language oobody had ever taught him.
Darling stood up, smiled a litrle, becauseifhe didn,t smile he knew
the tears would come. He looLed around him. This was the sDor_
O'Connor'spesshrd comcslidingour just to here. . (he high poinr.
Darling pur up his hxnds, fett all over again the flat slap oithe ball.
He shook his hips to rhrow oli the halfback,cut back insideth€ center.
Pickcdhis knee. high as he ran gra.efuttl ovcr wo men jumbled
on the ground at the line of scrimmage,rtn easily,gaining speed,
for ten yards,holding rhc ball lightly in his rwo hands,
from rhe hallbackdivrnt.,( l,im. rrn. sw,ngin! hi, hips rn "*ung "*ry
rt,eitmo.r
t07
YOU VIRE PIRFICTTY llNt/Dororhl Parker

"Do you think maybe a drink would make you feel betterl "
gidish manner of a back in a broken field, tore in.o the saferyman'
his shoesdrumming heavily on the turf, stillarmed, elbow locked' "The hair of the mastiffthat bir me?" he said."Oh, no, thank
you. Pleeseneverspeakof anything like that again.I'm through. I'm
pivoted, raced lightly and exultantly for the goal lire.
all, all through-looL ar cherhand; sreadyas a hummingbird.Tell
It was only aft€r he had sped over the goal line and slowed to
me, v,rasI very terrible lxt night?"
a trot that he saw theboy andgirl sitting togetheroo rhe tu4lookjnS
"Oh, goodness," shesaid,"werybodywasfeelingpretryhigh. You
at him wonderingly.
were all righr."
He stopped short, droPPing his arms. "I - - " he said, gasPing a
little, though his condition was 6ne and the run hadn't winded him "Yeah,I must havebeendandy.Is everybodysoreat mel,,
"Good heavens, no," shesaid."Everyonethoughtyou werererribly
"I once I played here."
funny. Of course,Jim Piersonwas a little stuffy, there for a minute
The boy and the girl said nothing Darling laughedembarrassedll.
at dinner. But peoplesort of held him back in his chair, and goc
looked hard at them sitting there, close to each other, shrugged.
him calmeddos/n.I donl think anybodyat the other tablesnoticed
tumed and went towald his hotel, lhe sweacbreaking our on h's
it at xll. Hardly anybody."
face and running down into his collar'
"He wasgoing ro sock me?Oh, Lord. \(/har did I do to him?,'
"rJghy,you didnt do a thing," shesaid.,.Youwereperfecrlyfine.
But you know how sillyJim gets,wheflhe thinksanybodyis making
too much fussover Elinor."
YOU \rERE PERFECTLYFINE "rifas I making a passat Elinor?"he said.,.Did I do that?,,
DOROTHYPAF(ER/L]NTED STATES
"Of coune you didn't," she said.,.You wereonly fooling, that,s

\^lADW"i,tu all. Shethought you wereawfully amusing.Sheweshaving a maftel-

ous rime.Sheonly got a lirtle riny bic annoyedjust oncc,when you
pourcdthe clam juice down her back."
"My God," he said."Clamjuicedown that back.And everyvertebra
a lirtle Cabot. Dear God. r*/hat1l I ever do?"
.ri
I He p,{rr vou.,, r,^,AN "Oh, shell be all right," she said.'Just sendher somellowers,
ea.edhimsellcrrcfullr inro thc los ch,.'
or somerhing.Don't worry about ic_It isn't anything.,,
and rolied his head to the side, so that the cool chinrz comfortc'i
"No, I won't worry," he said."I haven'tgot a carein the world.
his cheek and temple.
I'm sitting pretty-Oh, dear,oh, dear.Did I do any other fascinating
"Oh, dear," he said. "Oh, deer, oh, der, oh, dear. Oh-"
tricks et dinner?"
The clear'eyedgirl, sittirg Jight and erect on the couch, smil(\l
"You werefine,"shesaid."Doo'r be so foolishaboutir. Everybody
brighdy at him.
wascrazyaboucyou-The maicred'h6relwasa lirtle worriedbecause
"Nor feeling so well today?" she said.
you wouldnt stop singing,bur he reallydidn,t mind. All he said
"Oh, I'm great," he said. "Corking, I am Know whar time I g'r was,hc wasafraidthey'dclosethe placeagain,if therewasso much
up7 Four o'clock this afternoon, sharP.I kePt trying to make it.:rrr't
noise.But he didn't carea bit, himself I think he lovedseeingyou
every time I took mr head off rhe Pillow, ic would roll undcr tl"
havesuch a good time. Oh, you werc just singingaway,therc,for
bed. This isn't my head I've got on now. I think dris is somctlrtttli
rbout rn hour. Ir wxsn'rso tcrriblyloud,at :rll.',
that used to belong to \{/alt \vhitman Oh, dcar, oh, dear,oh, tl(r'
YOU \a/rRE ?IRIEC ILY FIN! / Dorothl Pskcr
"So I sang," he said. "That must hav€ been a treat. I sang." -
"Don't you r€membet?" she said. "You just sang one song afrer
another. Everybodyin the Placewas lisening. They loved it. Only
you kept insisting that you wanted to sing some song about some
kind of fusiliersor other, and everybodykept sbushingyou, and you'd
keep trying to start it again. You were wonderful. Ve were all trying
to make you stop singing for a minute, and ert something, but you
wouldn't hear of ir. My, you wer€ funny."
"Didnl I eat any dinner?" he said.
"Oh, nor a thing. Every rime the waiter would offer you some'
thing, you'd give it right back to him, becauseyou said that he
was your long-lost brother, changedin the cradleby a glpsy band, and
that anything you had was his. You had him simply roaring at you."
"I bet I did," he said. "l bet I was comical. Society'sPet, I musr
have been. And what happened then, after my overwhelming success
with the waiter?"
