第15章

"AndhereIam！"shelaughed,completelyunderstanding。"Ithinkwe"relikethosetwoinTheCloisterandtheHearth。I"mjusttheroughBurgundiancross—bowman,Denys,whofollowedthatgentleGerardandtoldeverybodythatthedevilwasdead。"

"Heisn"t,though,"saidBibbs,asahoarselittlebellinthenextroombeganaseriesofsnappingswhichprovedtobeten,uponcount。"HegetsintotheclockwheneverI"mwithyou。"And,sighingdeeply,herosetogo。

"You"realwaysverypromptaboutleavingme。"

"I——Itrytobe,"hesaid。"Itisn"teasytobecarefulnottoriskeverythingbygivingmyselfalittlemoreatatime。IfIeversawyoulooktired——"

"Haveyouever？"

"Notyet。Youalwayslook——youalwayslook——"

"How？"

"Care—free。That"sit。Exceptwhenyoufeelsorryformeaboutsomething,youalwayshavethatsplendidlook。Itputscourageintopeopletoseeit。

IfIhadastruggletofaceI"dkeeprememberingthatlook——andI"dnevergiveup！It"sabravelook,too,asthoughgaietymightbeakindofgallantryonyourpart,andyetIdon"tquiteunderstandwhyitshouldbe,either。"Hesmiledquizzically,lookingdownuponher。"Mary,youhaven"ta"secretsorrow,"haveyou？"

Foranswersheonlylaughed。

"No,"hesaid;"Ican"timagineyouwithacareintheworld。Ithinkthat"swhyyouweresokindtome——youhavenothingbuthappinessinyourownlife,andsoyoucouldsparetimetomakemytroublesturntohappiness,too。Butthere"sonelittletimeinthetwenty—fourhourswhenI"mnothappy。It"snow,whenIhavetosaygoodnight。Ifeeldismaleverytimeitcomes——andthen,whenI"veleftthehouse,there"sabadlittleblankness,ablackvoid,asthoughIweretemporarilydead;anditlastsuntilIgetitestablishedinmymindthatI"mreallybeginninganotherdaythat"stoendwithYOUagain。

ThenIcheerup。Butnow"sthebadtime——andImustgothroughit,andso——goodnight。"Andheaddedwithapungentvehemenceofwhichhewaslittleaware,"Ihateit！"

"Doyou？"shesaid,risingtogotothedoorwithhim。Buthestoodmotionless,gazingatherwonderingly。

"Mary！Youreyesareso——"Hestopped。

"Yes？"Butshelookedquicklyaway。

"Idon"tknow,"hesaid。"Ithoughtjustthen——"

"Whatdidyouthink？"

"Idon"tknow——itseemedtomethattherewassomethingIoughttounderstand——anddidn"t。"

Shelaughedandmethiswonderinggazeagainfrankly。"Myeyesarepleased,"

shesaid。"I"mgladthatyoumissmealittleafteryougo。"

"Butto—morrow"scomingfasterthanotherdaysifyou"llletit,"hesaid。

Sheinclinedherhead。"Yes。I"ll——"letit"！"

"Goingtochurch,"saidBibbs。"ItISgoingtochurchwhenIgowithyou！"

Shewenttothefrontdoorwithhim;shealwayswentthatfar。Theyhadformedalittlecodeofleave—taking,byhabit,neitherofthemeverspeakingofit;butitwasalwaysthesame。Shealwaysstoodinthedoorwayuntilhereachedthesidewalk,andtherehealwaysturnedandlookedback,andshewavedherhandtohim。Thenhewenton,halfwaytotheNewHouse,andlookedbackagain,andMarywasnotinthedoorway,butthedoorwasopenandthelightshone。Itwasasifshemeanttotellhimthatshewouldnevershuthimout;hecouldalwaysseethatfriendlylightoftheopendoorway——asifitwereopenforhimtocomeback,ifhewould。HecouldseeituntilawingoftheNewHousecamebetween,whenhewentupthepath。Theopendoorwayseemedtohimthebeautifulsymbolofherfriendship——ofherthoughtofhim;asymbolofherselfandofherineffablekindness。

Andshekeptthedooropen——evento—night,thoughthesleetandfinesnowsweptinuponherbarethroatandarms,andherbrownhairwasstrewnwithtinywhitestars。Hisheartleapedasheturnedandsawthatshewasthere,wavingherhandtohim,asifshedidnotknowthatthestormtouchedher。

