第10章
"Shearrangedwiththe——withthepurchaserthatthemenwillcomeforitabouthalfafterfiveintheafternoon。Thedaysaresoshortnowit"sreallyquitewinter。"
"Oh,yes,"heagreed,moodily。"Sofarasthatgoespeoplehavearighttomoveapieceoffurniturewithoutstirringuptheneighbors,Isuppose,evenbydaylight。Idon"tsupposeOURneighborsarepayingmuchattentionjustnow,thoughIhearSheridanwasbackinhisofficeearlythemorningafterthefuneral。"
Mrs。Vertreesmadealittlesoundofcommiseration。"Idon"tbelievethatwasbecausehewasn"tsuffering,though。I"msureitwasonlybecausehefelthisbusinesswassoimportant。Marytoldmeheseemedwrappedupinhisson"ssucceeding;andthatwaswhathebraggedaboutmost。Heisn"tvulgarinhisboasting,Iunderstand;hedoesn"ttalkagreatdealabouthis——hisactualmoney——thoughtherewassomethingaboutbladesofgrassthatIdidn"tcomprehend。Ithinkhemeantsomethingabouthisenergy——butperhapsnot。
No,hisbraggingusuallyseemedtobenotsomuchapersonalvaingloryasabouthisfamilyandthegreatnessofthiscity。"
""Greatnessofthiscity"！"Mr。Vertreesechoed,withdullbitterness。"It"snothingbutacoal—hole！Isupposeitlooks"great"tothemanwhohasthelucktomakeitworkforhim。Isupposeitlooks"great"toanyYOUNGman,too,startingouttomakehisfortuneoutofit。Thefellowsthatgetwhattheywantoutofitsayit"s"great,"andeverybodyelsegetsthehabit。Butyouhaveadifferentpointofviewifit"sthecitythatgotwhatitwantedoutofyou！OfcourseSheridansaysit"s"great"。"
Mrs。Vertreesseemedunawareofthisunusualoutburst。"Ibelieve,"shebegan,timidly,"hedoesn"tboastof——thatis,Iunderstandhehasneverseemedsointerestedinthe——theotherone。"
Herhusband"sfacewasdark,butatthataheaviershadowfelluponit;helookedmorehaggardthanbefore。""Theotherone","herepeated,avertinghiseyes。"Youmean——youmeanthethirdson——theonethatwasherethisevening？"
"Yes,the——theyoungest,"shereturned,hervoicesofeebleitwasalmostawhisper。
Andthenneitherofthemspokeforseverallongminutes。Nordideitherlookattheotherduringthatsilence。
AtlastMr。Vertreescontrivedtocough,butnotconvincingly。"What——
ah——whatwasitMarysaidabouthimoutinthehall,whenshecameinthisafternoon？Iheardyouaskinghersomethingabouthim,butsheansweredinsuchalowvoiceIdidn"t——ah——happentocatchit。"
"She——shedidn"tsaymuch。Allshesaidwasthis:Iaskedherifshehadenjoyedherwalkwithhim,andshesaid,"He"sthemostwistfulcreatureI"veeverknown。""
"Well？"
"Thatwasall。HeISwistful—looking;andsofragile——thoughhedoesn"tseemquitesomuchsolately。IwaswatchingMaryfromthewindowwhenshewentoutto—day,andhejoinedher,andifIhadn"tknownabouthimI"dhavethoughthehadquiteaninterestingface。"
"Ifyou"hadn"tknownabouthim"？Knownwhat？"
"Oh,nothing,ofcourse,"shesaid,hurriedly。"Nothingdefinite,thatis。
Marysaiddecidely,longago,thathe"snotatallinsane,aswethoughtatfirst。It"sonly——well,ofcourseitISodd,theirattitudeabouthim。I
supposeit"ssomenervoustroublethatmakeshim——perhapsalittlequeerattimes,sothathecan"tapplyhimselftoanything——orperhapsdoesoddthings。But,afterall,ofcourse,weonlyhaveanimpressionaboutit。Wedon"tknow——thatis,positively。I——"Shepaused,thenwenton:"Ididn"tknowjusthowtoask——thatis——Ididn"tmentionittoMary。Ididn"t——I——"
Thepoorladyflounderedpitifully,concludingwithamumble。"Sosoonafter——afterthe——theshock。"
