\"He\'sgettin\'bettereveryday,\"Jimsaid。\"Dr。Gurneysaysso。There\'snothingmuchthematterwithhim,really——it\'snine—tenthsimaginary。
\'Nerves\'！Peoplethatarewillingtobebusydon\'thavenervousdiseases,becausetheydon\'thavetimetoimagine\'em。\"
\"Youmeanhistroubleisreallymental？\"
\"Oh,he\'snotalunatic,\"saidJim。\"He\'sjustqueer。Sometimeshe\'llsaysomethingrightbright,buthalfthetimewhathesaysis\'wayoffthesubject,orelsethereisn\'tanysensetoitatall。Forinstance,theotherdayIheardhimtalkin\'tooneofthedarkiesinthehall。Thedarkyaskedhimwhattimehewantedthecarforhisdrive,andanybodyelseintheworldwouldhavejustsaidwhattimetheyDIDwantit,andthatwouldhavebeenalltherewastoit;buthere\'swhatBibbssays,andIheardhimwithmyownears。
\'WhattimedoIwantthecar？\'hesays。\'Well,now,thatdepends——thatdepends,\'hesays。Hetalksslowlikethat,youknow。\'I\'lltellyouwhattimeIwantthecar,George,\'hesays,\'ifyou\'lltellMEwhatyouthinkofthisstatue！\'That\'sexactlyhiswords！AskedthedarkywhathethoughtofthatArabEdithandmotherboughtforthehall！\"
Marypondereduponthis。\"Hemighthavebeeninfun,perhaps,\"shesuggested。
\"Askin\'adarkywhathethoughtofapieceofstatuary——ofaworkofart！
Whereonearthwouldbethefunofthat？No,you\'rejustkind—hearted——andthat\'sthewayyouOUGHTtobe,ofcourse——\"
\"Thankyou,Mr。Sheridan！\"shelaughed。
\"Seehere！\"hecried。\"Isn\'tthereanywayforustogetoverthisMisterandMissthing？Amonth\'sgotthirty—onedaysinit;I\'vemanagedtobewithyouapartofprettynearallthethirty—one,andIthinkyouknowhowIfeelbythistime——\"
Shelookedpanic—strickenimmediately。\"Oh,no,\"sheprotested,quickly。\"No,Idon\'t,and——\"
\"Yes,youdo,\"hesaid,andhisvoiceshookalittle。\"Youcouldn\'thelpknowing。\"
\"ButIdo！\"shedenied,hurriedly。\"Idohelpknowing。Imean——Oh,wait！\"
\"Whatfor？YoudoknowhowIfeel,andyou——well,you\'vecertainlyWANTEDmetofeelthatway——orelsepretended——\"
\"Now,now！\"shelamented。\"You\'respoilingsuchacheerfulafternoon！\"
\"\'Spoilin\'it！\'\"Hesloweddownthecarandturnedhisfacetohersquarely。
\"Seehere,MissVertrees,haven\'tyou——\"
\"Stop！Stopthecaraminute。\"Andwhenhehadcompliedshefacedhimassquarelyasheevidentlydesiredhertofacehim。\"Listen。Idon\'twantyoutogoon,to—day。\"
\"Whynot？\"heasked,sharply。
\"Idon\'tknow。\"
\"Youmeanit\'sjustawhim？\"
\"Idon\'tknow,\"sherepeated。Hervoicewaslowandtroubledandhonest,andshekepthercleareyesuponhis。
\"Willyoutellmesomething？\"
\"Almostanything。\"
\"Haveyouevertoldanymanyoulovedhim？\"
Andatthat,thoughshelaughed,shelookedalittlecontemptuous。\"No,\"shesaid。\"AndIdon\'tthinkIevershalltellanymanthat——oreverknowwhatitmeans。I\'minearnest,Mr。Sheridan。\"
\"Thenyou——you\'vejustbeenflirtingwithme！\"PoorJimlookedbothfuriousandcrestfallen。
\"Notonbit！\"shecried。\"Notoneword！Notonesyllable！I\'vemeanteverysinglething！\"
\"Idon\'t——\"
