\"Shearrangedwiththe——withthepurchaserthatthemenwillcomeforitabouthalfafterfiveintheafternoon。Thedaysaresoshortnowit\'sreallyquitewinter。\"
\"Oh,yes,\"heagreed,moodily。\"Sofarasthatgoespeoplehavearighttomoveapieceoffurniturewithoutstirringuptheneighbors,Isuppose,evenbydaylight。Idon\'tsupposeOURneighborsarepayingmuchattentionjustnow,thoughIhearSheridanwasbackinhisofficeearlythemorningafterthefuneral。\"
Mrs。Vertreesmadealittlesoundofcommiseration。\"Idon\'tbelievethatwasbecausehewasn\'tsuffering,though。I\'msureitwasonlybecausehefelthisbusinesswassoimportant。Marytoldmeheseemedwrappedupinhisson\'ssucceeding;andthatwaswhathebraggedaboutmost。Heisn\'tvulgarinhisboasting,Iunderstand;hedoesn\'ttalkagreatdealabouthis——hisactualmoney——thoughtherewassomethingaboutbladesofgrassthatIdidn\'tcomprehend。Ithinkhemeantsomethingabouthisenergy——butperhapsnot。
No,hisbraggingusuallyseemedtobenotsomuchapersonalvaingloryasabouthisfamilyandthegreatnessofthiscity。\"
\"\'Greatnessofthiscity\'!\"Mr。Vertreesechoed,withdullbitterness。\"It\'snothingbutacoal—hole!Isupposeitlooks\'great\'tothemanwhohasthelucktomakeitworkforhim。Isupposeitlooks\'great\'toanyYOUNGman,too,startingouttomakehisfortuneoutofit。Thefellowsthatgetwhattheywantoutofitsayit\'s\'great,\'andeverybodyelsegetsthehabit。Butyouhaveadifferentpointofviewifit\'sthecitythatgotwhatitwantedoutofyou!OfcourseSheridansaysit\'s\'great\'。\"
Mrs。Vertreesseemedunawareofthisunusualoutburst。\"Ibelieve,\"shebegan,timidly,\"hedoesn\'tboastof——thatis,Iunderstandhehasneverseemedsointerestedinthe——theotherone。\"
Herhusband\'sfacewasdark,butatthataheaviershadowfelluponit;helookedmorehaggardthanbefore。\"\'Theotherone\',\"herepeated,avertinghiseyes。\"Youmean——youmeanthethirdson——theonethatwasherethisevening?\"
\"Yes,the——theyoungest,\"shereturned,hervoicesofeebleitwasalmostawhisper。
Andthenneitherofthemspokeforseverallongminutes。Nordideitherlookattheotherduringthatsilence。
AtlastMr。Vertreescontrivedtocough,butnotconvincingly。\"What——
ah——whatwasitMarysaidabouthimoutinthehall,whenshecameinthisafternoon?Iheardyouaskinghersomethingabouthim,butsheansweredinsuchalowvoiceIdidn\'t——ah——happentocatchit。\"
\"She——shedidn\'tsaymuch。Allshesaidwasthis:Iaskedherifshehadenjoyedherwalkwithhim,andshesaid,\'He\'sthemostwistfulcreatureI\'veeverknown。\'\"
\"Well?\"
\"Thatwasall。HeISwistful—looking;andsofragile——thoughhedoesn\'tseemquitesomuchsolately。IwaswatchingMaryfromthewindowwhenshewentoutto—day,andhejoinedher,andifIhadn\'tknownabouthimI\'dhavethoughthehadquiteaninterestingface。\"
\"Ifyou\'hadn\'tknownabouthim\'?Knownwhat?\"
\"Oh,nothing,ofcourse,\"shesaid,hurriedly。\"Nothingdefinite,thatis。
Marysaiddecidely,longago,thathe\'snotatallinsane,aswethoughtatfirst。It\'sonly——well,ofcourseitISodd,theirattitudeabouthim。I
supposeit\'ssomenervoustroublethatmakeshim——perhapsalittlequeerattimes,sothathecan\'tapplyhimselftoanything——orperhapsdoesoddthings。But,afterall,ofcourse,weonlyhaveanimpressionaboutit。Wedon\'tknow——thatis,positively。I——\"Shepaused,thenwenton:\"Ididn\'tknowjusthowtoask——thatis——Ididn\'tmentionittoMary。Ididn\'t——I——\"
