GRE AT S HO RT S TO RIE -

With Introdu ctory Essay s on

Th e G re a t S tory W ri te rs

BY

W ILL IAM J . DAWSO N

AN D

CO N 1 N OS E Y W . DAWSON

Tw o Volumes in One

HA R P E R B R O T HE R S PU B L I S HE R S
N EW YORK AN D LO N DON
 AC KN O W LEDGM EN T

To the publish ers and auth ors w h o hav e

t e ou sly pe rmitted th e use of copy
cou r

righte d ma t e ria l i n t h e se tw o v olu mes

'

, a

w ord of gra t e fu l a cknow le dgme nt is

hereb y give n by th e e ditors.
 C ON TEN TS OF VOLU M E ON E

THE EV O U L TIO N O F THE

THE A PPAR I T IO N O F M RS . VE L A . B y D ani e l D f e oe
( 1 66 1 —1 73 1
)
THE M YSTE R O U S B R ID E
I . B y J ames Hogg ( 1 7 70- 1 835 )
THE D E V I L AND T M O W AL KE R B y W as hi ngto n
Irvi ng ( 1 783 — 1 859 )
DR .
’
HE I D EGG E R S E! PE RIM ENT . B y N a thanie l Haw
th orne ( 1 807
VI . Ta n PU RLO I N E D L ETTE R . B y E d ga A llan Poe r ( 1 809
1 84 9 )
VI I . RA B AND HIS F RI END S . By D r J h n B . o ro w n (1 8 1 0
1 88 2)
VIII . Tm : B oo '
rs AT TH E HOL L Y -TB E E IN N . B y Ch arle s

Di ck ens ( 1 8 1 2
I! . A STO R Y op S EV E N D EV I L
S . By F r nk
a R S tockton
. .

( 1 83 4
’
A Doe s A T LE . B y Ma rk Tw ain ( 1 835 )
m O U TC AS TS PO K E R FL A re t Harte
'

op T. By B

( 1 839
THE THREE STRAN GE RS . B y Th om as Hardy ( 1 840)
J U LI A B R DE
I . By Hen ry J ames ( 1 843 )
A LO DG IN G F OR THE N mm . B y Rob ert Lo i S teve n
u s

son ( 1 850—1 894

)
I ND E !
 C ONTEN TS OF VOLUM E TWO

THE M O E D RN S HO M BY

AN O CCU RR E N C E AT OW L CRE E K B R IDG E . B y Amb m

Bier e c

III . THE U N E ! PE CT E DN ESS OF ME . HO RA CE S HIE LDS . By

M argare t De l n d a

IV. THE AD V ENTU RE OF T HE S PE C KL E D B NDA . By A .

Con a n Doyle
TH R U IN O U F A CE
E B y Ma ri ce He w le tt
S . u

A N E W E N GLA N D N U N B y Mary E W ilki n

. . s

A PRA IR IE VA GAB O ND B y Gi lb ert P rk r

. a e

TH HO U SE O PPO IT E
E B y An th ony Ho pe
S .

TH E D R A W N B LIN B y A T Q i ller Co h
D. . . u - uc

TH E I L E
E ! B y Ri hard H rdin g D a v i
S . c a s

TH MAN W HO W O U LD B K IN G
E B y R dy ard Ki pling
E . u

TH HA PPI ES T D
E o p Hrs L I
AY B y Lloyd O bo rne FE . s u

TH W H IT E S I LE N C E
E B y J k L ond on. ac

THE HI D IN G O F B LA CK B I LL B y 0 He nry . .

IND E !
GR E AT S HORT STO RI E S
—

VOL U M E ON E

E VO LU T IO N OF THE SH ORT STOR Y

—
 T h e E v o l u ti on of th e Sh ort-Story

HE short - story commen ced its career as a verbal

T “
utte ran ce or as Robert Lo u is Ste venson puts it
, ,

with the first men w h o told their stories roun d

L ,
.

"
the savage cemn fi re .

It bears the ma rk of its origin f or even t o—day it is true ,

that the more it c reates the ill usion of the speaJ< ing v oice ~
,

causing the reader to l isten and to see so that he forgets ,

the printed page the better does it accomplish its lite raryv
. ,

purpose It is probab ly an instinctive apprec iation of this

.

fact which h as led so many latter-day writers to narrate

their short-stories in dialec t In a story which is com . .

municated by the liv ing voi ce ou r attention is held pri

ma rily not by the ex ce llent deposition of adj ec tives an d
poise of style but by the stridi ng progress of the plot ; it
,

is the plot and ac tion in the lot alone whi ch

,
b '
,

“
he r when the combination of w Which conveyed and t

made the story real to us h as n lost to mind Crusoe . ,

recoiling f rom the foot print Ac hilles shouting over against

-

the Troj ans Ulysses bendi ng the g reat bow Christian run
,
,
J
, ,

ni ng with his fi nge rs in his e ars ; these are e ac h cu lminat-

ing momen ts and eac h has been printed on the mind s ey ’
T
,
”
for ever .

The sec ondary importan ce of the detailed language in w

A Gow p on Rom ance f rom M emories P ortrai ts by R L
'

, and , . .

S teve nson .
 4 EN GL IS H SH ORT S TOR Y W RI T E R S -

which an incident is narrated when compared With the ,

total impression made by the n aked action contain ed in

the incident is seen in the case of b allad poetry where a
, ,

man may retain a vivid mental pi c ture of the loc alities ,

atmosphere an d dramatic moments created by Coleridge s ’

’
,

A nci ent M u ri ner or Rossett i s White S hi p and yet be quite

, ,

incapable of repeating two consecutive lin es of the verse .

I n literature of narration whether prose or verse the , ,

dramatic worth of the ac tion related must be the first

consideration .

In earlier days when much of the current fi ction w as not

,

written dow n but travelled from mouth to mouth as it

, ,

does in the Orient to—day this fact must have been realized
,

A — that in the short -story plot is superior to style Among

, ,
.

modern wri ters how ever there has been a gro w ing tend
, ,

ency to make up for scantiness of plot by high literary

workmanship ; the result h as been in ie ality not a short
story but a descriptive sketch or vignette dealing chi efly
, ,

with moods and landscapes So much has this been the .

case that the writer of a re cent Practi cal Treatise on the

A rt of the S hort-S tory has found it ne cessary to make the
“
bald statement that the first requisite of a short —story
”
is that the writer have a story to tell .

However lac king the stories whi ch have come down to

u s from ancient times may be in techni que they inv ari ,

ably narrate action they\h av e somethi ng to tell I f they

—
— fl
.

had not done so they would not has e been interest ing to
,
'
r

the men who fi rst heard them and had they not been in , ,

teresting they would not have survived

, Their para .

mount worth in this respect of action is proved by the

constant borrowings which modern writers have made
from them Take one case in illustration In the t w enty
. .

S horts zm- Writi ng b y Charles

N y , Raymond Ba rre tt .
6 EN GL ISH SH OR T S TO -

st roys the S pirit and generally the body

Maid for luxu ry and gluttony
,

which feed ,
“
delicac ies that are poison to the soul ; ”

scien ce and reason whi ch reprove and Oppose any union

'

,
l ‘

which woul d undo the soul ; and the malefactor for the
evil man di sobedient un to his God
,
.

The re ti du
'

who ,

have h andl ed it with distinction and

e l Haw th oma
l i av ing changed its

Italian sett ing Wo ye about it ,

Oliver W endell Holmes ,

ow n developed ou t of it his fi ctional bi o

,
graphy
Venner And so recent a write r a
. s M r Richard .

attrac ted by the subtle and m agiv po ssib ilities of

ce pti on has given us yet another rendering restoring/to

fi
, ,

the story its classic settin g in The Poi son M aid Thus
‘
.
,
‘

within the space of a hun d red years three mas ter-c rafts ,
~

men have found their inspiration in the slender anecdote

which Aristotle in the O pulen ce of his genius w as content
, ,

to hurry into a few sen ten ces and bu ry beneat h the mass
of his material .

Probably the first stori es of mankind w ere true stories ,

but the true story is rarely good art It is perhaps for this .

reas on that few true stories of early times have come

dow n to us Mr Cable in h is S trange True S tori es of
. .
,

“
'

L ou isi ana explains the d ifi e re nce bet w een the fabricated

,

tale and the incident as it oc curs in life The relations .

Vi de The Tw ili ghtof the Gods and Other Ta le s pu , b li h

s ed b y J oh n
L ane , 1 903 .
 EVOLU TION OF T H E S HORT — S TORY 7

and experiences of real men and women he writes ar

e
, , r

~s.
N

whole Until they h avbfl rad such treatment as we give

.
‘

stone in the quarry or gems in the rough they seldom ,

group them selves W ith that harmony of values and brilliant

unity of interest tha t resu lt when art comes in not so —

much to trans cend nature as to make nature transcend

”
herself In other words it is not un til the t r ue story
.
,

has been converted into fi ction by the su ppression of what

ever is disc u rsw e or u ngain ly “and the addition of a stroke
,

of fantasy that i t
,
comes integral balanced in all its ,

’
parts and w orthy of litei f remembrance ze .
,

I n the fragments of fiction which have come down to

u s from the days when books were not odd chapters fro m ,

the Fieldings and S mollets of the age of Noah remn ants ,

“
of the verbal libraries which men repeated one to the other ,

”
squatting round the savage camp fi re when the hunt
-
,

was over and night had gathered the stroke of fantasy ,

predominates and tends to comprise the whole Men spun .

their fi ctions from the materials with which their minds

were stored much as we do to-d ay and the result w as a
, ,

cycle of beast fables an Odysse y of the brute c reation

- —
.

Of these the tales of [E SOp are the best examples The .

beast fable has never quite gone out of fashion and ne ver
-
,

will so long as men retain their world-wonder and child ,

ish ness of mind .

’
A large part of Gulliver s adventu res be
long to this class of It was only the other day
that s J u st ao S tori es and his J a ngle -
,

B ook each of which found an immediate and secure place

,

in the popular memory .

Mr Chandler Harris in his introduction to U ncle Remu s

. , ,

warns u s that however humorous his book may appear

“
,

its intention is perfectly serious ”

He goes on to insist .

on its h istori c value as a revelation of primitive modes of

,
8 EN GL I S H SHORT — STORY W RI TERS

thought A t the outset when he wrote his stories serially

.
,

for publication in The A tlanta Consti tution he believed that ,

he w as narrating plantation legends peculiar to the South .

He was quickly un deceived Prof J W Powell who was . . .

,

engaged in an investigation of the mythology of the N ort h

Am erican I n dians inf ormed him that some of Uncle
,
’
Remus s stories a ppear in a number of diff erent languages ,

and in variou s m od ified forms among the I ndians Mr . .

Herbert H Smith had met with some of these stories

.

among tribes of South American I ndians and one in par ,

ticu lar he had traced to I ndia and as far east as Siam

”

“When did the negro or North American I ndian ever

,
.

”
come in contact with the tribes of South Am erica ? M r .

’
Harris asks An d he quotes M r Smith s reply in ans wer
“
. .

to the question : I am not prepared to form a theory

about these stori es There can be no doubt that some
.

of them fou nd among the negroes and the Indians had

, ,

a common origin The most natural solution would b e to

.

su ppose that they originated in Africa and were carried ,

to South America by the negro slaves They are certainly .

found among the Red Negroes ; but unf ortunately for the ,

African theory it is equally cert ain that they are told by

,
’
savage I ndians of the Ama z on s Valley away up on the ,

Tapaj os Red Negro and Tapu ra These I ndians hardly

, ,
.

ever see a negro I t is interesting to find a story from

.

Upper Egypt ( that of the fox who pretended to be dead )

identical with an Am a z onian story and strongly resembling ,

one found by you among the negroes One thi ng is cer .

tain The animal stories told by the negroes in our South

.

ern States and in Bra z il were brought by them from Africa .

Whether they originated there or with the Arabs or , ,

Egyptians or with yet more ancient nations mus t still be

, ,

an open question W hether the Indians got them from

.

”
the negroes or from some earlier source is equally uncertain .
 EVOLUTION OF TH E S HOR T — S TORY 9

Whatever be the fin al solution to this problem enough ,

has been said to show that the beast-fable is in all prob ,

a b ility the most primitive form of short story which we

,

For ou r purpose that of tracing the evolution of the

,

English short story its history commences with the Gesta

,

Roma noru m At the authorship of this collection of

.

medi aeval tales many guesses have been ma de Nothing

, .

is known with certainty ; it seems probable however j udg , ,

ing from the idioms whi ch occur that it t ook its present ,

form in England about the end of the thirteenth or the

,

begi nni ng of the fourteenth century and then ce p as sed to ,

the Continent The work is written in Latin and w as

.
,

evidently compiled by a man in holy orders for its guiding ,

purpose is to edi fy In this we can trace the infl u e n ce of

.

’
E sop s beas t fables which were moral lessons draw n from
-
,

the ani mal creation for the instruction of mankind Every .

chapter of the Gesta Romanoru m cons ists of a moral tale ;

so much so that i n many cases the application of the moral
is as long as the tale itself .

The title of the collection The D eeds of the Romans , ,

is scarcely j ustified ; in the main it is a garnering of all

the deathless plots and dramatic motives which we find
scattered up and dow n the ages in the legend and folk ,

lore of whatsoever n ation The themes of many of its .

stories were being told their characters passin g under ,

other names when Romulus and Remus were suckled by

,

their wolf-mother before there was a Roman nation or a

,

city named Rome .

In the Bible we have many admirable specimens of the

-
.
’
short story Jotham s parable of the trees of the wood
choosing a king is as good an instance of the nature-fable ,
 SH O RT — STORY W RI TERS
'

1 0 EN GL IS H

touched with fine irony and humor as could be found , .

The Hebrew prophet himse lf was often a story -teller .

Thus when N athan would brin g home the natu re of his

,

guilt to Davi d he does it by a story of the most dramat ic

,

charac ter whi ch loses nothing and indeed gains all its
, ,

terrifi c impact by be ing strongly impregnated with moral

,

passion Many such instances will occur to the student

.

of the Bible In the absence of a written or printed litera

.

ture the story-teller h ad a di st inct vocation as he still ,

has among the peoples of the East Every visitor to Tan .

gier h as seen in the market -pl ace the professional story

teller su rrounded from morn t ill night with hi s groups of
,

atten tive li steners whose kindli ng eyes whose fac es moved

, ,

by every emotion of wonder anger tenderness and sym

, , ,

pathy whose murmured applause and absorbed silence

, ,

are the witnesses and the reward of his art Through such .

a scene we recover the atmosphere of the Arabian N igh ts ,

and in deed look back into almost limitless antiquity .

Possibly could we follow the story whi ch is thus related

, ,

we might discover that th is also its elemental inci

dents from source s as old as the times of Jotham and
Nathan .

The most that can be said for the Latin origin of the
Gesta Roma noru m is that the nucleus is mad e up of ex
tracts frequently of glaring inaccur acy from Roman
, ,

write rs an d historians The Cologne edition comprises

.

one hun dr ed and eighty-one chapters each consisting of a ,

“
tale or anecdote followed by a moral application com ,

me ncing formally with the words My beloved the prince

”
is intended to represent any good Christian or My be
,

,
,

,
“
”
loved the emperor is Christ ; the soldi er is any sinn er
,
.

They are not so much short stories as illustrated homi lies

- .

In th e lite rary armory of the lazy parish pri est of the

fourteenth century the Gesta Romanoru m must have held
,
 EVOLU T I ON OF TH E S HORT — S TOR Y 1 1

the plac e which volumes of sermon-outl ines o cc upy upon

-shelves of c ertain of his brethren to—day

“
the book .

The method of instructing by fables is a practice of

remote antiquity ; and h as always been attended with
very considerable benefi t I ts great popu larity encouraged
.

the monks to adopt this medium not only f or the sake of

,

illustrating their discourses but of ma king a more d urable

,

impression upon the mi n ds of their illiterate auditors An .

abstrac t argument ,
or logical dedu c tion ( had they been
c apable of supplying it) would operate but faintly u pon
,

intellects rendered even more obtuse by the rude nature

of their customary employments ; while on the other
,

hand an apposite story would arouse attention and stimu

,

late that blind and unenquiring devotion whi c h is so re

mark ably c haracteristic of the Middle Ages ”
.

The influ ence of the Gesta Romanoru m is m ost con

S pi cu ously to be tra c ed in the work of Gower Chaucer , ,

and Lydgate ; but it has served as a sour c e of inspiration

to the fl agging ingenuity of each suc c eeding generation .

It would be tedious to enter on an enumeration of the

various indebtednesses of English literature to thes e early
tales A few instances will serve as illustration
. .

It seems a far c ry from the The Ingoldsby L egends to

The D eeds of the Romans nevertheless The L eech of F olk
,

stone was directly taken from the hundred and second tale ,

Oi the Transgressions and Wou nd s oi the S ou l Shake .

S peare himself was a frequent borrower and planned his

,

entire play of Peri cles Pri nce of Tyre upon the h u ndred
, ,

d fi f ty third tale Oi Temporal Tribu lati on In some

-
an , .

‘
Int rod u cti on to Gesta Romanoru m tran sl a te d b y the Re v
, .

Ch arles S w an re vi se d and corre cte d b y W ynnard Hoope r B A

, , . .
12 E N GL I S H SH ORT — S TORY W RI TERS
cases the l anguage is almost identical as for instan ce in
the fif th tale where the king warns his son saying Son
,
,

, ,
“ ,

I tell thee that thou canst not confide in her and con ,

sequently ought not to espouse h e r S he de cei ved her own .

fath er w hen she li berated thee from prison; for this did her
”
father lose the pri ce of thy ransom Compare w ith this : .

L ook to he r, Mbor ;
S he has decei ved her
have a quick eye to
fathe r and ma y thee
, .
“
see ;

But the ethical t reatment of the short -story as e x em plified ,

in thw e monkish fabl es h andicapped its progress and cir

,

cu mscri bed its fi e ld of endeavor Morality necessitated .

the twisting of incidents so that they might harmoni z e

,

with the sermonic summin g u p that was in v ne w Life is

-
.

not always moral ; it is more often perplexing bo isterous , ,

unj ust and fl ippant The wi cked dwell in prosperity

“
. .
,

The re are no pangs in their death ; their str ength 1 8 fi rm .

They are not in trouble as other men : neither are they

plagued as other men They have more than heart could
“
.

”
wish . But the art of the teller of tales is O ccu pied and ,

bound to be occupied not so much in mak i ng stories t rue

” z
as in making them typi cal .

The ethical method of handling fiction falls between

two stoo ls ; it not only fails in port raying that which is
t rue for the i ndividual but it incu rs the graver error of
,

c easing to be true t o the r ace 12 e typic al ,

. .
, .

It would be interesting had we space to follow Shake

,
.
.

speare in his borrow mgs noticing w h at he adop ts an d in

,

c orporates in his work as artistically t rue an d what he .

rej ects Like a water color landscape-painter he pauses

.
-
,

above the box of crude materials which others have m ade ,

0 the ll o act 1 sce ne I II

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.
, .

b
F rom a Hu m le Re monstranee , in M emories a nd Portrai ts b y ,

R L S te ve nson
. . .
1 41 EN GL I S H SHORT — S TORY W R I TERS
’
the empress s hand she being asleep and nothing know
, ,

ing thereof to the int ent that when t he earl awakened he

,
’
should think that she had cut his daughter s throat and ,

so would she be put to a shameful death f or his misc h ie v

”
ous deed .

The laws of immed iateness and con centration which ,

govern the short -story are common also to the drama ; ,

by reason of their b re v ity both demand a di re c tness of ap

proac h which leads u p without break of sequence or any
,

was te of words through a dependent series of actions to a

,

cl im ax whi c h is final It will usually be found in study ing

.

the borrowi n gs which the masters have made from such

sources as the Gesta Romanorum that the po rtions which
they have d isc riminated as worth tak ing from any one
tale have been the only artisti cally essent ial elements
which the narrative contains ; the remainder whi c h they ,

have reje c ted is either u ntrue to art or unn e cess ary to the
,

’
plot s development .

These tales as told by their monkish c ompiler lac k

, ,

that harmony of values and brilli ant unity of interest

that resul ts when art c omes in ”—
they are splendid j ewels
bad ly c ut .

As has been already stated a short-story theme how , ,

ever fine can only be converted into good art by the su p

,

pression of whatever is dis c ursive or ungai nly so that it ,

bec omes integral and balan ced in all its parts ; and by
the addition of a stroke of fantasy so that it becomes vas t , ,

despite its brevity implying a wider horizon than it actu al

,

ly des c ribes ; but in excess of these qualit ies there is a

, ,

last of still greater impo rtan ce without whi ch it fails ,

N ow the beast-fable as handled by E sop falls shortof

, ,
 EVOL UT ION OF TH E S HOR T — S TORY 1 5

being hi gh art by eason of its overwhelming fantasy

r ,

whi ch annihilates all chance of its possibility The best .

short -stori es represent a struggle between fant as y and fact .

And the medi fe v al monkish tale fails by reason of the dis

cursiveness and huddling together of incidents without ,

regard t o their dramatic values which the moral applica ,

tion necessitates In a word both are defi cient in tech

.
,

nique— the concealed art which when it has combined its ,

materials so that they may a c complish their most im

pressive e ffect c auses the total result t o command ou r
,

credulity because it seems typical of human experience .

The technique of the English prose short -story had a

tardy evolution That there we re any definite law s such
.
,

as obtain in poetry by which it mus t abide was not

,

generally reali z ed until Edgar Allanl oe j ormu lated them

in his criticism of Nathaniel Hawthorne .

As he states them they are fi v e in number as follows

, ,

Firstly that the short -story must be short 13 e capable

,
“
. .
, ,

of be in g read at one sitting in order that it may gain

,
the
i mmense force derivable from totali ty Secondly that .
,

the short -story must possess i mmedia teness; it should aim

at a si ngle o unique e e ct
r fi —
'
“
ii the very initial sentence
tend not t o the outbringing of this eff ect then it has failed ,
”
in its first step Thirdly that the short -story must be
.
,

subj ected to compressi on; in the whole c omposition there

shoul d not be one word written of which the tendency ,
”
direct or indirect is not to the one pre established design
,
— .

Fourthly that it must assume the aspect of veri si mi li tude;

, J
truth is often and in very great degree the aim of the
, ,
”
tale some of the finest tales are tales of ratiocination
— .

Fifthly, that it must give the impression of finali ty; the

story an d the interest in the characters which it intro
,

duces must begin with the opening senten ce and end with
,

the l ast .
1 6 E N GL IS H SHORT — S TOR Y WR I TERS
Th w e laws and the technique which they formulate
, ,

were fi rst d iscovered and worked ou t for the short -story in

1
the medium of poetry The ballad and narrative poem .

must be by reason of their hi ghly artifi cial form com

, ,

parativ e ly short possessing totality immedi ateness com

, , ,

pression verisimilitude and fina lity The old ball ad

, , .

which comm emorates the battle of Otterbourne fought ,

on August 1 0 1 3 88 is a fi ne example of the short -story

, ,

method Its O pening stanza speaks the last word in im

.

med iateness of narration

I t fe lle abow gh t tyde th e L amasse ,

W hen hus b ands wynn ther haye ,

The d ow gh tye D ow glasse bow yn d bym to ryde

I
n England to take a praye ”
.

’
Thomas Hood s poem of The Drea m of E ugene A ram ,

written at a t ime when the prose short -story under the ,

guidance of Haw thorne and Poe was j ust beginn ing to ,

take its pl ace as a se parate s pecies of literary art has never ,

been surpassed for short - story technique by any of the

“
practitioners of prose Prof B ran der Matthews h as point . .

ed ou t that there were nine muses in Greece of old and no ,

Poe hi mse lf
“
i mpli es this w he n h e says i n an earli er passage of
1

hi s essa y o n Hawthorne : Th e Ta le Prope r (i e short story ) i h

- “ ,

. .
, ,

m y o pi ni on a fi ords u n q uesti onab l y th e fai rest fi e ld f or th e ex e rcise

,

of th e l of ti e st ta l e n t w hi ch ca n be a ff orded b y th e w i d e d om a ins

of m e re pro se W e re I hidde n to sa y h ow th e hi ghest geni us co ul d

.

be m ost a d va nt age ous l y e m pl oye d f or th e best di s play of i ts ow n

p o w e rs I shou l d a nsw e r w i thou t hesi ta ti on i n th e com posi ti on of
, , ,

a rhy med poe m not to e x ceed i n le ngth w ha t mi ght be pe ruse d in

,

a n hou r W ithi n thi s li mi t a l one ca n th e hi ghest ord er of tru e

.

poe try e x ist I need onl y he re say u pon thi s topi c tha t in almost
.
, ,

all c lasses o f co m posi ti on th e u ni ty of e ff ect or im pressi on is a poi n t

of th e grea tes t i m po rta n ce I t i s clear m oreove r that this u ni ty

.
, ,

ca n not be thoroughly preserved i n producti ons w hose perusal ca nnot

”
be ed at one m
complet i ti ng .
 EVOLU T ION OF TH E S HORT — S TORY 1 7

one of these daughters of Apollo was expected to inspire

the wri ter of prose fi ction -
.

IIe argues from this that prose seemed to the Greeks

_ ,

and even to the Latins who followed in their footsteps as ,

”
fi t onl y for pedestrian purposes It is more probable .

that as regards prose fi ction they did not reali z e that they
,
-
,

we re called upon to explain the omission of the tenth muse .

Her exclusion was base d on no reasoned principle but was ,

due to a sensuous art -instinct : the Greeks felt that the

unnatural l imitations of the poetic medium were more in
2
k eeping with the unnatural brevity of a story which must
be short The exquisite prose tales which have been
.

handed down to u s belong to the age of their decadence as

a nation ; in their great period their tellers of brief tales
3
uncons ciously cast their rendering in the poetic mould .

In natures of the highest genius the most arduous is in

stinctiv e ly the favorite task .

Chaucer by reason of his intimate acquaintance with both

,

the poetry and prose fi ction of Boccaccio had the oppor

-
,

tu nity to choose between these two mediums of short -story

narration ; and he chose the former He was as familiar .

’
with Bocc ac cio s poetic method as e x emplified in the ,

Teseide as with his prose as ex e m plifie d at much greater

, ,

length in the D ecameron for he borrowed from them both ,

.

‘
In hi s i ntrod u cti on to M a teri a ls a nd M ethods of F i cti on , b y
C la yton Hami lton , pu li shed b th e B ak er b y
Tayl or Co , N e w .

Y ork
2 “ .

Th e short-sto ry is a rti fi ci al , a nd to a con si de ra le d e gree u n b

na tu ra l I t cou l d hard ly b e o the rw i se , f or i t ta k e s ou t o f ou r
.

com pl ex li ves a si n gl e pe rson or a si n gle i n ci d e n t a nd treats t ha t as

”
i f i t w ere com ple te i n i tse lf S u ch isola ti on i s n ot k n ow n to na tu re
. .

-
Page 22 of S hor t—S tory Wri ti ng, b y Ch a rl es Raym ond B a rre tt ,
b
pu li she d b y th e B ak e r Tay lor Co , N e w Y ork . .

3
y
F o r e x a m ple , th e sto ry to l d b D e m odocu s o f The Illi ci t L ove
o
f A rea for A phrodi te , and the Revenge w hich Hephaestu s P la nned
— Odyssey , B k . V III .
1 8 EN GL IS H SHORT - S TORY W RITERS

Yet inonly two ins tances in the Canterbu ry Tal es does he

relapse into prose .

’
The Teseide in Chaucer s hands retaini ng its poetic ,
’
medi u m is converted into the Kni ghts Tale; while the
’
,
’
Reeve s Ta le the F rankli n s and the S hi pma n s each ’
, , ,

bo rrowed from the prose version of the D ecameron are ,

given by him a poetic setting Thi s preference f or poetry .

over prose as a medium for short -story narration cann ot

“
have been accidental or unreasoned on his part ; nor can
it be altogether accounted for by the expl anation that he
”
was by nature a poet for he did experiment with the prose
,

medi um to the extent of usin g it t w ice He had the brilliant .

and innovating pre cedent of the D eca meron and yet while , ,

adopt ing some of its materi als he abandoned its medium , .

He was given the opportunity of ante—d ating the intro

duction of techn ique into the Engl ish prose short -story by
four hun dred and fif ty years and he disregarded it almost ,

cavalierly How is such wilful neglec t to be accounted f or ?

.

Only by his instinctive feelin g that the technique which

, ,

Boccaccio had applied in the D ecameron belonged by right ,

to the realm of poetry had been learned in the practisin g of

,

the poetic art and could arrive at its hi ghest level of achi eve
,

ment only in that medium .

’
That in Chaucer s c ase this choice was j u stified c annot be
di sputed ; the inferi ority of the short-story technique con
tained in his two prose e ff orts when comp ared wi th that ,

dis played in the remainder of the Canterbury Tales is v ery ,

’
marked Take for instance the Pri oress Tale and apply
.
, ,

to it the fi v e short - story tests establ ished by Poe as a ,

personal discovery four and a half centuries later ; it su r

,

vives them all It attains in addition the crowni ng glory

.
, , ,

coveted by Stevenson of appearing typi cal There may

,
.

never have been a Christian child who w as ma rtyred by

the Jews in the particularly gru esome way desc ribed
 '

EVOL U TION OF T HE S HORT — STO RY 19

probably there never was ; but in listeni ng to the Prioress

, ,

it does not enter into ou heads to doubt her word the

r —

picture whi ch she leaves with us of h ow the Ch ristian re

garded the Jew in the Middle Ages is too vivid to allow any
breathing - sp ace for incredu lity No kn owledge of medi
.

mv al anti-Jewish legislation however scholarly can bring

,
.
,

u s to realize the fury of rac e—hatred whi ch then existed

more keenly than this story of a little over two thousand

words B y its perusal we gain an illuminating insight into
.

that ill - directed religious enthusi asm whi ch led men on

fren z ied quests for the destruction of the heretic in their
own land and of the Saracen abroad causing them to be ,

c ome at one and the same time unj ust and heroic I n a .

word within the comp ass of three hundred lines of verse

, ,

Chaucer contrives to body forth his age— to give u s some

thi ng whi ch is typi cal .

’
The M orte D A rthu r of Malory is again a colle c tion of
tradition al stories as is the Gesta Roma noru m and not the
, ,

creative work of a single intellect As might be expected

.
,

it straggles and overlays its climax with a too-lavish abun

,

dan c e of i n cidents ; it lacks the harmony of values which

results from the in troduction of a unifying purpose— z e of
'

. .
,

art I maginative and full of action though the books of

.

’
the M orte D A rthu r are it remained for the latter-day
,

artist to exhaust their individual incidents of their full

dramatic possib ilities Fmm the eyes of the maj ority of
.

modern men the brilliant quality of their magic was c on

cealed until it had been di sciplined and refashioned by the
,

severe techni que of the short -story .

B y the eightee nth century the in flu ence of Malory w as

scarcely felt at all ; but hi s imaginativeness as interpreted ,

by Tennyson in The I dylls oi the Ki ng and by W illiam

, ,

Morris in his D efence of Gu i nevere has given to the Anglo

, ,

Saxon world a new roman tic background for its thoughts .

20 EN GL IS H SHORT — S TORY W RI TERS
’
The Idylls o/ the Ki ng are n ot Tennyson s m ost suc cessful
interpretation The finest example of his superior short
.

story craftsmanshi p is seen in the trium phant use which he

makes of the theme contained in The B ook of E lai ne in ,

his poem of The L ad y of S halott N ot only has he remodel .

led and added fantasy to the story but he h as th re aded it ,

through with atmosphere— an entirely modern attribute of ,

which more mus t be said hereafter .

S o much f or our contention that the laws and techn ique

of the prose short -story as formulated by Poe were first
, ,

instinctively d iscovered and worked ou t in the medium of

poetry .

The Golden A ss of
Apuleius is so to say a beginning of , ,

modern literature From this brilliant medley of re al ity

.

and romance of wit and pathos of fantasy and observation

, , ,

was born that new art complex in thought various in ex

, ,

pression which gives a semblance of frigidi ty to perfection

,
”l
itself An indefatigable youthfulness is its d istin ction
. .

A h i ndefati gable you thf ulness w as also the prime dis

’
tinction of the Eli z abethan era s writings and doings ; it
w as fi tting that such a peri od should have witnessed the

fi rst translation into the English language of this Benj amin

’
of a classi c literature s old age .

Apuleius w as an un conventional cosmopolitan in that

ancient world which he so vividly po rtrays ; he was a bar
barian by birth a Greek by education and wrote his book ,

in the Romans language In his use of luminous slang.

’
for literary purposes he was Rudyard Kipling s prototype .

1
From th e in trod u cti on b y Charles W hi b le y to th e Tu dor
’
, ,

Tra ns la ti ons e di ti on b y W E He n le y of The Golde n A ss of A pu

. .
,

le i us pu b li she d b y D avi d N u tt L on don 1 89 3

, ,
A ll othe r q uota, .

ti ons bea ring u pon A pu le i us are take n from th e same sou rce .
22 EN GL I S H SHOR T — S TORY W RI TERS

appears .
“
Apuleius
has enveloped his world of marvels
in a heavy air of witchery and romance You wander .

with Lucius across the hills and through the dales of

Thessaly W ith all the delight of a fresh curiosity you ap
.

proach its far-seen towns Y ou j ourney at midnight under

.

the stars listening in terror f or the howling of the wolves

,

or the stealthy amb ush At other whiles you sit in the

.

’
robbers cave an d hear the ancient legends of Greece retold .

Th e spring comes on and the little birds chirp and sing

‘

’
,

their steven melodiously Secret raids ravished brides

.
, ,

valiant res c ues the gayest intrigues — these are the di verse
,
”
matters of this many colored book
- .

But as a short -story writer he shares the failing of all his

English brothers in that art un til James Hogg the Ettrick
, ,

Shepherd penned h is tales — namely that his short -stories

, ,

do not stan d apart as things total in themselves but are

, ,

woven into a larger narrative by whose proportions they

are dwarfed so that their true completeness is disguised
,
.

He cares not h ow he loiters by the way he is always ready

to beguile his reader with a Milesian story— one of those
quaint and witty interludes whi ch have travelled the world
over an d become part not merely of every li terature but
, ,

”
of every life It is to three of these chance loiterings of
.

this Kipling of Rome in its decadence that we ow e the

fam ous stories alluded to above .

To the Elizabethan period belong the most masterly

translations of which the English language is possessed ;
an d this not by vi rtue of their accuracy and scholarship ,
’
b ut because to use Doctor Johnson s words the translator ,

’
,

ex hibits his author s thoughts in such a d ress as the

author would have given them had his l anguage been Eng
lish ”
.
“ ”
That same indefatigable youthfulness which con
verted courtiers into sailors and despatched them into
un known seas to ransack new worlds urged men of the .
 EVOLUTION OF T H E S HORT — S TORY 23

pen to seek ou t and to pillage with an equal ardor of ad ‘

venture the intellectual wealth of their contempo raries in

,

other l ands and the buried and forgotten stores of the

ancients upon their own neighboring book shelves A uni -
.

versal and contagious curiosity was abroad To this age .

’
belong W illiam Paynter s version of the D ecameron e n ,

titled The Palace of Pleasu re 1 566 from which Shakespeare , ,

’
borrowed ; Ge offrey Fenton s translation of Bandello s ’
’
Tragi ca l Di scou rses 1 567 ; Sir Thomas N orth s rendering of
,

’ ’
Pluta rch s L i ves 1 579 Thomas U nde rdow ne s Heli odoru s
'

, ,

1 587 ; Thomas Shelton s D on Qu i x ote 1 6 1 2 ; and others too ,

numerous to mention I t seems extraordinary at first

.

sight that when such models of advanced technique were

set before them Englishmen were so slow to follow ; for
,

though Profes sor Baldwin is probably correct in his analysis

of the D ecameron when he states that of the hundred tales , ,

over fi f ty are not much more than anecdotes abou t forty ,

are but outlined plots three follow the modern short

,

story method only part way and of the hundred tw o alone ‘

, , ,

are perfect examples yet those two pe rfect examples re

,

mained and were capable of imitation The explanation .

of this neglect is perhaps that the Eli z abetha ns were too

, ,

busy orig i nating to find time for copying ; they were very
willing to borrow ideas but must be allowed to develop
,

them i n their ow n w ay — usually along dramatic lines for

stage purposes because this was at t hat time the m ost
,

fi nancially profitab le .

The blighting influence of c onstitutional strife and in

’
testine war which followed in the Stuarts reigns turned
’
the serious artist s thoughts aside to grave and propheti c
Th e v
se cond no e l of the se cond d ay , a nd th e six th of th e ninth
da y .
24 EN GLI S H S HORT — S TORY W RI TERS

forms of literary utterance while w riters of the frivolous ,

sort devoted their talent to a lighter and less sincere art

than that of the short story — namely court -poetry I t -
, .

w as an age of extremes which bred despair and religious

fervor in men of the Puritan party as represented by ,

Bunyan and Milton and conscious artifi ciality and mock

,

heroics in those of the Cavalier faction as represented by ,

Herrick and the Earl of Rochester .

The examples of semi fi ctional pro se which can be gath -

ered from this period serve only to illustrate how the

short -story instinct though stifled was still present
, , .

Isaak Walton as a diarist had it; Thomas Fuller as an

historian h ad it; John Bunyan as an ethical writer had it .

Each one was possessed of the short-story faculty but ,

only manifested it as it were by accident Not until

, ,
.

Dan i el Defoe and the rise of the newspaper do we note any

’
advance in technique Defoe s main contribution was the.

short-st ory essay which stands midway between the a me e

,

do te or germ plot buried in a m ass of extraneous ma

-
,

te ri al and the short story proper

,
The growth of this
-
.

form as developed by Swift Steel Addison Goldsmith

.
, , , ,

and Lamb has bee n traced and critici sed elsewhere

,
‘
It .

had this one great advant age that whatever its departures ,

from the strict technique of the modern short -story it was .

ca pa b le of being read at one sitting stood b y itself and , .

gained the immense force deriva b le from total z ty ”

.

I n the Tr ue Revelation of the A ppa ri tion of One M rs Vea l .

,

Defoe is again strangely in advance of his time as he is ,

in so many other ways Here is an almost perfect exam ple .

of the most modern method of handling a gh ost tale -

.

Surely in whatever de partment of literature we seek we

, ,

‘
In th e thi rd ch a pte r of The Great E nglz sh Essayi sts , v o l i ii o f .

The Reader
'

s In brary , pu b li sh ed by Messrs Harpe r 6: B rothers .

,

1 909 .
 EVOLUT I ON OF T H E S HORT - S TORY 25

shall find
nothing to surpass it in the quality of veri
’
si milctude Th e way in which Dre lincou rt s B ook on
'
'
.

D ea th is introduced and subsequently twice referred to

is a master stroke of geni us I n days gone by before they
-
.
,

were parted we are told Mrs Veal and Mrs B argrav e

“
.
, , .

’
would often console each other s adverse fortunes and ,

read together D re linc ourt On D eath and other good books .

At the time when the story O pens Mrs B argra v e h as gone .

to live in Canterbury and Mrs Veal is in Dove r To Mrs

, . . .

B argrav e i n Canterbury the apparitio n ap pears though .

she does n ot know that it is an appari tion for there is ,

nothing to denote that it is not her old friend still alive .

One of the fi rst things the apparition does is to remind

Mrs B argrav e of the many friendly offi ces she did her in
.

former days and much of the conversation they had with

,

each other in the times of their adversity ; what books

they read and what comfort in particular they received
,

’
from D re lin cou rt s B ook on D eath Dre lincou rt she said .
, ,

had the clearest notions of death and of the future state

of any who had handled that subj ect Then she as ked .

M rs B argrav e whether she had D re lincou rt She said

’
. .
,

‘
Yes ’ Says Mrs Veal Fetch it
. . Some days after ‘
.
, ,

when Mrs B argrav e having discovered that the visitor

.
,
'

was a ghost h as gone abou t telling her neighbors Defoe

, ,

’B
observes D re lincou rt s ook on D eath is since this h ap
,
‘
,

pened bought up ,

This m as terpiece of Defoe is before its time by a hun

dred years ; nothing can be found in the realm of the
English prose s hort — story to approach it in symmetry
until the Ettrick Shepherd commenced to write .

Oi all the models of prose fi ction which the Tudor trans -

lations had given to English literature the fi rst to be copied ,

’
was that of Cervantes s D on Qui x ote rendered into E nghsh ,

by Thomas Shelton in 1 6 1 2 Swift must have had the .

26 EN GLI S H S HORT — S TORY W RITERS

rambling method of Ce rvantes well in mind when he wrote

h i s Gull i ver : and Smollett confessedly took it as his pattern
and set out to imitate The most that was re quired by
.

such a method in the way of initial construction w as to

select a hero give some account of his early history from
, ,

the day of his birth up to the point where the t rue narra
tive commences and then send him upon his travels
, .

Usually it was thought necessary to have a Sancho to act

as background to Don Q uixo te ; thus Crusoe is given his

Man Friday Tom Jones his Mr Partridge and Roderick

, .
,

Random his Strap ; but this was not always done for both ,

Gulliver and the hero of the S enti mental J ou rney set ou t

on their j ourneyings unaccompan ied The story which .

grew ou t of such a method usually consis ted of a series of

plots an ec dotes and incidents linked together only by
, ,

the characters and governed by no unifying purpose which

,

made ea c h one a nec essa ry and ascending step toward a

prearranged climax These ea rly novels are often books
.

of descriptive travel rather than novels in the modern

sense ; the sole conn ection between their first incident and
their last being the long road which lies between them ,

and h as been traversed in the continual company of the

same lead ing characters Many of the chapters taken.
,

apart from their context are short -story themes badly ,

h andled Some of them are mere interpolations intro

.

du ced on the flimsiest of excuses which arrest the progress ,

of the main narrative — i e the travel and give the author

—
. .
,

an O pportunity to use up some spare material which he

does not know what to do with Such are The Man of .

Th e History of M elopoyn the

”
the Hill in Tom J ones
,

Playwright in Roderi ck Random ; the Memoirs of a Lady “

of Quality ,
oc cupying fi f ty-three thousand words in Pere ,

gr i ne P i ckl e ; The Ph i IOSO ph i c Vagabond ”

in the V i ca r of ,

’
Wakefield; and Wandering Willie s Tale in Redgau ntlet .
,
 EVOLUTION OF T H E S HORT — S TORY 27

The reason why the eighteenth-century novelist did not

know what to do with these materials was in certain cases , ,

that he had discovered a true short -story theme and was

perplexed by it He knew that it was good his art ist s
.
— ’
instinct made him aware of that but somehow to hi s great ,

bewilderment and annoyance it refused to be expanded ,

.

So in order that it might not be entirely lost to him he

, ,

tied the little boat on behind the great schooner of his

main narration and set them afl oat together
,
.

By the modern reader whether of the short

,
-
story or the
novel the lack of atmosphere and of immediateness in eigh
,

y prose fi ction is particularly felt There is no

-centur
tee nth -
.

use mad e of landscapes moods and the phenomena of na

, ,

ture ; the story happens at almost any season of the year Oi .

these things and their use the modern short -story writer is
meticulously careful B y how much would the worth of
.

’
Hardy s The Three S trangers be diminished if the descrip
tion of the March rain driving across the Wessex moorland
were left out? Before he commences the story c ontained
in A Lodgi ng for the N i ght Ste venson o cc upies three hun
,

dred words in painting the picture of Paris under snow .

In the same way in his story of The M an Who Would B e

,

Ki ng Kipling is at great pains to make us burn with the

,

scorching heat which in the popular mind is asso c iated

, ,

with India F or such e ffects you wi ll searc h the prose

.

fi ction of the eighteenth century in vain ; where as the

use of atmosphere has been c arried to such extremes
to-day by certain writers that the short - story in their
hands is in danger of be c omi ng all atmosphere and no
story .

The impression created by the old te c hnique such as it ,

was when contrasted w ith the n ew when legitimately

, ,

handled is the d ifi e re nce between readi ng a play and

,
 28 EN GLI SH SH ORT — S TORY W R ITERS

As regards i mmediatenes s of narration Laurence Sterne ,

may perha ps be pointed out as an example But he is not

, , .

immediate in the t rue sense ; he is abrupt and this too f re ,

quently for his ow n sly purposes — which have nothi ng to do

with either technique or the short story -
.

Most of the Engli sh short -stories previous to those writ ,

ten by James Hogg are either p re faced w ith a biography

,

of their main characters or else the biography is made to do

service as though it were a plot — nothing is left to the

imagination Even in the next cen tury when the short
.
,

story h ad come to be recognized in America through the ,

example set by Haw thorne and Poe as a distinct species of ,

literary art the productions of British wri ters were too

,

often nothing more than compressed novels In fac t it is .

,

t rue to say that there is mo re of sho rt-story te chni que

in the short story essays of Goldsmith and Lamb than
-

can be found in many of the brief tales of Dickens an d

Anthony Trollope which in their day passed muster
,

unchallenged as short -stori es .

But between the i rrelevant brief story interpolated in a

N
,

n rrative and the perfect short sto ry which could

‘

—
arge r a , ,

3 not be expanded and is total in itself of Hawthorne and

Poe there st ands th e w ork of a man who is little known in

,

Am erica and by no means popular in England that of the

, ,

E ttrick Shepherd James Hogg ,

He w as born in Scotland
.
,

among the mountains of Ettrick and Yarrow the son of a .

shepherd When he was but six years old he commenced

.

to earn his living as a cowherd and by his seventh year had

,

received all the s c hooling which he was destined to have

— tw o separate periods of three months Matthew Arnold . ,

when ac counting for the steril ity of Gray as a poet says ,

30 EN GL I SH S HORT - S TORY W R ITERS

F or the impartin g of atmosphere to his stories a talent so ,

conspicuously l ack ing not only in his predecessors but also ,

in many of his c ontemporaries he h ad a native fac ulty , .

The author of B onny Kil meny could scarcely fail in this

res pect when he turned his at tention from poetry to prose
, .

He h ad lived too close to nat u re to be able ever to keep the

green and silver of woods and rivers far from his thoughts ;
they were the mirrors in which h is fancy saw itself Pro .

fessor W ilson who had kno w n hi m as a friend w riting of

’
,

him in B lackwood s after his death says : Living for years ,

“ ,

in solitude he un consciously formed friends hi ps with the

,

springs the brooks the caves the hills and with all the
, , , ,

mo re fleeting and faithl ess p ageantry of the sky that to ,

hi m came in pl ace of those hum an affections f rom whose

indulgen ce he w as debarred by the ne cessities that kept
him al oof from the cott age fi re and up among the mists of
the mountain—top The still green beauty of the pastoral
.

hills and val es where he passed his youth inspired h im with

ever-brooding Visions of fairyl and till as he lay musing , ,

in his lonely shieling the world of fant as y seemed in the

, ,

clear depths of his imagination a lovelier re flection of that ,

of n ature like the hills and heavens more softly shin ing in
,

the water of his native lake .

His taste is ofte n defective as is that of Burns on oc ca ,

sions This is a fault whi ch might be expec ted in a man

.

of his training ; but the vigor and essential worth of the

matters which he relate s are beyond all question He did .

not always kn ow where to begin hi s short story or where -

,

to te rminate Some of hi s tales if edited with blue pencil

.
-
,

erasures would be foun d to contain a nucleus-techn ique

,

which though far from perfect is more than equal to that

,

of Washin gton I rving w h o lik e Apul eius cared not how

, ,
,

,
“
”
he loitered by the way and very superior to that of most
,

of his immediate suc cessors in the art His story here in .

 EVOLUT ION OF TH E S HORT — STORY 31

eluded of The M ysteri ous B ride c ould scarcely be bettered

, ,
l

in its method To tell it in fewer words would be to oh

.

scure it; to tell it at greater length would be to rob it of

its mystery and to make it obvious Moreover by em .
,

ploying atmos phere he tells it in such a way as to leave

the reader with the impression that this occurrence for ,

all its magic might not only be possible but even prob
, ,

able— which achievement is the greatest triumph of the

’
short -story writer s art .

As this history of the evolution of the English short /

2
l
story commenced w ith a poet Chaucer who wrote all , ,

save tw o of his short -stories in poetry so it fi ttingly closes

,

with a poet the Ettrick Shepherd who wrote most of his

, ,

short stories in prose I t remained for yet another poet

-
.
,

Edgar Allan Poe who may never have heard the name or
,

have read a line from the writings of James Hogg to bring ,

to perfection the task on which he had spent his labor .

1
Com pare ith K i pli ng ’
s t reat me nt of a s i milar the me
w in The
B ru shwood B oy .

2
Th e Gesta Romanoru m w as w ri tte n in L ati n .
TH E A P PAR I T ION OF M RS . VE A L

D ani el ( 1 66 1 —1
73 1 )
 T HE A PPA RITIO N OF M a s VE A L
.

D aniel D efoe ( 1 66 1 — 1 73 1
)

HIS thing is so rare in all its circu mstances and on ,

so good authority that my reading and conversa

,

tion have n ot given me anything like it It is fi t .

to gratify the most ingenious and serious inquirer Mrs . .

Bargrav e is the person to whom Mrs Veal appeared after .

ner death ; she is my intimate friend and I can avouch for ,

her reputation for these fi f tee n or sixteen years on my ,

own knowledge ; and I can confirm the good character

she had from her youth t o the time of my acquaintance .

Though since this relation she is calumniate d by some

, ,

people that are friends t o the brother of Mrs Veal who .

appeared w h o think the relation of this appearance to

,

be a re fle ction and endeavor what they can to blast Mrs

, .

’
B argrav e s reputation and to laugh the story ou t of
countenance But by the circ um stan ces thereof and the
.
,

cheerful disposition of Mrs B argrav e notwithstanding the

.
,

ill usage of a very wicked husband there is not yet the ,

least sign of dej ectio n in her face ; n or di d I ever hear her

let fall a desponding or mu rmuring expression ; nay not
’
,

when actually under her husband s barbarity which I have ,

been a witness to and several other persons of undoubted

,

reputation .

Now you must know Mrs Veal was a maiden gentle

.

woman of about thirty years of age and for some years ,

past had been troubled with hts Which were perceived ,

36 EN GL ISH SHOR T — S TORY W RI TERS

coming her by her going off from her d iscou rse very
on

abruptly to some impert inence She was maintain ed by .

an only brother and kept his house in Dover She was

, .

a very pious woman and her brother a very sobe r man ,

to all appearance ; but now he does all he can to null and

quash the story Mrs Veal was intimately acquainted
. .

wi th Mrs B argrav e from her childhood Mrs Veal s cir

.
’ . .

cu mstances were then mean ; her father did not take care

of his children as he ought so that they were exposed to ,

hardships And Mrs B argrav e in those days h ad as un

. .

kind a father though she wanted neither for food nor

,

clothing ; while Mrs Veal wanted for both insomuch that

“
.
,

she would often say Mrs B argrav e you are not only ,
.
,

the best but the only friend I have in the world ; and
,

no circumstance of life shall over dissolve my friendship .

’
They would often condole each other s adverse fortunes ,

and read together Dreli neou rt u pon D eath and other good ,

books ; and so like tw o Chri stian friends they comforted

, ,

each other under their sorrow .

’
Some time after Mr Veal s friends got him a place in .
,

the custom house at Dover whi ch occasioned Mrs Veal

-
,
.
,

by little and little to fall off from her intimacy with Mrs
,
.

B argrav e though there was never any such thing as a

,

quarre l ; but an indi fferency came on by degrees till at ,

last Mrs B argrav e had not seen her in two years and a
.

half though above a twelvemonth of the time Mrs Bar

,
.

grave hath been absent from Dover and this last half-year ,

h as been in Canterbury about two months of the time ,

dwelling in a house of her ow n .

In this house on the eighth of Sep tember one thousan d

, ,

seven hundred and fi v e she was sitting alone in the fore ,

noon thinking over her unfortunate life and arguing her

, ,

self into a due resig nation to Providence though her

”
condition seemed hard : And said she I have been “ , ,
“ ,
38 EN GL ISH SHORT — S TORY W RITERS

books they read and what comfort in particular they re

,
’
ceive d from Dre lincourt s B ook of D eath which was the ,

best she said on the subject ever wrote She also men
, ,
.

tioned Doc tor Sherlock and two Dutch books which were , ,

transl ated w rote upon death and several others But

, , .

Dre lin cou rt she said had the cleares t notions of death
, ,

and of the future st ate of any who h ad handled that su b

j ect Then she asked Mrs B argrav e whether she had
.

Dre lincourt She said Yes

. Says Mrs Veal Fetch
,
“ .

. .
,
“
”
An d so Mrs B argrav e goes u p—stairs and brings it
“
it
. .

down Says Mrs Veal

. Dear Mrs B argrav e if the eyes
.
, .
,

of our fai th w ere as O pen as the eyes of our body we should ,

see numbers of ange ls about us for our guard The notions .

we have of Heaven n ow are nothi ng like what it is as ,

D re lin cou rt says ; therefo re be comforted under your af

flictions and believe that the Almi ghty has a particul ar
,

regard to you and that your affl ictions are marks of God s ’
,

favor ; and when they have done the busin ess they are sent
for they shall be removed from you An d believe me my
,
.
,

dear f ri end believe what I say to you one minute of future

, ,

happiness will infi nite ly reward you for all your suff erings .

”
For I can never believe ( and claps her han d upon her kn ee
with great earnestness whi ch indeed ran through most of , , ,

her discourse ) that ever God wi ll suff er you to spend all

your days in thi s affl icted sta te But be assured t h at your .

”
affl ictions shall leave you or you them in a short time , , .

She S pake in that pathetical and heavenly manner that

Mrs B argrav e wept several times she was so deeply ai
.
,

fe cted with it
’
.

Then Mrs Veal mentioned Doc tor Kendrick s A sceti c

.
,

at the en d of which he gives an account of the li ves of the

primitive Christians Their pattern she recommended to
“
.

ou r imitation and said

“
The ir conve rs ation w as not like
, ,

this of our age For n ow says she there is nothing but

”
.
, ,
 THE A PPARI TION OF M RS . VEA L 39

vai n frothy di scoume which is far di ff eren t from thei rs

, , .

Thei rs w as to edi fi cation and to build one another up in ,

“
faith so that they were not as we are nor are w e as they
, ,
”
were B u t said she w e ought to do as they did ; the re
.
, ,

was a hearty friendship among them but where is it now °

”
Says Mrs B argrav e It is hard indeed to
“
to be found ? .
,
”
fin d a true friend in these days Says Mrs Veal Mr . .
,
.

Norris has a fine copy of verses called F riendshi p i n Per ,

fection which I wonderfully admire Have you seen the

”
,
“ .

“
“
book ? says Mrs Veal No says Mrs B argrav e but
. .
,
.
,

“
I have the verses of my ow n w riting ou t Have you .

”
says Mrs Veal ; then fetch them ; which she did from
.

above stai rs and o ffered them to Mrs Veal to read who

,

refused and waived the th ing saying holding down her

, , ,
.

“ ,

head would make it ache and then desiring Mrs B argrav e .

to read them to her which she did As they were admiring

“
.
,

F ri endshi p Mrs Veal said

,
Dear Mrs B argrav e I shall
.
, .
,

“
love you forever In these verses there is twice used the
.

” ”
word Elysian Ah ! says Mrs Veal these poets have
. .
,

“
such names for Heaven She would often draw her hand .

“
across her ow n eyes and say Mrs B argrav e do not you
, , .
,

” ”
think I am mightily impaired by my fi ts ?
“
No says ,

Mrs B argrav e ; I think you look as well as ever I knew

.

you .

After this disc ourse which the apparition put in much ,

finer wo rds than Mrs B argrav e said she could pretend to .

,

and as much more than she can remember— for it cannot

’
be thought that an hour and three quarters conversation
could all be re tained though the main of it she thinks she
,

does — s he said to Mrs B argrav e she would have her w rite .

a letter to her brother and tell him she would have him give,

rings to such and such ; and that there was a purse of gold
in her cabinet and that she would have two broad pieces
,

given to her cousin Watson .

1 0 EN GL IS H SH ORT — S TORY W RI TERS

Talking at thi s rate Mrs B argrav e thought that a fit , .

w as coming upon her and so placed herse lf on a chair j ust ,

before her k nees to keep her from falling to the ground if

, ,

her fi ts should occasion it for the elbow—chair she thought , ,

would kee p her from falling on either side And to di v ert .

Mrs Veal as she thought took hold of her gow n -sleeve

.
, ,

several times and commended it Mrs Veal told her it

, . .

was a scoured silk and newly mad e u p But for all thi s , .
, ,

Mrs Veal pe rsisted in her request and told Mrs B argrav e

.
, .

she must not deny her And she would have her tell her .

brother all their conversation when she had the oppor

tu n ity .
“ ”
Dear Mrs Veal says Mrs B argrav e this seems .
, .
,

so impertinent that I cann ot tell how to comply with it

and what a mort ifying story will ou r conversation be to a
youn g gentleman Why says Mrs B argrav e it is much
”
.
, .
,
“
”
better methi nk s to do it yourself N says Mrs Veal ;
“
.
,
.
,

though it seems impertinent to you now you will see more ,

”
reasons for it hereafter Mrs B argrav e then to satisfy . .
, ,

her importuni ty was goi ng to fetch a pen and ink but Mrs
“
.
, ,

Veal said Let it alone now but do it when I am gone ;

, ,

but you must be sure to d o it which w as one of the last

things she enj oined her at parting and so she promised ,

her
’
.

“
Then Mrs Veal asked for Mrs B argrav e s daughter She
. . .

said she was not at home But if you have a min d to

“ “
.

” ’
see her says Mrs B argrav e I ll send for her ”
Do
”
. .
, , ,

says Mrs Veal ; on whi ch she left her and went to a neigh
.
,
’
bor s to see her ; and by the time Mrs B argrav e was te .

turning Mrs Veal was got without the door in the street
,
.
,

in the face of the beast -market on a Saturday ( whi ch is ,

market -d ay) and stood ready to part as soon as Mrs

,
.

B argrave came to her She asked her why she was in .

such haste She said she must be going though perhaps

.
,

she might not go her j ou rney till Monday ; and told Mrs .
 TH E A PPARI T ION OF M RS . VEA L 1 1
4

B argrav e she hoped she should see her again at her cousin
’
Watson s before she went whither she was going Then .

she said she would take her leave of her and walked from ,

Mrs B argrav e in her view till a turning interrupted the

.
, ,

sight of her which w as three-quarters after one in the

,

afternoon .