\"Ofcourseyoudon\'t！\"shesaid。\"Now,Mr。Sheridan,Iwantyoutostartthecar。Now！Thankyou。Slowly,tillIfinishwhatIhavetosay。Ihavenotflirtedwithyou。Ihavedeliberatelycourtedyou。Onethingmore,andthenIwantyoutotakemestraighthome,talkingabouttheweatheralltheway。I
saidthatIdonotbelieveIshallever\'care\'foranyman,andthatistrue。
Idoubttheexistenceofthekindof\'caring\'wehearaboutinpoemsandplaysandnovels。IthinkitmustbejustakindofemotionalTALK——mostofit。
Atallevents,Idon\'tfeelit。Now,wecangofaster,please。\"
\"Justwheredoesthatletmeout？\"hedemanded。\"Howdoesthatexcuseyoufor——\"
\"Itisn\'tanexcuse,\"shesaid,gently,andgavehimonefinallook,whollydesolate。\"Ihaven\'tsaidIshouldnevermarry。\"
\"What？\"Jimgasped。
Sheinclinedherheadinabrokensortofacquiescence,veryhumble,unfathomablysorrowful。
\"Ipromisenothing,\"shesaid,faintly。
\"Youneedn\'t！\"shoutedJim,radiantandexultant。\"Youneedn\'t！ByGeorge！
Iknowyou\'resquare;that\'senoughforme！Youwaitandpromisewheneveryou\'reready！\"
\"Don\'tforgetwhatIasked,\"shebeggedhim。
\"Talkabouttheweather？Iwill！Godblesstheoldweather！\"criedthehappyJim。
ThroughtheopencountryBibbswasborneflyingbetweenbrownfieldsandsun—fleckedgrovesofgraytrees,tobreathetherushing,cleanairbeneathaglorioussky——thatskysodespisedinthecity,andsomaltreatedthere,thatfromearlyOctobertomid—Mayitwasimpossibleformentorememberthatblueistherightfulcoloroverhead。
UponeachofBibbs\'scheekstherewasahintofsomethingalmostresemblingapinkishness;notactualcolor,butundeniablyitsphantom。Howlargelythisapparitionmayhavebeentheworkofthewinduponhisfaceitisdifficulttocalculate,forbeyondadoubtitwaspartlytheresultofalady\'sbowingtohimuponnomoreformalintroductionthanthecircumstanceofhishavingcaughtherlookingintohiswindowamonthbefore。Shehadboweddefinitely;
shehadbowedcharmingly。AnditseemedtoBibbsthatshemusthavemeanttoconveyherforgiveness。
Therehadbeensomethinginherrecognitionofhimunfamiliartohisexperience,andherodethewarmerforit。Nordidhelacktheimpressionthathewouldlongrememberherashehadjustseenher:herveiltumultuouslyblowingback,herfaceglowinginthewind——andthatlookofgayfriendlinesstossedtohimlikeafreshroseincarnival。
Byandby,uponarisingground,thedriverhaltedthecar,thenbackedandtacked,andsentitforwardagainwithitsnosetothesouthandthesmoke。
FarbeforehimBibbssawthegreatsmudgeuponthehorizon,thatnestofcloudinwhichthecitystroveandpantedlikeanengineshroudedinitsownsteam。ButtoBibbs,whohadnowtogototheveryheartofit,foracommandedinterviewwithhisfather,thedistantcloudwaslikeanimplacablegeniusissuingthunderouslyinsmokefromhisenchantedbottle,andirresistiblydrawingBibbsnearerandnearer。
