“He’sasleep。“
“Allright。Let’imsleep。Well，let’sgooutan’set’up。Come，Dad，slingawaythatBibleandcometogrub。Mother，whatthedevulareyousnifflingat？Say，now，lookhere。IfIhearanymoreaboutthisrow，I’llsimplyletyouwalkdowntomeeting。Come，Will，setup。“
Heledthewayoutintothelittlekitchenwherethedinnerwasset。
“Whatwastherowabout？Hain’tbeenbreakin’somedish，Agg？“
“Yes，shehas。“
“Oneo’theblueones？“winkedEd。
“No，thankgoodness，itwasawhiteone。“
“Well，now，I’llgitintothatdod-gastedcubberdsomedayan’breakthewholeeternaloutfit。Iain’tgoin’tohavethisdamnedjawin’
goin’on，“heended，brutallyunconsciousofhisown“jawin’。“
Afterthisthedinnerproceededincomparativesilence，Agnessobbingunderbreath。Theroomwassmallandveryhot；thetablewaswarpedsobadlythatthedisheshadatendencytoslidetothecenter；thewallswerebareplastergrayedwithtime；thefoodwaspoorandscant，andthefliesabsolutelyswarmeduponeverything，likebees。Otherwisetheroomwascleanandorderly。
“Theysayyou’vemadeapileo’moneyoutWest，Bill。I’mgladofit。Wefellersbackheredon’tmakeanything。It’sadamtightsqueeze。Agg，itseemstomethefliesaredevilishthicktoday。
Can’tyoudrive’emout？“
Agnesfeltthatshemustvindicateherselfalittle。“Idodrive’emout，buttheycomerightinagain。Thescreendoorisbroken，andtheycomerightin。“
“ItoldDadtofixthatdoor。“
“Buthewon’tdoitforme。“
Edrestedhiselbowsonthetableandfixedhisbrightblackeyesonhisfather。
“Say，whatd’youmeanbyactin’likeamule？IswearI’lltradeyouofff’rayallerdog。WhatdoIkeepyouroundhere。foranyway-tolookpurty？“
“IguessI’veasgoodarighthereasyouhave，EdKinney。“
“Oh，gosoaky’rhead，oldman。Ifyoudon’ttendoutherealittlebetter，downgoesyourmeathouse!Iwon’tdriveyoudowntomeetin’tillyoupromisetofixthatdoor。Hearme!“
Daddybegantosnivel。Agnescouldnotlookupforshame。Willfeltsick。Edlaughed。
“Ikinbringtheoldmantotermsthatway；hecan’twalkverywelllateyears，an’hecan’tdrivemycolt。YouknowwhatacussIusedtobeaboutfastnags？Well，I’mjustthesame。Hobkirk’sgotacoltIwant。Say，thatre-mindsme：yourteam’souttherebythefence。I
forgot。I’llgoandput’emup。“
“No，nevermind；Ican’tstaybutafewminutes。“
“Goin’toberoundthecountrylong？“
“Aweek-maybe。“
Agneslookedupamomentandthenlethereyesfall。
“Goin’backWest，Is’pose？“
“No。MaygoEast，toEuropemebbe。“
“Thedevuly’say!Youmust’a’madeaten-strikeoutWest。“
“Theysayitdidn’tcomelawful，“pipedDaddyoverhisblackberriesandmilk。
“Oh，youshetup。Whowantsyourput-in？Don’tworkinanyo’
yourBibleonus。“
Daddyrosetogointotheotherroom。
“Holdon，oldman。Yougoin’tofixthatdoor？“
“’CourseIbe，“quaveredhe。
“Wellsee’ty’do，that’sall。Nowgitony’rduds，an’
I’llgoan’hitchup。“Herosefromthetable。“Don’tkeepmewaiting。“
Hewentoutunceremoniously，andAgneswasalonewithWill。
“Doyougotochurch？“heasked。Sheshookherhead。“No，Idon’tgoanywherenow。Ihavetoomuchtodo；Ihaven’tstrengthleft。
AndI’mnotfitanyway。“
“Agnes，Iwanttosaysomethingtoyou；notnow-afterthey’regone。“
Hewentintotheotherroom，leavinghertowashthedinnerthings。