Thepoorladyflounderedpitifully,concludingwithamumble。\"Sosoonafter——afterthe——theshock。\"
\"Idon\'tthinkI\'vecaughtmorethanaglimpseofhim,\"saidMr。Vertrees。
\"Iwouldn\'tknowhimifIsawhim,butyourimpressionofhimis——\"Hebrokeoffsuddenly,springingtohisfeetinagitation。\"Ican\'timageher——oh,NO!\"hegasped。Andhebegantopacethefloor。\"Ahalf—wittedepileptic!\"
\"No,no!\"shecried。\"Hemaybeallright。We——\"
\"Oh,it\'shorrible!Ican\'t——\"Hethrewhimselfbackintohischairagain,sweepinghishandsacrosshisface,thenlettingthemfalllimplyathissides。
Mrs。Vertreeswastremulous。\"Youmustn\'tgivewayso,\"shesaid,inspiredforoncealmosttodirectdiscourse。\"WhateverMarymightthinkofdoing,itwouldn\'tbeonherownaccount;itwouldbeonours。ButifWE
should——shouldconsiderit,thatwouldn\'tbeonOURownaccount。Itisn\'tbecausewethinkofourselves。\"
\"OhGod,no!\"hegroaned。\"Notforus!Wecangotothepoorhouse,butMarycan\'tbeastenographer!\"
Sighing,Mrs。Vertreesresumedherobliqueness。\"Ofcourse,\"shemurmured,\"itallseemsverypremature,speculatingaboutsuchthings,butIhadaqueersortoffeelingthatsheseemedquiteinterestedinthis——\"Shehadalmostsaid\"inthisone,\"butcheckedherself。\"Inthisyoungman。It\'snatural,ofcourse;sheisalwayssostrongandwell,andheis——heseemstobe,thatis——ratherappealingtothe——thesympathies。\"
\"Yes!\"heagreed,bitterly。\"Precisely。Thesympathies!\"
\"Perhaps,\"shefaltered——\"perhapsyoumightfeeleasierifIcouldhavealittletalkwithsomeone?\"
\"Withwhom?\"
\"Ihadthoughtof——notgoingaboutittoobrusquely,ofcourse,butperhapsjustwaitingforhisnametobementioned,ifIhappenedtobetalkingwithsomebodythatknewthefamily——andthenImightfindachancetosaythatI
wassorrytohearhe\'dbeenillsomuch,and——Somethingofthatkindperhaps?\"
\"Youdon\'tknowanybodythatknowsthefamily。\"
\"Yes。Thatis——well,inaway,ofcourse,oneOFthefamily。ThatMrs。
RoscoeSheridanisnota——thatis,she\'sratherapleasant—facedlittlewoman,Ithink,andofcourseratherordinary。Ithinksheisinterestedabout——thatis,ofcourse,she\'dbeanxioustobemoreintimatewithMary,naturally。She\'salwayslookingoverherefromherhouse;shewaslookingoutthewindowthisafternoonwhenMarywentout,Inoticed——thoughIdon\'tthinkMarysawher。I\'msureshewouldn\'tthinkitoutofplaceto——tobefrankaboutmatters。Shecalledtheotherday,andMarymustratherlikeher——shesaidthateveningthatthecallhaddonehergood。Don\'tyouthinkitmightbewise?\"
\"Wise?Idon\'tknow。Ifeelthewholematterisimpossible。\"
\"Yes,sodoI,\"shereturned,promptly。\"Itisn\'treallyathingweshouldbeconsideringseriously,ofcourse。Still——\"
\"Ishouldsaynot!Butpossibly——\"
Thustheyskirmishedupanddownthefield,butbeforetheyturnedthelightsoutandwentup—stairsitwasthoroughlyunderstoodbetweenthemthatMrs。
VertreesshouldseektheearliestopportunitytoobtaindefiniteinformationfromSibylSheridanconcerningthementalandphysicalstatusofBibbs。Andifheweresubjecttoattacksoflunacy,theunhappypairdecidedtopreventthesacrificetheysupposedtheirdaughterintendedtomakeofherself。
Altogether,iftherewerespitefulghostsintheoldhousethatnight,eavesdroppinguponthewoefulcomedy,theymusthavediedanewoflaughter!