Theypassedfromthefarmlands,andcame,intheamberlightofNovemberlateafternoon,tothefarthermostoutskirtsofthecity;andheretheskyshimmereduponthevergeofchangefrombluetogray;thesmokedidnotvisiblypermeatetheair,butitwasthere,nevertheless——impalpable,thin,nomorethanthedustofsmoke。Andthen,asthecardroveon,thechimneysandstacksoffactoriescameswimmingupintoviewlikemilesofsteamersadvancingabreast,everyfunnelwithitsvastplume,savageandblack,sweepingtothehorizon,drippingwealthanddirtandsuffocationoverleagueonleaguealreadyrichandvilewithgrime。
Theskyhadbecomeonlyadingythickeningofthesoiledair;andaroarandclangorofmetalsbeatdeafeninglyonBibbs\'sears。Andnowthecarpassedtwogreatblocksoflongbrickbuildings,hideousinallwayspossibletomakethemhideous;doorwaysshowingdarkonemomentandluridthenextwiththeleapofsomevirulentinteriorflame,revealingblackenedgiants,halfnaked,inpassionateaction,strugglingwithformlessthingsinthehotillumination。Andbigastheseshopswere,theyweregrowingbigger,spreadingoverathirdblock,wheretwonewstructuresweremushroomingtocompletioninsomehastycementprocessofastabilitynotover—reassuring。
Bibbspulledtherugcloserabouthim,andnoteventhephantomofcolorwasleftuponhischeeksashepassedthisplace,forheknewittoowell。
Acrossthefaceofoneofthebuildingstherewasanenormoussign:\"SheridanAutomaticPumpCo。,Inc。\"
Thencetheywentthroughstreetsofwoodenhouses,allgrimed,andaddingtheirowngrimefrommanyasootychimney;flimseywoodenhousesofathousandflimsywhimsiesinthefashioning,builtonnarrowlotsandnudgingoneanothercrossly,shuttingoutthestingysunlightfromoneanother;badneighborswhowoulddestroyoneanotherrootandbranchsomenightwhentherightwindblew。Theywereonlywaitingforthatwindandacigarette,andthentheywouldallbegonetogether——apinchofincenseburneduponthetripodofthegod。
Alongthesestreetstherewereskinnyshade—trees,andhereandthereaforestelmorwalnuthadbeenleft;buttheseweredying。Somepeoplesaiditwasthescale;somesaiditwasthesmoke;andsomeweresurethatasphaltand\"improving\"thestreetsdidit;butBignesswasintooBigahurrytobothermuchabouttrees。Hehadtelegraph—polesandtelephone—polesandelectric—light—polesandtrolley—pollsbythethousandtotaketheirplaces。
Soheletthetreesdieandputuphispoles。Theywerehideous,butnobodymindedthat;andsometimesthewiresfellandkilledpeople——butnotoftenenoughtomatteratall。
ThenceonwardthecarboreBibbsthroughtheolderpartsofthetownwherethefewsolidoldhousesnotalreadydemolishedwereintransition:some,withtheirfrontstornaway,werebeingmadeintosegmentsofapartment—buildings;othershadgoneuproariouslyintotrade,brazenlyputtingforth\"show—windows\"ontheirfirstfloors,seemingtomeanitforajoke;oneortwowithunalteredfacadespeepedhumorouslyoverthetopsoftemporaryofficebuildingsofonestoryerectedintheoldfrontyards。
Altogether,thetownherewaslikeaboarding—househashtheSundayafterThanksgiving;theoldingredientswerediscernible。
ThiswasthefringeofBigness\'sownsanctuary,andnowBibbsreachedtheroaringholyofholiesitself。Thecarmuststopateverycrossingwhilethedark—garbedcrowds,envelopedinmaelstromsofdust,hurriedbeforeit。