Sheworkedoninacurious，almostdazedway，adreamofsomethingsweetandirrevocableinhereyes。Herepresentedsomuchtoher。Hisvoicebroughtuptimesandplacesthatthrilledherlikesong。Hewasassociatedwithallthatwassweetestandmostcarefreeandmostgirlishinherlife。
Eversincetheboyhadhandedherthatnoteshehadbeenrelivingthosedays。Inthemidstofherdrudgeryshestoppedtodream-toletsomepicturecomebackintohermind。Shewasastudentagainattheseminary，andstoodintherecitationroomwithsuffocatingbeatoftheheart。Willwaswaitingoutside-waitinginatremorlikeherown，towalkhomewithherunderthemaples。
Thensherememberedthepainfullysweetmixtureofprideandfearwithwhichshewalkeduptheaisleofthelittlechurchbehindhim。Herprettynewgownrustled，thedimlightofthechurchhadsomethinglikeromanceinit，andhewassostrongandhandsome。
HerheartwentoutinagreatsilentcrytoGod-“Oh，letmebeagirlagain!“
Shedidnotlookforwardtohappiness。Shehadn’tpowertolookforwardatall。
Assheworked，sheheardthehigh，shrillvoicesoftheoldpeopleastheybustledaboutandnaggedateachother。
“Ma，where’smyspecticles？“
“Iain’tseeny’rspecticles。“
“Youhave，too。“
“Iain’tneither。“
“Youhad’emthisforenoon。“
“Didn’tnosuchthing。Themwasmyownbrass-bowedones。Youhadyournjest’foregoin’todinner。Ifyou’dput’emintoaproperplaceyou’dfind’emagain。“
“Iwant’oknowifIwould，“theoldmansnorted’。
“Wal，you’dorterknow。“
“Oh，you’reawfulsmart，ain’tyeh？Youneverhavenotrouble，andusemine-doyeh？-an’lose’emso’tIcan’t“AndifthisisthethingthatgoesonwhenI’mhere，itmustbehellwhenvisitorsaregone，“thoughtWill。
“Willy，ain’tyougoin’tomeetin’？“
“No，nottoday。IwanttovisitalittlewithAgnes，thenI’vegottodrivebacktoJohn’s。“
“Wal，wemustbegoin’。Don’tyouleavethemdishesf’tmetowash，“shescreamedatAgnesasshewentoutthedoor。“An’ifwedon’tgethomebyfive，themcaavesorterbefed。“
AsAgnesstoodatthedoortowatchthemdriveaway，Willstudiedher，asmotheringacheinhisheartashesawhowthinandbentandwearyshewas。Inhissoulhefeltthatshewasadyingwomanunlessshehadrestandtendercare。
Assheturned，shesawsomethinginhisface-apityandanagonyofself-accusation-thatmadeherweakandwhite。Shesankintoachair，puttingherhandonherchest，asifshefeltafailingofbreath。Thenthebloodcamebacktoherface，andhereyesfilledwithtears。
“Don’t-don’tlookatmelikethat，“shesaidinawhisper。Hispityhurther。
Atsightofhersittingtherepathetic，abashed，bewildered，likesomegentleanimal，Will’sthroatcontractedsothathecouldnotspeak。Hisvoicecameatlastinoneterriblecry-“Oh，Agnes!forGod’ssakeforgiveme!“Hekneltbyhersideandputhisarmabouthershouldersandkissedherbowedhead。Acuriousnumbnessinvolvedhiswholebody；hisvoicewashusky，thetearsburnedinhiseyes。Hiswholesoulandbodyachedwithhispityandremorseful，self-accusingwrath。
“Itwasallmyfault。Layitalltome……Iamtheonetobearit……
Oh，I’vedreamedathousandtimesofsayin’thistoyou，Aggie!I
thoughtifIcouldonlyseeyouagainandaskyourforgiveness，I’d-“
Hegroundhisteethtogetherinhisassaultuponhimself。“Ithrewmylifeawayan’killedyou-that’swhatIdid!“
Heroseandragedupanddowntheroomtillhehadmasteredhimself。
