第3章
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  IV

  AnditwasSummer,beautifulSummer!\"ThoseweretheclosingwordsofThea’sfavoritefairytale,andshethoughtofthemassheranoutintotheworldoneSaturdaymorninginMay,hermusicbookunderherarm。

  ShewasgoingtotheKohlers’totakeherlesson,butshewasinnohurry。

  Itwasinthesummerthatonereallylived。Thenallthelittleovercrowdedhouseswereopenedwide,andthewindblewthroughthemwithsweet,earthysmellsofgarden—planting。Thetownlookedasifithadjustbeenwashed。Peoplewereoutpaintingtheirfences。Thecotton—

  woodtreeswerea—flickerwithsticky,yellowlittleleaves,andthefeatherytamariskswereinpinkbud。Withthewarmweathercamefreedomforeverybody。Peopleweredugup,asitwere。Theveryoldpeople,whomonehadnotseenallwinter,cameoutandsunnedthemselvesintheyard。Thedoublewindowsweretakenoffthehouses,thetormentingflannelsinwhichchildrenhadbeenencasedallwinterwereputawayinboxes,andtheyoungstersfeltapleasureinthecoolcottonthingsnexttheirskin。

  TheahadtowalkmorethanamiletoreachtheKohlers’

  house,averypleasantmileoutoftowntowardtheglitter—

  ingsandhills,——yellowthismorning,withlinesofdeepvioletwherethecleftsandvalleyswere。Shefollowedthesidewalktothedepotatthesouthendofthetown;thentooktheroadeasttothelittlegroupofadobehouseswheretheMexicanslived,thendroppedintoadeepravine;adrysandcreek,acrosswhichtherailroadtrackranonatrestle。

  Beyondthatgulch,onalittleriseofgroundthatfacedtheopensandyplain,wastheKohlers’house,whereProfessorWunschlived。FritzKohlerwasthetowntailor,oneofthe

  firstsettlers。Hehadmovedthere,builtalittlehouseandmadeagarden,whenMoonstonewasfirstmarkeddownonthemap。Hehadthreesons,buttheynowworkedontherailroadandwerestationedindistantcities。OneofthemhadgonetoworkfortheSantaFe,andlivedinNewMexico。

  Mrs。KohlerseldomcrossedtheravineandwentintothetownexceptatChristmas—time,whenshehadtobuypres—

  entsandChristmascardstosendtoheroldfriendsinFreeport,Illinois。Asshedidnotgotochurch,shedidnotpossesssuchathingasahat。Yearafteryearsheworethesameredhoodinwinterandablacksunbonnetinsummer。

  Shemadeherowndresses;theskirtscamebarelytohershoe—tops,andweregatheredasfullastheycouldpossiblybetothewaistband。Shepreferredmen’sshoes,andusu—

  allyworethecast—offsofoneofhersons。ShehadneverlearnedmuchEnglish,andherplantsandshrubswerehercompanions。Shelivedforhermenandhergarden。Besidethatsandgulch,shehadtriedtoreproduceabitofherownvillageintheRhineValley。Shehidherselfbehindthegrowthshehadfostered,livedundertheshadeofwhatshehadplantedandwateredandpruned。Intheblazeoftheopenplainshewasstupidandblindlikeanowl。Shade,shade;thatwaswhatshewasalwaysplanningandmaking。

  Behindthehightamariskhedge,hergardenwasajungleofverdureinsummer。Abovethecherrytreesandpeachtreesandgoldenplumsstoodthewindmill,withitstankonstilts,whichkeptallthisverdurealive。Outside,thesage—brushgrewuptotheveryedgeofthegarden,andthesandwasalwaysdriftinguptothetamarisks。

  EveryoneinMoonstonewasastonishedwhentheKohlerstookthewanderingmusic—teachertolivewiththem。InseventeenyearsoldFritzhadneverhadacrony,excepttheharness—makerandSpanishJohnny。ThisWunschcamefromGodknewwhere,——followedSpanishJohnnyintotownwhenthatwanderercamebackfromone

  ofhistramps。Wunschplayedinthedanceorchestra,tunedpianos,andgavelessons。WhenMrs。Kohlerrescuedhim,hewassleepinginadirty,unfurnishedroomoveroneofthesaloons,andhehadonlytwoshirtsintheworld。