Magnificentnewbuildings,alreadydingy,loomedhundredsoffeetabovehim;
newerones,moremagnificent,wererisingbesidethem,risinghigher;oldbuildingswerecomingdown;middle—agedbuildingswerecomingdown;thestreetswerelaidopentotheirentrailsandmenworkedundergroundbetweenpalisades,andoverheadinmetalcobwebslikespidersinthesky。
Trolley—carsandlonginterurbancars,builttosplitthewindliketorpedo—boats,clangedandshriekedtheirwayroundswarmingcorners;
motor—carsofeverykindandshapeknowntomanbabbledfrightfulwarningsandfranticdemands;hospitalambulancesclamoredwildlyforpassage;
steam—whistlessignaledtheswingingoftitanictentacleandclaw;rivetersrattledlikemachine—guns;thegroundshooktothethunderofgigantictrucks;andtheconglomeratesoundofitallwasthesoundofearthquakeplayingaccompanimentsforbattleandsuddendeath。Ononeofthenewsteelbuildingsnoworkwasbeingdonethatafternoon。Thebuildinghadkilledamaninthemorning——andthesteel—workersalwaysstopforthedaywhenthat\"happens。\"
Andinthehurryingcrowds,swirlingandsiftingthroughthebrobdingnagiancampofironandsteel,onesawthecamp—followersandthepaganwomen——therewouldbeworkto—dayanddancingto—night。ForthePuritan\'sdryvoiceisbutthecracklingofaleafunderfootintherushandroarofthecomingofthenewEgypt。
Bibbswasontime。Heknewitmustbe\"totheminute\"orhisfatherwouldconsideritanoutrage;andthebigchronometerinSheridan\'sofficemarkedfourpreciselywhenBibbswalkedin。Coincidentallywithhisentrancefivepeoplewhohadbeenatworkintheoffice,underSheridan\'sdirection,walkedout。Theydeparteduponnovisibleoraudiblesuggestion,andwithapromptnessthatseemedominoustothenew—comer。Asthemassivedoorclickedsoftlybehindtheelderlystenographer,thelastoftheprocession,Bibbshadafeelingthattheyallunderstoodthathewasafailureasagreatman\'sson,adisappointment,the\"queerone\"ofthefamily,andthathehadbeensummonedtojudgment——awell—foundedimpression,forthatwasexactlywhattheyunderstood。
\"Sitdown,\"saidSheridan。
Itisfrequentlyanadvantagefordeans,school—masters,andworriedfatherstoplacedelinquentsinthesitting—posture。Bibbssat。
Sheridan,standing,gazedenigmaticallyuponhissonforaperiodofsilence,thenwalkedslowlytoawindowandstoodlookingoutofit,hisbighands,looselyhookedtogetherbythethumbs,behindhisback。Theyweresoiled,aswereallotherhandsdown—town,exceptsuchasmightbestilldampfromabasin。
\"Well,Bibbs,\"hesaidatlast,notalteringhisattitude,\"doyouknowwhatI\'mgoin\'todowithyou？\"
Bibbs,leaningbackinhischair,fixedhiseyescontemplativelyupontheceiling。\"IheardyoutellJim,\"hebegan,inhisslowway。\"Yousaidyou\'dsendhimtothemachine—shopwithmeifhedidn\'tproposetoMissVertrees。
SoIsupposethatmustbeyourplanforme。But——\"
\"Butwhat？\"saidSheridan,irritably,asthesonpaused。
\"Isn\'ttheresomebodyyou\'dletMEproposeto？\"
