第14章

andthenhesaidwhathehadtosayonthesubjectofRoscoeandSibyl,hisopinionmeeting,asheexpected,awarmlyhostilereception。ButtheresultofthisconversationwasthatbytelephoniccommandRoscoeawaitedhisfather,anhourlater,inthelibraryattheNewHouse。

"Gurneysaysyourwife"sabletotravel,"Sheridansaidbrusquely,ashecamein。

"Yes。"Roscoeoccupiedadeepchairandsatinthedejectedattitudewhichhadbecomehishabit。"Yes,sheis。"

"Edithhadtoleavetown,andsoSibylthinksshe"llhaveto,too！"

"Oh,Iwouldn"tputitthatway,"Roscoeprotested,drearily。

"No,IhearYOUwouldn"t！"Therewasabittergibeinthefather"svoice,andheadded:"It"sagoodthingshe"sgoin"abroad——ifshe"llstaythere。I

shouldn"tthinkanyofuswantherhereanymore——youleastofall！"

"It"snouseyourtalkingthatway,"saidRoscoe。"Youwon"tdoanygood。"

"Well,whenareyoucomin"backtoyouroffice？"Sheridanusedabrisker,kindertone。"Threeweekssinceyoushowedupthereatall。Whenyougoin"

tobereadytocutoutwhiskeyandalltheresto"thefoolishnessandstartinagain？Yououghttobeabletomakeupforaloto"losttimeandaloto"

spiltmilkwhenthatwomantakesherselfouto"thewayandletsyouandalltherestofusalone。"

"It"snouse,father,Itellyou。IknowwhatGurneywasgoingtosaytoyou。

I"mnotgoingbacktotheoffice。I"mDONE！"

"Waitaminutebeforeyoutalkthatway！"Sheridanbeganhissentry—goupanddowntheroom。"Isupposeyouknowit"stakentwoprettygoodmenaboutsixteenhoursadaytosetthingsstraightandget"emrunnin"rightagain,downinyouroffice？"

"Theymustbegoodmen。"Roscoenoddedindifferently。"IthoughtIwasdoingabouteightmen"swork。I"mgladyoufoundtwothatcouldhandleit。"

"Lookhere！IfIworkedyouitwasforyourowngood。Thereareplentymendriveharder"nIdo,and——"

"Yes。Therearesomethatbreakdownalltheothermenthatworkwith"em。

Theyeitherdie,orgocrazy,orhavetoquit,andarenousetherestoftheirlives。Thelast"smycase,Iguess——"complicatedbydomesticdifficulties"！"

"Yousetthereandtellmeyougiveup？"Sheridan"svoiceshook,andsodidthegesticulatinghandwhichheextendedappealinglytowardthedespondentfigure。"Don"tdoit,Roscoe！Don"tsayit！Sayyou"llcomedownthereagainandbeaman！Thiswomanain"tgoin"totroubleyouanymore。Theworkain"tgoin"tohurtyouifyouhaven"tgothertoworryyou,andyoucangetshuto"thisnastywhiskey—guzzlin";itain"tfastenedonyouyet。Don"tsay——"

"It"snouseonearth,"Roscoemumbled。"Nouseonearth。"

"Lookhere！Ifyouwantanothermonth"svacation——"

"IknowGurneytoldyou,sowhat"stheusetalkingabout"vacations"？"

"Gurney！"Sheridanvociferatedthenamesavagely。"It"sGurney,Gurney,Gurney！AlwaysGurney！Idon"tknowwhattheworld"scomin"towitheverybodyrunnin"aroundsquealin","Thedoctorsaysthis,"and,"Thedoctorsaysthat"！Itmakesmesick！How"sthiscountryexpecttogetitsWorkdoneifGurneyandalltheotheroldnanny—goatskeepupthisblattin"——"Oh,oh！

Don"tliftthatsticko"wood;you"llruinyourNERVES！"Sohesaysyougot"nervousexhaustioninducedbyoverworkandemotionalstrain。"TheyalwaysgottosticktheWorkiniftheyseeachance！Ireckonyoudidhavethe"emotionalstrain,"andthat"sall"sthematterwithyou。You"llbeoveritsoon"sthiswoman"sgone,andWork"stheverythingtomakeyouquitfrettin"

abouther。"

"DidGurneytellyouIwasfittowork？"