"$7hy, nothing much," she said. "You took a son of dislike to
some old man with white hair, sitting acrossthe rcom, becauseyou
didn't like his necktie ard you wanted to tell him abour ir. But wc
got you out, before he got reallY mad "
"Oh, we gor out," he said. "Did I walk?"
"rX/alkl Ofcourseyou did," shesaid."You were absolutelvall right.
Thele was that nasty stretch of ice on the sidewalk,and you did sir
down awfully hard, you poor dear. But good heavens,thet mighr
have happenedto anybody."
"Oh, sure," he said. "I-ouisa Alcott or anybody. So I fell dos'l
on the sidewalk. That would explaio what's the marter with my
Yes. I see.And then what, if you don't mind?"
"Ah, now, Peterl" she said. "You can't sit there and sayyou doo r
rcmemberwhat happenedafter th2tl I did think rhat mavbevou wct(
jusr a liftle tight at drnner oh, you were perfectly all dghr, and r1l
that, bur I did know you were feeling Pretry 9y. But you were s,'
serious,from the time you fell down-l never knew you to be thrtr
way. Don't you know, how you rcld me I had never s€enyour,til
self befole?Oh, Perer,I just couldnt bear ir, if you didn\ remcmbo
that lovely long ride we took together in the raxil Please,you (1,,
llo
remember rhat, don't you? I think ir would simply kill me, if you
didn'r."
"Oh, yes," he said. "tuding in rhe taxi. Oh, yes, sure. Pretty long
ride, hmm?"
"Round and round and round the park," she said. ,,Oh, and the
trees v.ere shining so in the moonJight. And you said you never knew
before thar you redly had a soul."
"Yes," he said. "I said thar. That was me."
"You said such lovely, lovely rhings," she said. ,'And I'd never
known, all this time, how you had been feeling about me, and Id
never &red co ler you see how I felt abour you. And then lasc
night-oh, Pecerdear, I think that taxi ride was the most important
thing thar ever happenedto us in our lives."
"Yes," he said. "l guessir musr have been."
"Arrd we're going ro be so happy," she said. .,Oh, I just want to
tell everybodylBut I don\ know-I think maybeit would be sweeter
to keep it dl to ourselves-"
"I rhink it vrould be," he said.
"Isn'r ir lovelyl" she seid.
"Yes," he said. "Great."
"I,ovely!" she said.
"Iook here," he said, "do you mind if I have a drink? I mean,
just medicinally, you know. I'm off the stuff for life, so help me.
But I think I feel a collapsecoming on-"
"Oh, I rhink it would do you good," she said. ',You poor boy,
it's a shameyou feel so awful. I'll go make you a whislq. and soda.,,
"Honestly," he said,"I don't seehow you could everwant to speak
to me egain, after I made such a fool of myself, last night. I think
I'd better go join a monasreryin Tibet."
"You crazy idiotl" she said. "As if I could ever let you go awal
now! Stop talking like that. You were perfectly 6ne."
Shejumped up from the couch,kissedhim quickly on the forehead,
end .an o{rt of che room.
The palc young man looked after her end shook his head long
and dowly, th€n droppcd it in his damp and crembling hands.
"Oh, derr," hc said."Oh, dcnr,oh, dcar,oh, dear."
ul

LUZINA TAKES
A HOLIDAY
frOY 7 CANADA
GABRIELLE
Transaredby Hrry L BLise
D""n *rt"r* the Canadian Province of Manitoba, remote in its
melancholy region of lakes and wild waterfowl, there lies a tiny villagc
barely noticeable amidst its sldmPv 6r trees. On the mzP you will
find it called Meadow Portage, but it is known to the PeoPle who
live thereabouts as Portage des Pr€s. To reach it you must cov€r a
fulI thirty-two miles of jolty road beyond Rorketon, the terminus o1
the branch tailroad and the nearest town. In all, it contains a chaPel.
visited rhrce or four times a year by arr aged missionary' polyglot and
loquaciousr a boxlil(e structure built of new Planks and serving as
school for the handful of white chitdren in the efer; and another
building, also of boards but a bit larger, the most imPonant in the
settlement, since it houses 2t once the store, the Post o{fice, and the
telephone.
Somewhat further eway you can see, iD a clearing among the
birches, two other dwellings which, together with thc srcre_Post-
office, shelter all Portage des Pr6st inhabiranrs.Bur I nearly forgot:
in front of the iargest structure, et the edge of the rough treck lead-
ing ro Rorkeron. proudly srands a lone Sasolinc PumP comPlete
with its iarge glass globe, ever awaiting the errival of electricity
Beyond these few things, a wildernessof grassand wind.
One of the houses, indeed, possessesa front door, inserted at the
level of its second floor, yet since no one has bothered ro build fot
it eithet a landing or a flight of steps, nothing could better express
rhe idea of utter uselessness. Acrossthe fagadeof the larger building
arc painted tbe words "Besserte'sGeneral Store." And thet is abso_
112
lutely all there is ?t Portage des Pr6s. It is the image of the 6nal
jumping-offplace. And yet the Tousignenr family lived, some twenty
yezrs ago, even beyond this outpost.
To REACHtheir home ftom Portage des Pres, you had to continue
srraight on beyond the gas pump, following the same crude road;
at firsr glance you could scarcely make ir out, but finally you saw
ho*' it ran, thanks to cwo parallel bands of grass which remained
a trife flattenedby the passageofthe Indians'light buckboards.Only
zn old resident or a half-bred guide could find his way along it, for
at several points this track divided, and secondary tracks led through
the brush to some trapp€rt cabin two or rhree miles away and invisible
from rhe main tlail.
You had, rhen, to stick closely to the most direct road. And a
few hours larer, if you were riding in a buggy-a little sooner if
traveling in one of those tncient Fords which still operate in thosc
parts-you should reach the Big \(arer Hen fuver.
There you left Ford ot buggy behind.