Thatbroughthisfathersharplyroundtofacehim。\"Youbeatthedevil！
Bibbs,whatISthematterwithyou？Whycan\'tyoubelikeanybodyelse？\"
\"Liver,maybe,\"saidBibbs,gently。
\"Boh！EvenoleDocGurneysaysthere\'snothin\'wrongwithyouorganically。
No。You\'readreamer,Bibbs;that\'swhat\'sthematter,andthat\'sALLthematter。Oh,nooneo\'theseBIGdreamersthatputthroughthebigdeals。！
No,sir！You\'rethekindo\'dreamerthatjustsetsoutonthebackfenceandthinksabouthowmuchtroubletheremustbeintheworld！Thatain\'tthekindthatbuildsthebridges,Bibbs;it\'sthekindthatborrowsfifteencentsfromhiswife\'suncle\'sbrother—in—lawtogettencent\'swortho\'plugtobaccoandanickel\'swortho\'quinine！\"
Heputthefinishingtouchonthisetchingwithasnort,andturnedagaintothewindow。
\"Lookoutthere！\"hebadehisson。\"Lookouto\'thatwindow！Lookatthelifeandevergydownthere！IshouldthinkANYyoungman\'sbloodwouldtingletogetintoitandbepartofit。Lookatthebigthingsyoungmenaredoin\'inthistown！\"Heswungabout,comingtothemahoganydeskinthemiddleoftheroom。\"LookatwhatIwasdoin\'atyourage！Lookatwhatyourownbrothersaredoin\'！LookatRoscoe！Yes,andlookatJim！ImadeJimpresidento\'theSheridanRealtyCompanylastNew—Year\'s,withchargeofeveryincho\'groundandeverybrickandeveryshingleandsticko\'woodweown;andit\'sanexampletoanyyoungman——oroleman,either——thewayhetookaholdofit。LastJulywefoundoutwewantedtwomorebigwarehousesatthePumpWorks——wanted\'emquick。Contractorssaiditcouldn\'tbedone;
saidnineortenmonthsatthesoonest;couldn\'tseeitanyotherway。What\'dJimdo？Tookthecontracthimself;foundafellowwithanewcementandconcreteprocess;keptmenonthejobnightandday,andstayedonitnightanddayhimself——and,byGeorge！webegintoUSEthemwarehousesnextweek！
Fourmonthsandahalf,andeveryinchfireproof！ItellyouJim\'soneo\'
thesefellersthatmakemiracleshappen！Now,Idon\'tsayeveryyoungmancanbelikeJim,becausethere\'smightyfewgothisability,buteveryyoungmancangoinanddohisshare。ThistownisGod\'sowncountry,andthere\'sopportunityforanybodywithapoundofenergyandanounceo\'gumption。I
tellyoutheseyoungbusinessmenIwatchjustdomyheartgood！THEYdon\'tsetaroundonthebackfence——no,sir！Theytakeenoughexercisetokeeptheirhealth;andtheygotoabaseballgameonceortwiceaweekinsummmer,maybe,andthey\'reraisin\'nicefamilies,withsonstotaketheirplacessometimeandcarryonthework——becausethework\'sgottogoON！They\'reputtin\'theirlife—bloodintoit,Itellyou,andthat\'swhywe\'regettin\'
biggereveryminute,andwhyTHEY\'REgettin\'bigger,andwhyit\'sallgoin\'
tokeepONgettin\'bigger！\"
Heslappedthedeskresoundinglywithhisopenpalm,andthen,observingthatBibbsremainedinthesameimpassiveattitude,withhiseyesstillfixedupontheceilinginacontemplationsomewhatplaintive,Sheridanwasimpelledtogroan。\"Oh,Lord！\"hesaid。\"Thisisthewayyoualwayswere。Idon\'tbelieveyouunderstoodadarnwordIbeensayin\'！Youdon\'tLOOKasifyoudid。ByGeorge！it\'sdiscouraging！\"