"Idon"tthinkI"vecaughtmorethanaglimpseofhim,"saidMr。Vertrees。
"Iwouldn"tknowhimifIsawhim,butyourimpressionofhimis——"Hebrokeoffsuddenly,springingtohisfeetinagitation。"Ican"timageher——oh,NO！"hegasped。Andhebegantopacethefloor。"Ahalf—wittedepileptic！"
"No,no！"shecried。"Hemaybeallright。We——"
"Oh,it"shorrible！Ican"t——"Hethrewhimselfbackintohischairagain,sweepinghishandsacrosshisface,thenlettingthemfalllimplyathissides。
Mrs。Vertreeswastremulous。"Youmustn"tgivewayso,"shesaid,inspiredforoncealmosttodirectdiscourse。"WhateverMarymightthinkofdoing,itwouldn"tbeonherownaccount;itwouldbeonours。ButifWE
should——shouldconsiderit,thatwouldn"tbeonOURownaccount。Itisn"tbecausewethinkofourselves。"
"OhGod,no！"hegroaned。"Notforus！Wecangotothepoorhouse,butMarycan"tbeastenographer！"
Sighing,Mrs。Vertreesresumedherobliqueness。"Ofcourse,"shemurmured,"itallseemsverypremature,speculatingaboutsuchthings,butIhadaqueersortoffeelingthatsheseemedquiteinterestedinthis——"Shehadalmostsaid"inthisone,"butcheckedherself。"Inthisyoungman。It"snatural,ofcourse;sheisalwayssostrongandwell,andheis——heseemstobe,thatis——ratherappealingtothe——thesympathies。"
"Yes！"heagreed,bitterly。"Precisely。Thesympathies！"
"Perhaps,"shefaltered——"perhapsyoumightfeeleasierifIcouldhavealittletalkwithsomeone？"
"Withwhom？"
"Ihadthoughtof——notgoingaboutittoobrusquely,ofcourse,butperhapsjustwaitingforhisnametobementioned,ifIhappenedtobetalkingwithsomebodythatknewthefamily——andthenImightfindachancetosaythatI
wassorrytohearhe"dbeenillsomuch,and——Somethingofthatkindperhaps？"
"Youdon"tknowanybodythatknowsthefamily。"
"Yes。Thatis——well,inaway,ofcourse,oneOFthefamily。ThatMrs。
RoscoeSheridanisnota——thatis,she"sratherapleasant—facedlittlewoman,Ithink,andofcourseratherordinary。Ithinksheisinterestedabout——thatis,ofcourse,she"dbeanxioustobemoreintimatewithMary,naturally。She"salwayslookingoverherefromherhouse;shewaslookingoutthewindowthisafternoonwhenMarywentout,Inoticed——thoughIdon"tthinkMarysawher。I"msureshewouldn"tthinkitoutofplaceto——tobefrankaboutmatters。Shecalledtheotherday,andMarymustratherlikeher——shesaidthateveningthatthecallhaddonehergood。Don"tyouthinkitmightbewise？"
"Wise？Idon"tknow。Ifeelthewholematterisimpossible。"
"Yes,sodoI,"shereturned,promptly。"Itisn"treallyathingweshouldbeconsideringseriously,ofcourse。Still——"
"Ishouldsaynot！Butpossibly——"
Thustheyskirmishedupanddownthefield,butbeforetheyturnedthelightsoutandwentup—stairsitwasthoroughlyunderstoodbetweenthemthatMrs。
VertreesshouldseektheearliestopportunitytoobtaindefiniteinformationfromSibylSheridanconcerningthementalandphysicalstatusofBibbs。Andifheweresubjecttoattacksoflunacy,theunhappypairdecidedtopreventthesacrificetheysupposedtheirdaughterintendedtomakeofherself。
Altogether,iftherewerespitefulghostsintheoldhousethatnight,eavesdroppinguponthewoefulcomedy,theymusthavediedanewoflaughter！
Mrs。Vertrees"sopportunityoccurredtheverynextafternoon。Darknesshadfallen,andthepiano—movershadcome。Theywerecarryingthepianodownthefrontsteps,andMrs。Vertreeswasstandingintheopendoorwaybehindthem,preparingtowithdraw,whensheheardasharpexclamation;andMrs。RoscoeSheridan,bareheaded,emergedfromtheshadowintothelightofthedoorway。