Mrs。Vertrees\'sopportunityoccurredtheverynextafternoon。Darknesshadfallen,andthepiano—movershadcome。Theywerecarryingthepianodownthefrontsteps,andMrs。Vertreeswasstandingintheopendoorwaybehindthem,preparingtowithdraw,whensheheardasharpexclamation;andMrs。RoscoeSheridan,bareheaded,emergedfromtheshadowintothelightofthedoorway。
\"Goodgracious!\"shecried。\"Itdidgivemeafright!\"
\"It\'sMrs。Sheridan,isn\'tit?\"Mrs。Vertreeswasperplexedbythisinformalappearance,butshereflectedthatitmightbeprovidential。\"Won\'tyoucomein?\"
\"No。Ohno,thankyou!\"Sibylpanted,pressingherhandtoherside。\"Youdon\'tknowwhatafrightyou\'vegivenme!Anditwasnothingbutyourpiano!\"Shelaughedshrilly。\"Youknow,sinceourtragedycomingsosuddenlytheotherday,youhavenoideahowupsetI\'vebeen——almosthysterical!AndIjustglancedoutofthewindow,aminuteorsoago,andsawyourdoorwideopenandblackfiguresofmenagainstthelight,carryingsomethingheavy,andIalmostfainted。Yousee,itwasjustthewayitlookedwhenIsawthembringingmypoorbrother—in—lawin,nextdoor,onlysuchafewshortdaysago。AndIthoughtI\'dseenyourdaughterstartforadrivewithBibbsSheridaninacaraboutthreeo\'clock——and——Theyaren\'tbackyet,arethey?\"
\"No。Goodheavens!\"
\"AndtheonlythingIcouldthinkofwasthatsomethingmusthavehappenedtothem,andIjustdashedover——anditwasonlyyourPIANO!\"Shebrokeintolaughteragain。\"Isupposeyou\'rejustsendingitsomewheretoberepaired,aren\'tyou?\"
\"It\'s——it\'sbeingtakendown—town,\"saidMrs。Vertrees。\"Won\'tyoucomeinandmakemealittlevisit。IwasSOsorry,theotherday,thatIwas——ah——\"
Shestoppedinconsequently,thenrepeatedherinvitation。\"Won\'tyoucomein?I\'dreally——\"
\"Thankyou,butImustberunningback。Myhusbandusuallygetshomeaboutthistime,andImakealittlepointofitalwaystobethere。\"
\"That\'sverysweet。\"Mrs。VertreesdescendedthestepsandwalkedtowardthestreetwithSibyl。\"It\'squitebalmyforsolateinNovember,isn\'tit?