Thc Tousignants had a canoe ro cross rhe river. !(/ere it on the
further shore, someone would have to swim over to ger it. You then
continued downstrexm, wholly wrapped in such silence as is seldom
found on earth-or rather, in the rustle of sedges,the b€at of wings,
in the thousands of tiny, hidden, secret, timid sounds, producing an
clfect in some way as restful as silence itself. Big prairie chickens,
almost too heavy to fly. heaved themselves above rhe river's brush-
covered banks and tumbled back to earth, already tired by their listless
effons.
Clambering out on the opposite shore, you crossedon foot an island
helf a rnile widc, covered x.ith thick, uneven gr?ss, mud holes, and,
in summer, enormous and famished mosquitoes swarming up by the
million from the spongT ground.
You then reached another river. It wzs the little Vater Hefl. The
pcople of rhe region hrd had no great trouble in naming irs geo-
graphicalfertures-always in honor ofits seniorinhabitant, that small
gray fowl which epitomizcd all its tedium and all its quietness.Apart
from rhc two rivers alrcady mcnrioned. therc vr':rsrhe \trxter Hen-
LUZINA TAKIS A HOIIDAY / Gab.ielle Roy
unquelifred-rhere was Iake Water Hen. Moreover, the area itself
was krown as the \trater Hen Countr). And n was endlesslypeace_
ful, there, to watch of an evening the aguatic birds rising uP every-
where from among the reedsand circling together in one sector of
the heavenswhich they darkenedwith their mDlritude.
rVhen you had crossedthe Little \fater Hen, you landed on a
fair-sized island with few trees. A large flocL of sheePwer€ at Pasture
therc, completely free and unfenced; had it not been for them, you
would have thought the island uninhabited.
But rhereqar a hou.c burh upon it.
Built of unsquaredlogs, level with the ground, longer rhan it was
wide, its windows set low, it stood upon a very slight elevarion on
the island's surface, bare to the four winds of heaven.
Here it was that the Tousignantslived.
Of their eighr handsomechildren, shy yer ffxctable,one alone had
joumeyed as far as the village of SainaeRosedu lac to be treateri
for a vety bad earache.This was the nearest French settlement in thc
atea; it wrs situated even further away than Rorketon, on rhe locill
railway which in some mexure linked all this bush to the little tos'l
of Dauphin.
A few of the other children had from tirne to time accomPanie(l
rheh father when, two or three dmes e year, he journeyed to Portagc
des Pr€s to g€t his orders from the owner of the mnch under his
mrnagement.
It was the mother who traveled the most. Almost every yexr sbc
of necessitywent to Sainrc Rosedu'lac. If there were the slightcsl
hitch, you could spend days getting ther€; all the same, since sh
quit her island approximatelybut oncc a year, rhis long, hard tril',
frequendy hazardous,alwaysexhausting,had come ro be regardedbr
Luzina Tousignant as her annual holiday.
Never did she refer to it far in advancebefore the children, 1(r
they were, you might sry, too attachedto their mother, very rend.l.
very affecrionrre,rnd it was a painful businessfor rhem to let lrr''
go; they would cling fast to her skirts, begging her not ro leivc. S,'
'1,'
it was better not to arousethis grjef any soon€r tban necessery.
her husband alone one line day she would announcc, wirh :rn ol,l
114
look half leughter and halfsorrow, "My holiday is not far ofi.,'Then
she would depart. And in this changelessexistence,it was rh€ great,
che sole, advenrure.
rHts rs,rR it looked asthough Luzina Tousignanrcould not undertake
her usual trip. Her legs were swollen; she could not stand on them
for more than an hour at a time, for she was a woman of considerable
strength and weighr, fuil of Jife, always on rhe go the momenr her
poor feet seemeda lirtle bener. Hippolyre Tousignant did not like
ro ler her leave under such circumsrances.And then too, it was the
very worst time ofyeat. Nonerheless,Luzina laughedwhen shebegan
to talk about her holiday. In midsummer or midwinter, if it were
necessary, one could get awry from rhe islmd, and even without roo
much trouble. But in spring a woman alone could not possibly run
irto grearer risls, dangers,and misery than on rhe Poftege des Pr6s
treil.
Hippol)'te long tried ro persuadeluzina she should not leave.
Compliant und€r all other circumstances,in this she remained ada
manr- Oacourseshehad to go ro SainteRosedu-l1c! What was more,
she must consulr a doctor rhere about che baby,s eczema_One of
tbe creim seprrator'sparts had got denced;she would have it 6xed.
And for businessrexsons she would scay as/hile at Rorkeron. She
vrould take advmtage of thar visir to gec some little idea of what
people were wearing. "Ior," Luzina would say,,.jusr becausewe live
in a wild counrry is no reasonwe shouldnl be in sryleeveryso often_,,
She gave a hundred reesonsrather than admir that sh€ rook some
small pleasurein gerring away from the empry horizon of rhe lirle
Strater Hen.
And, after all, how could Luzina evff have seen a crowd, a r€al
crowd ofat leasta hundredpersons,such asis to be found on Saturdry
nighrs along Rorketon's main street; how could she ever have been
able to talk to personsother then her husband or her children, who,
the momeni she openedher mouth, alreadyknew whar shewasgoing
ro sav; how could she ever havc rbose rare joys of novelty, of sarisfed
curiosity,ofglimpscsof rhc worl<1, b,rdshc not hada whotly diitercnt
//)
IUZI\'A TAKIS A HOLIDAY / Gab.ieue Ror
reason for traveling-an eminently serious and Pressing reason! She
was not a demanding woman; sh€ was quite willing to relish the
pleasures of her trips, but only to th€ extent thar rhey were ProPer
rewardsfor duty done.
She left toward the end of March. The little Vater Hen was sdll
ftozen hard enough to allow crossingir on foot; the Big water Hen,
however. was free of ice at midstream. The boat was &awn over the
ice Jike a sledge until it could be launched in th€ oPen watcr. Luzina
was installed on its bottom boards. a bearskin over her knees, vlarmed
bricks at her feet. Hippoiyte had rigged a piece of rough canv2sabove
her, somewhat in the shape of a small tent. Thus fully shellered and
showing no sign of fear, Luzina wx keenly inrcrested in everything
that happened during the crossing. From time to time she tbrust her
smiling face through the slit in the canvasand remarked conrmtedly,
"I'm as well off as the Queen!"