"Goodgracious！"shecried。"Itdidgivemeafright！"
"It"sMrs。Sheridan,isn"tit？"Mrs。Vertreeswasperplexedbythisinformalappearance,butshereflectedthatitmightbeprovidential。"Won"tyoucomein？"
"No。Ohno,thankyou！"Sibylpanted,pressingherhandtoherside。"Youdon"tknowwhatafrightyou"vegivenme！Anditwasnothingbutyourpiano！"Shelaughedshrilly。"Youknow,sinceourtragedycomingsosuddenlytheotherday,youhavenoideahowupsetI"vebeen——almosthysterical！AndIjustglancedoutofthewindow,aminuteorsoago,andsawyourdoorwideopenandblackfiguresofmenagainstthelight,carryingsomethingheavy,andIalmostfainted。Yousee,itwasjustthewayitlookedwhenIsawthembringingmypoorbrother—in—lawin,nextdoor,onlysuchafewshortdaysago。AndIthoughtI"dseenyourdaughterstartforadrivewithBibbsSheridaninacaraboutthreeo"clock——and——Theyaren"tbackyet,arethey？"
"No。Goodheavens！"
"AndtheonlythingIcouldthinkofwasthatsomethingmusthavehappenedtothem,andIjustdashedover——anditwasonlyyourPIANO！"Shebrokeintolaughteragain。"Isupposeyou"rejustsendingitsomewheretoberepaired,aren"tyou？"
"It"s——it"sbeingtakendown—town,"saidMrs。Vertrees。"Won"tyoucomeinandmakemealittlevisit。IwasSOsorry,theotherday,thatIwas——ah——"
Shestoppedinconsequently,thenrepeatedherinvitation。"Won"tyoucomein？I"dreally——"
"Thankyou,butImustberunningback。Myhusbandusuallygetshomeaboutthistime,andImakealittlepointofitalwaystobethere。"
"That"sverysweet。"Mrs。VertreesdescendedthestepsandwalkedtowardthestreetwithSibyl。"It"squitebalmyforsolateinNovember,isn"tit？
AlmostlikeaMayevening。"
"I"mafraidMissVertreeswillmissherpiano,"saidSibyl,watchingtheinstrumentdisappearintothebigvanatthecurb。"Sheplayswonderfully,Mrs。Kittersbytellsme。"
"Yes,sheplaysverywell。Oneofyourrelativescametohearheryesterday,afterdinner,andIthinksheplayedalleveningforhim。"
"YoumeanBibbs？"askedSibyl。
"The——theyoungestMr。Sheridan。Yes。He"sverymusical,isn"the？"
"Ineverheardofit。ButIshouldn"tthinkitwouldmattermuchwhetherhewasornot,ifhecouldgetMissVertreestoplaytohim。Doesyourdaughterexpectthepianobacksoon？"
"I——Ibelievenotimmediately。Mr。Sheridancamelasteveningtohearherplaybecauseshehadarrangedwiththe——thatis,itwastoberemovedthisafternoon。Heseemsalmostwellagain。"
"Yes。"Sibylnodded。"Hisfather"sgoingtotrytostarthimtowork。"
"Heseemsverydelicate,"saidMrs。Vertrees。"Ishouldn"tthinkhewouldbeabletostandagreatdeal,eitherphysicallyor——"Shepausedandthenadded,glowingwiththesenseofherownadroitness——"ormentally。"
"Oh,mentallyBibbsisallright,"saidSibyl,inanoddvoice。
"Entirely？"Mrs。Vertreesasked,breathlessly。
"Yes,entirely。"
"ButhasheALWAYSbeen？"Thisquestioncamewiththesameanxiouseagerness。
"Certainly。Hehadalongsiegeofnervousdyspepsia,buthe"soverit。"
"Andyouthink——"
"Bibbsisallright。Youneedn"twor——"Sibylchoked,andpressedherhandkerchieftohermouth。"Goodnight,Mrs。Vertrees,"shesaid,hurriedly,asthehead—lightsofanautomobileswungroundthecornerabove,sendingabrighteningglaretowardtheedgeofthepavementwherethetwoladieswerestanding。
"Won"tyoucomein？"urgedMrs。Vertrees,cordially,hearingthesoundofacheerfulvoiceoutofthedarknessbeyondtheapproachingglare。"Do！
