第11章
Hefeltverylonely,andthiswas,daily,hishardesthour。ForalongtimeheandJimhadlunchedtogetherhabitually。Roscoepreferredaclubluncheon,butJimandhisfatheralmostalwayswenttoasmallrestaurantneartheSheridanBuilding,wheretheyspenttwentyminutesintheconsumptionoffood,andtwentyintalk,withcigars。Jimcameforhisfathereveryday,atfiveminutesaftertwelve,andSheridanwasagaininhisofficeatfiveminutesbeforeone。ButnowthatJimnolongercame,Sheridanremainedaloneinhisoffice;hehadnotgoneouttolunchsinceJim"sdeath,nordidhehaveanythingsenttohim——hefasteduntilevening。
ItwasthetimehemissedJimpersonallythemost——thevoiceandeyesandhandshake,allbriskandalert,allbusiness—like。ButthesethingswerenotthekeenestinSheridan"sgrief;hissenseoflosswentfardeeper。Roscoewasdependable,asteadyoldwheel—horse,andthatwasagreatcomfort;butitwasinJimthatSheridanhadmosthappilyperceivedhisownlikeness。Jimwastheonewhowouldhavebeensuresttokeepthegreatpropertygrowinggreater,yearbyyear。Sheridanhadfallenasleep,nightafternight,picturingwhatthegrowthwouldbeunderJim。HehadbelievedthatJimwasabsolutelycertaintobeoneofthebiggestmeninthecountry。Well,itwasalluptoRoscoenow！
ThatremindedhimofaquestionhehadinmindtoaskRoscoe。ItwasaquestionSheridanconsideredofnopresentimportance,buthiswifehadsuggestedit——thoughvaguely——andhehadmeanttospeaktoRoscoeaboutit。
However,Roscoehadnotcomeintohisfather"sofficeforseveraldays,andwhenSheridanhadseenhissonathometherehadbeennoopportunity。
Hewaiteduntilthegreaterpartofhisday"sworkwasover,towardfouro"clock,andthenwentdowntoRoscoe"soffice,whichwasonalowerfloor。
HefoundseveralmenwaitingforbusinessinterviewsinanouterroomoftheseriesRoscoeoccupied;andhesupposedthathewouldfindhissonbusywithothers,andthathisquestionwouldhavetobepostponed,butwhenheenteredthedoormarked"R。C。Sheridan。Private,"Roscoewastherealone。
Hewassittingwithhisbacktothedoor,hisfeetonawindow—sill,andhedidnotturnashisfatheropenedthedoor。
"Someprettygoodmenouttherewaitin"toseeyou,myboy,"saidSheridan。
"What"sthematter？"
"Nothing,"Roscoeansweredindistinctly,notmoving。
"Well,Iguessthat"sallright,too。Ilet"emwaitsometimesmyself！I
justwantedtoaskyouaquestion,butIexpectit"llkeep,ifyou"reworkin"
somethingoutinyourmind！"
Roscoemadenoreply;andhisfather,whohadturnedtothedoor,pausedwithhishandontheknob,staringcuriouslyatthemotionlessfigureinthechair。
Usuallythesonseemedpleasedandeagerwhenhecametotheoffice。"You"reallright,ain"tyou？"saidSheridan。"Notsick,areyou？"
"No。"
Sheridanwaspuzzled;then,abruptly,hedecidedtoaskhisquestion。"I
wantedtotalktoyouaboutthatyoungLamhorn,"hesaid。"Iguessyourmotherthinkshe"scomin"toseeEdithprettyoften,andyouknownhimlonger"nanyofus,so——"
"Iwon"t,"saidRoscoe,thickly——"Iwon"tsayadam"thingabouthim！"
Sheridanutteredanexclamationandwalkedquicklytoapositionnearthewindowwherehecouldseehisson"sface。Roscoe"seyeswerebloodshotandvacuous;hishairwasdisordered,hismouthwasdistorted,andhewasdeathlypale。Thefatherstoodaghast。
"ByGeorge！"hemuttered。"ROSCOE！"