Two of the children, one pushing and the otber pulling, helped
their father maneuvet the boat on the ice, and it q'as a iob ther
required a lot of care, since no one could tell at exactly what spot
the ice would begin to yield. !(ithout any of them getting roo
soaked, they reached the river's free-flowing water. Ierge chunks of
ice were floeting in the current; they had to paddle hard to avoid
them end to meke headway against the Big lrater Hen's lapid flow.
Then the boet was haulcd up on the other side-not without trouble.
for the footing was far from firm.
The youngest childrcn had remained on the little island, and this
was the moment for their 6nal good-bys to their hothet. All of them
wer€ weeping. Swallowing their tcars, and without the lexst outcry,
rhey undercrood that it was too late to dissuade thcir mother from
hcr journey. Their tiny hands, never still even for an instant, fluttered
toward Luzina. One of the little girls carried the baby in her armr
and made the infant s.avecontinuously.All 6ve ofdem wete huddled
rogether,so that they made one minute spot against the widcst and
most desertedof the world's horizons.Then vas it that Luzin. losr
a great paft of her griery; she looked for her handkerchiefbut coull
not frnd it, so encumberedwas she with heaw clotbing- She snitred
"Be good," she urged her children, raising her voice which tht
776
wind carried, rhough not at all ir their direction. "Mind what your
father tells you."
They tded to talk from one shore to the orher, but the convelsation
made no sense.The children recalled the things they had wanted and
begged for the whole year through; despite their grief, these things
rhey remembered very well.
"A blackboatd,M2mal" cri€d one of them.
"A pencil with an erxser,Mamat" another implored.
Luzina was nor sure she understood what they were saying, but,
taking a chance,she promised: "I'll bring you picture posrcards.,,
Sheknew shemadeno mistakein promising postcards.Her children
were crazy about them, esp€cially those which showed very high
buildings, srreetsjammed with cars,and-wonder of wonders-rail,
way statioos-Luzina thoroughly understood their taste.
Her husband lending her a hand, her older boys going ahead to
beat a parh in the snow, luzina Tousignant reached the trail, and
they all stood waiting for che affival of the postman who, once a
week, ifit were at all possible, carried the mail from Portage des p(€s
to an Indian reservation some fifteen miles furchet north on Lake
'$0rter
Hen.
They were much afraid that they had missed the inailman, or else
that he had decided, becauseof the wretched condidon of the road,
to posrpone his trip a week. Pierr€-Emmanuel-Roger and philippe-
Augrste-Emile came very close co hoping for such a mishap; so even
did Hippolyte Tousignant, who suggestedtimidly:.,The postman
will not dare ser out in weather like rhis. If you wete to come back
home, luzina, . . . we'd manage all the same."
"Come now, you know very well that won,t do,,, she replied with
a smile of regret, mingled with a hint of mockery, which above all
scemed to reproach Hippoiyte for his lack of ptactical good sense.
She looked fixedly up the trail, more derermined than ever. Aftet
h?ving overcom€so many obstaclesit would be a fine thing for het
to hrve ro rerurn home. A very light snow, mixed vrith rain, began
to fall.
"If only I could go wirh you," Hippolyre was saying, as he had
said on rll her prcvious deDarturcs.
LUZINATAKESA HOTIDAY/cabi.lle
Roy
And, just as she had the last time, she agreed:"Yes, indeed! To
take the tdp rogether, the rwo of us, what fun thar would be! But,
Poor man, surely someone has to keep an eye on things and be in
commaDdwhil€ I'm not there."
Th€y said no more.
Far away in the vast, changelesssolirude a horse came into view,
all in a lather, and on the seat of the sleigh behind ir, a grear ball
of fur, from which emerged a sad yellow mustache, a thick cloud
of vaPor, and, held aloft, a swaying whip.
It was rhe postman.
He drew near. No!r' you could distinguish his bushy g'ebrows from
the brown fur ofhis winter hat; you could seethe gleam of the silver
thread which ajv.'ayshung from the postman'snose in cold weather;
you could ma}e out his tobacco+tained teeth when he gave his mare
a throaty order. Having reachedrhe liftle Tousignant group wirhour
a word of geeting, his frowning glance fixed on luzina alone, he
tightened the reins, stopped,and waited- For rhis Nick Sluzick was
an odd charectet. In a country where people were often silenr for
lack of anything new to talk about, he beat everyone for racirumiry.
He was said to have managed his business,acceptederrands,done
favors, fulfilled his postman's duties, made love, ard procrerted chil
drcn-and all this without ever having utter€d more than a scanr
dozen sentences,
luzina was installed alongside rhis unsociable companion, hc
moving over a trifle to make a litrle spacefor her ro sit down. Talkative
;s .he qrs. Nick Sluzicks em^zinBun(ommuni(rrireness evele
mained her principal-indeed, her sole-ffial throughout the journey.
Pierre-Emmanuel'Rogerhad brought a lantern, *'hich he now lir
and sJippedunder the coversar his mother's feer. He spreada bison
skin over hff and on rop of it a piece of ojlcloth to prevefu the fur
from getting soaked.lX/ith all her coverings,luzina bad almost totallr
disappeared, savefor her eyes,which peeredout from above a beav).
muffer. They were clear,blue eyes,ratherlarge, full of affeccion,and,
at thar moment, moist with sorrow. Ali four of rhem were looking
at eachother with the sameexpressionof sadsrupor, as rbough rhcn
Tousignants, so unit€d in their isolacion, were almost unablc (('
118
conceive of being apart. And suddenly these people, xrho rhought
rhey had long since exhzusted every subject of conversation, discovered
a wholly new one and began to chatter.
"Do be carefuI,all ofyou, about fire,,'utged tuzina, lowerinq the
scarfwbich covcredher mouth.