“WhatdidyouthinkImeantthatdayofthethrashing？“hesaid，turningsuddenly。Hespokeofitasifitwerebutamonthortwopast。
Sheliftedherheadandlookedathiminaslowway。Sheseemedtoberemembering。Thetearslayonherhollowcheeks。
“Ithoughtyouwasashamedofme。Ididn’tknow-why-“
Heutteredasnarlofsell-disgust。
“Youcouldn’tknow。NobodycouldtellwhatImeant。Butwhydidn’tyouwrite？Iwasreadytocomeback。Ionlywantedanexcuse-onlyaline。“
“HowcouldI，Will-afteryourletter？“
Hegroanedandturnedaway。
“AndWill，I-Igotmadtoo。Icouldn’twrite。“
“Oh，thatletter-Icanseeeverylineofit!F’rGod’ssake，don’tthinkofitagain!ButIdidn’tthink，evenwhenIwrotethatletter，thatI’dfindyouwhereyouare。Ididn’tthink，Ihopedanyhow，EdKinneywouldn’t-“
Shestoppedhimwithastartledlookinhergreateyes。“Don’ttalkabouthim-itain’tright。Imeanitdon’tdoanygood。WhatcouldI
do，afterFatherdied？MotherandI。Besides，Iwaitedthreeyearstohearfromyou，Will。“
Hegaveastrange，chokingcry。Itburstfromhisthroat-thatterriblething，aman’ssobofagony。Shewenton，curiouslycalmnow。
“Edwasgoodtome；andheofferedahome，anyway，forMother-“
“AndallthetimeIwaswaitingforsomelinetobreakdownmycussedpride，soIcouldwritetoyouandexplain。ButyoudidgowithEdtothefair，“heendedsuddenly，seekingamorselofjustificationforhimself。
“Yes。ButIwaitedan’waited；andIthoughtyouwasmadatme，andsowhentheycameI-no，Ididn’treallygowithEd。Therewasawagonloadofthem。“
“ButIstarted，“heexplained，“butthewheelcameoff。Ididn’tsendwordbecauseIthoughtyou’dfeelsureI’dcome。Ifyou’donlytrustedmealittlemore-No!itwasallmyfault。Iactedlikeacrazyfool。Ididn’tstoptoreasonaboutanything。“
Theysatinsilencealtertheseexplanations。Thesoundofthesnappingwingsofthegrasshopperscamethroughthe~windows，andalocusthighinapoplarsentdownhisringingwhir。
“Itcan’tbehelpednow，Will，“Agnessaidatlast，hervoicefullofthewoman’sresignation。“We’vegottobearit。“
Willstraightenedup。“Bearit？“Hepaused。“Yes，Is’poseso。Ifyouhadn’tmarriedEdKinney!Anybodybuthim。Howdidyoudoit？“
“Oh’Idon’tknow，“sheanswered，wearilybrushingherhairbackfromhereyes。“ItseemedbestwhenIdidit-anditcan’tbehelpednow。“Therewasinfinite，dulldespairandresignationinhervoice。
Willwentovertothewindow。HethoughthowbrightandhandsomeEdusedtobe，andhefeltafterallthatitwasnowonderthatshemarriedhim。Lifepushesusintosuchthings。Suddenlyheturned，somethingresoluteandimperiousinhiseyesandvoice。
“Itcanbehelped，Aggie，“hesaid。“Nowjustlistentome。We’vemadeanawfulmistake。We’velostsevenyearso’life，butthat’snoreasonwhyweshouldwastetherestofit。Nowholdon；don’tinterruptmejustyet。Icomebackthinkingjustasmuchofyouasever。Iain’tgoingtosayawordmoreaboutEd；letthepaststaypast。I’mgoingtotalkaboutthefuture。“
Shelookedathiminadazeofwonderashewenton。“NowI’vegotsomemoney，I’vegotathirdinterestinaranch，andI’vegotastandingoffertogobackontheSanteFeeroadasconductor。
Thereisateamstandingoutthere。I’dliketomakeanothertriptoCedarville-withyou-“
“Oh，Will，don’t!“shecried；“forpity’ssakedon’ttalk-“
“Wait!“hesaidimperiously。“NowlookatitHereyouareinhell!