Whenhehadgoneon,Marydidasshealwaysdid——shewentintoanunlitroomacrossthehallfromthatinwhichtheyhadspenttheevening,and,lookingfromthewindow,watchedhimuntilhewasoutofsight。Thestormmadethatdifficultto—night,butshecaughtaglimpseofhimunderthestreet—lampthatstoodbetweenthetwohouses,andsawthatheturnedtolookbackagain。

Then,andnotbefore,shelookedattheupperwindowsofRoscoe"shouseacrossthestreet。Theyweredark。Marywaited,butafteralittlewhilesheclosedthefrontdoorandreturnedtoherwindow。AmomentlatertwooftheupperwindowsofRoscoe"shouseflashedintolightandahandloweredtheshadeofoneofthem。Maryfeltthecoldthen——itwasthethirdnightshehadseenthosewindowslightedandtheshadelowered,justafterBibbshadgone。

ButBibbshadnoglancetospareforRoscoe"swindows。Hestoppedforhislastlookbackattheopendoor,and,withathinmantleofwhitealreadyuponhisshoulders,madehisway,gaspinginthewind,totheleeoftheshelteringwingoftheNewHouse。

AstrickenGeorge,mutteringhoarsely,admittedhim,andBibbsbecameawareofaparoxysmwithinthehouse。Terriblesoundscamefromthelibrary:Sheridancursingasneverbefore;hiswifesobbing,hervoicerisingtoanagonizedsquealofprotestuponeachofaseriesofmuffleddetonations——theoutrageousthumpingofabandagedhanduponwood;thenGurney,sharplyimperious,"Keepyourhandinthatsling！Keepyourhandinthatsling,I

say！"

"LOOK！"Georgegasped,delightedtoplayheraldforsoimportantatragedy;

andhereneweduponhisfacetheghastlyexpressionwithwhichhehadfirstbeheldtheruinshiscalamitousgesturelaidbeforetheeyesofBibbs。"Lookat"atlamidalstatue！"

Gazingdownthehall,Bibbssawheroicwreckage,seeminglyByzantine——paintedcolossalfragmentsoftheshatteredtorso,appallinglyhuman;andgildedandsilveredheapsofmagnificencestrewnamongruinouspalmslikethespoilofabarbarians"battle。Therehadbeenamassacreintheoasis——theMoorhadbeenhurledheadlongfromhispedestal。

"Hehit"atolelamidalstatue,"saidGeorge。"POW！"

"Myfather？"

"YESshu！POW！hehit"er！An"you"maruntellmegitdoctuhquick"sIkintelefoam——shesho"you"pagoin"bus"ablood—vessel。Heain"ttakin"on"tallNOW。Heain"tnothin""talltowhathewas"whileago。Youdonemiss"

it,Mist"Bibbs。Doctuhgothimallquiet"down,towhathewas。POW！hehit"er！Yessuh！"HetookBibbs"scoatandprofferedacrumpledtelegraphform。

"Herewhatcome,"hesaid。"Ipick"erupwhenhedonestompin"on"er。Youread"er,Mist"Bibbs——you"matellmetuhn"erovuhtoyousoon"syoucomein。"

Bibbsreadthetelegramquickly。ItwasfromNewYorkandaddressedtoMrs。

Sheridan。

SureyouwillallapprovestephavetakenaswassowretchedmyhealthwouldprobablysufferedseverelyRobertandIweremarriedthisafternoonthoughtbesthavequietweddingabsolutelysureyouwillunderstandwisdomofstepwhenyouknowRobertbetteramhappiestwomaninworldareleavingforFloridawillwireaddresswhensettledwillremaintillspringlovetoallfatherwilllikehimtoowhenknowshimlikeIdoheisjustideal。

EdithLamhorn。

Georgedeparted,andBibbswasleftgazinguponchaosandlisteningtothunder。Hecouldnotreachthestairwaywithoutpassingtheopendoorsofthelibrary,andhewasconvincedthatthemereglimpseofhim,justthen,wouldprovenothinglessthaninsufferableforhisfather。Forthatreasonhewasabouttomakehisescapeintothegold—and—brocaderoom,intendingtokeepoutofsight,whenheheardSheridanvociferouslydemandinghispresence。

"Tellhimtocomeinhere！He"soutthere。IheardGeorgejustlethimin。

Nowyou"llSEE！"Andtear—stainedMrs。Sheridan,lookingoutintothehall,beckonedtoherson。