"Yes. And I'ou be carefuinot to freezeon your trip,,, saidHippolyte.
"Above all, don'r starveyourselves,,,luzina added..,There,spl€nw
of flour rnd lard Jusr make pancrkesif you don r fecl much like
cooking; and you, Pierre-Emmanuel-Roger, be a help to your facher.,,
The rwo eldesr were nor the only Tousignant childrcn to have
compound appellarions. As though better to people rhe solitude wherc
she dwelt, Luzina had given to each of her children a litany of names
drawn from the pages of history or from the occasional novel rhat
came her v{ay. Among the chil&en who had rcmained behind were
Roberta-Louise-C6lestine, Jos€phine,Yolande,Andr€-Aimabte-S€bes,
tien; rhe youngest,a fifreen-months,oldbrby, answeredro rhe name
of Juliette H€loile.
"You'll be very careful thar Juliette-H6loisedoesn,t swallov{ any
pins." cried Luzina.
It was chelast adviceshegeveher loved ones.Nick Sluzick couldnt
vlrasteany more time. Of ell human actions, none seemedto him
more uselessand uonecessaryrhan saying good,by. Either you did
not go away or you went away; in the latter crse, the event itself
was explicit enough not to require commenr. He spat over ahe sid€
of the sled. I0ith one hand he twided his long yellow mustache,
with the ocher he picked up the reins. Ard they were off throuqh
rhc sof( snow.Iying unerenon rheground.herein hummotk., rhile
in hollows, which v,as the road to Portage des pr6s.
To DrscRrBE the difncultiesof LuzinaTousignanls journey, seatednext
to her unsociablemuzhik, who only once openedhis mouth and rhen
to ask her to stry put on her end ofthe seacsinceorherwisethe sleish
miShr upseq to rell how. when she rea.hcdporraeedes prc5.;e
had to wait for r week betorerhc next marl left for Rorketon;\ow
shc spent choscseven d?ys ar rhc store,posr-o6ce,which also after
r fishion servcd the scttlemenr as an inn, since in caseof necd it
LUZINA TAKES A HOI1DAY / GabrietleRoI
could afford people who had no orher place ro go a single room,
practically unhearcd and with little or no furniture; how bored Luzina
was while she waited, exasperatedat this mischance and greatly fearing
rhat she would get to Rorketon too late; how, when she finally lefr
Portage des Pr6s, there was a cold wind blowing which grew in
violence and froze one of her ears; to recounr these feq/ mishaps might
be interesting were ir nor that her ffip home was to be otherwise
rich in vicissitud€s.
oNc! THE serious purpose of her tdp had been accomplished and her
busin€ssfinished at Sainte Rose-du-lac,Luzina'smosr prcssingdesire
was to get back by train to Rorketon, where she hoped to 6nd
Promptly some means of returning home. She was madc that way;
ell year long it seemedto her, shut of on her island, that never would
she have her fllI of seeing Rorketon's brightly illuninated shop
windows, the electric lights which burned all night along its main
street, the many buggies that thronged there, the plank sidewalks and
the people moving abo\rt on them-in shorr, the intense life afforded
by this big village with its Chinese rcstaurant, its creek-rite Catholic
chapel, its Orthodox church, its Rumanian tailor, its cupolas, irs
whitewashed cottages, its peasantsin sheepsLinsand big rabbit hars
some, immigrants from Sweden; orhers, from Finland or Iceland;
srill others, and they were the majority, come from Bukovina and
GaIl.ciz.
At Rorketon Luzina gathercd rhe material for the tales she would
tell her family for month after month, practically until her next trip.
Yet once sh€ had spent a few days at Rorketon, she had had rll
she wanted of it. Nothing seemedto her warmer or more human
than that lonely gray house which, atop its mound between thc
willows, looked our upon norhing except the quiet and monotonous
Little Water Hen.
She woffied about the children. She wondered whether, whil(
chopping holes in rhe ice on rhe Little \trater Hen in order ro fish
fof pike, as was rheir custom in spring, rhey might not all have fallcrr
in and perishedas they xttemprcd to save€ach orher. She picturc(l
780
ro herself a flood which might cover the whole island and force h€r
husband and her poor children to clamber up upon th€ roof of the
house. He$ was a mind exrraordinerily adept ar imagining, rhe
moment she was avray from home, all the mishaps which could be-
fall her loved ones end to which reeliry, harsh as ir wes in that land,
Imt a ceftain verisimilitude.
She was on edge.
But the coming of spring had becn unusually delayed thar year
by heary snowfalls followed by rain and finally by renewed cold. The
wretched road between Rorketon and Portage des Pr6s had become
impassable. Even the mailman refus€d to chanc€ it- Now in those
countries of the Notth, everyone tak€s it for granted that when the
mailman cannot get through, no one can get through. The mail in
that awesomewilde(nessremainsthe grerr, rhe most imFortant busi-
ness.ard onll obstacle"rru\ insurnrountable(rn srop i(.
Nevertheless Luzina everywhere made inquiries-at the post ofice,
in the stores,at the hotel to seewhether someonemight know of
a Pclson who was going to uy to r€ach Portage des Pres in sPite
of everything. Ar that momenr the town was full of tmvelers, deeined
in Rorkeron precisely becauseof the bad condition of the roads. And
so Luzina made a number of acquaintanceships; to some few of these
she would even send letters later on, giving news of her return and
of events rt th€ ranch, so interest€d in her had chesepeople seemed
and so anxious to wish her well.
Because of her atrability luzina hed made e number of friends
during her travels; she still wrote tegularly to an old lady who had
glown mosr afectionatc towerd her during the short ttain ride from
Sainte Rose-du-Lac to Rorketon ten y€ats earlier, a Madame Iacoste
who lived in the province of Quebec. In fact Luzina said rhar meer-
ing likable people was the real pleasure of traveling. She enjoyed
being helpful to those who happenedto be at hand, and to such
good purpose that rarely did she fail to find in her journeying agree-
able people ready ro do as much for her. This time, however, no
one could help her. She was rdvised to sp€akto rhe postman on the
Rorketon-Portagedes Pr6sroute, who would d€liver her to the place
where Nick Sluzick rook ovcr rhe m l.