Mrs Veal died the seventh of September at twelve

.
,
’
o c lock at noon of her fi ts and had not above four hours ’
, ,

senses before her death in which time she received the sacra ,
’
ment The next day after Mrs Veal s appearance being .
.
,

Sunday Mrs B argrav e was mightily indisposed with a cold

,
.

and sore throat that she could not go out that day ; but on
,

Monday morning she sends a person to Captain W atson s ’

to know if Mrs Veal was there They wondered at Mrs. . .

’
B argrav e s inquiry and sent her word she was not there , ,

nor was expected At this answer Mrs B argrav e told the .

,
.

maid she had cert ainly mistook the name or made some
blunder An d though she was ill she put on her hood
.
,
’
and went herself to Captain Watson s though she knew ,

none of the family to see if Mrs Veal was there or not , . .

They said they wondered at her asking for that she had ,

not been in town ; they were sure if she had she would
have been there Says Mrs B argrav e I am sure she
. .
,

,
“ ,

”
was with me on Saturday almost two hours They said .

it was im possible for they must have seen her if she had ,
.

I n comes Captain W atson while they were in dispute and , ,

said that Mrs Veal was certainly dead and the escutcheons
.
,

were making This strangely surprised Mrs B argrav e

. .
,

when she sent to the person immediately who had the care
of them and found it true Then she related the whole
,
.

’
story to Ca ptain W atson s family ; and what gown she had
ou, and how striped ; and that Mrs Veal told her that it .

was scoured Then Mrs W atson cried out You have seen
. .
,

her indeed for none knew but Mrs Veal and myself that
, .
4-
2 EN GL IS H SH ORT — S TORY W RITERS

the gown was scou red And Mrs W atson owned that
“ “
. .

”
she described the go w n exactly ; for said she I helped , ,

her to make it u p ”
This Mrs W atso n blazed all about
. .

the town and avouched the demonstration of truth of

,

.
’ ’
Mrs B argrav e s seeing Mrs Veal s apparition An d Cap . .

tain W a tson carried two gentlemen immediately to Mrs

’
.

B argrav e s h ouse to hear the relation from her own mouth .

And when it spre ad so fast that gentlemen and persons of

quality the j udicious and sceptical part of the world
, ,

fl ocked in upon her it at last became such a task that ,

she was forced to go ou t of the way ; for they were in gen

eral extremely satisfied of the truth of the thing and ,

plainly saw that Mrs B argrav e was no hypoc hondriac for .

,

she always appears with such a cheerful air and pleasing

mien that she has gained the favor and esteem of all the
gentry and it is thought a great favor if they can but get
,

the relati on from her ow n mouth I should have told .

you before that Mrs Veal told Mrs B argrav e that her . .

sister and brother in-law were j ust come down from Lon
“
-

don to see her Says Mrs B argrav e How came you to

“
. . ,

”
order mat te rs so strangely It could not be helped ‘
,

said Mrs Veal And her brother and sister did come to
. .

her and entered the town of Dover j ust as Mrs Veal

,
.

was expiring Mrs B argrav e asked her whether she would

“
. .

dri nk some tea Says Mrs Veal .I do not care if I do .

,

’
but I ll warrant you this mad fellow — meaning M18 Bar
“
.

’ ” ”
grave s husband has broke all your trinkets But
“
.
,

’
says Mrs B argra ve I ll get something to drink in for all
that
.

“ ,

but Mrs Veal waived it, an d said It is no matter ;

.
,

”
let it alone ; and so it passed .

All the time I sat with Mrs B argrav e whi c h was some .
,

hours she recollected fresh say ings of Mrs Veal And

,
. .

one mate rial thing more she told Mrs B argrav e that o ld .
,

Mr Bretton allowed Mrs Veal ten pounds a year which

. . .
 THE A PPAR I TION OF M RS . VEA L 43

was a secre t and unknown to Mrs B argrav e till M rs Veal

,
. .

told her .

Mrs B argrav e never varies in her story which pu zz les

.
,

those who doubt of the truth or are unwilling to believe ,

it
.
’
A servant in the neighbor s yard adj oining to Mrs .

’
B argrav e s house heard her talking to somebody an hour
of the time Mrs Veal was with her Mrs B argrav e went
. . .

’
ou t to her next neighbor s the very moment she parted

with Mrs Veal and told her what ravishing conversation

.
,

she had h ad with an old friend and told the whole of it ,

.

Dre lin
’
cou rt s B ook of D eath is since th is happened bought , ,

up strangely And it is to be observed that notw ith

.
,

standing all the trouble and fatigue Mrs B argrav e has .

undergone upon this account she never took the value of ,

a farthing nor su ff ered her daughter to take anything of

,

anybody and therefore can have no interest in telling the

,

story .

But Mr Veal does what he can to stifle the matter and

.
,

said he would see Mrs B argrav e ; but yet it is certai n .

’
matter of fact that he has been at Captain W atson s since
the death of his sister and yet never went near Mrs Bar ,
.

grave ; and some of his friends report her to be a liar and ,

’
that she knew of M r Bretton s ten pounds a year But . .

the person who pretends to say so has the reputation to be

a notorio us liar among persons whom I know to be of u m
doubted credit Now Mr Veal is more of a gentleman
.
, .

than to say she lies but says a bad husband has crazed ,

her ; but she n eeds only present herself and it will eff ectu ,

ally confute that pretence Mr Veal says he asked his . .

sister on her death bed whether she h ad a mind to d is pose

-

of anything And she said no Now the things which

.

’
.

Mrs Veal s apparition would have disposed of were so

.

trifl ing and nothing of j ustice aimed at in the dis posal

, ,

that the design of it appears to me to be only in order to

41 41 EN GL IS H SHORT — STORY W RI TERS

make Mrs B argrav e satisfy the world of the re ality thereof

.

as to what she had seen and heard and to secure her re pu ,

tation among the reasonable and un derstandi ng part of

mankind And then again M r Veal owns that there
.
, , .

was a purse of gold ; but it was not found in her cabinet ,

but in a comb-box This looks improbable ; for that Mrs

. .

W atson owned that Mrs Veal w as so very care ful of the .

key of her cabinet that she would trust nobody with it;
and if so no doubt she would not t rust her gold ou t of it
. .

’
And Mrs Veal s often drawing her han ds over her eyes
.
,

and asking Mrs B argrav e whether her fi ts had not im

.

paired her looks to me as if she did it on purpose to re

,

mind Mrs Hargrave of her fi ts to prepare her not to think

.
,

it strange that she should put her upon writ ing to her
brother to dis pose of rings and gold which look so much ,
’
,

like a dyi ng person s re quest ; and it took accordingly with

Mrs B argrav e as the effect of her fi ts comin g upon her
.
,

and w as one of the many instan ces of her wonderful love

'

to her and care of her that she should not be afi righ ted , ,

which indeed appears in her whole man agement particu

, , ,

lar ly in her coming to her in the daytime waivin g the salu ,

tation and when she was alone ; and then the manner of
,

her part ing to prevent a sec ond attempt to salute her

,
.

Now why Mr Veal should think this relation a re flec

, .

tion as it is plain he doe s by his endeavoring to

— stifle i t—
I ,

cann ot imagine ; because the generality believe her to be

a good spi rit her discourse was so heavenly Her tw o
,
.

great erran ds were to comf o rt Mrs B argrav e in her atflic

,
.

tion and to ask her forgi venes s for her breach of friends hip
, ,

and with a pious discou rs e to encourage her So that .

,

after all to su ppose that Mrs B argrav e could hatch such

,
.

an invention as this from Friday noon to Saturday noon

’
,

su pposing that she knew of Mrs Veal s death the very first .

moment w ithout j umbling circumstances and without

—
.
TH E M Y S T E RIO U S B RI D E

J ames Hogg ( 1 770- 1 835)

 T HE M Y s rm '
uo u s B RIDE ‘

J ames Hogg ( 1 770— 1 83 5)

GREAT n u mber of people n owadays are beginning

b roadly to ins inuate that there are no such things
as ghosts or spiritual beings visible to mortal sight
, .

Even Sir Walter Scott is turned renegade and with his

’
,

stori es made up of h alf and half l ike Nathan i el Gow s

- -
,

toddy is trying to throw cold water on the most certain

, ,

though most impalpable phenomena of human nature

,
.

The bodies are daft Heaven mend their wits ! Before

.

they had ventured to assert such things I wish they had ,

been where I have often been ; or in particular where the , ,

’
Laird of B irkende lly was on S t Lawrence s Eve in the .
,

year 1 777 and sun dry times subsequent to that

,
.

B e it known then to every reader of this relation of facts

, ,

that happened in my ow n remembrance that the road

from B irke nde lly to the great muckle village of B almaw
h apple ( commonly called the muckle to w n in O pposition ,

to the little to w n that stood on the other side of the burn )

that road I say lay between tw o thorn -hed ges so well
, , ,

’
kept by the Laird s hedger so close and so high that a
,
, ,

rabbit could not have escaped from the highway into any
of the adj oining fi e lds Along this road was the Laird
.

riding on the Eve of S t Law rence in a care less ind ifl ere nt

‘

.
, ,

manner with his hat to one side and his cane danc i ng a
, ,

hornpipe before hi m He was moreover chant ing a song

.
, ,

F rom Tales and S ketche s b y the E ttrick Shephe rd

, .
50 EN GL IS H SHOR T — S TORY W R ITERS

to himself and I have heard people tell what song it was

,

too .There was once a cert ain or rather un certain bard , , ,

ycleped Robert Burns who made a number of good songs ;

,

but this that the Lai rd sang was an amorous song of great
’
antiquity which like all the said bard s best songs was
, ,
,

sung one hundred and fi fty yea rs before he was born It .

began thus :
I m the L aird of W indy
a -w a
’
s
,

I c am nae here without a cause ,

’
A n I has
’
otten forty fa s
g
I n coming ’
o e r th e k nowe j oe .
,

Th e ni ght it is b aith wind and weet ;

The m o m it w ill be snaw and sleet ;
My shoon are fro ze n to my fee t ;
’
0 , ri se an le t m e in , j oe l
Le t me in this ae ni ght , etc .

This song was the Lai rd s inging whi le at the same time , , ,

he w as smudging and laughing at the catastrophe when , ,

ere ever aware he beheld a short way before him an u m

, , ,

commonly elegant and beautiful girl walking in the same

”
direction with him Aye sai d the Laird to himself
.
, ,

here is somethi ng very attractive indeed ! Where the

deuce can she have sprung from ? She must have risen ou t
of the earth for I never saw her till this bre ath Well I
,
.
,

decla re I have not seen such a female g fi u re — I

wish I had
such an assignation with her as the Laird of W indy w a s -
’
had with his sweetheart .

As the Laird w as half-think ing half-spea king this to ,

himself the enchantin g creatu re looked back at himwith a

,

motion of intelli gen ce that she knew what he was half

s aying half-th inking and then vanished over the summit
, ,

“
of the ri sing ground before him called the Birky Brow
“
.

’
,

”
Aye go your ways ! said the Laird ; I see b y you you ll
, ,

not be very hard to overt ake Y ou cannot get off the ro ad .

,
 TH E M YS T E R IOU S B RI D E 51

’
and I ll have a c hat with you before you make the Deer s
’
Den .

The La ird j ogged on He did not sing the L a i rd of

.

’
Wi ndy wa s any more for he felt a stifling about his
“
—
,
’
heart ; but he often repeated to himself She s a very fine
woman ! -a very fi ne woman indee d l and to be walking -

here by herself ! I cannot comprehend it .

W hen he reached the summit of the Birky Brow he did

not see her although he had a longer view of the road than
,

before He thought this very singular and began to sus

.
,

pe ct that she wanted to escape him although ap parently

rather li ngering on him before I shall have another look .
“ ,

”
at her however thought the Laird and off he set at a
, , ,

flying trot N o He came -fi rst to one turn then another

. .
,
.

There was nothing of the young l ady to be seen Unless .

she take wings and fl y away I shall be up with her quoth , ,

the Laird and off he set at the full gallop

, .

In the middle of his career he met with Mr M Mu rd ie of

“
‘
.
,

Au lton w h o hail ed him with

,
Hilloa B irkendelly ! Where , ,

the deu c e are you flying at that rate ? ”

“ ”
I was riding after a woman said the Laird with great , ,

simplicity reining in his steed

,
.

Then I am sure no woma n on earth can long escape you ,

un less she be in an air balloon ”

“
.

’
I don t know that I s she far gone ? ”
.

I n which way do you mean

I n this .

Aha-h a h a ! Hee—hee hee ! nichered M Murdie mis

- -
‘

’
,

constru ing the Laird s meaning

“
.

What do you laugh at my dear sir ? Do you know ,

”

“
her then ?
,

Ho-h o—ho l Hee hee-hee l How should I or how can

-
,

I know her B irkende lly unl ess you i nform me who sh e

, , ,

is ?
52 EN GL IS H S HORT - S TORY W R I TERS

Wh y that is the very thing I want

,
know of you I to .

”
mean the youn g l ady whom you met j ust now
“
.

Y ou are raving B irkendelly I met no young lady

, .
,

nor is there a single person on the road I have come b y ,

while you know that for a mile and a half forwa rd your
”
way she could not get out of it
“
.

I know that said the Laird biting his lip and looking
”
,

“
greatly puzzled ; but confoun d me if I understan d this
,

for I was withi n speech of her j ust now on the top of the
Birky Brow there and when I think of it she could not
, , ,

have been even thus far as yet She had on a pure white .

gauze frock a small green bonnet and feathers and a g reen

, ,

veil which fl un g back over her left shoulder hun g below

, , ,

her waist an d was altogether such an engaging figu re that

,

no man could have passed her on the road without taking

some note of her Are you not making game of me ? Did
.

”
you not reall y meet with her ?
“ On my word of truth and honor I di d not Co me ride ,
.
,

back with me and we shall meet her still de pe nd on it

, ,
.

She h as given you the go-by on the road Le t us go ; I am .

only to call at the mill about some barley for the distillery ,

and will ret urn with you to the big town .

B irkende lly return ed w ith his friend The sun was not .

yet set yet M M urdi e could not help obse rving that the
,
‘

Laird looked thoughtful and confused and not a word ,

could he speak about anythi ng save this lovely apparition

with the whi te frock and the green veil ; and 1 0 ! when they
reached the top of Birky B row there w as the maiden
again before them and exactly at the same spot where the
,

Lai rd first saw her before only walking in the contrary ,

direction
“
.

Well this is the most extraordinary thi ng that I ever

,

knew ! excl aimed the Laird

”

“
.

What is it sir ? said M M u rd ie

”
,
‘
.
5 44 EN GLI S H S HORT - STORY W R I TERS

disposed to leave the spot Perh aps she will appear to .

”
you agai n .

So saying M Mu rdie rode on toward the mill and

‘
, ,

B irkendelly after musing f or some time turned h is beast s

’
, ,

head slowly round and began to move toward the great ,

muckle vill age .

’
The Lai rd s feel in gs were now in terrible commotion .

He was taken beyond measure with the beauty and ele

gan ce of the figure he had seen but he remembered , with a ,

mixture of admiration and horror that a dream of the ,

same enchanting obj ect had haunted his slumbers all the
days of his l ife ; yet h ow singular that he should never ,

have recollected the circumstance till now ! But farther ,

with the dream there were connec ted some pa inful circum
stanc es wh ich though terrible in their issue he could not
, ,

rec olle ct so as to form them into any degree of arrangement .

As he was considering deeply of these things and riding

slowly dow n the declivity neither dancing his cane nor ,
’
sin ging the L a i rd of Wi nd y—wa s he lifted up his ey es and , ,

there was the girl on the same spot where he saw her first ,

walki ng deli berately up the Birky Brow The sun was .

down but it was the month of August an d a fine evening

, ,

and the Laird seized with an un conquerable desi re to see

,

and speak wit h that incomparable creature cou ld restrain ,

hi mself no longer but shouted out to her to stop till he

,

came u p She beckoned ac quiesc ence and slackened her

.
,

pa ce into a slow movement The Laird turned the corner .

qui ckl y but when he h ad rounded it the mai den was still
,

there though on the summit of the brow She turned

,
.

'

roun d and with an inefi ab le smile and curtsy saluted

, , ,

him and again moved slowly on She vanished gradually

,
.

beyond the su mmit and whi le the green feathers were still ,

nodding in View and so ni gh that the Laird could have

,

touched them with a fish ing-rod he reached the top of ,

 T HE M YS TERIO U S B RID E 55

the brow himself There was no l iving soul there nor on

.
,

ward as far as his view reached He now trembled in

,
.

e very limb and without knowing what he did rode

, , ,

straight on to the big town not daring well to return and ,

see what he had seen for three several times ; and certain he
would see it again when the shades of evening were deep
e ning he deemed it proper and prudent to decline the pur
,

suit of such a phantom any farther .

’
He alighted at the Queen s Head called for some brandy ,

and water quite forgot what was his errand to the great
,

muckle town that afternoon there being nothing visible ,

to hi s mental sight but lovely images with white gau z e ,

frocks and green veils His friend M Mu rdie j oined him ;

.
‘

they drank deep bantered reasoned got an gry reasoned

, , , ,

themselves calm again and still all would not do The

, .

Laird was conscious that he h ad seen the beautiful appari

tion and moreover that she was the very maiden or the
, , , ,

resemblance of her who in the irrevoc able decrees of

, ,

Provi dence was destined to be hi s It w as in vain that

, .

M Murdie reasoned of impressions on the imagination and

‘
,

Of fancy moulding in th e mind ,

L ight visions on th e passing wind .

Vain also was a story that he told him of a relation of his

ow n who was greatly harassed by the apparition of an
,

offi cer in a red uniform that haunted him day and night ,

and had very nigh put him quite distracted several t im es ,

till at length his physician found ou t the nature of this

illusion so well that he knew from the state of his pulse , ,

to an hour when the ghost of the offi cer would appear ,

and by bleeding low diet and emollients cont rived to

, ,

keep the apparition away altogether .

The Laird admitted the singularity of this incident but ,

not tha t it was one in point ; for the one he sai d was , ,
56 EN GL IS H SHORT — S TORY W RI TERS

imaginary the other real and that no conclusions could

, ,

convince hi m in opposition to the authority of his ow n

senses He accepted of an invitation to spend a few days
.

with M Murd ie and h is family but they all acknowledged

‘
,

afterward that the Laird was very much like one be

witched .

As soon as he re ached home he went straight to the

Birky Brow certain of seeing once more the angelic phan
,

tom but she was not there

, He took ea c h of hi s former
.

positions again and again but the desired vision would in

,

no wi se make its appearance He tried every day and every .

hour of the day all with the same eff ect till he grew abeo
, ,

lu te ly desperate and had the auda c ity to kneel on the

,

spot and entreat of Heaven to see her Y es he called on .

,

Heaven to see her once more whatever she w as whether , ,

a being of earth heaven or hell , , .

He was now in such a state of excitement that he could

not exist ; he grew listless impatient and sickly took to
, , ,

his bed and sent for M Murdie and the doctor ; and the
,
‘

issue of the cons ultation was tha t B irkende lly consented

to leave the country for a season on a visit to his only ,

si ster in Ireland whither we must accompan y him for a

,

short space .

His sister was married to Captain B ryan youn ger of , ,

Scoresby and they two lived in a cott age on the estate

, ,
’
and the Captain s parents and s isters at Sc oresby Hall .

Great was the stir and preparation when the gallant you ng
Laird of B irke ndelly arrived at the cottage it never being ,

doubted that he came to forward a second bond of con

ne ction with the family which still contain ed seven dash
,

ing sisters all unm arried and all alike w illing to change
, ,

that solitary and helpless state for the envied one of

matrimony— a state highly po pular am ong the youn g
women of Irel and Some of the Mi sses Bryan had now
.
 TH E M YS TERIO U S B RI D E 57

rea ched the years of womanhood several of them scarc ely , ,

but these small disqu alifi cations made no d i fference in the

estimation of the young ladies themselves ; each an d all

of them brushed up for the competition with high hope s

and un fli nch ing resolutions True the elder ones t ried

.
,

to check the younger in their good natured forthright I rish -

,

way ; but they retorted and persisted in their superior,

pretensions Then there was such shopping in the county

.

town ! It was so boundless that the credit of the Hall was

“
fin ally exhausted and the old Squire was d riven to remark
,

that Och and to be su re it was a dreadful and tirrabe ll

,

concussion to be put upon the equipment of seven dau gh

,

ters all at the same moment as if the young gentleman ,

could marry them all ! Och then poor dear shoul he , , ,

would be after finding that one was su ffi cie nt if not one ,

too many An d therefore there was no occasion none at

.
,

all at all and that there was not for any of them to rig
, , ,

out more than one .

I t was hinted that the Laird had some reason for com
plaint at this time but as the lady sided with her d au gh
,

ters he had no chance One of the items of h is accoun t

,
.

was thirty-seven buckling-combs then greatly in vogue , .

There were bl ac k combs pale combs yellow combs and , , ,

’
gilt ones al l to suit or set ofl various complexions ; and if
,

other articles bore any proportion at all to these it had ,

been better for the Laird and all hi s family that B irk ende lly
had never set foot in Ireland .

Th e plan was all concocted There was to be a grand .

dinner at the Hall at which the damsels were to appear in

,

all their fi nery A ball to follow and note be taken which

.
,
’
of the young ladies was their guest s choice and measures ,

taken accordi ngly Th e dinner and the ball took place ;

.

and what a pity I may not describe that entert ainment ,

the dr esses and the dancers for they were all exquisite in
, ,
58 EN GL I S H S HOR T — S TORY W RIT E RS

their way and ou tr é beyond measu re But such details

, .

’
only serve to deran ge a winter evening s tale such as this .

B irkendelly having at this time but one model for his

c hoi ce among womankind all that ever he did while i n the
,

pre sence of l adi es was to look ou t for some resemblance to

her the an gel of his fan cy ; and it so happened that in one
’
,

of old Bryan s daugh te rs named Lun a or more familiarly , , ,

Loony he per ceived or thought he perceived some im

, , ,

aginary similarity in form and a ir to the lovely apparition .

Th is w as the sole reason why he was incapable of taking

his eyes off from her the whole of that night ; and this in
cide nt settled the point not only with the old people but
, ,

“
even the young ladies were for ced after every exertion on ,
’
their ow n parts to yild the p int to their sister Loony w ho
, ,

certainly was not the mi st genteelest nor mist h andsomest

of that gui d -lucking fimi ly .

The next day Lady Luna w as di spatched off to the

cott age in grand style there to live hand in glove with her
,

supposed lover There was no stan ding all thi s There

. .

we re the two p arroc ked together like a ewe and a lamb , ,

early and late ; and though the Lai rd really appeared to

have and probably had some delight in her company it
, , ,

w as only in contemplating that ce rtain inde finab le air of

re semblance which she bore to the sole i mage impressed

on his heart He bought her a white gauze froc k a green

.
,

bonn et and feather with a veil which she was obliged to

, ,

wear thrown over her left shoulder and every day after six , ,

times a day w as she obliged to walk over a certain eminence

,

at a certain distan ce before her lover She was delighted .

to oblige hi m ; but still when he came u p he looked dis

,

appointed and never said Luna I love you ; when are we

, ,
“ ,
,

to be married No he never said any such thi ng for all

, ,

her l ooks and expressions of fondest love ; f or alas ! in all ,

this dalli an ce he was only feeding a mysterious flame that

 T HE M YS TERIO U S B RID E 59

preyed upon his Vitals and proved too severe f or the ,

powers either of reason or religion to extinguish Still .

,

time flew lighter and lighter by his health was restored , ,

the bloom of his cheek returned and the frank and simple ,

confidence of Luna had a certain charm with it that rec

’
onci le d him to his sister s Irish economy But a strange .

incident now happened to him whi c h deranged all his im

mediate plans .

He was returning from angling one evening a little ,

before sunset when he saw Lady Luna awaiting him on his

,

way home But instead of brushing up to meet him as

.

“
usual she turned and walked up the ri sing ground before
, ,
”

“
him . Poor sweet girl ! h ow condescending she is said ,

he to himself and how like she is in reality to the angelic

,

being whose form and features are so deeply impressed on

my heart ! I now see it is no fond or fancied resemblance .

It is real ! real ! real ! How I long to clasp her in my arms ,

and tel l her how I love her ; for after all that is the girl , ,

that is to be mine and the former a vision to impress this

,

the more on my heart .

He posted up the ascent to overtake her When at the .

top she turned smiled and curtsied ,

Good heavens ! it,
.

was the identical lady of hi s fondest adoration herself but ,

lovelier far lovelier than ever He ex pected every moment

, , .

that she would vanish as was her wont ; but she did not ,

she awaited him and received his embraces with ope n

,

arms She was a being of real flesh and blood courteous

.
, ,

elegant and a ffectionate He kissed her hand h e kissed

, .
,

her glowing cheek and blessed all the powers of love who
,

had thus restored her to him again after undergoing pangs ,

of love su c h as man never su ff e red

“ .

“
But dearest heart here we are standing in the middle
, ,

of the highway said he su ff er me to cond uct you to

,
’
my sister s house where you shall have an apartment with
,
60 EN GLI S H SH ORT — S TORY W RI TER S

a child of nature ha v ing some slight resembl an ce to you r

self ”
. She smiled an d said No I will not slee p with
, ,
“ ,

Lady Lu na to-night W ill you please to look round you

.
,

and see where you are He did so and behold they were
.
,

standing on the Birky Brow on the only s pot where he ,

h ad ever seen her She smiled at his embarrassed look

.
,

and asked if he did not remember aught of hi s coming over

from I reland He said he thought he did remember some
.

thing of it but love with him had long absorbed every

,

other sense He then asked her to his ow n house which

.
,

she declined saying she could only meet him on that spot
,

till after their marriage which could not be before St

’
Lawrence s E v e come three years An d now
”
,

sa id she .
“ ,
.

w e must part My name is Jane Ogilvie and you were

.
,

betrothed to me before you were born But I am come .

to release you this evening if you have the slightest oh ,

”
j e ction .

He declared he had none ; and kn eeling swore the most ,

solemn oath to be he rs fo re ver and to meet her there ,

’ ’
on S t Lawrence s Eve next
. and every St Lawrence s , .

Eve u ntil that blessed day on which she h ad consented to

make him happy by becomi ng his ow n forever She then .

as ked him a ffectionately to change rings wi th her in pledge ,

of their faith and troth in which he j oyfully acq u iesw d ;

,

f or she could not have then asked any conditio ns which

’
,

in the f nlness of his heart s love he would not have gran ted ,

and after one fond and a ff ectionate kiss and repeating all ,

their engagements over again they parted , .

’
B i rke nde lly s heart was now melted within him an d ,

all his senses overpowered by one overwhelming passion .

On leaving his fai r and kind one he got bewildered and , ,

could not hnd the road to his ow n house believi ng some ,

times that he was go in g there and sometimes to his ,

’
sister s till at length he c ame as he thought, upon the
, ,
62 EN GL IS H SH ORT — S TOR Y W RITERS

a l oud voi ce that Allan h ad an engagement in Sc otland

,

’
on S t Lawrence s Eve
. She then starte d u p extended
.
,

her shrivelled hands that shook l ike the aspen and panted
ou t:
“ ,

Aih aih ? Lord preserve us l Whaten an engage

,
,

ment h as he on S t Lawren c e s Eve ? Bind him ! bin d

'

’
him ! Shackle him w i bands of steel and of brass and , ,

of iron ! 0 may He whose blessed wi ll was pleased to

leave him an orphan sae soon prese rve him from the fate
,

which I tremble to thin k ou l ”

She then tottered round the table as with supernatural ,

’
energy and seizing the Laird s ri ght hand she drew it close
, ,

to her unstable eyes and then perceiving the emerald ring

,

chased in blood she threw up her arms with a j erk opened

, ,

her skinny j aws with a fearful gape and uttering a shriek ,

that made all the house yell an d every one within it to

,

tremble she fell back lifel ess and rigid on the floor The
, .

gentlemen both fled out of sheer te rror ; but a woman

,

never deserts her friends in extremity The lady called .

her maids about her had her old nurse conveyed to bed
, ,

where every m eans were used to restore animation But .

,

alas life was ext inct ! The Vital spark h ad fled forever
, ,

whi ch fi lled all their hearts with grief di sappointment an d , ,

horror as some dr eadf ul tale of mystery was now sealed

,

up from their knowledge whi ch in all likelihood no other, ,

could reveal But to say the truth the Laird did not
.
,

seem greatly di sposed to probe it to the bottom .

Not all the arguments of Captain Bryan and his lady ,

nor the simple entreaties of Lady Lun a could indu ce ,

B irkende lly to put off his engagement to meet his love on

the Birky Brow on the evening of the 9th of August ;
but he promised soon to return p retendi ng that some ,

busin ess of the utmost importance called him away .

Before he went however he asked his sister if ever she

, ,

had heard of such a l ady in Scotland as Jane Ogilvie .

 TH E M YS TERIO U S B RID E 63

Mrs Bryan repeated the name many times to herself and

.
,

said that name un doubt edly was once familiar to her al ,

though she thought not f or good but at that moment she ,

did not recollec t one single individual of the name He .

then showed her the emerald ring that had been the death
of Lucky Black ; but the moment the l ady looked at it ,

“
she made a grasp at it to take it off by force which she had ,
‘
”
very nearly efl e cted Oh burn it! burn iti cried she ;
“
.
,
”
it is not a right ring ! Burn iti
My dear siste r what fault is i n the ring ? said h e
,
”
.

I t is a very pretty ring and one that I set great value

,

by
’
“
Oh for Heaven s sake burn it and renounce the giver !
, , ,

cried she If you have any regard for your peace here
’
.

or your soul s welfare hereafter burn that ring ! If you ,

saw with your ow n eyes you would easily perc eive that that
,

is not a rin g befi tting a Christian t o wear .

This speech confounded B irkende lly a goo d deal He .

retired by himself and examined the ri ng and could see ,

nothing in it u nbecoming a Christian to wear It was a .

chased gold ring with a b right emerald which last had a

, ,

red foil in some lights giving it a purple gleam and inside

,
“
was engraven E legi t much defaced but that his sister
, ,
,

could not see ; therefore he could not c omprehen d her

vehement in j un ctions c oncerning it But that it might .

no more give her o ffence or any other he sewed it within

, ,

his vest O pposite his heart j udging that there w as some

, ,

thing in it which his eyes were withholden from discerning .

Thus he left Ireland with his min d in great confusion ,

groping his way as it we re in a hole of mystery yet with

, , ,

the passion that preyed on his heart and Vitals more in

te nse than ever He see ms to have had an impression all
.

his life that some myste rious fate awaite d him which the ,

correspondence of his d reams and day visions te nded to

64 EN GL IS H SH ORT — STOB Y W R ITERS

confi rm And though he gave hi mmlf wholly up to the

.

sway of one overpowering passion it w as not without some ,

yearnings of so u l ma nifestations of te rror and so much

, ,

earthly shame that he never more mentioned his love or

, ,

hi s engagements to any hum an being not even to his

, ,

friend M Murdi e whose company he fo rt h w ith shunned

‘
, .

It is on this ac count that I am unable to relate what

passed between the lovers then ceforward It is certai n .

’
they met at the Birky Brow that S t Lawrence s Eve for .
,

they were seen in company together ; but of the engage

ments vows or dallian ce that passed between them I can
, ,

say nothi ng ; nor of all their future meetings until the be ,

ginni ng of Augus t 1 781 when the Laird began dec idedl y

, ,

to ma ke preparations f or his approaching marriage ; yet

not as if he and his betrothed had been to reside at Bir

k e nde lly all his provis ions rather bespeaki ng a meditated

,

j ourney .

Ou the morning of the 9th he wrote to his s ister and then ,

arraying himself in his new weddin g suit and putting the ,

emerald ring on h is fin ge r he appeared all impatience until

, ,

toward e vening when he sallied ou t on hors eback to his

,

appointment I t seems that his mysterious inamorata had

.

met him f or he was seen ri ding through the big to w n before

,

sunset with a youn g lady behind him dresse d in white and

, ,

green and the vi llagers affi rmed that they were riding at
,

the rate of fi f ty miles an hour ! They were seen to pass a

c ottage called Mosskilt ten mi les f arther c m where there
, ,

w as no highway at the same tremendous spee d ; an d I

,

could never hear that they were any more seen until the
’
,

followin g morni ng when B irkendelly s fine bay horse w as

,

foun d ly ing dead at his ow n stable door ; and shortly after

his mas ter was likewise discovered lying a blackened corpse , ,

on the B irky B row at the very spot where the mysterious

but lovely dame h ad always appeared to h im There w as .

 TH E M Y S TERIOU S B RI D E 65

neither wound bruise nor dislocation in his whole frame ;

, ,

but his skin was of a livid color and his features terribly ,

distorted .

This woful catastrophe struck the neighborhood with

great consternation so that nothing else was talked of
, .

Every ancient tradition and modern incident were raked

together compared and combined ; and cert ainly a most
, ,

rare concatenation of misfortunes was elicited It was .

authenticated that h is father had died on the same spot

that day twenty years and his grandfather that day forty
,

years the former as was supposed by a fall from his horse

, , ,

when in liquor and the latter nobody knew how ; and now
, ,

th is Allan was the last of his race f or Mrs Bryan had no ,

.

chi ldren .

It was moreover now remembered by many and among

, , ,

the rest by the Rev J oseph Taylor that he had frequently

.
,

observed a young lady in white and green sauntering , ,

’
about the spot on a S t Lawrence s Eve . .

When Captain Bryan and his lady arrived to take pos

session of the premises they instituted a strict inquiry ,

into every circumstance but nothing further than what was

related to them by M r M Mu rdie could be learned of this.
‘

’
Mysterious Bride besides what the Laird s ow n letter
,

bore It ran thus

.

DE AR E S T S IS T E R
shall before this ti me to—morrow be
,
I
—

the most happy or most miserab l e of m ank ind having so lemn

, , ,

ly engaged m yse lf this ni ght to w e d a you ng and b e autiful lady ,

named J ane Ogil v ie to whom it see ms I w as be trothed be fore I

,

w as born O ur corresponde nce has been of a m ost private and

.

mysterious nature ; b ut my troth is pl e dged and my resoluti on ,

fi x ed
. We se t out on a far j ourney to th e place of h er ab ode
on the nuptial e v e so that it wil l be long be fore I se e you again
, .

Yours till d e ath ,

ALLAN GE O R G E S AND I S O N .

B IR KE N D E L L Y , A ugust 8,
66 ENGL IS H S HOR T — S TORY W RITERS

That very same year an old woman named Ma rion Haw

, , ,

w as returned upon that her native parish from Glasgow

, , .

She had led a migratory life with her son— w ho was what
he called a bell -hanger but in fac t a tinker of the worst
,

grade— for many years and was at last returned to the

, .

muckle to w n in a state of great destitution She gave .

the parishioners a history of the Mysterious B ride so ,

plausibly correc t but withal so romantic that every

, ,

body said of it ( as is often said of my narrati ves w ith the ,

same narrow -minded prej udi ce and in j ustice ) that it

w as a made story There were however some strong
.
, ,

testim onies of its veracity .

She said the fi rst Allan Sandison who married the great ,

heire ss of B irkendelly was previously engaged to a beau

,

tiful young l ady named J ane Ogilvie to whom he gave ,

anything but fair play ; and as she believed either murdered , ,

her or caused her to be m urdered in the midst of a thicket

, ,

of birch and broom at a spot which she mentioned ; and she

,

h ad good reason for believin g so as she had seen the red ,

blood and the new grave when she was a little girl and ran
, ,

home and mentioned it to her grandfather w ho charged ,

her as she valued her life never to mention that again as ,

it was only the nombles and hide of a deer which he h im

self had buried there But when twenty years subsequent
.
,

to that the wicked and unh appy Allan Sandison w as

,

found dead on that very spot and lying across the green ,

mound then nearly level with the surface whi c h she had
, ,

once seen a new grav e she then f or the fi rst time ever
,

thought of a Di v in e Providen ce ; and she added F or my ,

“
’ ’
grandfather Neddy Haw he dee d too ; there s naebody
, ,

”
kens how nor ever shall
’
.
,

As they were quite in capable of conceiving from Mario n s

description anything of the spot M r M Murdie caused her , .
‘

to be taken ou t to the B irky B row in a cart ac companied ,

 T HE M Y S TERIO U S B RI D E 67
’
by Mr Taylor and some hundreds of the town s folks ; but
“
.

w heneve r she saw it she said ,

Aha birkies ! the baill, ,
’
k intra s altered now There was nae road here then ; it
.

’ ’
gaed straight ower the tap o the hill An let me see .

’ ’ ’
there s the thorn where the cushats biggit; an there s the
’ ’
auld birk that I ance fell afi an left my shoe sticking i the
'

’
cleft I can tell ye birkies either the deer s grave or
‘

’
.
, ,

bonny Jane Ogilvie s is n o twa yards s it the place where

’ ’
that horse s hind feet are standin ; sae ye may howk an
- ’
,
”
see if there be ony remains .

Th e mini s ter an d M M u rd ie and all the people stared

‘

at one another for they had purposely caused the horse to

,

stand still on the very spot where both the father and son
h ad been found dead They digged and deep deep below
.
, ,

the road they found part of the slender bones and skull
of a young female which they deposited decently in the
,

church—yard The family of the S and isons is extinct the

.
,

Mysterious Bride appears no more on the Eve of S t .

Lawrence and the wicked people of the great muckle

,

village have got a lesson on div ine j ustice written to

'

them in l ines of blood .

 THE D EVI L AN D TOM WAL KE R ‘

Washi ngton Irvi ng ( 1 783 —

1 859)

F EW miles from Boston in Massachusetts there is a

, ,

deep inlet winding several miles into the interior

of the country from Charles Bay and terminating ,

in a thickly wooded swamp or morass On one side of .

this inlet is a beautiful dark grove ; on the O pposite side

’
the lan d rises abru ptly from the water s edge into a high
ridge on which grow a few scattered oaks of great age
,

and immense si z e Under one of these gigantic trees

.
,

acco rding to old stories there was a great amount of

,

treasure buried by Kidd the pirate The inlet allowed a .

facil ity to bring the money in a boat secretly and at night , ,

to the very foot of the hill ; the elevation of the place per
m itted a good lookout to be kept that no one w as at
hand ; while the remarka ble trees formed good landma rks
by which the pl ace might easily be found again The old .

stories add moreover that the devil presided at the hiding

, ,

of the money and took it under his guardianshi p but this

, ,

it is well known he always does with buried treasure par

, ,

ticu larly when it h as been ill -gotten B e that as it may .

,

Kidd never returned to recover his wealth ; being shortly

after sei z ed at Boston sent ou t to England and there
, ,

hanged f or a pirate .

About the year 1 72 7 j ust at the time that earthquakes

,

F rom The M oney-diggers .

72 EN GL IS H SH ORT — S T ORY W RI TERS

were prevalent in New England and shook many tal l ,

sinners down upon their knees there lived near this place ,

a meagre miserly fellow of the name of Tom W alker

, , .

He had a wife as miserly as himself ; they were so miserly

that they even conspired to cheat eac h other Whatever .

the woman could lay hands on she hid away ; a hen could
not cackle but she was on the alert to secure the new-laid

egg Her husband was continually prying about to de

.

tee t her secret hoards and many and fierce were the con ,

fl icts that took place about what ought to have been com
mon property They lived in a forlorn looking house that
.
-

stood alone and had an air of starvation A few straggling .

savin -trees emblems of steri lity grew n e ar it no smoke

, ,

ever curled from its chimney ; no traveller stopped at its

door A m iserable horse whose ribs were as articulate as
.
,

the bars of a gri diron stalked about a fi eld where a thin

, ,

c arpet of moss scarcely covering the ragged beds of pud

,

ding stone tantalized and balked h is hunger ; and some

-
,

times he would lean his head over the fence l ook piteously ,

at the passer by and seem to petition deliveran ce from

-
,

this land of famine .

Th e house and its inmates had altogether a bad name .

’
Tom s wife was a tall term agant fie rce of temper loud of , ,

tongue and strong of arm Her voice w as often heard in

,
.

wordy warfare with her husband ; and his face sometimes

showed signs that their confli cts were n ot confin ed to
words No one ventured however to interfere between
.
, ,

them The lonely wayf a rer shrank within himself at the

.

horrid clamor and clapper-cla w ing ; eyed the den of dis

cord askance ; and hurried on his way rej oicing if a , ,

bachelor in his celibacy ,

.

One day that Tom W alker had been to a distant part

of the neighborhood he took what he considered a short
,

cut homeward through the swamp Like most short-cuts

,
.
 THE D EVIL AN D T OM WAL K ER 73

it was an ill -chosen route The swamp w as thickly grown.

with great gloomy pines and hemlocks some of them

, ,

n inety feet high which made it dark at noonday and a

,

retreat for all the owls of the neighborhood It was full .

of pits and quagmires partly covered with weeds and

,

mosses where the green surf ace often betrayed the trav
,

eller into a gulf of black smothering mud ; there w e re also

,

dark and stagnant pools the abodes of the tadpole the , ,

bull -frog and the water—snake where the tru nks of pines
, ,

and hemlocks lay half-drowned half-rotting looking like , ,

alligators sleeping in the mire .

Tom had long been picking his way cautiously t h rough

this treacherous forest stepping from tuft to t u ft of rushes
,

and roots which aff orded precarious footholds among deep

,

sloughs or pacing carefully like a cat along the prostrate

, , ,

trunks of trees ; start led n ow and then by the sudden

screaming of the bittern or the quacking of a wild duck
, ,

rising on the wing from some solitary pool At length .

he arrived at a firm piece of ground which ran like a pe nin ,

sul a into the deep bosom of the swamp It had been one .

of the strongholds of the Indians during their wars with

the fi rst colonists Here they had thrown up a kind of
.

fort which they had looked upon as almost impregnable

, ,

and had used as a place of refuge for their squaws and

children Noth ing remained of the old Indian fort but a
.

few embank ments gradually sink ing to the level of the

,

surrounding earth and already overgrown in part by oaks

,

and other forest trees the foliage of which formed a con

,

trast to the dark pines and hemlocks of the swamps .

I t w as late in the dusk of even ing when Tom Walker

reached the old fort and he paused there awhile to rest
,

himself Any one but he would have felt unwilling to

.

linger in this lonely melancholy place for the common

, ,

people had a bad O pinion of it from the stories handed ,

7 4: EN GLIS H SH ORT — S TORY W RITERS
“
down from the times of the I ndian wars when it was ,

asserted that the savages held incantations here and made

sa crifi ces to the Evil S pirit .

To rn W alker however w as not a man to be troubled

, ,

with any fears of the kind He repw ed himse lf for some

.

time on the trunk of a fallen hemlock listen ing to the ,

boding cry of the tree toad and del ving with his walking
’
,

stalf into a moun d of black mould at his feet As he .

turn ed u p the soil unconsciously his st aff struck against ,

something hard He raked it out of the vegetable mould

.
,

an d lo ! a cloven skull w ith an I ndi an tomaha wk buried

,

dee p in it l ay before him The rust on the w eapon showed

,
.

the time that had e lapw d sin ce this death-blow had

been given I t was a d rea ry memen to of the fierce struggle
.

that h ad t aken pl ace in this last foothold of the Indian

warriors
“
.

Hu mph l said Tom W alker as he gave it a kick to ,

shake the dirt from it

“
.

Let that skull alone ! said a gruff voice Tom lifted

”
.

up his ey es and beheld a great black man seated di re ctly

opposite h im on the stump of a t ree He w as exceedin gly
,
.

surprised having n either heard nor seen any one ap

,

pro ac h ; and he w as still more perplexed on observing as ,

well as the gatheri ng gloom would permit that the stran ger ,

was neither negro n or I ndian I t is true he was dres sed.

in a rude I ndi an garb and had a red belt or sash swathed

,

ro und his body ; but his face was neither bl ack nor c opper
color but swarthy and dingy and begrimed with soot as
, , ,

if he h ad been accustomed to toil among fires and forges .

He h ad a shock of coarse black hair that stood out ,

from hi s head in all directions and bore an axe on his ,

shoulder .

He scowled f or a moment at Torn with a p air of great red

eyes .
 THE D EVIL AN D TO M W A L K ER 75

Wh at are you doing on my grounds ? said the black

man with a hoarse growling voice
“ , .
,
”
Your groun ds ! said Tom with a sneer ; no mo re your ,
”
grounds than mine ; they belong to Deacon Peabody
“
.

Deacon Peabody be damned said the stranger as I

”
, ,

flatter myself he will be if he does not look more to his ow n

,

sins an d l ess to those of his neighbors Look yonder and .

,

see how De ac on Peabody is faring ”

.

Tom looked in the direction that the stran ger pointed ,

and beheld one of the great trees fair an d fl ou rishing ,

without but rotten at the core and saw that it had been
, ,

nearly hew n through so that the fi rst high w ind w as likely

,
'

to blow it down On the b ark of the tree was scored the

.

n ame of Deacon Peabody an emi nent man who had waxed,

wealthy by driving shrewd bargains with the I ndi ans He .

now looked around and found most of the tall trees marked
,

with the name of some great man of the colony and all ,

more or less scored by the axe Th e one on which he had .

been seated and which had evidently j ust been he w n do w n

, ,

bore the n ame of Crow ninshie ld and he recollected a mighty

rich man of that name who made a vulgar display of
,

wealth which it was whispered he had acquired by buc

,

“
canee ring .

’
He s j ust ready for b i said the black man with
“
u rn ng
l ,

a growl f triumph
o You . see I am likely to have a good
”

“
stock of fi rew ood for winter .

But what right have you said Tom to cut down , ,

’
Deacon Peabody s timber ? ”

“ The right of a prior claim said the other This , .

woodland belonged to me long before one of your white

”
faced race put foot upon the soil
“
.

An d pray who are you if I may be so bold ? said

, , ,

“
Tom .

Oh I go by various names I am the wild huntsman

,
.
76 EN GLI SH S H ORT — S TORY WRI TERS
in some coun tries ; the black miner in others In this .

neighborhood I am kno w n by the name of the black woods

man I am he to whom the red men consecrated th is spot
.
,

and in honor of whom they now and then roasted a white

man by way of sweet -smelling sacrifi ce Sin ce the red
, .

men have been exterminated by you white savages I ,

amuse myself by presiding at the pers ecutions of Quake rs

and An abaptis ts ; I am the great patron and prompte r of
”
slave dealers and the grand master of the Salem witches
“
- -
.

”
The upshot of all whi ch is that if I mistake not said
“ ,

Torn sturdily you are he comm only called Old Scratch

, ,
, ,

The same at your servi ce ! re plied the black man with

,
”
,

a half-c ivil n od .

Such was the opening of thi s inte rview according to the ,

old story ; though it h as almost too familiar an air to be

credi ted One would think that to meet with such a sin
.

gul ar person age in this wild lonely place would have

’
,

shaken any man s nerves ; but Tom was a hard minded -

fellow not easily daunted and he had lived so long with a

, ,

termagant wife that he did not even fear the devil .

It is said that after this commencement they had a long

and earnes t conversation together as Tom returned home ,

ward The black man told him of great sums of money

.

buried by Ki dd the pirate under the oak-trees on the high

ridge not far from the m o
,
rass Al l these were under his
.

command and protec ted by h is po wer so that none could

, ,

fin d them but such as pm pitiated his favor Thw e he .

’
o ffe red to pl ace within Tom W a lker s reac h having con ,

ce iv ed an especial kindne s s f or him ; but they were to be

had only on certain conditions W hat these condi tions were

.

may be easily surmised though Tom never disclosed them

,

publicly They must have been very hard for he re

.
,

quired time to thi nk of them and he was not a man to stick

,

at tri fles when money was in view When they had reac hed .
7s EN GL IS H S HORT — S TORY W R IT ER S

of a s umm e
’
r s day She was many hou rs absent Whe n
. .

she came back she was reserved and sullen in her repli es
, .

She spoke something of a blac k man whom she had met ,

about t wilight hewing at the root of a tall t ree He was .

sulky ho w ever and would not come to terms ; she was

, ,

to go again with a propitiatory offeri ng but what it w as ,

she forbore to say .

The next evening she set off again for the swamp with ,

her apron heavily laden Tom waited and waited for h er

.
,

but in vain ; midn ight c ame but she did not make her ,

appearance ; morning noon night returned but still she

, , ,

did not come Tom now grew uneasy for her safety
.
,

pe cially as he foun d she had c arried off in her apron the

silver tea -pot and spoons and every portable art icle of,

value Another night elapsed another morning came ;

.
,

but no wife In a word she was never heard of more

.
, .

What was h er real fate nobody knows in consequence ,

of so many pre tending to know It is one of those facts .

which have become confounded by a variety of historians .

Some asserted that she lost her way among the tan gled
mazes of the sw amg and sank into some pit or slough ;
others more un charitable hinted that she had eloped wi th
, ,

the household booty and ma de off to some other province ;

,

while others su rmised that the tempter had decoyed her

into a di smal qu agmi re on the top of which her hat was
,

found lying In confirmation of this it was said a great

.
,

bl ack ma n wi th an axe on h is shoulder was seen late t h at

, ,

very evening comi ng ou t of the swam p c arrying a bun dle ,

tied in a check apron with an air of surly triumph

,
.

The most current and probable story however oh , ,

se rves that Tom W alker grew so anxious about the fate

of his wife and his property that he set ou t at length to

seek them both at the I ndi an fort Du ring a long summer s ’ .

afternoon he searched about the gloomy place but no wife ,

 TH E D EVIL AN D TO M WAL KE R 79

was to be seen He c alled her name repeatedly but she

.
,

was nowhere to be heard The bittern alone responded to

.

his voice as he flew screaming by ; or the bull —frog croaked

,

dolefully from a neighboring pool At length it is said .

, ,

j ust in the brown hour of twilight when the owls began to ,

hoot and the h ats to flit about his attention was attract ed
,

by the clamor of carrion crows hovering about a c ypress

tree He looked up and beheld a bundle tied in a check
.

apron and hanging in the branches of the tree with a ,

great vulture perched hard by as if keeping watch upon it

,
’
.

He leaped with j oy for he recogni z ed his wife s apron

, ,

and supposed it to contain the household valuables

“
.

”
Let us get hold of the property said h e consolingly .
,

to hi mself and we will endeavor to do w ithout the woman

, .

As he scrambled u p the tree the vulture spread its wide

‘

wi ngs and sailed off screaming into the deep shadows of

, ,

the forest Tom sei z ed the checked apron but woful

.
, ,

sight ! found nothing but a heart and liver tied up in iti

Such according to this most authentic old story was
,
’
,

all that was to be found of Tom s wife She had probably .

attempted to deal with the black man as she had been

accustomed to deal with her husband but though a female
scold is generally cons idered a match for the devil yet in ,

this instance she appears to have had the worst of it She .

must have died game however ; for it is said Tom noticed

,

many prints of cloven feet deeply stamped about the tree ,

and found handfuls of hair that looked as if they had been

,

plucked from the coarse black shock of the woodsman

’
.

Tom knew his wife s prowess by experience He shrugged .

“
his shoulders as he looked at the signs of fierce clapper
clawing .
”
Egad said he to hi mself Old Scratch must
, ,
“
”
have had a tough time of it!
Tom consoled himself for the loss of his property with ,

the loss of his wife for he was a man of fortitude He

, .
80 EN GL IS H S H ORT - S TORY W RITERS

even felt somethi ng l ike gratitude toward the bl ack woods

man w h o he considered had done him a kindness
, , He , .

sought therefore to cultivate a further acquaintance with

, ,

him but for some t ime without suc cess ; the old black-legs
,

played shy for wha tever people may think he is not al w ays
, , ,

to be had for the calli n ; he knows how to play hi s ca rds g

when pretty sure of his game .

At length it is said when delay had whetted Tom s

’
, ,

eagerness to the q u ick an d prepared him to agree to an y

t h ing rather than not gain the pro mised treasure h e met ,
’
the blac k m an one eveni ng in his usual woodsman s dress ,

with hi s axe on his shoulder saunteri ng along the swamp ,

an d h u mm ing a t u ne .
’
He aff e cted to receive Tom s ad
vances w ith great indi fference made brief replies and w ent , ,

on humming his t u ne .

B y degree s however Tom brought him to bus iness and

, , ,

they began to haggle about the terms on which the former

’
w as to ha ve the pirate s treasure There was one condi .

tion which nee d not be mentioned being generally under ,

stood in all cases where the devil grants favors ; but there
were othe rs about which though of less impo rtance he , ,

was infle xi bly obst inate He ins isted that the money .

foun d thr ough his means should be employed in his servi ce .

He propw ed therefore that Tom should employ it in the

, ,

black traffi c ; that is to say that he should fi t ou t a slave ,

shi p Th is however Tom resolutely refused he was bad

.
, ,

enough in all conscience but the devil himself could not ,

tempt him to t u rn slave—trader .

Fin ding Tom so squeamish on this point he did not insist ,

upon it but proposed instead that he shoul d turn usurer ;

, , ,

the devil being ext remely anxious for the incre as e of usure rs ,

looking upon them as his pec uliar people .

To this no obj ec tions were made for it was just to Tom s ’

,

t as te .
 TH E D EVIL AN D T OM WAL K ER 81

Y ou shall O pe n ’
a broker s shop in Bosto n next month ,

said the bl ack m an

“
.

’
I ll do it to morrow if you w ish said Tom Walker
- ”
, , .

”
Y ou shall lend money at two per cent a month
’
. .

Egad I ll charge four ! replied Tom W alker

,
”
.

Y ou shall extort bonds foreclose mortgages drive the

, ,

“
merchants to bank ruptcy
’
I ll drive them to the devil cri ed Tom Walker
”
, .

You are the usurer f or my money ! said blac k legs with

”

“
-

When will you want the rhino

“
delight .

This very n ight ”

.

Done ! said the devil

”
.

Done ! said Tom Walker So they shook h ands and .

struck a bargain .

’
A f ew days time saw Tom W alker se ated behind his
desk in a counting—house in Boston .

His reputation for a ready moneyed man who would lend

-
,

money ou t for a good consideration soon spread abroad , .

Everybody remembers the time of Governor Belcher when ,

money was part icularly scarce It was a time of paper .

credi t The country had been deluged with government

.

bil ls ; the famous Land Bank had bee n established ; there

had been a r age f or speculating ; the people had run mad
with schemes for new settlements f or building cities in the ,

wilderness ; land-j obbe rs Went about with maps of grants

and townships and Eldorados lyi ng n obody knew where , ,

but which everybody was ready to purchase In a word .

,

the great speculating fever which breaks ou t every now and

then in the coun try had raged to an alarmi n g degree and ,

everybody was dreaming of making sudde n fortunes from

nothing As usual the fever had subsided the dream had
.
, ,

gone off and the imaginary fortunes with it; the patients
,

were left in doleful plight and the whole count ry reso un ded
with the co nsequent cry of hard times ”
,
“ .
82 EN GL IS H S HORT S TOR Y W RI TERS
—

At this propitious time of public dist ress di d Tom W alker

set u p as usurer in Boston His door was soon t h ronged .

by customers The needy and adventurous the gambling

.
,

spec ulator the dreaming land-j obber the thriftless t rad es

, ,

man the mercha t with cracked c edit in short every one

,
n r —
,

driven to raise money by desperate means and des perate

sacrifi ces hurried to Tom W alker .

Thus Tom was the universal friend to the need y and

“ ”
acted like a friend in need ; that is to say he always ,
,

exac ted good pay and security In propbrtion to the .

distress of the applicant was the hardn ess of his terms .

He ac cumulated bonds and mortgages gradually squeezed ,

his customers clw e r and closer and sent them at length , ,

dry as a spo nge from his door ,

.

In this way he made money han d over hand bec ame a ,

rich and mighty man and exalted his cocked hat upon
“ Chan ge ”
.
,

He b uilt himself as usual a v as t house out , , ,

of ostentation but left the gre ater part of it un fin ish ed and

,

unfurnished ou t of parsimony He even set up a carriage

, .

in the fulness of his vain -glory though he nearly starved ,

the horses which drew it and as the un greased wheels ,

groaned and screeched on the axle—trees you would have ,

thought you heard the souls of the poor debtors he was

squee z ing .

As Tom waxed old however he grew thoughtful Hav

, ,
.

ing secured the good things of this world he began to feel ,

anxio us about those of the next He thought w ith regret .

of the bargain he had made w ith his blac k f i i end an d set ,

his wits to work to c heat him ou t of the conditions He .

became therefore all of a sudden a violent church -goer

, , ,
.

He prayed loudly and strenuously as if heaven were to be ,

taken by force of lungs Indeed one might always tell .

,

when he had sinned most during the week by the cl amor

of his Sunday devoti on The quiet C h ristians who h ad
.
 THE D EVIL AN D T OM W A L K ER 83

been modestly and steadfastly travelling Z ionward were

struck w ith self-reproach at seeing themselves so suddenly
outstripped in their career by this new—made convert .

Tom was as rigid in religious as in money matters ; he was

a stern supervisor and ce nsurer of h is neighbors and seemed ,

to think every sin entered up to their account became a

credit on his ow n side of the pa e He even talked of the
g .

expedi ency of reviving the persecution of Q uakers and

’
Anabaptists I n a word Tom s zeal becam e as notorious
.
,

as his ri c hes .

Still in spite of all this strenuous attention to forms

, ,

Tom had a lurking dre ad that the devil afte r all would , ,

have his due That he might not be taken unawares

.
,

therefore it is said he always carried a small B ible in his

,

coat-pocket He had also a great folio Bible on his count

.

ing-hou se desk and would frequently be found reading it

,

when people called on business ; on such occasions he would

lay his green spectacles in the book to mark the place , ,

while he turned round to drive some usurious bargain .