\"Idon\'tunderstandaboutgetting——aboutgettingbigger,\"saidBibbs,bringinghisgazedowntolookathisfatherplacatively。\"Idon\'tseejustwhy——\"
\"WHAT？\"Sheridanleanedforward,restinghishandsuponthedeskandstaringacrossitincredulouslyathisson。
\"Idon\'tunderstand——exactly——whatyouwantitallbiggerfor？\"
\"GreatGod！\"shoutedSheridan,andstruckthedeskablowwithhisclenchedfist。\"Asonofmineasksmethat！Yougooutandaskthepoorestday—laboreryoucanfind！Askhimthatquestion——\"
\"Ididonce,\"Bibbsinterrupted;\"whenIwasinthemachine—shop。I——\"
\"Wha\'dhesay？\"
\"Hesaid,\'Oh,hell！\'\"answeredBibbs,mildly。
\"Yes,Ireckonhewould！\"Sheridanswungawayfromthedesk。\"Ireckonhecertainlywould！AndIgotplentysympathywithhimrightnow,myself！\"
\"It\'sthesameanswer,then？\"Bibbs\'svoicewasserious,almosttremulous。
\"Damnation！\"Sheridanroared。\"DidyoueverhearthewordProsperity,youninny？DidyoueverhearthewordAmbition？DidyoueverhearthewordPROGRESS？\"
Heflunghimselfintoachairaftertheoutburst,hisbigchestsurging,histhroattumultuouswithgutteralincoherences。\"Nowthen,\"hesaid,huskily,whentheanguishhadsomewhatabated,\"whatdoyouwanttodo？\"
\"Sir？\"
\"WhatdoyouWANTtodo,Isaid。\"
Takenbysurprise,Bibbsstammered。\"What——whatdo——I——what——\"
\"IfI\'dletyoudoexactlywhatyouhadthewhimfor,whatwouldyoudo？\"
Bibbslookedstartled;thentimidityoverwhelmedhim——aprofoundshyness。Hebenthisheadandfixedhisloweredeyesuponthetoeofhisshoe,whichhemovedtoandfroupontherug,likeaculpritcalledtothedeskinschool。
\"Whatwouldyoudo？Loaf？\"
\"No,sir。\"Bibbs\'svoicewasalmostinaudible,andwhatlittlesounditmadewasunquestionablyaguiltysound。\"IsupposeI\'d——I\'d——\"
\"Well？\"
\"IsupposeI\'dtryto——towrite。\"
\"Writewhat？\"
\"Nothingimportant——justpoemsandessays,perhaps。\"
\"Thatall？\"
\"Yes,sir。\"
\"Isee,\"saidhisfather,breathingquicklywiththerestrainthewasputtinguponhimself。\"Thatis,youwanttowrite,butyoudon\'twanttowriteanythingofanyaccount。\"
\"Youthink——\"
Sheridangotupagain。\"Itakemyhatofftothemanthatcanwriteagoodad,\"hesaid,emphatically。\"Thebestwritin\'talentinthiscountryisrightspangintheadbusinessto—day。Youbuyamagazineforgoodwritin\'——lookonthebackofit！LetmetellyouIpaymoneyforthatkindo\'writin\'。Maybeyouthinkit\'seasy。Justtryit！I\'vetriedit,andI
can\'tdoit。Itellyouanad\'sgottobewrittensoitmakespeopledothehardestthinginthisworldtoGET\'emtodo:it\'sgottomake\'emgiveuptheirMONEY！Youtalkabout\'poemsandessays。\'Itellyouwhenitcomestotheactualskillo\'puttin\'wordstogethersoastomakethingsHAPPEN,R。T。
Bloss,righthereinthiscity,knowsmoreinaminutethanGeorgeWaldoEmersoneverknewinhiswholelife！\"
\"You——youmaybe——\"Bibbssaid,indistinctly,thelastwordsmotheredinacough。