  Oncehewasunderherroof,theoldwomanwentathimasshedidathergarden。Shesewedandwashedandmendedforhim,andmadehimsocleanandrespectablethathewasabletogetalargeclassofpupilsandtorentapiano。Assoonashehadmoneyahead,hesenttotheNarrowGaugelodging—house,inDenver,foratrunkfulofmusicwhichhadbeenheldthereforunpaidboard。Withtearsinhiseyestheoldman——hewasnotoverfifty,butsadlybat—

  tered——toldMrs。KohlerthatheaskednothingbetterofGodthantoendhisdayswithher,andtobeburiedinthegarden,underherlindentrees。TheywerenotAmericanbasswood,buttheEuropeanlinden,whichhashoney—

  coloredbloomsinsummer,withafragrancethatsur—

  passesalltreesandflowersanddrivesyoungpeoplewildwithjoy。

  TheawasreflectingasshewalkedalongthathaditnotbeenforProfessorWunschshemighthavelivedonforyearsinMoonstonewithouteverknowingtheKohlers,withouteverseeingtheirgardenortheinsideoftheirhouse。Besidesthecuckooclock,——whichwaswonderfulenough,andwhichMrs。Kohlersaidshekeptfor\"companywhenshewaslonesome,\"——theKohlershadintheirhousethemostwonderfulthingTheahadeverseen——butofthatlater。

  ProfessorWunschwenttothehousesofhisotherpupilstogivethemtheirlessons,butonemorninghetoldMrs。

  KronborgthatTheahadtalent,andthatifshecametohimhecouldteachherinhisslippers,andthatwouldbebetter。Mrs。Kronborgwasastrangewoman。Thatword\"talent,\"whichnooneelseinMoonstone,notevenDr。Archie,wouldhaveunderstood,shecomprehendedperfectly。Toanyotherwomanthere,itwouldhavemeant

  thatachildmusthaveherhaircurledeverydayandmustplayinpublic。Mrs。KronborgknewitmeantthatTheamustpracticefourhoursaday。Achildwithtalentmustbekeptatthepiano,justasachildwithmeaslesmustbekeptundertheblankets。Mrs。Kronborgandherthreesistershadallstudiedpiano,andallsangwell,butnoneofthemhadtalent。TheirfatherhadplayedtheoboeinanorchestrainSweden,beforehecametoAmericatobetterhisfortunes。HehadevenknownJennyLind。Achildwithtalenthadtobekeptatthepiano;sotwiceaweekinsum—

  merandonceaweekinwinterTheawentoverthegulchtotheKohlers’,thoughtheLadies’AidSocietythoughtitwasnotproperfortheirpreacher’sdaughtertogo\"wheretherewassomuchdrinking。\"NotthattheKohlersonseversomuchaslookedataglassofbeer。Theywereashamedoftheiroldfolksandgotoutintotheworldasfastaspossible;hadtheirclothesmadebyaDenvertailorandtheirnecksshavedupundertheirhairandforgotthepast。OldFritzandWunsch,however,indulgedinafriendlybottleprettyoften。Thetwomenwerelikecom—

  rades;perhapsthebondbetweenthemwastheglasswhereinlosthopesarefound;perhapsitwascommonmemoriesofanothercountry;perhapsitwasthegrapevineinthegar—

  den——knotty,fibrousshrub,fullofhomesicknessandsenti—

  ment,whichtheGermanshavecarriedaroundtheworldwiththem。

  AsTheaapproachedthehouseshepeepedbetweenthepinkspraysofthetamariskhedgeandsawtheProfessorandMrs。Kohlerinthegarden,spadingandraking。Thegardenlookedlikearelief—mapnow,andgavenoindicationofwhatitwouldbeinAugust;suchajungle!Polebeansandpotatoesandcornandleeksandkaleandredcabbage——therewouldevenbevegetablesforwhichthereisnoAmericanname。Mrs。KohlerwasalwaysgettingbymailpackagesofseedsfromFreeportandfromtheoldcountry。

  Thentheflowers!Therewerebigsunflowersforthecanary

  bird,tigerliliesandphloxandzinniasandlady’s—slippersandportulacaandhollyhocks,——gianthollyhocks。Besidethefruittreestherewasagreatumbrella—shapedcatalpa,andabalm—of—Gilead,twolindens,andevenaginka,——arigid,pointedtreewithleavesshapedlikebutterflies,whichshivered,butneverbenttothewind。