"Shutup！"Sheridanbellowed。"I"msosicko"thatman"snameIfeellikeshootin"anybodythatsaysittome！"Hefumedandchafed,swearingindistinctly,thencameandstoodbeforehisson。"Lookhere;doyouthinkyou"redoin"thesquarethingbyme？Doyou？Howmuchyouworth？"

"I"vegotbetweensevenandeightthousandayearclear,ofmyown,outsidethesalary。ThatmuchisminewhetherIworkornot。"

"Itis？Youcould"apulleditoutwithoutme,Isupposeyouthink,atyourage？"

"No。Butit"smine,andit"senough。"

"MyLord！It"saboutwhataCongressmangets,andyouwanttoquitthere！I

supposeyouthinkyou"llgettherestwhenIkickthebucket,andallyouhavetodoislaybackandwait！Youletmetellyourighthere,you"llneverseeonecentofit。Yougoouto"businessnow,andwhatwouldyouknowabouthandlin"itfiveortenortwentyyearsfromnow？BecauseIintendtoSTAY

herealittlewhileyet,myboy！They"deithergetitawayfromyouoryou"dsellforanickelandletitbesplitupand——"Hewhirledabout,marchedtotheotherendoftheroom,andstoodsilentamoment。Thenhesaid,solomnly:

"Listen。Ifyougooutnow,youleavemeinthelurch,withnothin"onGod"sgreenearthtodependonbutyourbrother——andyouknowwhatheis。I"vedependedonyouforitALLsinceJimdied。Nowyou"velistenedtothatdam"

doctor,andhesaysmaybeyouwon"teverbeasgoodamanasyouwere,andthatcertainlyyouwon"tbeforayearorso——probablymore。Now,that"sallalie。Mendon"tbreakdownthatwayatyourage。LookatME！AndItellyou,youcanshakethisthingoff。AllyouneedisalittleGET—upandalittlegumption。Mendon"tgoawayforYEARSandthencomebackintoMOVING

businesseslikeours——theylosethestrings。Andifyoucould,Iwon"tletyou——ifyoulaydownonmenow,Iwon"t——andthat"sbecauseifyoulaydownyouproveyouain"tthemanIthoughtyouwere。"Heclearedhisthroatandfinishedquietly:"Roscoe,willyoutakeamonth"svacationandcomebackandgotoit？"

"No,"saidRoscoe,listlessly。"I"mthrough。"

"Allright,"saidSheridan。Hepickeduptheeveningpaperfromatable,wenttoachairbythefireandsatdown,hisbacktohisson。"Good—by。"

Roscoerose,hisheadhanging,buttherewasadullreliefinhiseyes。"BestIcando,"hemuttered,seemingabouttodepart,yetlingering。"Ifigureitoutagooddeallikethis,"hesaid。"Ididn"tKNOWmyjobwasanystrain,andImanagedallright,butfromwhatGur——fromwhatIhear,Iwasjustuptothelimitofmynervesfromoverwork,andthe——thetroubleathomewastheextrastrainthat"sfixedmethewayIam。Itriedtobrace,soIcouldstandtheworkandthetroubletoo,onwhiskey——andthatputthefinishtome！

I——I"mnothittingitashardasIwasforawhile,andIreckonprettysoon,ifIcangettofeelingalittlemoreenergy,Ibettertrytoquitentirely——I

don"tknow。I"mallin——andthedoctorsaysso。IthoughtIwasrunningalongfineuptoafewmonthsago,butallthetimeIwasreadytobust,anddidn"tknowit。Now,then,Idon"twantyoutoblameSibyl,andifIwereyouIwouldn"tspeakofheras"thatwoman,"becauseshe"syourdaughter—in—lawandgoingtostaythatway。Shedidn"tdoanythingwicked。Itwasashocktome,andIdon"tdenyit,tofindwhatshehaddone——encouragingthatfellowtohangaroundherafterhebegantryingtoflirtwithher,andlosingherheadoverhimthewayshedid。Idon"tdenyitwasashockandthatit"llalwaysbeahurtinsideofmeI"llnevergetover。Butitwasmyfault;Ididn"tunderstandawoman"snature。"PoorRoscoespokeinthemostprofoundanddesolateearnest。"Awomancravessociety,andgaiety,andmeetingattractivepeople,andtraveling。Well,Ican"tgivehertheotherthings,butIcangiveherthetraveling——realtraveling,notjustgoingtoAtlanticCityorNewOrleans,thewayshehas,two,threetimes。Awomanhastohavesomethinginherlifebesidesabusinessman。Andthat"sALLIwas。IneverunderstoodtillIheardhertalkingwhenshewassosick,andIbelieveifyou"dheardherthenyouwouldn"tspeaksohard—heartedlyabouther;IbelieveyoumighthaveforgivenherlikeIhave。That"sall。Inevercaredanythingforanygirlbutherinmylife,butIwassobusywithbusinessIputitaheadofher。IneverTHOUGHTabouther,Iwassobusythinkingbusiness。Well,thisiswhereit"sbroughtusto——andnowwhenyoutalkabout"business"tomeI