/t]l
IUZINA TAKES A HOIID^Y / clbrielle Rot
Now this Rorketon posrman was rhe most baffing fello*' of all.
Ivan Bmtislovski neuly always said he was going to do rhe opposite
of what he did, a kind of peasanr's stratagem egainst fate, which
perhaps he thus hoped to best. And probably for the same reason
he complainedendlessly.At all hours of the day he was to be found
in the Chinese restaurant,eager to pick a quaffel with anyone who
might have dared deny that he, Ivan Brarislovski, lived a dog's life.
\rere you only to agree with him on rha. point, the little Ruchenian
could prove himself most useFul Luzina w25 unawareof this method
of appeasement.
Having senr a small boy rwice to ask the Ruthenian .whether he
would be lerving the following morning, she had b,:en informed thar
"lvan Bratislovski\ horse had been injured, rhat rhe sleigh wes very-
small to caffy a woman traveling with a lot of belongings, and tbat.
in any case, he was on the point of ofering his resignadon to the
postalauthorities." \vhzt this meanrwas rhat Ivan BratislovsLiwould
shortly take his chances and srart for Porage des Pr6s, vhich, of
course,was beyond Luzina's guessing.
Mernwhile a Jewish merchant from Dauphin affived at the hocel
where luzina wls staying. He was in a hurry, anxious ro ger to
Portage des Pr6s with an eye to a deal in muskrat skins thar might at
any moment be snetchedaway,right from under his nose.He renred
a horse and sleigh. The next morning he left, luzina with him.
THE T!,ro TRAVTLERS had scarcely passed Rorkeron,s last farmsteds
when they found themselves in a lonely expanse,entirely covered wjrll
a thin layer of sparLling ice. The fine grained, shifting snow was
wholly imprisoned, as rhough in an envelopeof brilliant cellophanc
No breath ofwind disturbedthis frozen whiteness.Here was the harcl
and perfect motionlessnesswhich the cold in its full virulence de
The road was as completely frozen as rhe fields,as all the counr^,.
side,flat and lifeless-At tjmes ir strerchedour like a congealedpond,
blue and level; the runners of rhe sleigh began to slide to and fro as
though thE were walrzing; in otber placesrhe frost had solidiFc(l
742
the hollows and unevennesses of the road into a surfaceso rugged
that the vehicle plunged, reared up, crashed down again in a strain-
ing etrort strange to behold in a landscape so broad and unfeeling.
The horse was soon in a lather. The ice shatteredbeneathits shoes
in long sharp splinters which cruelly wounded it. luzina could
scarce\ bea( wetching rhe poor beesc,and despic€her desir€ to get
home as soon as possible, she kept urging rhe Jew to spare the
arimrl.
It cook them hours to cover a few miles. The ic€ grew smoother
and smoother. Ar one comer they took a litrle quickly the sleigh
upset, tumbling Luzina, her suitcise, and all her bundles some feet
of the road- Abe Zlutkin ran to her help. Her heaq. clorhing had
protected her, her and her most flagile gifr, which as she 1;11she
clasped within her arms.
She had not even a scrarch- She begzn to laugh, and, after a
thoughtful moment, Abe Zlutkin did too.
He was a small, swaJthy man, active, thin, alv.aysworrying and
cxlculxring. He had barely left Rorkeron et daybrerk when he began
regrettirg that he had caken this women with him. She might be
injured if they had an accident; were thaa to happen, her husband
would probrbly claim damages. Because he hed wanted rhe rhree
dollars luzina had offered, Abe Zlutkin half foresaw that he would
lose hundreds. He had been shaken by that very for when Luzina
stumbled back co her feet,more nimble than ever,and beganto laugh.
Ar once op.imism repiacedanxiecyin Zlutkin's changeabiesoul. Such
a woman, healthy and fearless,could not bdng bad luck to him who
helpedher-On the contrary,he should make the bestofit, put himself
under her star, which was certainly a fortunate one. A half an hour
after the accid t Zlutkin was still chuclding over it, filled with
xmzzement xnd henceforward certain that his good deed would be
repaid a hundredfold, in fine furs, in choice skins which he would
acauire ar small exFensein Poftage des Pres.
S€eing him so well disposed,Luzina began to chat. She was on
hcr return journey; che horse'severy step, however hesitant, brought
her nearer home; she was gratcful to Abe Zlurkin; she could not
prcvenrher gcncrousnxrurc 6om offcring whxt sbehrd ro give, wb;ch
TUZINAT,{KISA HOUDAY/cabiclle
Rov
amount€d to the stories of half-a-hundred adventures ir her life that
might have b€en rragic and that always had-she never gave heIself
any reason why-rhe happiesr possibl€ endings. In the goodness of
her hexrt she really hoped rhat by means of all her tales she could
distfact her compenion from the dangerscontinually confronting them
both.
Yet she feared she might seem selfish if she talked only about her
own good fortune. She asked the fur merchant whether he was
maffied. Stour luzinz's motherly kindness, her warm, inquiring eyes,
her eager interesr in others, her whole nature invited confidence
Abe Zlutkin took advantage of an interval when the road was a
trifle less dippery to show her a photo of his wife. lr portrayed a
plump young Jewish woman of dark complexion. Abe bcthoughr
himself thar he loved her dearly. For a moment the bushess he was
in such a hurry to trarrsact ceas€drommting him. Such was luzina's
power. She disposed people ro become xvare that rbey had reasons
for being happy.