"Myname,"saidRoscoe。"Can"helpthat。"
"ROSCOE！"BlankastonishmentwasSheridan"sfirstsensation。ProbablynothingintheworldcouldhavemoreamazedhisthantofindRoscoe——thesteadyoldwheel—horse——inthiscondition。"How"dyouGETthisway？"hedemanded。"Youcaughtcoldandtooktoomuchforit？"
ForreplyRoscoelaughedhoarsely。"Yeuh！Cold！Ibeendrinkunalltime,lately。Firs"younoticeit？"
"ByGeorge！"criedSheridan。"ITHOUGHTI"dsmeltitonyouagooddeallately,butIwouldn"t"a"believedyou"dtakemore"nwasgoodforyou。Boh！
Toseeyoulikeacommonhog！"
Roscoechuckledandthrewouthisrightarminameaninglessgensture。"Hog！"
herepeated,chuckling。
"Yes,ahog！"saidSheridan,angrily。"Inbusinesshours！Idon"tobjecttoanybody"stakin"adrinkifyouwantsto,outo"businesshours;nor,ifamankeepshisworkrightuptothescratch,Iwouldn"tbetheonetobastehimifhegotgoodan"drunkonceintwo,threeyears,maybe。Itain"tMYway。I
letitalone,butIneverbelievedinforcin"mywayonagrown—upsoninmoralmatters。IguessIwaswrong！Youthinkthemmenouttherearewaitin"
totalkbusinesswithadrunkard？Youthinkyoucancometoyourofficeanddobusinessdrunk？ByGeorge！Iwonderhowoftenthishasbeenhappeningandmenotontoit！I"llhavealookoveryourbooksto—morrow,andI"ll——"
Roscoestumbledtohisfeet,laughingwildly,andstoodswaying,contrivingtoholdhimselfinpositionbyclutchingthebackoftheheavychairinwhichhehadbeensitting。
"Hoo——hoorah！"hecried。""Smyprinciples,too。Bedrunkardallyouwantto——outsidebusinesshours。Don"forGossakele"n"thinginnerferebusinesshours！Business！Thassit！You"reright,father。Drink！Die！L"everythinggotohell,butDON"letinnerferebusiness！"
SheridanhadseizedthetelephoneuponRoscoe"sdesk,andwascallinghisownoffice,overhead。"Abercrombie？ComedowntomysonRoscoe"ssuiteandgetridofsomegentlementhatarewaitin"theretoseehiminroomtwo—fourteen。
There"sMaplesandSchirmerandacoupleo"fellowsontheKinseybusiness。
Tell"emsomething"scomeupIhavetogooverwithRoscoe,andtell"emtocomebackdayafterto—morrowattwo。Youneedn"tcomeintoletmeknowthey"regone;wedon"twanttobedisturbed。TellPaulytocallmyhouseandsendClausdownherewithaclosedcar。Wemayhavetogoout。Tellhimtohustle,andcallmeatRoscoe"sroomassoonasthecargetshere。"T"sall！"
Roscoehadlaughedbitterlythroughoutthismonologue。"Drunkinbusinesshours！Thassawf"l！Mus"n"dosuchthing！Mus"n"getdrunk,mus"n"gamble,mus"n"kill"nybody——notinbusinesshours！Allrightanyothertime。Kill"nybodyyouwantto——"slong"tain"tinbusinesshours！Fine！Mus"n"haveanytrouble"t"llinnerferebusiness。Keepyourtrouble"thome。Don"bringittoth"office。Mightinnerferebusiness！HavefuneralsonSunday——mightinnerferebusiness！Don"letyourwifeinnerferebusiness！Keepall,all,ALL
yourtroublean"yourmeanness,an"yourtrad——yourtradegy——keep"emALLforhomeuse！Ifyougotdie,goondie"thome——don"dieroundth"office！
Mightinnerferebusiness！"
SheridanpickedupanewspaperfromRoscoe"sdesk,andsatdownwithhisbacktohisson,affectingtoread。Roscoeseemedtobeunawareofhisfather"ssignificantposture。