Bibbswentasfarasthedoorway。Gurneysatwindingastripofwhitecotton,hisblackbagopenuponachairnearby;andSheridanwasstridingupanddown,hishandsoheavilywrappedinfreshbandagesthatheseemedtobewearingasmallboxing—glove。Hiseyeswerebloodshot;hisforeheadwasheavilybedewed;onesideofhiscollarhadbrokenloose,andtherewereblood—stainsuponhisrightcuff。

"THERE"Sourlittlesunshine！"hecried,asBibbsappeared。"THERE"Sthehopeo"thefamily——mylifelongprideandjoy！Iwant——"

"Keepyouhandinthatsling,"saidGurney,sharply。

Sheridanturneduponhim,utteringasoundlikeahowl。"ForGod"ssake,singanothertune！"hecried。"Yousaidyou"cameasadoctorbutstayasafriend,"andinthatcapacityyouundertaketositupandcriticizeME——"

"Oh,talksense,"saidthedoctor,andyawnedintentionally。"WhatdoyouwantBibbstosay？"

"Youweresittin"uptheretellin"meIgot"hysterical"——"hysterical,"ohLord！YousatupthereandtoldmeIgot"hysterical"overnothin"！Yousatuptheretellin"meIdidn"thaveasheavyburdensasmanyanothermanyouknew。IjustwantyoutohearTHIS。Nowlisten！"Heswungtowardthequietfigurewaitinginthedoorway。"Bibbs,willyoucomedown—townwithmeMondaymorningandletmestartyouwithtwovice—presidencies,adirectorship,stock,andsalaries？Iaskyou。"

"No,father,"saidBibbs,gently。

SheridanlookedatGurneyandthenfacedhissononcemore。

"Bibbs,youwanttostayintheshop,doyou,atninedollarsaweek,insteadoftakin"upmyoffer？"

"Yes,sir。"

"AndI"dlikethedoctortohear:What"llyoudoifIdecideyou"retoohigh—pricedaworkin"—maneithertoliveinmyhouseorworkinmyshop？"

"Findotherwork,"saidBibbs。

"There！Youhearhimforyourself！"Sheridancried。"Youhearwhat——"

"Keepyouhandinthatsling！Yes,Ihearhim。"

SheridanleanedoverGurneyandshouted,inavoicethatcrackedandbroke,pipingintofalsetto:"Hethinksofbein"aPLUMBER！HewantstobeaPLUMBER！Hetoldmehecouldn"tTHINKifhewentintobusiness——hewantstobeaplumbersohecanTHINK！"

Hefellbackastep,wipinghisforheadwiththebackofhislefthand。

"There！That"smyson！That"stheonlysonIgotnow！That"smychancetolive,"hecried,withabitternessthatseemedtoleaveashesinhisthroat。

"That"smyonechancetolive——thatthingyouseeinthedoorwayyonder！"

Dr。Gurneythoughtfullyregardedthebandagestriphehadbeenwinding,andtosseditintotheopenbag。"What"sthematterwithgivingBibbsachancetolive？"hesaid,coolly。"IwouldifIwereyou。You"vehadTWOthatwentintobusiness。"

Sheridan"smouthmovedgrotesquelybeforehecouldspeak。"JoeGurney,"hesaid,whenhecouldcommandhimselfsofar,"areyouaccusin"meoftheresponsibilityforthedeathofmysonJames？"

"Iaccuseyouofnothing,"saidthedoctor。"ButjustonceI"dliketohaveitoutwithyouonthequestionofBibbs——andwhilehe"shere,too。"Hegotup,walkedtothefire,andstoodwarminghishandsbehindhisbackandsmiling。"Lookhere,oldfellow,let"sbereasonable,"hesaid。"YouwereboundBibbsshouldgototheshopagain,andIgaveyouandhim,both,tounderstandprettyplainlythatifhewentitwasattheriskofhislife。