Some say that Tom grew a little c rack-brained in his old

days and that fancy ing his end approaching he had his
, , ,

horse ne w shod saddled and bridl ed and buried with his

, , ,

feet uppermost ; because he supposed that at the last day

the world would be turned upside-down ; in which case he
should find his horse stan d ing ready for moun ting an d he ,

was determined at the worst to give his old friend a run for
it This however is probably a mere old wives fable
.
’ .
, ,

I f he really did take such a precaution it was totally super ,

flu ous ; at least so says the authentic old legend which ,

closes his story in the following manner :

O ne hot su mm er afternoon in the dog—d ays j ust as a ,

terrible black thunder-gust was coming u p Tom sat in his ,

counting—house in his white linen cap and India silk morn

,

ing-gown He was on the point of foreclosing a mortgage

.
,
 84 ENGL IS H S HORT — S TORY W RITERS

by whi ch he would comple te the ruin of an unlu cky land

speculator f or whom he had professed the greatest friend
ship The poor land-j obbe r begged him to grant a few
’
.

months indulgence Tom h ad gro w n testy and irritated

.
,

and refused another delay .

1
My family will be ruined and brought upon the ,
”
parish said the land-j obber
“ , .

”
Charity begins at home replied Tom ; I must take ,

”
care of myse lf in these hard times
“
.

Y ou have made so much money ou t of me said the ,

spec ulator
“
.

Tom lost his patien ce and hi s piety

“
The devil take .

”
me said he ii I have made a farthi ng !
, , ,

Just then there were three loud kn oc ks at the street

door He stepped ou t to see w h o was there A black man
. .

w as holdi ng a bl ac k ho rse which neighed and stamped ,

with impatien ce
“
.

’
Tom you re come for said the blac k fellow gru ffl y .
, , ,

Tom shrank back but too late He had left h is little Bible
,
.

at the bottom of his coat pocket and his big Bible on the -

desk buried under the mortgage he was about to foreclose :

never w as s inner taken more unawares The black man .

whisked him like a c h ild into the saddle gave the horse ,

the l as h and away he galloped with Tom on his b ac k in

, , ,

the midst of the th u nder—storm The clerks stuck their .

pens behind their ears and stared after hi m from the w in

,

dows Away went Tom Walker dashing dow n the streets

.
, ,

hi s white cap bobbing up and do w n his morning gown ,

-

fl u tte ring in the wi nd and h is steed striking fi re ou t of the

,

pavement at every bound W hen the clerks turn ed to .

look for the bl ac k man he had di sappeared ,

.

Tom W alker never returned to foreclose the mortgage .

A cou nt ryman who lived on the bo rder of the swamp re

, ,

ported tha t in the height of the thunder—gust he had hea rd

DR .
’
H EI D E GGER S E XP E RI M EN T

Haw thom e ( 1 807— 1 864)

90 EN GL IS H SHORT - S TORY W R IT E RS

Widow Wycherley and had once been on the poin t of

,
’
cutting each other s throats for her sake An d before .
,

proceedi ng further I will merely hi nt that Doctor Hei

,

degger and all his four guests we re sometimes thought to

be a little bes ide themselves ; as is not unf requently the
case with old people when worri ed either by present
,

troubl es or woful recollections

“
.

My dear friends
”
said Do c tor Heidegger motionin g
“ ,

them to be seated I am desirous of your assistance in one

,
,

of those little experiments with which I amuse myself he re

”
in my study .

’
I f all stories were true Doctor Heidegger s study must
,

have been a very curious place I t was a d 1 m old fas hioned.

,
—

chamber festooned with cobwebs and bes prinkled with

,

an tique d ust Around the walls stood several oaken book

.

cases the lower shelves of which were filled with rows of

,

giganti c folios and black - letter quartos and the upper ,

with little parchment - covered duodecimos Over the .

central bookcase was a bron z e bust of Hi ppocrates with ,

which acco rding to some auth orities Doctor Heidegger

, ,

was accustomed to hold consultations in all di ffi cu lt cases

of his practice I n the obscurest corner of the room stood
.

a tall and narrow oaken closet with its door aj ar within , ,

which doubtfully appeared a skeleton Between two of the . .

bookcas es hung a looking - glass presenting its high and ,

dusty plate within a tarnished gilt frame Among many .

wonderful stories related of this mi rror it was fabled that ,

’
the S pirits of all the doctor s deceased patients dwelt within
its verge and would stare him in the face whenever he
,

l ooked thitherward The O pposite side of the chamber

.

was ornamented with the full -len gth portrait of a young

l ady arrayed in the faded magnifi cence of silk satin and
, , ,

b rocade and with a visage as faded as her dress Above

, .

half a century ago Doctor Heidegger h ad been on the

 DR .
’
H EID EGGER S EXPERI M EN T 91

point of marriage w ith this young lady ; but being aff ected ,

with some slight disorder she had swallowed one of her

,
’
lover s prescriptions and died on the bridal even ing The .
,

greatest curiosity of the study remains t o be mentioned ; it

was a ponderous folio volume bound in black leather with
, ,

m assive silver clas ps There were no letters on the back

.
,

and nobody could tell the title of the book f But it was
'

well known to be a book of magic ; and once when a cham ,

be rm aid had lifted it merely to brush away the dust the

, ,

skeleton h ad rattled in its closet the picture of the young ,

lady had stepped one foot u pon the fl oor and several ghast ,

ly faces had peeped forth from the mi rror ; while the brazen
head of Hip pocrates frowned and sa id : Forbear !
,
” “
’
Such was Doctor Heidegger s study On the su mm e r .

afternoon of our tale a small round table as black as ebony , ,

stood in the cent re of the room sustaining a cut -glass vase

,

of beautiful form and workmans hip Th e s unshine came .

through the window between the heavy festoons of two

,

faded damask curtai ns and fell di rectly across this vase ;

,

so that a mild S plendor was reflected from it on the ashen

visages of the fi v e old people who sat around Four cham .

pagne glasses were also on the table .

”
My dear old friends repeated Doctor Heidegger may
, ,

I reckon on your aid in performing an exceedingly curious

experiment ? Q

Now Doctor Heidegger was a very strange old gentle

man whose eccentricity had become the nucleus for a
,

thousand fantastic stori es Some of these fables to my

.
,

shame be it spoken might possibly be traced back to mine

,

own veracious self ; and if any passages of the present tale

’
should startle the reader s faith I must be content to bear
,

the stigma of a fi ction mo nger -

.

’
When the doctor s four guests heard him talk of his
pro posed experiment they anticipated n othing more
,
92 EN GL IS H SH OR T — S TORY W RI TERS

wonderful than the murder of a mouse in an air-pu mp or

the exami nation of a cobweb by the mi croscope or some ,

simi liar nonsense with whi ch he was constantly in the

,

habit of pes tering his int imates But without waiting f or

.

a reply Doctor Heidegger hobbled across the chamber

, ,

and ret u rn ed with the same ponderous folio boun d in ,

black leather which common report affirmed to be a book

,

of magi c Undoing the silver cl asps he opened the volum e

.
, ,

an d took from among its black -letter pages a rose or what ,

was once a rose though now the green leaves and crimson
,

petals had assumed one brownish hue and the ancient ,

flowe r seemed ready to c rumble to dust in the doctor s ’

hands
“ “
.

This rose said Doc tor Heidegger with a sigh this

, , ,

same withered and crum bli ng flower blossomed fi v e and ,

fifty yea rs ago It was given me by Sylvia W ard whose

.
,

po rtrait hangs yonder and I meant to wear it in my bosom

,

at ou r wedding Five and fif ty years it has been t reasured

.

between the leaves of thi s old volume Now would you .

,

deem it possible that this rose of half a cent u ry c ould ever

”
bloom again ?

“ Nonsense ! said the W idow Wycherley with a peev ish

”
,

toss of her head Y ou might as well ask whether an old

.

’
woman s wrinkled face could ever bloom again
“
.

”
See ! answered Doctor Heidegger .

He uncovered the vase and threw the faded rose into

,

the water which it contained At first it lay lightly on the

.
,

surface of the fl u id appearing to imbibe none of its moisture

,
.

Soon however a singular change began to be visible Th e

, ,
.

crushed and dried petals stirred and assum ed a deepening,

tinge of crimson as if the flower were reviving from a death

,

like slumber ; the slender stalk and twigs of foliage bec ame
green ; and there was the rose of half a century looking as ,

fresh as when Syl v ia W a rd h ad fi rst given it to her lover .

9 41 EN GL ISH SH O R T — S T ORY W R I TERS

Youth It was ap parently impregnated with an eti er

.

v esce nt gas for little bubbles we re continually as cending

,

from the depths of the gl asses and bursting in silvery ,

s pray at the surface As the liquor d ifi use d a pleasant

'

perfume the old people doubted now that it possessed

,

cordial and comfortable properties ; and though ut ter s eep

tics as to its rej uven escent power they were inclined to ,

swallow it at once But Doctor Heidegger be sought them

.

to stay a moment
“
.

Before you dri nk ; my respec table old friends said

he
“
,
it would be well that with the experience of a life ,
,

time to direct you you should draw up a few general rules

,

f or your guidan ce in passing a second time through the

,

perils of youth Think what a sin and shame it would be

.

ii with your pec uliar advantages you should not become

, ,

patterns of virtue and wisdom to all the young people of

”
the age !
’
The doctor s four venerable friends made him no ans wer ,

except by a feeble and t remulous laugh ; so very ridiculous

was the idea that knowing how closely repentance treads
,

behind the steps of error they should ever go astray again ,

“
.

Drink then said the doctor bowing : I rej oice that

”
, , ,

I have so well selected the subj ects of my experiment .

With palsied hands they raised the glasses to their lips .

The liquor if it really possessed such virtues as Doctor

,

Heidegger imputed to it could not have been bes towed ,

on four hum an beings who needed it more wofully They .

looked as if they had never known what youth or pleasure

’
was but had been the o ffspring of nature s dotage and
, ,

always the gray decrepit sa pless miserable c re atures

, ,
’
, ,

who no w sat stooping round the doc tor s table without ,

life enough in their souls or bodi es to be animated even by

the prospect of growing young again They drank oi? the .

water and re placed their glasses on the table

, .
 DR .
’
H EI D EGGER S EXPERI M EN T 95

Assuredl y there was an almost immediate improvement

in the as pect of the party not unlike what might have
,

been produced by a glass of generous wine together with ,

a sudden glow of cheerful sunshine brighteni ng over all ,

their visages at once There was a healthful su ff usion on

.

their cheeks instead of the ashen hue that had made them
,

look so corpselike They ga z ed at one another and

.
,

fancied that some magic power had really be gun to smooth

away the deep and sad inscription s which Father Time had
been so long engraving on their brows The W idow .

Wycherley adj usted her cap for she felt almost like a ,

woman again
“
.

”
Give us more of this wondrous water ! cried they
eagerly .
“
We are younger— but we are still too old !
,

”
Quick give u s more !
“
—

”
Patience ! patience ! quoth Doctor Heidegger who sat ,

watching the experiment with philosophi c coolness You .

have been a long time growing old Surely you might be .

content to grow young in half an hour ! But the water is

”
at your service .

Again he fi lle d their glasses with the liquor of youth ,

enough of whi ch still remained in the vase to turn half

the old people in the city to the age of their ow n grand
chil d ren W hile the bubbles were yet sparkling on the
’
.

brim the doctor s four guests snatched their glasses from

,

the table and swallowed the contents at a single gulp

, .

Was it delusion ? Even while the draught was passing

down their throats it seemed to have wrought a change
on their whole systems Their eyes grew clear and bright ;
.

a dark shade dee pened among their silvery loc ks ; they

sat round the table three gentlemen of middl e age and a
, ,

woman hardly beyond her buxom prime

“
.

”
My dear widow you are charming ! cried Colonel Killi
,

grew whose eyes had been fi x ed upon her face while the
, ,
96 ENGL ISH SH ORT — S TORY W RITERS

shad ows of age were flitting from it like darkness fro m the
crimson daybreak .

The fair widow knew of old that Colonel Killigrew s ’

compliments were not always measured by sober truth ;
so she started up and ran to the mirror still dreading that ,

the ugly visage of an old woman would meet her gaz e .

Meanwhile the three gentlemen behaved in such a man

ner as proved that the water of the Fountain of Youth
posse ssed some intoxi cating qualities unless indeed their, , ,

exhilaration of spirits were merely a lightsome di zz iness ,

caused by the sudden removal of the weight of years Mr . .

’
Gascoigne s mind seemed to ru n on political topics but ,

whether relating to the past present or future could not

, ,

easily be determined sin ce the same ideas and phrases

,

have been in vogue th ese fif ty years Now he rattled forth

.

full -throated sentences about patriotism national glory

’
, ,

and the people s rights ; now he mut tered some perilous

stu ff or other in a sly and doubtful whisper so cautiously
, ,

that even his own cons cience could scarcely catch the se
cret ; and now again he spoke in measured accents and
, ,

a deeply deferential tone as if a royal ear were listening

,

to his well -turned periods Colonel Killigrew all this time

.

had been trolling forth a j olly battle—song and rin ging his ,

glass toward the buxom figu re of the W idow Wycherley .

On the other side of the table M r Medbourne was involved

.

in a calculation of dollars and cents with which was ,

strangely intermingled a proj ect for supplying the East

Indies with ice by harnessing a team of whales to the
,

polar icebergs.

As for the W idow Wycherley she stood befo re the

,

mirror cou rtesying and simpering to her own image and

, ,

greeting it as the friend whom she loved bet ter than all
the world beside She thrust her face close to the glass
’
.

to see whether some long remembered wri nkle or crow s

-
98 EN GL ISH SH ORT — S TORY W RITERS

We are young ! they cried exultingly

We are young ! , .

Youth like the extremity of age had effaced the strongly

, ,

marked characteristics of middle life and mutually as ,

simi lated them all They were a group of merry young

.

sters almost madde n ed with the exuberant frolicsomeness

,

of their years Th e most singular eff ect of their gayety

.

was an impulse to mock the infi rm ity and decrepitude of

which they h ad so lately been the victims Th ey laughed .

loudly at their old fashioned attire— the wide—skirted coats

-

and flapped waistcoats of the young men and the ancient ,

cap and gow n of the blooming girl One limped across the .

fl oor like a gouty grandfather ; one set a pair of spec tacles

astride of h is nose and pretended to po re over the black
,

letter pages of the book of magic ; a third seated himself

in an arm-c h air and strove to i mitate the venerable dignity
,

of Doctor Heidegger Then all shouted mirthfully and

.
,

leaped about the room The W idow Wycherley ii so .

—

fresh a damsel could be called a wi dow tripped u p to the —

’
doctor s chair with a mischievous merriment in her rosy
face
“
.

”
Doctor you dear old soul
,
cried she get up and , ,

”
dance wi th me ! An d then the four young peo ple laughed
louder than ever to thi nk what a queer figu re the poor
,

“
o ld doctor would cut .

Pray excuse me answered the doctor quietly ,

I , .

am old and rheumatic and my d ancing days were over,

long ago But either of these gay youn g gentlemen will

.

be glad of so p retty a partner

“
.

”
D ance with me Clara ! cried Colonel Killigre w
, .

”
She promise d me her hand fif ty years ago ! exclaimed
M r Med b ourne
. .

They all gathered round her One caught both her hands .

in his passionate grasp another threw his arm about her —

waist the third buried his hand among the curls that
—
 DR .
’
H EI D EGG ER S EXPERI M EN T 99
’
c l ustered beneath the widow s cap Blushing panting .
, ,

struggl ing chiding laughing her warm breath fanning

, , ,

each of their faces by turns she strove to disengage herself , ,

y e t still remained in their triple embrace Never was .

there a livelier picture of youthful rivalship with bewitch ,

ing beauty for the prize Yet by a strange deception .

, ,

owing to the d uskiness of the chambe r and the antique

d resses which they still wore the tal l mirror is said to have ,

re fle c te d the figu res of the three old gray withered grand , ,

sires ridiculously conten ding for the skinny ugliness of a

,

shrivelled grandam .

But they were young : their burni ng passio ns proved

them so Infl amed to madness by the coquetry of the
.

girl -widow who neither granted n or quite withheld her

,

favors the t hree rivals began to interchange threatening

,

glances Still keeping hold of the fair prize they grappled

.
,
’
fierce ly at one another s throats As they struggled to and .

fro the table was overturn ed and the vase dashed into a
, ,

thousand fragments The p recious W ater of Youth fl ow ed .

in a bri ght stream across the fl oor moisteni ng the wings ,

of a bu tterfly which grown old in the decline of summer

, , ,

had alighted there to die The insec t fl u ttered lightly .

through the chamber and settled on the snowy head of ,

Doctor Heidegger
“
.

Come come ge ntlemen l c ome Madame Wycherley ! ”

“
—
, , ,

exclaimed the doctor I really must protest against this ,

”
riot .

They stood still and shivered ; for it seemed as if gray

Time were c alling them back from their sunny youth far ,

down into the chill and darksome vale of years They .

looked at old Doc tor Heidegger who sat in his carved arm ,

chair holding the rose of half a century which he had

,

rescued from among the fragments of the shattered vase .

At the motion of his han d the rioters resumed their seats ,

1 00 ENGL IS H SHORT — S TORY W RITERS

the more readily because their violent exertions had

wearied them youthful though they were
“ , .

’ ”
M y poor Sylvia s rose ! ej acul ated Doctor Heidegger
hol ding it in the light of the s un set clouds ; it appears to “ ,

”
be fadi ng again .

An d so it was Even while the party were l ooking at it

.

the fl ow er continued to shrivel u p till it became as d ry and ,

fragile as when the doctor had first thrown it into the vase .

He shook off the few drops of moisture which clung to its

petals
“
.

I love it as well thus as in its dewy freshness obse ryed ,

h e pressing the wi thered rose to his withered lips

,
While .

he S poke the bu tte rfl y fl u tte red down from the doctor s ’

,

snowy head and fell upon the fl oor

, .

His guests shivered again A stran ge chi llness whether .

,

of the body or S pirit they could not tell was creeping ,

gradually over them all They gazed at one another and

.
,

fancied that each flee ting moment snatched away a charm ,

and left a deepening furrow where none had been before .

Was it an illus ion ? Had the chan ges of a lifetime been

crowded into so brief a space an d were they now four ,

“
aged people sitting with their old friend Doctor Heidegger ?
, ,

Are we grown old again so soon cried they dolefully ,

.

In truth they had The W ater of Youth possessed

, .

merely a virtue more transient than that of wine The .

deli rium which it created h ad efi erv esced away Yes

'

.
,

they were old again ! W ith a shuddering impulse that ,

showed her a woman still the widow clasped her skinn y ,

hands over her face and wished that the coffi n lid were
,

“
over it since it could be no longer beautiful
,
.

”
Yes friends ye are old again said Doctor Heidegger ;
, , ,

and lo ! the W ater of Youth is all lavished on the groun d .

Well I bemoan it not for if the fountain gushed at my

,

doorstep I would not stoop to bathe my lips in t no

,
i —
;
THE P URLOI N E D L E TT E R

E dga r A llan Poe ( 1 809— 1 849

)
1 06 EN GL IS H S H ORT - STORY W RI TERS

ou t doing so u pon G
’s saying that he had called to
,

consult u s or rather to ask the o pinion of my friend

, ,

about some offi cial business which had occasioned a great

deal of trouble
“
.

“
If it is any po int requiring re fle ction observed Dupin , ,

as he f ore bore to enkindle the wick w e shall examine it ,

”
to better purp ose in the dark .

That is another of your odd notions said the Prefect

w h o had the fashion of calling eve ry thing odd that was
,

“ ,

“
beyond his comprehension and thus lived amid an absolute
,

”
legion of oddi ties
“
.

Very true said Dupin as he supplied his visitor with

, ,

“
a pipe and rolled toward him a comfortable chair
,

“
.

And what is the d iffi cu lty now I asked Nothing .

more in the as sassination way I hope

“ Oh no nothin g of that nature The fact is the busi
,
,

.
,

ness is ver y simple indeed and I make no doubt that w e

,

c an manage it su ffi ciently well ourselves ; but then I

thought Dupin would like to hear the details of it because ,

”
it is so excessively odd
“ ”
Simple and odd said Dupin ,
.

Why yes ; and not exactly that either The fact is

, , .
,

we have all been a good deal pu zz led because the a ffair is

”
puts y ou at fault said my friend
“
.
,

What n onsense you do talk ! replied the Prefect

”
,

laughing heartily
“
.

Perha ps the mystery is a little too plain said Du pi n ,

.

”
Oh good heavens ! who ever heard of such an idea ?
,

Ha ! h a ! ha l ha l h a ! h al ho ! ho ! ho !
”
md our
“
— —
roa

visitor p rofoundly amu sed

, . Oh ,
Du pin , you will be the
”
death of me yet !
 P URLOINED ‘
T HE LE T TER 1 07

And what after all i s the matter on hand ? I asked

, , .

Wh y I will tell you replied the Prefect as he gave

,
”
, ,

a long steady a n d contemplative puff and settled himself

,

in his chair
,
“
I w ill tell you in a few words ; but before
.
,

I begin let me caution you that this is an aff air demanding

,

the greatest secrecy and that I should most probably lose

,

the position I now hold were it kn ow n that I confi ded it

”
to any one
“
.

Proceed said I ,
.

”
Or not said Du pin
,
.

Well th en ; I have received personal inf ormation from

, ,

a very high quarter that a certain document of the last

,

importance has been purloined from the royal apartments .

The indivi dual who purloined it is known ; this beyond a

doubt ; he was seen to take it I t is known also that it .
, ,

still remains in his possession .

How is this kn own ? asked Dupin

”

“
.

I t is clearly inferred replied the Prefec t from the

”
, ,

nature of the document and from the n on appearance of ,

-

certain results which would at once arise from its passing

’
ou t of the robber s possession that is to say from his —
,
”
employing it as he must design in the end t o employ it
“
.

B e a little more explicit

”
I said ,
.

Well I may venture so far as to say that the pape r

,

gives its holder a certain power in a certain quarter where

such power is immensely valuable The Prefect was fond
of the cant of di plomacy .

Still I do not quite understand said Dupin ,

.

No ? Well the disclosure of the document to a third

,

person who shall be n ameless would bring in question

, ,

the honor of a person age of the most exalted station and ,

th is fact gives the holder of the document an ascendancy

over the illustrious person age whose honor and peace are
”
so j eopardi zed .
1 08 EN GL I S H SHORT — S TORY W RITERS

But this ascendancy I in terposed woul d depend , ,

’ ’
upon the robber s knowledge of the loser s knowledge of
the robber Wh o wo u ld dare
“ “
.

The thief said G is the Minister D

, w ho

da res all things th ose unbecomi n g as well as those becoming

,

a man Th e method of the theft was not less ingeni ous than
.

hold The document in question — a letter to be frank

.
,

had been received by the personage robbed while alone in

the royal boudoi r Duri ng its perusal she was suddenly
.

interrupted by the entrance of the other exalted personage

from whom especially it w as her wish to con ceal it Atter a .

hurried and vai n endeavor to thrust it in a drawer she was ,

forced to place it open as it was upon a table The address

, , .
,

however was uppermost and the contents thus unexposed

, , , ,

the let ter escaped noti ce At thi s j uncture enters the .

Minister D His lynx eye immediately perceives the

pa per recogni zes the handwriting of the address observes
, ,

the confusion of the personage addressed and fathoms her ,

secret After some business transactions hurried through

.
,

in his ordinary mann er he produces a letter somewhat ,

si milar to the one in question opens it pretends to read , ,

it and then places it in close j uxtaposition to the other

, .

Again he converses for some fi f teen minut es upon the , ,

public a ff airs At length in t aking leave he takes also

.
, ,

from the table the letter to which he h ad no claim I ts .

rightful o w ner saw but of course dared not call attention

,
.
,

to the act in the pres ence of the third person age who stood
,

at her el b ow The Minister decamped leaving his own

.
,

”
letter one of no importan ce upon the table
—
“
—
.

”
Here then said D upin to me you have p recisely
, , ,

what you deman d to make the as cendancy complete— the

’ ’
robber s knowledge of the lose r s knowledge of the robber ”

“ “
.

Yes replied the Prefect

,
and the power thus at ,

tained has for some months past been wielded for politi c al
.
, ,
1 10 EN GL IS H S HORT — S TORY W R ITER S

did notabandon the searc h unt il I had bec o me fully

satisfi ed that the t hief is a more astute man than myself .

I fancy that I ha ve in vest igated every n ook and corner

of the p re mises in which it is poss ible that the paper c an
”
be concealed
“
.

But is it not possible I suggested that althou gh the

,
, ,

letter may be in the possess ion of the Minister as it un ,

quest ionably is he may have concealed it elsewhere than

,
”
u pon his ow n premise s ?
Thi s is b arely pcs sible said Dupin The pre sen t
,
.
“
pe c ul ia r condition of aff airs at court and es pecia lly of those ,

intrigues in whi ch D is kn own to be involved would ,

ren der the instant availabili ty of the docu me nt — its sus

’
ce ptib ili ty of being p roduce d at a momen t s noti ce— a

point of ne arly equa l im po rt an ce w ith its possession ”

“
.

I ts susceptibility of bein g produ ce d ? said I

”
.

”
That is to say of being destroyed said Dupin
“
.
, ,

True I observed ; the pa per is clea rly then upon t he

”
, , ,

premises As for its be ing upon the pe rson of the Min iste r
.
,

w e may consider that as ou t of the questi on

”

“ “
.

”
En tirely said the Prefect
,
He has been t w ice w ay .

la id as if by footpads and h is person rigidly se arc hed un der

, ,

my ow n inspe ction ”
.

Y ou might have spa red yourse lf this t rouble sa id

Dupin “ D . I presume is not altogether a foo l ; and ,
,

if not must ha ve anticipated these w aylayings as a matter

, ,
”
of course
“
.

N ot altogether a fool sa id G bu t then he is a

, , ,

poet which I take to be only one re move from a fool

.
”
.

”
True said Du pin after a long and thou ghtful whi ff
from his me erscha um
,

“ ,

alt hough I ha ve bee n guilty of

,

certain doggre l myself

“
.

Suppose you det a il sa id I the part i culars of your

, ,
“
sea rch .
 TH E P URLOIN ED LE T TER 1 1 1

W hy the fact is we took ou r time and we searched

, , ,

everyw here I have had long experience in these a ffairs

. .

I took the enti re building room by room devoting the , ,

nights of a whole week to each We examined fi rst the .

, ,

furniture of eac h apartment We opened every possible .

drawer ; and I pres ume you know that to a properly trained ,

-
’
poli ce agent such a thing as a secret drawer is imp ossible ‘
.
,

’
Any man is a dolt who permits a secret drawer to escape ‘

him in a search of this kind The thing is so plain There . .

is a certain amount of bulk o i space to be accounted for — —

in every cabinet Then we have accurate rules The. .

fi ftieth part of a line could not escape us After the .

cabinets we took the chairs The cushions we probed with .

the fine long needles you have seen me employ From the .

”
tables we removed the tops .

’
( ‘
Wll y
Sometimes the top of a table or other similarly arranged ,

piece of furniture is removed by the person wishin g to

,

c on ceal an article ; then the leg is excavated the arti c le ,

deposited within the cavity and the top replaced The hot , .

toms and tops of bed posts are employed in the same way
“
.

But could not the cavity be dete c ted by sounding ? ”

I asked
“
.

B y no means if when the article is deposited a suf

, , .

fi cient wadding of cotton be placed around it Besides .

,

”
in our case we we re obliged to proceed without noise
“
.
,

But you could not have removed — you could not have
taken to pieces all articles of furniture in which it would
have been possi b le to make a de posit in the m anner you
mention A letter may be compressed into a thin spiral
.

roll not di ffering much in shape or bulk from a large knit

,

ting-needle and in this form it might be inserted into the

,

rung of a chair for example You did not tak e to pieces

, .

all the c hairs ? ”

1 12 EN GL ISH SH ORT — S TORY W RITERS

Cert ainly not but we did better— w e examined the

rungs of every chair in the hotel and indeed the j ointings, , ,

of every description of furnitu re by the aid of a most ,

powerful microscope Had there been any traces of

-
.

recent di sturban ce we should not have failed to detect it

instantly A single grain of gimlet -dust f or example
.
, ,

would have been as obvious as an apple Any disorder .

in the gluing— any un usual gaping in the j o ints — would

”

“
have su ffi ced to insure detection .

I presume you looked to the mirrors between the ,

boards and the plates and you probed the beds and the
,

bedclothes as well as the c urt ains and carpets

,
”
.

That of course ; and when we had absolutely completed

,

every particle of the furniture in this way then we examined ,

the house itself We divided its entire surfa ce into co rn

.

partme nts which we numbered so that none might be

, ,

missed ; then we scrutinized each individual squ are inch

th roughout the premises including the two houses im
,
”
mediately adj oining with the microscope as before
“ ,
“
.
,
”
The two houses adj oining ! I exclai med Y ou must .

”
have h ad a great deal of trouble
“
.

We had ; but the reward o ffe red is prodigious .

”
Y ou include the grou nds about the houses ?

All the grounds are paved with brick They gave u s .

comparatively little trouble We examined the moss be

.

”
tween the bri cks and found it undisturbed
“
.

’
,

Y ou looked among D —
s papers of course and into , ,

“
the books of the library ?
Certai nly ; we opened every p ackage and parcel ; we
not only opened every book but we turned over every ,

leaf in each volume not contenting ourselves with a mere

,

shake according to the fas hion of some of our police

,

offi ce rs We also measure d the thickn ess of every book

.

cover with the most ac curate admeasurement and app lied

, ,
1 1 4 EN GLIS H SHORT — S TORY W R I TERS

We ll b ut G what of the purloined let ter ? I pre

, ,

sume you have at last made up your mind that there is

”
no such thing as overreaching the Minister ?
“Confound him say I yes ; I made the re e xamination ,
—
,

however as D a pin suggested but it was all labor lost as

,
—
,

”
I knew it would be
“
.

”
How much was the reward o ff ered did you say ? ,

asked Dupin .

Why a very great deal a very liberal rewa rd I don t ’ — —

,

like to say how much precisely ; but one thing I w i ll say , ,

’
that I wouldn t mind giving my individual check for fif ty
thousand francs to any one who could obtain me that
letter The fact is it is becoming of more and more im
.
,

portance every day ; and the reward h as been lately

doubled If it were trebled however I coul d do no more
.
, ,

than I have done ”

“
.

Why yes said Dupin drawling between the w h iii s

”
, , , ,

of his meerschaum I really thi nk G you have not ,

—
,

exerted yourself to the utmost in this matter Y ou —

.

might do a little more I think eh

“
—
, ,

”
How ? in what w ay ?
“
—

Why
'

fi pu ff you might fl pu f f em
“
— — u —
pu p , ,
'

puff pu h pu h
'

ploy counsel in the matter eh D o you ,

—
, ,
.

remember the story they tell of Abernethy

“No ; hang Abernethy ! ”

To be sure ! Hang him and welcome But once upon .

,

a time a certain miser con ceived the design of s punging

,

upon this A bernethy for a medical o pinion Getting u p .

,

for this purpose an ordinary conversation in a private com

,

pany he insinuated his case to the physician as that of

,
”
an imaginary individual .

‘ ’
We will suppose said the miser that his symptoms ‘
, ,

are such and such ; now doctor what would you have ,
’
,

directed him to take ?

 TH E P URLOINED LE T TER 1 1 5

Take said Abe m eth y Why take ad vice to be sure

“
. .
, ,

I am
”
But said the Prefect a little discomposed
, , ,

perfectly willing to t ake advice and to pay for it I would ,

.

really give fif ty thousand francs to an y one who would

”
aid me in the matter .

I n that case replied Dupin O pening a drawer and

”

producing a check -book

,

you may as well fi ll e up a ,

“ ,

m
,

check for the amou nt mentioned W hen you have signed .

it I will hand you the letter

”
.
,

I was astounded Th e Prefec t appeared absolutely

.

thu n der—stri cken For some minutes he remained speech

.

less and motionless looking incredulously at my friend

,

w ith O pen mouth and eyes that seemed starting from their
,

sockets ; then apparently recovering himself in some meas ‘

ure he sei z ed a pen and after several pauses and vacant

, ,

stares fi n ally filled up and signed a check for fif ty thousand

,

francs and handed it across the table to Dupin The latter

,
.

examined it carefully and deposited it in his pocket book ; -

then unlocking an escri toire took thence a letter and gave

, ,

it to the Prefect This fun ctionary grasped it in a perfect

.

agony of j oy opened it with a trembling hand cast a rapid

, ,

glance at its contents and then scrambling and struggling

, ,

to the door rushed at length unceremoniously from the

,

room and from the house without having uttered a syllable ,

since Dupin had requested him to fi ll up the check .

When he had gone my friend entered into some ex ,

planation
“
.

Th e Parisian police he said are exceedingly able in

, ,

their way They are persevering ingenious cunning and

.
, , ,

thoroughly versed in the knowledge which their duties

seem ch iefly to demand Thus when G detailed to us
.
,

his mode of searching the premises at the Hotel D I

felt entire confidence in his having made a satisfac tory
”
i nvestigation so far as hi s labors extended
—
.
1 16 EN GL IS H S HORT — STORY W RITERS
“
S far as his labors extended ? said I
“
o .

The measures ado pted were n ot

”
Yes said Dupin,
.

only the best of their kind but carried out to absolute ,

perfection Had the letter been deposited w it h in the range

.

of their search these fellows would beyond a quest ion

, , ,

have found it .

I merely laughed — but he seemed quite serious in all

that he said .

The measures then he continued were good in , , ,

their kin d and well executed ; their defect lay in their

,

be ing inapplicable to the case and to the man A ce rt ain .

set of highly ingenious resources are w ith the P re fect a , ,

sort of Proc rustean bed to which he forcibly ada pts his ,

designs But he pe rpetually errs by be ing too deep or

.

too shallow for the matter in h an d and man y a school ,

boy is a better reasoner than he I knew one about eight .

years of age whose success at gu m ing in the game of

,

‘ ’
even and odd attracted universal ad miration This .

game is simple and is played with marbl es One player

, .

holds in his hand a nu mber of these toys and deman ds of ,

another whether that number is even or odd I f the guess .

is right th e guesser wins one if wrong he 1m one The

, ,
.

boy to whom I allude won all the marbles of the school .

of his o pponents For ex am e an arrant simpleton is his

.
m ,

op ponent and holding up hi s cl osed hand asks Are they

, , , ,
‘

’ ’
even or odd ? Our school boy re plies Odd an d loses ;
-
‘
, ,

but u pon the second trial he wins for he then says to him ,

self : The simpleton had them even upon the first trial
‘
,

an d his amount of cunning is j ust su ffi cient to make him

have them odd upo n the second ; I will therefore guess

odd ; he guesses odd and wins N ow with a simpleton
'

.
, ,

a degree above the fi rst he would have reasoned thus ,

1 1 8 EN GL IS H S HORT — S TORY W RI TERS

thi ng hidden advert only to the modes in which they wou ld

,

have hidden it They are right in this much that their

.
—

ow n ingenuity is a faithful representative of that of the

diverse in character from their ow n the felon foils them of ,

course This always happens when it is above their ow n

.
,

and very usual ] y when it is below They have no variation .

of princi ple in their inv estigations ; at best when u rged by ,

some un usual emergen cy by some extraordinary reward

—

— they extend or exaggerate their old m odes of

practi ce ,

without touchi ng their prin ci ples W hat for example .

, ,

in this case of D has bw n done to vary the prin ci ple

of action ? What is all this boring and probin g and , ,

soun ding and scrutin i z ing with the microscope and divid
. ,

ing the sur face of the buildin g in to re gistered square inches

—what is it all but an exaggeration of the application of the

one principle or set of principles of search which are based ,

upon the one set of notions retarding human in genuity to ,

which the Prefect in the long routine of his duty has been
, ,

ac customed ? Do you n ot see he had taken it for granted

that all men proceed to conc eal a letter not exactly in a ,

gimlet -hole bored in a chair leg but at least in some ou t

-
, , ,

of the—w ay hole or c orner suggeste d by the same tenor of

-

thought which would urge a man to secrete a letter in a

gimlet -hole bored in a chair leg ? And do you not see also
-
, ,

that such r echerche nooks for concealment are adapted

only for ordinary occasions an d would be ado pted only by
.

ordinary intellects ; for in all cases of concealment a dis

, ,

posal of the article concealed — a disposal of it in this

recherche mann er is in the very first inst ance presumable
—
, ,

an d presu med ; and thus its discovery depe n ds not at all ,

upon the ac umen but altogether u pon the mere care

, ,

patience and determ ination of the seekers ; an d where the

,

cm i of importance o r wh en the reward is of magn itude

—
s ,
 TH E P URL OINED LE T TER 1 1 9

— the qualities i n question have never been known to fail .

Y ou will now understand wha t I meant in su ggesting that ,

had the purloined letter been hidden anywhere within the

’
limits of the Prefect s examination ih other words had —
,

the principle of its concealment been comprehended within

the principles of the Prefect its discovery would have been
—

a matter altogether beyon d question This functionary .

,

however has been thoroughly mystified ; and the remote

,

source of his defeat lies in the supposition that the Minister

is a fool because he has acquired renown as a poet All
,
.

fools are poets this the Prefect feels; and he is merely guilty
of a non d istribu ti o medii in thence inferring that all poets

are fools I mean to say that if the Minister had been

.
,

no more th an a mathematician the Prefect would have ,

been under no necessity of giving me this check I kn ew .

him however as both mathematician and poet and my

, , ,

measures were adapted t o his capacity w ith reference to ,

the circumstan ces by which he was su rrounded I knew .

him as a courtier too an d as a bold i ntri guant Such a

, , .

man I considered could not fail to be aware of the ordi

, ,

nary political modes of action : He could not have failed

to anticipate — and events have proved that he did not fail
to anti cipa te — the Way layings to whi c h he was subj ected .

He must have foreseen I reflected the secret investigations

, ,

of his premi ses His frequent absences from home at

.

n i ght which were hailed by the Prefect as certain aids to

,

his success I regarded only as m ses to a ff ord opportunity

, ,

for thorough search to the police and thus the s ooner to ,

impress them with the conviction to which G in fact ,

did finally arrive— the conviction that the letter was not
upon the premi ses I felt also that the whole train of
.
, ,

thought which I was at some pains in detailing to you

,

j ust now concerning the invariable principle of political

,

action in searches for articles concealed I felt that this —

1 20 EN GL I SH SH ORT — S TORY W RI T E RS

whole train of thought would necessarily pass through the

mind of the Mi niste r It would imperatively lead hi m to.

despise all the ordin ary no oks of con cealment He coul d .

not I re flected be so weak as not to see that the most

, ,

intri cate and remote re c ess of his hote l would be as open

as his co mmonest closets to the eyes to the probes to the , ,

gimlets an d to the mi cros copes of the Pre fect I saw in

, .
,

h u e that he would be driven as a matter of c o u rse to

, , ,

si mplici ty if not deliberately indu c ed to it as a matter of

,

choi ce You w ill re member perhaps h ow despe raw the

.
, ,

Y es, aid I s ,
“
remember his merriment well
I I .

“
really though t he woul d have fallen into convulsions
“
.

The material world contin ued Dupi n aboun ds with , ,

very strict analogies to the immaterial ; and thus some

color of truth has bee n given to the rhetorical dogma that
metaphor or si mile may be made to strengthen an argu
, ,

men t as w ell as to embell ish a dw eription The prin ciple .

of the vi s i nertiae for e x am e seems to be identical in

, m ,

physics and metaphysi cs It is n ot more t rue in the .

,

former that a large body is w ith more di ffi cu lty set in

,

motion than a smaller one and that its subsequent mo ,

mentu m is commensurate w ith thi s diffi cul ty than it is , ,

in the lat ter that intellects of the vaster capac ity while
, ,

more forcible more constant and more eventfu l in their

, ,

movements than those of inferior grade are yet the less ,

readily moved and more embarrassed and full of hesita

, ,

tion in the fi rst f e w s teps of their progress Again : have .

you ever noti ced wh ich of the street signs over the shop ,

doors are the most attrac tive of atte ntion ? ”

“ ,

I have never given the mat ter a thought I said , .

1 22 EN GL IS H SH OR T - S TORY W RITERS

the most really e nergetic human being now alive — but

“
that is only when nobody sees him .

To be even with hi m I complained of my weak eyes

, ,

an d lamen ted the n ecessity of the spectacles under cover ,

of which I cautiously and thoroughly surveyed the whole

apartment while seemingly intent only upon the con

,

versation of my host
“
.

I paid especial atte ntion to a large writing—table near

which he sat and upon which lay confusedly some mis
,

ce llaneous letters and other papers with one or tw o mus ical ,

instruments and a fe w books Here however after a long .

, ,

and very deliberate scrutiny I saw nothi ng to excite par ,

ti cu lar sus picion .

At length my eyes in going the circuit of the room fell

, ,

upon a trumpery fi ligree ca rd rack of pasteboard that -

hu ng dangling by a dirty blue ribbon from a little brass

knob j ust beneath the middle of the mantelpiece I n .

this rack which had three or four compartments were

, ,

fi v e or six soiled cards and a solitary letter This last was .

much soiled and crumpled I t w as torn nearly in tw o .

,

across the middle as if a design in the fi rst instance to

—
, ,

tear it entirely u p as worthless h ad been altered or stayed

in the second I t had a large black seal bearing the D
.
,

cipher very conspicuously and w as addressed in a di minu

, ,

tive female hand to D , the Minister himself I t w as ,

.

thrust carelessly and even as it seemed contemptuously

, , , ,

“
into one of the u ppermost divisions of the rack .

No sooner had I glanced at this letter than I concluded

it to be that of Which I was in search To be sure it w as .
, ,

to all appearance radically di fferent from the one of which

,

the Prefec t had read us so minu te a description Here the .

seal was large and black with the D cipher ; there it

,

w as small and red with the ducal arms of the S

,
fam
ily Here the address to the Minister was diminutive and
.
, ,
 TH E P URLOINED LE T TER 1 23

feminine ; there the superscription to a certain royal per ,

son age w as markedly bold and decided ; the size alone

,

formed a point of correspondence But then the radical .

, ,

ness of these di ff erences which was excessive ; the dirt ;

,

the soiled and torn condition of the paper so incons istent ,

with the tru e methodical habits of D and so con

sistent of a design to delude the beholder into an idea of
the worthlessness of the docum ent — these things together ,

with the hyperobtrusive situatio n of this document full ,

in the view of every visitor and thus exactly in a cc ordance ,

with the conclusions to which I had previou sly arrived

these things I say were strongly corroborative of sus
, ,

pi cion in one who came with the intent ion to suspect

“
.

I protracted my visit as long as possible and while , ,

I maintained a most animated discussion with the Min

ister upon a topic which I knew w ell had never failed to
interest and excite him I kept my attention riveted u pon
,

the letter In this examination I comm itted to memory

.

its external appearance and arrangement in the rack and ,

also fell at len gth upon a discovery which set at rest

, ,

whatever tri vial doubt I might have entertained In .

scrutinizing the edges of the paper I observed them to be ,

more chafed than seemed necessary They presented the .

broken appearance which is manifested when a sti ff paper ,

having been once folded and pressed with a folder is re ,

folded in a reversed direction in the same creases or edges ,

which formed the original fold This discovery was suf .

fi cient It was clear to me that the letter had been turned

.
,

as a glove inside out re-directed and re-sealed I bade

, ,
.

the Minister good morning and took my departure at

-
,

once leaving a gold sh uHbox upon the table

,
-
.

Th e next morning I called for the snuff-box when we ,

resumed quite eagerly the conversation of the preceding

, ,

day While thus engaged however a loud report as if

.
, , ,
1 24 EN GL I SH SH OR T — S T ORY W RITERS

of a pistol was heard immediately beneath the windo w s

,

of the hotel and was succeeded by a series of fearful

,

sc reams and the shoutings of a terrified mob D .

rushed to a casem ent threw it O pe n and looked ou t In

, , .

the mean tim e I stepped to the card-rack took the letter , ,

put it in my pocket and replaced it by a facsi mile (so far

,

as regards exte rnals ) which I had carefully pre pared at

,

my lodgings — imitatin g the D cipher very readily , ,

“
by means of a seal formed of bre ad .

The disturbance in the street had bee n oc casioned by

the frantic behavior of a man with a musket He had .

fi red it among a crowd of women and children It proved .

,

however to have been without ball an d the fellow was

, ,

suf fered to go h is way as a lun atic or a drunkard When .

he had go ne D came from the window whither I had

, ,

followed him imm edi ately upon securing the obj ect in
view Soon afterward I bade him farewell The pre
. .

tended lun atic was a man in my own pay ”

“ But what purpose had you I asked ih replacing ,

.

,
“
the letter by a facsi mile ? W ould it not have been better ,

at the first visit to have seized it O penly and departed ? ”

D replied Dupin
,

is a desperate man an d a ,
“
man of nerve His hotel too is n ot without at tend ants
.
, ,

devoted to his interests Had I made the wild attempt .

you suggest I might never have left the Ministerial pres

,

ence alive The good peo ple of Paris might have heard
.

of me n o more But I had an obj ec t apart from these

.

considerations You know my political prepossessions

. .

In this matte r I act as a partisan of the lady con cern ed .

For eighteen months the M ini ster has had her in his power .

She has now him in hers — sin ce bein g un aware that the ,

lette r is not in his possession he will proceed with his ,

exactions as if it w as Thus will he i nevitably commi t

.

himself at once to h is political destruction His down

, , .
RAB AN D HIS FR IEN D S

D r J ohn B row n
.
( 1 81 0- 1 882
)
1 30 EN GLI SH SHOR T - S TORY W RI TERS

it was a fl ash of an inferen ce a rapid induction The crowd , .

roun d a couple of dogs fi gh ting is a crowd masculine mainly ,

with an occasional active compassionate woman fl u tte rin g ,

wildly round the outside and using her tongue and her
”
hands freely upon the men as so many brutes ; it is a ,

crowd annular com pact and mobile ; a c rowd centripetal

, , ,

having its eyes and its heads all bent downward and ih
ward to one common focus .

Well Bo b an d I are u p and hn d it is not over ; a small

, ,

thoroughbred white bull terrier is busy throttling a large -

’
,

shepherd s dog un accustomed to war but not to be trified

,

with They are h ard at it; the scientifi c little fellow doing
.

his work in great st y le his pastoral enemy fi gh ting wildl y

, ,

but with the sharpest of teeth and a great courage Scien c e .

and breeding however soon had their ow n ; the Game

, ,

Chicken as the premature Bob called him working his

, ,
’
way u p took h is final grip of poor Yarrow s throat — and he
,

lay gasping an d done for His mas ter a brown handsome .

, , ,

b ig young shepherd from Tweedsmui r wou ld have liked

,

to have knocked dow n any man would drink up Esil or ,

,
“ ,

eat a crocodile for that part if he had a chan ce ; it w as n o

”
, ,

use kicking the little dog ; that would only make hi m hold

“
the closer Many were the means shouted ou t in mouth
.

fuls of the bes t possible ways of ending i t W ater ! ”

.

but there was none near and many cried for it w ho mi ght
’
have got it from the well at Blackfriar s Wynd Bite the
,

.
“
”
tail ! and a large vague benevolent middle—aged man
, , , ,

more desirous th an wise with some struggle got the bu shy ,

’
end of Yarrow s t ail into his ample mouth and bit it w ith
all his might This w as more than enough for the much
.

enduring much-perspi ring shepherd who wi th a gleam of

, , ,

j oy over his broad visage delivered a te rrific facer upon ,

our large vague benevolent middle-aged friend who

, , , ,

went dow n like a shot .

 RA B AND H IS FR I EN D S 1 31

Still the Ch icken holds ; death not far off a .

“
Snuf f !
”
pinch of snu ff I observed a calm highly dressed young buck
with an eye glass in his eye ”
Snu ff indeed ! growled
,
“
“
-
,
.

the angry crowd a ffronted and glaring ,

Snu ff ! a pinch .

of sh u fl again observes the buck but with more urgency ; ,

whereon were produced several o pen boxes and from a mull ,

which may have been at Culloden he took a pinch knelt ,

down an d presented it to the nose of the Chicken The

,
.

laws of physiology an d of snu ff t ake their course ; the

Chicken snee z es and Yarro w is free !
,

Th e young pastoral giant stalks off with Yarrow in his

arms — comforting him .

’
But the bull terrier s blood is u p and his soul u nsatis
-
,

fi e d ; he grips the fi rst dog he meets and discovering she is , ,

not a dog in Homeric phrase he makes a brief sort of

, ,

a mend e an d is off The boys with Bob and me at their

.
,

head are after him : down N id dry Street he goes be nt on

, ,

mischief ; up the Cowgate like an arrow — Bob and I and ,

ou r small men panting behind ,

.

There under the single arch of the South Bridge is a

, ,

huge masti ff sauntering down the middle of the causeway

, ,

as if with his hands in his pockets ; he is old brindled as , ,

big as a little Highland bull and has the Sh akespearean ,

dewlaps shaking as he goes .

Th e Chicken makes straight at him and fastens on his ,

throat To our astonishment the great creature does noth

.
,

ing but stand still hold himself u p and roar yes roar a
, ,
—
, ,

long serious remonstrative roar How is this ? Bob and

, ,
.

I are u p to them He i s mu z z l ed ! Th e bailies had pro

.

claimed a general mu zz ling and his master studying strength, ,

and economy mainly had encom passed his huge j aws in a

,

home made apparatus constructed out of the leather of

-

some an cient breechi n His mouth was open as far as it .

c ould ; his lips c urled up in rage a sort of terrible grin ;

—
1 32 EN GL I S H SHORT — S TORY W RITERS

his teeth gleaming ready from ou t the darknes s ; the st rap

, ,

across his mouth tense as a bowst ring ; hi s whole frame

“
stiff with indignation and surp ri se ; his roar as king u s all
round Did you ever see the like of this ?
,
”
He looked
a statue of an ger an d astonishment done in Aberdeen
grani te
“
.

We soon had a crowd ; the Chi cken held on A kn ife ! ”

.

cried Bob ; and a co b bler gave him h is knife ; you know

the k ind of kni fe worn obliquely to a point and always
,

keen I put its edge to the tense leather ; it ran before it;
.

and then ! — one sudden j erk of that enormous head a sort ,

of dirty mist about his mouth no noise and the bright and , ,

h erce little fellow is dropped limp an d dead A solemn ,

.

pause ; thi s was mo re than any of us h ad ba rgained f or I .

turned the little fellow over an d saw he w as quite de ad : ,

the mast ih had taken him by the small of the back like a
'

rat and broken it .

He looked do w n at his victim appeas ed as hamed and , ,

ama z ed ; snifi ed hi m all over stared at hi m and taking a

'

, , ,

sudden thought turn ed roun d and trotted 0 5 Bob took

,
.

the dead dog u p and said ’

John we ll bury him after
tea.
“ ,
,

Yes said I and w as off af ter the mas tif f He

,
, ,

made up the Cowgate at a rapid swin g ; he had forgotte n

some engagement He turned up the Candlemaker Row
.
,

and stopped at the Harrow I nn .

’
There w as a carrier s cart ready to st art and a keen , ,

thin impatient black-a-V ised little man his hand at his

, , ,

’
gray horse s head l ooking about angrily for something
“ , .

”
Rab ye thief ! said h e aiming a ki ck at my great friend
, , ,

w h o drew c ri nging u p and avoi ding the heavy shoe with

’
, ,

more agility than di gnity and watching his master s eye ;

slu nk dismayed under the cart — his ears down and as much ,

as he had of tail down too ,

.

W hat a man thi s must be — thought I — to

whom my
1 34 EN GL ISH SHORT — S TORY W RI TERS

James ( f or his name was James Noble) made a ou t and

grotesque boo“ ”
and s aid “ Maister John thi s is the
, , ,
’
mistress ; she s got a t rouble in her breest some ki nd 0
— ’
an income we re ’
,

’
B y this time I saw the woman s fa ce ; she w as sitt ing
’
on a sack filled with straw with her husband s plaid round ,

her and his big-coat with its large white metal buttons
, , , ,

over her feet .

I never saw a more un forgettable fa ce— pale serious , ,

lone ly delicate sweet without being at all what we cal l

, , ,

fin e .She looked sixty and had on a mutch whi te as , ,

snow with its bl ack ribbon her silvery smooth hair setting
, ,

off her dark -gray eyes — e yes such as one sees only twi ce

or thri ce in a lifetim e full of su fl e rin g full also of the over

'

, ,

coming of it her eyebrows black and delicate and her ,

mouth fi rm patient and contented which few mouths

, , ,

As I have said I never saw a more beautiful cou nte

nan ce or one more subdued to settled quiet ”
Ailie said
,
“
“
.
,
’
,

James this is Maister John the young doctor ; Rab s

, ,

friend ye ken We often speak aboot you doctor

, . She , .

smi led and made a movement but said nothi ng an d pre , ,

pared to come dow n putting her plaid aside and rising ,

.

Had Solomon in all h is glory been handin g down the

, ,

Queen of Sheba at h is palace gate he could not have done ,

it more daintily more tenderly more l ike a gentleman , ,

than James the Howland carrier when he lifted down

, ,

Ai lie hi s wife The contrast of his small swarthy weather

, .
, ,

beaten keen worldly face to hers pale subdued and

, ,
—
, ,

beautif ul was something wonderful Rab looked on con

-
.

cerned and puzzled but ready for anything that might ,

turn u p were it to strangle the nurse the porter or even

, , ,

Ai lie and he seemed great friends

“
rne. .

’ ’ ’
As I was sayin she s got a kind 0 trouble in her ,
 RA B AND HIS FRIEN D S 1 35

’
breest doctor ; wull ye tak a look at it? We walked into
,

the consulting room all four ; Rab grim and comic will
-
, , ,

ing to be happy and con fi de ntial if cause should be sho w n ,

willing also to be the reverse on the same terms Ailie sat .

do w n undid her open gow n and her lawn handkerchief

,

round her neck and without a word showed me her right

, , ,

b reast I looked at it and examined it carefully she

.
,

and James watching me and Rab eyi ng all th re e W hat , .

could I say ? There it was that had once been so soft , ,

so shapely so white so gracious and bountiful so full

, , ,
”
of all blessed condition hard as a stone a centre of hor , ,

rid pain making that pale face with its gray lucid reason
, , , ,

able eyes and its sweet resolved mouth express the full
, , ,

measure of suff ering overcome Why was that gentle .

,

modest sweet w oman clean and lovable condemn ed by

, , ,

“
God to bear such a burden ?
I got her away to bed May Rab and me bide said .

Y ou may and Rab if he w ill behave hi mself

“
James .

’
.
,
’
I se warrant he s do that doctor ”
And in slu nk the .
,

faithful beast There are no such dogs now He belonged

. .

to a lost tribe As I have said he was brindled and gray

.
, ,

like Ru b islaw grani te ; his hair short hard and close like , , ,
’
a lion s ; his body thi ck-set like a little bull — a sort of com ,

pressed Hercules of a dog He must have been ninety

’
.

pounds weight at the le ast ; he had a large blunt head ;

, ,

his mu zz le black as night ; hi s mouth blacker than any

night ; a tooth or two being all he had — gleaming out of—

his j aws of darkness His head was scarred with the rec
.

ords of old wounds a sort of series of fi elds of battles

,

all over it one eye out one ear cropped as close as was
’
,
’
Archbishop Leighton s father s ; the remaining eye had the
power of two ; and above it and in constant commu nica ,

tion with it w as a tattered rag of an ear which w as for

, ,

ever unfurling itself like an old flag ; and then that bud
,
1 36 EN GL IS H S H ORT — S TORY WRI TERS
of a tail about one inch long if it could in any sense he
, ,

said to be long be ing as broad as long— the mobility the

, ,

instan taneous ness of that bud were very fun ny and sur
prising an d its expressive t w inklings and wink ings the
, ,

in terco mm u nications between the eye the ear and it , , ,

were of the oddest and swiftest .

Rab had the dignity and simplicity of great si ze ; and ,

having fought his way all along the road to absolute

supremacy he was as mi ghty in his ow n line as Julius
,

Caesar or the Duke of Wellington and had the gravity of ,

all great fighters .

You must have often observed the likeness of ce rta in

men to cert ain animals and of cert ain dogs to men Now , .
,

I never l ooked at Rab without thinking of the great B ap

tist p reach er Andrew Fuller ,
Th e same large heavy , .
,

men ac ing combative sombre honest coun tenance the

, , , ,

same deep in evitable eye ; the same look as of thunder

, ,

as leep but ready — neither a dog nor a man to be trifled

,

w ith f
Next day my m aster the surgeon examin ed Ai lie , ,
.

There could be no doubt it must kill her and soon If it , .

could be removed it mi ght never return — it would give

—

her speedy relief— she should have it done She curtsied

“ “
.
,

looked at James and said W hen ,

To morrow
- ”
said , ,

the kind surgeo n — a man of few words She and James and .

Rab and I retired I noticed that he and she spoke little

.
,

but seemed to anticipate everything in each other The .

follow ing day at noon the students c ame in hurrying up

, , ,

the great stair At the fi rst landing-pl ace on a small well

.
, ,

kn own blackboard was a bit of paper fas tened by wafers

, ,

and many remai ns of old wafers bes ide it Ou the paper .

were the words :

An operati on to-day .
—
J B
. .
, Clerk .
 1 38 EN GL I SH S HORT — S TOR Y W RI TERS

importun ate ; he growled an d gave n ow and then a sharp ,

impatient yelp he would have liked to have done something

to that man But James had hi m fi rm and gave him a
.
,

glow er from time to time and an intimation of a possible ,

kick ; all the better for James it kept hi s eye and hi s mind
—

off Ail ie .

I t is over ; she is dressed steps gently and de cently down ,

from the table looks for James then tur nin g to the surgeon
,

and the students she curtsies and in a low clear voi ce

, , , ,

begs their pardon if she has behaved ill The students .

all of us— wept like children ; the su rgeon wrapped her up

carefully and resting on Jam es and me Ailie went to her
, , ,

room and Rab followed We put her to bed James took

,
. .

off his heavy shoe s c ramm ed with tackets heel -capped an d

, ,

toe-capped and put them carefully under the table saying :

“ ’
,

’
Maister John I m for name 0 yer strynge nurse bodies for
,
,

’ ’
Ailie I ll be her nurse and I ll gang aboot on my stock in
.
’
,
”
soles as c anny as pussy An d so he did ; and handy and .

clever and swift and tender as any woman w as that

,

horny-handed snell peremptory little man Everythi ng

, ,
.

she got he gave her ; he seldom sle pt ; and often I saw his
small shrewd eyes ou t of the darkness fix ed on her As
, , .

before they S poke little

, .