There"sMarynow,andshe——"
ButSibylwashalf—wayacrossthestreet。"No,thanks,"shecalled。"I
hopeshewon"tmissherpiano！"Andsheranintoherownhouseandplungedheadlonguponaleatherdivaninthehall,holdingherhandkerchiefoverhermouth。
Thenoiseofhertumultuousentrancewasevidentlystartlinginthequiethouse,foruponthebangofthedoortherefollowedthecrashofadecanter,droppeduponthefloorofthedining—roomattheendofthehall;and,afterarumbleofindistinctprofanity,Roscoecameforth,holdingadrippingnapkininhishand。
"What"syourexcitement？"hedemanded。"Whatdoyoufindtogointohystericsover？Anotherdeathinthefamily？"
"Oh,it"sfunny！shegasped。"Thoseoldfrost—bittenpeople！IguessTHEY"REgettingtheircome—upance！"Lyingprone,sheelevatedherfeetintheair,clappedherheelstogetherrepeatedly,inanecstasy。
"Comethrough,comethrough！"saidherhusband,crossly。"Whatyoubeenupto？"
"Me？"shecried,droppingherfeetandswingingaroundtofacehim。
"Nothing。It"sthem！ThoseVertreeses！"Shewipedhereyes。"They"vehadtoselltheirpiano！"
"Well,whatofit？"
"ThatMrs。Kittersbytoldmeallabout"emaweekago,"saidSibyl。"They"vebeenhardupforalongtime,andshesaysaslongagoaslastwintersheknewthatgirlgotapairofwalking—shoesre—soledandpatched,becauseshegotitdonethesameplaceMrs。Kittersby"scookhadHERS！Andthenightofthehouse—warmingIkindofgotsuspicious,myself。Shedidn"thaveonesinglepieceofanykindofrealjewelry,andyoucouldseeherdresswasanoldonedoneover。Mencan"ttellthosethings,andyouallmadeabigfussoverher,butIthoughtshelookedasight,myself！Ofcourse,EDITHwascrazytohaveher,and——"
"Well,well？"heurged,impatiently。
"Well,I"mTELLINGyou！Mrs。Kittersbysaystheyhaven"tgotaTHING！JustabsolutelyNOTHING——andtheydon"tknowanywheretoturn！Thefamily"salldiedoutbutthem,andalltherelativestheygotareverydistant,andliveEastandscarcelyknow"em。Shesaysthewholetown"sbeenwonderingwhatWOULDbecomeof"em。Thegirlhadplentychancestomarryuptoayearorsoago,butshewassoindifferentshescaredthemenoff,andtheonesthathadwantedtowentandmarriedothergirls。Gracious！theywerelucky！MarryHER？ThemanthatfoundhimselftieduptoTHATgirl——"
"Terriblefunny,terriblefunny！"saidRoscoe,withsarcasm。"It"ssofunnyIbrokeacut—glassdecanterandspilledaquartof——"
"Wait！"shebegged。"You"llsee。Iwassittingbythewindowalittlewhileago,andIsawabigwagondriveupacrossthestreetandsomemengointothehouse。Itwastoodarktomakeoutmuch,andforaminuteIgottheideatheyweremovingout——thehousehasbeenforeclosedon,Mrs。Kittersbysays。
Itseemedfunny,too,becauseIknewthatgirlwasoutridingwithBibbs。
Well,IthoughtI"dsee,soIslippedover——anditwastheirPIANO！They"dsolditandweretryingtosneakitoutafterdark,sonobody"dcatchon！"
Againshegavewaytoherenjoyment,butresumed,asherhusbandseemedabouttointerruptthenarrative。"Waitaminute,can"tyou？Theoldladywassuperintending,andshegaveitallaway。Isizedherupforoneofthoseoldchurchypeoplethattellallkindsofliesexceptwhenitcomestosomanywords,andthentheycan"t。Shemightjustaswelltoldmeoutright！
Yes,they"dsoldit;andIhopethey"llpaysomeoftheirdebts。Theyoweeverybody,andlastweekacoal—dealermadeanawfulfussatthedoorwithMr。Vertrees。Theircooktoldourupstairsgirl,andshesaidshedidn"tknowWHENshe"dseenanymoney,herself！DidyoueverhearofsuchacaseasthatgirlinyouLIFE？"