Well,whatdidhedo？Hesaidhewantedtogo。Andhedidgo,andhe"smadegoodthere。Now,see:Isn"tthatenough？Can"tyoulethimoffnow？Hewantstowrite,andhowdoyouknowthathecouldn"tdoitifyougavehimachance？Howdoyouknowhehasn"tsomemessage——somethingtosaythatmightmaketheworldjustalittlebithappierorwiser？HeMIGHT——intime——it"sapossibilitynottobedenied。Nowhecan"tdeliveranymessageifhegoesdowntherewithyou,andhewon"tHAVEanytodeliver。Idon"tsaygoingdownwithyouislikelytoinjurehishealth,asIthoughttheshopwould,andastheshopdid,thefirsttime。I"mnotspeakingasdoctornow,anyhow。ButI

tellyouonethingIknow:ifyoutakehimdownthereyou"llkillsomethingthatIfeelisinhim,andit"sfiner,Ithink,thanhisphysicalbody,andyou"llkillitdeaderthanadoor—nail！Andsowhynotletitlive？You"veaboutcometotheendofyourstring,oldfellow。WhynotstopthisperpetualdevilishfightingandgiveBibbshischance？"

Sheridanstoodlookingathimfixedly。"What"fighting？""

"Yours——withnature。"Gurneysustainedthedauntinggazeofhisfierceantagonistequably。"Youdon"tseemtounderstandthatyou"vebeenstrugglingagainstactuallaw。"

"Whatlaw？"

"Naturallaw,"saidGurney。"WhatdoyouthinkbeatyouwithEdith？DidEdith,herself,beatyou？Didn"tsheobeywithoutquestionsomethingpowerfulthatwasagainstyou？EDITHwasn"tagainstyou,andyouweren"tagainstHER,butyousetyourselfagainstthepowerthathadherinitsgrip,anditshotoutaspurtofflame——andwoninawalk！What"stakenRoscoefromyou？

Timbersbearjustsomuchstrain,oldman;butYOUwantedtosendtheloadacrossthebrokenbridge,andyouthoughtyoucouldbullyorcoaxthecrackedthingintostanding。Well,youcouldn"t！Nowhere"sBibbs。Therearethousandsofmenfitforthelifeyouwanthimtolead——andsoishe。Itwouldn"ttakehalfofBibbs"sbrainstobetwiceasgoodabusinessmanasJimandRoscoeputtogether。"

"WHAT！"Sheridangoggledathimlikeazany。

"YoursonBibbs,"saidthedoctor,composedly,"BibbsSheridanhasthekindandquantityof"graymatter"thatwillmakehimasuccessinanything——ifheeverwakesup！PersonallyIshouldpreferhimtoremainasleep。Ilikehimthatway。Butthethousandsofmenfitforthelifeyouwanthimtoleadaren"tfittodomuchwiththelifeheOUGHTtolead。Blindly,he"sbeenfightingforthechancetoleadit——he"sobeyingsomethingthatbegstostayalivewithinhim;and,blindly,heknowsyou"llcrushitout。You"vesetyourwilltodoit。Letmetellyousomethingmore。Youdon"tknowwhatyou"vebecomesinceJim"sgoingthwartedyou——andthat"swhatwasuppermost,abafflementstrongerthanyournormalgrief。You"rehalfmadwithaconsumingfuryagainsttheveryselfofthelaw——foritwastheveryselfofthelawthattookJimfromyou。Thatwasalawconcerningthecohesionofmolecules。

TheveryselfofthelawtookRoscoefromyouandgaveEdiththecertaintyofbeatingyou;andtheveryselfofthelawmakesBibbsdenyyouto—night。TheLAWbeatsyou。Haven"tyoubeenwhippedenough？Butyouwanttowhipthelaw——you"vesetyourselfagainstit,tobendittoyourownends,towielditandtwistit——"

ThevoicebrokefromSheridan"sheavingchestinashout。"Yes！AndbyGod,Iwill！"

"SoAjaxdefiedthelightning,"saidGurney。

"I"veheardthatdam"—foolstory,too,"Sheridanretorted,fiercely。"That"sforchuldernandniggers。Itain"ttwentiethcentury,letmetellyou！

"Defiedthelighning,"didhe,thejackass！Ifhe"dbeenhalfamanhe"d"a"

gotawaywithit。WEdon"tgoshowin"offdefyin"thelightning——wehitchitupandmakeitworkforuslikeablack—steer！Amannowadayswouldjustassoonthinko"defyin"awood—shed！"

"Well,whataboutBibbs？"saidGurney。"Willyoubeareallybigmannowand——"

"Gurney,youknowalotaboutbigness！"Sheridanbegantowalktoandfroagain,andthedoctorreturnedgloomilytohischair。Hehadshothisboltthemomenthejudgeditschancetostrikecenterwasbest,butthetargetseemedunawareofthemarksman。