$trhen they were tired of Blkin& they rested by reflecting on the
pleasant things that had been said_Her life, at rhe only times when
shecouid give ir much rhought.while she wasjolling alongon her
uavels, seemed truly wonderful. Dwelling so far from all the world,
she hed encountered human beings of all races and characters. The
most exciting romance could not have ofered hef so great x variery
of p€ople: little old bearded Poles, Slav postmen, half-brecd guides,
Russian Otthodox; once she had even made the rrip home with rbe
post-oflice inspector. No one ofthem had evel ueated her disrespecrfully;
Iuzina hed only to put hemelf under a human being's protection for
him to behave roward her exactly as she wished. Moreover, traveling
in itself had taught her lessonsof an unexpectedsorr: it had shown
hef that human nature everywhere is excellenr. The Jevrs were one
of the few folk she had had no opportunirt to study; yer, deciding
on the basis of her fur merchant that rhey were rarher on rhe likeblc
side, she let herself drift into a feeling of vague benevolence, lazy
and easygoing, which embraced very nearly the whole human race.
But she had to resume the conversation.Zlutkin was becominr
unea$ againl (he road conrinuedro be iust as bad; the horsc wa.
7A4
limping. And, before thE had covered much more groufld, the sky
began to cloud over. Strange red streaks, low on the horizon, foretold
a change in the weather. The tvro travelers were obliged to find a
sroPPrng Place.
ft turned out to be one of those solitary farms such as were to be
found wery three or four miles along the Portage d€s Pr6s road. The
house was poor; it contained only one room, furnished in back,
behind the stove, with a number of beds. Yet the moment Luzinx
entered th€ir homq shivering with cold, the man and woman of
rhe house came forward to greet hct, smiling, their arms extended
to relieve her of all her bundles. Thev led her to the stove and at once
ofered her food, all this with so much alacrity that she could not
harbor the least doubt of the sincerity of rheir welcome, even though
it was expressed in a foreign tongue. It was just as she had always
thoughr: every human being, the moment necessity forces us to seek
his kindness, eagerly otrers it in our behaif
A6cr supper Luzina settled herself for an intcresting erening.
The family were lcelanders, a people with whom she had not yet
had occasionto becomeacguainted.She noticed that they constantly
drank very strong cofe€ and that, instead of putting suger in their
cups, th€y pbced a lump on their tongues or berween their teeth
before drinking the burning liquid. Vhen they began telldng in their
own language, she was €ven more delighted. Peculiarities, customs,
and e lenguage that were forcign to her, rather than putting het off,
s€Emedro givc lite en inexJrausribleanraction.
She did not want to be outdone in amiability by such kindly hosts.
So, wen though she had no assurancethat they understood her, she
began giving ar account of the road she would have to travel to
reach her home on the island in the Little Water Hen. Visiting was
what gave them the greatest pleasure,said she. laughingly she granted
thar ic was the hrbit of living so far away from people thar made
her become so talLativ€ whenevcr she had a chance. \7hen she
laughed,through politen€ssthe Icelanderspr€tendedto want to laugh
Thereupon she dug into her purse, seeking some little keepsake
shc might offcr thcir childfcn. Shc had only rhc crayons and rhc
78
 rUZlNvA T,{K!S A HollD^y/cabdette Roy

postcards bought for her own offspring; she hesitared

a lot, bui postcards, and, herself childlike, she could not wait to sive them rheir
reflecdng-and with good reason-thar het own
would not have presenr.ro rhar she mighr waL(h rhcir grilcles
hesitated_ to share their crayons with the young Bjorgssons, Ec. br;glren *;rtr
she ioy, For Hippolyte she had a handsome necLtie, which he wouid have
beckonedto them, and the crzyons*,ere duly distributediseemingJv
a chznce to we2r oo his next ffip, within a few monrhs. Sh€ wzs
the parenrs were touched, for they aroseagain ro ofer
everyone cofr. itching with desire to celi about hov' the Bjorgssons had received
The next morning rhe travelers had a slightly less slippery
_ road; her. Above all she had with her, rhh yeer lik€ the orhe( years, the
the clorids, however,hung low; the s\ was moftIed.
A'iA. sno* gift of gilis, so pre(iousrhrr Luzinadrred not cnrru.r ir io cnyone
had fallen during rhe njghr. Thc wind swept strongly
through this and kepr it s. rupulouJy wrapprd. This gir $ rs (uppo\ed ro be d grear
fresh snow, and therc wrs reason to fear that a reaigale
waiin the sulprise for her family, which, truth to tell, tather expectedit. since
. of6ng. They did not reach porrage des pr6s until midafiernoon, having
Luzina.evcr generous.*ould 5urelycome home rhis rime wirh .r"
twicc wandered off rhe uack, and rhey were pierced wirh
cold, faml much as she had always brought before. Her happiness, no more
ished,_their eles scorchedby the wind_ Th€ worsr of the
trip was rhan rhe wind of springrime.rhe wlrm qind. Jt,e and frieodly,
still aherd of Luzina.
cuuld wait to spreadabroad.
Hippolyte would scold her for having taken to rhe road on so bad
a day. So much the worscl Todzy you could still chance the triD:
THAT NoRTH country, with its vasr, spa$e forests and
its equally vasr romorro* opporrunirymrghr be llcking. or rhe trail mighr be eren
hkes, that land of water and dwarf trees, has, of all regions,
the'mosr worse. She gathered her things rogether and through the store window
capri.ious ciimate. From one day to ariotber rhe ice
mcited on the began to watch fot the mornent when Nick Sluzick. lately arived.
trail between portage des pr6s and the Tousignant ranch;
you could wouJd be teady to depart. As a marter of fact, she had not saved
2tinost see the snow disrppear.
any time by journeying with Abe Zlutkin rather than with Ivan
Anorher cold wave had been expected, but during
the nighr Bratislovski, because,whatever happened, NicL Sluzick had to wait
luzina spent at rhe settlement store a south *i"a UJ "up.