AlmostlikeaMayevening。\"
\"I\'mafraidMissVertreeswillmissherpiano,\"saidSibyl,watchingtheinstrumentdisappearintothebigvanatthecurb。\"Sheplayswonderfully,Mrs。Kittersbytellsme。\"
\"Yes,sheplaysverywell。Oneofyourrelativescametohearheryesterday,afterdinner,andIthinksheplayedalleveningforhim。\"
\"YoumeanBibbs?\"askedSibyl。
\"The——theyoungestMr。Sheridan。Yes。He\'sverymusical,isn\'the?\"
\"Ineverheardofit。ButIshouldn\'tthinkitwouldmattermuchwhetherhewasornot,ifhecouldgetMissVertreestoplaytohim。Doesyourdaughterexpectthepianobacksoon?\"
\"I——Ibelievenotimmediately。Mr。Sheridancamelasteveningtohearherplaybecauseshehadarrangedwiththe——thatis,itwastoberemovedthisafternoon。Heseemsalmostwellagain。\"
\"Yes。\"Sibylnodded。\"Hisfather\'sgoingtotrytostarthimtowork。\"
\"Heseemsverydelicate,\"saidMrs。Vertrees。\"Ishouldn\'tthinkhewouldbeabletostandagreatdeal,eitherphysicallyor——\"Shepausedandthenadded,glowingwiththesenseofherownadroitness——\"ormentally。\"
\"Oh,mentallyBibbsisallright,\"saidSibyl,inanoddvoice。
\"Entirely?\"Mrs。Vertreesasked,breathlessly。
\"Yes,entirely。\"
\"ButhasheALWAYSbeen?\"Thisquestioncamewiththesameanxiouseagerness。
\"Certainly。Hehadalongsiegeofnervousdyspepsia,buthe\'soverit。\"
\"Andyouthink——\"
\"Bibbsisallright。Youneedn\'twor——\"Sibylchoked,andpressedherhandkerchieftohermouth。\"Goodnight,Mrs。Vertrees,\"shesaid,hurriedly,asthehead—lightsofanautomobileswungroundthecornerabove,sendingabrighteningglaretowardtheedgeofthepavementwherethetwoladieswerestanding。
\"Won\'tyoucomein?\"urgedMrs。Vertrees,cordially,hearingthesoundofacheerfulvoiceoutofthedarknessbeyondtheapproachingglare。\"Do!
There\'sMarynow,andshe——\"
ButSibylwashalf—wayacrossthestreet。\"No,thanks,\"shecalled。\"I
hopeshewon\'tmissherpiano!\"Andsheranintoherownhouseandplungedheadlonguponaleatherdivaninthehall,holdingherhandkerchiefoverhermouth。
Thenoiseofhertumultuousentrancewasevidentlystartlinginthequiethouse,foruponthebangofthedoortherefollowedthecrashofadecanter,droppeduponthefloorofthedining—roomattheendofthehall;and,afterarumbleofindistinctprofanity,Roscoecameforth,holdingadrippingnapkininhishand。
\"What\'syourexcitement?\"hedemanded。\"Whatdoyoufindtogointohystericsover?Anotherdeathinthefamily?\"
\"Oh,it\'sfunny!shegasped。\"Thoseoldfrost—bittenpeople!IguessTHEY\'REgettingtheircome—upance!\"Lyingprone,sheelevatedherfeetintheair,clappedherheelstogetherrepeatedly,inanecstasy。
\"Comethrough,comethrough!\"saidherhusband,crossly。\"Whatyoubeenupto?\"
\"Me?\"shecried,droppingherfeetandswingingaroundtofacehim。
\"Nothing。It\'sthem!ThoseVertreeses!\"Shewipedhereyes。\"They\'vehadtoselltheirpiano!\"
\"Well,whatofit?\"