"Youknowwh"Ithink？"hewenton。"IthinkBibbsonlyonethefam"lyany"telligenceatall。Won"work,an"di"n"getmarried。Jimworked,an"hegotkilled。Iworked,an"Igotmarried。Lookatme！Jus"lookatme,Iaskyou。Fine"dustrissyoungbusinessman。Lookwhasshappen"tome！Fine！"
Heliftedhishandfromthesustainingchairinadeplorablegesture,and,immediatelylosinghisbalance,fellacrossthechairandcaromedtothefloorwithacrash,remainingprostrateforseveralminutes,duringwhichSheridandidnotrelaxhisapparentattentiontothenewspaper。HedidnotevenlookroundatthesoundofRoscoe"sfall。
Roscoeslowlyclimbedtoanuprightposition,pullinghimselfupbyholdingtothechair。Hewasslightlysoberedoutwardly,havingprogressedintheprostrateintervaltoastateofbefuddlementlessvolatile。Herubbedhisdazedeyeswiththebackofhislefthand。
"What——whatyouaskmewhileago？"hesaid。
"Nothin"。"
"Yes,youdid。What——whatwasit？"
"Nothin"。Youbettersitdown。"
"Youask"mewhatIthoughtaboutLamhorn。Youdidaskmethat。Well,I
won"ttellyou。Iwon"tsaydam"word"bouthim！"
Thetelephone—belltinkled。Sheridanplacedthereceivertohisearandsaid,"Rightdown。"ThenhegotRoscoe"scoatandhatfromaclosetandbroughtthemtohisson。"Getintothiscoat,"hesaid。"You"regoin"home。"
"Allri","Roscoemurmured,obediently。
Theywentoutintothemainhallbyasidedoor,notpassingthroughtheouteroffice;andSheridanwaitedforanemptyelevator,stoppedit,andtoldtheoperatortotakeonnomorepassengersuntiltheyreachedthegroundfloor。
Roscoewalkedoutofthebuildingandgotintotheautomobilewithoutlurching,andtwentyminuteslaterwalkedintohisownhouseinthesamemanner,neitherhenorhisfatherhavingspokenawordintheinterval。
Sheridandidnotgoinwithhim;hewenthome,andtohisownroomwithoutmeetinganyofhisfamily。ButashepassedBibbs"sdoorherheardfromwithinthesoundofacheerfulyoungvoicehummingjubilantfragmentsofsong:
WHOlooksamustangintheeye？……WithaleapfromthegroundTothesaddleinabound。Andaway——andaway！Hi—yay！
ItwasthefirsttimeinSheridan"slifethathehadeverdetectedanymusicalsymptomwhateverinBibbs——hehadneverevenheardhimwhistle——anditseemedthelasttouchofironythattheuselessfoolshouldbemerryto—day。
ToSheridanitwasTomo"Bedlamsingingwhilethehouseburned;andhedidnottarrytoenjoythemelody,butwentintohisownroomandlockedthedoor。
Heemergedonlyuponasecondsummonstodinner,twohourslater,andcametothetablesowhiteandsilentthathiswifemadeheranxietymanifestandwasbutpartiallyreassuredbyhisexplanationthathislunchhad"disagreed"withhimalittle。
Presently,however,hespokeeffectively。Bibbs,whoseappetitehadbecomehearty,washelpinghimselftoasecondbreastofcaponfromwhite—jacket"ssalver。"Here"sanotherdifferencebetweenMidasandchicken,"Sheridanremarked,grimly。"Midascaneatrooster,butroostercan"teatMidas。I
reckonyouoverlookedthat。Midaslookstomelikehehadtheadvantagethere。"
Bibbsretainedenoughpresenceofmindtotransferthecaponbreasttohisplatewithoutdroppingitandtorespond,"Yes——hecrowsoverit。"
Havingreturnedhisantagonists"sfireinthisfashion,heblushed——forhecouldblushdistinctlynow——andhismotherlookeduponhimwithpleasure,thoughtthereferencetoMidasandroosterswasofcoursejargontoher。"Didyoueverseeanybodyimprovethewaythatchildhas！"sheexclaimed。"I