\"OfCOURSEI\'mright！Andifitain\'tjustlikeyoutowanttotakeupwiththemostout—o\'—datekindo\'writin\'thereis！\'Poemsandessays\'！MyLord,Bibbs,that\'sWOMEN\'Swork！Youcan\'tpickupanewspaperwithouthavin\'toseewhereMrs。Rumskididlereadapaperon\'JaneEyre,\'or\'EastLynne,\'attheGod—Knows—WhatClub。And\'poetry\'！Why,lookatEdith！Iexpectthatpoemo\'herswouldsetaprettyhigh—watermarkforyou,youngman,andit\'stheonlyoneshe\'severmanagedtowriteinherwholeLIFE！WhenIwantedhertogoonandwritesomemoreshesaidittooktoomuchtime。Saidittookmonthsandmonths。AndEdith\'sasmartgirl;she\'sgotmoreenergyinherlittlefingerthanyouevergivemeachancetoseeinyourwholebody,Bibbs。Nowlookatthefacts:sayshecouldturnoutfourorfivepoemsayearandyoucouldturnoutmaybetwo。Thatmedalshegotwasworthaboutfifteendollars,sothere\'syourincome——thirtydollarsayear！That\'safinesuccesstomakeofyourlife！I\'mnotsayin\'awordagainstpoetry。I
wouldn\'ttaketenthousanddollarsrightnowforthatpoemofEdith\'s;andpoetry\'sallrightenoughinitsplace——butyouleaveittothegirls。A
man\'sgottodoaman\'sworkinthisworld！\"
Heseatedhimselfinachairathisson\'ssideand,leaningover,tappedBibbsconfidentiallyontheknee。\"Thiscity\'sgotthegreatestfutureinAmerica,andifmysonsbehaverightbymeandbythemselvesthey\'regoin\'tohaveamightyfairshareofit——amightyfairshare。Ilovethistown。It\'sGod\'sownfootstool,andit\'smademoneyformeeverydayrightalong,I
don\'tknowhowmanyyears。IloveitlikeIdomyownbusiness,andI\'dfightforitasquickasI\'dfightformyownfamily。It\'sabeautifultown。
Lookatourwholesaledistrict;lookatanydistrictyouwantto;lookattheparksystemwe\'reputtin\'through,andtheboulevardsandthepublicstatuary。Andshegrows。God！howshegrows！\"Hehadbecomeintenselygrave;hespokewithsolemnity。\"Now,Bibbs,Ican\'ttakeanyofit——noranygoldorsilvernorbuildingsnorbonds——awaywithmeinmyshroudwhenI
havetogo。ButIwanttoleavemyshareinittomyboys。I\'veworkedforit;I\'vebeenabuilderandamaker;andtwobladesofgrasshavegrownwhereonegrewbefore,wheneverIlaidmyhandonthegroundandwilled\'emtogrow。I\'vebuiltbig,andIwantthebuildin\'togoon。AndwhenmylasthourcomesIwanttoknowthatmyboysarereadytotakecharge;thatthey\'refittotakechargeandgoONwithit。Bibbs,whenthathourcomesIwanttoknowthatmyboysarebigmen,readyandfittoholdofbigthings。Bibbs,whenI\'mupaboveIwanttoknowthatthebigshareI\'vemademine,herebelow,isgrowin\'biggerandbiggerinthechargeofmyboys。\"
Heleanedback,deeplymoved。\"There！\"hesaid,huskily。\"I\'veneverspokenmorewhatwasinmyheartinmylife。IdoitbecauseIwantyoutounderstand——andnotthinkmeameanfather。IneverhadtotalkthatwaytoJimandRoscoe。Theyunderstoodwithoutanytalk,Bibbs。\"
\"Isee,\"saidBibbs。\"AtleastIthinkIdo。But——\"
\"Waitaminute！\"Sheridanraisedhishand。\"Ifyouseetheleastbitintheworld,thenyouunderstandhowitfeelstometohavemysonsethereandtalkabout\'poemsandessays\'andsuch—likefooleries。Andyoumustunderstand,too,whatitmeanttostartoneo\'myboysandhavehimcomebackonmethewayyoudid,andhavetobesenttoasanitariumbecausehecouldn\'tstandwork。Now,let\'sgetrightdowntoit,Bibbs。I\'vehadawholeloto\'talkwitholeDocGurneyaboutyou,onetimeanother,andI