feelthewayyoudowhenanybodytalksaboutGurneytoyou。Theword"business"makesmedizzy——itmakesmehonestlysickatthestomach。I

believeifIhadtogodown—townandstepinsidethatofficedoorI"dfalldownonthefloor,deathlysick。Youtalkabouta"month"svacation"——andI

getjustassick。I"mrattled——Ican"tplan——Ihaven"tgotanyplans——can"tmakeany,excepttotakemygirlandgetjustasfarawayfromthatofficeasIcan——andstay。We"regoingtoJapanfirst,andifwe——"

Hisfatherrustledthepaper。"Isaidgood—by,Roscoe。"

"Good—by,"saidRoscoe,listlessly。

Sheridanwaiteduntilheheardthesoundoftheouterdoorclosing;thenheroseandpushedatinydisksetinthewall。Jacksonappeared。

"HasBibbsgothomefromwork？"

"Mist"Bibbs？No,suh。"

"TellhimIwanttoseehim,soonashecomes。"

"Yessuh。"

Sheridanreturnedtohischairandfixedhisattentionfiercelyuponthenewspaper。Hefounditdifficulttopursuetheitemsbeyondtheirexplanatoryrubrics——therewasnothingunusualorstartlingtoconcentratehisattention:

"MotormanPutsBlameonBrakes。ThreeKilledwhenCarSlides。"

"BurglarsMakeBigHaul。""BoardWorksApproveBigCar—lineExtension。""Hold—upMenInjureTwo。ManFoundinAlley,SkullFractured。""SickeningStoryToldinDivorceCourt。""PlanNewEighteen—storyStructure。""School—girlMeetsDeathunderAutomobile。""NegroCutsThree。OneDead。""LifeCrushedOut。

ThirdElevatorAccidentinSameBuildingCausesActionbyCoroner。""DeclareMilitiawillbeMenace。PolishSocietiesProtesttoGovernorinChurchRiotingCase。""Short$3,500inAccounts,TrustedManKillsSelfwithDrug。""FoundFrozen。

FamilyWithoutFoodorFuel。BabyDeadwhenParentsReturnHomefromSeekingWork。""MinisterReturnedfromTripAbroadLecturesonBigFutureofOurCity。SeesBigImprovementduringShortAbsence。SaysNoEuropeanCityHoldsCandle。"

（Sheridannoddedapprovinglyhere。）

Bibbscamethroughthehallwhistling,andenteredtheroombriskly。"Well,father,didyouwantme？"

"Yes。Sitdown。"Sheridangotup,andBibbstookaseatbythefire,holdingouthishandstothecracklingblaze,foritwascoldoutdoors。

"Icamewithinsevenoftheshoprecordto—day,"hesaid。"Ihandledmorestripsthandanyotherworkmanhasanydaythismonth。Thenearesttomeissixteenbehind。"

"There！"exclaimedhisfather,greatlypleased。"What"dItellyou？I"dliketohearGurneyhintagainthatIwasn"trightinsendingyouthere——Iwouldjustliketohearhim！Andyou——ain"tyouashamedofmakin"suchafussaboutit？Ain"tyou？"

"Ididn"tgoatitintherightspirittheothertime,"Bibbssaid,smilingbrightly,hisfaceruddyinthecheerfulfirelight。"Ididn"tknowthedifferenceitmeanttolikeathing。"

"Well,IguessI"veprettythoroughlyvindicatedmyjudgement。IguessI

HAVE！Isaidtheshop"dbegoodforyou,anditwas。Isaiditwouldn"thurtyou,andithasn"t。It"sbeenjustexactlywhatIsaiditwouldbe。