declare,Bibbs,sometimeslatelyyoulookrighthandsome！"
"He"sgottobesuchagadabout,"Edithgiggled。
"Ifoundsomethingofhisonthefloorup—stairsthismorning,beforeanybodywasup,"saidSheridan。"Ireckonifpeoplelosethingsinthishouseandexpecttoget"emback,theybettergetupassoonasIdo。"
"Whatwasithelost？"askedEdith。
"Heknows！"herfatherreturned。"SeemstomelikeIforgottobringithomewithme。Ilookeditover——thoughtprobablyitwassomethingprettyimportant,belongin"toabusymanlikehim。"Heaffectedtosearchhispockets。"WhatDIDIdowithit,now？Ohyes！SeemstomelikeIrememberleavin"itdownattheoffice——inthewaste—basket。"
"Goodplaceforit,"Bibbsmurmured,stillred。
Sheridangavehimagrin。"Perhapsprettysoonyou"llbegettin"upearlyenoughtofinethingsbeforeIdo！"
Itwasathreat,andBibbsrepeatedthesubstanceofit,laterintheevening,toMaryVertrees——theyhadcometoknoweachotherthatwell。
"Mytime"shereatlast,"hesaid,astheysattogetherinthemelancholygas—lightoftheroomwhichhadbeendenudedofitspiano。ThatremovalhadleftanemptinesssodistressingtoMr。andMrs。Vertreesthatneitherofthemhadcrossedthethresholdsincethedarkday;butthegas—light,thoughfromasinglejet,shednomelancholyuponBibbs,norcouldanyroomseembarethatknewtheglowingpresenceofMary。Hespokelightly,notsadly。
"Yes,it"scome。I"veshirkedandputoff,butIcan"tshirkandputoffanylonger。It"sreallymyparttogotohim——atleastitwouldsavemyface。Hemeanswhathesays,andthetime"scometoservemysentence。Hardlaborforlife,Ithink。"
Maryshookherhead。"Idon"tthinkso。He"stookind。"
"Youthinkmyfather"sKIND？"AndBibbsstaredather。
"Yes。I"msureofit。I"vefeltthathehasagreat,braveheart。It"sonlythathehastobekindinhisownway——becausehecan"tunderstandanyotherway。"
"Ahyes,"saidBibbs。"Ifthat"swhatyoumeanby"kind"！"
Shelookedathimgravely,earnestconcerninherfriendlyeyes。"It"sgoingtobeprettyhardforyou,isn"tit？"
"Oh——self—pity！"hereturned,smiling。"Thishasbeenjustthelastflickerofrevolt。Nobodymindsworkifhelikesthekindofwork。There"dbenoloafersintheworldifeachmanfoundthethingthathecoulddobest;buttheonlyworkIhappentowanttodoisuseless——soIhavetogiveitup。
To—morrowI"llbeaday—laborer。"
"Whatisitlike——exactly？"
"Igetupatsix,"hesaid。"Ihavealunch—baskettocarrywithme,whichisaristocraticandnoadvantage。Theotherworkmenhavetinbuckets,andtinbucketsarebetter。Ileavethehouseatsix—thirty,andI"matworkinmyoverallsatseven。Ihaveanhouroffatnoon,andworkagainfromonetillfive。"
"Buttheworkitself？"
"Itwasn"tmuscularlyexhausting——notatall。Theycouldn"tgivemeaheavierjobbecauseIwasn"tgoodenough。"
"Butwhatwillyoudo？Iwanttoknow。"
"WhenIleft,"saidBibbs,"Iwas"on"whattheycallovertherea"clipping—machine,"inoneofthe"by—products"departments,andthat"swhatI"llbesentbackto。"
"Butwhatisit？"sheinsisted。
Bibbsexplained。"It"sverysimpleandveryeasy。Ifeedlongstripsofzincintoapairofsteeljaws,andthejawsbitethezincintolittlecircles。
AllIhavetodoistoseethatthestripgoesintothejawsatacertainangle——andyetIwasaverybadhandatit。"