Rab behaved well never moving showing us h ow meek , ,

and gentle he could be and occasionally in his sleep letting , , ,

us kn ow that he was demolishing some ad versary He .

took a walk with me every day generally to the Candle ,

maker Row ; but he w as sombre and mild ; decl ined doing

battle thou gh some fi t cases o ffered and in deed submitted
, ,

to sun dry indigniti es ; and was always very ready to t u rn ,

and came faster back and t rotted u p the stair with much ,

lightness and went straight to that door

, .

Jess the mare had been sent with her weather-beaten

, , ,

cart to Howgate and had doubtless her own dim and placid
. .
 RA B AN D HI S F RIEN D S 1 39

meditations and conf usions on the absence of her master

and Rab and her unnatural freedom from the road and

“
her cart .

For some days Ailie did well Th e wound healed by

“
.

the fi rst intention for as James said Oor Ailie s skin s’ ’

,
”
ower clean to be il Th e students came in quiet and .

anxious and surrounded her bed She said she liked to

,
.

see their youn g hon est faces Th e surgeon d ressed her

, .
,

and spoke to her in his own short kind way pitying her , ,

through his eyes Rab and James outside the circle Rab
,
—

being now reconciled a n d even cordial and having made , ,

up his mind that as yet nobody requi red worrying but as , ,

you may suppose semper pa ratus ,

.

S o far well ; but four days after the operation my patient

had a sudden and lon g shi veri ng a groosin
,
”
as she ,
“ ,

called it I saw her soon after ; her eyes were too bright
.
,

her cheek colored ; she was restless and as hamed of being ,

so the balan ce was lost ; mischi ef had begun Ou looking .

at the wound a blush of red told the secret ; her pulse was
’
,

rapid her breathing anxious and qui ck ; she wasn t herself

, ,

as she said and was vexed at her restlessness We tried

, .

w hat we could James did everyt hi ng was everywhere

.
, ,

never in the way never out of it; Rab subsided under the
,

table into a dark place and w as motionless all but h is eye , , ,

which followed every one Ailie got worse began to wander .

in her mi nd gently ; w as more demonstrative in her ways

,

to James rapid in her questions and sharp at t imes He

,

was vexed and said She was n ever that way afore n o
, ,
“ , .

, ,

”
never. For a time she k new her head was wrong and ,

was always asking our pardon the dear gentle old woman ;
—
,

then deliri um set in strong without pause Her brain , .

gave way and then came that terrible spectacle

“
, ,

Th e inte ll e ctual power through words and things , ,

W ent sounding on a dim and perilous way ; ”

.
1 40 EN GL IS H SH ORT — S TORY W RI TER S

sh e sang bits of old songs and Psalms stopping suddenly , ,

mingling the Psalms of David and the di viner words of his

Son and Lord with homely odds and ends of ballads .

Nothing more touchi ng or in a sense more stran gely ,

beautiful did I ever witness Her tremulous rapid ai

,
.
, ,

f ectionate eager Scotch voi ce— the swift aimless bewilder

, , , ,

ed mind the b at fl ed utterance the bright and perilous eye ;

, ,

some wild words some household cares something f or

, ,

James the names of the dead Ra b call ed rapidly and in a

, ,
”
f re myt voice and he starting u p surprised and slinkin g
, , ,

off as if he were to blame somehow or h ad been d reami ng ,

he heard Many eager questions and bese echings which

.

J ames and I could make nothing oi and on whi ch she ,

seemed to set her all and then sink back ununderstood It

, .

was very sad but better than many things that are not
,

called sad James hovered about put ou t and miserable

.
, ,

but active and exact as ever ; read to her when there was a ,

lull short bits from the Psalms prose and metre chan ting
, , ,

the latter in his ow n rude an d serious way showing great ,

knowledge of the fi t words bearin g up like a man and

doating over her as his ain Ai lie ”
Ailie ma woman ! “ ,

.
“ ,
,

”
Ma ain bonn ie wee dawt ie !
The end w as drawing on the golden bowl w as break
ing ; the silver cord was fast being loosed that ani mu la
—
,

bla nd ula vagula hospes comesque w as about to fl ee

, ,
The
, ,
.

body and the soul companions for sixty years were be

— —

ing sundered an d tak ing lea v e She was walking al one .

, ,

t h rough the valley of that sh adow into which one day we

must all enter an d yet she was not alone for we know
w

whose rod and staff were comf ort in g her .

One night she had f allen qu iet and as w e hoped as leep ; , , ,

her eyes were shut We put down the gas and sat watch
.
,

ing her Suddenly she sat up in bed and taking a bed

.
, ,

gown which was lyin g on it rolled u p she held it eagerly ,

1 42 EN GL IS H S HORT — S TOR Y W R ITERS

leavin g the blank c l ear darkness without a st ain

, a .
“
Wh t
is our life ? I t is even as a vapor whi ch appeareth for a ,

little t ime and then vani sheth away

, .

Rab all this time had been full awake and motio nless ;
’
he came forward beside us ; Ailie 8 hand whi ch James had ,

held was hanging do w n ; it was soaked with his tears ;

,

Rab licked it all over carefully looked at her and return ed , ,

to hi s pl ace under the table .

’
J ames and I sat I don t know h ow long but for some
, ,

time Sayi ng nothi ng he started up abruptly and w ith

.
, ,

some n oise w ent to the table and putting hi s right fo re , ,

and middle fin ge rs eac h into a shoe pulled them out and ,

“
put them oh breaking one of the leather latchets and
’
, ,
”
muttering in an ger I never did the l ike 0 that afore !
I believ e he never did ; nor after either
,
”
Rab ! he .
“
said roughl y and po int ing with his thumb to the bottom
, , ,

of the bed Rab leaped up and settled himself his head

.

and eye to the dead face ’

Maister John ye ll wait for .
“ ,
,

me sai d the carrier ; and disappeared in the darkness

, ,

thundering down stai rs in his heavy shoes

-
I ran to a
front window ; there he was already round the house and ,

ou t at the gate flee ing l ike a shadow

,
.

I was afraid about him and yet not afraid ; so I sat ,

dow n beside Rab and being wearied fell asleep I awoke

, , ,
.

from a sudden n oise outside It was Nov ember and there .

,

h ad been a heavy fall of snow Rab Was i n statu qua; he .

heard the n oise too and plainly knew it but n ever moved
, , ,
.

I looked ou t and there at the gate in the dim morning , ,

for the sun was not u p— w as Jess and the cart a cloud of ,

steam rising from the old mare I did not see James ; he .

was already at the door and came up the stairs and met ,

me I t w as less than three hours s ince he left and he

.
,

must have pos ted out who k ows

— n h ow —
to Howgate ,

full nine miles off yoked Jess and driven her astonished
, ,
 RA B AN D HIS FRIEN D S 1 43

into town He had an armf ul of blank ets an d was stream

.
,

ing with perspiration He nodded to me and spread ou t on

.
,

the fl oor two pairs of clean old blank ets having at their
corners A G
,
“ in large letters in red worst ed
. .
, .

These were the i nitials of Alison Graeme and James may ,

have looked in at her from wi thout himself unsee n but

“
—

”
not unthought of when he was Wat w at and weary
—
, , ,

and after ha ving walked many a mi le over the hills may

,
’
,
”
have seen her sitting while a the lave were slee ping and
, ,

by the fi re ligh t worki ng her n ame on the blankets for

’
her ain James s bed .

He motion ed Rab down and taking h is wife in his arms , , ,

l aid her in the blank ets and happed her carefully an d ,

fi rmly u p leaving the face uncovered ; an d then lifting

, ,

her he n odded again sharply to me and with a resolved

, ,

but utterly miserable face strode along the p as sage and

down-stairs followed by Ra b I followed with a li ght ;
,
.

’
but he didn t n eed it I went out holdi ng stupidly the .
,

candle in my hand in the calm frosty ai r ; w e w ere soon at ,

the gate I co uld have helped him but I saw he was not
.
,

to be meddled with and he was strong and did not need

, ,

it
. He laid her down as tenderly as safely as he had , ,

“
lifted her out ten days before— as tenderly as when he had
”—
her first in his arms when she was only A G s orted . .

her leavi ng that beautiful sealed face O pen to the heavens ;

,

and then taking Jess by the head he moved away He

, , .

did not noti ce me n either did Rab w h o presided beh ind

, ,

the cart .

I stood till they passed thr ough the lon g shadow of the
College an d turned up Ni colson Stree t I heard the soli .

tary cart sound through the streets and die away an d ,

come again ; and I returned thinking of that company ,

going up Libberton Brae then along Roslin Muir the , ,

morning light touching the Pentlands and making them ,

1 44 EN GL I S H S HORT — S TOR Y W RIT E RS

like onl ooking ghosts ; then down the hill through An chiu
,
“
di nny woods past haunted Wood houselee ; and as day
”

break came sweeping up the bleak L amme rmui rs and fell ,

on his ow n door the company would stop ,

and James ,

would take the key and lift Ailie up again laying her on
, ,

her ow n bed and having put Jess up would return with

, , ,

Rab and shut the door .

James buried hi s wife with his neighbors mourning Rab , ,

watchin g the proceedings from a dist ance It was snow .

,

and that black ragged hole would look strange in the midst
,

of the swelling spotl ess cus hion of whi te

,
James l ooked .

after everyt hing ; then rather suddenly fell ill and took ,

to bed ; was insensible when the doctor came and soon ,

died A so rt of low fever was prevailing in the village

.
,

and hi s want of sleep his exhaustion and hi s mise ry made

, ,

him apt to take it The grave was not d iffi cu lt to reopen

. .

A fresh fall of snow had again made all thin gs white and
smooth ; Rab once more looked on and slun k home to the ,

stable .

An d what of Rab ? I as ked f or him n ext week at the

’
new c arrier who got the good will of James s bus iness and
“
-

was n ow mas ter of Jess and her cart ’ ”

How s Rab ?
“
.

He put me off and said rather rudely ’

What s you r
, , ,
’
business w i the I was not to be so put ofi
‘

’
W here s Rab ? ”
He gett ing confu sed and red and ih
te rm edd ling with his hair said
’ ’
,

Deed sir Rab s deid ” “ ,

“
.
, , , ,

De ad ! W hat did he die of Weel sir said he

”

getting redder
’ “
h e didna exactly dee ; he w as killed I
, ,

.
,

’
,
’
had to brain him w i a rack pin ; there w as n ae doin w i
- ’
’
him He lay in the t reviss w i the mear and wadna come
.
,

oot
’
I tempit him w i kail and meat but he wad tak
.
,

n aething an d keepit me frae feedin g the beas t and he was ,

’
,
’
aye gurrin and grup gru ppin me by the legs I was laith .

’ ’
, ,
’
to mak aw a w i the auld dOWg his like wasna atween th is ,
THE B OOT S AT THE H OLL Y TR E E IN N
-

Cha rles Di ckens ( 1 8 1 2— 1 870)

1 50 EN GL IS H SH ORT - S T O RY W RI TERS

he acted and he done it all equally beautiful He w as u h

, .

common proud of M as ter Harry as was hi s onl y child ; but

’
he didn t spoil him neither He w as a gentleman that had .

a will of his ow n and a eye of his own and that would be ,

minded Conseq uently though he made quite a com

.
,

panion of the fine bright boy an d was del ighte d to see him ,

so fond of re ading hi s fairy books and was never tired of -

,

hearing him say my n ame is Norval or hearing him sing ,

his songs about Youn g May Moons is beamin g love an d ,

When he as adores thee has left but the name and that ; ,

still he kept the comm and over the child and the child was
’ ’
,

a child and it s to be wished more of em was

,
.

How did Boots happen to k now all thi s ? Why through ,

— ’
being under gardener Oi course he couldn t be under
.

gardener and he always about in the summ er-time near

, , ,

the wi ndows o n the l awn a—mowing and sweeping and , , ,

weeding an d prun ing and this and that without getting

, , ,
'

acquain ted with the ways of the family Eve n supposing

’
.

Maste r Harry hadn t come to h im one morning early and

said,
“
Cobbs h ow should you spell Norah if you was
, ,
,

asked and then began cutting it in prin t all over the

fence .

’
He couldn t say that he had taken particular notice of
children before that but really it was pretty to see them
two mites a going about the pla ce together d eep in love
-
, .

’
An d the courage of the boy ! Bless your soul he d have ,

throwed 0 6 his little hat and tucked up his little sleeves

, ,

and gone in at a lion he would if they had ha ppened to

, ,

meet one and she had been frightened of him One day he
,
.

along with her where Boots was hoeing wee ds in

stO ps ,

“ ”
,

I “
“
the gravel an d says speaking u p Cobbs he says
like you ” ’
,

“ ,

Do you sir ? I m proud to hear it

.
,
”
Yes
, ,

.
,

I do Cobbs W hy do I lik e you do you think Cobbs

“ , ,
.

’
,

Don t kn ow Master Harry I am sure ,

Bec ause Norah ,
.
 B OOTS AT T H E H OLL Y — TREE IN N 1 51

likes you Cobbs ’

Indeed sir ? That s very gratifying .
,
.

’
,

I t s better than millions of the bright

“
Gratifying Cobbs ,
”
est diamonds to be liked by Norah
“ “
Certainly sir .
.
,

W ould you like another situation Cobbs Well sir

’
I shouldn t obj ect if it was a good uh ”
Then Cobbs ” “ , ,

“ ,
.
,

says h e you shall be our Head Gardener w hen we are

,

mar ried .
And he tucks her in her little sky-blue mantle , ,

under his arm and walks away ,

.

Boots could assure me that it was better than a picte r ,

and equal to a play to see them babies with their long

, , ,

bright curling hair their sparkling eyes and their beau

, , ,

tiful light tread a rambling about the garden deep in love

,
-
, .

Boots was of opinion that the birds believed they was birds
’ ’
,

and kept up with em singing to please em Sometimes , .

they would creep under the tulip—tree and would sit there ,
’
with their arms round one another s necks and their soft ,

cheeks touching a reading about the Prince and the Dragon

,
-
,

and the good an d bad enchante rs an d the king s fair ’

,

daughter Sometimes he would hear them planning about

.

a house in a forest keeping bees and a cow and living eh

, ,

tire ly on milk and hon ey Once he came upon them by

“
.

the pond and heard Master Harry say Adorable Norah

, , ,
’
kiss me and say you love me to distraction or I ll jump in
, ,

head foremost An d Boots made no question he would

.

’
have do ne it if she hadn t complied Oh the whole B oots .

said it had a tenden cy to make him feel he was l n love

’
hi mself only he didn t exactly k now who with
“
—
.

“
Cobbs said Master Harry one evening when Cobbs
, , ,

was wate ri ng the fl ow ers I am going on a visit this ,

’
,

“
present midsu mmer to my grandmamma s at York
’
,

Are you indeed sir ? I hope you ll have a pleasant

, ,
.

time I am going into Yorkshire myself when I leave

.

, ,

“
here.

’
Are you going to your grandmamm a s Cobbs ,
1 52 EN GL IS H S HOR T - S T OR Y W RI T E R S
’
No si r I haven t got such a thi ng
.
, .

Not as a gran dmamma Cobbs ? ,

”
No sir,
.

The boy looked on at the watering of the flow ers f or a

little while an d then said
, I shall be very glad indeed ,
“
’
to go Cobbs Norah s going
“
—
,
’
.

You ll be all right then sir says Cobbs with your

, , , ,
”
beautiful sw eetheart by your side
“ ”
Cobbs retu rned the boy d ushi ng I never let any
, ,
.

bod y j oke about it when I can preven t them ”

’
.

It wasn t a j oke sir says Cobbs with humility

’
, , ,

was n t so meant ”

“
.

I am glad of that Cobbs because I like you you

’
, , ,

know and you re going to li ve with us Cobbs !

, .

What do you thi nk my grandmamma gives me when

I go down there ?
“ ’
I couldn t so much as make a guess sir ,
.

A Bank -oi England fi v e—poun d no te Cobbs

“
-

’
.
,

Whew ! says Cobbs that s a spanking sum of money

”
, ,
”

“
Master Harry .

A perso n could do a great deal with such a sum of

’
money as that c ouldn t a person Cobbs
“
—
,

I believe you sir ! ”

Cobbs ”
sai d the boy ’
,

I ll tell you a secret A t “ .

’
, ,

Norah s house they have been j oking her about me an d ,

preten ding to laugh at our being engaged p retending to

—

“
mak e game of it Cobbs !
Such sir says Cobbs
, ,
“ ,

is the depravity of human ,

natur
The boy looking exactly like hi s father stood for a
, ,

f ew minutes with his glowing f ace toward the s unset and

“ ’
then departed with Good night Cobbs I m going in ,
-
,
.
,

If I w as to ask Boots h ow it happened that he w as

1 54 EN GL IS H SH ORT — S TORY W RITERS

two bed rooms will be required Chops an d cherry .

pudding for two ! an d tucks her in her little sky-blue

”

mantle un der his arm and walks into the house much
, ,

bolder than Brass .

Boots leaves me to j udge what the amazement of that

establishment was when these two tiny creatures al l
,

alone by themselves was marched into the Angel much —

more so when h e who had see n them without their seeing

,

hi m give the Governor his views upon the expedition

,

they was upon “ ”

Cobbs says the Governor ii thi s is
.
, ,
“
so I must set off myse lf to York and quiet their friends
’
, ,

minds In which case you must keep your eye upon em

.
’
,

’
an d humor em till I come back But before I t ake these .

measures Cobbs I should wi sh you to hn d from themselves

,

whether your O pinions is correc t ” “,

”
Sir to you says
“
.
, ,

Cobbs that shall be done direc tly

, .

So Boots goes u p-stairs to the Angel and there he fin ds ,

’
Mas ter Harry on a e normous sofa— immense at any time
, ,

but looking like the Great Bed of W are compared w ith him ,

—
a d ryi ng the eyes of M iss Norah with hi s pe cket -han
r

kecher Their little legs w as entirely off the ground of

.
,

course an d it really is not possible for Boots to express to

,

me h ow small them chi ldre n looked

“ ’ ’
It s Cobbs ! I t s Cobbs ! cries Master Harry and
”
.

’
comes running to him on t other side and catch ing hold
’
,

of his t other hand and they both j um p for j oy

“ I see you a-getting ou t sir says Cobbs
,

I thought ,
.
“
.

’
,

it w as you I thought I couldn t be mistaken in your

.

’
height and fi gure What s the obj ect of your j ourney sir ?
.
,

Matrimonial
“ ’
We re goi ng to be married Cobbs at Gretna Green , , ,

re turn ed the boy We have run away on purpose

. .

’
Norah has been in rather low s pirits Cobbs ; but she ll be ,
”
happy now w e have found you to be our friend
, .
 B OOT S AT T HE H OLL Y — TREE IN N 1 55

Thank you sir an d than k you miss , says Cobbs

, , , ,

for your good opinion Di d you bring any luggage with .

”
you sir ?
,

I f I will believe Boots when he gives me his word and

honor upon it the lady had got a parasol a smelling—bottle
, , ,

a roun d and a half of cold buttered toast eight peppermint ,

- — ’
drops and a hair brush seemingly a doll s The gentle
, .

man had got about half a do z en yards of string a knife , ,

three or four sheets of writing—paper folded up surprising ,

small a orange and a Chaney mug with his name upon it

“
.
, ,

W hat may be the exact nature of your plans sir ? says

”
,

Cobbs
“
.

To go oh replied the boy which the courage of that

“
—
,

boy was something w onderf u l l ih the morning and be —

,
”
married to morro w
“ “
-
.

”
Just so sir says Cobbs ,
Would it meet your views
,
.
,

sir if I was to accom pany you

,

When Cobbs said this they both j umped for j oy again

“ ”
, ,

“
and cried ou t Oh yes yes Cobbs ! Yes !
, , ,

W ell sir ! says Cobbs

”
,
If you will excuse me having .

the freedom to give an O pinion what I should recommend ,

would be this I am acquainted with a pony sir which

.
, , ,

put in a ph eayton that I could borrow would take you and ,

M rs Harry W alme rs Junior ( myself driving if you ap

.
, ,

proved ) to the end of your j ourney in a very short space of

,

time I am not altogether sure sir that this pony will be

.
, ,

at libe rty to—morrow but even if you had to wait over to ,

morrow for him it might be worth your W hile As to the

,
.

small account here sir in case you was to find yourself , ,

’
runn ing at all short that don t signify ; because I am a part
,

proprietor of this inn and it could stand over ,

.

Boots assures me that when they clapped their hands

and j um ped for j oy again and called him Good Cobbs ! ”
,
“ ,

”
and Dear Cobbs ! and bent across him to kiss one another
1 56 EN GL IS H SHOR T — S TORY W RITERS

in the delight of their confi ding hearts he felt hi mself the

’
,

meanest rasc al for deceiving em that ever was born

“ Is the re anyth n g you wan t j ust at present sir ? says
i ”
,
.

Cobbs mort al ly ashamed of hi mself

, .

We should like some cakes after dinner answered ,

Master Harry folding his arms putting out one leg and
,

lookin g straight at him and two apples and j am W ith ,

“ ,

.
,

dinner w e shoul d lik e to have toast an d water But .

Norah has always been ac customed to half a gl ass of currant

wine at dessert And so have I
“
. .

It shall be ordered at the bar sir says Cobbs ; and , ,

away he went .

Boots has the feeli ng as fresh upo n him this moment of

speaki ng as he h ad then that he would far rather have had ,

it ou t in half a dozen rounds with the Governor than have

combined with him ; and that he wished w ith all his heart
there w as any impossible place where tw o babies could make
an impossible marri age an d live impossibly happy ever
’
,

afterward Ho wever as it c oul dn t be he went into the

.
, ,
’
Governor s plans and the Governor set off for York in h alf
,

an hour .

The way in whi ch the women of that house— without

— ’
exception e very one of em — married and single took to -

that boy when they heard the story Boots cons iders sur
’
,

prising It was as much as he could do to kee p em from

.

dashi ng into the room an d ki ssing h im They climbed up .

all sorts of places at the risk of thei r lives to look at hi m

, ,

through a pane of glass They was seven deep at the keyhole

. .

They was ou t of their minds about him an d his bold spirit .

In the evening Boots went into the room to see h ow the

,

runaway couple was getting oh The gentlema n was on the .

window-seat supporting the lady in his arms She had

,
.

te ars upon her f ace and was lying very tired and half asleep
, , ,

with her head upon his shoulder .

1 58 EN GL IS H SH ORT — S TORY W RITERS
’
when she went to bed and she didn t seem quite up to ,

brushing it herself an d its getting in her eyes put her ou t

,
.

But n othing put ou t Master Harry He sat beh ind his .

breakfast-cup a-teari n g away at the j elly as if he h ad

, ,

bee n his ow n f ather .

After breakfast Boots is inclined to consider they d raw ed

soldi ers at least he k nows that man y such was fou nd in
—

the fi replace all on horseback I n the course of the mom

,
.

in g M as ter Harry rang the bell — it was surprising how that

there boy did carry ou — and said in a sprightly way
“ , ,

“
Cobbs is there any good walks in this neighborhood
,

Y es sir says Cobbs

, ,
’
There s Love Lane ”
.
“ .

Ge t out with you Cobbs l

”— ’
that was t hat there boy s
expression — ’
you re j okin g ” “ ,

“
.

Begging your pardon sir says Cobbs there really is , , ,

Love Lane And a pleasan t walk it is and proud shall I

.
,

be to show it to yourself and Mrs Harry W alme rs J un ior

“
. .
,

Norah dear says Master Harry this is curio us We

”
, , ,
.

really ought to see Love Lane Put on your bonn et my .

,

sweetes t darling an d w e will go there w ith Cobbs

,
”
.

B oots leaves me to j udge what a Beast he felt himself

to be when that young pai r told him as they all three
, ,

j ogged along together that they had ma de up their min ds ,

to give him two thousan d guine as a year as Head Gardener ,

on account of his being so true a friend to

’em Boots .

could have wished at the moment that the earth would

have O pened and swallowed him u p he felt so mean with , ,

their beaming eyes a—looking at him and believing him , .

Well sir he turned the conversation as well as he could

, ,

’
,

and he took em dow n Love Lane to the water-meadows ,

an d there Master Harry would have drowned himself in

half a moment more a-getting ou t a water—lily for her ,

but nothing dau nted that boy Well sir they was tired
’
.
, ,

ou t
. All being so ne w an d st range to em they was tired ,
 B OO T S AT T H E H OLL Y— TRE E I N N 1 59

as tired could be And they laid down on a bank of daisies

.
,

like the children in the wood leastways meadows and , ,

fell asleep .

’
Boots don t kn ow perhaps I do but never mind it — —
,
’
don t signi fy either way— why it made a man fi t to make
a fool of himself to see them tw o pretty babies a-lying
there i n the clear still day not dreaming half so hard
, ,

when they w as asleep as they done w hen they w as awake .

But Lord ! when you come to think of you rse lf you kno w ,
, ,

and what a game you have been u p to ever since you was
in your ow n cradle and what a poor sort of chap you are
, ,
’
and h ow it s always either Yesterday with you or To ,
’
morrow and n ever To-day that s where it is !
, ,

Well sir they woke up at last and then one thing w as

, , ,

getting pretty clear to Boots — n amely that Mrs Harry ,

.

’
Walmerses Junior s temper was on the move When
“
.
, ,

Master Harry took her roun d the waist she said he teased ,
”
and when he says Norah my youn g May Moon
“
her so , , ,

your Harry tease you ? she tells hi m Y es ; an d I want

”
,
”
to go home .

A biled fowl and baked bread-and -butter puddi ng

brought Mrs W almers up a little ; but Boots could have
.

wished he must privately ow n to me to have see n her

, ,

more sensible of the woi oe of love an d less abandon i n g of ,

herself to currants However Master Harry he kept u p

.
, , ,

and his n oble heart was as fond as ever Mrs W almers . .

turned very sl eepy about dusk and began to cry There ,

.

fore Mrs W alme rs went off to bed as per yesterday ; and

,
.

Master Harry ditto repeated .

About eleven or tw elve at night comes back the Governor

in a chaise along with Mr W e lmers an d a elderly lady
,
. .

M r W almers looks amused and very serious both at once

.

and says to ou r Missis : We are much i ndebted to you “ , ,

’
ma am for your ki n d care of ou r little children which we .
,
1 60 EN GLI SH SH ORT — S T ORY W R I TERS
’
can never su ffi ciently acknowledge Pray ma am where
“
.
, ,

is my boy Our Missis says : Cobbs h as the dear child

”

“
in charge sir Cobbs show Forty !
,
. Then he says to ,

Cobbs : Ah Cobbs I am glad to see you ! I understood

you w as here !
”
,

And Cobbs says : Yes sir Your most

,

“ ,
.

”
obedient sir ,
.

I may be sur prised to hear Boots say it perha ps ; but ,

Boots as sures me that his heart beat like a ha mmer going

u p stai rs
“
I beg your pardon sir says h e while un
”
,

“
— .
, , ,

locking the door ; I do hope you are not angry with

M as ter Harry For Mas ter Harry is a fine boy sir and
.
, ,

will do you credit and honor An d Boots signifies to me

’
.

that if the fine boy s father had contradi cted hi m in the

,

daring state of mind in whi ch he then was he thi nks he

“
should have fetched h im a crack an d taken the con
”
,
,

“
sequences .

But M r W alme rs only says : N o Cobbs N0 my good

.
,
.
,

fellow Thank you l

.
”
And the door bei ng opened goes , ,

in .

Boots goes m too holdin g the light and he sees M r

°

.
, , ,

Walmers go u p to the bedside bend gently down and kiss , ,

the little sleeping face Then he stands looking at it for .

a minute looking wonderfully like it ( they do say he ran

,

away with Mrs Walmers) an d then he gently shakes the

.

little shoulder .

”
Harry my dear boy l Harry !
,

Master Harry starts up and looks at him Looks at .

Cobbs too Such is the honor of that mite that he looks

, .
,

at Cob b s to see whether he has brought him into trouble

“’
,

I m n ot an gry my child I only want you to dress

, .
.

”
yourself an d come home .

Y eS ’
l l

Mas ter Harry dresses himself quickly His b reast be .

gins to s w ell when he has nearly fin ished and it swells ,

S TORY OF SEVEN D EVIL S

F rank R S tockton
.
( 1 83 4— 1
902)
1 66 EN GL IS H SHORT — S TORY W RITERS

mendous sc old ing which so a ffected the spirits of the

,

good m an that it influenced his decision in regard to the

selection of the subj ect for his sermon the next day .

His congregation w as accustomed to being astonished ,

and rather liked it but never before had their minds re

,

ce iv ed such a shoc k as when the preacher announ ced the

subject of h is discourse He did not t ake any particular

.

text for th is was not h is custom but he boldly stated that

, ,

the Bible declared that every woman in this world was

possessed by seven dev ils ; and the evils which this state of
things h ad brought u pon the world he showed forth w ith ,

much warmth an d feeling Subj ect -matter principally

.
,

from his ow n experience crowd ed in upon his m ind and

, ,

he served it ou t to his audien ce hot an d strong If h is .

deductions could have been proved to be correct all ,

women were creatures who by reason of their sevenf old

,

diabolic possession were not capable of independent

,

thought or action and who should i n tears and h u mility

,

pl ace themselves absolutely un der the direction and au

th ori ty of the other sex .

When he approached the conclusion of his sermon ,

Brother Peter closed with a h ang the Bible which al , ,

though he could not read a word of it always lay open ,

before him while he preached and delivered the con ,

cluding exhortation of his sermon

“ ’
.

N ow my dear bre v ren oh dis congregation he said

,
’
, ,
’
I want y ou to un derstan dat dar s nu ffin in dis yer sarmon
’ ’
wot you ve j us h ee rd ter make you thi nk youse fs angels .

’
B y no means b re v ren ; you was all brun g up by women
’ ’ ’
, ,

ah
’
you ve got ter lib w id em an ef anythin in dis yer
’ ’ ’
worl is ke tchin my dear brev ren it s habin debbils ah ’
, ,
’
,
’
from wot I ve seen oh some oh de men oh dis worl I
’ ’
S pec t dey is perece t oh b out all de de bb i ls dey got room
’ ’
fu r But de Bible don say nu ffin p in ted ly on de su bj ec
.
’
 A S TORY OF SEVEN D EVIL S 1 67

oh de number ob debb ils in man ah

’ ’ ’ ’
I spe c dose dat s
’ — ah ’
,

got em ’
w e ought ter feel pow f u l thankful m y dea r
’ ’ ’ ’
,

bre v re n dat de Bible don say w e all s got em has em- ’

’
,
’
cordin to sarcu mstances But w id de wome n it s dif rent;’
’ ’ ’
.

’
dey s got j us se bin ah bless my soul bre v ren I think
,
’ ’
, ,
'

dat s nu fi
“
.

’ ’
While I w as a tu rnin ober in my min de subj ee oh
- ’
dis sarmon dere come ter me a bit oh Scripter w ot I h ee rd
,
’ ’ ’ ’
at a big preachin ah b aptiz in at Ky arter s Mills bout ’
’
,

ten year ago One ob de pre achers was a tellin about

.
- ’
’
ole mudder Ebe a e atin de apple and says h e z De sarpint
—

’ ’
,
‘
fus come along wid a red apple ah says h e z You gib dis
’
,
’
yer to your husban ah he think it so mighty good dat
,

when he done eat it he gib you anythi ng you ax h im fur

’
,

ef you tell him w har de tree is Ebe she took one bite .
, ,

ah
’ den she frew dat apple away Wot you mean you ‘

’ ’
.

’ ’
,

triflin sa rpint says she a f otch in me dat apple w ot ain t

‘
, ,
’
good f ur nu ffin but ter make cider w id ? Den de sarpint
’
he go fotch her a yalle r apple ah she took one bite ah ’
, ,
’
den says she : Go long w id ye you fool sarpint w ot you
‘

’ ’
, ,

fotch me dat June apple wot ain t got n o t aste to it?

’
De n de sarpint he think she like su mpin sharp an he ’
,

fotch her a green apple She takes one bite ob it an den ’

,

’ ’
.

’
she frows it at his head an sings out : Is you spe ctin ‘

’
,

me to gib dat apple to yer Uncle Ad am ah gib h im de

colic Den de debb il he fotch her a lady-apple but she ,
’ ’
say she won t take no sich triflin nubbins as dat to her
’ ’ ’
hu sban ah she took one bite oh it ah frew it away .
, ,
’
Den he go fotch her tw o udder kin ob apples one y aller ,
’ ’
wid red st ri pes ah de udder one red on one side an green
’ ’
,

on de udder mighty good lookin apples too de kin

— - —
,
~ ~

’
you git two dollars a bar l fur at the store But E be she .
,

’ ’ ’
wouldn t hab neider oh em ah when she done took one ,

bite ou t oh each one she frew it away Den de ole de bbil

,
.
1 68 EN GL ISH S HORT - S TORY W RI TERS
'

’ ’
sarpint he scratch he head an he say to h ese f : D is yer
‘

’ ’
, ,
’
Ebe she pow f u l tick lar bout her apples Re c kin I ll ’
’ ’ ’
.
,

h ave ter wait till after fros ah fotch her a real good one
’
, .

’
An he done wait till after fros and the n he fotch her a
’
’
,

Albemarle pipp in ah when she took one bite oh dat she

’
,
’
,
’ ’
j us go lo ng ah eat it all u p core seeds ah all Look ‘

’
.

’
, , ,

h yar sarpint says she hab you got anu dder ob dem
, ,
‘

’
,

ap ples in your pocket ’

An den he tuk one out ah gib
’
,

it to her "
.
’
Cuse me says she I s gwine ter l ook up ‘
, ,
’ ’
Adam ah ef he don wan t ter kn ow w ar de tree is wot
,

dese apples grow on , you can hab hi m f ur a corn-fie ld

“
A h
’now
my dear b rev ren
,
’ said Brother Peter , ,
’ ’ ’ ’
while I w as a turni n dis su bj e c ober in my min ah won
—
,
’ ’
de rin h ow de women come ter hab j us seben debbils apiece ,

I done recke rleck dat bit oh Scripter wot I h ee rd at Kyar

’ ’ ’
ter s Mil ls an I re c kon dat splains how de debbils got inter
,

woman De sarpint he done fotch mudder Ebe seben

’
.

apples an ebe ry one she take a bite ou t of gib her a

,

debbil .

As mi ght have bee n expec ted thi s sermon p roduced a ,

great sensation and made a deep impression on the con

,

gre gation As a rul e the men w ere tolerably well satisfied

.
,

with it and when the services were over many of them

mad e it the occasion of shy but very plain ly pointed re
marks to their female friends an d relatives .

But the w omen did not like it at all Some of them .

became angry and talked very forci b ly and feelings of

, ,

indign ation soon spread among all the sisters of the church .

I f their minister had seen fit to stay at home and pre ach

a sermon like this to his ow n wife ( who it may he remarked , ,

was not present on this occasi on ) it would have been well ,

enough provided he had made no allusions to outside rs ;

,

but to come there and preach such things to them was

1 70 EN GL I S H SH ORT - S TORY W RITERS
’ ’
a mos a whole day ’Sides dat I done tole him dat ef he
.
,
’
git dar ter night he d have h is supper tro w ed in Wot you
-
.

all want w id hi m ? Gwine to pay him fur

Any such intention as this w as instantan eously denied ,

and Aun t Rebec ca w as informed of the subj ect upon whi ch

her visitors h ad come to have a very plain talk with her
hus b and .

Strange to say the ann ouncement of the new and

,

startling dogma had apparently no disturbing eff ect upon

Aunt Rebecca On the contrary the old woman seemed
.
,

rather to en j oy the n ews

“ ’
.

B e cki m he oughter know all bout dat she said , .

’ ’ ’
He s done had three wives ah he ain t got rid 0 dis ’
,
”
one yit .

Judging from her chuckles an d w aggings of the head

when she made this remark it might be i magin ed that ,

Aunt Re becca w as rather proud of the fact that her hus

band thought her ca pable of exhibiting a di fferent kind
of diabolism every day in the w eek .

The leader of the in dignant church-members was Susan

Henry a mulatto woman of a very independent t u rn of
,

mind She p rided herself that she never worked in any

.

’
body s house but her ow n an d thi s immunity from outside
,

service gave her a certain pre-e minence among her sis ters .

Not only did Sus an share the general resentment w ith

whi ch the startli ng statement of old Peter had been te
ce iv ed but she felt that its promulgation had aff ec ted her
,

position in the community I f every woman w as possesse d

.

by seven devils then in this respect she was no better

, , ,

nor worse than an y of the others ; and at this her proud

heart rebelled If the preac her had sai d some women h ad
.

eight devils and others six it would have been bette r ,

.

She might then have made a mental arrangement in re

gard to her relative position which would have somewhat
 A S TORY OF S EVEN D EV I L S 1 71

consoled her But now there w as no chance for that

.

The words of the preacher had equally debased all women .

A meeting of the disaff ected church members was held -

’
the next n ight at Susan Hen ry s cabin or rathe r in the ,

little yard about it for the house was not large enough
,

to hold the people who attended it Th e meeting was not

.

regularly organi z ed but everybody sa id what he or she

,

h ad to say and the result was a great deal of clamor and

, ,

a general increase of indignation against Uncle Pete

“
.

’ ”
Look h y ar ! cried Sus an at the end of some energetic
’
,

remarks is dar enny pusson h yar who kin count up

,
”
fi ggers ?
I nquiries on the subj ect ran through the crowd and i n ,

a f ew moments a black boy about fourteen was pushed

, ,

forward as an expert in arithm etic

“ “
.

’
Now you Jim said Susan you s bee n to school ah
” ’
’
,
’
, ,
’
,

you kin count up figgere Cordi n ter de chu ch boo ks

’
.

’ ’ ’
dar s forty seben women b longin to our mee tin an ef
-
’
’
,

eac h one oh dem dar has got seben debbils in her I jus ,

wants you ter tell me how many debbils come to chu ch ’

ebe ry clear Sunday ter hear dat ole Uncle Pete preach .

This view of the ca se created a sensation and much ,

’
interest was shown in the result of Jim s calculations ,

whi ch were made by the aid of a back of an old lette r and

a piece of pencil furnished by Sus an Th e result was at
.

last ann ounced as three hundred and nineteen which al , ,

though not precisely correct was near enough to satisfy

,

the company
“
.

’ ’
“
Now you j us turn dat ober in you all s minds said
,
’ ’
,

Susan . M ore n free hundred debb ils in chu ch ebe ry

’ ’
Sunday ah we women f otch in em Does anybody s pose
.
’
’
,
’
I s gwin e ter b lie v e dat fool talk ? ”

A middle—aged man now lifted up his voice an d said

“ ’ ’ ’
I s been th inkin ober dis b yar matter and PS cluded’
1 72 EN GL IS H S H ORT — S TORY W RITERS
’ ’
dat p r aps de words oh de preac her w as u sed in a figgerat
’
ous form 0 sense
’ ’
P r aps de seben d ebb ils meant ch illun
. .

These remarks w ere received with no favor by the

“
assemblage .

’
Oh you git ou t cried Susan
‘ 7
Your ole woman s ’ “
’ ’ ’
,
’ ’
got seben ch illun shore nu f an I s pec dey s all debb ils
,
.

’
,
’
But dem sent ments don t apply ter all de udder women
’ ’ ’ ’
h yar tic larly te r dem dar young uns wot ain t married
,
”
yit.

This was good logic but the feeling on the subj ect proved
,

to be even stronger for the mothers in the compan y he

,

c ame so angry at their children bein g considered devils

that f or a time there seemed to be danger of an Am azoni an
attack on the unf ortun ate speaker Th is was averted but .
,

a great deal of uproar now ensued an d it was the general ,

feeling that something ought to be done to show the deep

seated resentment with which the horrible charge against
the mothers and sisters of the congregation had been met .

Many violent propositions were made some of the younger ,

me n going so far as to off er to burn down the church I t .

was fin ally agreed quite unanimously that old Peter

, ,

should be un ceremoniously ousted from his place in the

pulpit whi ch he had filled so many years .

As the week passed oh some of the older men of the

,

congregation who had frien dly feelings toward their old

companion and p reacher talked the matter over among
themselves and afterward with many of their fellow
, ,

members succeeded at last in gaining the general consent

,

that Uncle Pete should be allowed a chan ce to explain

himself and give his groun ds and reasons for his astoun d
,

ing statement in regard to womankind If he could show .

biblical authority f or this of c ourse nothi ng more could

,

be said But if he could not then he must get down from

.
,

the pulpit and sit for the rest of his life on a back seat of
,
1 74 EN GLI S H SH ORT - S TORY W RITERS

had gone off to the church in the woods ; and when Uncle
Peter had put on his hi gh black hat somewhat b attered , ,

but still su ffi cie ntly clerical looking for that cong re gation ,

an d h ad given something of a pol ish to his cowhide shoes ,

he betook hi mself by the accustomed path to the log build

ing where he had so often held forth to his people As .

soon as he entered the church he was formally inst ructed

by a comm ittee of the leading members that before he
began to O pen the services he must make it plain to the
,

congregation that what he had said on the preceding S un

day about every woman being possessed by seven devils
w as Sc ripture truth and not mere w icked nonse nse ou t of
,

his ow n brain If he could not do that they wanted n o

.
,

more praying or preac hi ng from him .

Un cle Peter made no answer but ascending the little , ,

pulpit he put his hat on the bench behind him where it

,

w as used to repose took out his red cotton han dkerchief

,

and blew his nose in his accus tomed way an d looked about ,

him The house was crowded Even Aunt Rebecca was

. .

there .

After a deliberate survey of his audience the pre ac her

’ “ ’
s poke : B re v eren an sisters I see afore me B ru dde r Bi ll
,

’
,

Hines who kin read de Bible an has got one Ain t dat ’ .
, ,
”
so , B ru dde r ?
Bill Hines having nodd ed and modestly grunted assent
the preacher continued ’ ’ .
’ “ ’
An dars Aun Priscilla s boy
,

’ ’ ’
Jake who ain t a b ru dde r yit though he s plenty old nuf ,

’ ’ ’
, ,
’
min I tell ye ; ah he kin read de Bible fus rate ah has , ,
’
,
’ ’
read it ter me ober an ober ag in Ain t dat so Jake .
,

Jake grinned nodded and hung his head very u m

, , ,

comfortable at being thus publicly pointed out

“
.

’ ’ ’
An dar s good ole Aun Patty who knows more ,
’ ’
Scri pter dan e nnybu ddy h y ar hay in been teached b y de
’
,
’
little gals from Ku h nel J asper s ah by de re mudders afore
 A S T ORY OF SEVEN D EVIL S 1 75

’ ’
em I reck in she know de hull Bible straight troo from
.
,
’
de Garden of Eden to de N ew J erus lum An dar are ’
’
.

udders h yar who kn ows de Scripters some one part ah ’

,

some anu dder N ow I axes e be ry one oh you all wot know

’
.

’
de Sc ripters ef he don member how de Bible tells how our
’ ’
Lor when he was on dis yearth cas seben debb ils ou t 0 ’
”
Mary Magd alu m ?
A murmur of assent c ame from the c ongregation Most .

of them remembered that .

But did enny ob you ebbe r re ad or hab read to you

’ ’
.

’
,

dat he ebbe r cas em ou t o enny udder woman

Negative grun ts an d shakes of the head sign ified that
nobody h ad ever heard of this
“
.

Well den said the pre ac her gazi n g blandly around

”

’
, , , ,

all de udder women got em yit .

A deep s ilen ce fell upon the assembly and in a few

moments an elderly membe r arose “ ,
”

“
B ru dder Pete
. he ,

said,
I roc kin you mought as well gib out de h yme ”
.
 ’
A D o e s TAL E

M ark Tw ai n 1 835)

Y father w as a St Bernard my mother w as a collie

.
, ,

but I am a Presbyterian This is what my mother .

told me ; I do not know these nice distinctions

myself To me they are only fin e large words meaning
.

n othing My mother had a fondn ess for such ; she liked

.

to say them and see other dogs look surprised and eh

,

v ious as wonderin g h ow she got so much ed ucation

,
But .
,

indeed it w as not real edu cation ; it was o n ly show : she

,

got the words by listeni ng in the di ni n g room and drawi ng -

room when there w as company and by going with the ,

children to Sun day-s c hool an d liste ning there ; 1 an d when

ever she heard a large word she said it over to herself many
times and so w as able to keep it un til there w as a dogmatic
,

gathering in the neighborhood then she would get it off , ,

and surprise and dist ress them all from pocket -pup to ,

masti ff which rewarded her for all her trou ble l I f there
,
.

w as a stranger he w as n early sure to be suspi c ious an d ,

when he got his breath agai n he would ask her what it

meant And she always told him He w as never expect
. .

ing this but thought he would catch her ; so when she told
,

him he w as the one that looked ashamed whereas he had

, ,

‘
Copyright , 1 903 , 1 904, b y S amu e l L . C lemens. Harpe r
B roth e rs .
1 80 EN GL IS H SH ORT — S TORY W RITERS

thought it w as goin g to be she The others were always .

waiting for thi s and glad of it an d proud of her for they

, ,

knew what was going to happen because they had had ,

experience When she told the meaning of a big wo rd

.

they we re all so taken up with ad miration that it never

occurred to any dog to doubt if it was the right one an d
that was n atur al because for one th ing she answered up
, , ,

so promptly that it seemed like a diction ary speaking and ,

for an other thi ng where could they find ou t whether it

,

Was right or n ot ? for she was the only cultivated dog

there w as B y-an d -by when I was older she brought
.
, ,

home the word Unintellectual one time an d worked it , ,

pretty hard all the w eek at di ff erent gatherings maki ng ,

much unh appiness an d despo n dency ; an d it w as at this

time that I noti ced that during that week she was asked
for the meani n g at eight d iff eren t assemblages and flashed ,

ou t a fresh de fin ition every t ime which showed me that ,

she h ad more presence of mind than culture though I said ,

nothing of course She had one word which she always

,
.

kept on han d and ready like a life-preserver a kin d of

, , ,

emergency word to strap on when she was likely to get

washed overboard in a sudden w ay that was the word
—

Synonymous W hen she happe ned to fetch ou t a long

.

word which had had its day weeks before and its p repared
meani ngs gone to her dump-pile if there was a stranger ,

there of course it knocked him groggy for a couple of

mi n utes then he would come to an d by that time she
, ,

would be away dow n the win d on an other tack and not ,

’
expecting anythi ng ; so when he d hail an d as k her to
cash ih I ( th e only dog on the inside of her game) could
,

see her can vas fli cker a moment — but on ly j ust a moment

, ,

“
—then it would belly
ou t taut and full and she would say , ,
’
as calm as a summer s day
’
It s synonymous with super
,
”
erogation or so me godless long reptile of a word like that
, ,
1 82 EN GL I SH S H OR T — S TORY W RITERS

without stoppin g to thi nk what the cost might be to us

And she taught us not by words only but by example
, , ,

an d that is the best way and the surest and the most lasting .

W h y the brave things she did the splendid thi ngs ! she was
,
’
,

j ust a soldier ; an d so modest about it well you couldn t

—
,
’
help admiring her and you couldn t help imitating her ;
,

not even a King Charles spaniel could remain entirely

despicable in her society So as you see there was more
.
, ,

to her than her education .

When I w as well grown at l as t I w as sold and taken

, ,

away and I never saw her again She w as broken -hearted

, .
,

and so w as I and we cried ; but she comforted me as well

,

as she could and said we were sent in to this world for a

,

wise an d good pu rpw e and must do our duties without

,

re pining take ou r li fe as w e mi ght fin d it live it for the

, ,

best good of others and never mind about the results they
,

were not our aff air l She said men who did like this would
.

have a noble an d beautiful reward by-an d-by in another

world and although we animals would n ot go the re to do
, ,

well and right without reward would give to our brief lives
a worth iness an d dignity whi ch in itself would be a reward .

She h ad gathered the se things from time to time when she

had gone to the Sunday-school with the children and had ,

laid them up in her memory more carefully than she had

done with those other words and phrases ; and she had
studied them deeply f or her good and ours One may
,
.

see by this that she had a wise and thoughtful head for all ,

there was so much lightness an d vanity in it .

So we said our farewells and looked our last upon each

,

other through ou r te ars ; an d the last thing she said keep —

ing it for the last to make me remember it the better I ,

 A ’
D OG S TAL E 1 83

think w as
— n ,
“
of me whe n there is a time of
I memory ,

danger to another do not think of yourself think of your ,

mother and do as she would do l

,
”
.

Do you t h i nk I could f orget th at? No ‘

I t w as such a charming home l — my new o n e ; a fine great

house with pictures and delicate decorations and rich
, , ,

furniture an d no gloom anywhere but all the wilderness

, ,

of daint y colors lit up with flooding suns h ine fi and the

spacious groun ds around it an d the great garden— oh , ,

greensward and n oble t rees and fl ow ers no end ! An d I

, , ,

was the same as a member of the family ; and they loved

me an d pe tted me and did not give me a new n ame but
, , ,

called me by my old one that was dear to me because my

mother had given it me Aileen Mavourneen She got it
—
.

ou t of a son g ; and the Grays knew that song and said it was ,

a beautiful name .

Mrs Gray w as thirty and so sweet an d so lovely you

.
, ,

cannot imagine it and Sadie was ten and j ust like her ,

mother j ust a darl ing slen der little copy of her wi th auburn
, ,

tails dow n her back an ds hort fro cks ; and the baby was a
,
-

year old an d plump an d dimpled and fond of me an d n ever

, , ,

could get enough of hauling on my tail an d hugging me , ,

and laughing ou t its inn ocent happiness ; and M r Gray was .

thirty-e ight and tall and slender an d han dsome a little

, ,

bald in front alert qui ck in his movements bus inesslike

, , , ,

prompt decided unsentimental and with that ki nd of

, , ,

trim chise lled face that j ust seems to gli nt an d S parkle with
-

frosty intellectuality ! He was a renow ned scientist I .

do n ot know what the word means but my mother would ,

know how to use it and get effects 1 She would know how .
,

to l e press a rat -terrier with it and make a lap—d og look

1 84 EN GLISH SH ORT — S TOR Y W RI T ERS
sorry he ca me . B u t that is not the best one ; the best one

t hat one that wou l d ski n the tax-c o llars 0 3 the whole herd .

The laboratory w as not a book or a pi ct u re or a pla ce to

’
, ,

wash your hands in as the co llege president s dog sai d

,

no tha t is the lavato ry ; the laborato ry is qui te diffe ren t

, ,

and is filled with j ars and bottles and c lea ries and wires
, , , ,

and st range ma c hines ; and ev ery week other sc ient ists

came the re and sa t in the place , and used the mac hines ,

discoveries ; and of ten l came , too, and stood around and

l i stened ,
and trie d to le arn Hf or th e sake of my mother and

in lov ing memory of her, pain to me as

althou gh it w as a ,

realiz i ng w hat she w as losing mxt of her lif e and l gaini ng

nothi ng at all ; f or try as l migh t, 1 w as nev er able to make

anything out of it at all .

’
Othe r t ime s I lay on the floor in the mist ress s work
room and slept she gen tly using me f or a f ootstool kn ow
, ,

ing it pleased me , f or it w as a cam ; other t mes l spent

an hour in the nurse ry and got w e ll tousle d ,

and made
happy ; other t im es I watched by the c rib there when the ,

baby was as le ep and the nurse ou t for a few mi nutes on

’
the baby s aff airs ; other times l rompe d and raw d thm gh
the grounds and the garden with Sadie t il l we were t ired
ou t the n slum be red on the grass in the shade of a tre e
,

whi le sh e read he r book ; othe r times l w ent visi t ing among

the ne ighbor dogs — f or there were some most pleasant
,

and grace f ul one , a curly haired 1 rish sette r by the name

of Robin Adair, w h o w as a Presbyterian lik e me , and be

longe d to the Scotc h min ister .

/ The ser v ants in our hm1 se w ere all kind to me an d w ere

There cou ld not be a happier dog than l w as, nor a grate

1 86 EN GL IS H SHOR T — S TORY W RI TERS

tugging away all ex c ited and happy and proud when the
, ,
’
master s voice shouted :
“ ”
Begone you cursed beast ! and I j umped to save
,

myself ; but he was wonderfully quick and chased me u p , ,

striking furiously at me with his cane I dodging this way ,

an d that in terror an d at last a strong blow fell u pon my

, ,

left fore-leg which made me shriek and fall for the mo

, ,

men t helpless ; the cane we nt up f or another blow but

, ,
’
never descended f or the n urse s voice rang wildly ou t
“ ’
,

The nu rsery s on fi re ! an d the mas ter rushed away in

”
,

that di rection and my other bones were saved

,
.

The pain was cruel but no matter I must not lose an y

, , ,

time ; he might come bac k at any moment ; so I limped

on three legs to the other end of the hall where there w as ,

a dark little stairway leading up into a garret whe re old

boxes and such things were kept as I had heard say and , ,

where people seldom went I managed to climb up there

.
,

then I searched my w ay through the dark among the piles

of things and hi d in the se c re test pl ace I could fi nd
,
It .

was fool ish to be afraid there yet still I was so afraid,

that I held in and hardly even whimpered though it would ,

have been such a comfort to whi mper becau se that eas es ,

the pain you know But I c ould lick my leg and that
,
.
,

did me some good .

For half an hour there w as a commotion dOWn-sta i rs ,

and shoutings and rushing footsteps and then there was

, ,

quiet again Quiet for some minu tes and that was grate
.
,

i n] to my s pirit for then my fears began to go do w n ; and

,

fears are worse than pains oh much worse Then came

— / .
, ,

a sound that froze me ! They were calling me— c alling me

by name— hunting for me !
It was m u ffl ed by distan ce but that could not take ,

the terror ou t of it and it w as the most dread ful sound

,

to me that I h ad ever heard It went all about every

.
,
 A ’
D OG S TA LE 1 87

where down there : along the halls through all the rooms
, , ,

in both stories and in the basement and the cellar ; then

,

outside and further and f urther away— then back and

, ,

all about the house again an d I thought it would never

, ,

never stop But at last it did ) hours an d hours after the

.

vague twilight of the garret had long ago been blotted ou t

b black darkness
y
.

Then in that blessed stillness my terror fell li ttle by little

away and I was at peace and slept It was a good rest I
, .

had but I woke before the twilight had come again I

, .

was feel ing fairly comfortable and I could think ou t a ,

plan now I made a very good one which was to creep

.
,

down all the way do w n the back stairs and hide behind
, ,

the cellar door and slip out and escape when the i c eman
,

c ame at dawn while he was inside fi lling the refrigerator ;

,

then I would hide all day and start on my j ourney when ,

n ight came my j ourney to —well anywhere where they ,

would not know me and betray me to the master I w as .

feeling almost chee rful now ; then suddenly I thought ,

Wh y what would life be without my puppy !

,

That was despair There was n o plan for me ; I saw

.

that ; I must stay where I w as stay and wait and take , ,

what might come — it w as not my aff air ; that was wha t

life is— my mother had said it Then well then the .
—
,

calling began again l l All my sorrows came b ack I said .

to myself the master will n ever forgive I did not know

, .

what I had done to make him so bitte r an d so unfo rgiving ,

yet I j udged it was something a dog could not un derstand ,

but which was clear to a man and dreadful

’
.

They called and called — d ays and nights it seemed to ,

me So long that the hun ger and thirst near drove me

.

mad and I recogni z ed that I w as getting very weak

,
.

W hen you are this way you sleep a great deal and I did ,
.

Once I woke in an awful fright it seemed to me that the

—
1 88 EN GL I S H SH ORT — S TORY W RITERS

c alling right there in the garret ! An d so it was : it

w as
’
w as Sadie s voi ce an d she was crying ; my name w as falling
,

from her lips all broken poor thing and I coul d n ot believe
, ,

my ears for the j oy of it when I heard her say ,

Come back tcr us~— oh come bac k to us and forgive

-
, ,

it is all so sad w ithout ou r

I broke in with such a grateful little yelp and the next ,

moment Sadie was plunging and stumbling through the

darkn ess and the lumber an d shoutin g for the family to
hear ’ “ ’
She s fou nd ! she s found !
,
”

The days that followed — well they we re won derful , .

The mother an d S adie an d the servants — why they j ust

’
,

seemed to worship me They couldn t seem to make me

.

a bed that was fine enough ; an d as for food they couldn t ’

,

be satisfied w ith anything but game an d delic acies that

w e re ou t of season an d every day the friends and n eighbo rs
fl ocked in to hear about my heroism — that w as the n ame
they cal led it by and it means agri culture I remember my
,
.

mother pulling it on a kenn el on ce and explaini ng it that ,

’
w ay but didn t say what agriculture was ex cept that it
, ,

w as syn onymous with intramural incandescen ce and Q

dozen times a day Mrs Gray an d Sadie would tell the tale
.

to new comers and say I risked my life to save the baby s

- ’
, ,

and both of us had burns to prove it ‘and then the com ,

pany would pass me around and pet me and exclaim about

me an d you coul d see the pride i n the eyes of Sadie and
,

her mother ; an d when the people wan ted to k now what

made me limp they looked as hamed and changed the sub
,

j e ct and sometimes when people hun ted them this w ay

,

and that way with questions about it it looked to me as ,

if they w ere go ing to cry .

’
And this w as n ot all the glory ; n o the master s friends ,

c ame a whole twenty of the most dist inguished people

, ,
1 90 EN GLI SH SH OR T ST ORY W RI TERS—

us , but we played together an d had good times and the ,

servan ts were kind and friendly so w e got along qui te ,

happily and counted the days an d waited for the family .

And one day those men came again and said now f or ,

the test and they took the pu ppy to the laboratory and I
, ,

limped three—le gged ly al on g too feeling proud for any , , ,

attention shown the puppy was a pleasure to me e tc ou rse , .

They discussed an d experimented an d then suddenly the ,

puppy shrieked and they set him on the floor and he went
, ,

st aggering around with hi s head all bloody an d the master

, ,

c lapped his hands and shou ted :

“ ’ —
,
,
’
There I ve w on confess it! He s as blind as a bat !

“
And they all said ;
’ ’
It s ao you ve proved your theo ry and suff ering
—
,

hum anity owes you a great debt from hen ceforth an d ”

,

they crowded aroun d him and wrung his han d cordially ,

and t h ank ful ly and pra ised him

,
.