"I"mtryin"tomakeabigmanouto"thatpoortruckyonder,"Sheridanwenton,"andyoustepin,beggin"metolethimbeLordknowswhat——Idon"t！I

supposeyoufigureitoutthatnowIgotaSON—IN—LAW,Imightn"tneedason！

Yes,Igotason—in—lawnow——aspender！"

"Oh,putyourhandback！"saidGurney,wearily。

Therewasabronzeinkstanduponthetable。Sheridanputhisrighthandinthesling,butwithhisleftheswepttheinkstandfromthetableandhalf—wayacrosstheroom——acometwithadestroyingblacktail。Mrs。Sheridanshriekedandsprangtowardit。

"Letitlay！"heshouted,fiercely。"Letitlay！"And,weeping,sheobeyed。

"Yes,sir,"hewenton,inavoicethemoreominousforthesuddenhushheputuponit。"Igotaspenderforason—in—law！It"swonderfulwherepropertygoes,sometimes。TherewasolemanTracy——yourememberhim,Doc——J。R。Tracy,solidbanker。Hewentintothebankasmessenger,seventeenyearsold;hewaspresidentatforty—three,andhebuiltthatbankwithhislifeforfortyyearsmore。Hewasdowntherefromnineinthemorninguntilfourintheafternoonthedaybeforehedied——overeighty！Giltedge,thatbank？Itwasdiamondedge！Heusedtoeatabago"peanutsandandappleforlunch;buthewasn"tstingy——hewasjustlivin"inhisbusiness。Hedidn"tcareforpieorautomobiles——hehadhisbank。Itwasaninstitution,anditcomeprettynearbein"thebeatin"hearto"thistowninitstime。Well,thatolemanusedtopassoneo"thesehereturned—up—noseandturned—up—pantscigaretteboysonthestreets。Neverspoketohim,Tracydidn"t。Speaktohim？God！hewouldn"t"a"coughedonhim！Hewouldn"t"a"lethimcleanthecuspidorsatthebank！Why,ifhe"d"a"justseenhimstandin"inFRONTthebankhe"d"a"

hadhimrunoffthestreet。AndyetallTracywasdoin"everydayofhislifewasworkin"forthatcigaretteboy！Tracythoughtitwasforthebank;

hethoughthewasgivin"hislifeandhislife—bloodandthebloodofhisbrainforthebank,buthewasn"t。Itwaseverybit——fromthetimehewentinatseventeentillhediedinharnessateighty—three——itwaseverylastlickofitjustslavin"forthatturned—up—nose,turned—up—pantscigaretteboy。

ANDTRACYDIDN"TEVENKNOWHISNAME！Hedied,noteverhavin"heardit,thoughhechasedhimoffthefrontstepsofhishouseonce。ThedayafterTracydiedhisold—maiddaughtermarriedthecigarette——andthereAIN"TanyTracybankanymore！Andnow"——hisvoiceroseagain——"andnowIgotacigaretteson—in—law！"

Gurneypointedtotheflourishingrighthandwithoutspeaking,andSheridanoncemorereturnedittothesling。

"Myson—in—lawlikesFloridathiswinter,"Sheridanwenton。"That"sgood,andmyson—in—lawbetterenjoyit,becauseIdon"tthinkhe"llbetherenextwinter。Theygottwelve—thousanddollarstospend,andIhearitcanbedoneinFloridabyrichsons—in—law。WhenRoscoe"swomangotmetospendthatmuchonaporchfortheirnewhouse,Edithwouldn"tgivemeaminute"sresttillI

turnedoverthesametoher。Andshe"sgotit,besideswhatIgavehertogoEaston。It"llbegonelongbeforethistimenextyear,andwhenshecomeshomeandleavesthecigarettebehind——forgood——she"llgetsomemore。MY

nameain"tTracy,andthereain"tgoin"tobeanyTracybusinessintheSheridanfamily。Andthereain"tgoin"tobeanycollegefoundin"andendowin"andtrusteein",norGod—knows—whattokeepmypropertyalivewhenI"mgone！Edith"llbeback,andshe"llgetagirl"ssharewhenshe"sthroughwiththatcigarette,but——"

"Bytheway,"interposedGurney,"didn"tMrs。SheridantellmethatBibbswarnedyouEdithwouldmarryLamhorninNewYork？"