\"ThatMrs。Kittersbytoldmeallabout\'emaweekago,\"saidSibyl。\"They\'vebeenhardupforalongtime,andshesaysaslongagoaslastwintersheknewthatgirlgotapairofwalking—shoesre—soledandpatched,becauseshegotitdonethesameplaceMrs。Kittersby\'scookhadHERS!Andthenightofthehouse—warmingIkindofgotsuspicious,myself。Shedidn\'thaveonesinglepieceofanykindofrealjewelry,andyoucouldseeherdresswasanoldonedoneover。Mencan\'ttellthosethings,andyouallmadeabigfussoverher,butIthoughtshelookedasight,myself!Ofcourse,EDITHwascrazytohaveher,and——\"
\"Well,well?\"heurged,impatiently。
\"Well,I\'mTELLINGyou!Mrs。Kittersbysaystheyhaven\'tgotaTHING!JustabsolutelyNOTHING——andtheydon\'tknowanywheretoturn!Thefamily\'salldiedoutbutthem,andalltherelativestheygotareverydistant,andliveEastandscarcelyknow\'em。Shesaysthewholetown\'sbeenwonderingwhatWOULDbecomeof\'em。Thegirlhadplentychancestomarryuptoayearorsoago,butshewassoindifferentshescaredthemenoff,andtheonesthathadwantedtowentandmarriedothergirls。Gracious!theywerelucky!MarryHER?ThemanthatfoundhimselftieduptoTHATgirl——\"
\"Terriblefunny,terriblefunny!\"saidRoscoe,withsarcasm。\"It\'ssofunnyIbrokeacut—glassdecanterandspilledaquartof——\"
\"Wait!\"shebegged。\"You\'llsee。Iwassittingbythewindowalittlewhileago,andIsawabigwagondriveupacrossthestreetandsomemengointothehouse。Itwastoodarktomakeoutmuch,andforaminuteIgottheideatheyweremovingout——thehousehasbeenforeclosedon,Mrs。Kittersbysays。
Itseemedfunny,too,becauseIknewthatgirlwasoutridingwithBibbs。
Well,IthoughtI\'dsee,soIslippedover——anditwastheirPIANO!They\'dsolditandweretryingtosneakitoutafterdark,sonobody\'dcatchon!\"
Againshegavewaytoherenjoyment,butresumed,asherhusbandseemedabouttointerruptthenarrative。\"Waitaminute,can\'tyou?Theoldladywassuperintending,andshegaveitallaway。Isizedherupforoneofthoseoldchurchypeoplethattellallkindsofliesexceptwhenitcomestosomanywords,andthentheycan\'t。Shemightjustaswelltoldmeoutright!
Yes,they\'dsoldit;andIhopethey\'llpaysomeoftheirdebts。Theyoweeverybody,andlastweekacoal—dealermadeanawfulfussatthedoorwithMr。Vertrees。Theircooktoldourupstairsgirl,andshesaidshedidn\'tknowWHENshe\'dseenanymoney,herself!DidyoueverhearofsuchacaseasthatgirlinyouLIFE?\"
\"Whatgirl?Theircook?\"
\"ThatVertreesgirl!Don\'tyouseetheylookedonourcomingupintothisneighborhoodastheirlastchance?Theywerejustgoingdownandout,andherebobsupthegreen,richSheridanfamily!Sotheydollthegirlupinheroldthings,madeover,andsendherouttogetaSheridan——she\'sGOTtogetone!Andshejustgoesinblind;andshetriesitonfirstwithYOU。
Youremember,shejustplainTOLDyoushewasgoingtomashyou,andthenshefoundoutyouwerethemarriedone,andturnedrightsquarearoundtoJimandcarriedhimoffhisfeet。Oh,Jimwaslanded——there\'snodoubtaboutTHAT!
ButJimwaslucky;hedidn\'tlivetoSTAYlanded,andit\'sagoodthingforhim!\"Sibyl\'smirthhadvanished,andshespokewithvirulentrapidity。
\"Well,shecouldn\'tgetyou,becauseyouweremarried,andshecouldn\'tgetJim,becauseJimdied。Andtheretheywere,deadbroke!Doyouknowwhatshedid?Doyouknowwhatshe\'sDOING?\"
\"No,Idon\'t,\"saidRoscoe,gruffly。
Sibyl\'svoiceroseandculminatedinascreamofrenewedhilarity。\"BIBBS!
Shewaitedinthegrave—yard,anddrovehomewithhimfromJIM\'SFUNERAL!