Cagedupwithtwooldcrowspickingthelifeoutofyou。They’llkillyou-Icanseeit；you’rebeingkilledbyinches。Youcan’tgoanywhere，youcan’thaveanything。Lifeisjusttortureforyou-“
Shegavealittlemoanofanguishanddespairandturnedherfacetoherchairback。Hershouldersshookwithweeping，butshelistened。Hewenttoherandstoodwithhishandonthechairback。
Hisvoicetrembledandbroke。“There’sjustonewaytogetoutofthis，Agnes。Comewithme。Hedon’tcareforyou；hiswholeideaofwomenisthattheyarecreatedforhispleasureandtokeephouse。Yourwholelifeisagony。Come!Don’tcry。There’sachanceforlifeyet。“
Shedidn’tspeak，buthersobswerelessviolent；hisvoicegrowingstrongerreassuredher。
“I’mgoingEast，maybetoEurope；andthewomanwhogoeswithmewillhavenothingtodobutgetstrongandwellagain。I’vemadeyousufferso，Ioughttospendtherestofmylifemakingyouhappy。Come!Mywifewillsitwithmeonthedeckofthesteamerandseethemoonrise，andwalkwithmebythesea，tillshegetsstrongandhappyagain-tillthedimplesgetbackintohercheeks。###第7章
neverwillresttillIseehereyeslaughagain。
Sheroseflushed，wide-eyed，breathinghardwiththeemotionhisvibrantvoicecalledup，butshecouldnotspeak。Heputhishandgentlyuponhershoulder，andshesankdownagain。Andhewentonwithhi~sappeal。Therewassomethinghypnotic，dominatinginhisvoiceandeyes。
Onhisparttherewasnopassionofanignoblesort，onlyapassionofpityandremorse，andasweet，tender，reminiscentlove。Hedidnotlovethewomanbeforehimsomuchasthegirlwhoseghostshewas-thewomanwhosepromiseshewas。Heheldhimselfresponsibleforitall，andhethrobbedwithdesiretorepairtheravagehehadindirectlycaused。Therewasnothingequivocalinhisposition-nothingtodisown。Howothersmightlookatithedidnotconsideranddidnotcare。Hisimpetuoussoulwascarriedtoapointwherenothingcameintomarordivert。
“Andthenafteryou’rewell，afterourtrip，we’llcomebacktoHouston，andI’llbuildmywifeahousethat’Ilmakehereyesshine。
Mycattleandmysalarywillgiveusagoodliving，andshecanhaveapianoandbooks，andgotothetheaterandconcerts。
Come，whatdoyouthinkofthat？“
ThensheheardhiswordsbeneathhisvoiceSomehow，andtheyproducedpicturesthatdazzledher。Luminousshadowsmovedbeforehereyes，driftingacrossthegraybackgroundofherpoor，starved，work-wearylife。
Ashisvoiceceasedtherosycloudsfaded，andsherealizedagainthefaded，mustylittleroom，thecalico~coveredfurniture，andlookingdownatherowncheapandill-fittingdress，shesawheruglyhandslyingthere。Thenshecriedoutwithagushoftears：
“Oh，Will，I’msooldandhomelynow，Iain’tfittogowithyounow!Oh，whycouldn’twehavemarriedthen？“
Shewasseeingherselfasshewasthen，andsowashe；butitdeepenedhisresolution。Howbeautifulsheusedtobe!Heseemedtoseeherthereasifshestoodinperpetualsunlight，withaw~armsheeninherhairanddimplesinhercheeks。
Shesawherthinredwrists，hergauntandknottedhands。Therewasapitifuldroopinthethinpalelips，andthetearsfellslowlyfromherdroopinglashes。Hewenton：
“Well，it’snousetocryoverwhatwas。Wemustthinkofwhatwe’regoingtodo。Don’tworryaboutyourlooks；you’llbetheprettiestwomaninthecountrywhenwegetback。Don’twait，Aggie；makeupyourmind。“
Shehesitated，andwaslost。
“Whatwillpeoplesay？“
“Idon’tcarewhattheysay，“heflamedout。“They’dsay，stayhereandbekilledbyinches。Isayyou’vehadyourshareofsuffering。
They’dsay-theliberalones-stayandgetadivorce；buthowdoweknowwecangetoneafteryou’vebeendraggedthroughthemudofatrial？Wecangetonejustaswellinsomeotherstate。Whyshouldyoubewornoutatthirty？Whatrightorjusticeisthereinmakingyoubearallyourlifetheconsequencesofour-myschoolboyfolly？“
Ashewenton，hisargumentrosetothelevelofBrowning’sphilosophy。