"Whatgirl？Theircook？"
"ThatVertreesgirl！Don"tyouseetheylookedonourcomingupintothisneighborhoodastheirlastchance？Theywerejustgoingdownandout,andherebobsupthegreen,richSheridanfamily！Sotheydollthegirlupinheroldthings,madeover,andsendherouttogetaSheridan——she"sGOTtogetone！Andshejustgoesinblind;andshetriesitonfirstwithYOU。
Youremember,shejustplainTOLDyoushewasgoingtomashyou,andthenshefoundoutyouwerethemarriedone,andturnedrightsquarearoundtoJimandcarriedhimoffhisfeet。Oh,Jimwaslanded——there"snodoubtaboutTHAT！
ButJimwaslucky;hedidn"tlivetoSTAYlanded,andit"sagoodthingforhim！"Sibyl"smirthhadvanished,andshespokewithvirulentrapidity。
"Well,shecouldn"tgetyou,becauseyouweremarried,andshecouldn"tgetJim,becauseJimdied。Andtheretheywere,deadbroke！Doyouknowwhatshedid？Doyouknowwhatshe"sDOING？"
"No,Idon"t,"saidRoscoe,gruffly。
Sibyl"svoiceroseandculminatedinascreamofrenewedhilarity。"BIBBS！
Shewaitedinthegrave—yard,anddrovehomewithhimfromJIM"SFUNERAL！
Neverspoketohimbefore！Jimwasn"tCOLD！"
Sherockedherselfbackandforthuponthedivan。"Bibbs！"sheshrieked。
"Bibbs！Roscoe,THINKofit！BIBBS！"
Hestaredunsympathetically,buthermirthwasunabatedforallthat。"Andyesterday,"shecontinued,betweenparoxysms——"yesterdayshecameoutofthehouse——justashewaspassing。Shemusthavebeenlookingout——waitingforthechance;Isawtheoldladywatchingatthewindow！Andshegothimtherelastnight——to"PLAY"tohim;theoldladygavethataway！Andto—dayshemadehimtakeheroutinamachine！Andthecreamofitisthattheydidn"tevenknowwhetherhewasINSANEornot——theythoughtmaybehewas,butshewentafterhimjustthesame！Theoldladysetherselftopumpmeaboutitto—day。BIBBS！Oh,myLord！BIBBS！"
ButRoscoelookedgrim。"Soit"sfunnytoyou,isit？Itsoundskindofpitifultome。Ishouldthinkitwouldtoawoman,too。"
"Oh,itmight,"shereturned,sobering。"Itmight,ifthosepeopleweren"tsuchfrozen—facedsmartAlecks。Ifthey"dhadthedecencytocomedownofftheperchalittleIprobablywouldn"tthinkitwasfunny,buttosee"emsitupontheirpedestalallthetimethey"reeatingdirt——well,Ithinkit"sfunny！ThatgirlsitsupasifshewasQueenElizabeth,andexpectspeopletowallowonthegroundbeforeheruntiltheygetnearenoughforhertogive"emagoodkickwithheroldpatchedshoes——oh,she"ddoTHAT,allright！——andthenshepowdersupandgoesouttomash——BIBBSSHERIDAN！"
"Lookhere,"saidRoscoe,heavily;"Idon"tcareaboutthatonewayoranother。Ifyou"rethrough,IgotsomethingIwanttotalktoyouabout。I
wasgoingto,thatdayjustbeforeweheardaboutJim。"
AtthisSibylstiffenedquickly;hereyesbecameintenselybright。"Whatisit？"
"Well,"hebegan,frowning,"whatIwasgoingtosaythen——"Hebrokeoff,and,becomingconsciousthathewasstillholdingthewetnapkininhishand,threwitpettishlyintoacorner。"IneverexpectedI"dhavetosayanythinglikethistoanybodyIMARRIED;butIwasgoingtoaskyouwhatwasthematterbetweenyouandLamhorn。"
Sibylutteredasharpmonosyllable。"Well？"
"Ifeltthetimehadcomeformetoknowaboutit,"hewenton。"Younevertoldmeanything——"
"Youneverasked,"sheinterposed,curtly。