Sheridanwentcompletelytopieces:heswore,whilehiswifescreamedandstoppedherears。Andashesworehepoundedthetablewithhiswoundedhand,andwhenthedoctor,afterstormingathimineffectively,sprangtocatchandprotectthathand,Sheridanwrencheditaway,tearingthebandage。Hehammeredthetabletillitleaped。

"Fool！"hepanted,choking。"Ifhe"sshowngumptionenoughtoguessrightthefirsttimeinhislife,it"senoughformetobeginlearnin"himon！"And,strugglingwiththedoctor,heleanedtowardBibbs,thrustingforwardhisconvulsedface,whichwasdeathlypale。"Mynameain"tTracy,Itellyou！"hescreamed,hoarsely。"Yougivein,youstubbornfool！I"vehadmywaywithyoubefore,andI"llhavemywaywithyounow！"

Bibbs"sfacewasaswhiteashisfather"s,buthekeptrememberingthat"splendidlook"ofMary"swhichhehadtoldherwouldgivehimcourageinastruggle,sothathewould"nevergiveup。"

"No。Youcan"thaveyourway,"hesaid。Andthen,obeyingasignificantmotionofGurney"shead,hewentoutquickly,leavingthemstruggling。

Mrs。Sheridan,inawrapper,noiselesslyopenedthedoorofherhusband"sroomatdaybreakthenextmorning,andpeeredwithinthedarkenedchamber。Atthe"old"housetheyhadsharedaroom,butthearchitecthadchosentoseparatethemattheNew,andtheyhadnotknownhowtoformulateanobjection,althoughtobothofthemsomethingseemedvaguelyreprehensibleinthenewarrangement。

Sheridandidnotstir,andshewaswithdrawingherheadfromtheaperturewhenhespoke。

"Oh,I"m,AWAKE！Comein,ifyouwantto,andshutthedoor。"

Shecameandsatbythebed。"Iwokeupthinkin"aboutit,"sheexplained。

"AndthemoreIthoughtaboutitthesurerIgotImustberight,andIknewyou"dbetormentin"yourselfifyouwasawake,so——well,yougotplentyothertroubles,butI"mjustsureyouain"tgoin"tohavetheworrywithBibbsitlookslike。"

"YouBETIain"t！"hegrunted。

"Lookhowbiddablehewasaboutgoin"backtotheWorks,"shecontinued。"He"sarightgood—heartedboy,really,andsometimesIhonestlyhavetosayheseemsrightsmart,too。Nowandthenhe"llsaysomethingsoundsrightbright。

"Course,mostalwaysitdoesn"t,andagooddealofthetime,whenhesaysthings,why,Ihavetofeelgladwehaven"tgotcompany,becausethey"dthinkhedidn"thaveanygumptionatall。Yet,lookatthewayhedidwhenJim——whenJimgothurt。Hetookrightholdo"things。"Coursehe"dbeensickhimselfsomuchandall——andtherestofusneverhad,much,andwewerekindo"greenaboutwhattodointhatkindo"trouble——still,hedidtakehold,andeverythingwentoffallright;you"llhavetosaythatmuch,papa。AndDr。

Gurneysayshe"sgotbrains,andyoucan"tdenybutwhatthedoctor"srightconsiderableofaman。Heactssleepy,butthat"sonlybecausehe"sgotsuchalargepractice——he"saprettywide—awakekindofamansomeways。Well,whathesayslastnightaboutBibbshimselfbein"asleep,andhowmuchhe"damounttoifheeverwokeup——that"swhatIgottothinkin"about。Youheardhim,papa;hesays,"Bibbs"llbeabiggerbusinessmanthanwhatJimandRoscoewasputtogether——ifheeverwakesup,"hesays。Wasn"tthatexactlywhathesays？"

"Isupposeso,"saidSheridan,withoutexhibitinganyinterest。"Gurney"scrazier"nBibbs,butifhewasn"t——ifwhathesayswastrue——whatofit？"

"Listen,papa。JustsupposeBibbstookitintohismindtogetmarried。Youknowwherehegoesallthetime——"

"Oh,Lord,yes！"Sheridanturnedoverinthebed,hisfacetothewall,leavingvisibleofhimselfonlythethickgrizzleofhishair。"Youbettergobacktosleep。Herunsoverthere——everyminuteshe"lllethim,Isuppose。

Gobacktobed。There"snothin"init。"