But I hardly saw or heard these things for I ran at once ,

to my little darl in g an d snuggled close to it where it lay

, ,

and licked the blood and it put its head against mine
, ,

whimpering softly an d I kn ew in my heart it was a co mfort

,
’
to it in its pain and trouble to feel its mother s touch ,

though it coul d n ot see me Then it drooped down pres .

,

ently and its little velvet nose rested upon the floor
, ,

and it was still an d did not move an y more

,
.

Soo n the master stopped discussing a moment and rang

“
in the foot man and said Bury it in the far corner of the
, ,
,

”
garden and then w ent on with the di scussion and I
, ,

trotted afte r the footman very happy an d grateful for I

, ,

knew the puppy w as ou t of its pain now because it was ,

asleep We wen t far down the garden to the furthest end

.
,

where the chi ldren and the nurse and the puppy and I
used to play in the summer in the shad e of a great elm ,

and there the £0 0 t dug a hole an d I saw he was goin g ,

 A ’
D OG S TAL E 1 91

to plant the puppy a nd I was glad because it would grow

, ,

and come up a fin e handsome dog lflce Robi n Ad air an d

,
"

be a beautiful surprise for the famil y when they came

ho me ; .so I tried to help him dig but my lame leg was n o
,

good being sti ff you kn ow and you have to have tw o or

, , , ,

it is no use W hen the footman had finish ed an d covered

.

little Robi n u p he patted my head and there were tears

,
“ ,

in his eyes and he said Poor little doggie you S A V E D hi s

, , ,
”
child .

I have watched two whole weeks and he doesn t come’

,

u p! This l as t week a fright has been stealing upon me .

I think there is something terrible about this I do not .

know what it is but the fear makes me sick and I cannot

, ,

eat though the servants bri ng me the best of food ; and

,

they pet me so and even come in the night and cry and
“ ,

say Poor doggie d o give it up and come home ; don t

,
—
’
, ,

”
break ou r hearts ! and all this te rrifies me the more and ,

makes me sure something has happened And I am so .

weak ; since yesterday I cannot stand on my feet any

more And within this hour the servants looking toward
.
,

the sun where it was sinking out of sight and the night
chill coming on said thi ngs I could not understand but they
, ,

carried somethi ng cold to my heart

“
.

Those poo r creatures ! They do not suspect They .

will come home in the morning and eagerly ask for the
,

l ittle doggie that did the brave deed and who of u s will
,

be strong enough to say the truth to them : The humble

little fri end is gone where go the beasts that perish ’”l
.
 T HE O U T C AS TS OF PO KE R . F L AT
‘

B ret Harte ( 1 839— 1 902)

S John Oakhurst gambler stepped in to th e

Mr .
, ,

mai n street of Poker Flat on the morni n g of the

2 3 d of November 1 850 he was cons cious of a , ,

c hange in its moral atmosphere si n ce the preced in g night .

Two or three men conversing earnestly together ceased

, ,

as he approached and exchanged signi fi cant glances

, .

There was a Sabbath lull i n the air whi ch in a settlemen t , ,

unused to Sabbath influences looked ominous , .

’
Mr Oakhurst s calm handsome face betrayed small con
.
,

c ern in these i ndications Whether he was cons cious of .

“
“
any pred isposin g cause w as another question I reckon
’
.

”
they re after somebody he refle cted ; ’
likely it s me
, .

He returned to his pocket the han dkerchi ef with which

he had been whippi ng away the red dust of Poker Fl a t
from his neat boots and quietly discharged his min d of
,

any further conjecture .

I n point of fact Poker Flat was after somebody

,
It .

had lately suff ered the loss of several thousand dollars ,

two valuable horses and a prominent citizen It was ex

, .

pe rie ncing a spasm of virtuous reaction quite as lawless ,

and ungovern able as any of the acts that had provoked

it A se cret comm ittee had determi ned to rid the town
.

of all imprbper persons Th is was done perman ently in .

F rom The L ack of Roaring Cam p Copy right 1 87 1 b y J am es R.

, , .

Osgood Co . Copy ri ght 1 899 b y B re t Harte ; Hou gh ton M iffl i n Co

, ,
1 96 EN GL IS H SHORT — S TORY W RITERS

regard of tw o men who were then hanging from the bough s

of a sycamore in the gulch an d temporarily in the bani sh
,

ment of ce rtain other ob j ec tionable characters I re gret .

to say that some of these were l adies It is but due to .

the sex however to state that their impropriety w as pro

, ,

fessional and it was only in such e asily established stan d

,

ards of evil that Poker Flat ventured to sit in j udgment .

M r Oakhurst was right in supposing that he was in

.

cluded in this category A few of the committee h ad.

urged h an ging him as a possible example and a sure ,

“
method of reimburs ing themselves from his pockets of the
’ ”

“
sums he had won from them It s agin j ustice said
.
,

Jim W heeler to let this yer youn g man from Roaring

,

Camp ah entire stranger- carry away ou r money

-
But .

a crude sent iment of equity residing in the breasts of those

who had been fortunate enough to w in from Mr Oakhurst .

overruled this narrower local prej udi ce .

Mr Oakhurst received his sentence with phil osophi c

.

calmn ess none the less coolly that he was aware of the
,

hesitation of his j udges He was too much of a gambler

.

not to ac cept fate W ith him life was at best an u nce r

.

tain game and he recognized the usual percentage in favor

,

of the dealer .

A body of armed men accompanied the deport ed wicked

ness of Poker Flat to the outski rts of the settlement B e .

sides Mr Oak hurst who was known to be a coolly des

.
,

perate man and for whose inti midation the armed escort
,

“
w as intended the expatriated party cons isted of a young
,
”
woman familiarly known as the Duches s ; another who
”
had won the title of Mother Shi pton ; and Uncle “ “
Billy a suspec ted slui ce-robber and confirmed drunkard
”
,
.

The cavalcade provoked no comments from the spectators ,

n or w as any word uttered by the escort Only when the .

gu lch which marked the utte rmost limit of Poker Flat

1 98 EN GL I SH SH ORT — STORY W RITERS

undoubtedly the most suitable spot for a camp had camp

, ,

in g been advisable But M r Oakhurst knew that scar cely

. .

half the j ourney to Sandy Bar was accompl ished and the ,

party were not equipped or provisioned for delay Th is .

fact he pointed out to his companions curtly with a

phiIOS Oph ic commentary on the folly of throwing up their
“ ,

hand before the game was played out But they were .

furnished with liquor which in th is emerge ncy stood them

,

i n pl ace of food fuel rest and prescien ce I n spite of

, , ,
.

his remon stran ces it was not long before they were more
,

or less under its influ en ce Uncle Billy passed rapidly from

.

a bellicose state into one of stupor the Duchess became ,

maudlin and Mother Shi pton snored Mr Oakhurst alone

,
. .

remained erect leaning agains t a rock calmly surveying

, ,

them .

M r Oakhurst did not drink

. It interfered with a pro .

fession which required coolness impassiveness and presen ce

of min d and in his ow n lan guage he
, ,
’
couldn t afford it ”
,

,
“ ,

As he gazed at his recumbent fellow—e xiles the loneliness ,

begotten of his pariah trade his habits of life his very vices
- ‘

, , ,

for the first time seriously O ppressed him He bestirred .

himself in dusting his black clothes washing his hands an d ,

fac e and other acts characteristic of his studious ly neat

,

habits and for a moment forgot his annoyan ce The

,
.

thought of desert ing his weaker and more pitiable com

panions never perhaps occur red to him Yet he could not .

help feeling the want of th at excitement which sing ularly ,

enough was most conducive to that calm equan imity for

,

which he was notorious He looked at the gloomy walls .

that rose a thousand feet sheer above the circling pines

around him ; at the sky ominously clouded ; at the valley
,

below already deepening into shadow And doing so

,
.
, ,

suddenly he heard his ow n name called .

A horseman slowly ascended the trail I n the fresh .

,
 T HE OU T CA S T S OF P O K E R F LA T 1 99

open face of the new comer Mr Oakhurst recogni z ed Tom

-
.

Simson othe rwise known as the I nn ocent

,
”
of Sandy ,

Bar He had met him some months before over a little

.

”
game and had with perfect equanimity won the entire
, , ,

fortune amounting to some forty dollars — b f that guileless

—

youth Af ter the game was fi nish ed Mr Oakhurst drew

.
,
.

the you thful speculator behind the door and thus addressed
“ ’
him : Tomm y you re a good little man but you can t
,
’
,
’
gamble worth a cent Don t try it over again . He then .

handed him his money back pushed him gently from the ,

room and so made a devoted slave of Tom Simson

,
.

There was a remembrance of this in his boyi sh and en

th u siastic greeting of M r Oakhurst He had started he
“
. . .

”
said to go to Poker Flat to seek his fortune
,
Alone ? .

N0 not exactly alone ; in fact ( a giggle) he had run away

, ,
’
with Piney W oods Didn t M r Oakhurst remember Piney
. .

She that used to wait on the table at the Temperance

House ? They had been engaged a long time but old ,

J ake W oods had obj ected and so they had run away and , ,

were going to Poker Flat to be married and here they were ,

.

And they were tired out an d how lucky it was they had ,

found a place to camp an d company All this the I nnocent

,
.

delivered rapidly while Piney a stout comely damsel of

, , ,

fi f tee n emerged from behind the pine—t ree where she had
,

been blushing unseen and rode to the side of her lover

, .

M r Oakhurst seldom troubled himself with sentiment

.
,

still less with propriety ; but he h ad a vague idea that the

situation was n ot fortunate He retai n ed how ever his .
, ,

presence of mind su ffi ciently to kick Un cle Billy who was ,

about to say something and Uncle Billy was sober enough ,

’
to recogn i z e in Mr Oakhurst s kick a superior power that
.

would not bear trifling He then endeavored to dissuade .

Tom Simson from delaying further but in vai n He even , .

2 00 EN GLI S H S HORT — S TORY W RI TERS

pointed ou t the fact that there was no provision nor ,

means of making a c amp But unluckily the I nn ocent .

, ,

met this objection by assurin g the party that he was pro

v ided with an extra mule loaded with provisions and by ,

the discovery of a rude attempt at a log house near the

“
-

”
trail Piney can stay with Mrs Oakhurst said the
“
. .
,

I nn ocent po inting to the D uchess and I can sh ift for

, ,
”
myself
’
.

Noth ing but Mr Oakhurst s ad monishing foot saved

.

Uncle Billy from burs ting into a roar of laughter As it .

w as he felt compelled to retire up the ca no n until he could

,

re cover his gravity There he confi ded the j oke to the tall
.

pine -trees with many slaps of his leg contortions of his

, ,

face and the us ual profanity But when he returned to

,
.

the party he found them seated by a fi re— for the air had
,

grown strangely chill an d the sky overcast ih apparently —

amicable conversation Piney was actually talking in an

.

impulsive girl ish fashion to the Duches s who was listening

, ,

with an interest and animation she had not shown for many
days The I nno cent was holding forth appare ntly with
.
,

equal e ffec t to Mr Oakhurs t an d Mother Shi pton who w as

“
.
, ,

actually relaxing into amiability Is this yer a d — d .

picnic said Uncle Billy with inward scorn as he surveyed, ,

the sylvan group the glancing fi re ligh t and the tethered

, ,

animals in the foreground Suddenly an idea mingled .

with the alcoholic fumes that disturbed his brain I t .

was a pparently of a j oc ular nature for he felt impelled to ,

slap his leg again and cram his fist into his mouth .

As the shadows crept slowly up the mountain a slight ,

bree z e rocked the t 0 ps of the pi n e—trees and moaned ,

through their long and gloomy aisles The ruined cabin .

,

patched and covered with pine—boughs was set apart for ,

'

the ladies As the lovers parted they unafl ected ly ex

.

chan ged a kiss so honest and sin cere that it might have
,
2 02 EN GL IS H SHORT — S TORY W R IT ERS

Inn ocent “ ’
if you re
w illin g to board us
’
I f you ai n t
’
.
,

an d perhaps you d better not— you can wait till Uncle

Billy gets back with provisions F or some oc cult reason .

,

M r Oakhurst coul d not bring himself to disclose Uncle

’
.

Billy s rascality and so o ffered the hypothesis that he had

,

w andered from the camp an d had accidentally stampeded

the animals He d ropped a warnin g to the Duchess

.

“
and Mother Shipton who of course knew the facts of ,
’
their associate s defec tion ’
They ll fi nd ou t the t ruth
.

“
about us all when they fin d ou t anythi ng he added
’
, ,

signifi can tly an d there s no good frighteni ng them

,

now .

Tom Simson not only put all hi s worldly store at the

disposal of Mr Oakhurst but seemed to enj oy the pros
“
.
,
’
We ll have a good
pe ct of their enforced seclusion .

’
camp for a week and then the snow ll melt and we ll ’
, ,
”
all go b ack together The cheerful gayety of the young
.

’
man and Mr Oakhurst s calm i nf ec ted the others The
. .

Innocent with the aid of pine—boughs extemporized a

, ,

thatch for the roofless cabin and the Duchess directed ,

Piney in the rearran gement of the interior w ith a taste

“
and t act that opened the blue eyes of that provi n cial
maiden to their fullest extent I rec kon now you re ’ .

”
used to fine things at Poker Flat said Piney The ,
.

Duchess turned away sharply to con ceal somethi ng that

“
reddened her cheeks through their professional tint and ,
”
Mother Sh i pton requested Piney not to chatte r But .

when Mr Oakhurst ret u rned from a weary search f or the

.

trail he heard the soun d of happy laugh ter echoed from

,

the rocks He stopped in some alarm and his thoughts

.
,

“
fi rst naturally reverted to the whiskey which he had ,

pruden tly cached ’

And yet it don t somehow soun d li ke
.

wh iskey said the gambler It was not until he cau ght

,
.

sight of the blazing fi re through the still b lindi ng s torm

 T HE OUT CA S T S OF P OK E R F LA T 2 03

and the group aroun d it that he settled to the conviction

that it was square fun“ .

W hether Mr Oakhurst had cached his cards with the

.

whiskey as something debarred the free access of the com

munity I cannot say I t was certain that in Mother
,
“
.
,
’
Shi pton s words he ’
didn t say cards once ”
during
, ,

that evening Haply the time was begui led by an ao

.

cord ion ,
produced somewhat ostentatiously by Tom Sim
son from his pack Notwithstanding some d iffi cu lties ar
.

tend in g the mani pulation of this instrument Piney W oods ,

managed to pluck several reluctant melodies from its keys ,

to an accom paniment by the Inn ocent on a pair of bone

castanets But the crowning festivity of the evening was
.

reached in a rude camp—meeting hymn which the lovers ,

j oining hands sang with great earnestness and vocifera

,

tion I fear that a certain de fiant tone an d Covenanter s ’

.

swing to its chorus rather than any devotional quality

, ,

caused it S peedily to infect the others who at last j oined ,

i n the refrain :
“’
Im proud to live in th e se rvice of the Lord
’
,

A nd I m b ound to d ie in His army .

The pines rocked the storm eddied and whirled above

,

the miserable group and the flames of their altar leaped

,

heavenward as if in token of the v ow

,
.

At m idnight the storm abated the rolling clouds parted , ,

and the stars glittered keenly above the sleeping camp .

Mr Oakhurst whose professional habits h ad en abled him

.
,

to live on the smallest possible amount of sleep in dividing ,

the watch w ith Tom Simson somehow managed to take ,

upon hi mself the greater part of that duty He excus ed

“
.

h irnse lf to the I nnocent by sayin g that he h ad often

asked Tom “
“
been a week without sleep Doing what . .

”
Poker ! replied Oakhurst sententiously ; when a man ,
2 04 EN GL IS H SH ORT — S TORY W RITERS

gets a streak of luck nigger luck he — - — ’

don t get tired .

The luck gives in fi rst

”
Luck continued the gambler
“
.
, ,

re fl e ctiv e ly is a mighty queer thing All you know about

,
.

’ ’
it for certai n is that it s bound to change An d it s finding .

’
out when it s going to change that makes you We ve ’ .

had a st re ak of b ad luck since we left Poker F lat — you

come along and slap you get into i t too If you can hold
, , .

’ ”
your c ards right along you re all right For added the .
, ,

gambler with cheerful irrelevance

,

“I ’m
‘
proud to li ve in th e se rvice of th e Lord ;
’
An d I m bound to die in His army ”
.

The thi rd day came and the sun looking thr ough the
, ,

white-curta in ed valley saw the outcasts divide their slowly

,

decreas in g store of provisions for the mor ning meal I t .

w as one of the peculiarities of that moun tain clima te that

'

its rays difi used a k indly warmth over the wint ry lan dscape ,

as if i n regretfu l commi seration of the past But it re .

vealed drif t on drif t of snow piled high around the hut

a hopeless uncharted trackles s sea of white lying below
, ,

the rocky shores to which the castaways still cl un g .

Through the marvellously clear air the smoke of the

pastoral village of Poker Flat rose miles away Mother .

Shipton saw it and from a remote pi nnacle of her rocky

,

fas tness hurled in that direction a final malediction I t .

was her last vituperative attempt and perhaps for that ,

reason w as in vested with a certain degree of su bli mity .

“
It did her good she privately i nf ormed the Duchess
, .

”
Just you go ou t there and cuss and see She then set
“
.
,

herself to the task of amusin g the chi ld as she and the ,

Duchess were ple as ed to cal l Pin ey Piney w as no chicken

.
,

but it was a soothing and original theory of the pair thus

’
to account for the fact that she didn t sw ear and wasn t ’
im proper .
2 06 EN GL ISH SH ORT — S TORY W RITERS

ton— o n ce the strongest

the party— seemed to sicken of

an d fade A t midnight on the tenth day she called Oak

.

’
I m goin g “
she said in a voi ce of
“
hu rst to her side .
,

’
,

querulous w eakn ess but don t say anythin g about it

, .

’
Don t waken the k ids Take the bundle from un der my .

head and O pen it Mr Oakhu rst did so It contained .

’
. .

“
Mother Shi pton s rations for the last we ek untouched
’
,
.

Piney .
’ “
Give em to the child she said pointing to the sleeping
You ve st arved yourself ”
said the gambler
, ,

,
’
.

That s what they call it said the woman querulously , , ,

as she lay down aga in an d turning her face to the wall, , ,

pass ed quietly aw ay .

The accordi o n and the bones were put aside that day and ,

Homer w as forgotte n When the body of Mother Shipton

.

had been committed to the snow Mr Oakhurst t ook the , .

Inn oc ent aside and showed him a pair of snow—shoes which

he had fas hi oned from the old pac k saddle
- ’
There s one .
“ ,

c han ce in a hun dred to save her yet he said pointin g to

”

’ “ ”
, ,

“
Piney ; but it s t here he added po in t ing toward Poker
, ,
’ ”

“
Flat If you can reach there in two days she s safe
’
. .

”
And you ? asked Tom Simson I ll stay here was the .
,

curt reply .

The lovers parted with a long embrace You are not .

goin g too sai d the Duchess as she saw M r Oakhurst

“
.
, ,

apparently waiting to accompany him As far as the .

cati on he replied He turned suddenly an d kissed the

”
,
.

Duchess leavi ng her pallid face afl ame and her t rembling

,

limbs rigid with amazemen t .

Night came but not Mr Oakh u rst It brought the

, . .

storm again and the whirling snow Then the Duchess .

,

feedi ng the fi re foun d that some one had quietly piled be

,

side the hut enough fuel to last a f ew days longer The .

tears rose to her eyes but she hid them from Piney , .

The women slept but little In the morning looking .

,
 T H E O U T CA S T S OF POKER FL A T 2 07

’
into each other s faces they read their fate Neither spoke , .

but Piney accepting the position of the stronger drew

, ,

near and placed her arm around the Duchess s waist ’ .

They kept this attitude for the rest of the day That .

n ight the storm reached its great est fury and rending , ,

asunder the protecting pines i n vaded the very hut , .

Toward morning they found themselves unable to feed

the fi re which gradually died away As the embers slowly
, .

blackened the Duchess crept closer to Piney and broke

,

the silence of many hours : Piney can you pray ? ” “N0 “ ,

m
, ,

”
clear
,
said Piney sim y The Duchess without knowing
, .
,

exactly why felt relieved and putting her head upon

’
, , ,

Piney s shoulder s poke no more An d so reclining the

‘

.
, ,

younger an d purer pillowing the head of her soil ed sister

upon her virgin breast they fell asleep ,
.

The wind lulled as if it feared to w aken them Feathery .

drifts of sn ow shaken from the long pine-boughs fl ew like

, ,

w hite -winged birds and settled about them as they slept

, .

The moon through the rifted clouds looked down upon

what had been the camp But all human stain all trace .
,

of earthly travail was hidden beneath the spotless mantle

,

mercifully fl u ng from above .

They sle pt all that day and the next n or did they waken ,

when voices and footsteps broke the silence of the camp .

And when pitying fi ngers bru sh ed the snow from their

wan faces you could scarcely have told from the equal
, ,

peace that d w elt upon them which was she that had ,

sinned Even the law of Poker Flat recognized this and

.
,

turned away leaving them still locked i n each other s ’

,

arms .

But at the head of the gulch on one of the largest pine ,

trees they found the deuce of clubs pinned to the bark

,

with a bowie-knife It bore the fol lowing written in .

,

pencil i n a fi rm hand
,
2 08 E N GL I SH S HORT — S TORY W RIT ERS
‘

1
.

B ENEATH T H I S T REE
L IES T HE B O D Y

J OHN O A KHU RS T,

WHO S TR UC K A S TR E A K or B A D LU CK
ON TH E 23 1) or N OV E M B E R 1 850 , ,

A ND
HANDED IN HIS CH EC KS
ON TH E 7T H D E C E M B E R , 1 850 .

And pulseless and cold w ith a derringer by his side and

,

a bullet in his heart though still calm as in life be neath

, ,

the snow lay he w ho w as at once the strongest and yet the

weakest of the outcasts of Poker Flat .
 THE T H R E E S T RA N GE R S

Thoma s Hardy ( 1 840)

MONG the f ew features of agricultural England whic h

retain a n appearance but little modified by th e
lapse of centuries may be reckoned the high grassy
, ,

and furzy down s coombs or ew e-leases as they are ih

, , ,

di fi erently c alled that hll a large area of certai n coun ties

'

in the south and southwest If any mark of human occu .

patiou is met w ith hereon it usually takes the form of the ,

solitary cottage of some shephe rd .

Fifty years ago such a lonely cottage stood on such a

down an d may possibly be standing there now In spi te
,
.

of its loneliness how ever the spot by a c tual meas urement

, , , ,

was not more than fi v e miles from a county—town Yet .

that a ffected it li ttle Five miles of irregular upland

.
,

during the long inimical seasons with their sleets snows , , ,

'

rai ns and mists afi ord withdrawing space enough to

, ,

isolate a Timon or a Nebuchadnez z ar ; much less in fair ,

weather to please that l ess repellent tribe , the poets , phi

,

1 0 8 0 ph ers artis ts and others who

, ,
conceive and meditate “
”
of pleasant things .

Some old earthen camp or barrow some clump of trees , ,

at least some starved fragment of ancient hedge is usually

taken advantage of in the erection of these forlorn dwell
ings But in the p resent case such a kind of shelter had
.
, ,

‘
F rom Wessex Ta le s . P u b li shed by Harpe r B rothe rs .
21 2 EN GLI SH SHORT — S TORY W RITERS

been dis regarded Higher Crow stairs as the house w as

.
,

called stood quite detached and undefe nded The only

,
.

reason for its precise situation seemed to be the crossin g

o f tw o footpaths at right angles hard by which may have ,

c rossed there and thus for a good fi v e hundred years .

Hence the house w as exposed to the elements on all sides .

But though the wind up here blew unm istakably when it

,

did blow and the rain hi t hard whenever it fell the various
, ,

weathers of the winte r seas on w ere not quite so formidable

on the coomb as they were imagi n ed to be by d w ellers on
low ground . The raw rimes were not so pernicious as
in the hollows and the fros ts were scarce ly so severe
, .

W hen the shepherd and his family who tenanted the house
were pitied f or their sufferi ngs from the exposure they ,

said that upon the whole they were less inconvenience d

w u z z es an d fl ames
”
by ( hoarses and phlegms ) than whe n
they had lived by the stream of a snug neighbo ring valley .

The n ight of March 2 8 1 82 w as prec i sely one of the

,

nights that w ere wont to call forth these expressions of

commiseration The level rainstorm smote walls slopes
.
, ,

and hedges like the clothyard shafts of Senl ac and Crec y .

Such shee p a nd outdoor animals as had no shelter stood

w ith their buttocks to the winds ; while the tai ls of little

birds trying to roost on some scraggy thorn were blow n

'

inside -ou t like umbrellas The gable—end of the cottage

.

w as stained wi th wet and the eavesd roppings flapped

,

against the wall Yet never was co mmiseration f or the

.

shepherd more misplaced For that chee rful rustic was

.

entertaining a large party in glorification of the christening

of his second girl .

The gu ests had arrived before the rain began to fall ,

an d they were all now assemb led in the chief or living

room of the dwelling A gl ance into the apartment at
.

’
eight o clock on this eventful evening would have re
21 4 EN GLI S H S HORT — S TORY W RITERS

of mann er amounting to a truly princely serenit y was lent

, ,

to the maj ority by the abse n ce of an y expression or trait

denotin g that they wished to get on in the world enlarge ,

their minds or do any eclipsing thing whatever which

,
—

nowadays so generally nips the bloom an d bonhomi e of all

except the two extremes of the social scale .

Shepherd Fennel had married well h is wife being

’
,

a dairyman s daughter from a vale at a distance w h o ,

brought fif ty guineas in her poc ket —and kept them

there till they should be requi red for min is tering to the
,

needs of a coming family Thi s fru gal woman had been

.

somewhat exercised as to the charac ter that should be

give n to the gathering A sit -still party had its adv an
.

tages ; but an undisturbed position of ease in chairs and

settles w as apt to lead on the men to such an u nconscion
able deal of topin g that they would sometimes fairly d rink
the house dry A dancing-party w as the al ternative ; but
.

this while avoiding the foregoing objection on the score of

,

good dr ink had a counterbalancin g disadvantage in the

,

matter of good victuals the ravenous appetites en gendered

,

by the exercise causin g immense havoc in the buttery .

Shepherdess Fennel fell back upon the intermed iate plan of

mingling short dan ces w ith short period s of talk and sing
ing so as to hin der any ungovernable rage in either But
, .

thi s scheme w as en tirely confin ed to her ow n gentle mind :

the shepherd himself w as in the mood to exhibit the most
re ckless phas es of hospitality .

The fi ddler was a boy of those parts about twelve years

,

of age w h o h ad a wonderful dexterity in j igs and reels

, ,

though his fingers were so small and short as to necessitate

a constan t shiftin g f or the high notes from which he ,

scrambled b ac k to the first position with sounds not of uh

mix ed purity of tone At seven the shrill tweed le—dee of
.

this youngster h ad begu n accom panied by a boom ing

.
 T HE T HREE S TRAN GERS 21 5

ground-bass from Elij ah New the parish-clerk who h ad , ,

thoughtfully brought w ith him his favori te musical ih

strument the serpent Dancing was ins tantaneous Mrs
,
.
,
.

Fenne l privately enj oining the players on n o account to

let the dance exceed the lengt h of a quarter of an hour .

But Elij ah and the boy in the excitement of their posi

,

t ion quite forgot the inj unction Moreover Oliver Giles

, .
, ,

a man of seventeen one of the dancers who was enamoured

, ,

of his partner a fair girl of thirty three rolling years h ad

,
-
,

recklessly handed a new crown—piece to the musicians as a ,

bribe to keep going as long as they had muscle and w ind .

Mrs Fenn el seeing the steam begin to generate on the

.
,

counten an ces of her guests crossed over an d touched the ,

’ ’
fi ddle r s elbow and put her hand on the serpent s mouth .

But they took no notice and feari ng she might lose her
,

character of genial hostess if she were to interfere too mark

e dly she retired and sat dow n helpl ess
,
And so the dance .

whizze d on with cumulative fury the performers moving ,

in their planet like courses direct and retrogr ade from

-
, ,

apogee to perigee till the han d of the well -kicked clock at

,

the bottom of the room had travelled over the circum

ference of an hour .

While these cheerful events were in course of en act

’
ment w ithin Fennel s pastoral dwelling an incident ,

having considerable bearing on the party had occurred

in the gloomy night without Mrs Fennel s concern ’ . .

about the growing fie rceness of the dance corresponded

in point of time w ith the ascent of a human figu re to
the solitary hill of Higher Crow stairs from the direction
of the distant town This pe rsonage strode on through
.

the rain without a pau se following the little worn path,

-

’
which further on i n its course skirted the she pherd s
, ,

c ottage .

It w as nearly the time of full moon and on this account , ,

 21 6 EN GL IS H SHORT — STORY W RITERS

though the sky was lined with a uniform sheet of drip ping
cloud ordinary obj ects ou t of doors were readi ly visible
, .

Th e sad wan light revealed the lonely ped estrian to be a

man of supple frame ; his gait suggested that he had some
what pas sed the period of perfect and inst inctive agility ,

though not so far as to be otherwi se than rapid of motion

when occasion requi red At a rough guess he might have
.
,

been about forty years of age He appeared tall but a

.
,

recruiting sergea nt or other person accustomed to the

,
’
j udging of men s heights by the eye would have discerned
,

that this w as chiefly owing to his gauntness and that he ,

was not more than fi v e-feet-eight or ni ne .

Not w ithstandin g the regularity of h is t read the re was ,

caution in it as in that of one who mentally feels his

,

way ; and d espite the fact that it was not a black coat
nor a dark garment of any sort that he wore there w as ,

something a b out him which suggested that he naturally

belonged to the black-coated tribes of men His clothes .

were of fustian and h is boots hobnail ed yet in h is prog

, ,

ress he showed not the mud -accustomed beari ng of h ob

nailed and f ustianed peasantry .

B y the time that he h ad arrived abreast of the shep

’
herd s premises the rain came down or rather came along
, ,

with yet more determin ed violence The outskirts of the

.

little settlement partially broke the force of wind and

rain and this in duced him to stand still The most salien t
, .

’
[of the she pherd s domestic erections was an em pty sty at '

the forward corner of his hed geless garden for in these ,

latitudes the pri nci ple of masking the homelier features of

your establishment by a conventional frontage w as u n
’
known The traveller s eye was attracted to this small
.

bui lding by the pallid shine of the wet slates that cove red
it
. He t u rned aside and find ing it empty st ood un der
, , ,

the pent roof for shelter

-
.
21 8 EN GL ISH SH ORT - S TORY W R IT E RS

track of a sn ail ; the roof of the little well ( mostly dry ) ,

the well -cover the top rail of the garden gate were var
,
-
,

h ished with the same dull liquid glaze ; while far away ,

in the vale a faint whiten ess of more than usual extent

,

show ed that the rivers were high in the meads Beyond .

all t his wink ed a fe w bleared lamplights through the beat

ing d rops — lights that denoted the situation of the county
town from which he had appeared to come The absem e .

of all notes of life in that di rection seemed to clinch his

intentions and he knocked at the door
, .

W ithin a des ultory chat had taken the pl ace of move

,

ment and musical sound Th e hed ge-carpenter was sug .

gesting a song to the company which nobody j ust then ,

w as incl in ed to undertake so that the knock a ff orded a ,

not unwelcome diversion .

Walk ih l said the shepherd promptly

”
,
.

The latch clicked upward and out of the night our ,

pedest rian appeared upon the door-mat The she pherd .

arose snuffed two of the nearest can dles and turned to

, ,

look at him .

Their light discl osed that the stranger was dark in com
plexion and not unprepossessing as to feature His hat .
,

which for a moment he did not remove hung low over his ,

eyes w ithout concealing that they were large open and

, , ,

determined movi ng with a flash rather than a glance

,

round the room He seemed pleased with hi s survey and

“ , ,
.

baring his shaggy head said in a ri ch deep voice : The , , ,

rain is so heavy f ri ends that I as k leave to come in and

, ,
”
rest awhile
“ To be sure stranger
.

said the shepherd

,
And faith
,
.
“ ,
’
y ou ve been lucky in choosing your time for w e are hav ,

ing a bit of a fling for a gl ad cause— though to be sure a , ,

m an could hardly wish that gl ad cause to happen more

”
than once a year .
 TH E THREE S TRAN GERS 21 9

N or less spoke up a woman ’

For tis best to get .
,

your fam ily over and done with as soon as you can so as , ,
’ ”

“
to be all the earlier out of the fag o t .

”
And what may be this glad cause ? asked the stranger .

”
A birth and christening said the shepherd ,
.

The stranger hoped his host might not be made unhappy

either by too many or two few of such episodes and being ,

invited by a gesture to a pull at the mug he read i ac ,

quiesced His man ner which be fore entering had been

.
, , ,

so dubious was now altogether that of a careless and

,

“
can di d man .

”
Late to be traipsing athwart this coomb hey ? said
—

“
the engaged man of fif ty .

— ’
Late it is master as you say I ll take a seat in the .
, ,

chimneyl corne r if you have nothing to urge against it

’
, ,

ma am ; for I am a little moist oh the side that was next

”
the rain .

Mrs Shepherd Fennel assented and made room for the

.
,

self -invited comer who h ax i g got completely i ns ide the

, ,
n

c himney—corner stretched out his legs and arms with the

,

expans iveness of a person quite at home .

Yes I am rather cracked in the vamp he said freely

, , ,
’
seeing that the eyes of the shepherd s w ife fell upon h is

boots and I am not well fitted either I have had some

, .

rough times lately and have been forced to pick up what

,

I c an get in the way of wearing but I must find a suit ,

“
better fi t for w orking-days when I reach home .

One of hereabouts she inquired .

Not quite that — further up the country .

I thought so And so be I and by your tongue you

.
'

“
come from my neighborhood
h ”
.

“
But you would rdly have heard of me a he said
’
,

quickly .My time would be long before yours ma a m ,

you see .
22 0 E N GLI S H S HORT — S TORY
W RI TERS
This testimony to the youthful ness of his hostess h ad
the e ff ect of stopping her cross-examination
“
.

There is onl y one thing more wanted to m ake me

”
ha ppy continued the new-c omer and that is a little
, ,
“
baccy which I am sorry to say I am out oi
“ , .

’
I ll fil l yo u r pipe
”
said the shepherd
, .

I must ask you to lend me a pipe l ikewise .

A smoker and no pipe about ee ’

,

I have dropped it somewhere on the road .

The shepherd filled and handed him a new clay pipe

saying as he did so
, ,
“
Hand me your baccy box I ll
- — ’
,

”
fill that too now I am about it
,
.

The man went through the movement of searchi ng

his pockets .

”
Lost tha t too ? said his entertainer with some surprise
, .

I am afraid so s aid the man with some confusion

”
, .

”
Give it to me in a screw of paper Lighting h is pipe
.

at the candle w ith a suction that d rew the whole fl ame

into the bowl he resettled hi mself in the corner and bent
,

his looks upon the faint steam from his d legs as if ,

he wished to say no more .

Mean while the general body of guests had been taking

little notice of this visitor by reason of an absorbin g
discussion in which they were engaged with the band
about a tune for the next dance Th e matter being .

settled they were about to stand up when an i nterru ption

,

came in the shape of another knock at the door .

A t sound of the same the man in the chimney-c orner

took up the poker and began stirring the brands as if doing
it thoroughly were the one aim of hi s existence ; an d a
sec ond time the shepherd said W alk in ! ,
“
”
In a moment
another man stood upon the straw-woven door-mat He .

too w as a stranger .

This individual was one of a type radically di ff eren t

222 EN GL I SH SHOR T — S TORY W R ITERS

rub of whole gen erations of thirsty lips that had gone the
way of all flesh and bearing the followi ng inscription burn t
,

upo n its rotund side in yellow letters :

THER E IS NO F U N
U N ri L L
'
i CU M.

The other man nothing loth raised the mug to hi s lips

, , ,

and drank on and oh an d oh — till a curious bluen ess over

, ,

’
spread the countenan ce of the shepherd s w ife who h ad
’
,

regarded with no li ttle surp ri se the fi rst stranger s free

offer to the se c on d of what did not belong to him to dis

I knew it! said the toper to the shepherd with much

sat isfac tion Wh en I walked up your garden before
.

comi ng ih an d saw the hi ves all of a row I said to my

’
,
’
,
’
self Where there s bees there s honey an d whe re there s
‘

’ ’
, ,

honey there s mead But mead of such a t ruly com

.

’
f ortab le sort as t h is I really didn t expec t to meet in my
older days ”
He took yet an other pul l at the mug till it
.
,

assum ed an om inous elevation

“
.

”
Glad you enj oy it! said the shepherd warml y .

”
It is goodish mead assented Mrs Fennel with an
,
.
,

absence of enthusiasm which seemed to say that it w as

’
possible to buy praise f or one s cellar at too heavy a pri ce
“
.

It is trouble enough to make — an d

really I hardly thin k
w e shall make any more For honey sells well and we ,

’
.

ourselves can make shift with a d rop 0 sm all mead and

”
—
metheglin for common use from the comb washin gs
“
.

’
0 but you ll never have the heart !
‘
”
re proachf ully
,

cried the stranger in cinder-gray afte r taki ng up the

mug a third time an d setting it dow n empty I love
,

.
“
’
me ad when tis old like this as I love to go to church ,

’
,

0 Sundays or to reliev e the needy any day of the week

,
.
 TH E T H REE S TRANGERS 22 3

Ha h a h a ! said the man in the chimney-corner

, , ,

who in spite of the taciturnity induced by the pipe of

,

tobacco could not or would not refrain from this slight

testimony to his com ’
,

rade s humor .

N ow the old mead of those days brewed of the purest ,

fi rst year or maiden honey four pounds to the gallon

-
,

with its due complement of white of eggs cinnamon ginger , , ,

cloves mace rose mary y east an d processes of working

, , , , ,

bottling and cellaring tasted remarkably strong ; but it

,
-

did not taste so strong as it actually w as Hence presently .

, ,

the stran ger i n cinder—gray at the table moved by its creep ,

ing influ e n ce unbuttoned his waistcoat thre w himself back

, ,

in his chair spread his legs and made hi s presence felt in

, ,

various ways
“ “
.

Wel l well as I say he resumed

,
”
,
I am going to, ,

Caste rbridge and to Casterbridge I must go

,
I should .

have been almost there by this time ; but the rain drove
’
me into your dwelling and I m not sorry for it ”

“ ’
.
,

You don t live in Caste rb ridge said the shepherd .

N ot as yet ; though I shor tly mean to move there .

”
Going to set up in trade perhaps ? ,

N o no
” ’
said the shepherd s wife It is easy to see
’
.
, ,

that the gentleman is rich and don t want to work at ,

anything .

The cinder—gray stranger paused as if to consider ,

whe ther he would accept that defin ition of hi mself He

“
.

presently rejected it by answering Rich is not quite the ,

word for me dame I do work and I must work And

,
.
, .

even if I only get to Casterbridge by midnight I must begin

work there at eight to morrow morning Yes het or wet
-
.
, ,
’
blow or snow famine or sword my day s work to-morrow
, ,

“
must be done
’
.

Poor man ! Then in spite o seeming you be worse

,
’
,

”
off than w e replied the shepherd s wife
, .
224 EN GL ISH SHORT — S TORY W RI TERS
’Tis the nature of my trade men an d maidens ’
Tis , .

the nature of my trade more than my poverty But

’ ’
really and truly I must up an d ofl or I shan t get a lod g ,

in g in the tow n However the speaker did not move

.
,
’
,

an d di rectly added There s time f or one more draught

,
’
of f ri en dship before I go ; and I d perform it at once if

the mug were not dry

“ “
.

’ ’
Here s a mug 0 small said Mrs Fennel Small w e .
, .

’
,

call it though to be sure t is only the fi rst wash o the ’

,

“
combs
“
.

No said the stranger di sdainfully ’

I won t spoil .
, ,

’
your first kindn ess by partaki ng 0 your second ”

“ “
.

”
Certainly not broke in Fennel ’
We don t incre as e .
,
’
and multi ply every day an d I ll fi ll the mug again ”
He
, .

w ent away to the dark plac e under the stairs where the
barre l stood The shepherdess followed him
“
. .

Wh y should you do this she said reproachf u lly as

soon as they were alone “ ’
He s emptied it on ce though
.
,

,
,

’
it held enough for ten people ; an d now he s not conte n ted
’ ’
w i the small but must n eeds call for more 0 the strong !
,

An d a stranger un bekn own to any of na F or my part I .

,
’ ’
don t like the look 0 the man at all
“
.

’ ’
But he s i n the house my honey ; and tis a w e t ni ght
, ,
’
and a christening Daze it what s a cup of mead more or
.
,
’ ”
less ? There ll be plenty more next bee burn ing
“
— .

“
Very well this time then
—
she ans wered looking
, ,

’
,

wistfully at the barrel But what is the man s calling

.
,

and where is he one of that he should come in an d j oin us

,

like this
“ ’ ’
I don t know I ll ask hi m again
. .

The catastrophe of having the mug drain ed dry at one

pull by the stranger in cinder-gray w as e fi e ctu ally guarded
'

agains t thi s time by Mrs Fennel She poured out his al

. .

lowan ce in a small cup kee ping the large one at a discreet

,
226 EN GL IS H S HORT — S TORY W RITERS

The room w as silent when he h ad finished the ve rse — with

one exception that of the man i n the chimn ey-corner who
’
,

“
at the singer s word Chorus ! j oin ed him in a deep bass
”
,
, ,

voice of musical relish

’
A nd waft e m to a far co u ntree l

Oliver Giles John Pitcher the dairym an the parish -clerk

, , ,

the engaged man of fif ty the row of youn g women against

,

the wall seemed lost in thought not of the gayest kind

, .

Th e shepherd looked meditatively on the groun d the shep ,

herd ess gazed keenly at the singer and with some sus ,

picion she was doubting whether this stranger were merely

singing an old song from recollection or was composing ,

one there and then for the occasion All were as perplexed .

’
at the o b scure revelation as the guests at Belsha z zar s
Feast except the man in the chimney corner w ho quietly -
,

”
said Second verse st ranger and smoked on
, , ,
.

The singer thoroughly moiste n ed himself from his lips

inward and went on with the next stanza as requested
,

My tools are b ut common ones ,

S i mple shepherds all

My
tools are no si ght to see
A little hempen string and a post whereon to swing
, ,
”
A re i mplements enough for me !

Shepherd Fennel glan ced round There was no longer .

any doubt that the stranger w as an swerin g his qu estion

rhythmically The guests one and all started back wi th

.

suppressed exclamations The young woman engaged .

to the man of fif ty f ainted half way and would have pro -

,

ceed e d but fi nding him wanting in alacrity f or catching

,

her she sat d o w n tremblin g

“
.

’
O he s the whispered the people in the back
,

ground mentioning the name of an ominous public offi ce r

,
.
 T HE T HREE S TRA N GERS 2 27
’ ’
He s come to do iti Tis to be at Caste rbridge j ail
to-morrow— the man for sheep-stealin g— the poor clock
maker we heard oi who used to live away at S h ottsford
,

and h ad no work to do — Timothy Summers whose family ,

were a—starving and so he went ou t of S hottsf ord by

,

the high road and took a sheep in open daylight defying

-
,
’
,
’
the farmer an d the farmer s wife and the farmer s lad
’
,

and every man j ack among em He ( and they nodded

”

“
.

toward the stranger of the deadly trade) is come from

’
u p the cou ntry to do it because there s not enough to do
’
i n his own county town and he s got the place here now
-

’
,
’
ou r ow n coun ty man s dead ; he s going to live in the same
”
cottage u nder the prison wall .

Th e stranger in cinder gray took n o notice of this w h is

-

pered strin g of observations but again wetted his lips ,

.

Seeing that his frien d i n the chimney-corner w as the

only one who reciprocated his j oviality i n any way he ,

held ou t his cup toward that appreciative comrade who ,

also held ou t his own They cli nked together the eyes
.
,
’
of the rest of the room hanging upon the singer s action s
.

He parted his lips for the third verse ; but at that moment
another kn ock was audible upon the door This t ime .

the kn ock w as fai nt and hesitat ing .

The com pany seemed scared ; the shepherd looked with

co nsternation toward the entrance an d it was with some ,
’
e ffort that he resisted his alarmed wife s deprecatory glance ,

and uttered for the third time the welcomin g words W alk ,
”
in !
The door was gently opened a n d another man s tood ,

u pon the mat He like those who had preceded him

.
, ,

was a stranger This t ime it w as a short small per

.
,

sonage of fair com plexion

,
and dressed in a decent suit,

“
of dark clothes .

Can you tell me the way to he began : when ,

2 28 EN GL I SH SHORT — S TORY W RITERS

ga z ing rou nd the room to observe the nat u re of the com

pany among whom he had fallen hi s eyes lighted on ,

the stranger in cinder-gray It was j us t at the instant

.

when the latter who had thrown his mind into hi s son g
,

with such a wi ll that he scarcely heeded the interruption ,

silen c ed all whispers and inqui ries by bursting i nto his

thi rd verse :

To-morrow is my work ing day ,

S imple shepherds all

To-morrow is a working day for me :
’ ’
F or the farmer s sheep is sl ain and the lad who did it ta en
’
, ,
”
And on hi s soul may God h a merc y ! -

The stran ger i n the chi mney-co rner wavin g cups w ith .

the sin ger so heart ily that h is mead splashed over on the
hearth repeated in his bass voice as befOre :
,

And on his soul may ’

God h a merc y !
- ”

All this time the third stran ger had been standing in
the doorway F in ding now that he did not come forward
.

or go on speaki ng the guests particularly regarded him

, .

They noticed to their surprise that he stood before them

the picture of abj ect terror— his kn ees trembling hi s hand ,

shaking so violently that the door—latch by which he su p

ported h imself rattled audibly : his white lips w ere parted ,

and his eyes fix ed on the mer ry offi cer of j us tice in the

middle of the room A moment more and he had turned
.
,

cl osed the door and fled

“
.
,

W hat a man can it be ? said the shepherd

”
.

Th e rest between the awfu lness of their late discovery

,

and the odd conduct of this third v isitor looked as if ,

they kn ew not what to thi nk and said nothing In . .

stinctiv e ly they withdrew further and further from the

230 EN GL IS H SHOR T — S TORY W RITERS

And his heart seemed to sink within him like a stone ,

”

“
said Oliver Giles .

’
And he bolted as if he d bee n shot at said the hedge ,

carpenter
“
.

True — his teeth chattered and his heart seemed to ,

’
sink ; and he bolted as if he d been shot at slowly summed ,

up the man in the chimn ey-corner

“
.

’ ”
I didn t noti ce it remarked the han gman , .

We were all a-wondering what made him run off in

”
su ch a fright faltered one of the women against the
“ ’
wall and now tis explained !
,
”
,

The hrin g of the alarm -gun went on at in tervals low ,

an d sullenly and their suspicions became a certainty

, .

The si niste r gentleman in cinder-gray roused himself .

Is there a constable here he asked in thick tones , .

”
If so let him step forward
,
.

The engaged man of fifty stepped quaverin g ou t from

the wall his betrothed begi nn ing to sob on the b ac k of
.

“
the chair .

You are a sworn constable

I be sir ”
,
.

Then pursue the criminal at once with assistance an d , ,

’
bring him bac k here He can t have gone far ”

“
. .

’ ’
I will sir I will when I ve got my staff I ll go home
—
.
, ,

and get it and come sharp here and start i n a body

,
”
, .

’
S tafi l never mind your staff ; the man ll be gone !
—

’
But I can t do nothing without my staff— can 1 ,

W illi am and John and Charles Jake ? No ; for there s ’

, ,
’
the ki ng s royal crown a-painted on eh in yaller and gold ,

and the lion and the unicorn so as when I raise e n up ,

’
and hit my prisoner tis made a lawful blow thereby I
’
.
,
’
wouldn t tempt to take u p a man without my st aff— n o ,
’
n ot I If I hadn t the law to gie me courage why inste ad
.
, ,

0
’ my t aki n g up him he might take up me l ”
 THE T HREE S TRAN GERS 23 1

’ ’
N ow I m a kin g s man myself and can give you au
, ,

th ori ty e n ough for this said the formidable offi cer in

”

gray.
“ N ow then all of ye be re ad y
,
,

Have ye any , .

“
lanterns
Yes have ye any lanterns — I demand iti said the
-

constable
“
.

An d the rest of you able—bodied

Able-bodied men — yes -the rest of ye ! said the con

“
stable .

Have you some good stout staves and pitchforks

’
Staves and pitchf orks in the n ame 0 the law ! An d
—

’
take em in yer hands an d go in quest and do as we in ,
”
authority tell ye l
Thus aroused the men prepared to give chase The
,
.

evidence was indeed though circumstantial so co nvi n cing

, , , ,
’
that but little argum en t was needed to show the shepherd s
guests that after what they had seen it would look very
much like conn ivan ce if they did not instantly pursue the
unhappy third stranger who could not as yet have gone
,

more than a few hundred yards over such uneven country .

A shepherd is always well provided with lanter ns ; and ,

lighting these hastily and with hurdle—staves in their

,

han ds they poured ou t of the door taking a direction

, ,

along the crest of the hill away from the tow n the rain, ,

having fortun ately a little abated .

Disturbed by the noise or possibly by unpleasan t dreams

,

of her baptism the child who ha d bee n christened be gan

,

to cry heart-brokenl y in the room overhead These notes .

of grief came down through the chi nks of the fl oor to the
ears of the wome n below who j umped up one by one and
, ,

seemed glad of the excuse to ascend and comfort the baby ,

f or the inciden ts of the last half hour greatly oppressed -

them Thus in the space of two or thr ee minutes the room

.

on the ground -fl oor was deserted quite .

23 2 EN GL I SH S HORT — S TORY W RITERS

But it w as not f or long Hardly h ad the soun d of foot .

steps died away when a man returned round the corner of

the house f rom the direction the pursue rs had taken .

Peeping in at the door and seeing nobody there he eh , ,

te red leisurely I t was the stranger of the chimney-corner

.
,

who had gone out with the rest The motive of his return .

was shown by his helping hi mse lf to a cut pi e ce of skimm er

cake that lay on a ledge beside where he had sat and whi ch ,

he had apparen tly forgotten to take with him He also .

poured ou t half a cup more mead from the quantity tha t

remained ravenously eating and d rinki ng these as he
,

stood He had not fi nish ed when another figure came in

.

j ust as quietly— his fri end in cin der-gray

“ ”
O you here ? s aid the latter smiling
-
I thought ,
.

.
“
you h ad gone to help in the capture ”
An d this S peaker .

a lso revealed the obj ect of his return by looking solicitous

ly round for the fascinat ing mug of old mead
“
.

And I thought you had gone said the other con , ,

tinu ing his skimm er-c ake with some e fi ort

'

“
.

W ell on second thoughts I felt there were enough

without me
,

sa id the first confi dentially and such a

,
“
’
,
’
,

n ight as it is too Besides tis the business 0 the Gov

, .
,

e rnment to take care of its crimi nals — not mine

“
.

True ; so it is And I felt as you did t h at there were

.
,

enough without me
“
.

’
I don t want to break my limbs running over the
”
humps an d hollow s of t hi s wild coun try
“
.

Nor I neither betwee n you and me ,

”
.

These shepherd people are used

- to i t—
simple-mi nded
souls you kn ow stirred up to anything in a moment .

’
, ,

They ll have him ready f or me before the morni ng and ,

no t rouble to me at all
“
.

’
They ll have hi m and we shall have saved ourselves
,

all labor in the matter ”

.
23 4 EN GL I S H SH ORT — S TORY W RITERS

in vain an d asc ended on the other side He re they w an

, .

dered apart and after an in terval closed together again

,

to repo rt p rogress At the second time of clos in g in they

.

foun d themselves n ear a lonely as h the single tree on this ,

part of the coomb probably sown there by a passing bird,

some fi f ty years before An d here standing a little to .

,

one side of the t runk as motionless as the trunk itse lf , ,

appeared the man they were in quest oi hi s outline being ,

well de fined against the sky beyond The band n oisel essly .

drew up and fac ed hi m

“
.

Your money or yo u r life ! said the constable ste rnly

“
to the still fi gure
’
.

No n o wh ispered John Pit c her

” ’
Tisn t our side .
, ,
’
ought to say that That s the doctri n e of vagabon ds l ike
.

”
hi m and we be on the side of the law
“ “
.
,

Well well ”
replied the constable impatiently ; I ,

’
, ,

must say somethi ng mustn t I ? and if you had all the

’
,

weight 0 thi s un dertaki ng upon your min d perhaps you d ’

,

say the wro ng thin g too ! —Prisoner at the bar surrender , , ,

in the n ame of the Father the Crown I mane !

— ”
,

The man un der the tree seemed now to noti ce them for
the fi rst time and giving them no opportuni ty whatever
, ,

for exhibiting their cou rage he strolled slowly toward them ,

.

He was in deed the little man the third stranger ; but his
, , ,

trepidation had in a great measure gone

“
.

Well travellers he said di d I he ar you S peak to

”
, , ,
”
me ?

“ ’
Y ou did ; you ve got to come and be our prisoner at
once ! said the constable
” ’
We arrest ee on the charge .
“
of not hiding in Cas te rb rid ge j ail in a dece n t proper man

ner to be hung to-morrow morning Neighbors do your .

,

duty an d seize the cu lpe t!

,
”

On hearin g the charge the man seemed enlightened , ,

and saying not another word resign ed himself with preter

, ,
 T HE T HREE S TRANGERS 23 5

n atural civility to the search party who with their staves

-
, ,

i n their hands sur roun ded him on all sides an d marched

, ,
’
him back toward the shepherd s cott age .

’
It was eleven o clock by the time they arrived The .

’
light shining from the open door a soun d of men s voices ,

within proclaimed to them as they approached the house

,

that some new events had arisen in their absence Oh .

’
enteri n g they discovered the shepherd s livin g-room to
be invaded by two offi cers from Caste rbridge j ail and a ,

well-known magistrate who lived at the nearest coun try

seat intelligence of the escape having be come generally
,

c irculated
“ .

Gentlemen said the constable I have brought back

, ,
“
your man — not without risk and danger ; but every one
must do his duty ! He is inside this circle of able—bodied
persons w ho have lent me useful ai d cons idering their
, ,

ignoran ce of Crown work Men bri n g forward your .

,
”

“
prisoner ! An d the third stranger was led to the light
Wh o is this ? said one of the offi cials .
.

”
The man said the constable
, .

Certainly not said the turnkey ; an d the first c or

”
,

“
rob orated his statement .

But h ow can it be other w ise asked the constable

’
.

Or why w as he so te rrifi ed at sight 0 the singing instru

ment of the law who sat there Here he related the
stran ge behavior of the third stran ger on enteri n g the
’
house duri ng the hangman s song
“ ’
Can t understand it said the offi cer c oolly
”
, Al l I
.

“
’
.

k ow is that it is not the condemned m a n He s quite a

n .

di fferent characte r from this one a gau ntish fellow w ith ,

dark hair and eyes rather good —looking an d with a musical

,

’
,

bass voi ce that if y ou heard it on ce you d never mist ake

“
as long as you lived
’
Wh y souls twas the man in the c himney-corner !
,
—
2 3 6 EN GLI SH SH ORT — S TORY W RITERS
“
Hey what said the magistrate comin g forward
—
,

after inquirin g particulars from the shepherd in the b ac k

’ “
Haven t you got the man after all ? ”

“ “
grou nd
’
.

Well sir said the constable he s the man we were

”
, , ,
’ ’
in search oi that s true ; and yet he s not the man we were
,

in search oi For the man we were in search of w as not

.

the man we wanted sir , if you understa nd my eve ry-day ,

’
way ; for twas the man in the chimney corner ! ”

“
-
”
A pretty kettle of fis h altogether ! said the magis
trate Y ou had bette r start for the other man at
.

on ce .

The prisoner now spoke for the first time The mention .

of the man in the c h imney-co rner seemed to ha ve moved

him as nothi ng else coul d do ”

Sir he said stepping for “
“
.
, ,

ward to the magistrate take no more trouble about me ,

.

The time is come when I may as well S peak I have done .

nothing ; my crime is t h at the condemned man is my

brother Early this af ternoon I left home at S h ottsford
.

to tramp it all the way to Caste rbridge j ail to bid him fare
well I was benighted and called here to rest and ask
.
,

the way When I ope ned the door I saw before me the
.

very man my brother that I thought to see in the con

, ,

demned cell at Caste rbridge He was in this chimney .

corner ; and j ammed close to him so that he could not ,

have got ou t if he had t ried was the exec utioner who d ’

,

come to take his life singing a song about it and not know ,

ing that it w as h is victim w h o w as close by j oining in to ,

save appearances My brother looked a glan ce of agony

.

’
at me and I know he meant Don t rev eal what you see ; ‘

’
, ,

my life depends on it I w as so terror-struck that I could .

hardly stan d and not knowing what I did I turned and

, , ,

”
hurri ed away .

’
The narrator s manner and tone had the stamp of t ruth,
and his story made a great impression on all aroun d .
23 8 E N GLI SH SHORT — S TORY W RITERS
questioned if all those who ostensibly made themselves
so busy in explorin g woods and fie lds and l anes were quite

so thorough when it came to the private examinati on of

their own lofts an d outhouses Stori es were afl oat of a
.

mysterious figu re being occasion ally seen in some old over

grown trackway or other remote from turn p ike roads ;
,

but when a search was instituted in an y of these suspected

quarters nobody w as found Thus the days and weeks
.

passed without t idings .

In brief the bass -voiced man of the chimney-corner was

,

n ever recaptured Some said that he went across the

.

sea others that he did not but buried h imself in the

, ,

depths of a papulous city At any rate the gentleman

.
,
’
in cinder gray never did his morn ing s w ork at Caster
-

bridge nor met an ywhere at all for busin ess purposes the
, , ,

genial comrade w ith whom he had passed an hour of re

laxation i n the lonely house on the coomb .

The gras s has long been gree n on the graves of Shepherd

Fenn el and his fru gal wife ; the guests who made U p the
christening party have mainly followed their en tertainers
to the tomb ; the baby in whose honor they all h ad met
is a matron in the sere an d yellow leaf But the arrival
.