Ain"tthatso？"

"Lookslikeit！"Bibbsagreed,gaily。

"Well,I"dliketoknowanyplaceIbeenwrong,firstandlast！Insteado"

hurtingyou,it"sbeenthemakin"ofyou——physically。You"reagoodinchtaller"nwhatIam,andyou"dbeabiggermanthanwhatIamifyou"dgetsomefleshonyourbones;andyouAREgettin"alittle。Physically,it"sstartedyououttobethehuskiestoneo"thewholefamily。Now,then,mentally——that"sdifferent。Idon"tsayitunkindly,Bibbs,butyougottodosomethingforyourselfmentally,justlikewhat"sbegunphysically。AndI"mgoin"tohelpyou。"

Sheridandecidedtositdownagain。Hebroughthischairclosetohisson"s,and,leaningover,tappedBibbs"skneeconfidentially。"Igotplansforyou,Bibbs,"hesaid。

Bibbsinstantlylookedthoroughlyalarmed。Hedrewback。"I——I"mallrightnow,father。"

"Listen。"Sheridansettledhimselfinhischair,andspokeinthetoneofareasonablemanreasoning。"Listenhere,Bibbs。Ihadanotherblowto—day,anditwasahardoneandrightintheface,thoughIHAVEbeenexpectin"itsomelittletimeback。Well,it"sgottobemet。NowI"llbefrankwithyou。

AsIsaidaminuteago,mentallyIcouldn"tevercalledyouexactlystrong。

Youbeenalittleweakbothways,mostofyourlife。NotbutwhatIthinkyouGOTamentality,ifyou"dlearntouseit。Yougotwill—power,I"llsaythatforyou。Ineverknewboyormanthatcouldbestubborner——neveroneinmylife！Now,then,you"veshowedyoucouldlearntorunthatmachinebestofanymanintheshop,innotimeatall。Thatlookstomelikeyoucouldlearntodootherthings。Idon"tdenybutwhatit"sanencouragin"sign。Idon"tdenythat,atall。Well,thathelpsmetothinkthecaseain"tsohopelessasitlooks。You"reallIgottomeetthisblowwith,butmaybeyouain"taspoormaterialasIthought。Yourtellin"meaboutcomin"withinsevenstripsoftheshop"srecordto—daylookstomelikeencouragin"informationbroughtinatjustabouttherighttime。Now,then,I"mgoin"togiveyouaraise。I

wantedtosendyoustraightonupthroughtheshops——ayearortwo,maybe——

butIcan"tdoit。IlostJim,andnowI"velostRoscoe。He"squit。He"slaiddownonme。Ifheevercomesbackatall,he"llbealongtimepickin"

upthestrings,and,anyway,heain"tthemanIthoughthewas。Ican"tcountonhim。IgottohaveSOMEBODYIKNOWIcancounton。AndI"mdowntothis:

you"remylastchance。Bibbs,Igottolearnyoutousewhatbrainsyougotandseeifwecan"tdevelop"emalittle。Whoknows？AndI"mgoin"toputmytimeinonit。I"mgoin"totakeyourightdown—townwithME,andIwon"tbehardonyouifyou"realittleslowatfirst。AndI"mgoin"todothebigthingforyou。I"mgoin"tomakeyoufeelyougottodothebigthingforme,inreturn。I"vevindicatedmypolicywithyouabouttheshop,andnowI"mgoin"toturnrightaroundandswingyou"wayoveraheadofwheretheotherboysstarted,andI"mgoin"tomakeanappealtoyourambitionthat"llmakeyoudizzy！"Hetappedhissononthekneeagain。"Bibbs,I"mgoin"tostartyouoffthisway:I"mgoin"tomakeyouadirectorinthePumpWorksCompany;

I"mgoin"tomakeyouvice—presidentoftheRealtyCompanyandavice—presidentoftheTrustCompany！"

Bibbsjumpedtohisfeet,blanched。"Ohno！"hecried。

Sheridantookhisdismaytobetheexcitementofsuddenjoy。"Yes,sir！Andthere"ssomeprettyfatlittlesalariesgoeswiththosevice—presidencies,andapincho"stockinthePumpCompanywiththedirectorship。YouthoughtIwasprettymeanabouttheshop——oh,Iknowyoudid！——butyouseetheoldmancanplayitbothways。Andsorightnow,theminuteyou"vebeguntomakegoodthewayIwantedyouto,Idealfromthenewdeck。AndI"llkeeponhandin"itoutbiggerandbiggereverytimeyoushowmeyou"rebigenoughtoplaythehandIdealyou。I"mstartin"youwithaprettybigone,myboy！"