“Wecanmakethisexperiencecountforusyet。Butwemustn’tletamistakeruinus-itshouldteachus。Whatrighthasanyonetokeepyouinahole？Goddon’texpectatoadtostayinastumpandstarveifitcangetout。Hedon’taskthesnakestosufferasyoudo。“
Shehadlostthethreadsofrightandwrongoutofherhands。Shewaslostinamaze。Shewasnotmovedbypassion。Fleshhadceasedtostirher；buttherewasvastpowerinthenewandthrillingwordsherdelivererspoke。Heseemedtoopenadoorforher，andthroughitturretsshoneandgreatshipscrossedondimblueseas。
“Youcan’tlivehere，Aggie。You’lldieinlessthanfiveyears。Itwouldkillmetoseeyoudiehere。Come!It’ssuicide。“
Shedidnotmove，savetheconvulsivemotionofherbreathandthenervousactionofherfingers。Shestareddownataspotinthecarpet；shecouldn’tfacehim。
Hegrewinsistent，asternernotecreepingintohisvoice。
“IfIleavethistime，ofcourseyouknowInevercomeback。“
Herhoarsebreathing，growingquickereachmoment，washeronlyreply。
“I’mdone，“hesaidwithanoteofangrydisappointment。Hedidnotgiveherup，however。“I’vetoldyouwhatI’ddoforyou。Nowifyouthink-“
“Oh，givemetimetothink，Will!“shecriedout，liftingherface。
Heshookhishead。“No。Youmightaswelldecidenow。Itwon’tbeanyeasiertomorrow。Come，oneminutemoreandIgoouto’thatdoor-unless-“Hecrossedtheroomslowly，doubtfulhimselfofhisdesperatelastmeasure。“Myhandisontheknob。ShallIopenit？“
Shestoppedbreathing；herfingersclosedconvulsivelyonthechair。Asheopenedthedoorshesprangup。
“Don’tgo，Will!Don’tgo，pleasedon’t!Ineedyouhere-I-“
“Thatain’tthequestion。Areyougoingwithme，Agnes？“
“Yes，yes!Itriedtospeakbefore。Itrustyou，Will；you’r-“
Heflungthedooropenwide。“Seethesunlightoutthereshiningonthatfieldo’wheat？That’swhereI’lltakeyou-outintothesunshine。YoushallseeitshiningontheBayofNaples。Come，getonyourhat；don’ttakeanythingmore’nyouactuallyneed。Leavethepastbehindyou。“
Thewomanturnedwildlyanddartedintothelittlebedroom。Themanlistened。Hewhistledinsurprisealmostcomical。Hehadforgottenthebaby。Hecouldhearthemothertalking，cooing。
“Mommie’s’ittlepet。Shewasn’tgoin’toleaveher’ittleman-no，shewasn’t!There，there，don’t’ecry。Mommieain’tgoin’awayandleavehim-wickedMommieain’t-’ittletreasure!“
Shewasconfusedagain；andwhenshereappearedatthedoor，withthechildinherarms，therewasawanderinglookonherfacepititultosee。Shetriedtospeak，triedtosay，’’Pleasego，Will，“
Hedesignedlyfailedtounderstandherwhisper。Hesteppedforward。“Thebaby!Sureenough。Why，certainly!tothemotherbelongsthechild。Blueeyes，thankheaven!“
Heputhisarmaboutthemboth。Sheobeyedsilently。Therewassomethingirresistibleinhisfrank，cleareyes，hissunnysmile，hisstrongbrownhand。Heslammedthedoorbehindthem。
“Thatclosesthedooronyoursufferings，“hesaid’smilingdownather。“Goodbyetoitall。“
Thebabylaughedandstretchedoutitshandstowardthelight。
“Boo，boo!“hecried。
“What’shetalkingabout？“
Shesmiledinperfecttrustandfearlessness，seeingherchild’sfacebesidehisown。“Hesaysit’sbeautiful。“
“Oh，hedoes？Ican’tfollowhisFrenchaccent。“
Shesmiledagain，inspiteofherself。Willshudderedwithathrilloffear，shewassoweakandworn。Butthesunshoneonthedazzling，rustlingwheat，thefathomlessskyblue，asasea，bentabovethem-andtheworldlaybeforethem。
“Keepthemain-travelledroadupthecoulee-it’sthesecondhouseaftercrossin’thecrick。“
THEridefromMilwaukeetotheMississippiisafinerideatanytime，superbinsummer。ToleanbackinarecliningchairandwhirlawayinabreezyJulyday，pastlakes，grovesofoak，pastfieldsofbarleybeingreaped，pasthayfields，wheretheheavygrassistopplingbeforetheswiftsickle，isapanoramaofdelight，aroadfullofdelicioussurprises，wheredownasuddenvistalakesopen，oradistantwoodedhillloomsdarklyblue，orswiftstreams，foamingdeepdownthesolidrock，sendwhiffsofcoolbreezesinatthewindow。