’
of the three strangers at the shepherd s that night and ,

the details connected therew ith is a story as well kno w n

,
-

as ever in the country about Higher Crow stairs .

M arch , 1 883 .
J UL IA B RI D E

Henry ( 1 843)
2 42 EN GL IS H SH ORT — S TORY W RITERS

he r, and why for that matter , had she felt safe a moment
,

before in letting hi m go ? She felt safe , felt almost reck

l ess that w as the proof ao long as he was with her ; but
— —

the chill came as soon as he had gone when she took the ,

measure instantly of all she yet missed She might n ow

, , .

have been t aking it afres h by the testimony of her cha rm

,

in g clouded eyes and of the ri gor that had alread y repl aced
her beautiful pl ay of expression Her radian ce for the .
,

minute had carried as far as h is travelling on the light

, ,

wings of her brill ant prettiness h e on his side not being

i —
, ,

facial ly handsome but only sensitive clean and eager

, , .

Then with its ext in ction the sustaini ng wings dropped

, ,

an d hung .

She wheeled about however full of a pu rpose ; she

, ,

passed back t h rough the pictur ed rooms for it pleas ed her , ,

this idea of a talk with Mr Pitman — as much that is as .

, ,

anything could plew e a young person so t roubled It .

happened indeed that when she saw him rise at sight of

her from the settee where he had told her fi v e mi nutes
before that she would fin d him it w as j ust with her ne r ,

v ou sness that h is presen ce seemed as through an odd sug ,

gestio n of help to conn ect itself Nothing t rul y wou ld be

, .

quite so odd for her case as aid proc eed ing from Mr Pit .

man ; unless perhaps the oddi ty would be even greater for

himself the oddity of her having taken into her head an
—

appeal to him .

She h ad had to feel alone with a vengean ce— i nwardly

alon e and miserably alarmed — to be ready to meet “ ,

that way at the fi rst sig n f rom him the succ essor to her
, ,

’
dim father i n her dim father s lifet ime the second of her
’
,

mother s two divorced husbands It made a queer rela .

tion for her ; a relation that struck her at this moment as

less edifyin g less natural an d graceful than it would have
,

been eve n f or her remarkable mother— and still in spi te

 J U L IA B RID E 2 43

of
’
this parent s thir d marri age her union With Mr . Con
,

nery from whom she was inf ormally separated It w as .

’
,

at the b ack of Julia s head as she approa c hed Mr Pit man .

,

or it was at least somewhere deep within her soul t hat if ,

’
this last of Mrs Connery s w ithdrawals from the matri
.

mon ial yoke had received the sanction of the c ourt ( Julia
had always heard from far back so mu c h about the
, ,
”
Court ) she herself as afte r a fashion in that event a
, , ,

party to it would not have had the cheek to make u p

,

which was h ow she inwardly phras ed what she was doing

— to the long lean loose slightly c adaverous gentleman
, , ,

w h o w as a memory for her of the period from her twelfth

, ,

to her seven teenth year She had got on with him per
.
,

v erse ly much bet ter than her mother had and the bulging
, ,

misfit of his duck waistcoat with his trick of swinging his,

eye-glass at the end of an extraordinarily long string

, ,

far over the scene came back to her as positive features of

,

the image of her remoter youth Her present age— for .

her later time had seen so many thi ngs happen — gave her
a perspec tive .

Fifty things came up as she stood there before him ,

some of them floating in from the past others hovering ,

with freshness : h ow she used to dodge the rotary move

men t m ade by his pi n ce—nez while he always awkwardly ,

and kindly and often funnily talked — it had once hit her
, ,

rather badly in the eye ; h ow she used to pull dow n and

straighten his waistcoat making it set a little better , a
,

thing of a sort her mother never did ; h ow friendly and

familiar she must have bee n with him f or that or el se a ,

forward little minx ; how she felt almost capable of do ing

it again now ju st to sound the right note and how sure
, ,

she w as of the way he would take it if she did ; how much

nicer he had clearly been all the while poor dear man , , ,

than his wife an d the court had made it possible for him
2 44 EN GL ISH SHORT — S TORY W RI TERS

publicly to appear ; how much younger too he now , ,

looked in S pite of his rather melancholy his mi ldly

, ,

j aun diced humorously determined sallowness an d his care

,

less assumption everyw here from his forehead to h is ex

, ,

posed and relaxed blue soc ks almost sky blue as in past ,

-
,

days of creases an d folds and furrows that would have

,
’
been perhaps tragic if they hadn t seemed rather to show ,

like hi s whi msical black eyebrows the vague in terrogative , ,

arch
’
.

’
Oi course he wasn t wretched if he was n t more su re of
his wretchedn ess than that ! Julia Bride would have been
sure— had she been thr ough what she supposed he had !
W ith hi s thick loose black hair i n any case untouched
, , ,

by a thread of gray and his kept gift of a certai n big,

boyish awkward nes s that of his taki ng their encounter

—
,

for instance so amusedly so crudely though as she was

, , , ,

not unaware so eagerly too — he

could by n o means have
’
,
’
been so little his wife s j unior as it had been that lady s
habit after the divorce to represe nt him Julia had re
, ,
.

membere d him as old since she had so constantly thought ,

of her mother as old ; which Mrs Conn ery was in deed now .

— for her daughter w ith her dozen years of actual sen

-
m

iority to M r Pitman and her exquisite hair the densest

. , ,

the fi nest tangle of arran ged silver tendrils that h ad ever

enh anced the e fi ect of a preserved complexion
'

’
Something in the girl s vision of her quondam step
father as still comparatively young with the confusion
—
,

the immense element of re ctifi cation not to say of rank

’
,

d isproof that it introduced i nto Mrs Connery s favorite

,
.

picture of her ow n inj ured past — all thi s worked even at ,

the moment to qui cken once more the clearn ess and harsh
,

ness of j udgment the retrospective disgust as she might

, ,

have called it that had of late grown up in her the sense

, ,

of all the folly and vanity and vu lgarity the lies the per , ,
2 46 EN GL I SH SH OR T — S TORY W RITERS

whi ch her mother had vividly depicted as the basest of

vices ; since some of them and the most obvious ( not the
,

vices but the faults) were written on him as he stood

,

there : notably for instance the exasperating business

, ,
“
”
slackness of which Mrs Connery had before the t ribunal
.
, ,

made so pathetically much It might have been for that .

,

matter the very business slackness that aff ected Julia

,

as prese n ting its frien dly bre as t in the form of a cool ,

l oose soc iability to her ow n actual tens ion ; though it was

,

also true f or her after they h ad exchanged fif ty words

, ,

that he had as well his in ward fever an d that if he w as ,

perhaps won derin g what was so particularly the matter

with her she could make out not less that something w as
,

the matter with hi m It had been vague yet it had been

.

’
in tense the mute re fle ction Yes I m going to like him ,
“ ,
,

an d he s going somehow to help me ! that h ad di rec ted

”

her steps so straight to him She w as sure even then of .

’
this that he wouldn t put to her a query about h is former
,

w ife that he took to—d ay no grain of interest i n Mrs Con

, .

n ery ; that his interest such as it was and he couldn t

— ’
,
’
l ook qu i te like that to Julia Bride s expert per cept ion
, ,

without somethin g in the nature of a new one — would be

a thousand times di fferent .

I t w as as a value of disproof that his worth meanwhile

so rapidly grew : the good sight of him the good sou n d ,

and sense of h im su ch as they were demolished at a

‘

, ,

stroke so blessed ly much of the horrid inconvenience of

the past that she thought of him she clutched at him for , ,

a general saving u se a n application as sanative as re

, ,

demptiv e as some u niversal healing wash precious even ,

to the poi n t of perjury if perjury should be requi red That .

w as the terrible thing that h ad been the inward pan g

,

with which she watched Basil French rec ede : perj ury
would have to come in somehow and somewhere o h so —
 J UL IA B RID E 2 47

quite ce rtain l
before the so strange so rare young
yl
—
,

man truly smitten though she believed hi m could be made

, ,

to rise to the occasion before her measureless bri z e could

,

be assured I t was present to her it had been pres ent a

.
,

hundred times that if there had only been some one to

“ ,
”
( as it were ) deny everythi ng the situation might yet
be saved She so needed some one to lie for her— ah she
’
.
,

so nee d some one to lie ! Her mother s version of every

’
thing her mother s version of anythi ng had been at the
, ,

best as they said d iscounted ; and she herself could but

, ,

show of course for an interested party however much she

, , ,

might c laim to be none the less a decent girl — to w hatever

po int that is after all that had both remotely and recently
, ,

happened presumptions of anything to be called decency

,

could come in .

After what had recently happened the two or three

—

indirect but so worrying questions Mr French had put to .

her— it would only be some thoroughly detached friend

or witness who mi ght efi e ctiv e ly testify
'

An odd form of .

detachm ent ce rtainly would reside for Mr Pitman s ’

, .

’
evidential charac ter in her mother s having so publicly
,

and so brilliantly though thank the powers all off in

—
, ,

North Dak ota l— severed their connection with him ; and

’
yet mightn t it do her some good even if the harm it might ,

do her mother were so little ambiguous ? The more her

mother had got divorced — with her dreadful cheap-and
eas y second performance in that line and her present ex
trem ity of alienation from Mr Connery which enfolded .
,

beyond doubt the germ of a third petition on one side or

the oth er the more her mother had disti n guished herself
—

in the field of folly the worse f or her ow n prospe ct with the

Frenches whose minds she had guessed to be ac cessible
, ,

and with such an effect of dissimulated su ddenness to ,

some insidious poison .

2 48 EN GL I SH S HORT - S TORY W RITERS

It w as very unm ist akable in other words that the more

, ,

dismissed and detached Mr Pit man should have come to.

appear the more as divorced or at least as divorcing his

, , ,

before time wife would by the s ame stroke figure— ao that

it w as here poor Julia could but lose herself The crazy .

divor ces only or the half-dozen successive and still cra z ier
,

engagemen ts only gathered fruit bitter fruit of her ow n

—
, ,

incred ibly allowed her ow n insan ely fostered frivolity

,

either of thes e tw o grou ps of skeletons at the banquet

might singly be dealt with but the combin ation the fact
’
,

of eac h party s havi n g bee n so mixed u p with whatever -

w as le ast presentable for the other the fac t of their having ,

so shockin gly amused themselves together made all pre s ,

ent steering rw e mble the c lassic middle course between

Scylla an d Charybdis .

It w as not however that she felt wholly a fool i n having

, ,

obeyed this impulse to pick up agai n her kin d old friend .

S he at least had never divorced him and her horrid little ,

filial eviden ce in court had been but the c hatter of a parra f

keet of prec ocious plumage and c roak repeatin g words

, ,

earnestly taught her and that she could scarce even pro
,

n oun ce There fore as far as steering went he must for

.
, ,

the hour take a hand She might actually have wished

.

’
i n fact that he shouldn t now have seemed so tremen dously
struck with her ; sin ce it was an extraordinary situation
for a girl thi s crisis of her fortune this positive w rong that
, ,

the flagrancy what she would have been ready to call the
,

very vulgarity of her good looks might do her at a mo

,

ment when it w as vital she should hang as straight as a

picture o n the wall Had it ever yet befallen any young
.

woman in the world to wish with secret inte nsity that she
might have been for her conveni ence a shade less i nordi
, ,

h ately pretty ? She had come to tha t to this view of the ,

bane the primal c u rse of their lavish physical outfit

, , ,
2 50 EN GL I S H SH OR T — S TORY W RI TERS

were only negative— you failed of this and that but the
consequences of being as they were what w e re these but
endless ? though indeed as far as failing we nt your beauty
, ,

too could let you in for enough of it Wh o at all events .

, ,

would ever f or a moment credit you in the l u xuriance of ,

that beauty with the study on your ow n side of such

, , ,

tru ths as these ? Julia Bride could at the point she ,

had reached positively ask herself th is even while lucidly

,

conscious of the inimitable the triumphant and at tested ,

proj ection all round her of her exquisi te image It was

, , .

only Bas il French w h o had at last in his doubtless d ry , ,

but all distin guished way the way surely as it was

—
,

borne in upon her of all the blood of all the F rench es

,

stepped out of the vu lgar rank It was only he who by .

,

the trouble she discerned i n him had made her see certain ,

things It was only for him and n ot a bit ridiculously

.
—
,

but j ust beautifully almost sublimely— that their being

,

ni ce her mother an d she between them had not seemed

,
”
,

to profit by their being so furiously handsome .

This h ad ever so grossly and ever so tiresomely satisfied

, ,

every one else ; sin ce every one h ad thrus t upon them ,

had imposed upon them as by a great cruel conspiracy , ,

their silli est possibilities ; fencing them in to these and so ,

not only shutting them out from others but mounting ,

guard at the fence walking round and roun d outside it

, ,
’
to see they didn t escape and ad miring them talking to , ,

them through the rai ls in mere terms of chaff terms of

, , ,

chucked cakes and apples as if they had been antelopes —

or zebras or even some supe ri or sort of pe rforming of

, ,

d ancing bear I t had been rese rved for Basil F rench to

, .

strike her as will ing to let go so to speak a pound or two , ,

of this fatal t reasure if he might only have got in exchange

for it an ounce or so more of their so much l ess obvious and

less published personal history Yes it described him to .
,
 J UL I A B RI D E 25 1

say that in addition to all the rest of him and of his per
, ,

sonal history and of his family an d of theirs in addition

, , ,

to their social posture as that of a serri ed phalanx an d

, ,

to their n otoriously enormous wealth and crushin g re

spe ctab ility she might have bee n ever so much less lovely
,

for him if she had been only well a little prepared to —

,

’
answer questions An d it wasn t as if quiet cultivated
.
, ,

earnest public spirited brought u p in Ge rmany infinitely

,
-
, ,

travelled awf ully like a high-caste Englis h man and all the
’
, ,
’
other pleasant things it wasn t as if he didn t love to be
,

with her to look at her j ust as she was for he loved it

, ,

exactly as much so far as that footing simply went as

, ,

any free and foo lish youth who had ever made the last
demonstration of it It was that marriage was for him
.
,

and f or them all the serried Frenches— a great matter a

, ,

goal to which a man of intelligence a real shy beautiful

’
, ,
’
man of the world didn t hop on one foot didn t skip and
’
, ,

j ump as if he were playing an urchins game but toward

, ,

which he proceeded with a deep and anxious a noble and ,

highly j ust deliberation .

For it was one thi n g to stare at a girl till she w as bored

with it it was one thin g to take her to the Horse Show
,

an d the Ope ra an d to send her fl ow ers by the st ack an d

,

chocolates by the ton an d great novels the very latest

”
,
“ ,
,

and greatest by the dozen ; but somethi n g quite other to

,

hold O pe n f or her with eyes attached to eyes the gate

, , ,

movi n g on such stifi silver hi nges of the gran d square ,

forecourt of the palace of wedlock The state of being

“
.

”
engaged represented to him the introduction to this
precinct of some young woman with whom his outside
parley would have had the duration distin c tly of his ow n , ,

convenien ce That might be cold-blooded if one chose to

.

think so but nothing of another sort would equal the

high ceremony an d dignity an d decency above all the ,
2 52 EN GL I SH S HORT - S TORY W RITERS

grand gallantry and finality of their then p as sing ih Poor,

.

Julia could have blushed red before that view with the , ,

memory of the way the forecourt as she now imagined ,

it had been dishonored by her younger romps

,
She h ad .

tumbled over the wall with thi s that and the other raw
“
playmate an d h ad played tag and leap—frog as she
, ,

might say from corner to corner That would be the his

,
“ .
,

”
tory with which in case of defi nite demand she should
, ,

be able to supply M r French : that she had already again

.
,

and again any occasion offering chattered and sou tfl ed

, ,

over ground provided according to his idea for walking, ,

the gra t of minue ts If that then had been all their

’
.

ki nd of h istory hers an d her mother s at leas t there w as

, ,

plen ty of it: it was the superstructure raised on the other

group of facts those of the order of their having been
,

always so perfectly pink an d white so perfectly possessed ,

of clothes so perfectly splen did so perfectly idiotic

“
,
These , .

things had been the poin ts of antelope and zebra ;

”

putt in g Mrs Conn ery f or the zebra as the more remark

.
,

ably striped or spotted Such were the data B as il French s

.
’
inquiry would elicit : her ow n six engagemen ts and her
’
mother s three nu ed marriages nine ni ce distinct little
lli fi —

horrors in all What on earth was to be done about

.

them ?

It notable she w as afterward to rec ogni z e that

w as , ,

there had been nothing of the famous bus iness slackness

in the positive pounce wi th which Mr Pitman put it to her
“
.

”
that as soon as he had made her ou t for sure identified
, ,

her there as old Julia grown u p and gallivan ting with a -

ne w admi rer a smarter youn g fellow than ever yet he had

, ,

had the inspiration of her being exactly the good girl to

help him She certainly found him st rike the hour again
.
,

with these vul garit ies of ton e— forms of s peech that her
2 54 EN GLI SH S HOR T — S TORY W RI TERS

you kn ow ; and that I simply acted like an an gel in a

”
story book gave myself away to have it o yer
“
- .
,

Wh y my dear man Julia cried you take the wind

”

’
, , ,

straight ou t of my sails ! What I m here to as k of you is

’
that you ll con fes s to having been even a worse fie nd than
you w ere shown up for ; to having made it impossi ble
”
mothe r shoul d not take proceedings There l— she h ad .

brought it out and with the sense of their situation turn

,

ing to high excitement for her in the teeth of his droll

stare his strange grin hi s characteristic Lordy lordy !
, ,
“ ,

What good will that do you She w as prepared w ith her

clear statement of reaso ns for her appeal and fe ared so he ,

“
mi ght have better on es for his ow n that all her story came
in a flas h Well Mr Pitman I want to get married this
’
. .
, ,

time by w ay of a chan ge ; but you see we ve been such

,

tools that when somethi ng really good at l as t comes u p

, ,
’
it s too dreadfully awkward The fools w e were capable .

of being— well you know better than any one : unless per
,

haps n ot qu ite so well as Mr Connery It h as got to be . .

”
denied sai d Julia ardently
,
it has got to be denied
’
,

flat But I can t get hold of Mr Conn ery — Mr Connery

. .

has gone to China

“
Besides if he were here she had rue
.
, ,
’
fully to conf ess he d be no good — o h the contrary He .
,
’
w ouldn t deny an ythi ng — ’
he d only tell more So thank .

’ ’ ’
,

heaven he s away there s that amount of good ! I m not —

”
engaged yet she went on— but he h ad al ready taken her
,

up .

’
You re not engaged to Mr Fre nch It was all clearly .
, ,

a wondrous show for him but his immediate surprise odd , ,

ly might have been greate st f or that

,
“
.

”
N0 not to any one for the seventh t ime !
,
—
She spoke
as with her head held well up both over the shame and

the pride ’ “
Y es the next time I m engaged I want some
.

’
,
’
thi ng to happen But he s afraid : he s afraid of what
.
 J UL IA B RI D E 2 55

’
may be told him He s dying to fi nd out and yet he d die
.
’
,

if he did ! He wants to be talked to but he has got to be ,

talked to right You could talk to him right M r Pitman

.
,
.

—
ii you only w ou ld !
’
He can t get over mother that I —

’
feel : he loathes and scorns divorces and we ve had fi rst ,

and last too many S o if he could hear from you that you
“
.

”
j ust m ade her life a hell why J ulia concluded it would
—
, ,

be too lovely If she had to go in for another— after hav

.

ing already whe n I was little divorced father— it would

, ,
‘ ’
sort of make don t you see ? one l ess You d do the ’
, .

’
high toned thing by her : you d say what a wretch you
-

then were and that she had had to save her life In that
,
’
.

’
way he mayn t mind it Don t you see you sweet man
“
.
,
”
poo r Juli a pleaded
“
Oh she wound u p as if his fancy
.
,

lagged or his s c ruple looked out oi course I want you to ,

”

“
lie for me !
I t did in deed su ffi ciently stagger him ’
It s a lovely .

idea f or the m oment w h en I was j ust saying to myse lf .

’
as soon as I saw you that you d speak the t ruth for me ! ”

“
-

’
Ah what s the matter with you
’ Julia sighed with ‘
,

an impatience not sensibly less sharp f or her having so

quickly s cented some lion in her path
“
.

’
Why do you think there s no one in the world but
,

you who has seen the cu p of promised aff ec tion of some ,

thing really to be depended oh only at the last moment , , ,

by the horrid j ostle of your elbow spilled all over you ? I ,

w ant to provide for my future too as it happens ; and my

’
good friend who s to help me t o that the most charm i ng
—

of women this time — d isapproves of divorce qu ite as much

as Mr French Don t you see ’ ”
M r Pitman candi dly
“
.
. .
,

asked what that by itself must have done toward attach

,

ing me to her ? S he has got to be talked t o—

to be told
how l ittle I could help it
“
.

”
Oh lordy lordy ! the girl emulously groan ed It w as
, ,
.
2 56 EN GL IS H S HOR T — S TORY W RITERS

such a relieving cry .

“
Well ,
’ ”
I won t talk to her ! she
decl ared
“
.

’ ”
You w on t Ju lia ? he pitiful ly echoed
, An d yet .

you ask of me
His pang she felt w as sincere ; and even more than she
, ,

had guessed for the previous quarter of an hour he had

,

bee n building up his hope building it w ith her aid for a ,

foundation Yet was he going to see h ow their te stimony

.
,
'

on each side would if ofi ered ha ve to conflict?

, ,
If he was ,

to prove himself for her sake — or more queerly still for , ,

’
that of B as il French s high conservatism— a person whom
there had been no other way of dealing with how could ,

she prove him in this other and so di fferent interest a

, ,
’
mere gentle sacrifi ce to his wife s perversity ? She had be ,

fore him there on the instant all acu tely a sense of rising
, , ,

sickness a wan glimmer of foresight as to the end of the

—

fond d ream Everything else was against her everything

.
,

in her d readful past — j ust as if she had been a person

”
re presented by some emotional act ress some desperate
“ ”
erring lady hunted down in a play ; but w as that going
,

to be the case too with her own very de cency the fi e rce lit ,

tle residuum deep within her for which she was counting , ,

when she came to think on so little glory or even cred it ?,

Was this also going to turn agains t her and trip her u p
just to show she w as really under the touch and the test , ,

as decent as any one ; and with no one but herself the

wiser for it meanwhile and no proof to show but that as, ,

“
a co nsequence she should be unmarri ed to the end ? She
,

put it to M r Pitman qui te with resentment :

. Do you
’
mean to say you re going to be married
“ ”
Oh my dear I too must get engaged fi rst! —h e spoke
,

w ith his inimitable grin

,

But that you see is where .

“
’
, ,

you come i n I ve told her about you She wants aw fully

. .

to meet you Th e way it happens is too lovely — that I

.
2 58 EN GL IS H S HORT - S TORY W RITERS

maj estic . Wh o then is the person in question for

“
you
Why such a dear thing J ulia— Mrs David E Drack
, , . . .

Have you heard of her he almost fl u ted .

“
New York w as vast and she had not had that advan ,
’
“
tage . She s a widow
’
Oh yes : she s n ot He caught himself up in time
’
She s a real one ”
It w as as near as he came But it . .

w as as if he had been looking at her n ow so pathetically

hard .
“
Julia she h as millions ”
,
.

“
Hard at any rate— whether pathetic or not — w as the
,

look she gave him back Well so has — o r so w ill have .

,

Basil French And more of them than Mrs Drack I . .

,

guess Jul i a quavered

,
.

e
’
Oh I know what th y e got!
v He took it from her —
w ith
,

the e ff ect of a vague stir in his long person of u nwelcome , ,

embarrassment But was she going to give up because .

he was embarrassed ? He should know at least what he

was cost ing her I t came home to her ow n spirit more
“
.

than ever but meanwhile he had found his footing I

’
.
,

’
don t see h ow your mother matters It isn t a question .

“
of his marrying her
’
.

No ; but constantly together as w e ve always been

’
, ,

it s a question of there being so disgustingly much to get

over I f w e had f or people like them but the one ugly
.
, ,

spot and the one weak side ; if we had made between us , ,

but the one vulgar ki nd of mistake : well I don t say ! ’ ”

,

“
She re flected with a wistfulness of note that w as in itself
a touching eloquence To have ou r reward in this world .

’ ’
We ve had it all right dow n
“
w e ve had too s w eet a time .

”
here ! sai d Julia Bride I should hav e taken the pre .

“
caution to have about a dozen fewer lovers
’
.

Ah my dear lovers
, He ever so comi c ally ,
‘

attenuated .
 J UL IA B RID E 2 59

Well they w ere ! She quite flared u p ”

.
“ ’
When you ve
had a ring from each ( three diamonds two pearls an d a
’
, ,

rather bad sapphi re : I ve kept them all and they tell my ,

“
story ! ) what are you to call them
” ’
Oh rings l Mr Pitman didn t call rings anyt hing
“
—

’
. .
,

I ve given Mrs Drack a ring

“
. .

’
“ “
Julia stared Then aren t you her lover ?
.

That dear child

,
”
he humorously wailed, is what I ,
’
want you to find out ! But I ll handle your rings all right ,

he more lucidly added

“
.

’ ’
You ll handle them ? ”

“
‘

’ ’ ’
I ll fi x your lovers I ll lie about them if that s all.
,
”
you want
“ ’
.

Oh about them She turned away with a som

‘
,

bre drop seein g so little in it

,
“ ’
That woul dn t count .

“
from you ! She saw the great shining room with its ,

mockery of art and style and security all the things ,

she was vainly after and its few scattered visitors who
,

had left them Mr Pitman and herself in their ample cor

, .
,

ner so conveniently at ease There was only a lady in

,
.

one of the far doorways of whom she took vague note

and who seemed to be looking at them “ ’
They d have
,

”
to lie f or themselves !
’
Do you mean he s capable of puttin g it to them ? ”

’
M r Pitman s tone threw discredit on that possibility
“ ,
.

but she knew perfectly well what she meant Not of .

getting at them directly not as mother says of nosing , , ,

round hi mself ; but of listeni ng and small blame to him ! —

”
to the horrible things other people say of me
“
-
.

”
But what other people ?
Why Mrs George Maule to begi n with — w h o ih
, .
,

te nsely loat h es u s and who talks to his sisters so that

,
’
,

they may talk to hi m : which they do all the while I m

’
, ,

morally su re ( hat ing me as they a lso must ) But it s she .

2 60 EN GL ISH SHORT — S T O R Y W RI TERS
’
who s the real reason — I mean of his holding off She .

poisons the ai r he breathes ”

“ “
.

”
Oh well said Mr Pitman wi th easy optimism
,
. ii , ,
’
Mrs George Maule s a cat l
.
— ”

’
I f she s a cat she has kittens — four little spotlessly
’
white on es among whom she d give her head that Mr .
,

Fren ch should make his pick He could do it w ith h is .

— ’
eyes shut you can t tell them apart But she has every .

name every date as you may say f or my dark record ’ ‘

, , ,
’
as of course they all call it: she ll be able to give him if ,

he bri ngs himse lf to ask her every fact in its order And , .

’ ’
all the while don t you see ? there s no one to S peak for
,

me .

It would ha ve touched a harder heart than her loose

’
friend s to n ote the final flush of clairvoyance wit nessing
this assertion and under w hich her eyes shone as with the
rush of quick tears He stared at her and at what this.
,

did for the dee p charm of her prett ness as i n almost w it

“
i
,

l ess ad miration ’
But can t you — lovely as you are you
.
,
”
beautiful th ing l speak for yourself ?
“
—

’
Do you mean can t I te ll the li es ? N o then I can t
’
, ,
’ ’
and I would n t if I could I don t lie myse lf you know .
,

as it happens ; an d it could represent to him then about

the only thin g the only bad one I don t do I did’ .
,
’ ’
,
‘
lovely as I am ! have my re gular time ; I wasn t so
—

’
hideous that I couldn t ! Besides do you i magi ne he d ’
,

come an d ask me
“ ” ’
Gad I w ish he would Julia ! said Mn l itman wi th
, , ,

his kin d eyes on her

“ ’
Well then I d tell him ! ”
.

And she held her head

again high “ ’ ”
,

“
But he won t
. .

I t fai rly distressed her compan ion ’

Does n t he wan t .
,

then to kn ow
“ ,

He wants not to know He wants to be told without .

2 62 EN GL IS H S HORT — S TORY W RI TERS

s omewhere and that if you expect him to come home

,
”
f or m e l — She had already dropped howe ver as at
’
, ,

Mr Pitman s look
“
. .

Wh y you foolish th ing Murray B rush is in N ew

, ,
”
York ! It had qui te brightened hi m u p
“
.

He h as come back
Wh y sure ! I saw him— when w as it? Tuesday ?
,
”
M r Pitman rej oiced in his new s
“
on the Jersey boat . . .

’
He s your man ! ”

Julia too had been a ff ected by it it h ad brought in ,

“
a ri ch wave her hot color back But she gave the stra ngest
,
.

dim smile He w as ! ”

“
.

’
Then get hold of him and ii he s a gentlema n he ll
— — ’
’
,
”
prove for you to the hilt that he wasn t
, ,
.

It lighted in her fa ce the kindl ed train of this particular

,

sudden suggestion a glow a sharpness of inte re st that

, , ,

“
had deepened the next momen t while she gave a slow and ,

sad head shak e to a greater stran genes s yet

-
’
He isn t .
,
”
a gentleman
“
.

Ah lordy lo rdy ! Mr Pitman again sighed He

”
,
“
. .
,

st ruggled ou t of it but only into the vague Oh then if .

, ,
’
he s a pig l ”

“
—

You see there are only a few gentlemen — not enough

”
to go rou nd and that mak es them count so l
~
It had
thrust the girl herself f or that matter into depths ; but
, ,

whether most of memory or of roused purpose he had no

time to j udge aware as he suddenly was of a shadow
—

’
( sin ce he mightn t perhaps too qui ckly call it a light )
across the heaving sur fa ce of their question It fell upon .

’
Julia s face fell with the soun d of the voi ce he so well
,

knew but which could only be od d to her for all it im

,

med iately assumed

“ ’
.

There are indeed very few and one mustn t t ry them

—

”
too much ! Mrs Drack who h ad supervened while they
.
,
 J UL IA B RI D E 2 63

talked stood in monstrous magnitude at least to Julia s ’ —

, ,

re impresse d eyes between them : she was the lady ou r

—

young woman had descried across the room an d she h ad ,

draw n nea r while the interest of their issue so held them .

We have seen the act of observation ahd that of reflection

alike swift in Julia— once her subj ect was within range
and she had now with all her perceptions at the ac utest
, ,

taken ih bya single stare the stran ge presen ce to a happy

, ,

connection with which Mr Pitman aspired and which had .

thus sailed wi th placid majesty into their t roubled waters

, , .

“
She was clearly not shy Mrs David E Drack yet neither
, . .
,
”
was she ominously bold ; she was bland and good ,

Julia mad e su re at a glan ce and of a large complacency , ,

as the good and the bland are apt to be — a

large com
placency a large sent imentality a large inn ocent ele ph an
, , ,

tine archness : she fairly rioted in that dimens ion of size .

Habited in an extraordinary quantity of sti ff and lus trous

black broc ade with enh ancements of every description
, , ,

that twinkled and tinkled that ru stled and rumbled with

,

her least movement she presented a huge hideous pleas

, , ,

ant fa ce a featureless d esert in a remo te quarter of which

,

the disproportionately small eyes might have fi gured a

pair of ras h adventurers all but buried in the sand They .

reduced themselves when she sm iled to barely d is cernible

points — a couple of mere tiny emergent heads— though
the foreground of the scene as if to make up for it gaped , ,

with a vas t benevolence In a word Julia saw— and a

.
s

’
if she h ad needed nothing more ; saw Mr Pitman s Oppor .

tu nity saw her ow n saw the exact nature both of Mrs .

’
, ,
’
D rack s circumspection and of Mrs Drack e sensibility .
,

saw even glittering there in letters of gold and as a part

,

of the whole metalli c coruscation the large fi gu re of h er ,

income largmt of all her attributes and ( though perhaps

, ,

a little more as a luminous blur beside all this) the mingled

ecstasy and agony oi Mr .
’
Pitman s h0 pe and M1 -
. Pi t

m m ming h to hl m
Drack as tl e charming young
.

fi iend he had toi i he r so mnch about and w ho had been as

m ange l to him in a m ry time ; he w as saying that th e
M e hm ce in the w oru this w d da rt of a me efi ng

mthoee pm m m w w d w ithin his ru ch the

thhg as far as m w as ma y a mm l pm n
ms takabb if , f or mb ol of it he had th m wn him
'

un as a sy ,

hu ge she W Md y the m d of a mhmte ,

into n eondi tion as of sm pm de d weight and an fi e d m ,

a flb d to mB awe by the fact d her v fi on J u lia had .

practised al mmt to lm fitude the art of tracmg in the

qua rt; bu t it w as a striking point tha t if , in irritati on , in

thd r cla m had g v en he r pretty w ell d l she d i ouhi

'

at ,

ba t h s w m m sm pas ed— i ww and wh e and w hy ,

w i th no touch or torment of it lost on them ; eo that as it

tlt sem e of ex trac ti ng the re eognifi on, of @uging out the

2 66 EN GL I SH S HOR T — S TOR Y W RITERS
’
man s allusion to her havin g bef riended hi m of old : she
simply held h is companion with her radian ce and knew
she might be f or her eff ect as irrelevant as she chose I t
, , .

w as relevant to do what he wanted - it was relevant to

dish herself She did it now with a ki nd of p as sion to say
.
,

nothing of her k nowin g with it that every word of it , ,

ad ded to her beauty She gave him away in short up to

.
,

the hilt for any use of her ow n and should ha ve nothing

, ,

“
to clutch at now but the possibility of Murray B rush
’
.

He says I was good to him Mrs Drack ; and I m sure , .

I h ow I was since I should be asham ed to be anyt hing

,

else I f I could be good to him now I should be glad

.

’
that s just what a while ago I ru shed up to him here
, , ,

afte r so long to give myself the pleasure of saying I

, .

saw him years ago very part i c ularly very miserably tried ,

and I saw the w ay he took it I did see it you de ar

“
—
.
,

man she sublimely went on— I saw it for all you may
,

protes t f or all you may hate me to talk about you ! I

,

saw you behave like a gentleman — since Mrs Drack agrees .

w ith me so charmingl y
,
that there are not many to be
,

’
met I don t know whether you care Mrs Drack ” —
she
— “
.
.
,

abounded she revelled in the name ’

but I ve always
,

remembered it of him : that under the most ext raordinary

provoca tion he was decent and patient and brave No .

appearance of anything di fferent matters f or I speak of ,

’
what I know Oi course I m nothing and nobody ; I m
.
’
only a poor frivolous girl but I was very close to hi m at ,
’
the time That s all my little story ii it shou ld interest
.
—

y o u at all She measured

. every beat of her w in g she ,

knew h ow high she w as going and paused only when it

was quite vertiginous Here she hung a moment as in the
.

glare of the upper blue ; which w as but the glare what —

el se could it be ? — o f the vast and magnifi ce nt attention of

both her auditors hushed on their side in the splendor
, , ,
 J U L IA B RID E 2 67

she emitted She had at last to steady herself and she

.
,

scar ce knew afterward at what rate or in what way she

had still inimi tably come down her ow n eyes fi x ed all the
—

wh ile on the very fi gu re of her achievement She had .

“
sacri fi ce d her mother on the altar —
proclaimed her as false
’ ”
and cru el ; and if that didn t fix M r Pitman as he .
,

would have said — well it was all she could do But the
,
.

cost of her action already somehow came back to her with

increase ; the dear gaun t man fairly wavered to her sight , ,

in the glory of it as if signallin g at her with wild gleeful

, ,

arms from some mount of safety while the massive lady

, ,

j ust sprea d and spread like a rich fluid a bit helples sly
spilt It was really the ou tflow of the poor woman s hon
.
’
est response into whi ch she seemed to melt and Julia
, ,

“
scarce distingui shed the tw o apart even for her taking
gracious l eave of each Good bye Mrs Drack ; I m aw
.
’
-
.
,
” —
fully happy to have met you like as not it was for this
’
she had gras ped Mr Pitman s hand And then to him or
’
.

to her it didn t matter which Good-bye dear good Mr ,

“ .

’
.
, ,

Pit man has n t it been nice after so long ?

— ”

Julia fl oated even to her ow n sense swan-like aw ay she fi

left i n her wake their fai rly stu pe fied submission : it was
as if she ha d by an exquisite authority now plac ed them
, , ,

each f or each and they would have nothing to do but be

,

happy together Never had she so exulted as on this

.

ridi culou s occasion in the noted items of her beauty L a .

compte y éta it as they used to say in Paris — e very one of

,

them f or her immediate employment was there ; and

, ,
’
there w as somethi ng in it after all It di dn t necessarily .
,

“
this sum of thumping little figures imply charm — e s ,

”
pe cially for re fi ned people : nobody knew better than
2 68 EN GL IS H S HORT — S TORY W RITERS

Julia that inexp ressible c harm an d quotable s

“
charm
( quotable l ike p ri ces rates shares or whatever the thin gs
, , , ,

they dealt in down-town ) are two distinct categories ; the

safest thing for the lat ter being on the whole that it , ,

might include the former and the great strength of the ,

former being that it might perfec tly dispense with the

latter Mrs Drac k was not refined not the least little
. .
,

bit ; but what would be the case with Murray Brus h now
-
after his three years of Europe ? He had done so what

“
he liked with her— which h ad seemed so then j ust the
’
meaning hadn t it? of the ir being engaged -that he ”
,

had made her not see while the absurdity l asted ( the ah
,

surdity of their pretending to believe they could marry

without a cent ) h ow little he was of metal without alloy :
,

this had come up for her remarkably but afterward , ,

come up for her as she looked back Then she had drawn .

her conclusion which was one of the many that B as nl

,

French had made her draw It was a queer service Bas il .

was going to ha ve rendered her this ha y ing made every ,

thing she had ever done impossible if he wasn t going ’

,

to give her a new chan ce If he was it was doubtl ess right

.

enough Oh the other hand Murray might have im

.
,

proved if such a quantity of alloy as she called it w e r e in

, , . ,

any man reducible and if Paris were the pl ace all happily
, ,

to reduce it She h ad her doubts — an xi ous and ach ing on

.

the spot and had expressed them to Mr Pitman : cer

, .

tain ly of old he had been more O pen to the quotable than

, ,

to the inexpressible to c harms than to charm If she

,
.

could try the quotable however and with such a grand , .

’
result on Mrs Drack she couldn t now on Murray— in
. .
,

respect to whom everything had changed So that if he .

’
had n t a sense f or the subtler appeal , the appeal appre
ciab le by people not vulgar on which alone she could de ,

pend what on earth would be come of her ? She could but

,
2 70 EN GL IS H S HORT — STORY W RITERS

paths and favoring shades by the general echo of her u n

trammelled past If he had never suggested thei r taking
.

a turn there this was because quite d iv inab ly he held it

, ,

would commit him further than he had yet gone ; and if

she on her side had practised a like reserve it w as because
the place reeked f or her as she inwardly said with old
, ,

associations It reeked with nothing so much perhaps as

.

with the memories evoked by the young man who n ow

awaited her in the nook she had bee n so c ompe tent to in
d icate ; but in what corner of the town should she look for ,
’
them wouldn t those footsteps creak bac k into mu ffled
,

life and to what expedient would she be redu ced should

,

she attempt to avoid all such tracks ? The Museum was

full of tracks tracks by the hu ndred — the way really she
,

had knocked about — but she had to see people somewhere ,

’
and she couldn t pretend to dodge every ghost .

All she could do w as not to make confusion m ake mi x ,

'

tures of the li ving ; though she asked herself enough what

,
’
mixture she mightn t fin d herself to have prepared if M r .

French shoul d not so very impossibly for a restl ess roam

, , ,

ing man — her efi ect on h im l— happen to pass while she

'

sat there with the mustachioed personage round whose

name Mrs Maule would probably h ave caused detrimental
.

anec dote most thickly to cluster There exi sted she was
“ ,
.

”
sure a mass of luxuriant legend about the lengths her
,

engage ment w ith Murray B rush had gone ; she could her
self fairly feel them in the air these streamers of evil , ,

black fl ags flow n as in warning the vast redundancy of so ,

cheap and so dingy social h un ting in fi ne that flapped , ,

over the stations she had successively moved away from

and whi ch were empty now for su c h an ado even to gro
, ,

tesq ueness The vivacity of that conviction was what had

.

at present determined her wh ile it was the way he lis

,

tened after she had quickl y broken ground while it w as ,

 J UL IA B RI D E 2 71

the spec ial c hara c ter of the interested look in his hand
some face handsomer than ever yet that rep resented f or
, ,

her the c ivilization he had somehow taken on J ust so it .

was the quantity of that gain in its turn that had at the
, ,

“
end of ten minutes begun to affect her as holding up a !

light to the wide reach of her s tep There was never any
.

thing the leas t serious between us not a sign or a scrap, ,

do you mind ? of anything beyond the merest pleasant

’
friendly acquaintance ; and if you re not ready to go to
the stake on it for me you may as well know in time what
’
it is you ll probably cost me ”
.

She had immediately plunged measuring her effect and

,

having thought it well over ; and what corresponded to her

question of his having bec ome a better person to appeal
to w as the appearan ce of interest she had so easily created
in him She felt on the spot the di ff erence that made it
.
—

w as indee d his form of being more civilized : it was the

sense in which Europe in general and Paris in particular
had mad e him develop B y every calculation -— and her
.
e

calculations based on the intimacy of her knowled ge had

, ,

been many and d eep — h e would help her the better the
more in telli gent he should have be come ; yet she was to
recognize later on that the fi rst chill of foreseen disas ter
had been caught by her as at a given moment this greater
, ,

re fineme nt of his attention seemed to exhale it I t was

“
.

j ust wha t she had wan ted — ii I can onl y get him ih
”
te rested —
l so that this proving quite vividly possible
, ,

why did the light it lifted st ri ke her as lurid ? W as it

partly by reason of his inordinate romantic good looks ,

those of a gallant genial conqueror but which involving

, , ,

so glossy a bro w nness of eye so manly a crispness of curl

, ,

so red lipped a radiance of smile so natural a bravery of

-
,

port pres cribed to any response he might facially might

, ,

expressively make a sort of fl orid disproport ionate ampli

, ,
2 72 EN GL I SH SH ORT - S TOR Y W RI TERS
’
tude ? Th e explanation in any case didn t matter ; he , ,

was going to mean well — that she could feel and also that ,

he had meant better in the past presumably than he had , ,

managed to convince her of his doing at the time : the

’
oddity she hadn t now reckoned with was th is fact that
from the moment he did advertise an interest it should
show almost as what she would have called weird It .

’
made a change in him that didn t go with the rest — as if
he h ad broken his nose or put on spectacles lost his hand ,

some hai r or sacrificed his splendid mustache : her con

ce ption her necessity as she saw had been that something
, , ,

should be added to hi m for her use but nothing for his ,

ow n alteration .

He had affirmed hi mself and his c haracter and his , ,

temper an d his health and his appetite and h is ignoran ce

, , , ,

an d his obstinac y and his whole charming coarse h eart

, , ,

l ess personality during their engagement by twenty forms

, ,

of natural emphas is but never by emphasis of interest

,
.

How in fac t could you feel interest unless you shoul d

know within you some dim stir of imagination ? There
, ,

was nothing in the world of which M urray Brus h was l ess

capable than of such a dim stir because you only began ,
.

to imagine when you felt some a pproach to a need to under

’
stand He had never felt it; for hadn t he been born to
.
,

his personal Vision with that perfect intuition of every

,

thing which reduces al l the suggested preliminaries of

’
j udgment to the impert inen ce when it s a question of
—

your entering your house — o f a d umpage of bricks at your

door ? He had had in short neither to imagine nor to
, ,

perceive because he had from the fi rst pulse of his in

, ,

te llige nce simply an d supremely known : so that at this

, ,

hour fac e to fac e with hi m it came over her that she had
, , ,

in their old relation d ispensed with any such convenien ce

,

of comprehension on his part even to a deg re e she had not

2 74 EN GL I S H SHORT — S TORY W R I TERS

this with all high intention fin ding her case or rather thei r
, ,

case their funny old case taking on of a sudden such re

, ,

freshing and edifying life to the last degree curious and

,

even import ant but there were gaps of connec tion betwee n
this and the intensity of the perception here overt aking
’
her that she shouldn t be able to move in any direction
’
without dishing herself That she couldn t afford it where
’
.

she had got to c ouldn t aff ord the deplorable vulgarity of

—

havi ng been so many times informally affianced and con

trac ted ( putting it o nly at that at its being by the new ,

l ights and fashi ons so unpardonably vul gar) : he took th is

from her without turning as she mi ght have said a hair ;
, ,

ex cept j ust to indicate with h is new superiority that he

, ,

felt the distingu ished appeal an d notably the pathos of it .

He still took it from her that she hoped nothi ng as it ,

were from any other al ibi — the people to drag into court
,

being too many and too scattered ; but that as it was ,

with him Murray Brush she had been most vulgar most
, , ,

everything she had better not ha ve been so she depended ,

on him for the innocen ce it was actually vital she should

establish He flush ed or frowned or winced no more at

.

that than he did when she on ce more fairly em ptied her

satchel and quite as if they had been Nan cy and the Artful
,

Dod ger or some nefarious pair of that sort talk ing thi ngs
, ,

over in the manner of Oli ver Tw ist revealed to hi m the ,

fondness of her view that could she but have produced a ,

cleaner slate she might by th is time have pulled it off

,

with Mr French Yes he let her in that way sacrifi ce her

. .
,

honorable conn ection with him — all the more honorable

f or being so completely at an end — to the crudity of her
plan for not missing another connection so much more ,

brilliant than what he off e red and for bringing another ,

man with whom she so invidious ly and unfl atte ri ngly com
,

pared him into her greedy life

, .
 J UL IA B RID E 2 75

There w as only a moment during whi c h by a particular ,

lustrous look she had never ha d from him before he j ust ,

made he r wonder which turn he was going to take ; she

felt however as safe as was consistent with her se nse of
, ,

having probably but added to her dan ger when he brought

’ “
out the next i nstant : Don t you seem to t ake the ground
,
,

that w e w ere guilty— that you w ere ever guilty -of some
’
thing we shoul dn t have been ? What did w e ever do that
w as secret or underhand or any w ay n ot to be ackn ow l
, ,

edged ? What did w e do but exchange ou r young vow s

w ith the best faith in the world —
publicly re j oicingly , ,

with the full assent of every one connected with us ? I

”
mean of course he said with his grave kind smile til l
, ,
“
w e broke off so completely because w e found that — prac
tically fi nancially on the hard worldly basis w e couldn t
— ’
, ,

work it What harm in the sight of God or man Julia

.
,
“ , ,

“
he asked in hi s fi ne rich w ay did w e ever do ,

She gave him back his look turning pale Am I talk

,
.

’
ing of that? Am I talking of what w e know ? I m talking
of what others f ee I— of what they ha ve to feel ; of what
’
it s j ust enough for them to kn ow not to be able to get
over it once they do really know it How do they know
,
.

’
what didn t pass betw een us with al l the O pport u nities
,
’
w e had ? That s none of their business — if w e were idiots
enough on the top of everythi ng ! What you may or
’
,
’
mayn t have done doesn t count for you ; but there are ,
’
people for whom it s loathsome that a girl should have
gone on like that from one person to another and still
pretend to be— w ell all that a nice girl is supposed to be
, .

’
It s as if w e had but j ust waked u p mother and I to such , ,

a rem arkable prej udice ; and now w e have it— when w e

could do so well without it l— staring u s in the face That .

mother should have insanely let me should so vulgarly ,

have taken it for my natural my social career that s the

— ’
,
2 76 EN GL IS H SHORT — S TO R Y W R I T E RS

disgu sting humiliating t hi ng : with the lovely ac count it

,
’
“
gives of both of us ! But mother s view of a delicacy in
”
things ! she went on with scathi ng grimness ; mother s ’
’
measure of an yt h ing with her grand gained cases ( there ll ’ ‘
,

be another yet she fi nds them so easy !) of which she s so ’

,
’ ”
publicly proud ! You see I ve no margin said Julia ; ,

letting hi m take it from her fl ush ed face as much as he

’
would that her mother h adn t left her an inch It was .

that he should make use of the sp ade with her f or the

restoration of a bit of a margin j ust wide enough to perch
on till the tide of peril should have ebbed a little it w as ,

that he should give her tha t lift— l

Well it was all there from hi m after these l as t words ;
,

it w as before her t h at he really took hold Oh my dear .

“ ,

child I can see l Oi cou rse there are people— ideas change
,

in ou r society so fast ! -who are not in sympathy with the

old American f reedom an d who read I dare say all sorts , ,

o f uncan ny things into it N atu rally you must take them

.

”
as they are from the moment said Murray Brush who
“
—
, ,

had li ghted by her leave a ci garette your life-path does

, , , ,

”
He h ad every
for w eal or for w oe cross wi th theirs
“
.
,

now and then such an elegant phr ase Awf ully interest .

’
ing certainly your case It s enough for me that it is
.
, ,

yours — I make it my ow n I put myse lf absolu w in .

’
your pl ace ; you ll understand from me without profes ,
’
sions won t you ? that I do Comman d me in every w ay !
’
.
,

What I do like is the sympathy with whi ch you ve inspired

hi m
’ ’
I don t I m sorry to say happen to know hi m per
.
, ,
”—
son ally h e smoked away l ooki ng off ; but of course
’
,
’
,

one knows all about hi m generally an d I m sure he s ,

’
right for you I m sure it would be charmi ng if you
, ,

yourself th ink so Therefore t rust me and even what —

’
.

shall I say — lea ve it to me a li ttle won t you He had ,

been watchi ng as in h is fumes the fine growth of his pos

, ,
‘
2 78 EN GL IS H SH OR T — S TORY W RITERS

Well the biggest ki nd of rose colored mantle !

, And — ”

this time oh he did wi nk : it w ou ld be the way he was

, ,

going to wink ( and in the grandest good faith in the world )

“
when indignantly denying un der inquisition that there , ,
”
had been a sign or a scrap between them But there was
“
.

more to come ; he decided she should have it all J u li a

’
.
,

you ve got to kn ow n ow ”
He hung fi re but an instant
“ “
.

more .
’
Julia I m going to be married ”
His Juli as ”
.
,

“
w ere somehow death to her ; she could feel that even
Julia I announ ce my engagement ”

“
th rou gh all the rest .
, .

”
Oh lordy lordy l she wailed : it might have been
, ,

addressed to Mr Pitman . .

The for ce of it had brought her to her feet but he sat ,

there smiling up as at the natural tribute of her inte rest

“
.

’ ’
I tell you bef ore any one else ; it s not to be out for a ‘

day or two yet But w e want you to know ; she said that
.

as soon as I men tioned to her that I had heard from you .

” —
I mention to her everythin g you see ! and he almost ,

simpered while still in his seat he held the end of his

, ,

cigarette all delicately and as for a form of gentle em

,

ph as is with the tips of his fine fi ngers

,
“ ’
You ve not met .

her Mary L indeck I thi nk : she tells me she h as n t the ’

, ,

pleasure of kn owing you but she desi re s it so much par —

’
,

ticu larly longs f or i t She l l take an in term too he

“ ,
.

went on ; you must let me imm ediate ly bring her to you .

She has heard so much about you and she really wan ts
”
to see you
“
.

”
Oh mercy me ! poor Julia gasped ag ai n ~ so
strangely
did history repeat itself and so di d thi s appear the ec ho ,

’
on Murray Brush s lips and qui te to drollery of that sym ,
’
,

pathetic curiosity of Mrs B rac k s w hich M r Pitman had . .

,

as they said voi ced W ell there had played befo re her the
,
.
,

vision of a ledge of safety in face of a rising tide ; but this

‘

deepened qui ckly to a sense more forlorn the cold sw ish ,

 J ULIA B RI D E 2 79

of waters already up to her waist and that would soon be

up to h er chin It came really but from the air of her
.

friend from the perfect benevolence and high unconsc ious

,

ness with which he kept his posture— as if to show he could

patroni ze her from below upward quite as well as from
above down And as she took it all ih as it spread to a
.
,

fl ood with the great lumps and masses of truth it was

,

floating she knew inevitable submission not to say sub

, ,

mersion as she had never know n it in her life ; going down

,

and down before it not even putting ou t her hands to

,

resist or cling by the way only reading into the young

,
’
man s very face an immense fatality and for all his bright .

no b leness his absence of rancor or of protesting pride the ,

great gray blankness of her doom It was as if the earnest.

Miss Lindeck tall and mild high and lean with eye -glasses
,

,
” “ ,

and a big nose but marked in a noticeable way elegant

,

and distinguished and re fi ned as you could see from a

,

mile off and as gra ceful for common despair of imitation

,

as the curves of the

” “
,

’
copy set of old by one s writing
,

master— it was as if this stately well-wisher whom indeed ,

she had never exchanged a word with but whom she had ,

recogni zed and placed and w inced at as soon as he S poke

of her figured there beside him now as also in portentous
,

charge of her case .

He had ushered her into it in that way as if his mere

right word sufficed ; and Julia could see them throne to
gether beautifully at one in all the in terests they now
,

shared and regard her as an obj ect of almost tender solici

,

tude It was positively as if they had become engaged

.

for her good -in such a happy light as it shed That was .

the w ay people you had known k nown a bit intimately , ,

looked at you as soon as they too k on the high matrimonial

propriety that sponged over the more or less wild past to
w h ich you belonged and of which all of a sudden they
‘

, , ,
2 80 EN GL IS H S HORT — S TORY W RI TERS

w e re aware only th rough some suggestion it made them

f or reminding you defi nite ly that you still had a pl ace .

On her having had a day or two before to meet Mrs Drac k .

and to rise to her expectation she had seen and felt herself
act had above all admi red he rself and had at any rate
, ,

known what she said even though losing at her altitude

, , .

any distinctness in the others She could have repeated

.

later on the detail of her performan ce ii she hadn t pre

— ’
ferred to keep it with her as a mere locked -u p a mere .

unhandled treasure At prw e nt however as everything

.
, ,

w as for her at fi rst deadened and vague t rue to the gen .

'
’
eral efi e ct of sounds and motions in water she couldn t ,

have said afte rward what words she spoke what face she ,

showed what impression she made— at least till she h ad

,

pulled herself roun d to precautions She only knew she .

had turned away and that this movement must have

,

sooner or later de te rmined his rising to j oin her his de c iding ,

to ac cept it grace fully and condoningly — c ondon ingly in

,

respec t to her natural emotion her inevitable little pang

,

for an intimation that they would be better on their feet .

They trod then afresh their ancient paths ; and though

it pressed u pon her hatefully that he must have taken her
a b ruptness for a smothered shock the fi are -up of her old
,

feeling at the breath of his news she had still to see her
,

self condemned to allow him this condemned really to .

encourage him in the m istake of believing her suspicious

’
of feminine spi te and doubtful of Miss L indeck s zeal .

She was so far from doubtful that she was but too appalled
at it and at the offi ciou s mass in which it loomed and this ,

instinct of d read before their walk was over before she

, ,

had guided him roun d to one of the smal ler gates there ,

to slip off again by herself was positively to fi nd on the

,

bosom of her flood a plank by the aid of which she ke pt

in a m anner and f or the time afloat She took te n min .
28 2 ENGL I S H S HORT — S TORY W RI TERS

straight bac ks as pedestals for her tiptoe ; and at the same

time by some sweet prodigy of mechanics she would pull
, ,

them up and up with her .

Wondrous things hovered before her in the course of

this walk ; her consciousn ess had become by an e x traor ,
~

d inary turn a music-box in which its lid well down the

, , ,

most rema rkable tunes w ere sounding It played for her .

ear alone and the lid as she mi ght ha ve figured was her
, , ,

fi rm plan of holding out till sh e got home of not betraying ,

—
to her companion at least — the extent to whi ch she was
demora li zed To see him think her demoralized by mis
.

trust of the sin cerity of the servi ce to be meddles omely

rendered her by h is future wi fe — she would have hurled
herself publi cly into the lake there at their side would ,

have splashed in her beautiful clothes among the fright

, ,

ened swans rather than in vite him to that ineptitude

,
.

’
Oh her sincerity Mary L indeck s — she would be d renched
, ,

with her sin cerity and she woul d be drenched yes with
, , ,

his; so that from inward convu lsion to convulsi on she

, ,

had before they reac hed their gate pulled up in the path
, ,
.

There was somethi ng her head had been full of these three
or four minute s the intensest little tune of the music -box
, ,

and it made its way to her lips now ; belonging f or all

-

the good it could do her l— to the two or three sorts of

soli citude she might properly express
“
.

’
I hope she has a fortune if you don t mind my speaking
’
,

of it: I mean some of the money w e di dn t in ou r time

have — and that w e missed after all in ou r poor way an d, ,

”
f or what we then wanted of it so quite dreadfully ,
.

She had been able to wreathe it in a gra ce qu i te equal to

“
any he hi mself had employed and it was to be said for him
’
also that he kept u p on this the standard ,
Oh she s ,
.
,

not thank goodn ess at all badly off poor dear

, ,
We shall , .

do very well How sweet of vou to have thought of it!

.
 J UL IA B RI D E 2 83

May I tell her that too ? he splendidly glared Yes he ”

.

’
,

glared h ow couldn t h e with what his mind w as really

—
,

full of But all the same he came j ust he re by her

, , ,

vision nearer than at any other point to being a gentle

,

man He came quite within an ac e of t with h is taking

. i —

from her thus the prescription of humility of service his ,

c onsent ing to act in the interest of her avidity his letting ,

her mount that way on his bowed shoulders to the suc, ,

cess in which he could suppose she still believed He .

’
couldn t know he would never know that she had then
, ,

and there ceased to believe in it— that she saw as clear as

the sun in the sky the exact manner in which between ,

them before they had done the Murray Brushes all zeal
, , ,

and sincerity all interest in her interesting case would

, ,

dish would ruin would utterly destroy her He wouldn t ’ .

, ,

have needed to go on for the force and truth of this ; but

,

he did go on— h e w as as crashingly cons istent as a motor

car without a brake He was visibly in love with the .

idea of what they might do for her and of the rare social ” “
Opportun ity that they would by the same stroke embrace , , .