"ButIdon"t——Idon"t——Idon"twantit！"Bibbsstammered。

"What"dyousay？"Sheridanthoughthehadnotheardaright。

"Idon"twantit,father。Ithankyou——Idothankyou——"

Sheridanlookedperplexed。"What"sthematterwithyou？Didn"tyouunderstandwhatIwastellin"you？"

"Yes。"

"Yousure？Ireckonyoudidn"t。Ioffered——"

"Iknow,Iknow！ButIcan"ttakeit。"

"What"sthematterwithyou？"Sheridanwashalfamazed,halfsuspicious。

"Yourheadfeelfunny？"

"I"veneverbeenquitesosaneinmylife,"saidBibbs,"asIhavelately。AndI"vegotjustwhatIwant。I"mlivingexactlytherightlife。I"mearningmydailybread,andI"mhappyindoingit。Mywagesareenough。Idon"twantanymoremoney,andIdon"tdeserveany——"

"Damnation！"Sheridansprangup。"You"veturnedSocialist！Youbeenlisteningtothosefellowsdownthere,andyou——"

"No,sir。Ithinkthere"sagreatdealinwhattheysay,butthatisn"tit。"

Sheridantriedtorestrainhisgrowingfury,andsucceededpartially。"Thenwhatisit？What"sthematter？"

"Nothing,"hesonreturned,nervously。"Nothing——exceptthatI"mcontent。I

don"twanttochangeanything。"

"Whynot？"

Bibbshadtheincrediblefollytotrytoexplain。"I"lltellyou,father,ifIcan。Iknowitmaybehardtounderstand——"

"Yes,Ithinkitmaybe,"saidSheridan,grimly。"WhatyousayusuallyisaLITTLEthatway。Goon！"

Perturbedanddistressed,Bibbsroseinstinctively;hefelthimselfateverypossibledisadvantage。Hewasasleeperclingingtoadream——aroughhandstretchedtoshakehimandwakenhim。Hewenttoatableandmadevaguedrawingsuponitwithafinger,andashespokehekepthiseyeslowered。

"Youweren"taltogetherrightabouttheshop——thatis,inonewayyouweren"t,father。"Heglancedupapprehensively。Sheridanstoodfacinghim,expressionless,andmadenoattempttointerrupt。"That"sdifficulttoexplain,"Bibbscontinued,loweringhiseyesagain,tofollowthetracingsofhisfinger。"I——IbelievetheshopmighthavedoneformethistimeifI

hadn"t——ifsomethinghadn"thelpedmeto——oh,notonlytobearit,buttobehappyinit。Well,IAMhappyinit。IwanttogoonjustasIam。AndofallthingsonearththatIdon"twant,Idon"twanttoliveabusinesslife——I

don"twanttobedrawnintoit。Idon"tthinkitISliving——andnowIAM

living。Ihavethehealthfultoil——andIcanthink。InbusinessasimportantasyoursIcouldn"tthinkanythingbutbusiness。Idon"t——Idon"tthinkmakingmoneyisworthwhile。"

"Goon,"saidSheridan,curtly,asBibbspausedtimidly。

"Ithasn"tseemedtogetanywhere,thatIcansee,"saidBibbs。"Youthinkthiscityisrichandpowerful——butwhat"stheuseofitsbeingrichandpowerful？Theydon"tteachthechildrenanymoreintheschoolsbecausethecityisrichandpowerful。Theyteachthemmorethantheyusedtobecausesomepeople——notrichandpowerfulpeople——havethoughtthethoughtstoteachthechildren。Andyetwhenyou"vebeenreadingthepaperI"veheardyouobjectingtothechildrenbeingtaughtanythingexceptwhatwouldhelpthemtomakemoney。Yousaiditwaswastingthetaxes。Youwantthemtaughttomakealiving,butnottolive。WhenIwasalittleboythiswasn"tanuglytown;