  ThismorningTheasawtoherdelightthatthetwoole—

  andertrees,onewhiteandonered,hadbeenbroughtupfromtheirwinterquartersinthecellar。ThereishardlyaGermanfamilyinthemostaridpartsofUtah,NewMex—

  ico,Arizona,buthasitsoleandertrees。HoweverloutishtheAmerican—bornsonsofthefamilymaybe,therewasneveronewhorefusedtogivehismuscletotheback—break—

  ingtaskofgettingthosetubbedtreesdownintothecellarinthefallandupintothesunlightinthespring。Theymaystrivetoaverttheday,buttheygrapplewiththetubatlast。

  WhenTheaenteredthegate,herprofessorleanedhisspadeagainstthewhitepostthatsupportedtheturreteddove—house,andwipedhisfacewithhisshirt—sleeve;some—

  wayhenevermanagedtohaveahandkerchiefabouthim。

  Wunschwasshortandstocky,withsomethingroughandbear—likeabouthisshoulders。Hisfacewasadark,brickyred,deeplycreasedratherthanwrinkled,andtheskinwaslikelooseleatheroverhisneckband——heworeabrasscollarbuttonbutnocollar。Hishairwascroppedclose;

  iron—graybristlesonabullet—likehead。Hiseyeswerealwayssuffusedandbloodshot。Hehadacoarse,scornfulmouth,andirregular,yellowteeth,muchwornattheedges。

  Hishandsweresquareandred,seldomclean,butalwaysalive,impatient,evensympathetic。

  \"MORGEN,\"hegreetedhispupilinabusinesslikeway,putonablackalpacacoat,andconductedheratoncetothepianoinMrs。Kohler’ssitting—room。Hetwirledthestooltotheproperheight,pointedtoit,andsatdowninawoodenchairbesideThea。

  \"ThescaleofBflatmajor,\"hedirected,andthenfellintoanattitudeofdeepattention。Withoutawordhispupilsettowork。

  ToMrs。Kohler,inthegarden,camethecheerfulsoundofeffort,ofvigorousstriving。Unconsciouslyshewieldedherrakemorelightly。Occasionallysheheardtheteacher’svoice。\"ScaleofEminor……WEITER,WEITER!……IMMER

  Ihearthethumb,likealamefoot。WEITER……WEITER,once;……SCHON!Thechords,quick!\"

  ThepupildidnotopenhermouthuntiltheybeganthesecondmovementoftheClementisonata,whensheremon—

  stratedinlowtonesaboutthewayhehadmarkedthefingeringofapassage。

  \"Itmakesnomatterwhatyouthink,\"repliedherteachercoldly。\"Thereisonlyonerightway。Thethumbthere。EIN,ZWEI,DREI,VIER,\"etc。Thenforanhourtherewasnofurtherinterruption。

  AttheendofthelessonTheaturnedonherstoolandleanedherarmonthekeyboard。Theyusuallyhadalittletalkafterthelesson。

  HerrWunschgrinned。\"Howsoonisityouarefreefromschool?Thenwemakeaheadfaster,eh?\"

  \"FirstweekinJune。Thenwillyougivemethe`Invi—

  tationtotheDance’?\"

  Heshruggedhisshoulders。\"Itmakesnomatter。Ifyouwanthim,youplayhimoutoflessonhours。\"

  \"Allright。\"Theafumbledinherpocketandbroughtoutacrumpledslipofpaper。\"Whatdoesthismean,please?

  Iguessit’sLatin。\"

  Wunschblinkedatthelinepenciledonthepaper。

  \"Wherefromyougetthis?\"heaskedgruffly。

  \"OutofabookDr。Archiegavemetoread。It’sallEng—

  lishbutthat。Didyoueverseeitbefore?\"sheasked,watchinghisface。

  \"Yes。Alongtimeago,\"hemuttered,scowling。

  \"Ovidius!\"Hetookastubofleadpencilfromhisvest

  pocket,steadiedhishandbyavisibleeffort,andunderthewords\"LENTECURRITE,LENTECURRITE,NOCTISEQUI,\"

  hewroteinaclear,elegantGothichand,——

  \"GOSLOWLY,GOSLOWLY,YESTEEDSOFTHENIGHT。\"

  HeputthepencilbackinhispocketandcontinuedtostareattheLatin。Itrecalledthepoem,whichhehadreadasastudent,andthoughtveryfine。Thereweretreasuresofmemorywhichnolodging—housekeepercouldattach。Onecarriedthingsaboutinone’shead,longafterone’slinencouldbesmuggledoutinatuning—bag。HehandedthepaperbacktoThea。\"ThereistheEnglish,quiteelegant,\"

  hesaid,rising。

  Mrs。Kohlerstuckherheadinatthedoor,andTheaslidoffthestool。\"Comein,Mrs。Kohler,\"shecalled,\"andshowmethepiece—picture。\"