Hehadkepthisvoicecheerfulashespoke,buthehadgrownashadepaler,andtherewasalatentanguishdeepinhiseyes。Hemayhaveknownitandwishedhernottoseeit,forheturnedaway。
"Youdothatalldaylong？"sheasked,andashenodded,"Itseemsincredible！"sheexclaimed。"YOUfeedingastripofzincintoamachineninehoursaday！Nowonder——"Shebrokeoff,andthen,afterakeenglanceathisface,shesaid:"IshouldthinkyouWOULDhavebeena"badhandatit"！"
Helaughedruefully。"Ithinkit"sthenoise,thoughI"mashamedtosayit。
Yousee,it"saverypowerfulmachine,andthere"sasortofrhythmicalcrashing——acrasheverytimethejawsbiteoffacircle。"
"Howoftenisthat？"
"Thethingshouldmakeaboutsixty—eightdisksaminute——alittlemorethanoneasecond。"
"Andyou"reclosetoit？"
"Oh,theworkmanhastositinitslap,"hesaid,turningtohermoregaily。
"Theothersdon"tmind。Yousee,it"ssomethingwrongwithme。Ihaveanidioticwayofflinchingfromtheconfoundedthing——Iflinchandduckalittleeverytimethecrashcomes,andIcouldn"tgetoverit。Iwasatreattotheotherworkmeninthatroom;they"llbegladtoseemeback。Theyusedtolaughatmealldaylong。"
Mary"sgazewasavertedfromBibbsnow;shesatwithherelbowrestingonthearmofthechair,herliftedhandpressedagainsthercheek。Shewasstaringatthewall,andhereyeshadaburningbrightnessinthem。
"Itdoesn"tseempossibleanyonecoulddothattoyou,"shesaid,inalowvoice。"No。He"snotkind。Heoughttobeproudtohelpyoutotheleisuretowritebooks;itshouldbehisgreatestprivilegetohavethempublishedforyou——"
"Can"tyouSEEhim？"Bibbsinterrupted,afaintrippleofhilarityinhisvoice。"Ifhecouldunderstandwhatyou"resaying——andifyoucanimaginehistakingsuchanotion,he"shavehadR。T。Blossputuppostersalloverthecountry:"ReadB。Sheridan。ReadthePoetwithaPunch！"No。It"sjustaswellhenevergotthe——Butwhat"stheuse？I"veneverwrittenanythingworthprinting,andInevershall。"
"Youcould！"shesaid。
"That"sbecauseyou"veneverseenthepoorlittlethingsI"vetriedtodo。"
"Youwouldn"tletme,butIKNOWyoucould！Ah,it"sapity！"
"Itisn"t,"saidBIBBS,honestly。"Inevercould——butyou"rethekindestladyinthisworld,MissVertrees。"
Shegavehimaflashingglance,anditwasaskindashesaidshewas。"Thatsoundswrong,"shesaid,impulsively。"Imean"MissVertrees。"I"vethoughtofyoubyyourfirstnameeversinceImetyou。Wouldn"tyourathercallme"Mary"？"
Bibbswasdazzled;hedrewalong,deepbreathanddidnotspeak。
"Wouldn"tyou？"sheasked,withoutatraceofcoquetry。
"IfICAN！"hesaid,inalowvoice。
"Ah,that"sverypretty！"shelaughed。"You"resuchanhonestperson,it"spleasanttohaveyougallantsometimes,bywayofvariety。"Shebecamegraveagainimmediately。"Ihearmyselflaughingasifitweresomeoneelse。Itsoundslikelaughterontheeveofagreatcalamity。"Shegotuprestlessly,crossedtheroomandleanedagainstthewall,facinghim。"You"veGOTtogobacktothatplace？"
Henodded。
"Andtheothertimeyoudidit——"
"Justoverit,"saidBibbs。"Twoyears。ButIdon"tmindtheprospectofarepetitionsomuchas——"
"Somuchaswhat？"sheprompted,ashestopped。
Bibbslookedupathershyly。"Iwanttosayit,but——butIcometoadeadbalkwhenItry。I——"
"Goon。Sayit,whateveritis,"shebadehim。"Youwouldn"tknowhowtosayanythingIshouldn"tlike。"