Ithasmajesty，breadth。Thefarminghasnothingapparentlypettyaboutit。Allseemsvigorous，youthful，andprosperous。Mr。
HowardMcLaneinhischairlethisnewspaperfallonhislapandgazedoutuponitwithdreamingeyes。Ithadacertainmysteriousglamourtohim；thelakeswerecoolerandbrightertohiseye，thegreensfresher，andthegrainmoregoldenthantoanyoneelse，forhewascomingbacktoitallafteranabsenceoftenyears。Itwas，besides，hisWest。HestilltookprideinbeingaWesternman。
HismindalldayflewaheadofthetraintothelittletownfarontowardtheMississippi，wherehehadspenthisboyhoodandyouth。
AsthetrainpassedtheWisconsinRiver，withitscuriouslycarvedcliffs，itscold，dark，swift-swirlingwatereatingslowlyundercedar-clothedbanks，Howardbegantofeelcuriouslittlemovementsoftheheart，likealoverashenearshissweetheart。
Thehillschangedincharacter，growingmoreintimatelyrecognizable。TheyrosehigherasthetrainlefttheridgeandpasseddownintotheBlackRivervalley，andspecificallyintotheLaCrossevalley。Theyceasedtohaveanyhintofupheavalsofrock，andbecamesimplypartsoftheancientlevelleftstandingafterthewaterhadpracticallygivenupitspostglacial，scoopingaction。
Itwasaboutsixo’clockashecaughtsightofthedearbrokenlineofhillsonwhichhisbabyeyeshadlookedthirty-fiveyearsago。A
fewminuteslaterandthetraindrewupatthegrimylittlestationsetinatthehillside，and，givinghimjusttimetoleapoff，plungedonagaintowardtheWest。Howardfeltaridiculousweaknessinhislegsashesteppedoutuponthebroilinghotsplinteryplanksofthestationandfacedthefewidlersloungingabout。HesimplystoodandgazedwiththesameintensityandabsorptiononeoftheidlersmightshowstandingbeforetheBrooklynBridge。
Thetowncaughtandheldhiseyesfirst。Howpooranddullandsleepyandsqualiditseemed!Theonemainstreetendedatthehillsideathisleftandstretchedawaytothenorth，betweentworowsoftheusualvillagestores，unrelievedbyatreeoratouchofbeauty。Anunpavedstreet，drab-colored，miserable，rottingwoodenbuildings，withtheinevitablebattlements-thesame，onlyworse，wasthetown。
Thesame，onlymorebeautifulstill，wasthemajesticamphitheaterofgreenwoodedhillsthatcircledthehorizon，andtowardwhichheliftedhiseyes。Hethrilledatthesight。
“Glorious!“hecriedinvoluntarily。
AccustomedtotheWhiteMountains，totheAllghenies，hehadwonderedifthesehillswouldretaintheirold-timecharm。Theydid。Hetookoffhishattothemashestoodthere。Richlywooded，withgentlyslopinggreensides，risingtomassivesquareorroundedtopswithdimvistas，theygloweddownuponthesqualidtown，gracious，loftyintheirgreeting，immortalintheirvividanddelicatebeauty。
Hewasagoodlyfigureofamanashestoodtherebesidehisvalise。Portly，erect，handsomelydressed，andwithsomethingunusuallywinninginhisbrownmustacheandblueeyes，somethingscholarlysuggestedbythepinch-noseglasses，somethingstronginthereposeofthehead。Hesmiledashesawhowunchangedwasthegroupingoftheoldloafersonthesaltbarrelsandnailkegs。Herecognizedmostofthem-alittledirtier，alittlemorebent，andalittlegrayer。
Theysatinthesameattitudes，spattobaccowiththesamecalmdelight，andjokedeachother，breakingintoshortandsuddenfitsoflaughter，andpoundedeachotherontheback，justaswhenhewasastudentattheLaCrosseSeminaryandgoingtoandfrodailyonthetrain。
Theyruminatedonhimashepassed，speculatinginaperfectlyaudiblewayuponhisbusiness。
“Lookslikeadrummer。“
“No，heain’tnodrummer。SeethemBostonglasses？“
“That’sso。Guesshe’sateacher。“
“Lookslikeamoneyedcuss。“
“Bos’n，Iguess。“