How he had been offhand with it how he had made it

’ ”
parenthetic that he didn t happen personally to know
,
,
“
Basil Fren c h— as if it would have been at all likely he
shou ld know him even i mpersonally and as if he could
, ,

conceal from her the fact that since she had made him ,

’
her overture this gentleman s n ame supremely bai ted her
,

hook ! Oh they would help Juli a Bride if they c ould

,

they would do their rem arkable best ; but they would at

any rate have made his acquaintance over it and she might ,

indeed leave the rest to their thoroughness He would .

already have known he would already have heard ; her,

’
appeal she was more and more sure wouldn t have come
, ,

to him as a revelation He had already talked it over .

with he r with Miss L indeck to whom the Frenches in

, , ,
2 84 EN GLI S H SH OR T — S TORY W R ITERS

thei r fort ress h ad never been ac cessible and h is whole

’
, ,

attitude bristled to J ulia s eyes with the bet rayal of her

, ,

hand her voi ce her pressure her calculation His tone

, , , .
,

in fac t as he talked fairly thrust these things into her

face “
,
’
But you must see her for yourself You ll j udge
,

’
.

h er .You ll love her My dear c hild ”—

h e b rought it all .

“
ou t and if he spoke of chi ldren he might in his candor
, ,
’
,

have been himself infantine — my dear child she s the ,

person to do it for you Make it over to her ; but he .

laughed of course see her fi rst!

’
Couldn t you he
, ,

“
wound u p— for they were now near their gate where she
’
,

was to leave him — couldn t you j u st simply make u s

meet him at tea say informally ; j ust us alone as pleas ant
, , ,
’
old friends of whom you d have so naturally and fran kly
’
spoken to him : and then see what w e d ma ke of that
’
It was all in his expression ; he couldn t keep it out of
’
that and his shini ng good looks cou ldn t : ah he was so
, ,

fatally much too hand some for her ! So the gap showed
j ust the re in his admirable mask and his admi rable eager
,

ness ; the yawning little chasm showed where the gentle

man fell short But she took this in she took everything
.
,

in she felt herself do it she heard herse lf say wh ile they

, , ,

paused before separation that she quite saw the poin t of ,

the meeting as he suggested at her tea She would pro

, , .

pose it to Mr French and would let them kn ow ; and he

“
‘

must assuredly bring Miss L indeck bring her - right ,

”
away bring her soon bring them his fi ancee and her to
, , , ,

gether somehow and as quickly as possible — so that they

,

shou ld be old friends before the tea She would propose it .

to M r French propose it to Mr F rench : th at hum med

.
, .

in her ears as she went — after she had rea lly got away ;
hummed as if she were repeating it over giving it out to ,

the passers to the pavement to the sky and all as in

, , ,

w ild d iscord with the inte nse little c once rt of her m usic
A LOD GIN G F OR T HE N IGH T

Robert L ou is ( 1 850— 1 894

)
2 90 EN GL IS H S HOR T — S TOR Y W RITERS

s now settled among the tracery of the cathedral towers .

Many a ni che w as d rif ted full ; many a statue wore a long

white bonnet on its grotesque or sainted head The gar .

goyles had been transformed into great false noses d roop ,

ing toward the point The c rockets were l ike upright

.

pillows swollen on one side I n the intervals of the wind .

there was a dull sound of dripping about the p recincts of

the church .

The cemetery of S t J ohn had taken its ow n share of

.

the snow All the graves were dec ently covered ; tall
.
,

white housetops stood around in grave array ; worthy

burgh ers we re long ago in bed benigh tcapped like their ,

domi ciles ; there was no light in all the neighborhood but

a little peep from a lamp that hung swingin g in the churc h
choir and tow ed the shadows to and f ro in time to its
,

osc ill ations The cloc k w as hard on ten when the patrol
.

w en t by w ith halberds and a lan tern beating their hands ; ,

and they saw nothing suspicious about the ceme tery of

St J ohn
. .

Yet there was a small house backed up against the ,

ce metery wall which w as still awake and awake to evi l

, ,

pu rpme in that snoring district

,
There was not much to .

betray it from without ; only a stream of warm vapor from

the chimney-top a patch where the sn ow melte d on the
,

roof and a few half-obliterated footprints at the doo r

,
.

But within behi nd the shutte red windows Master Francis

, ,

Villon the poet and some of the thievish crew with whom
, ,

he consorted were keeping the night alive and passi ng

,

round the bottle .

A great pile of living embers di ffused a st rong and ruddy

glow from the arched chimney Before this straddled D om .

Nicolas the Picardy mo nk with his skirts picked up and

, ,

his fat legs bared to the comfortable warmth His dilated .

shadow cut the room in h alf ; and the fi re ligh t only se

 A LOD GIN G F OR THE N IGH T 2 91

caped on either side of his broad person and in a little pool ,

between his outsprea d feet His fa ce had the beery .

,
’
bruised appearan ce of the con tinual drinker s ; it w as cov
ered with a network of conges ted veins purple in ordinary ,

circumstan ces but now pale violet f or even wi th his back

, ,

to the fi re the cold pinched him on the other side His .

cowl had half fallen back and m ade a stran ge ex crescen ce

,

on either side of his bull neck So he straddled grumbling

.
, ,

and cut the room in half with the shadow of his portly
frame .

On the right Villon and Guy Tabary were huddled to

,

gether over a scrap of parchment ; Villon making a bal

lade which he w as to c all the B allade of Roast F ish and ,

Tabary spluttering ad miration at hi s shoulder The poet .

was a rag of a man dark little and lean with hollow

, , , ,

cheeks and thin black locks He carried his four-and .

twenty years with feverish animation Greed had made .

folds about his eyes evil smiles had puckered his mouth
,
.

The wolf and pig struggled together in his face I t was an .

eloquent sharp ugly earthly coun tenan ce His hands

, , ,
. .

were small and prehensile with fingers kn otted like a cord ;

,

and they were continually fl ickering in front of hi m in

violent and expressive pantomi me As for Tabary a .
,

broad c omplacent ammu ng imbecility breathed from his

, ,

squash nose and slobbering lips : he had bec ome a thief ,

j ust as he might have become the most de ce nt of bur

gesses by the imperious chance that rules the lives of
,

h u man geese and human donkeys

’
.

At the monk s other hand Montigny and Thevenin ,

Pense te played a game of c han c e About the fi rst there .

clung some fl av or of good birth and trai ni ng as about a ,

f allen an gel ; somethin g long lithe and c ourtly in the per

, ,

son ; something aquiline and darkl ing in the fac e The y .

enin poor sou l was in great feather : he had done a good

, ,
2 92 EN GL IS H SH ORT S TOR Y W R ITERS
-

st roke of knavery that afte rnoon in the Faubourg St .

Jacques and all night he had bee n gainin g from Montigny

, .

A flat smile illuminated h is face ; his bald head sho ne

rosily in a garl and of red curls ; his little protuberant
stomach shook with silent c hucklings as he swept in his

Doubles or quits ? said Theveni n .

Montigny nodded gri mly

“
.

S m o e ma y prefer to di ne i n st
ate, wrote Villon , On
bread and cheese on silve
r plate . Or— o r— help me ou t,
”
Guido !
Tabary giggled .

”
Or pa rsley on a silver di sh scribbled the poet , .

The wind w as freshening without ; it drove the snow

before it and sometimes raised its voi ce in a victorious
,

whoop and made sepulchral grumbl ings in the chimney

, .

The c old w as growing sharper as the night w ent on .

Villon p rotruding his lips imitated the gust with some

, ,

thi ng bet w een a whistle and a groan I t was an eerie .

,
’
unco mfortable talent of the poet s much deteste d by the ,

Picardy monk
“
.

’
Can t you hear it rattle in the gibbet ? said Villon .

’
They are all dancing the devil s j ie on nothing up there .
,

Y ou may dance my gallants y0 ; ,

be none the warmer ! ,
1 .

Wh ew what a gust ! Down went somebody j ust now ! A

‘

medlar the fewer on the th ree legged med lar ree l -t — I

say ,

’
Dom Nicolas it ll be co ld to-night on the S t Denis Road .
,

he asked .

D om Nicol as winked both his big eyes an d seemed to ,

“ ’
choke upon his Adam s apple Montfaucon the great .
,

grisly Paris gibbet stood hard by the S t Denis Road and

,
.
,

the pleasant ry touched him on the raw As for Tabary

he laughed immoderately ove; the m
.
,

ed lars ; he h ad never
heard anything more light -heaited ; and he held his sides
2 94 EN GL ISH SH ORT — S T ORY W RITER S

his open hands to the red embers I t was the c old that .

thus afi ected Dom Nicolas and not any ex cess of moral

'

sensibility
“
.

Come now said Villon about this ballade How

, .

”
does it ru n so far ? And heating time with his hand he ,

read it aloud to Tabary .

Th ey were inter rupted at the fourth rhyme by a brief

and fatal movement among the gamesters The round .

w as completed and Thevenin w as j ust O pening h is mouth

,

to claim another vi ctory when Montigny leaped u p swift

, ,

as an adder and stabbed him to the heart

,
The blow took .

eff ect before he h ad time to utter a cry before he had t ime ,

to move A tremor or tw o convu lsed his frame ; his hands

.

opened and shut h is heels rattled on the fl oor ; then his

,

head rolled bac kward over one shoulder with the eyes
’
O pen and Thevenin Pense te s spi rit had return ed to Him
,

w ho m ade it .

Every one sprang to his feet ; but the business w as over

in tw o twos The four living fellows looked at eac h other
.

in rather a ghastly fashion ; the dead man contemplating

a corner of the roof with a singular and ugly leer
“
.

”
My God ! sa id Tabary and he began to pray in Latin
, .

Villon broke ou t into hyste rical laughter He came a .

step forward and ducked a ridiculous bow at Theveni n an d ,

l aughed still louder Th en he sat down suddenly all of

.
,

a heap upon a stool and continued laughi ng bitterly as

, ,

though he would shake himself to pieces .

Montigny rec overed his composure fi rst

“ ’
.

”
Le t s see what he has about him he remarked ; and
’
,

he pi cked the dead man s pockets with a practised hand ,

“
and divided the money into four equal portions on the
tab le .
’ ”
There s for you he said .
,

The monk received his share with a deep sigh and a ,

si ngle ste althy glance at the dea d Thevenin w ho w as be ,

 A LOD GIN G F OR THE N IGH T 295

ginning to si nk into himself and topple sideways off the

“
chair .

’
We re all in for it cried Villon swallowing his mi rth
, ,
’ ’
.

It s a hanging j ob for every man j ack of u s that s here

not to speak of those who aren t
’ ”
He made a shocking
.

gesture in the air with his raised right hand and put ou t ,

his tongue and threw his head on one side so as to counte r ,

feit the appearance of one w h o h as been hanged Th en .

he po c keted his share of the spoil and execu ted a shuffle

,

with his feet as if to restore the circulation .

Tabary was the l ast to help himself ; he made a dash

at the money and reti red to the other end of the apa rt
,

Montigny stu c k Thevenin upright in the c hair and d rew ,

“
ou t the d agger which w as followed by a j et of blood
,

Y ou fellows had better be moving he said as he

.

’
, ,

“
wi ped the blade on his victim s doublet
“
.

”
I thi nk w e had returned Villon with a gulp
”
his fat hea d ! he broke ou t
,
“ Damn
It sticks in my throat like
.
.

phlegm What right has a man to have red hair when he

.

is dead And he fell all of a heap again upon the stool ,

and fairly covered his face with his hands .

Montigny and Dom N icolas laughed aloud even Tabary ,

feebly c hi mi ng in
“
.

Cry baby ,
said the monk .

“
I always sai d he was a woman added Montigny with ,

’
“
a sneer . Sit u p can t you
,
he went oh givi ng another ,
”
shake to the murdered bod y Tread ou t that fi re Nick
.
, .

But Nick w as better employed ; he was quietly taking

’
Villon s purse as the poet sat limp and trembling on the
, ,
,

stool where he had been making a ballade not three minutes

before Montigny and Tabary dumbly demanded a s hare
.

of the booty which the monk silently promised as he

,

passed the l ittle bag into the bosom of his gown In .

2 96 EN GL IS H SHORT - S TORY W RITERS

many ways an art istic nature unfi ts a man f or practical

exis tenc e .

N o sooner had the theft been accomplished than Villon

shook himself j umped to his feet and began helping to
, ,

scatter and extinguish the embers Meanwhile Montigny .

opened the door and cautious ly peered into the st reet .

The coast w as cle ar ; there was no meddlesome patrol in

sight Still it was j udged wiser to slip ou t severally ; and
.

as Villon was himself in a hurry to escape from the neigh

borhood of the dead Thevenin and the rest were in a still,

greater hurry to get rid of him before he should discover

the loss of his money he was the fi rst by general consent
,

to issue forth into the street .

The wind had t riumphed and swept all the clouds from
heaven Only a few vapors as thin as moonlight fl ee ted
.
, ,

rapidly across the stars It was bitte r cold ; and by a

.

common O ptical efi ect things seemed almost mo re defi nite

,

than in the broades t daylight The slee ping city was ah .

solu te ly still : a company of white hoods a fie ld full of ,

little Alps below the twink ling stars Villon cursed h is

,
.

fortune W ould it were still snowing ! N ow wherever he

.
,

went he left an indelible trail behind him on the gli ttering

streets ; whe rever he went he was still tethered to the
house by the cemetery of S t John ; wherever he went he
.

must weave with his ow n plodding feet the rOpe that

, ,

bound him to the crime and would b ind him to the gallows .

The leer of the dead man came back to him with a new i
signifi can ce He snapped his fingers as if to pluck up his
.

o w n spirits and choosing a street at random stepped

, ,

boldly forward in the snow .

Tw o things p reoccupied hi m as he went : the aspect of

the gallow s at Montfaucon in this bright windy phase of
’
the night s e x istence for one ; and for an other the look
, ,

of the dead man with h is bald head and garl and of red
2 98 EN GL I S H S H ORT — S TORY W RITERS

thing ; and the poet w as moved with a deep sense of

pathos that she sh ould have died befo re she had spent
her money Th at seemed to him a dark and pitiable
.

mystery ; and he looked from the c oins in his hand to the

de ad woma n and back again to the coins shaking his
, ,
’
head over the riddle of man s life Henry V of England
. .
,

dying at Vin cennes j ust after he had conquered Fran ce ,

and this poor j ade cut 0 6 by a cold draught in a great

’
man s doorway before she had tim e to spend her c ouple
,

of whites — it seemed a cruel way to c ar ry on the world .

Tw o whites would have taken such a little while to squander ;

and yet it wou ld have bee n one more good tas te in the

mouth one more smac k of the lips befo re the devil got the
, ,

soul and the body w as left to birds and vermin He would

, .

like to use al l his tallow before the light w as blown ou t and

the lante rn broken .

While these thoughts were passing t h rough his m ind ,

he w as feeling half—mechani c ally for his purse Suddenly

, ,
.

his heart stopped beat ing ; a feel in g of c old scales passed

up the back of his legs and a cold blow seemed to fall
,

upon his scalp He stood pe trified for a moment ; then he

.

felt again with one feverish movement ; and then his loss
burst upon him and he was covered w ith perspiration
, .

To spendthrifts money is so living and actual — it is such

a thin veil between them an d their pleasures ! There is
only one limit to their fortune— that of time ; and a spend
th rif t with only a f ew crowns is the Emperor of Rome u ntil
the y are spent F or such a person to lose hi s money is to
.

su ff er the most shoc king reverse and fall from heaven to

,

hell from all to nothing in a breath And all the more if

, ,
.

he has put his head in the halter f or it; if he may be han ged
to-morrow for that same purse so dearly earned so f oolishly
, ,

departed Villon stood and cursed ; he threw the two

.

whites into the street ; he shook h is fist at heaven ; he

 A L OD GIN G F OR TH E N IGH T 2 99

sta mmd , and was h orrifi ed to fi nd

himse lf trampling
not

the poor corp se Then he began rapidly to retra ce his

.

steps toward the house beside the cemetery He had for .

gotten all fear of the patrol which was long gone by at ,

any rate and had no idea but that of his lost purse It
,
.

w as in vain that he look ed right and left upon th e snow ;

noth ing w as to be seen He had not dropped it in the
‘

stree ts Had it fallen in the house ? He would have liked

.

dearly to go in and see ; but the idea of the grisly occupant

unmanned him And he saw besides as he drew near
.
, ,

that their efi orts to put out the fi re had been unsuccessful ;

'

on the contrary it had broken into a blaze and a changeful

, ,

light played in the chinks of the door and window and re ,

v iv ed his terror f or the authorities and Paris gibbet .

He returned to the hotel with the porch and groped ,

about upon the snow for the money he had thrown away
in his childish passion But he could only fi nd one white ;
.

the other had probably struck sideways and sunk deeply

in. With a single wh ite in his pocket all his proj ects for ,

a rous ing ni ght in some wild tavern vanished utterly away .

An d it was not only pleasure that fled laughing from his

grasp ; positive discomfort positive pain attacked him, ,

as he stood ruefully before the porch His perspiration .

had d ried upon him ; and though the wind had now fallen ,

a binding frost was settin g in stronger with every hour ,

and he felt benumbed and sick at heart What was to be .

done ? Late as was the hour improbable as w as su c cess , ,

he would try the house of his adopted father the chaplain ,

of S t Beno it
. .

He ran there all the w ay and knocked timidly There

, .

w as no answer He knocked again and again taking heart

.
,

with every stroke ; and at last steps were heard approach

ing from withi n A barred wicket fell open in the iron
.

studded door and emitted a gush of yellow light

, .
3 00 EN GL IS H SH O RT — S TOR Y ‘VRIT E RS

Hold up your fa ce to the wicket said the chapla in ,

from within
“
.

’ ”
It s only me whimpered Villon .
,
’
Oh it s only you is it re turned the chaplain ; and
, ,

he cursed him with foul unpriestly oaths for disturbing him

at such an hour and bade him be off to hell where he came
, ,

from
“
.

My hands are blue to the wrists pleaded Villon ; ,

my feet are dead and full of twinges ; my nose aches

with the sharp air ; the cold lies at my heart I may be .

dead before mornin g Only this on ce father and befo re .

, ,

God I will never ask again

“
.

Y ou should have come earlier said the ec cl esiastic

coolly “Youn g men require a lesson now and then
.
”
,

.
,

He shut the wicket and retired deliberately into the in

te rior of the house .

Villon was beside himself ; he beat upon the door with

his han ds and feet and shouted hoarse ly after the chaplain
“ ,
“
.

W ormy old fox he cried

”
If I had my han d under
,
.

your twist I would send you flying headlong into the

,
”
bottomless pit .

A door shut in the inte rior faintly audible to the poet ,

down long passages He passed his hand over his mouth .

with an oath And then the hum or of the situation struck

.

him and he laughed and looked lightly up to heaven

, ,

where the stars seemed to be wink ing over his di scomfi tu re .

Wh at w as to be done ? It looked very like a night in

the frosty streets The idea of the dead woman popped
.

into his imagination an d gave hi m a hearty fright ; what ,

h ad happened to her in the ea rly night might very well

happen to him before morning And he so young ! and .

with such imm ense possibilities of disorderly amusement

before him ! He felt quite pathetic over the notion of his
’
ow n fate as if it had been some one else s and made a lit
, ,
3 02 EN GL ISH SHORT — S TORY W RI TERS

of shelte r He determi ned he would inqui re upon the

.

morrow : nay he would go and see her too poor old girl !
, , ,

So thinking he ar ri ved at his d estination— h is last hope

,

for the night .

The hou se was quite d ark like its neighbors and yet , ,

a fte r a f ew taps he heard a movement overhead a door

, ,

opening and a c autious voi ce asking w ho was there The

, .

poet n amed himself in a loud whisper and waited not , ,

w ithout some trepidation the result Nor had he to wait, .

long A window was suddenly opened and a pailful of

.
,

slope spl as hed down upon the doorstep Villon had not .

been unprepared f or something of the sort and had put ,

hi mself as mu c h in shelter as the nature of the porch ad

mi tted ; but for all that he was deplorably drenched ,

below the waist His hose began to freeze almost at

.

once Death from c old and exposure stared him in the

.

fa ce ; he remembered he was of phthisical tendency and ,

began coughin g tentatively But the gravity of the dan .

ger steadied h is nerves He stopped a few hundred yards

.

from the door where he had been so rudely used and ,

re flected with his fi nge r to his nose He could only see .

one way of gett in g a lodging and that was to take it He ,

.

had noti ced a house not far away whi ch looked as if it

might be e asily broken into and thither he betook hi mself ,

promptly ente rtaining himself on the way with the idea

,

of a room sti ll h ot with a table still loaded with the re

,

mains of supper where he mi ght pass the rest of the black

,

hours and whence he should issue on the morrow with an

, , ,

armful of valuable p late He even cons idered on wh at .

v iands and what wi n es he should p refer ; and as he was

calling the roll of his favorite dainti es roast fish pre sen ted ,

itself to his mind with an odd mixture of amusement an d

“
horror .

”
1 sha ll never finish that ballade he thought to h im ,
 A LOD GIN G F OR T HE N IGH T 3 03

self ; and then with another shudder at the re c ollec tion

“ ,

Oh damn hi s fat head ! he repeated ferve ntly, and spat

,
"
,

upon the snow .

The house in question looked dark at first sight ; but as

Villon made a preliminary ins pection in search of the
handiest point of attack a little t w inkle of light caught
,

hi s eye from behi nd a c urtained window

”
The devil ! he thought People awake ! Some stu “ .

’
.

dent or some sain t confound the crew ! Can t they get

,

d runk and lie in bed snoring like their neighbors ! What s ’

the good of c urfe w an d poor devils of bell -ringers j umping
’
,
’
at a r0 pe s end in bell towers ? What s the use of day if
- -
,
”
He grinned
“
people sit up all night ? The gripes to them !
as he saw where hi s logi c was leading him Every man
“
.

to his busin ess after all

” ’
added h e and if they re awake
, , , ,

by the Lord I may come by a supper honestly for th is once

, ,
”
and cheat the devil .

He w ent boldly to the door and knocked with an as ,

sured ha nd Oh both previous occasions he had kn oc ked

.

ti midly and w ith some dread of attracting notice ; but

now when he had j ust dis c arded the thought of a bur
,

glarious entry k n ocking at a door seemed a mighty sim p le

,

and innocent proceeding The sound of his blows ec hoed .

through the house with thi n , phantasmal reverberations ,

as though it were quite empty ; but these h ad s c ar cely died

away before a measured t read drew n ear a c ouple of bolts ,

were withdraw n and one wing w as opened broadly as

, ,

though no guile or fear of guile w ere known to those

within A tall figu re of a man muscular and spare but
.
, ,

a little bent confronted Villon The head w as massive in

, .

'

bulk but fi nely sculptured ; the nose blunt at the bottom

,

but re fining upward to where it j oin ed a pair of strong and ,

honest eyebrows ; the mouth and eyes surrounded with

delicate m arkings and the whole fa c e based upon a thick
,
3 04 EN GL IS H S HORT — S TORY W RIT ERS

white beard boldly and squa rely trimmed Seen as it

,
.

w as by the light of a fl icke rin g hand -lamp it looked per ,

haps nobler than it had a right to do but it was a fine

face honorable rather than i ntelligent strong simple and
, , , ,

righteous .

You kn ock late sir said the old man in resonan t

, , ,

c ourteous tones .

Villon cringed and brought up ma ny servile words of

,

apology ; at a crisis of this so rt the beggar w as uppermost ,

in him and the man of genius hid his head with confusion
“
.
,
”
Y ou are cold repeated the old man ,
and hungry ? ,

Well step in
,
”
And he ordered him into the house wi th
.

a noble enough gesture

“
.

Some great seigneur thought Villon as his host , , ,

setting down the lam p on the flagged pavement of the

entry shot the bolts on ce more into their places

“
.
,
”
Y ou will pardon me if I go in front he said when this , ,

was done ; and he preceded the poet u p—stairs into a large

apartment warmed with a pan of c harcoal and lit by a
,

great l amp hanging from the roof It was very bare of .

furniture ; onl y some gold plate on a sideboard some '

folios ; and a stand of armor between the windows Some .

smart tapestry hun g upon the walls repre senting the ,

cru ci fix ion of our Lo rd in one piece an d in another a s cene ,

of shepherds and sh eph e rdw es by a runni ng stream Over .

the chimney w as a shield of arms

“
.

W ill you seat yo urself said the old man an d for

”
, ,

give me if I lea v e you ? I am alone in my house to—

night ,
”
and if you are to eat I must forage for you myself .

N o sooner w as his host gone than Villon leaped from

the chair on which he j ust seated h imsel f and began ,

examining the room w ith the stealth and passion of a cat

,
.

He weighed the gold fl agons in his hand opened all the ,

folios an d inv esti gated the arms u pon the shield and the
,
.
3 06 E N GL I S H S HORT — STORY W RIT ERS
Well something of that sort Villon admitted with
, ,

a quaver .

Perhaps a fellow murdered ?

”

“
Oh no not murdered said the poet more an d more
, , , ,

conf used It was all fair play murdered by accident

. I —
.

”
had no hand in it God strike me dead ! he added fervently
,
.

”
One rogue the few er I dare say observed the master , ,

of the house .

Y ou may dare to say that agreed Villon infini te ly

relieved “ As big a rogue as there is between here and
.
, ,

Jerusalem He turned up his toes l ike a lamb But it

. .

w as a nasty thi ng to look at

’
I dare say you ve seen .

dead men in your t ime my lord he ad ded glan c ing at , ,

the armor
“ Many said the old man
”
,
.

I have follow ed the wars .

“ ,

as you im agine .

Villon laid down his kni fe and fork whi ch he had j ust ,

taken up again
“
.

Were any of them bald ? he asked .

Oh yes and with hair as white as mine

, , .

’
I don t thi nk I would mind the whi te so much said ”

Villon .
“ His w as red And he had a return of his .
,

“
shudderi ng and tendency to laughter which he drowned ,
’
I m a little put ou t when
“
with a great draught of win e .

”
I thi nk of it he went on I knew him — d amn him !
, .

And the cold gives a man fan cies — or the fancies give a
’
man cold I don t know whi ch ”

“ , .

“
Have you any money asked the old man .

”
I have one white returned the poet laughing I
, ,
.

’
got it ou t of a dead j ade s stoc k in g in a porch She w as .

as dead as Caesar poor wench and as cold as a chu rch , , ,

with bits of ribbon sticking in her hair This is a hard .

world in winter for wolves and wenches and poor rogues

”
like me .
 A L OD GIN G F OR THE N IGH T 3 07
“
I ,
”
aid the old man am E nguerrand de la Feuill ée
s , ,

seigneur se B risetou t bailly du Patatra c Who and what

, .

”
may you be ?
Villon rose and made a suitable reverence I am called “
“
.

Fran cis Villon he said

”
a poor Master of Ar ts of this
, ,

u n iversity I know some Latin an d a deal of vice I

.
, .

can make ch ans ons ballades lais vi relais and roundels

, , , , ,

and I am very fond of wine I w as born in a garret and .

,

I shall not improbably di e upon the gallows I may add .

,

my lord that from this night forward I am your lordship s ’

,

“
very obsequious servant to comm and
No servant of mine said the knight ; my gu est f or
”
,
.

“
”
this evening and no more , .

A very grateful guest said Villon politely ; and he

”
, ,

“
drank in dumb show to his entertainer .

”
began the old man tapping his fore
“
Y ou are shrewd , ,

head very shrewd ; you have learning ; you are a clerk ;

,

an d yet you take a small piece of money off a dead w oman a

”
in the st reet Is it not a kind of theft ?
.

It is a kin d of theft much pract ised in the wars my ,

“
lord.

The wars are the field of honor returned the old

man proudly “
There a man plays his life upon the cast ;
.
,

he figh ts in the name of his lord the k ing h is Lord God , ,

”

“
and all their lordships the holy saints and angels .

Put it said Villon that I were really a thief shou ld

”
, , ,
”

“
I not play my life also and against heavier odds ? ,
”
F or gain and not for honor
,
.

”
Gain ? repeated Villon wi th a shrug Gain ! The .

poor fellow wants supper an d takes it So does the soldier ,

.

in a campaign W hy w hat are all these requisitions w e

.
,

hea r so m uch about ? If they are not gain to those w ho

take them they are loss enough to the others The men
,
.

at-arms drink by a good fi re while the burgher bites his ,

3 08 EN GL I S H S HOR T — S TORY W RITERS

nails to buy them win e and wood I have seen a good .

many ploughmen swinging on trees about the coun t ry ;

ay,
I have seen thirty on one e lm and a very poor figu re ,

they made ; and when I asked some one how all these came
to be hanged I was told it was because they could not
,

”
scrape together enough crowns to satisf y the men at arms
-
“
- .

These things are a necessity of w ar whi ch the low-born ,

must endure with constancy It is t rue that some cap .

tains d rive overhard ; there are S pirits in every rank not

easily moved by pity ; and indeed many follow arms who
, ,
”
a re no better than b rigan ds
“
.

”
You see said the poet , you cannot separate the ,

soldier from the brigand ; and wha t is a thi ef but an isolated

brigan d with circumspect mann ers ? I steal a cou ple of
mutton chops without so much as disturbing the farmer s ’
,

sheep ; the farmer grumbles a bit but su ps none the less ,

w holes omely on what remains You come up blowing .

gloriously on a t rumpet take away the whole sheep and

, ,

beat the farmer pitifully into the bargai n I have no .

trum mt; I am only Tom Dick or Harry ; I am a rogue

, ,
’
and a dog and hanging s too good for me— with al l my
,

heart — but j ust you ask the farmer which of us he pre fers ,

j ust fi nd out which of us he li es awake to curse on cold

”

“
nights
“
.

Look at us tw o said his lordship ,

I am old st rong .
, ,

and honored I f I were turned from my house to-morrow

.
,

hundreds would be proud to sh elter me Poor people .

would go ou t and pass the ni ght in the streets with their

child ren if I merely hi nted that I wished to be alone
, .

And I fi nd you u p wandering homel ess and picking far

, ,

th ings 0 3 dead women by the wayside ! I fear no man and

nothing ; I have seen you t remble and lose counte nan ce
’
at a word I wait God s summons contentedly in my ow n
.

house or if it please the kin g to cal l me ou t agai n upon

, , ,
31 0 EN GL ISH SH ORT - S TOR Y W RITERS

You are very youn g the kni ght continued , .

“
I should never have been so old replied Villon show , ,

ing hi s fin ge rs ii I had not helped myself wi th these ten

,

talen ts They have been my nursing mothers and my

.

nursing fathers
“
.

Y ou may still repen t and c hange

“
.

”
I repent daily said the poet There are fe w people
, .

more gi ven to repentan ce than poor Francis As f or .

change let somebody change my circumst ances A man

, .

must continue to eat if it w ere only that he may continue

,
”
to repent
“
.

The change must begin in the heart returned the old ,

man solemn ly
“
.

My dear lord ”
answered Villon do you really fan cy
, ,

that I steal for pleasure ? I hate stea lin g like any other ,

piec e of work or d anger My teeth chatter when I see a.

gallows But I must eat I must d ri nk I must mix in

.
, ,

society of some sort What the devil ! Man is not a .

solitary anima l — Cu i D eus i aemi na m tradit Make me .

’
king s pantler— make me abbot of S t Denis ; make me .

bailly of the Patatrac ; and then I shall be changed indeed .

But as long as you lea ve me the poor scholar Francis

Villon without a farthi ng why of course I remain the
, , , ,
”
same
“
.

The grace of God is all -powerful .

I shoul d be a heretic to question it sai d Francis , .

I t h as made you lord of B risetou t and bailly of the ,

Patatrac ; it has given me nothi ng but the q u ick wits

under my hat and these ten toes upon my ha nds May I .

help myse lf to wine ? I thank you respectfully B y God s ’ .

grace you have a very superior vintage

,
.

The lord of B risetou t walk ed to and f ro with his hands

behi nd his back Perhaps he w as not yet quite settled in
.

his mi nd about the parallel between thieves and soldiers ;

 A LOD GIN G F OR THE N IGH T 31 1

perhaps Villon had interested hi m by some cross-thread

of sym pathy ; perhaps his wits were simply muddled by

so much unfamiliar reasoning ; but whatever the cau se ,

he somehow yearned to convert the young man to a better

w ay of thinking and could not make up hi s mind to drive
,

“
h im forth again into the street .

“
There is something more than I can understand in
”
th is he said at length
, ,
Your mouth is full of subtleties
.
,

and the devil has led you very far astray ; but the devil
’
is onl y a very weak spirit before God s truth and all his ,

subtleties vanish at a word of true honor like darkness at ,

morning Listen to me once more I learned long ago

. .

that a gentleman should live chivalrously and lovingly to

God and the king and his lad y ; and though I have seen
, ,

many strange things done I have still striven to command,

my ways upon that rule It is not only wr itten in all

’
.

noble histories but in every man s heart if he will take

, ,

care to read Y ou speak of food and wine and I know

.
,

very well that hun ger is a diffi cu lt trial to endure ; but

you do not speak of other wants ; you say nothi ng of
honor of fai th to God and other men of c ourtesy of love
, , ,

without reproach It may be that I am not very wise

.

and yet I think I am— but you seem to me like one w h o

has lost his way and ma de a great error in life You are .

attending to the little wants an d you have totally f or ,

gotten the great and only real ones like a man w ho should ,

be doctoring a toothache on the Judgment Day For su c h .

things as honor and love and faith are not only nobler than
food and drink but indeed I think that we desire them
, , ,
'

more and su fi er more sharply f or their absence I speak

, .

to you as I think you will most easily understand me .

Are you not while careful to fil l your belly d isregarding

, ,

another appetite in your heart which spoils the pleasu re ,

of your life and keeps you c ontinually wretched ?

31 2 E N GL I S H S HORT — S TORY WR ITERS
Villon w as sensibly nettled under all this sermonizing
“
.

You think I hav e no sense of honor ! he cried ’

Im
’
.

poor enough God knows ! It s hard to see rich people with

,

thei r glo ves and you blowing your hands An empty belly
,
.

is a bitter thi ng although you speak so lightly of it I f

, .

you had h ad as many as I perhaps you would change your,

’
tun e Anyway I m a t h ief— make the most of that — but
.
,
’
I m not a devil from hell God st rike me dead I would .
,
’
hav e you to k now I ve an honor of my ow n as good as ,
’
you rs though I don t prate about it all day long as if it
,
’
,

were a God s miracle to have any It seems qui te natural .

’
to me ; I keep it in its box till it s wanted Wh y now .
,

look you he re h ow lon g have I been in this room w ith y ou ?

,

Did you not tell me you w ere alone in the house ? Look
’
at your gold p late ! You re strong if you like but you re ’
, ,

old and un armed an d I have my knife ,

What did I want .

but a jerk of the elbow and here would have been you
,

with the cold steel in your bowels and there would have ,

been me linking in the streets with an armful of gold

, ,
’
cups ! Did you suppose I hadn t wit enough to see that ?
And I scorned the action There are your dam ned goblets
.
,

as s afe as in a church ; there are you with you r heart ,

ticking as good as new ; an d here am I read y to go out ,

again as poor as I came in with my one white that you ,

threw in my te eth ! And you think I have no sense of

”
honor God strike me dead !
“
—

The old man stretched ou t his right arm I will tell

“
.

”
you what you are he said You are a rogue my man
, .
, ,

an impudent and a black hearted rogue and vagabond I

- .

have passed an hour with you Oh ! believe me I fee l .

,

myself disgraced ! An d you have eaten and drank at my

table But now I am sick at your presence ; the day has
.

c ome and the nigh t—bird should be off to his roost W ill
,
.

”
you go before or after ? ,
GRE AT S HORT STORI E S
—

VOL U M E TWO

M ODERN SHORT STOR Y

—
4 EN GL IS H SH ORT — S TORY W RI TERS

u nlike at almost every point were alike in this that they

, ,

aimed at giving complete histories of the charac ters they

d escribed in their fi ction Defoe gives u s the detailed
.

biography of Roxana from childhood to old age ; Richard

so n spa res u s no detail in the fortun es of Clarissa Harlowe .

The same method charac te ri zes the work of Scott of ,

Di c kens of Th ackeray of George Eliot of George Mere

, , ,

dith ; the only di ff eren ce being the scale of the canvas .

A tradition w as thus set u p the strength and authority of

,

which is evi dent in the conj unction of names so widely

separated by both time and ac hievement And in liter .

atu re more completely than in any other real m of art un ,

less it be that of painting traditions are apt to ma intain

,

their autho rity long after the ir vital sanction is dissolved .

Again there were ce rtain mechanical conditions of

,

authorship wh ich gave force to this tradition To the .

readers of a lei surely age a work of fi ction sc arcely de

manded at tention unless it w ere plann ed upon a full sc ale .

Such readers as ked not f or anec dotes but histori es With .

ample time to read mark learn and inwardly digest a

, , ,

book they would have resented brevi ty as a speci es of

,

impostu re Thus the older works of fiction are u niformly

.

works of great length The average length of the larger

.

nove ls of Dickens is about four hundred thousand words ,

and Thac keray in Vanity F ai r and Charles Reade in The

Cloi ste r and the Hea rth are equally lengthy N or is length .

the sole evi dence of this trad ition Dickens peopl es the .

stage of a single novel with from seventy to eighty figures ,

each vital distinct and admirably featured Put in com

, ,
.

pa rison w ith such works the modern popular novel and ,

what do w e fi nd ? In length it will probably not exceed

a hundred thousand w ords an d if it contain from a dozen
,

to twenty figures it will give the imp ression of a c rowded

,
 THE M OD ERN S HORT — S TORY 5

It must also be remembered that until quite recent years

the three-volume novel was the accepted form of British
fi ction
. The length of a novel was thus arbitrarily fi x ed ,

and an author whatever the material of his story was

, ,

bound to fill a certain number of printed pages N ot only .

length but a certain mechanically fi x ed standard of

,

length w as thus t raditional A curious instance of the

, .

working of this tradition is a ff orded in the publication of

’
two separate books Emily Bron t e s Wutheri ng Heights and
’
,

Anne Bront e s Agnes Gr ey as a t h ree volume novel in

,
-
,

deferen ce it must be supposed as Mr Shorter states to

, ,
.
,

the passion of the publisher for this mode of publication .

I t wi ll be easily seen that under such conditions there could

be no demand for a short -story and the author w h o at ,

tempted to work in this medium w as certain to inc u r the

distrust of publishers whose first business be ing to furnish
,

the publi c with what it likes rarely have the daring to

'

challenge the public with some form of art whi ch it does

not demand .

But what of magazin es ? B ritish magazin es until quite ,

recent t imes o ff ered very little O pportunity to the short

,

story writer F or the most part the older magaz ines w ere
.

given over to the tradition of the long serial story B lack .

’
w ood s was in some respects a notable exception ; and other

magazines such as the old Corn hi ll might be ment ioned

, ,

which gave opportunities to the short -story write r But .

the very predominance given in these magazines to the

long se ri al story by some popular author was a tacit dec ,

laration that the short -story was esteemed an inferior

form of literary art And naturally under such c on ditions
.

the short-s tory was so considered by both the author and

the public It was regarded as ephemeral fugitive and
.
, ,

almost a derogation of geni us To the reader intent upo n

.
,

the l arge canvas of the serial story it was the decent make ,
6 EN GL I SH S H ORT — S TORY W RITERS

weight the magazine ; to its author w h o woul d much

of ,

rather have been writing the seri l it w as a mere pot

a ,

boiler . To each it was at best a by-product of fi ction

.
,

to produ ce which requi red little art and c ertainly not an ,

art which had laws prin ciples forms methods and difli
, , , ,

cu lties peculiarly its ow n

,
It is worth re mark that th is
.

est i mate of the short -sto ry is even yet not wholly ex

tinct Nothi ng is more common than f or a publisher

.

to info rm a young author that short-stories do not sell ,

and to persu ade him to devote his energi es to the pro

duction of the regulation novel Nor is this verdi ct wholly
.

based upon co mmercial values ; i t is real ly the result of

a fix ed O pinion on the part of the publisher that the short
sto ry is an inf erior form of art .

The cri ti cal value of these statemen ts may be eas ily

v e ri fied by a study of the earlier specimens of the British

short -s to ry The c hief impression derived from such a

.

study is the almost total la c k of any standard of art I f .

the story succeeds it appears to be by a cc ident rather

,

than design Sometimes it is inte rpolated into the text

.

of a novel by the m ost haphaza rd and clum sy mea ns — a

favorite de v i ce of Dickens Sometimes it is real ly a long

.

novel abbreviated ; that is to say it contains the plot for ,

a long novel and is short only by ac cident Sometimes it

, .

consists of several incidents more or less closely c o nnected .

No critical reader n eeds to be told that these are fatal

faults For the leas t exigent stan d ards of art demand of
.

the short -story fi rst that it shall stand alone because it

, , ,

is organically separate and complete in itse lf both in ,

regard to incident and stru c ture Second that it is short .

,

because it cannot be long its enti re imp ressiveness lying

/ \
l
,

in its brevity and intensity A nd third that it shall co

. n , ,

sist not of several inciden ts but of one incident It may

,
.

be an an ecd ote ; it may be a passage of h istory a dramatic ,

8 EN GL IS H S HORT — S T ORY W R ITERS
l comes nearer to the domain of the dramat ist than the
novel ist ; for it is in the trues t sense a dramati c moment ,

which seizes on na by its intensity its swift dynamic its , ,

di re c t appeal .

This is what the short -story ought to do and it is what ,

the trul y great short-story al ways does .

The point at which any t rue apprec iation of the short

story be gins is the clear per ception that it is a d istin c t
form of art ; and the reason why the older novelists so
ra rely su c ceeded in the short—story is that they di d not
apprehend thi s If w e bear in mi nd the thr ee principles
.

al ready enun cia ted that the short -story must be com
,

ple te in i tse lf that it is short because it cannot be long

, ,

an d th at it consists of a single incident w e can readily ,

apply a critical test whi ch while not infal lible nev erthe
, , ,

l ess aff ords a val uable means of disc rimin ation .

Le t us take the test of complete n ess an d apply it to Di c k

’
,

cns s exquis ite story of B oots at the Holl y-Tree Inn The .

story as Dickens writes it st raggles over a great variety of

, ,

themes We have an embittered lover a detailed de

.
,

scription of a mail -co ac h j ourney of a snow-storm of an , ,

inn of hi s ow n e nnui of his ow n curious imagini ngs elab

, , ,

orated in thousands of words before he reaches the real ,

story which the boots at the Holly-Tree has to te ll N o .

fewer than thi rty-seven pages consist of extraneous mat

ter while the story itself is told in thirtee n pages It is
, .

not unt il the boots begins to speak that the story begin s ;

up to this point w e are engaged in the tedious re flections

of Charles Dickens mi xed with a great amo u nt of total ly
,

irrelevant det ail Dickens himself must have been con

.

sc ious of these defec ts f or when he pre pared the story for

,
 T HE M OD ERN S HORT— S TOR Y 9

a public reading he ruthlessly cut away all about the

,

mail -coach the snow—storm the stru ggling horses and so

, , ,

forth and came at once to the incident whi c h the boots

,

repeats w ith so much humor and pathos .

Why then did he not write the story in this form Simply
be c ause he had not grasped the principle that a short -story
must be complete in itself The moment he brought his
.

work to the test of oral and dramatic delivery this prin ciple
was disc overed clearly enough And it may be added that .

there is no better test of any story than to read it aloud .

When a story is read aloud the interest of the hearer is

,

in exact proport ion to the direct appeal of the story ; and

the inattention of the hearer is the sure indication of the
lack of di rect appeal The b earer of a S poken story re
.

sents everything in the nature of ex c res cence ; he fi nds mere

description tedio us ; he is intent only on the living issue .

Dickens dis cove red this when he sub mitted his w ork to
an oral test ; the true short -story writer w ill not need
such a test to tea c h him the law of dramatic completeness
’
.

In contrast let us take such a story as Kipling s M otter

of F act not beca use it is his best story but because here
, ,

also there is a great amount of description But with .

Kipling the description is Vital to the story whereas in ,

Dickens it is not The story begins abruptly with a

.

rapid sketch of three j ournalists on a tramp steamer mak

ing for Sou th amMon The dramati c note is instantly
.

st ruck in the cry of the sweating steersman that something

is wrong with the sea that it is bewitched To describe
,
.

this sea with its oily surface its sudden inexplicable u p

, ,

h eav al and run of gray water is legitimate art because it

, ,

is necessary to the fearful apparition of the wounded sea

serpent flun g up from the i ce-c old dept hs of oc ean by the
,

explosion of a submarine volcano And although the story .

ends in London yet its unity is never violated ; an d more

, ,

u— 2
10 EN GL IS H SH ORT — S TOR Y W RI TERS

wonderful still although it ends in ridi cule and humor

, ,

yet its impression of horror is not d estroyed .

’
In this c as e Kipl ing s powers of description do not h inder
his story ; they are not felt to be an excre s cence and for this
reason that they are vitally necessary to the theme We do
,
.

not need the snow-storm and the mai l -coach to explain the
’
eloping children in Dickens s story ; w e do need the horror
of the be w itched sea to expl ain the state of mind in the

th ree j ournal ists We can cut away three-fourths of

’
.

Dickens s story as he himself did whe n he made it a publi c

,

re ading without es sential loss and indeed with positive

,

’
,

gain ; w e cannot spare a single senten ce of Ki pling s w ith

ou t deterioration of the total e ffec t The one does not obey
.

the law of essential completeness and the other does , .

Let us apply the second t st tha t the short -story is

e —

short because it cannot be long A good e xample of the

.

revers e of this principle may be found in Hardy s great ’

tale of The Withered Arm It is a most d ramatic story
.
,

and may rank among the great achievements of Hardy s ’

genius It concerns a group of persons each d rawn w ith
.
,

vital truth : a farmer who brings home a young and sweet

woman as his bride ; a wronged woman who h as a son by ,

the farmer ; and a wise man or wi z ard The bride s arm ’ .

,

wi thers and she loses the love of her husban d The ille
,
.

gitimaTe son commit i arson and is condemned to death

, .

The young wife goes to the gaol that she may put her
withe re d arm on the neck of a man newly hanged having
_ ,

be en told by the w izard that this is an ancient form of

cure The hanged man is her husban d s son and she
.
’
,
\ ’
meets her husband asTie stands overwhelmed w ith grief
,

’
and contrition beside his son s corpse Here is a story .

capable of great elaboration Considered only as a plot

.
,
’
it is as full of dramatic possibilities as Tess of the D Urber
villas Obviously it might ha ve been treate d w ith the
.
1 2 EN GL I S H S HORT — S TORY W RITERS

orated into a novel it is not a short-story but o nly a

, ,

novel in miniature .

An d thi s gives san ction to the thi rd p rinciple of the

short -story — vi z that it cons ists not of several related
.
,

incidents but of one incident In a sense th is is untrue

.

to nature because in actual life every inciden t is related

,

to some other incident of which it is either the cause or

,
'

the e fl ect But one c an pluck a rose without in v estigat

.

ing the sec re ts of its growth and it is not nec essary to

,

trac e that gro w th through all the series of its vic issitudes
in order to be aware of its charm its color or its fragran ce
, , .

If art violates nature in giv ing us the un related incident ,

it is for the soun d reason that art leaves much to the

imagi na tion We may kn ow too much as well as too little
.

for a j ust appreciation of art The great art ist is he w ho

.

knows h ow to interest without fatiguing us ; w ho gives us

just e nough knowledge of his theme to invest with over
whelmi ng signifi can ce what he c hooses to reveal ; who
’
makes one s imagination the co nfederate with his ow n by ,

leavi ng na to supply much whi c h he only s uggests .

Thus Di c kens fails in the story already desc ribed be ,

cause he tells us more than w e want to know ; and many

other write rs fai l by attempting to blend several incidents ,

instead of central izing the attention on one Hardy fai ls .

for the same reason in The Wi the red A rm considered as a ,

short-story ; he gives us a se ries of incidents legitimate ,

enough in a novel but confus ing in a short -story But

, .

Kipling succeeds in the best of his stories by his pe rfect

centrality of aim He h as a single- situation to depict and
.
,

he is not distracted f rom it f S F h moment by any side

fi
‘

issues We do not want to know an yt h ing mo re about his

.

three press-men w ho see the dying sea -se rpent than what
he chooses to te ll us The central incident is the sea
.

’
serpent and the central inte re st is the eff ec t on each man s
,
 T HE M OD ERN S HORT- S TORY

mind of what he sees Had he told us h ow the three men

.

came toge ther how one had gone in quest of gold to South
,

Africa and another had fought in a native war and the

, ,

third had explored the Mountains of the Moon however ,

vividly he might have written he would nevertheless have ,

spoiled his story No amount of fi ne writing could have

.

atoned for confusion of interest The fi nest writing in a .

short-story is that which takes u s quickest to the very

heart of the matter in hand .

The most characteristic note of the short story is then

-
, ,

i mmed iacy I t is of its very essence that it should be

.

dramatic from the start If it fails to ar rest attention

.

with its fi rst paragraph it is likely to fail altogether I t .

aff ords no opportunity for that slow building up of char

acter and situation which is common in the practise of
’
the novelist s art This method which is perfectly legiti
.
,

mate and even compulsory to the novelist is wholly im ,

p ossible to the short story writer The short -story stands

-
.

related to the novel very much as the vivid impressionist

sket c h does to the painstaking picture The picture is .

built up by months of toil ; its fi nal harmony is the result

of thousands of l ittle strokes of much stippling and re ,

painting But the sketch is achieved with a ful l brush

.

in a confi de nt hand and conveys its impression instantly .

’
,

Oscar W ilde on c e said of Kipling s stories that they were

“ life seen by fl ashes of vulgarity
,
”
One may ignore the .

charge of vulgarity but there is no doubt about the fl as h

,
.

It was by virt ue of this incomparable directness this ,

rapid confident brush-work that Kipling at once arrested ,

the attention of the public His n ame was Charlie .

”—
Mears so Kipling begins what he calls The F i nest S t
ory

i n the World without preface without preliminary

,
No ,
.

'

wonder the literary scribes and pharisees were ofl e nded

in him Ac cording to their traditions all stories shou ld
.
 1 4 EN GLI S H S HOR T — S TORY W RI TERS

begin with a leis u rely app roach and there was something ,

almost brutal in t h is abru ptness The Ancient School of .

landscape art in the same way had a tradition tha t there

was a certain place in a landscape where a brow nt ree must
appear and the tradition w as held sacred until suddenly
, ,

Turner startled the world with masses of liv ing color in

m
,

aTedT T rom th at hour land

-
'

which no brown tree '

scape art w as revolutioni zed And a simi lar revolution

.

of literary ideals has followed the triumph of the short

story writer He has tau ght the nov e lists themselves the
.

value of im d iaQ L and w hila the n ov elisf bi th e older

n

R
fl

school still clings to the la w of slow approach almost all ,

the newer w riters have learned h ow to cut away pre

liminaries and to get at the heart of their story with a
celerity whi ch would have scandalized the writers of an
earlier generation .

It must not be assumed however that because the short

, ,

story oc cupies but a small canvas it is therefore inferior

to the novel for this would constitute bulk as the stand
,

ard of value The entire witness of art in all its branches

.
, ,

is h ostile to suc h a conclusion A fi ne intaglio may be as

.

great a work of art as a Grec ian statue ; a square foot of

’
Gerald Dow s painting is much more valuable than one
— ’
of Haydon s interminable yards of can vas ;
~— and a lyric
of a dozen lines by Burns is much more precious th an a

hundred epi cal pages of The E arthl y Paradise The fact .

’
is that it is much more d iffi cu lt to write a perfect short
l story than a successful novel It demands superior gifts
of con centration
.

of ingenuity of fantasy of originality

, , , ,

of dramatic intensity of exqu isite craftsmanship

,
The .

novel can a ff ord to have its lapses its relatively dull ,

moments its pages of refle ction ; it even gains by

,
-
them ,

for they afford a nec essary contrast to its d ramatic climax .

But th e short story can aff ord to have nothing of the

-
1 6 EN GL I S H SH ORT — S TOR Y W RITERS

would attempt to c reate a novel out of Kipling s sea ’

serpent story ou t of the Incarna ti on of Khri sna M ul va ney
, ,

ou t of The F i nes t S tory i n the World ? We recognize at

once h ow impossible such a feat would be And therein .

lies both the claim and the j ustifi cation of the short -story .

Life cons ists bo th of prolonged sequen c es an d of fl ash ing

episod es The fi rst afford the material of the novelist
.
,

the second of the short-story writer And life is so rich

.

in episode to the observant and adventurous that he is much

,

more likely to suf fer from embarrassment of material than

from poverty I t may be true that all the plots of the
.

novelist have been used before but that is onl y because

,

the novel ist persists in the use of a cert ain type of plot .

But the episodi cal wealth of life is inexhaustible A .

’
year s study of a daily newspaper may fur nish the short
sto ry writer with more material than he is likely to utilize
in a l ifetime A face seen in a crowd gossi p overheard
.
,

in a tavern a conversation at a street-d oor the re velations

, ,

of hostile eyes in meeting or in parting the sudden p ass

,

i ng of ins igni fi cant men and women across the beam of

h is questing search-li ght — these are enough to excite his
i magination to start the wheels of fantasy ; and if he will
,

but continue to see vividly the dramatic possibilities of

l i fe and to report t ruthfully what he sees he need never
, ,

lack materi al for the warp and woof of the stories he c an

sp i n .

The reaso ns f or the slow growth of the short -story among

British write rs have already been alluded to So long .

as the three-volume novel reigned supreme and maga ,

zines held to the tradition of the long se rial there was ,

neither opportunity nor motive for the British writer to

pr actise the art of short —story writing But the conditions
.
 T HE M OD ERN S HORT— S TORY

which repres sed the short -story i n England a c ted power

fully for its benefi t in Am erica .

If w e investigate the position of the Ameri c an writer of

fi ction of the last century some extremely interesting facts
,

are noti ceable The chief of these facts is that almost all
.

the novels read by the AM a Eubt B ritish

origin There was no international copyright law and
.
,

the most that a British novelist could do to secure any

reward f rom Am erica w as to sell advan c e sheets of his

book to an American publisher Obviously this was a .

very exi guous devi ce to protect his interests It broke .

down the moment his book was pirated which it in ,

variably w as within a few weeks of its publication in

London Not only w as it pirated but sold broad c as t at
.
,

extremely low prices It is patent that the American

.

novelist had no chance at all in this competition W h o .

would buy the work of a native author of local fame w hen

he could purchase for a trifle the latest novel of Dickens
or Th ackeray ? The result w as that there was a very poor
market for native fiction The pirate publisher of those
.

days did a great deal more than inj ure the British author
by robbin g hi m of his j ust reward ; he in j ured yet mo re
fatally the American author by robbing him of all chan ce
of successful authorship .

Driven from the fi e ld of legitimate fi ction by unj ust

competition there w as but one ro ad to success left O pen
,

to him the maga z ine and the short -story Here at leas t
,
.
, ,

he w as free from rivalry for here was a demand which

,

could not be supplied from British sources Therefore it .

w as to the short -story that the rising school of American

writers of fi ction devo ted their attention Am ong these .

writers W ashi ngton Irving Hawthorne and Poe stand, ,

supreme Irving ex cell ed i n the brief sketch rather tha n

.

the short -story proper It is only at a certai n heat of the

.
1 8 EN GLI S H S HORT — S TORY W RITERS

creative faculty that he attains pure narrative Grave wise .

, ,

genial he is apt to write with leisurely ease in a mood of

, ,

re flection rather than with directness and intensity Haw .

thorne displays the same tendency though in a much less

,

degree He is apt to delay his dramati c moment by phil o

.

sophical observation to be tediously analytical when the

,

theme demands intensity to stifle the fi re of his imagination

,

under a dull weight of ped antry It may even be said that

.

’
Hawthorne s true and fi ne ge nius often appears to work in
some obstructive medium ; at least that is the impression
,

which he f requently produ ces on the re ader It may have .

been dist rust of his ow n powers a ki nd of intellectual shy

,

ness ,
a native diffi cu lty in speaking out I t may have .

arisen in large degree from his ow n inborn habits of in

trospe ction and metaphysical analysis I t may h . m
sisted of a cons tantly changing combination of all these
forces But whatever it was it was there a res isting
.
, ,

medium which gives the sense of e ffort to his work In .

all his best work he conquers th is obstruction An d in .

the short -story he is at his best His outstan d ing claim is

.

that he applies a profo u n¢psychol ogy to the art of fi ction .

He deals not wi th the surfac es of life but with the depths

, .

He delights in the exploration of what Arthur Hallam

“
c alled the abyssmal depths of personality ”
He has a .

keen eye f or the dramatic moment His themes are uni .

form ly sfi fifi rfi hn d often of extraordinary fasc ination

'

In all that con ce rn s the technique of the short -story he is

a great master Thi s technical excellence has been again
.

an d again recogni zed and by later critics so completely

,

that they have unhes itatingly chosen some of Hawthorne s ’

stories as the perfec t models of what a short -story ought
to be .

But the true creator of the modern sh ort ste ry in Ameri s

can literatu re is neither I rving nor Hawthorne ; that honor

 TERS

S teve nson would ever have written M arkhei m had not Poe
first w ritten The Tell-Tale Heart The mere fact that w e .

can thus trace the infl u ence of Poe among the most recent
and the greatest of mod ern story-w riters is conclusive
eviden ce of his profound originality His w as a truly .

semina l min d fec u nd with ideas Without models with

,
.
,

out a sin gle cou nselling voi ce and without any real rec og ,

nition or encour agement he dis covere d the value of the

,

short —sto ry endow ed it with form and method devoted

, ,

his rare gif ts to its perfec tion and did each of these thi ngs ,

so completely that h is own stories have become classic ;

the value of hi s method has never been disputed and the ,

form which he gave the short-story has become the model

of suc ceeding writers .

Perhaps however the chi ef contribution of Poe to the

, ,

art of the short—story li es not so much in form or method

as in fan tasy Thus in The M urders i n the Rue M orgue

.
,

he fai ls in i mm ed iacy Agai n in The Gold B ug the ih

.
,
-
,

te rest is wrought to the hi ghes t pitch when the treas ure

is foun d and the explanation of the cryp togram infi ni te ly
, ,

ingeni ous as it is comi ng after the fin di ng of the treasure

, ,

h as the efi ect of an anticli max

'

Kip ling telling the same .