Neverspoketohimbefore!Jimwasn\'tCOLD!\"
Sherockedherselfbackandforthuponthedivan。\"Bibbs!\"sheshrieked。
\"Bibbs!Roscoe,THINKofit!BIBBS!\"
Hestaredunsympathetically,buthermirthwasunabatedforallthat。\"Andyesterday,\"shecontinued,betweenparoxysms——\"yesterdayshecameoutofthehouse——justashewaspassing。Shemusthavebeenlookingout——waitingforthechance;Isawtheoldladywatchingatthewindow!Andshegothimtherelastnight——to\'PLAY\'tohim;theoldladygavethataway!Andto—dayshemadehimtakeheroutinamachine!Andthecreamofitisthattheydidn\'tevenknowwhetherhewasINSANEornot——theythoughtmaybehewas,butshewentafterhimjustthesame!Theoldladysetherselftopumpmeaboutitto—day。BIBBS!Oh,myLord!BIBBS!\"
ButRoscoelookedgrim。\"Soit\'sfunnytoyou,isit?Itsoundskindofpitifultome。Ishouldthinkitwouldtoawoman,too。\"
\"Oh,itmight,\"shereturned,sobering。\"Itmight,ifthosepeopleweren\'tsuchfrozen—facedsmartAlecks。Ifthey\'dhadthedecencytocomedownofftheperchalittleIprobablywouldn\'tthinkitwasfunny,buttosee\'emsitupontheirpedestalallthetimethey\'reeatingdirt——well,Ithinkit\'sfunny!ThatgirlsitsupasifshewasQueenElizabeth,andexpectspeopletowallowonthegroundbeforeheruntiltheygetnearenoughforhertogive\'emagoodkickwithheroldpatchedshoes——oh,she\'ddoTHAT,allright!——andthenshepowdersupandgoesouttomash——BIBBSSHERIDAN!\"
\"Lookhere,\"saidRoscoe,heavily;\"Idon\'tcareaboutthatonewayoranother。Ifyou\'rethrough,IgotsomethingIwanttotalktoyouabout。I
wasgoingto,thatdayjustbeforeweheardaboutJim。\"
AtthisSibylstiffenedquickly;hereyesbecameintenselybright。\"Whatisit?\"
\"Well,\"hebegan,frowning,\"whatIwasgoingtosaythen——\"Hebrokeoff,and,becomingconsciousthathewasstillholdingthewetnapkininhishand,threwitpettishlyintoacorner。\"IneverexpectedI\'dhavetosayanythinglikethistoanybodyIMARRIED;butIwasgoingtoaskyouwhatwasthematterbetweenyouandLamhorn。\"
Sibylutteredasharpmonosyllable。\"Well?\"
\"Ifeltthetimehadcomeformetoknowaboutit,\"hewenton。\"Younevertoldmeanything——\"
\"Youneverasked,\"sheinterposed,curtly。
\"Well,we\'dgotinawayofnottalkingmuch,\"saidRoscoe。\"Itlookstomenowasifwe\'dprettymuchlosttherunofeachotherthewayagoodmanypeopledo。Idon\'tsayitwasn\'tmyfault。Iwasupearlyanddowntoworkallday,andI\'dcomehometiredatnight,andwanttogotobedsoonasI\'dgotthepaperread——unlesstherewassomegoodmusicalshowintown。Well,youseemedallrightuntilherelately,thelastmonthorso,Ibegantoseesomethingwaswrong。Icouldn\'thelpseeingit。\"
\"Wrong?\"shesaid。\"Whatlike?\"
\"Youchanged;youdidn\'tlookthesame。Youwereallstrungupandexcitedandfidgety;yougottolookingpeakidandrundown。Nowthen,Lamhornhadbeengoingwithusagoodwhile,butInoticedthatnotlongagoyougottopickingonhimabouteverylittlethinghedid;yougottoquarrelingwithhimwhenIwasthereandwhenIwasn\'t。Icouldseeyou\'dbeenquarrelingwheneverIcameinandhewashere。\"
\"Doyouobjecttothat?\"askedSibyl,breathingquickly。