"Well,we"dgotinawayofnottalkingmuch,"saidRoscoe。"Itlookstomenowasifwe"dprettymuchlosttherunofeachotherthewayagoodmanypeopledo。Idon"tsayitwasn"tmyfault。Iwasupearlyanddowntoworkallday,andI"dcomehometiredatnight,andwanttogotobedsoonasI"dgotthepaperread——unlesstherewassomegoodmusicalshowintown。Well,youseemedallrightuntilherelately,thelastmonthorso,Ibegantoseesomethingwaswrong。Icouldn"thelpseeingit。"
"Wrong？"shesaid。"Whatlike？"
"Youchanged;youdidn"tlookthesame。Youwereallstrungupandexcitedandfidgety;yougottolookingpeakidandrundown。Nowthen,Lamhornhadbeengoingwithusagoodwhile,butInoticedthatnotlongagoyougottopickingonhimabouteverylittlethinghedid;yougottoquarrelingwithhimwhenIwasthereandwhenIwasn"t。Icouldseeyou"dbeenquarrelingwheneverIcameinandhewashere。"
"Doyouobjecttothat？"askedSibyl,breathingquickly。
"Yes——whenitinjuresmywife"shealth！"hereturned,withaquickliftofhiseyestohers。"Youbegantorundownjustaboutthetimeyoubeganfallingoutwithhim。"Hesteppedclosetoher。"Seehere,Sibyl,I"mgoingtoknowwhatitmeans。"
"Oh,youARE？"shesnapped。
"You"retrembling,"hesaid,gravely。
"Yes。I"mangryenoughtodomorethantremble,you"llfind。Goon！"
"ThatwasallIwasgoingtosaytheotherday,"hesaid。"Iwasgoingtoaskyou——"
"Yes,thatwasallyouweregoingtosayTHEOTHERDAY。Yes。Whatelsehaveyoutosayto—night？"
"To—night,"hereplied,withgrimswiftness,"Iwanttoknowwhyyoukeeptelephoninghimyouwanttoseehimsincehestoppedcominghere。"
Shemadealong,lowsoundofcomprehensionbeforeshesaid,"AndwhatelsedidEdithwantyoutoaskme？"
"IwanttoknowwhatyousayoverthetelephonetoLamhorn,"hesaid,fiercely。
"IsthatallEdithtoldyoutoaskme？Yousawherwhenyoustoppedinthereonyourwayhomethisevening,didn"tyou？Didn"tshetellyouthenwhatI
saidoverthetelephonetoMr。Lamhorn？"
"No,shedidn"t！"hevociferated,hisvoicegrowinglouder。"Shesaid,"YoutellyourwifetostoptelephoningRobertLamhorntocomeandseeher,becauseheisn"tgoingtodoit！"That"swhatshesaid！AndIwanttoknowwhatitmeans。Iintend——"
Amaidappearedatthelowerendofthehall。"Dinnerisready,"shesaid,and,givingthetroubledpaironeglance,wentdemurelyintothedining—room。
Roscoedisregardedtheinterruption。
"Iintendtoknowexactlywhathasbeengoingon,"hedeclared。"Imeantoknowjustwhat——"
Sibyljumpedup,almosttouchinghim,standingfacetofacewithhim。
"Oh,youDO！"shecried,shrilly。"Youmeantoknowjustwhat"swhat,doyou？Youlistentoyoursisterinsinuatinguglythingsaboutyourwife,andthenyoucomehomemakingascenebeforetheservantsandhumiliatingmeintheirpresence！DoyousupposethatIrishgirldidn"theareverywordyousaid？Yougointhereandeatyourdinneralone！Goon！Goandeatyourdinneralone——becauseIwon"teatwithyou！"
Andshebrokeawayfromthedetaininggrasphesoughttofastenuponher,anddashedupthestairway,panting。Heheardthedoorofherroomslamoverhead,andthesharpclickofthekeyinthelock。
Atseveno"clockonthelastmorningofthatmonth,Sheridan,passingthroughtheupperhallonhiswaytodescendthestairsforbreakfast,foundacoupleofscribbledsheetsofnote—paperlyingonthefloor。AwindowhadbeenopeninBibbs"sroomtheeveningbefore;hehadlefthisnote—bookonthesill——andthesheetswereloose。Thedoorwasopen,andwhenBibbscameinandclosedit,hedidnotnoticethatthetwosheetshadblownoutintothehall。Sheridanrecognizedthehandwritingandputthesheetsinhiscoatpocket,intendingtogivethemtoGeorgeorJacksonforreturntotheowner,butheforgotandcarriedthemdown—townwithhim。