reckonIunderstandyourcasejustaboutaswellashedoes,anyway！Nowhere,I\'llbefrankwithyou。IstartedyouinharderthanwhatIdidtheotherboys,andthatwasforyourowngood,becauseIsawyouneededtobeshookupmore\'ntheydid。Youwerealwayskindofmoodyandmopish——andyouneededworkthat\'dkeepyouonthejump。Now,whydiditmakeyousickinsteadofbraceyouupandmakeamanofyouthewayitoughtofdone？I
pinnedoleGurneydowntoit。Isays,\'Lookhere,ain\'titreallybecausehejustplainhatedit？\'\'Yes,\'hesays,\'that\'sit。Ifhe\'denjoyedit,itwouldn\'t\'a\'hurthim。Heloathesit,andthataffectshisnervoussystemThemorehetriesit,themorehehatesit;andthemorehehatesit,themoreinjuryitdoeshim。\'Thatain\'tquitehiswords,butit\'swhathemeant。Andthat\'saboutthewayitis。\"
\"Yes,\"saidBibbs,\"that\'saboutthewayitis。\"
\"Well,then,Ireckonit\'suptomenotonlytomakeyoudoit,buttomakeyoulikeit！\"
Bibbsshivered。Andheturneduponhisfatheralookthatwasalmostghostly。\"Ican\'t,\"hesaid,inalowvoice。\"Ican\'t。\"
\"Can\'tgobacktotheshop？\"
\"No。Can\'tlikeit。Ican\'t。\"
Sheridanjumpedup,hispatiencegone。Tohisownview,hehadreasonedexhaustively,hadexplainedfullyandhadpleadedmorethanafathershould,onlytobemetintheendwiththeunreasoningandmysteriousstubbornnesswhichhadbeenBibbs\'sbafflingcharacteristicfromchildhood。\"ByGeorge,youwill！\"hecried。\"You\'llgobackthereandyou\'lllikeit！Gurneysaysitwon\'thurtyouifyoulikeit,andhesaysit\'llkillyouifyougobackandhateit;soitlooksasifitwasaboutuptoyounottohateit。Well,Gurney\'safool！Hatin\'workdoesn\'tkillanybody;andthisisn\'tgoin\'tokillyou,whetheryouhateitornot。I\'venevermadeamistakeinaseriousmatterinmylife,anditwasn\'tamistakemysendin\'youthereinthefirstplace。AndI\'mgoin\'toproveit——I\'mgoin\'tosendyoubackthereandvindicatemyjudgment。Gurneysaysit\'sall\'mentalattitude。\'Well,you\'regoin\'tolearntherightone！Hesaysinacouplemoremonthsthisfoolthingthat\'sbeenthematterwithyou\'llbedisappearedcompletelyandyou\'llbebackinasgoodorbetterconditionthanyouwerebeforeyoueverwentintotheshop。Andrighttheniswhenyoubeginover——rightinthatsameshop！Nobodycancallmeahardmanorameanfather。IdothebestI
canformychuldern,andItakefullresponsibilityforbringin\'mysonsuptobemen。Now,sofar,I\'vefailedwithyou。ButI\'mnotgoin\'tokeepON
failin\'。InevertackledajobYETIdidn\'tputthrough,andI\'mnotgoin\'
tobeginwithmyownson。I\'mgoin\'tomakeaMANofyou。ByGod！Iam！\"
Bibbsroseandwentslowlytothedoor,whereheturned。\"Yousayyougivemeacoupleofmonths？\"hesaid。
Sheridanpushedabell—buttononhisdesk。\"Gurneysaidtwomonthsmorewouldputyoubackwhereyouwere。Yougohomeandbegintogetyourselfintheright\'mentalattitude\'beforethosetwomonthsareup！Good—by！\"
\"Good—by,sir,\"saidBibbs,meekly。