Uto*r, for the mail broughr by the latter before he could beein to distribute
Almost warm, soft and damp, a wind swollen with
hope_at anv it over his own renitory.
other rime it would have retoiced luzina,s heam. rVith
this wini At lasr luzina saw thar rhe mail bags had been piled up on the
rerDrnedrhe fzsr gr"y re:J. rhe grcen-ncckedmalla;d,
rhe wild eoosc back of rhe sl€igh. lmmediarely. rhe rushed over ro .rk" he, pl,.c
2nd ir( plainrrvecr1.rhe gallanrlirtlc silvcrbelliedl,rre,
hens.ilany beside a NicL Sluzick more gloomy than ever; without good-day or
sorts.of duck, busiling and winsome, the whole great
,q,_rar;it.ibe, greering, without comment or quesrion! the ancient Ukrainian cleared
exqursire companion of spring and of man,s assurance
itrroughour his nosrrils wirh his fingers, then briskly gave his mare the whip.
these faraway realms.
Todayhc wa: cspecially our of humor; he had hrd .rll the rroubic
In less than twenry four hours, however, the whole
_ counrryside in the world getting through certain sretches of the road, and he
had turned into a kind ofperilous marsh,deepand treacherous.
Under suspeted chat the retum rrip would be wen more disagreeable.Not
the flaccid snow a man,s fooc found watei e,ery*herer
everywhere rharNick Sluzi.k rea'edthe waterhole<for r he s.rkeoi hi, own roush
seePing water.
hide: ir tool more rhrn an iq brrh ro drconcerr him. Bur he did
All rhe same,fuzina decided to leave.Eirher she
would succeed not like to sce a woman running such risks. In general he had no
in reachinghome rhat very day, or else she vr'ould
bave ro wait idjy fondne's for lug5rnp womcn .rlong wirh him-women. chitdrcn,
fof weeksuntil the rord dried out_ For her cbildren shc still
bad somc br<rk.rhlcIbrr.rrr,i'r \1r,,' r Jrhinx fr.,Ait(

7r'lr)
 LUZINA TAKIS A Hol_ID^]./crbftlle Roy

In dangerhe preferredro be alone.\7hen it camedown ro it, he

alwayspreferredto be alone.A man neededto be alonero ponder
his own affairs.1ofhatwasmore,if rhis \fater Hen .oun,ry vr'.r. .o
be anymoresetled,in rhe end he, Nick Sluzick,would haveto seek
refugefurther north.
BIOGI.\I
They reacheda veritableslor.rgh.Bclla refusedro venrureinto ir.
The old man raisedhis whip; flom the rip of his red noseflowed
rhe usueisilverrhrcad;ro his musteches clung rhe remainsof rhe
garlicsausage and breadhe had devouredsrandingnearthe srovein
chesrofe,knife in hand,eventhough thc merchanthad invited him
to sharehis own meal.Bellaseemed ro bemetsurinqrhewatersdeDrh SHOIOM AIEICHEM J3'9.];::
wirh her bentleg,whichshcdrewbackup undcrhir belly The wirer SolomonRabinosnz,who *!:.:: :f,
cameialfoay co her body,abouthalf rhc hcight of the sleigh,flush Uk€inc {nd spcnt hk hre! \a_, i
Unit.d Skrcs, rook * hn F r-.
with its floorboards.
Hcbcw elustion "Pa.c b. ua. 'r
Luzinalifted her most preciouspackage aboveher hcad,rhinking His novcli, phlr and mo( rhr. :r:- L
. dtd 5ho( $ories hrvc be. rr:.r::: i
les of herselfrhan of rhis irreplaceable gift. They had, howevei manylrngu.tes,bur hcn mon r.c:.. io
passedthrough rhe deepesrof rhe water, Luzina,her arms ladcn, lor hk humo,oussorics of l,r1 f,,.a
quieclysankbackinto cheseat. oppc$cd hd polcq{idd.n R-,, - }
oa thc ltt linct..nrh 1nd drl, ---ri
Towardtbe end of the afrernoonone of rhe Tousignantchildren,
posredon the Lirtle lfarer Hen shore,heardthe sutmons on the
bark crumperwherebyit had beenagreedthat Luzinawould indicate CoRRADO AIVARO l39J-t5..
Alvsro livcd much of hn lift i: R:-:
hcr errival tr rhe bank of the Big !(/atcr Hen. somcof his mos ouAimdine !::::.- 6
ImmediatelyHippotyreand pierre-Emmanuel_Roger launchedthe ccrn thc simplecounq p€opl. :a {:,.h
. in soulhernftaly, whcrc h. nr r':1
boat.At rhd(laslmomenrrao morechildren cLn bered jnl Hipoolvte proli6c nor.]nr, he var de dr.-.: -
hadror rhehcarrto,end rhemback qo -c.e ,he1,o,ee ,hO,
morheragain.Theyrowedqr:ickly;theyraced "rge.
acrossrhe little istand. MAX AUB ]90.J
Fromafartheycouldaheadyseerhemorionless sleighandtwo human D.spne his mne, M^ Aub n -.i+
figutes,one of ihem peevish,annoyedar rhe delay,and the other Spanishin educetionand tulu. Fr n
ans6 ftom lyricalfolk fmra'61:: E i
waving,excitedlyperchedon rhe seat. lzr., to novds$r lstnn lhc i::r&:.x
They crossedthe Big $fate! Hen; now they werewithin hailing .f rhc SpanishCivil \(ir. H. :i: :E
_ Meri.o. :=: i
disrance, and they criedout to eachorher.And then, a bit thinnei
a ffinepale,bur laughingwirh shyness and€morion,herfacewrinLled MARC!! AYMi r9O2 796_
in joy, luzina sreppedour upon the ground.And in her arms,as Born oa r lrumble f2ni]f ir :i: :!
p.olinces, Ayna b.one 3 coL-:: P
happenedwhenever she returned from her businesstrips, luzina
sirn; and bcclus he haied d.t -r
caniedthe babyshehed gone ro SainteRose_du,lac to iring into tno$ cnftcly elf.eduoftd !r: .G
the world. dre ludi.rous conbined snn : !i-i
reatin brought nid 8@r poFri-. :

788