"Idoubtifyou"deitherlikeordislikewhatIwanttosay,"hereturned,movinguncomfortablyinhischairandlookingathisfeet——heseemedtofeelawkward,thoroughly。"Yousee,allmylife——untilImetyou——ifIeverfeltlikesayinganything,Iwroteitinstead。Sayingthingsisanewtrickforme,andthis——well,it"sjustthis:IusedtofeelasifIhadn"teverhadanysortofalifeatall。I"dneverbeenofusetoanythingoranybody,andI"dneverhadanything,myself,exceptakindofhaphazardthinking。Butnowit"sdifferent——I"mstillofnousetoanybody,andIdon"tseeanyprospectofbeinguseful,butIhavehadsomethingformyself。I"vehadabeautifulandhappyexperience,anditmakesmylifeseemtobe——ImeanI"mgladI"velivedit！That"sall;it"syourlettingmebenearyousometimes,asyouhave,thisstrange,beautiful,happylittlewhile！"
Hedidnotoncelookup,andreachedsilence,attheendofwhathehadtosay,withhiseyesstillawkwardlyregardinghisfeet。Shedidnotspeak,butasoftrustlingofhergarmentslethimknowthatshehadgonebacktoherchairagain。Thehousewasstill;theshabbyoldroomwassoquietthatthesoundofacreakinginthewallseemedsharpandloud。
Andyet,whenMaryspokeatlast,hervoicewasbarelyaudible。"Ifyouthinkithasbeen——happy——tobefriendswithme——you"dwantto——tomakeitlast。"
"Yes,"saidBibbs,asfaintly。
"You"dwanttogoonbeingmyfriendaslongaswelive,wouldn"tyou？"
"Yes,"hegulped。
"Butyoumakethatkindofspeechtomebecauseyouthinkit"sover。"
Hetriedtoevadeher。"Oh,aday—laborercan"tcomeinhisoveralls——"
"No,"sheinterrupted,withasuddensharpness。"Yousaidwhatyoudidbecauseyouthinktheshop"sgoingtokillyou。"
"No,no！"
"Yes,youdothinkthat！"Sherosetoherfeetagainandcameandstoodbeforehim。"Oryouthinkit"sgoingtosendyoubacktothesanitarium。
Don"tdenyit,Bibbs。There！SeehoweasilyIcallyouthat！YouseeI"mafriend,orIcouldn"tdoit。Well,ifyoumeantwhatyousaid——andyoudidmeanit,Iknowit！——you"renotgoingtogobacktothesanitarium。Theshopsha"n"thurtyou。Itsha"n"t！"
AndnowBibbslookedup。Shestoodbeforehim,straightandtall,splendidingenerousstrength,hereyesshiningandwet。
"IfImeanTHATmuchtoyou,"shecried,"theycan"tharmyou！Gobacktotheshop——butcometomewhenyourday"sworkisdone。Letthemachinescrashtheirsixty—eighttimesaminute,butremembereachcrashthatdeafensyouisthatmuchnearertheeveningandme！"
Hestumbledtohisfeet。"Yousay——"hegasped。
"Everyevening,dearBibbs！"
Hecouldonlystare,bewildered。
"EVERYevening。Iwantyou。Theysha"n"thurtyouagain！"Andsheheldoutherhandtohim;itwasstrongandwarminhistremulousclasp。"IfIcould,I"dgoandfeedthestripsofzinctothemachinewithyou,"shesaid。"ButalldaylongI"llsendmythoughtstoyou。Youmustkeeprememberingthatyourfriendstandsbesideyou。Andwhentheworkisdone——won"tthenightmakeupfortheday？"
Lightseemedtoglowfromher;hewasblindedbythatradianceofkindness。
Butallhecouldsaywas,huskily,"Tothinkyou"rethere——withme——standingbesidetheoldzinc—eater——"
Andtheylaughedandlookedateachother,andatlastBibbsfoundwhatitmeantnottobealoneintheworld。Hehadafriend。
WhenhecameintotheNewHouse,afewminuteslater,hefoundhisfathersittingalonebythelibraryfire。Bibbswentinandstoodbeforehim。"I"mcured,father,"hesaid。"WhendoIgobacktotheshop？I"mready。"