  Theoldwomanlaughed,pulledoffherbiggardening—

  gloves,andpushedTheatotheloungebeforetheobjectofherdelight。The\"piece—picture,\"whichhungonthewallandnearlycoveredonewholeendoftheroom,wasthehandiworkofFritzKohler。Hehadlearnedhistradeunderanold—fashionedtailorinMagdeburgwhorequiredfromeachofhisapprenticesathesis:thatis,beforetheylefthisshop,eachapprenticehadtocopyinclothsomewell—

  knownGermanpainting,stitchingbitsofcoloredstufftogetheronalinenbackground;akindofmosaic。Thepupilwasallowedtoselecthissubject,andFritzKohlerhadchosenapopularpaintingofNapoleon’sretreatfromMoscow。ThegloomyEmperorandhisstaffwererepre—

  sentedascrossingastonebridge,andbehindthemwastheblazingcity,thewallsandfortressesdoneingrayclothwithorangetonguesofflamedartingaboutthedomesandminarets。Napoleonrodehiswhitehorse;Murat,inOri—

  entaldress,abaycharger。Theawasnevertiredofexam—

  iningthiswork,ofhearinghowlongithadtakenFritzto

  makeit,howmuchithadbeenadmired,andwhatnarrowescapesithadhadfrommothsandfire。Silk,Mrs。Kohlerexplained,wouldhavebeenmucheasiertomanagethanwoolencloth,inwhichitwasoftenhardtogettherightshades。Thereinsofthehorses,thewheelsofthespurs,thebroodingeyebrowsoftheEmperor,Murat’sfiercemustaches,thegreatshakosoftheGuard,wereallworkedoutwiththeminutestfidelity。Thea’sadmirationforthispicturehadendearedhertoMrs。Kohler。Itwasnowmanyyearssincesheusedtopointoutitswonderstoherownlittleboys。AsMrs。Kohlerdidnotgotochurch,sheneverheardanysinging,exceptthesongsthatfloatedoverfromMexicanTown,andTheaoftensangforherafterthelessonwasover。ThismorningWunschpointedtothepiano。

  \"OnSunday,whenIgobythechurch,Ihearyousingsomething。\"

  Theaobedientlysatdownonthestoolagainandbegan,\"COME,YEDISCONSOLATE。\"Wunschlistenedthoughtfully,hishandsonhisknees。Suchabeautifulchild’svoice!

  OldMrs。Kohler’sfacerelaxedinasmileofhappiness;

  shehalfclosedhereyes。Abigflywasdartinginandoutofthewindow;thesunlightmadeagoldenpoolontheragcarpetandbathedthefadedcretonnepillowsonthelounge,underthepiece—picture。\"EARTHHASNOSORROW

  THATHEAVENCANNOTHEAL,\"thesongdiedaway。

  \"Thatisagoodthingtoremember,\"Wunschshookhim—

  self。\"Youbelievethat?\"lookingquizzicallyatThea。

  Shebecameconfusedandpeckednervouslyatablackkeywithhermiddlefinger。\"Idon’tknow。Iguessso,\"

  shemurmured。

  Herteacherroseabruptly。\"Remember,fornexttime,thirds。Yououghttogetupearlier。\"

  ThatnighttheairwassowarmthatFritzandHerrWunschhadtheirafter—supperpipeinthegrapearbor,smokinginsilencewhilethesoundoffiddlesandguitarscameacrosstheravinefromMexicanTown。Longafter

  FritzandhisoldPaulinahadgonetobed,Wunschsatmotionlessinthearbor,lookingupthroughthewoollyvineleavesattheglitteringmachineryofheaven。

  \"LENTECURRITE,NOCTISEQUI。\"