nowit"shideous。What"stheuseofbeingbigjusttobehideous？ImeanI

don"tthinkallthishasmeantreallygoingahead——it"sjustbeengettingbiggeranddirtierandnoisier。Wasn"tthewholecountryhappierandinmanywayswiserwhenitwassmallerandcleanerandquieterandkinder？IknowyouthinkI"manutterfool,father,but,afterall,though,aren"tbusinessandpoliticsjustthehousekeepingpartoflife？Andwouldn"tyoudespiseawomanthatnotonlymadeherhousekeepingherambition,butdiditsonoisilyanddirtilythatthewholeneighborhoodwasinacontinualturmoiloverit？Andsupposedshetalkedandthoughtaboutherhousekeepingallthetime,andwasalwayshavingadditionsbuilttoherhousewhenshecouldn"tkeepcleanwhatshealreadyhad;andsuppose,withitall,shemadethehousealtogetherunpeacefulandunlivable——"

"Justoneminute！"Sheridaninterrupted,adding,withterriblecourtesy,"Ifyouwillpermitme？Haveyoueverbeenrightaboutanything？"

"Idon"tquite——"

"Iaskthesimplequestion:Haveyoueverbeenrightaboutanythingwhateverinthecourseofyourlife？Haveyoueverbeenrightuponanysubjectorquestionyou"vethoughtaboutandtalkedabout？Canyoumentiononesingletimewhenyouwereprovedtoberight？"

Hewasflourishingthebandagedhandashespoke,butBibbssaidonly,"IfI"vealwaysbeenwrongbefore,surelythere"smorechancethatI"mrightaboutthis。Itseemsreasonabletosupposesomethingwouldbeduetobringupmyaverage。"

"Yes,Ithoughtyouwouldn"tseethepoint。Andthere"sanotheryouprobablycouldn"tsee,butI"lltakethelibertytomentionit。Youbeenbalkin"allyourlife。PrettymucheverythingIeverwantedyoutodo,you"dletoutSOME

kindofaholler,likeyouarenow——andyetIcan"tseemtorememberoncewhenyoudidn"thavetolaydownanddowhatIsaid。Butgoonwithyourremarksaboutourcityandthebusinessofthiscountry。Goon！"

"Idon"twanttobeapartofit,"saidBibbs,withunwonteddecision。"I

wanttokeeptomyself,andI"mdoingitnow。Icouldn"t,ifIwentdowntherewithyou。I"dbeswallowedintoit。Idon"tcareformoneyenoughtto——"

"No,"hisfatherinterrupted,stilldangerouslyquiet。"You"veneverhadtoearnaliving。Anybodycouldtellthatbywhatyousay。Now,letmeremindyou:you"resleepin"inaprettygoodbed;you"reeatin"prettyfairfood;

you"rewearin"prettyfineclothes。Justsupposeoneo"thesenoisyhousekeepers——me,forinstance——decidedtoletyoudoyourownhousekeepin"。

MayIaskwhatyourpropositionwouldbe？"

"I"mearningninedollarsaweek,"saidBibbs,sturdily。"It"senough。I

shouldn"tmindatall。"

"Who"spayin"youthatninedollarsaweek？"

"Mywork！"Bibbsanswered。"AndI"vedonesowellonthatclipping—machineI

believeIcouldworkuptofifteenoreventwentyaweekatanotherjob。I

couldbeafairplumberinafewmonths,I"msure。I"dratherhaveatradethanbeinbusiness——Ishould,infinitely！"

"Youbettersetaboutlearnin"oneprettydam"quick！"ButSheridanstruggledwithhistemperandagainwaspartiallysuccessfulincontrollingit。"YoubetterlearnatradeoverSunday,becauseyou"reeithergoin"downwithmetomyofficeMondaymorning——or——youcangotoplumbing！"

"Allright,"saidBibbs,gently。"Icangetalong。"

Sheridanraisedhishandssardonically,asinprayer。"OGod,"hesaid,"thisboywascrazyenoughbeforehebegantoearnhisninedollarsaweek,andnowhismoney"sgonetohishead！Can"tYoudonothin"forhim？"Thenheflunghishandsapart,palmsoutward,inafuriousgestureofdismissal。"Getouto"thisroom！Yougotaskullthat"sthicker"nawhale"sthigh—bone,butit"scrackedspangallthewayacross！Youhatedthemachine—shopsobadwhenI

sentyouthere,youwentandstayedsickforovertwoyears——andnow,whenI

offertotakeyououtofitandgiveyouthemint,youhollerfortheshoplikeacalfforitsmammy！You"recracked！Oh,butIgotafinelayouthere！