"WHYain"tthere？"sheurged。"Iknowbetter——thereis,too！Youwaitandsee。There"sjustonethingintheworldthat"llwakethesleepiestyoungmanaliveup——yes,andmakehimJUMPup——andIdon"tcarewhoheisorhowsoundasleepitlookslikeheis。That"swhenhetakesitintohisheadtopickoutsomegirlandsettledownandhaveahomeandchuldernofhisown。

THEN,Iguess,he"llgooutafterthemoney！You"llsee。I"veknowndozenso"

cases,andso"veyou——moony,no—"countyoungmen,allnotionsandtalk,goin"

tobeministers,maybeorsomething;andthere"sjustthisonethingtakesitoutof"emandbrings"emrightdowntobusiness。Well,InevercouldmakeoutjustwhatitisBibbswantstobe,really;doesn"tseemhewantstobeaministerexactly——he"ssofar—awayyoucan"ttell,andheneverSAYS——butI

knowthisisgoin"togethimrightdowntocommonsense。Now,Idon"tsaythatBibbshasgottheideainhisheadyet——"relsehewouldn"tbetalkin"

thatfool—talkaboutninedollarsaweekbein"goodenoughforhimtoliveon。

Butit"sCOMIN",papa,andhe"llJUMPforwhateveryouwanttohandhimout。

Hewill！AndIcantellyouthismuch,too:he"llwantallthesalaryandstockhecangetholdof,andhe"llhustletokeepgettin"more。Thatgirl"sthekindthatayounghusbandjustgoescrazytogivethingsto！She"sprettyandfine—lookin",andthingslookniceonher,andIguessshe"dliketohave"emaboutaswellasthenext。AndIguesssheisn"tgettin"manythesedays,either,andshe"llbeprettyreadyforthechange。Isawherwithhersleevesrolledupatthekitchenwindowtheotherday,andJacksontoldmeyesterdaytheircooklefttwoweeksago,andtheyhaven"ttriedtohireanotherone。Hesaysherandhermotherbeendoin"thehouseworkagoodwhile,andnowthey"redoin"thecookin,"too。"CourseBibbswouldn"tknowthatunlessshe"stoldhim,andIreckonshewouldn"t;she"skindo"stiffish—lookin",andBibbsistooupinthecloudstonoticeanythinglikethatforhimself。They"veneveraskedhimtoamealinthehouse,buthewouldn"tnoticethat,either——he"skindofinnocent。NowIwasthinkin"——youknow,Idon"tsupposewe"vehardlymentionedthegirl"snameattablesinceJimwent,butitseemstomemaybeif——"

Sheridanflungouthisarms,utteringasoundhalf—groan,half—yawn。"You"rebarkin"upthewrongtree！Goonbacktobed,mamma！"

"WhyamI？"shedemanded,crossly。"WhyamIbarkin"upthewrongtree？"

"Becauseyouare。There"snothin"init。"

"I"llbetyou,"shesaid,rising——"I"llbetyouhegoestochurchwithherthismorning。Whatyouwanttobet？"

"Gobacktobed,"hecommanded。"IKNOWwhatI"mtalkin"about;there"snothin"init,Itellyou。"

Sheshookherheadperplexedly。"Youthinkbecause——becauseJimwasrunnin"

somuchwithheritwouldn"tlookright？"

"No。Nothin"todowithit。"

"Then——doyouknowsomethingaboutitthatyouain"ttoldme？"

"Yes,Ido,"hegrunted。"Nowgoon。MaybeIcangetalittlesleep。I

ain"thadanyyet！"

"Well——"Shewenttothedoor,herexpressiondowncast。"Ithoughtmaybe——but——"Shecoughedprefatorily。"Oh,papa,somethingelseIwantedtotellyou。Iwastalkin"toRoscoeoverthe"phonelastnightwhenthetelegramcame,soIforgottotellyou,but——well,Sibylwantstocomeoverthisafternoon。Roscoesaysshehassomethingshewantstosaytous。It"llbethefirsttimeshe"sbeenoutsinceshewasabletositup——andIreckonshewantstotellusshe"ssorryforwhathappened。Theyexpecttogetoffbytheendo"theweek,andIreckonshewantstofeelshe"sdonewhatshecouldtokindo"makeup。Anyway,that"swhathesaid。I"phonedhimagainaboutEdith,andhesaiditwouldn"tdisturbSibyl,becauseshe"dbeenexpectin"it;