  Thatlineawokemanymemories。Hewasthinkingofyouth;ofhisown,solonggoneby,andofhispupil’s,justbeginning。Hewouldevenhavecherishedhopesforher,exceptthathehadbecomesuperstitious。Hebelievedthatwhateverhehopedforwasdestinednottobe;thathisaffectionbroughtill—fortune,especiallytotheyoung;thatifheheldanythinginhisthoughts,heharmedit。HehadtaughtinmusicschoolsinSt。LouisandKansasCity,wheretheshallownessandcomplacencyoftheyoungmisseshadmaddenedhim。Hehadencounteredbadmannersandbadfaith,hadbeenthevictimofsharpersofallkinds,wasdoggedbybadluck。Hehadplayedinorchestrasthatwereneverpaidandwanderingoperatroupeswhichdisbandedpenniless。Andtherewasalwaystheoldenemy,morerelentlessthantheothers。Itwaslongsincehehadwishedanythingordesiredanythingbeyondthenecessitiesofthebody。Nowthathewastemptedtohopeforanother,hefeltalarmedandshookhishead。

  Itwashispupil’spowerofapplication,herruggedwill,thatinterestedhim。Hehadlivedforsolongamongpeoplewhosesoleambitionwastogetsomethingfornothingthathehadlearnednottolookforseriousnessinanything。Nowthathebychanceencounteredit,itrecalledstandards,am—

  bitions,asocietylongforgot。Whatwasitsheremindedhimof?Ayellowflower,fullofsunlight,perhaps。No;athinglassfullofsweet—smelling,sparklingMosellewine。Heseemedtoseesuchaglassbeforehiminthearbor,towatchthebubblesrisingandbreaking,likethesilentdischargeofenergyinthenervesandbrain,therapidflorescenceinyoungblood——Wunschfeltashamedanddraggedhisslip—

  persalongthepathtothekitchen,hiseyesontheground。

  V

  ThechildrenintheprimarygradesweresometimesrequiredtomakereliefmapsofMoonstoneinsand。

  Hadtheyusedcoloredsands,astheNavajomedicinemendointheirsandmosaics,theycouldeasilyhaveindicatedthesocialclassificationsofMoonstone,sincethesecon—

  formedtocertaintopographicalboundaries,andeverychildunderstoodthemperfectly。

  Themainbusinessstreetran,ofcourse,throughthecenterofthetown。Tothewestofthisstreetlivedallthepeoplewhowere,asTillieKronborgsaid,\"insociety。\"

  SylvesterStreet,thethirdparallelwithMainStreetonthewest,wasthelongestintown,andthebestdwellingswerebuiltalongit。Faroutatthenorthend,nearlyamilefromthecourt—houseanditscottonwoodgrove,wasDr。Archie’shouse,itsbigyardandgardensurroundedbyawhitepalingfence。TheMethodistChurchwasinthecenterofthetown,facingthecourt—housesquare。TheKronborgslivedhalfamilesouthofthechurch,onthelongstreetthatstretchedoutlikeanarmtothedepotsettlement。ThiswasthefirststreetwestofMain,andwasbuiltuponlyononeside。Thepreacher’shousefacedthebacksofthebrickandframestorebuildingsandadrawfullofsunflowersandscrapsofoldiron。ThesidewalkwhichraninfrontoftheKronborgs’housewastheonecontinuoussidewalktothedepot,andallthetrainmenandroundhouseem—

  ployeespassedthefrontgateeverytimetheycameup—

  town。TheaandMrs。Kronborghadmanyfriendsamongtherailroadmen,whooftenpausedtochatacrossthefence,andofoneoftheseweshallhavemoretosay。

  InthepartofMoonstonethatlayeastofMainStreet,towardthedeepravinewhich,farthersouth,woundby

  MexicanTown,livedallthehumblercitizens,thepeoplewhovotedbutdidnotrunforoffice。Thehouseswerelittlestory—and—a—halfcottages,withnoneofthefussyarchi—

  tecturaleffortsthatmarkedthoseonSylvesterStreet。

  TheynestledmodestlybehindtheircottonwoodsandVir—

  giniacreeper;theiroccupantshadnosocialpretensionstokeepup。Therewerenohalf—glassfrontdoorswithdoor—

  bells,orformidableparlorsbehindclosedshutters。Heretheoldwomenwashedinthebackyard,andthemensatinthefrontdoorwayandsmokedtheirpipes。ThepeopleonSylvesterStreetscarcelyknewthatthispartofthetownexisted。ThealikedtotakeThorandherexpresswagonandexplorethesequiet,shadystreets,wherethepeoplenevertriedtohavelawnsortogrowelmsandpinetrees,butletthenativetimberhaveitswayandspreadinluxuriance。Shehadmanyfriendsthere,oldwomenwhogaveherayellowroseorasprayoftrumpetvineandappeasedThorwithacookyoradoughnut。TheycalledThea\"thatpreacher’sgirl,\"butthedemonstrativewasmisplaced,forwhentheyspokeofMr。Kronborgtheycalledhim\"theMethodistpreacher。\"