Atnoonhefoundhimselfaloneinhisoffice,and,havingalittleleisure,rememberedthebitsofmanuscript,tookthemout,andglancedatthem。Agrancewasenoughtorevealthattheywerenotepistolary。Sheridanwouldnothavereada"privateletter"thatcameintohispossessioninthatway,thoughina"matterofbusiness"hemighthavefeltithisdutytotakeadvantageofanopportunityaffordedinanymannerwhatsoever。HavingsatisfiedhimselfthatBibbs"sscribblingswereonlyasampleofthekindofwritinghissonpreferredtothemachine—shop,hedecided,innocentlyenough,thathewouldbejustifiedinreadingthem。
Itappearsthataladywillnodpleasantlyuponsomewindygeneralizationofacompanion,andwillwearthemostagreeableexpressionofacceptingitasthelaw,andthen——daysafterward,whenthethingisamummytoitspromulgator——shewillinquireoutofaclearsky:"WHYdidyousaythatthepeopledown—townhavenothinginlifethatachickenhasn"t？Whatdidyoumean？"Andshemaysayitinamannerthatmakesasensiblereplyverydifficult——youwillbesofullofwonderthatsherememberedsoseriously。
Yet,whatdoestheroosterlack？Hehasfoodandshelter;heiswarminwinter;hiswivesraisenotonefinefamilyforhim,butdozens。Hehasaclearskyoverhim;hebreathessweetair;hewalksinhisAprilorchardunderaroofofflowers。Hemustdie,violentlyperhaps,butquickly。IsMidas"scancerabetterway？Therooster"swivesandchildrenmustdie。ArethoseofMidasimmortal？HislifeisshorterthanthelifeofMidas,butMidas"slifeisonlyasixthaslongasthatoftheGalapagostortoise。
Theworthymoney—workertakeshisvacationsothathemayrefreshhimselfanewforthehardworkofgettingnothingthattheroosterdoesn"tget。Theoffice—buildinghasanelevator,theroosterfliesuptothebough。Midashasamachinetotakehimtohiswork;theroosterfindshiswormunderfoot。
The"businessman"feelsapressuresometimes,withoutknowingwhy,andsitslateatwineaftertheday"slabor;nextmorninghecurseshisheadbecauseitinterfereswiththework——heswearsnevertorelievethatpressureagain。
Theroosterhasnopressureandnowine;thisdifferenceisinhisfavor。
Theroosterisadependent;hedependsuponthefarmerandtheweather。
Midasisadependent;hedependsuponthefarmerandtheweather。Theroosterthinksonlyofthemoment;Midasprovidesforto—morrow。Whatdoesheprovideforto—morrow？Nothingthattheroosterwillnothavewithoutproviding。
Theroosterandtheprosperousworker:theyareborn,theygrub,theylove;
theygrubandlovegrubbing;theygrubandtheydie。Neitherknowsbeauty;
neitherknowsknowledge。Andafterall,whenMidasdiesandtheroosterdies,thereisonethingMidashashadandroosterhasnot。Midashashadtheexcitementofaccumulatingwhathehasgrubbed,andthathasbeenhislifeandhisloveandhisgod。Hecannottakethatgodwithhimwhenhedies。Iwonderiftheworthygodsarethosewecantakewithus。
MidasmustteachalltobeasMidas;theyoungmustberaisedinhisreligion——
Themanuscriptendedthere,andSheridanwasnotanxiousformore。Hecrumpledthesheetsintoaball,depositingit（withvigor）inawaste—basketbesidehim;then,rising,heconsultedaCyclopediaofNames,whichabook—agenthadsomehowsoldtohimyearsbefore;avolumenowfirstputtouseforthelocationof"Midas。"Havingreadthelegend,Sheridanwalkedupanddownthespaciousoffice,exhalingthebreathofcontempt。"Dam"fool！"
hemumbled。Butthiswasnonewthought,norwasthecontrarinessofBibbs"snotesasurpisetohim;andpresentlyhedismissedthematterfromhismind。