\"Yes——whenitinjuresmywife\'shealth!\"hereturned,withaquickliftofhiseyestohers。\"Youbegantorundownjustaboutthetimeyoubeganfallingoutwithhim。\"Hesteppedclosetoher。\"Seehere,Sibyl,I\'mgoingtoknowwhatitmeans。\"
\"Oh,youARE?\"shesnapped。
\"You\'retrembling,\"hesaid,gravely。
\"Yes。I\'mangryenoughtodomorethantremble,you\'llfind。Goon!\"
\"ThatwasallIwasgoingtosaytheotherday,\"hesaid。\"Iwasgoingtoaskyou——\"
\"Yes,thatwasallyouweregoingtosayTHEOTHERDAY。Yes。Whatelsehaveyoutosayto—night?\"
\"To—night,\"hereplied,withgrimswiftness,\"Iwanttoknowwhyyoukeeptelephoninghimyouwanttoseehimsincehestoppedcominghere。\"
Shemadealong,lowsoundofcomprehensionbeforeshesaid,\"AndwhatelsedidEdithwantyoutoaskme?\"
\"IwanttoknowwhatyousayoverthetelephonetoLamhorn,\"hesaid,fiercely。
\"IsthatallEdithtoldyoutoaskme?Yousawherwhenyoustoppedinthereonyourwayhomethisevening,didn\'tyou?Didn\'tshetellyouthenwhatI
saidoverthetelephonetoMr。Lamhorn?\"
\"No,shedidn\'t!\"hevociferated,hisvoicegrowinglouder。\"Shesaid,\'YoutellyourwifetostoptelephoningRobertLamhorntocomeandseeher,becauseheisn\'tgoingtodoit!\'That\'swhatshesaid!AndIwanttoknowwhatitmeans。Iintend——\"
Amaidappearedatthelowerendofthehall。\"Dinnerisready,\"shesaid,and,givingthetroubledpaironeglance,wentdemurelyintothedining—room。
Roscoedisregardedtheinterruption。
\"Iintendtoknowexactlywhathasbeengoingon,\"hedeclared。\"Imeantoknowjustwhat——\"
Sibyljumpedup,almosttouchinghim,standingfacetofacewithhim。
\"Oh,youDO!\"shecried,shrilly。\"Youmeantoknowjustwhat\'swhat,doyou?Youlistentoyoursisterinsinuatinguglythingsaboutyourwife,andthenyoucomehomemakingascenebeforetheservantsandhumiliatingmeintheirpresence!DoyousupposethatIrishgirldidn\'theareverywordyousaid?Yougointhereandeatyourdinneralone!Goon!Goandeatyourdinneralone——becauseIwon\'teatwithyou!\"
Andshebrokeawayfromthedetaininggrasphesoughttofastenuponher,anddashedupthestairway,panting。Heheardthedoorofherroomslamoverhead,andthesharpclickofthekeyinthelock。
Atseveno\'clockonthelastmorningofthatmonth,Sheridan,passingthroughtheupperhallonhiswaytodescendthestairsforbreakfast,foundacoupleofscribbledsheetsofnote—paperlyingonthefloor。AwindowhadbeenopeninBibbs\'sroomtheeveningbefore;hehadlefthisnote—bookonthesill——andthesheetswereloose。Thedoorwasopen,andwhenBibbscameinandclosedit,hedidnotnoticethatthetwosheetshadblownoutintothehall。Sheridanrecognizedthehandwritingandputthesheetsinhiscoatpocket,intendingtogivethemtoGeorgeorJacksonforreturntotheowner,butheforgotandcarriedthemdown—townwithhim。Atnoonhefoundhimselfaloneinhisoffice,and,havingalittleleisure,rememberedthebitsofmanuscript,tookthemout,andglancedatthem。Agrancewasenoughtorevealthattheywerenotepistolary。Sheridanwouldnothavereada\"privateletter\"thatcameintohispossessioninthatway,thoughina\"matterofbusiness\"hemighthavefeltithisdutytotakeadvantageofanopportunityaffordedinanymannerwhatsoever。HavingsatisfiedhimselfthatBibbs\'sscribblingswereonlyasampleofthekindofwritinghissonpreferredtothemachine—shop,hedecided,innocentlyenough,thathewouldbejustifiedinreadingthem。