Onesondied,onequit,andone"saloon！Theloon"sallIgotleft！H。P。

Ellersly"swifehadacrazybrother,andtheyundertooktokeephimatthehouse。Firstmorninghewastherehewalkedstraightthoughaten—dollarplate—glasswindowoutintotheyard。Hesays,"Oh,lookattheprettydandelion！"That"swhatyou"redoin"！Youwanttospendyourlifesayin","Oh,lookattheprettydandelion！"andyoudon"tcareatinker"sdam"whatyoubust！Well,mister,loonornoloon,crackedandcrazyorwhateveryouare,I"lltakeyouwithmeMondaymorning,andI"llworkyouandlearnyou——yes,andI"lllamyou,ifIgotto——untilI"vemadesomethingoutofyouthat"sfittobecalledabusinessman！I"llkeepatyouwhileI"mabletostand,andifIhavetolaydowntodieI"llbewhisperin"atyoutilltheygettheembalmin"—fluidintome！Nowgoon,anddon"tletmehearfromyouagaintillyoucancomeandtellmeyou"vewakedup,youpoor,pitiful,dandelion—pickin"SLEEP—WALKER！"

Bibbsgavehimaqueerlook。Therewassomethinglikereproachinit,foronce;buttherewasmorethanthat——heseemedtobestartledbyhisfather"slastword。

Therewassleetthatevening,withawhoppingwind,butneitherthisstormnorthatotherwhichsoimminentlythreatenedhimheldplaceintheconsciousnessofBibbsSheridanwhenhecameoncemoretothepresenceofMary。Allwasrightinhisworldhashesatwithher,readingMauriceMaeterlinck"sAlladineandPalomides。Thesorrowfullightofthegas—jetmighthavebeenMaymorningsunshineflashingamberandrosethroughtheglowingwindowsoftheSainte—Chapelle,itwassobrightforBibbs。Andwhilethezinc—eaterheldouttobringhimsuchgoldennightsasthese,alltheking"shorsesandalltheking"smenmightnotservetobreakthespell。

Bibbsreadslowly,butinareasonablemanner,asifheweretalking;andMary,lookingathimsteadilyfrombeneathhercurvedfingers,appearedtodiscovernofault。Ithadgrowntobeherhabittolookathimwhenevertherewasanopportunity。Itmaybesaid,intruth,thatwhiletheyweretogether,anditwaslight,shelookedathimallthetime。

WhenhecametotheendofAlladineandPalomidestheyweresilentalittlewhile,consideringtogether;thenheturnedbackthepagesandsaid:"There"ssomethingIwanttoreadover。This:

YouwouldthinkIthrewawindowopenonthedawn……Shehasasoulthatcanbeseenaroundher——thattakesyouinitsarmslikeanailingchildandwithoutsayinganythingtoyouconsolesyouforeverything……Ishallneverunderstanditall。Idonotknowhowitcanallbe,butmykneesbendinspiteofmewhenIspeakofit……

Hestoppedandlookedather。

"Youboy！"saidMary,notveryclearly。

"Ohyes,"hereturned。"Butit"strue——especiallymyknees！"

"Youboy！"shemurmuredagain,blushingcharmingly。"Youmightreadanotherlineover。ThefirsttimeIeversawyou,Bibbs,youwerelookingintoamirror。Doitagain。Butyouneedn"treadit——Icangiveittoyou:"A

littleGreekslavethatcamefromtheheartofArcady！"

"I！I"moneofthehandsatthePumpWorks——andgoingtostayone,unlessI

havetodecidetostudyplumbing。"

"No。"Sheshookherhead。"Youloveandwantwhat"sbeautifulanddelicateandserene;it"sreallyartthatyouwantinyourlife,andhavealwayswanted。Youseemedtome,fromthefirst,themostwistfulpersonIhadeverknown,andthat"swhatyouwerewistfulfor。"

Bibbslookeddoubtfulandmorewistfulthanever;butafteramomentortwothematterseemedtoclarifyitselftohim。"Why,no,"hesaid;"Iwantedsomethingelsemorethanthat。Iwantedyou。"