  Dr。Archiewasveryproudofhisyardandgarden,whichheworkedhimself。HewastheonlymaninMoonstonewhowassuccessfulatgrowingramblerroses,andhisstrawberrieswerefamous。OnemorningwhenTheawasdowntownonanerrand,thedoctorstoppedher,tookherhandandwentoverherwithaquizzicaleye,ashenearlyalwaysdidwhentheymet。

  \"Youhaven’tbeenuptomyplacetogetanystraw—

  berriesyet,Thea。They’reattheirbestjustnow。Mrs。

  Archiedoesn’tknowwhattodowiththemall。Comeupthisafternoon。JusttellMrs。ArchieIsentyou。Bringabigbasketandpicktillyouaretired。\"

  WhenshegothomeTheatoldhermotherthatshedidn’twanttogo,becauseshedidn’tlikeMrs。Archie。

  \"Sheiscertainlyonequeerwoman,\"Mrs。Kronborg

  assented,\"buthe’saskedyousooften,Iguessyou’llhavetogothistime。Shewon’tbiteyou。\"

  AfterdinnerTheatookabasket,putThorinhisbaby—

  buggy,andsetoutforDr。Archie’shouseattheotherendoftown。Assoonasshecamewithinsightofthehouse,sheslackenedherpace。Sheapproacheditveryslowly,stoppingoftentopickdandelionsandsand—peasforThortocrushupinhisfist。

  Itwashiswife’scustom,assoonasDr。Archieleftthehouseinthemorning,toshutallthedoorsandwindowstokeepthedustout,andtopulldowntheshadestokeepthesunfromfadingthecarpets。Shethought,too,thatneighborswerelesslikelytodropinifthehousewasclosedup。Shewasoneofthosepeoplewhoarestingywithoutmotiveorreason,evenwhentheycangainnothingbyit。

  Shemusthaveknownthatskimpingthedoctorinheatandfoodmadehimmoreextravagantthanhewouldhavebeenhadshemadehimcomfortable。Henevercamehomeforlunch,becauseshegavehimsuchmiserablescrapsandshredsoffood。Nomatterhowmuchmilkhebought,hecouldnevergetthickcreamforhisstrawberries。Evenwhenhewatchedhiswifeliftitfromthemilkinsmooth,ivory—coloredblankets,shemanaged,bysomesleight—of—

  hand,todiluteitbeforeitgottothebreakfasttable。Thebutcher’sfavoritejokewasaboutthekindofmeathesoldMrs。Archie。Shefeltnointerestinfoodherself,andshehatedtoprepareit。ShelikednothingbetterthantohaveDr。ArchiegotoDenverforafewdays——heoftenwentchieflybecausehewashungry——andtobeleftalonetoeatcannedsalmonandtokeepthehouseshutupfrommorninguntilnight。

  Mrs。Archiewouldnothaveaservantbecause,shesaid,\"theyatetoomuchandbroketoomuch\";sheevensaidtheyknewtoomuch。Sheusedwhatmindshehadindevisingshiftstominimizeherhousework。Sheusedtotellherneighborsthatiftherewerenomen,therewould

  benohousework。WhenMrs。Archiewasfirstmarried,shehadbeenalwaysinapanicforfearshewouldhavechildren。Nowthatherapprehensionsonthatscorehadgrownpaler,shewasalmostasmuchafraidofhavingdustinthehouseasshehadoncebeenofhavingchildreninit。

  Ifdustdidnotgetin,itdidnothavetobegotout,shesaid。

  Shewouldtakeanyamountoftroubletoavoidtrouble。

  Why,nobodyknew。Certainlyherhusbandhadneverbeenabletomakeherout。Suchlittle,meannaturesareamongthedarkestandmostbafflingofcreatedthings。

  Thereisnolawbywhichtheycanbeexplained。Theor—

  dinaryincentivesofpainandpleasuredonotaccountfortheirbehavior。Theylivelikeinsects,absorbedinpettyactivitiesthatseemtohavenothingtodowithanygenialaspectofhumanlife。

  Mrs。Archie,asMrs。Kronborgsaid,\"likedtogad。\"

  Shelikedtohaveherhouseclean,empty,dark,locked,andtobeoutofit——anywhere。Achurchsocial,aprayermeeting,aten—centshow;sheseemedtohavenoprefer—

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