Thedesolateandgrimoldmandidnotrelax。"Iwassittin"uptogiveyoualastchancetosaysomethinglikethat。Ireckonit"sabouttime！Ijustwantedtoseeifyou"dhavemanhoodenoughnottomakemetakeyouovertherebythecollar。LastnightImadeupmymindI"dgiveyoujustonemoreday。
Well,yougottoitbeforeIdid——prettyclosetotheeleventhhour！Allright。Startinto—morrow。It"sthefirsto"themonth。Thinkyoucangetupintime？"
"Sixo"clock,"Bibbsresponded,briskly。"AndIwanttotellyou——I"mgoingina"cheerfulspirit。"Asyousaid,I"llgoandI"ll"likeit"！"
"That"sYOURlookout！"hisfathergrunted。"They"llputyoubackontheclippin"—machine。Yougetninedollarsaweek。"
"MorethanI"mworth,too,"saidBibbs,cheerily。"Thatremindsme,Ididn"tmeanYOUby"Midas"inthatnonsenseI"dbeenwriting。Imeant——"
"Makesahellofaloto"differencewhatyoumeant！"
"Ijustwantedyoutoknow。Goodnight,father。"
"G"night！"
Thesoundoftheyoungman"sfootstepsascendingthestairsbecameinaudible,andthehousewasquiet。Butpresently,asSheridansatstaringangrilyatthefire,theshufflingofapairofsliperscouldbehearddescending,andMrs。Sheridanmadeherappearance,herobliqueexpressionandthestateofhertoilettebeingthoseofapersonwho,aftertryingunsuccessfullytosleepononeside,hasgotuptolookforburglars。
"Papa！"sheexclaimed,drowsily。"Why"n"tyougotobed？Itmustbegoin"on"leveno"clock！"
Sheyawned,andseatedherselfnearhim,stretchingoutherhandstothefire。
"What"sthematter？"sheasked,sleepandanxietystrivingsluggishlywitheachotherinhervoice。"Iknewyouwereworriedalldinner—time。YougotsomethingnewonyourmindbesidesJim"sbein"takenawaylikehewas。What"sworryin"younow,papa？"
"Nothin"。"
Shejeeredfeebly。"N"tellMEthat！YousatuptoseeBibbs,didn"tyou？"
"Hestartsinattheshopagainto—morrowmorning,"saidSheridan。
"Justthesameashedidbefore？"
"Justpre—CISELY！"
"How——howlongyougoin"tokeephimatit,papa？"sheasked,timidly。
"UntilheKNOWSsomething！"Theunhappymanstruckhispalmstogether,thengottohisfeetandbegantopacetheroom,aswashiswontwhenhetalked。
"He"llgobacktothemachinehecouldn"tlearntotendproperlyinthesixmonthshewasthere,andhe"llsticktoittillheDOESlearnit！DoyousupposethatlummixeveraskedhimselfWHYIwanthimtolearnit？No！AndI
ain"ta—goin"totellhim,either！WhenhewentthereIhad"emsethimonthesimplestmachinewegot——andhestuckthere！Howmuchprospectwouldtherebeofhislearnin"torunthewholebusinessifhecan"truntheeasiestmachineinit？IsenthimtheretomakehimTHOROUGH。Andwhathappened？Hedidn"tLIKEit！Thatboy"swholelife,there"sbeenasettin"upo"somethingmulishthat"sagainsteverythingIwanthimtodo。Idon"tknowwhatitis,butit"sgottobeworkedoutofhim。Now,laborain"tanymoreasimplequestionthanwhatitwaswhenwewereyoung。Myideaisthat,outsideo"
uniontroubles,themanthatcanmanageworkin"—inmenisthemanthat"sbeenonehimself。Well,IsetBibbstolearnthemenandtolearnthebusiness,andHEsethimselftobalkonthefirstjob！That"swhathedid,andthebalk"slastedcloseontothreeyears。IfhebalksagainI"mjustdonewithhim！SometimesIfeellikeIwasprettyneardonewitheverything,anyhow！"