Itappearsthataladywillnodpleasantlyuponsomewindygeneralizationofacompanion,andwillwearthemostagreeableexpressionofacceptingitasthelaw,andthen——daysafterward,whenthethingisamummytoitspromulgator——shewillinquireoutofaclearsky:\"WHYdidyousaythatthepeopledown—townhavenothinginlifethatachickenhasn\'t?Whatdidyoumean?\"Andshemaysayitinamannerthatmakesasensiblereplyverydifficult——youwillbesofullofwonderthatsherememberedsoseriously。
Yet,whatdoestheroosterlack?Hehasfoodandshelter;heiswarminwinter;hiswivesraisenotonefinefamilyforhim,butdozens。Hehasaclearskyoverhim;hebreathessweetair;hewalksinhisAprilorchardunderaroofofflowers。Hemustdie,violentlyperhaps,butquickly。IsMidas\'scancerabetterway?Therooster\'swivesandchildrenmustdie。ArethoseofMidasimmortal?HislifeisshorterthanthelifeofMidas,butMidas\'slifeisonlyasixthaslongasthatoftheGalapagostortoise。
Theworthymoney—workertakeshisvacationsothathemayrefreshhimselfanewforthehardworkofgettingnothingthattheroosterdoesn\'tget。Theoffice—buildinghasanelevator,theroosterfliesuptothebough。Midashasamachinetotakehimtohiswork;theroosterfindshiswormunderfoot。
The\"businessman\"feelsapressuresometimes,withoutknowingwhy,andsitslateatwineaftertheday\'slabor;nextmorninghecurseshisheadbecauseitinterfereswiththework——heswearsnevertorelievethatpressureagain。
Theroosterhasnopressureandnowine;thisdifferenceisinhisfavor。
Theroosterisadependent;hedependsuponthefarmerandtheweather。
Midasisadependent;hedependsuponthefarmerandtheweather。Theroosterthinksonlyofthemoment;Midasprovidesforto—morrow。Whatdoesheprovideforto—morrow?Nothingthattheroosterwillnothavewithoutproviding。
Theroosterandtheprosperousworker:theyareborn,theygrub,theylove;
theygrubandlovegrubbing;theygrubandtheydie。Neitherknowsbeauty;
neitherknowsknowledge。Andafterall,whenMidasdiesandtheroosterdies,thereisonethingMidashashadandroosterhasnot。Midashashadtheexcitementofaccumulatingwhathehasgrubbed,andthathasbeenhislifeandhisloveandhisgod。Hecannottakethatgodwithhimwhenhedies。Iwonderiftheworthygodsarethosewecantakewithus。
MidasmustteachalltobeasMidas;theyoungmustberaisedinhisreligion——
Themanuscriptendedthere,andSheridanwasnotanxiousformore。Hecrumpledthesheetsintoaball,depositingit(withvigor)inawaste—basketbesidehim;then,rising,heconsultedaCyclopediaofNames,whichabook—agenthadsomehowsoldtohimyearsbefore;avolumenowfirstputtouseforthelocationof\"Midas。\"Havingreadthelegend,Sheridanwalkedupanddownthespaciousoffice,exhalingthebreathofcontempt。\"Dam\'fool!\"
hemumbled。Butthiswasnonewthought,norwasthecontrarinessofBibbs\'snotesasurpisetohim;andpresentlyhedismissedthematterfromhismind。