,

story woul d p robably have commenced with the dis

,

cov ery of the c ryptogram and have foun d atrue climax,

in the find ing of the t reasure But t h is is af ter all to say .

, ,

no more than that the technique of the short - story

has advan ced with the prac tise of the art The unique .

claim of Poe is that h e endow ed the short - story with

'

fantasy He gave it wings O pened the heavens of im agi

.
,

nation to it made it almost a form of poetry and put it

, ,

on the hi ghest level of li terary art One fault he had .

which can not be exc u sed : he took a morbid delight in

the horrible This is a constant temptation to the short
.

story writer I t arises from the need to p rodu ce an in

.
 TH E M OD ERN S HORT— S TORY

stant and deep impression and such an impression is

,

most readily produced by an illicit appeal to fear Steven .

son mak es this appeal in Throw n J a net; Kipling in many

of his stories notably The Retu rn of I mray

, In going over .

the vast literature of short stories it has been a surprise

-
,

to the wri ter to d iscover h ow many of them are stories of

pure terror That such stories may have qualities of art
.

is un deniable ; yet simply because the appeal to terror is

so easily made it is a kind of appeal which should be very
,

sparingly u sed The use which Poe makes of it is constant

.

and therefore illicit This is his chief fault Yet agains t

. .

it must be reckoned his extraordinary power of fantasy ,

and this g ift raises his worst theme into the re ahn of the
creati ve imagination Poe was essentially a poet a poet
.
,

whose genius moved habitually on the darker side of

life and was deeply tainted by the morbid— and the ab
,
w

HO I Q aL It is because he w as so essenti a l a fioetfi h at

‘
'
'

even an illicit theme is redeemed by the wonderful splendor

of the imagination w ith which he bathes it .

For af ter all techni que

, , a t ruth upon
which some ins istence needs to be laid to-d ay because ,

its value is ofte n overestimated Thus f or example in .

, ,

what must certainly be reckoned as one of the greatest

’
of all Kipling s stori es The M an Who Would be Ki ng there
, ,

is a wi lful disregard of the law of immediacy which he

uses in many shorter stories with such superb effect .

This story has three distinct episodes The fi rst con .

c lu des on the railway station at Marwar Jun c tion when ,

’
he delivers Carneh an s enigmatic message to the red
bearded man in the second-c lass compartment The sec .

ond begins in the neW S pap

w ce when Car nehan and

Dravot unfold their daring pm of becoming k i ngs and ,

ends with the start ing of the Af ghan caravan The third .
,

which contains the real story oc curs three years later

, ,
22 EN GL IS H S HORT — S TORY W RITERS

when Carnehan relates the marvellous adventures of him

self and Dravot in Kafi ristan an d concludes with that ,

noble touch of fantasy when Carnehan stan ds in the

,

blinding sun singing : ,

Th e Son of God goes forth to war,

A gold e n cro w n to gain ;
b b
His l ood -red anner streams afar
Wh o follo w s in his train ? ”

The laws of techn ique are violated but surely it would ,

be the merest ped antry to ins ist that therefore this is not
a t rue short -story The sympathetic reader thr illed with
.
,

its pathos and its daring astonished by its im aginative

,

po w er conscious of its Homeric bigness w i ll at once reply

, ,

that it is at all events a great story that it is indeed among ,

the greates t of all stories in the English tongue and he ,

would be right No techn ique is not everything It is

.
, .

no more than the servant of the shaping creative force ,

and must not be allowed to be its master If it be not .

elastic enough to se rve the end of the creative force that ,

force will cert ainly discard and transcend it B y all means .

l et the writer study technique ; it is as useful to him as

the life -class and the art -school are to the artist But let .

him also recollect that technique alone nev er yet made a

great artist It is at best but the weapon of success ; f or
.

while a w ri ter may succeed with an imperfect knowledge

of technique it is ce rtain that he cannot succeed without
,

the creative imagination To forget this is to magnify the

.

lesser things of the law and to forget the eternal verities .

And thi s is but to say in plainer language that in all

forms of literary art it is coun ts f or
most Great writing is
. f great per
son ality It is well to be ac quainted w ith t h e unities of
.

composition but if that is all w e know nothing awaits us

, ,
24 E NGL IS H SH ORT — S TOR Y W RITERS
is largely due to the en c ouragement a fforded to the writer
by the American magazine which is greatly superior at ,

every point to the British In no other country except.

,

Fran ce is it possible for a writer to make a reputation upon

,

a single magazine story ; but in America this has hap

pened mo re than on ce And hence in the consideration
.
,

of y alu es acc oun t must be taken of wr i ters like Ambrose

‘

Bier ce and Lloyd Osbourne Henr y J ames an d Mrs De land

,
. .

Each h as done work so admirable that it doe s not s uff er

greatly in comparison wi th that of the most famous
write rs In the general spirit and form of their work
.

Am erican short—story writers are more nearly re lated to

French than to English literatu re If any general criticism .

can be permitted on so vast an d various a body of work ,

it may be said that the techni que is often superior to the

conten t .

Finally it should be remembered that while w e may

,

codify not without succ ess the essential laws whi ch govern
, ,

the short -story no cod ification of these law s can be ao

,

ce pte d as entirely complete Strictly speakin g man y .

,

forms of literature which are generally cate goried as short

sto ries are not stories at all but only incidents Thus in
, .
,

a recent m agaz ine w e have side by side two S pec im ens

l
, , ,

of imaginative work the one by Jack London the other

, ,

by W illiam J Locke ; eac h ex cellent each amenable to no ,

other category than that of the short—story but ea ch ah ,

solu te ly di ff erent in method Mr London merely re late s . .

an incident of a leper-doc tor w ho himself becomes a leper .

Mr Loc ke tells a story of a middle-aged man and woman

.
,

once lovers who meet after many years ; they are drawn
,

together by po w erful memori es under the magic of the ,

African ni ght ; upon sober re flection the woman w rites a

The A merica n M agaz i ne , A u gust, 1 909

'
.
 T HE M OD ERN SHORT— S TORY 25

letter of renunciation ; the letter never reaches the man ,

f or h e on
,
sober re fl e cti on has fl ed This is a,
short -story
.

proper It works toward a defini te dramatic climax It

. .

ends u pon the note of story h as

no climax It closes vaguely It is not in the proper
. .

sense a story It is simply an incident related with

.
,

immense dramatic power Yet it would be merest ped .

autry to accept Mr Locke as a short story teller and dis -

’
.
,

qualify Mr London ; be cause Mr London s vi vid and

. .

te rri fi c picture of the leper—d octor_afj ects us

_ s ho rt
;
story should in spite of its techni cal defi ciencies Once
, .

more the critic is warned against a fanatical passion f or

technique The indulgence of such a passion leads to
.

aridity of mind as it did in the days of Pope when poe try l

, ,

w as redu ced to a series of inexorable rules and by

The truest criti c is he w h o can recogni z e excellence in any
form ; w h o indeed is the most willing to submit his mind
to the charm of a writer the least willing to press his ow n
,

preconceptions in hostility to that charm .

Enough has n ow been said to vindicate the short -story

as a separate and distinct form of art It is not easy it is .
,

not even possible to discern the working of the law of

.

progress in imaginative lite rature as a whole The critic .

most thoroughly possessed by the enthusiasm of mod e rnity

will hesitate to affi rm that the later novelists have sur
passed or even equalled the great noy elists of the V ictori an
‘

age It is t rue that an extravagant S pirit of laudation

.

has again and again hailed some new novelist as the ne w

Scott or the new Dickens ; but in every case a very brief
interval of reflection and adjustment has reduced su ch
claims to ridicule But while the novel has declined in
.

excellence there can be no doubt that the short -story has

.

ad vanced by l ea ps and bounds It may be confidently .

asserted that Stevenson is as superior to Scott Kipling ,

11 —8
26 EN GL IS H SHORT — S TOR Y W RI TERS

as superior to Dickens in the art of the short -story as

, ,

each is inferior in the novel . Scott could as li ttle have

written A L odgi ng for the N ight as Stevenson could have
written Kenilw orth ; and Kipling would not have failed
more disast rously in a David Copperfield than Dickens in
such a sto ry as The M an Who Would be Ki ng The fact
.

is that su ch comparisons ought never to be made because,

the thi ngs compared are radi cal ly different It is not

.

until we con ceive of the tw o forms of art as wholly sepa

rate that w e are in a position to form any correct judg
ment on their merits Only as we do discern this are w e
.

able to j udge aright the b ri lliant work of writers w h o

have brought to the c reation of the short-story gif ts quite
as remarkable as those of the gre ate st novelis ts and in
,

the exercise of these gifts have raised the short-story in to

an enduring and S plendid form of art .
 AN OC C U R RENC E AT OW L CREEK B n men'

Ambrose B i erce

MAN stood upon a railroad bridge in northern

Al abama looking down into the sw ift waters
’
,

twenty feet below The man s hands w ere behin d

.

his back the wrists bound wi th a cord A rope loose ly

,
.

encircled his neck It w as attached to a stout cross-timber

.

above his head an d the slack fell to the level of his knee s
,
.

Some loose boards laid upon the sleepers supporting the

metals of the railway supplied a footing for him and his
executioners— tw o private soldiers of the Federal army ,

directed by a sergeant who in civil life may have been a

,

deputy sheri ff At a short remove upon the same tem

.

porary platform was an officer in the un iform of his rank ,

armed He w as a captai n A sentinel at each end of the

“
. .

bridge stood with his rifle in the position known as sup

”
port that is to say vertical in front of the left shoulder
, , ,

the hammer resting on the forearm throw n straight across

the chest — a formal and unnatural position enforcing ,

an erect carriage of the body I t did not appear to be the

.

duty of these tw o men to know what w as occurring at the

From The C ollected Works of A mbrose B ie rce , v ol . ii . Copy
ri ght 1 909 b y Th e N e ale P ub lishi ng Co
, , .
30 EN GL I SH SHOR T — S T ORY W RI TERS

cent re of the bridge ; they merely blockaded the two ends

of the foot -plank which traversed it .

Beyond one of the sentinels nobody w as in sight ; the

railroad ran straight away into a forest for a h u ndred
yards then cur ving w as lost to view Doubtless there
, , , .

w as an outpost fur ther along The other bank of the .

stream w as open groun d— a gentle acclivity c rowned with

a stoc kade of vert ical t ree-trunks loopholed for rifles , ,

with a single embrasure thr ough which protruded the

muzzle of a brass cannon commanding the b ri dge Mid .

w ay up the slope between the bridge and fort w ere the

spectators — a single company of infant ry in line at pa ,
“
”
rade rest the butts of the rifles on the ground the barrels
, ,

inclin ing slightly backward against the right shoulder ,

the hands crossed upon the stock A lieutenant stood at .

the right of the line the point of his sword upon the ground
, ,

his left hand resting upon his right Excepting the group .

of four at the cent re of the bridge not a man moved .

The company faced the bridge staring stonily motionless , ,

.

The sentinels facing the banks of th e stream mi ght have

, ,

been st atues to adorn the bridge The ca ptain stood with .

folded arms silent observing the work of his subordinates

, , ,

but making no sign Death is a dignitary w ho when he

.
,

comes announ ced is to be received with formal ma nifes t a

,

tions of respect even by those most familiar with him In

,
.

the code of military etiquet te silence and fix i ty are forms

of defere n ce .

The man w h o w as engaged in being h anged w as ap

p are ntly about thirty -fi v e years of age H e w as a c ivilian .
,

if one might j udge from his d ress which w as that of a ,

pl anter His features were good — a straight nose fi rm

. ,

mouth broad forehead from which his long dark hair

, , ,

w as combed straight back falling behind his ears to the ,

collar of his well fitting frock-coat

- He wore a mustache .
32 EN GL IS H S HORT — S TORY W RITERS

understand a sharp dist in c t metalli c percussion l ike the

,
’
, ,

stroke of a bl acksmith s hammer upon the anvil ; it had

the same ringing quality He wondered w hat it w as and .
,

w hether immeas urably di stant or near by— it seemed both .

Its recurren ce w as regular but as slow as the tolli ng of a,

death-knell He awaited each stroke wi th ii npatie nce

.

and — he knew not why— apprehension The intervals of .

si len ce grew progressively longer ; the delays maddening .

With their greater i nf requency the sounds incre as ed in

stren gth and sharpness They hurt his ear like the thrus t
.

of a knif e ; he feared he woul d shriek W hat he heard was .

the ticking of his watch .

He unclosed his eyes and saw again the w ater below

him .
“
If I coul d free my han ds
”
he thought I might , ,
“
throw 0 6 the noose and spring into the stream B y div .

ing I could evade the bullets and swimmi ng vigo rously

, , , ,

reach the bank take to the wood s and get away home
, ,
.

My home thank God is as yet outside their lines ; my wife

, ,
’
and little ones are still beyond the invaders farth est
”
ad vance .

As th ese thoughts whi ch have here to be set down in

,
’
words were flashed into the doomed man s brain rather
,

than evolved from i t the captain nodded to the sergeant

,
.

The sergeant stepped as ide .

Peyton Farquhar w as a well -to -do p lante r of an old ,

and highly res pected Alabama family Being a slave .

owner and l ike other slave—o w ners a politician he was

, , , ,

naturally an original se cessionist and ardently devoted to

the Southern cause Ci rcumstanc es of an irnpe rious nature
.

which it is unnecessary to relate here had prevented him ,

from ta ki ng servi ce with the gall ant army wh ich had

 OC CURREN C E A T OW L CREE K B R I D GE 33

fought the disastrous c ampaigns endi ng with the fall of

Corinth and he chafed u nder the inglorious restraint long
, ,

ing f or the release of his energies the larger l ife of the ,

soldier the opportunity for distinction That opportuni ty

, .
,

he felt would come as it comes to all in war time Mean

, ,
.

while he did what he could N0 service w as too humble

.

f or him to perform in aid of the South no adventure too ,

perilous for him to undert ake if c onsistent w ith the c har

acter of a civilian who was at heart a soldi er and who in .

good faith and without too much qu alifi cation as sented .

to at least a part of the frankly villainous dictum that all

is fair in love and war .

One evening whi le Farquha r and his wife were sitting

on a rustic bench near the entran ce to his grounds a gray ,

clad soldie r rode up to the gate and asked f or a drink of

water Mrs Farquhar was only too happy to serve him
. .

with her own whi te hands While she w as gone to fetch

.

the water he r husband approac hed the dusty horse man

,

and inquired eagerly for news from the front

“
.

”
The Yanks are repai ring the railroads said the man , ,

and are getting ready f or another advance They have .

re ac h ed the Owl Creek Bridge put it in order, and built

,

a sto c kade on the other bank The comm andan t has .

issued an order whi ch is posted everywhere declaring that

, ,

any civilian caught interfering with the railroad its ,

bridges tunnels or trains wi ll be summarily hanged I

, , ,
.

“
saw the order .

How far is it to the Owl Creek Bridge ? Farquhar

”

asked
“
.

About th irty miles .

Is there no force on thi s side the creek ?

Only a picket post half a mile ou t on the railroad , ,

“
and a si ngle sent inel at this end of the bri dge .

Suppose a man— a ci v ilian and student of ha nging

34 EN GLI S H SH ORT — S TORY W RI TERS

should elude the p i c ket post and perhaps get the better
of the se nti nel
”
sai d Farquhar smiling
. what c ould he , ,
“
acc omplish ? ”

“ ”

repli ed “
The soldier re flected I was there a month ago he
.

I observed that the fl ood of l ast w inter had

.
,

lodged a great quantity of d ri ftwood agai nst the w ooden

pier at thi s end of the bridge It is now dry and w ould .
,

burn like tow .

The lady had now brought the wate r which the soldier ,

drank He thanked her cerem oni ously bow ed to her

.
,

husband , and rode away An hour later after ni ghtfall

.
, ,

he repassed the plantation goin g north w ard in the dirce

,

tion from which he had come He w as a Federal sc out . .

As Peyton Farquhar fell straight downward through the

bridge he lost consciousn ess and w as as one already dead
, .

From this state he was awakened ages later it seemed

—
,

to him — by the pai n of a sh arp pressure upon his throat ,

followed by a sense of sufi ocation Keen poignant

'

.
,

agoni es seemed to shoot from his neck down ward through

every fibre of his body and limbs These pains seemed to .

fl ash along well —d efi ned lines of rami fi cation and to beat ,

with an inconceivably rapid peri od icity Th ey seem ed like .

streams of pulsating fi re heat ing him to an intolerable

temperature As to his he ad he was conscious of nothi ng
. .

but a feeling of ful ness — of congestion These sensations .

were unaccompanied by thought The in tellectual part .

of his nature was al ready e fi aced ; he h ad power only to

'

feel and feeling w as torment He w as conscious of mo

,
.

tion Encompassed in a luminous cloud of which he was

.
,

now merely the fiery heart without material substa nce

, ,

he swung through unthinkable arcs of oscillation like a ,

36 EN GL IS H SH ORT — S T ORY W RI T ERS

w hi ch had been flu ttering fai ntly gave a great leap t ry , ,

ing to force itself ou t of hi s mouth His whole body w as .

racked and wrenched with an insu pportable anguish ! But

his disobedient ha nds gave no heed to the command .

They beat the water vigorously w ith quick downward ,

strok es fo rcing hi m to the su rface He felt his head

, .

e merge ; his eyes were blinded by the sunlight ; his c hest

expanded convu ls ively and w ith a supreme and crown

,

in g agony his lungs engulfed a great d raught of air which ,

instantly he expelled in a shriek !

He w as now in full possession of hi s physical senses .

They we re indeed pretern aturally keen and alert Some

, , .

thing in the awful disturb an ce of his organi c syste m had

so exalted and refi ned them that they made re c o rd of

thi ngs never be fore pe rceived He felt the ripples upon

.

his face and heard their separate sounds as they st ruck .

He looked at the fore st on the bank of the st ream saw ,

the individual t rees the leaves and the vein ing of each
,

leaf — saw the very insects upon them the locusts the , ,

brilliant-bodi ed flies the gray spiders stretching their

,

w ebs from t w ig to twig He noted the prismatic colors in

.

all the dewdrops upon a million blad es of grass The .

hum ming of the gnats that danced above the eddi es of

’
the stream the beating of the dragon flies w ings the
—

’
, ,

st rokes of the water spiders legs like oars which had

-
,

lifte d th eir boat — all these made audible music : A fish

slid al ong beneath his eyes and he hea rd the rush of its
,

body parting the water .

He ha d come to the surface fac ing dow n the stream ;

in a moment the visible world seemed to wheel slowly
round hi mself the pivotal point and he saw the bridge
, , ,

the fort the soldi ers on the bridge the c aptain the ser
, , ,

geant the tw o privates his executioners They w ere in

, , .

silhouette against the blue sky They shoute d and gee .

 O C CURREN CE A T OW L C R EE K B RIDGE 37

ticu lated ,pointing at him ; the captain had drawn his

pistol but did not fi re ; the others were unarmed Their
,
.

movements were grotesque and horrible their forms ,

gigantic .

Suddenly he heard a shar p report and something struck .

the water smartly w ithin a few inches of his head spatter ,

ing his face with spray He heard a second report and

.
,

saw one of the sentinels with his rifle at his shoulder a ,

light cloud of blue smoke rising from the mu zz le The .

man in the water saw the eye of the man on the bridge
gazing into his ow n through the sights of the rifle He .

observed that it was a gray eye an d remembe red having ,

read that gray eyes were keenest and that all famous ,

marks men had them Nev erth eless this one had missed
.
,
.

A counter-s w irl had caught Farquhar and turned him

half round ; he w as again looking into the forest on the
bank opposite the fort The sound of a clear high voi ce
.
,

in a monotonous sings ong n ow rang ou t behind him and

came across the water with a distinctness that pierced and
subdued all other sounds even the beating of the ripples
,

in his ears Although no soldier he had frequented camps

.
,

enough to know the dread significance of that deliberate ,

drawling aspirated chant ; the lieutenant on shore w as

,
’
taking a part in the morning s work How c oldly and .

pitil essly with what an even calm intonation presaging

—
, ,

an d enforcing tranquillity in the men — with what accu

rate ly measured intervals fell those cruel words : Atten “

— ”
tion company Shoulder arms Ready Aim F ire l
,
.
— — —
. . .

Farquh ar dived — d ived as deeply as he could The .

water roared in his ears like the voice of Ni agara yet he ,

heard the dulled thunder of the volley , and rising again

toward the surface met shining bits of metal singularl y
, ,

fl atte ned oscillating slowly downward

, Some of them .

touched him on the face and hands then fell away con , ,
38 EN GL ISH SH ORT — S TORY W RI TERS

tin u ing their des cent One lodged between his c ollar and
.

neck ; it was un comfort ably warm and he snatched it out , .

As he rose to the surface gasping f or b reath he saw , ,

that he h ad been a long time under w ater ; he was per

ce ptibly farther down -st ream — nearer to sa fety ! The
soldiers had a lmost fi nished reload ing ; the me t al ramrods
fl ash ed all at on ce in the sunshin e as they were drawn
from the barrels turned in the ai r, and thrus t into their
,

sockets The tw o sent inels fi red again independently and

.
,

ineffectually .

Th e hun ted man saw all this over his shoulde r : he w as

now swimmin g vigorously with the current His brain .

was as energeti c as his arms an d l egs ; he thought with

the rapidity of lightnin g
“
.

”
The officer he reasoned,
will not make that mar ,

’
tine t s error a second time It is as easy to d odge a volley
.

as a single shot He has probably already given the

.

comman d to fi re at will God help me I cannot dodge

.
,

”
them all !
An appalling plash withi n tw o yards of him follow ed by ,

a loud rush ing sound di mi nuendo which seemed to travel

, ,

bac k through the air to the fort an d died in an explosion

which st irred the very river to its deeps A rising sheet .

of water which curved over him

,
fell down upon hi m , ,

bl inded him strangled him The cannon had taken a

,
.

hand in the game As he shook his head free from the

.

co mmotion of the smitten wate r he heard the de flected ,

shot humming through the air ahead and in an instant ,

it was cracking and smas hing the branches in the forest

beyond .

”
They will not do that again he thought ; the next ,

time they will use a charge of grape I must keep my eye .

upon the gun the smoke will apprise me— the report arrives
”
too late ; it lags behind the missile It is a good gun . .
40 EN GLI S H S HORT — STORY W R ITERS

thought of his wife and chi ldren urged him ou At last .

he found a road which led him in what he knew to be the

right direction I t w as as wide and straight as a city
.

st reet yet it seemed untravelled No fields bordered i t

,
.
,

no dwelling anywhere N ot so much as the barking of a

.

dog suggested hum an habitation The black bod ies of .

the great trees formed a straight wal l on both sides ter ,

minating on the horizon in a point like a di agram in a ,

lesson in perspective Overhead as he l ooked up through

.
,

this rift in the wood shone g reat golden stars look ing u h
,

familiar and grouped in strange constellations He w as .

sure they were arranged in some order which had a secret

an d malign signifi cance Th e wood on either side was
.

ful l of singular noises among which — o nce t w i ce and

, , ,

again — h e distinctly heard whispers in an unkn own

tongue .

His neck w as in pain and lifting h is hand to i t he

, ,

found it horribly swollen He knew that it had a c 1 rcle

.

of black where the rope had brui sed it His eyes felt con .

gested ; he cou ld no longer close them His to ngue was .

swollen with thirst ; he relieved its fever by t h rustin g it

forward from between his teeth into the cool air How .

softly the turf had c arpeted the untravelled avenue ! He

could no longer feel the roadway beneath h is feet !
'

Doubtless d espite his su fi e ring he fell as leep while

, ,

walking for now he sees another s cene— perhaps he has

,

merely re covered from a delirium He stands at the gate .

of his ow n home All is as he left it and all bright and

.
,

beautiful in the morni ng sunshine He must have trav .

e lled the enti re night As he pu shes O pen the gate and

.

passes up the wide white walk he sees a flutte r of female ,

garments ; his wife looking fresh and c ool and sweet

, ,

steps do w n from the veran da to meet him At the bot .

tom of the ste ps she stands waiting with a smile of ih ,

 O C CURREN C E A T OW L C R EE K B RID GE 41

j oy an attitude of matchless gra ce and dignity

'

e fi ab le , .

Ah h ow beautiful she is ! He springs forward with ex

,

tended arms As he is about to cl as p her he fee ls a

.
,

stunning blow upon the back of the neck ; a blin di ng white

light blaz e s all about hi m with a soun d like the shock of
,

a cann on then all is darkness and silence !

—

Peyton F arquh ar w as dead ; his body with a broken

,

neck swun g gently from side to side beneath the timbers

,

of the Owl Creek Bridge .

n- 4
T HE UNE! PEC TEDNE SS or Mn . H oa a c n SHIELDS ‘

M argaret D elah d

R . WILLIAM KING h ad married his wife because

of
her excellent common-sense .

It w as an evidence of his ow n c omm on-sense

that he w as not moved by mere pretti ness or sweetness , ,

or whatever Mrs W illiam was as it chanced good

. .
, ,

looking ; but W illy said that w as the l ast thing he had

thought of he said she w as a sensible w oman with no ,

whims She would keep his house ; and his ledger for
.
,

that matter ; and bri ng up his children ; and see that his
buttons were sewed on— and n ot bother him W illy had .

seen bothering w ives His profession brought him in con

.

stant contact w ith them — nervous sentimental hysterical , , ,

nagging egotistic al wives The doctor used to say he

,
.

wondered h ow men had the courage to get married at all ,

considering ; and he was convinced that this state of things

w as the result of marrying for sentiment ; he had married

“
f or sense .

Sentiment said Dr King is a phase of youth and

,
.
,
’
growth ; we ve got to go through with it; but to make a
”

“
phase permanent is the act of a fool
“
.

Well now W illiam objected Dr Lavendar look at

,
”
, ,
.
,
’ ’
Oscar Y ou can t say it s a phase of youth
.

‘
From Old Cheste r Tale s . Copyri gh t , 1 89 8 , b y Harpe r
B rothe rs .
46 EN GL IS H SH OR T - S TORY W RI T E RS

Oh Oscar caught it late the doctor said

, ,
.
“
I have
had a case of measles where the patient w as sixty-tw o
’
.

As for Dorothea she s young enough to be foolish ; Martha

,

says she l ooks under the bed every night f or a man ! She
’
says she doesn t even buy her ow n clothes Im agine me .

’
deciding on Martha s sh oestrings l Well Martha wouldn t ’
,

have it Nobody would resent that sort of t hi ng more

.

than Martha said Willy compl ac ently

”
, , .

M artha managed her ow n shoest rings in those fi rst days ;

and by-and -by such was her comm on-sense she managed ,
’
,

the doctor s also Though W illy did n ot talk so much

.

about it when t h at time c ame .

Still he must have appreciated the way in whi ch she

,

expended his small in come ; for she fed an d clothed her

plum p blond W illiam as though he had twice as much to
,

live on When Mrs King made an un usuall y good b ar

. .

gai n with the meat -man or haggled with M r Hora ce

,
.

Shields until he sold her a bottle of ink for two cents less
than the general public paid she used to say exultingly , , ,

that it w as well for W illy considering that he would not

,

send bills to half of his patients that he had a wife who ,

wou ld l ook after t h ings

“ ’
.

I don t know what would have become of you Willy , ,

’ ”
if you d married a di fferent kind of woman Martha would
say good naturedly
,
-
“You would have been in the poor
.
,

”
house by this time !
Although she did not know it the good Martha really ,

opened up a very interes ting question which most women

would do well to ask themselves in regard to their h us
bands : Wha t would my Tom or Dick or Har ry have been , , ,

without me ? N ot so silent if he had chosen a girl who

,

did not gush ; not so se lfish if he had had a wife l ess ,

addi c ted to u nse lfishness ; not so ill -tempered if he had ,

married some one less anxious and nagging The fact is .

,
48 E N GLI S H SH ORT — S TORY W R IT E RS
night , you had better rise ; — and c onsult an ocul ist at
on ce ”
.

Any woman will know that the doc tor said this : it is
the re ply of a husban d .

But re ally and t ruly Mrs King w as a capable con

, ,
.
,

sc ie ntious sens ible woman ; and Old Chester w as not u n

,

reasonable in expecting the same c haracteristics in he r

younger sister Lucy ; but their only resemblan ce w as that

,

they neither of them had the slightest sense of humor I n .

every other w ay they coul d not have been more radica lly
diff erent if they had been re lations by marriage .

Perhaps this was because they were almost strangers ,

Lucy having lived in the East with her father ever sin ce
she was ten years old He came bac k poor old man at .
, ,

last to die in Mer cer And a month afte rward Old Chester
, .

’
was told b riefly that Mrs Ki ng s siste r Lucy w as coming .
, ,

to l ive with her

’
I don t believe in it Mrs King said
.

’
Willy s sister “
’
. .
,

didn t c ome to live w ith him when poor old Mrs King .

’
d ied ; and I don t kn ow why my sister should live with
me But Willy will have it I only hope f or her own
. .
,

self-respec t Lucy will fin d something to do so that she

, ,
’
won t be a burden on him I shall tell her so flatly and ,
.

frankly I consider it my duty ”

“
. .

So Lucy came with Dick her c anary-bird an d her

, , ,

little caba ful l of wors ted -work She w as only twenty .

three the idol of the old father whose relation to her

, ,

had been maternal and loverlike and brotherly all at on ce , .

One does not j ust see w hy for though she w as a good girl , ,

she w as not espec ially attractive ; very shy not pretty ,

’
exac tly though she h ad soft dee r s eyes ; certainly not
,

sen sible ; cru shed poor child when she came to live with
, ,
’
the Kings by her father s loss .
,

Willy looked at her once or twice the fi rst day at

 UN E X PE C TE D NES S OF M R . SH IEL D S 49

breakfast and wondered how tw o sisters could be so

,

differen t
“ ’
.

“
No I don t like se w ing she said listlessly
,
No I, , .
,
’
don t care f or books ”
And then later : .No I don t ’
,
’
,

kn ow anything ab out cookin g I don t like housekeeping . .

“
But I like worsted work pretty well
“
-
.

I think said Martha decidedly that father did

”
, , ,

very wrong not to let you learn to do something useful .

Worsted-work is nothing but a waste of time I think .

3)

“
he
’ ”
Don t ! th e other cried ou t ’
Don t speak to me .

”
about my father !
Well he was my father too Mrs King remonstrat ed
,
”
, . .

One speaks the truth of people Lucy whether they are , ,

relations or not Because he was my father doesn t make

.
’
him perfec t said Martha gravely
”
, , .

But Lucy got up and w ent ou t of the room t rembli ng ,

“
as she walked .

Y ou hurt her feelings said th e doctor , .

’
But my dear it s true She ought to have been .
, ,

taught things ; but father spoiled her from the time she
was born She w as the youngest you know ; and he j ust
.
,

lay down and let her walk over him Wh ich was wrong ; .

’
“
you can t deny that
I want my dinner at said W illy King ’
I ve .
“
got to see Mr J im Shields again and I want to go before
.
,
”

“ “
dinner .

Y ou went before breakfast said Mrs King ’

There s .
, .

nothing you can d o ; and as you make no charge it seems ,

“
r ather foolish

Do you th ink your sister would like to go round with

me in the sleigh this morning the doctor said stopping , ,

“
w i th his hand on the door-knob and looking back into the
’
,

It isn t c old and the sleighing is good

”
dining room
- .
, .
50 EN GL IS H S HORT — S TORY W RITERS

“
But Lucy when her sister took the message up to her
, ,
'
’
“
only said listlessly I don t mind
, ,
.

It will do you good

”
her brother-in-law called u p
come along ! “
”
,

stai rs ;
An d Martha added kindly
’
Here s a cu shion Lucy ,
“ , ,

to put behi nd you

“
.

’
I don t need it thank you sister Martha Lucy said .
, , ,

Oh you will be much more comfortable Mrs Ki ng

, ,
.

said dec idedly ; and pushed the pillow be hi nd her little

,

sister and tucked the robe fi rm ly around her feet ; and

,

then they started — the quiet apathetic unhappy child , ,

( w ho had removed the cushion as soon as she w as ou t of

’
her sister s sight ) leaning back in the sleigh behin d the
,
’
doctor s big sho ulder and looking off over the snow shi ning
,

under a soft blue sky but sayi ng nothing On ce she u t

,
.

’
te re d a little cry when the runner on the doc tor s side
went up on a drift and the sleigh heeled like a boat ; and
once she caught his arm because the horse d an ced at
’
,

the soun d of the butcher s horn tooting at a customer s ’

“
door
“
.

Sc ared ? said W illy looking at her kindly ,

You .

’
mustn t mi nd Jinny ; she is a lamb She onl y pran ces to .

”
show she feels happy
“
.

’
I m so afraid of ho rses Lucy answered breathlessly , , .

After that her brother in—law m ade Jinny walk down -

all the hil ls ; then he told her which of his patients he w as

going to visit and on ce or twi ce added interesting details
,

of their diseases whi c h mad e Lucy turn away her head and

wince and say u nder her breath

,

, Oh please brother “
’
, , ,

W illiam ! I can t bear to hear those thi ngs ”

.

”
And the doc tor whi stled and said to himself Sisters ! , ,

That day the longest call w as upon M r Jim Sh iel ds ; it .

w as so long that W illy cam e runni ng out of the house

af ter a whi le bareheaded and bade his sister—ih -law get
, ,
52 EN GL ISH SHOR T — S TOR Y W R IT ER S

He had quite forgotten Lucy Like everybody else in .

’
Old Chester the doctor s mind was full of the Twins — Old
,

Chester always referred to the Shield brothers in this way .

Being twins the tw o old gentlemen were for all prac tical
, ,

purposes the same age but as far bac k as I can remember

,

” “
the younger had been Old M r Horace to his neighbors
,

.
,

w hile the fi rst-born was J im Shi elds to the end of the chapter
— an d a brave end it w as too ! In his early manhood he had
been a high-hearted i rresponsible generous youn g fool ; a bit
, ,

of a bully very likely in the way of overridin g other peo

, ,
’
ple s views an d ins isting upon his ow n with a j oyous dog
,

m atism that never irritated

“
And in middle life when
”
what he cal led his cussed body got the better of him
.
,

and pinn ed him dow n into a wheeled chair he w as still ,

generous and courageous and merry ; and he bulli ed his

, ,

brother and his doctor and Old Chester and indeed Dea th ,

himself— bul lied hi m j eered at him swore at him and

, , ,

lived through nearly thirty years of dying without a

James had fallen ill when he was thirty-fi ve He w as .

sailing around the world as supercargo f or a large Eas t

India trading-house ; when suddenly he came home He
“
h ad had noti ce ”
he said b rie fly
,

An old sawbones i n
“
, .

“
.
, ,

London explain ed it to me he said told me I mustn t

'

, ,
’
try to keep going any longer Fact is I ve got to rust ; .
,
”
or bust he ended cheerfully
, , .

It w as a year before Old Chester kn ew that that rust

’
ing mean t an inval id s chair and slow relentless in , , ,

vincible dyin g ; but James and Horace knew it and they ,

’
looked into the enemy s eyes together Horace was a .

little man with a rosy face ; he was resolute but it w as in

, ,

his ow n fashion ; he had his quiet w ay of car ryin g ou t

’
plans for Jim s comfort no mat ter h ow hi s t w in roared
,

’
at him and swore he would or he wo uldn t ; but he never
,
 UN EXPE C T E D N ES S OF M E . SH IEL D S 53

’
h ad his brother s vigor in exp ressing hi mself Indeed on ce .
,

only when t rembling with alarm he called Will y Ki ng

, , ,

a fool w as he kn own to have spoken forcibly

, .

The tw o brothers lived in a brick house on Main Street ;

two fligh ts of stone steps their hand rails ending in brass
,
-

knobs c urved up to its front door which had a fan-light

, ,

and a big i ron knoc ker Behi nd this door w as the hall
.
,

the wal ls covered wi th varnished paper which represented

blocks of veined and mottled yellow marble ; the stair
case wound roun d this hall and under it were tw o stee l
engravings ”
The Maid of Saragossa and Bolton Ah
,

“
”—
bey both brow n and stained with mildew The parlor .

w as on the left as one entered ; it was a big bare room , ,

with a high ceiling ; there were green Venetian blinds in '

the windows and a pale paper o the walls lands c apes

,
n —

in light brow n of castles an d lakes ; on the wooden mantel

, ,

like fl at trees laden with prisms were three candelabra , ,

each w ith its ormolu milkmaid simpering under the boughs ;

and there were some shells and a carved teakwood j un k ,
’
,

’
and a whale s tooth relics of Mr J im s adventurous days
—
. .

Here all day long J im Shields sat an d watched life slip

, ,

between h is helpless fingers De ath seemed to p lay w ith .

him as a child plays with a fly— pulling off a w i n g or a ,

leg or another wi ng and the head last

, , .

But nothing goes on forever James had been dyin g f or .

“
nearly thirty years and one day he died
, .

But Horace had gasped when that sun ny De cember

”
, ,

morning whi le little Lucy was waiting in the shop W illy

,

King told him how it was going to be — ’

but it s so sud “ ,

An d then he remembered tha t afte r all Willy

”
den ! , ,

What did he kn ow about James ? James

w as but a boy .

w as take n sick when Willy was fif teen years old

’ “
“
You re .

a fool Willy ! he said trembling ’

“
”
I m going to send to
’
.
, ,

Mercer f or a man ; this isn t a time for boys ! ”

I w ish
54 EN GL IS H SH OR T — S TOR Y W RITERS

you would sir W illy said earnes tly ;

,
”
an
“d w hy ’
don t
’
, ,

you have W ilder from Upper Chester ? He s first rate

- ”
.

Af terward as he d rove Lucy home the doc tor said

, ,

that if it was the slightest comfort to Mr Horace he .

,

wished he wou ld call in all the do c tors in the townshi p

“ ”
sai d Willy slap
.

N ot that the re is a sin gle thin g to do

’
ping his rein down on J inn y s shi ning flank ; Mr J im has
,
“ .
,

come to the end And poo r old Mr Horace wi ll break

. .

h is heart .

His li ttle sister-in-law looked over at the runne r c utting

into unbroken snow at the ed ge of the road ’
I m sorry . ,

she sai d in a low voice

, .

Li ttle Lu c y was sorry but her sorrow did not keep her
,

from shri nking away ups tairs when Martha began to ask
the doc tor the particul ars of the morning : An other “
spasm at twelve ? Well I su ppw e his feet ha v e begun ,

’
to sw ell ? I hope he won t last much longer poor man
’
.
,

I felt j ust so about father ; I di dn t wan t him to linger ,

and but j ust here Lucy s lipped ou t of the room and ,

her sister looked after her O pen-mouthed As for the .

doctor he plodded industri ously through his very good

,

dinner an d told her every detail ; and when he had fi n

,

i ehed the di nner an d the d wease he added absently She , .

“
’
,

is very sensi tive isn t she

“Wh o ? sai d Martha
”
,

Wh y your sister ”

’
, .

Oh Lucy ? She is very silly I m afraid I don t ’ .

, .

belie v e i n calli ng foolishn ess se ns itiv eness l And you to ld

”
old Mr Horace ?
.

Yes I told hi m poor old fell ow ! ,

Well he ought to be glad to h ave Mr Jim free from

. .
56 E N GLI S H S H ORT S TORY W RITERS -

J ames ! he ended weakly He looked up at W illy Ki ng

”
, .
,

but the doc tor w as making a pretence of d ropping some

med icine in to a glass so as to hide his ow n blurring eyes , .

As for Dr Lavendar w h o was there too he took the gro p

.
, ,

ing dyin g hand and sa id

“ ,

’
Jim we ll all stan d by him
,
,

and then he took ou t

,

his big red silk handkerchi ef and his breath caught in a , .

sob F or like e v erybod y else he loved Jim Shields

.
,
To , .

be sure he w inced at certain words which honest old

,

Mr Jim used with surprising freedom ; but apparently he

“
.

never took them much to heart ’

Jim Jim don t be
—
.
,
”
profane he would re monstrate with a h orrified look
, , .

An d Jim sw eating with pain would gasp ou t:

“ ,

The devil take iti I forgot the cloth I apologi ze

,

’
,

but I wasn t profane Profani ty is unne cessary sw earin g ;

.

’ ’
and if this isn t necessary I ll be
“ James ! James ! J amee l ”
,

But now when J 1 m Shields lay d ing his wicked tongue y , ,

his im pudent courage w ere an express ion of his religion ;

and the old mini ster had eyes to see this So he only .

patted the bl ind groping hand and said

“ ’
,

Jim w e ll d o all w e can f or Horace Never you fear !

,

“
.
,
’
Who s afraid said M r Jim thickly ’
But I c an t
—
. .
,

hold on— much — longer D amned if I can

“ ’ ’
. .

Don t try d on t try Horace entreated in anguish

—
, ,
.

Then c ame a long dull eff ort and the heavy mu ffled , , ,

tongue said one pathetic word ,

”
Lonely ?
No
”
old Mr Horace said aga in .
’
no ; I won t be
’
,

lonely Mind now Jim I won t be lonely Do you hear ?

’
. .
, ,
”
Jim I won t Jim do you hear ?
,
— .

So, bravely old Horace Shields told his l ie

,
to make
dying les s deadly f or his b rother .
 UN EXPE C TE D NES S OF M R . S H IELD S 57

Then he went on living as w ell as he could meeting fi rst ,

the visible lonel in ess if one may call it so— the silent house
, ,

the empty chai r the fuller purse The occupation of ser

, .

vi ce w as ended ; the anxiety was over ; the habits of life

.

were torn to pie ces Ah me ! How much of the torment

.
,

of grief c om es from this violent change of the habits of

life ! F or M r Horace there were no more duties : he need

.

not roll a wheeled chair on the sunny side of the street ; .

he n eed not taste the beef-tea to see if it had enough pepper ;

he need not bring ou t the chess -board ; he need not do a
hundred other small serv ices ; his habit of a ff ection was
over and the habit of grief h ad not yet come to him
, .

He went blun dering and st aggerin g through the over

whelmi ng leisure of material loneliness As for the spirit .

ual loneliness but enough of that ! Those of u s who have

—

re ac hed mi ddle l ife do not need the telling ; and the younger
folk wou ld not understand it if they w e re told They are .

dancing to the piping of Life and one of these days they ll ’

,

pay the piper ; then they will un derstand .

But everybody w as very good to poor old Mr Horace .

in h is affli ction Mrs Dale sent hi m wine j elly in a rabbit

.

“
.

”
mould Mrs Drayton presented him w ith a b ooklet
. .

bound in white and gold and n amed Tea rs Wi ped Away;

,

but she sighed a little when she wrapped it u p and said ,

’
to Mrs W right that poor J ames Shields s language w as not
.

that to fit a man for dying ; however she hoped the Lord ,

would overlook it: in fact she had asked Him to do so , .

Miss Wellwood — she was j ust then about to become Mrs .

Barkley so it was especial ly kind in her to think of other

’
,

people s sorrow s — c arri ed him a handful of ambrosia ,

which having been fi rst dipped i n water and then rolled

, ,

in flou r formed a white and shaking decoration suitable

, , ,

M iss Mari a th ought for a house of mour ning

, .

Dr Lavendar used to come and sit with him in the

.
58 EN GL I S H SH ORT — S TORY W RITERS

evening an d smoke silently ; n oticing as silently that

, , ,
’
Jim s chair and footstool had not been removed and t h at ,

the chess -board had remai ned j ust as it had been left at
the last game— that pathetic e ff ort of grief to h nd per
mane nce Sam W right sent Mr Horace a case of wine ;
. .

Willy King w as very attentive ; an d Martha w rote him

a kind sensible lette r telling him that if he would remem
, ,

ber that Mr Jim w as at rest he would be reconciled she

.
,

w as sure And then she added that she had heard that
’
.

he would not have M r Jim s room changed but that she

“
.
,

did hope he would not make such a mistake It is easier .

“
to change thin gs now than it will be later she said very , ,

t rul y ao I do hope you w ill j ust have the parlor ren o

,

v ated Take my word it will be easier for you in the

.
,
”
end .

Mr Horace when he had read this very good advi ce

.
, ,

poked her let ter down into the fi re and then l ooked around ,

the room fi erce ly as though ch allenging what everybody

, ,

will agree was commons ense .

A good many letters of sympathy came but Mr Horace , .

did n ot read them He put them away in his desk in the .

shop N or did his kindly sorry old friends venture to

’ “ ,
.

talk about James He can t bear that it appears .

”
, ,

Dr Lavendar said sadly and smoked in pitying silen ce

.
, ,
.

I t was all silen ce to Mr Horace— a silence without in .

te rest He went into the store every morning and looked

.
,

listlessly about there was the mai l to be opened— when

there was any mail and occasional customers to he waited ,

on. There was the trade paper to be read and sometimes ,

circulars Jim used to make the ci rculars into spil ls to

.

light his pipe because he said everything ought to be of

, , ,

some use in the world even lies But the interest of the ,
.

’
shop the story of the day s doings to be told to Jim was
, ,

gone After supper there was nothing f or it but to sit

.
60 EN GL IS H SH ORT — S TO RY W RITERS

Martha put her work down ow Lucy look he re ;.

“
N , ,
’
I don t believe you mean what you say but if you do ,
”
mean it you ought to be ashamed to say it
“
.

’ ”
I ll se w if you want me to sai d Lucy turn ing whi te
, , ,

and red
’
.

’
I don t want you to sew for me the doc tor s wife said .
,

I can do my ow n work But I must say I don t see h ow

.
’
you can be willin g to be idle Y ou do not h ing but take
.

care of t h at poor canary -bird — ( the most untidy t h ing I

ever had in my house !) Upon my word Lucy if I had ,

’
,

a dozen d aughte rs I d bring every one of them up to do

’
,

“
somethi ng so they shouldn t be dependent !
’
,

I d like to do something
”
Lucy answered faintly
’
, , ,
”

“
but I don t know anythin g
’ “
.

Well that s j ust w h at I say her sister said

”
But
’
, .
,

I suppose there s n o use talking ! ”

Yet after the manner ,
’
of l adies w h o say the re is n o use talki ng the doc tor s wi fe ,

c ontinued to talk She had talked pretty much all winter

. .

Li ttle Lucy had shrunk an d shivered and gone ups tairs ,

to cry all by herself but nothi ng had come of it

,
She w as .

so silen t and apatheti c so i nc apable of reparte e

,
that it ,

must be sai d in ex cuse for Martha that she had no con ,

ception h ow her words stung Apparently they made no.

impression whatever ; whi ch lured her on into greater and

greater frankness that vi rtue in whose n ame so many
—

u npleasant n esses are commi tted ! On ce the doc tor said ,

n ervously he di d wish she would let up on t h at child and

,

hi s wife a little hurt said that she was onl y speakin g for
’
,

Lucy s good “ ,

If I had ten girls of my ow n

.
”
she said , ,

I would bring them up to have proper ideas of work ”

“ I thi nk ten girls with proper ideas would be d readf ul

.

to live w ith
”
said the doc tor con j ugally An d then he
’
, , .

w ent u p stai rs and kno ck ed on Lu c y s door, and produ ce d

-

a little pa c kage .
 UN E X PE C TE D N E S S OF M R . S H IE LD S 61

A pres ent — f or me ? Lucy sa id and pulled open the ,

parcel and found a little p1 n lying on a bed of pink cotton

“ ,

Oh brother W illiam ! she said and gave him her

,
”
,
.

hand ; and then on an impulse put up her face and kissed

, ,

As for W illy King he blushed to hi s ears Then she

, .

“
bad e him wait while she put the pin into the black ribbon
”
bow at her throat Doe s it look pretty ? she said
.
,

anxiously The doctor put his head on one side and said
.
,

that it did .

Lucy looked in the glass and took the pin out and stuck
it in at a di ff erent angle ’ ”
Isn t that better ? she said ;
.
,
“
and W illy turned round to the light and said critically he , , ,

believed it was
“
.

He went down—stairs smiling to himself

“
I gave Lucy .

”
a pin he told his wife
,
She was as pleased as a little
.

kitten
“ “
.

”
A pin ! said Martha Why W illy King ! as if you .
,
’
didn t have expense enough in buying her shoes and stock
ings ! An d I must say considering h ow hard it is to make
,

“
both ends meet it was extravagant my dear
, , .

”
It w as only fi v e dollars her husband defended him ,

’
Wil son s bill f or fix ing the drain is fi v e dollars Mrs
King observed signifi cantly ,
J usti ce before generosity .
“ ,
.

,
”
my dear .

W illiam King made no reply but he knew she w as right ; ,

which did not make him any more aff ectionate For men .

love their w ives not because of their virtues but in spite ,

As f or Martha she was really troubled, e can t

’ .
“
W
afford to make prese nts she said to herself ; she was
”
,

putt ing a new binding on her dress and her fi nge rs were ,

dus ty and her m ind in the ruffled condition pe c ul iar to

,
62 EN GL IS H S HOR T — S TORY W RITERS

this oc cupation When Lucy came and show ed her the

.

’
li ttle pin it took real grace on poor Martha s part not to
,

ex press her opinion .

Ins tead she glanced at her over her glasses and said
“ ,

ki ndly : You look a little pale Lucy If you feel chilly ,

.
, ,

”
you had better take some quinine
“
.

I hurt my ankle when I wen t out to walk Lucy ex

’
plained her sister s interest rousing her a l ittle
,
I
,

.
“
t ripped on the board -wal k on the comm on ; it h ad a hole

““
in it.
”

’
That s very dangerous — I mean the hole Martha ,

sai d ; your ankle will be all right as soon as you have

”
rested it Put your foot up on a chai r
“
. .

’ ”
I don t thi nk I want to Lucy said .

’
,
”
Oh you ll be a great deal more comfortable ! Martha
,

said with kind ly decision ; and got up herse lf and brought

, ,

a ch ai r and a pillo w and li fted the strained ankle gently

“ “
.
,
’ ”
There that s better ! she said Lucy sighed But . .
,

about the hole in the board walk : some one might hurt -

themselves seriously You had better w rite a note to

.

Sam Wright about it he is the burgess you k now ”

“
.
,
’ ”
Oh I couldn t ! Lucy said h orrified
“
.
, ,

Martha put her work down an d l ooked at her Lucy

’
.
,

have you no sense of responsibi lity ? Don t you care to

”

“
make t h ings bette r ?
’
I wouldn t write to hi m f or anything in the world !

“
said Lucy .

Martha shook her head ’

That s n ot the w ay to look
.

’ ’
at life Lucy But I m afraid it s part of your nature
’
.
,
’
.

I m afraid it s the same characteristic whi ch makes you

”
willi ng to be idle when all the rest of the world is at work .

And Lucy turning white and red said not a single word
, ,
.

Mrs King sighed and went on with her binding ; arguing

.

wi th Lucy was li ke tryin g to sew with no knot in your

64 E N GL IS H SH OR T - S TORY W R I TERS
Lucy w as sitting over a little fire which had ret reated
into one corner of the grate ; she shivered as she looked
up “ ’
I m j us t going to bed she said
’ ’
.
,

It s foolish to sit up when you don t have to Martha ,

said dec idedly

“
.
,

I got worri ed about brother W illiam

“
Lucy con ,

fessed ; I wanted to make su re he w as at home there s— ’

”

“
such a storm to night
— .

W orried ! cried her sister , laughi ng in spite of herself

”
.

’
Wh y he s at home safe and sound eating some supper
, , ,

down -stairs My dear worry is the most foolish thing in

.
,

the world I never worry N ow do go to bed He re

. . .
,
’
I ll slake your fire f or you ”
.

She took up the poker sti rring the dis c ouraged -looking
,

fi re vigorously ; then she lifted the coal -scuttle in her

strong hands and flung the slake on there was a sm al l
burst of flame and the smell of coal -dust and gas
“ ’
.
,
”
Oh it s so unpleasant ! sai d Lucy drawing back
, , .

There are a great many unple asant thi ngs in this

,
”
world Lucy said Martha sh ortly
,
Come now go to , .
“ , ,

’
bed ! It isn t as if you had any duty which kept you u p ”
.

”
Y es ; I will Lucy said listlessly
, ,
.

’
Dear me Lucy I don t know what you would do if
’
, ,

you had any duties I sometimes thi nk it s fortun ate for

.

you that your brother-in-law is so good-natured Most .

men espec ially if they were poor c ountry doc tors like W illy
,

would rather resent it to have to support their wives

’
sisters w h o haven t a s in gle c are or duty in the world ex
,

- ’
cept to look after a can ary bird (I don t see how you can .

’
keep that bird it s so untidy ! )
“ ’
,

I don t kn ow what to do Lucy said getting up and

looking at her with frighte ned eyes — — ’
and and I l l try
—
,
“ ,

“
not to eat so much sister Ma rtha
’
.
,

Martha winced at that Oh don t be foolish my .

, ,
 UN EXPE C TE D NES S OF M R . S H IEL D S 65

dear ! ’ or anythi ng like that

It i sn t the eating ’
It s the
’
.
,

pri nci ple: I would earn my way But don t be fool ish .

”
and talk about not eating ! Mrs Kin g had the sens ation .

o f havi n g stepped down further than she expected — a sort

of moral j ar
“
.

“
I would do an ything I could said little Lucy be
’
, ,

ginnin g suddenly to cry convulsively I don t like to .

be a burden on brother W illiam ; but I never learned to

“
do anything and
’
,

Yes that s j ust what I said ; father never had you

,

taught anything Y ou might give music lessons if he

.
,

h ad ever made you pract ise thoroughly ; but he was j ust

satisfied to have you play tunes to him after supper I
’
.

“
don t blame you but I do blame father I ,
.

Stop blaming father ! Oh my father ! my father ! ,

Lucy ran panting to the other side of the room and

, , ,

c aught up a little photograph of her father and held it

against her breast .

“
Martha looked at her in consternation and serious dis
approval How can you be so foolish Lucy ? she said
”

“
. .
,
’
Well there s no use talking ; only I must say fl atly and
, , ,

“
frank ly
’
Martha I w on t hear my father criticised I wish I .
,
”
w as de ad wi th him Oh father ! the poor child broke
.
,

ou t. An d then there was a fi t of crying and she threw ,

herse lf on the bed face down and would not speak when
, ,

“
her sister tried to comfort her .

There now c ome ! Mrs Kin g said ; and patted her

,
”
,
.

shoulder whi ch showed no yielding ;— there is nothi ng

,

which c an be so obstinate as the shoulder of a crying

woman .

Mrs King was really uneasy when she left her She
. .

even went so far as to tell the doc tor that she thought he
h ad bette r look after Lucy .
66 EN GL IS H S HOR T — S T Q RY W RI T ERS
’
I thi nk sh e s inclined to be hysterical she said She .
,
’ ’
is a foo lish girl I m afraid but I thin k she s really nervous
, ,

too .W hat do you suppose W illy ? She was sitting up ,

over a miserable little fi re w orryi ng if you pleas e bec ause

, , ,

you we re late ! I have no patience w ith women w ho worry .

’
Either the thi ng will happen or it won t ; and sitting u p ,
’ ’
in the cold until one o clock in the morning won t accom
, ,
”
li h anyth i ng way the other
“
p s one o r .

W orrying ? about me ! sai d the doctor stopping with

”

“
a suspender in one outstret c hed hand ; well ! ”
,

But the worm had turned In her hopeless un inte rested .

,

way Lucy had made up her mind : she would not be a

,

burden any longer She would go to Merce r and try to

.

get pupils and give mus i c lessons She was not resentful
,
.
,

she w as not bitter still less w as she in intelligent ac cord

,

w ith her sis ter ; she w as only star ted so to speak l ike a , ,

stone that has been pushed p as t a certain po int of res istance .

A week after this talk she told Martha t hat she was
going to Mercer .
“
I am goi ng to visit Miss Sarah Murray ;
she invited me to visit her some time this winter An d .

’
I ll t ake Dick ”

“
.

Mrs King pu t down her se w ing

.
’
I shoul dn t th ink .

you would want to make visits Lu c y w ith father dead , ,

only six months I should think you would rather stay

.

quietly here with me considering that w e are both in

,
”
affli ction .

Lucy made no reply .

But of course you are perfectly free to do as you

ple as e her siste r went ou
“
.
,
’ ”
I think I d better go Lucy said .
,

There w as something in her voice that made Mrs King .

68 EN GL ISH S HOR T — S T ORY W R ITERS

am sure we w ere all very kind to him ; so why should he

“
go away from home
w h o c an make up to
”
Besi d es sai d Mrs Drayton ,
.
,

h im f or his loss so well as hi s frien ds ? We all liked poor

Mr J am es — though he did ce rtainly use imprope r l anguage
.

at times I on ce heard him use a profan e word myself

. .

I shou ld not be willing to repeat it It w as — not the worst

’
.

”
one but the one with r in it you know
‘
.
, ,

The ladi es shook their heads ex cept Mrs Barkley w h o ,

.

’
,

said harshly tha t f or her part she didn t won der at Jim
, , , ,

stronger than dear me herself But Martha King said“

Shields ; she be lieved she would have said somethin g
”
.
,

se riously that she hoped Mrs Drayton had told him flatly
’
.
, ,

and frankly how wro ng it w as to lose one s self-c ontrol

,

and swear
’ ”
,
.

Well no I didn t Mrs Drayton confessed

,
’
It s so
,
. .
“
”

“
painf ul to me to speak se verely to any one
’
.

Be cause it is pai nful is no reason for not doing one s

duty Mart ha returned dec idedly
”

“
.
, ,

Well as f or his going away

,
said Mrs Drayton ,
’
.
,

probably he hasn t been so overwhe lmed by grief as w e

thought I j udged him by myself If I had lost a loved
’
. .

one I cou ldn t go travelling about

’
But I m s ure I hope .

’
,

”
he ll enj oy himse lf poor man ! ,

And all the Sewing Society said it was su re it hoped

so, too .

It was a rain y morning in Marc h that Mr Horace went .

away Th e st age was waiting for him at the door of the

.

tavern when he came hurrying down the st reet — h e had

been delayed by giving directions to Mrs Todd who w as .
,

to keep the shop O pen duri ng his absen ce— an d the re w as

the doc tor holding an umbrella over a slim girl in a bl ac k
froc k w ho w as c arryin g a bird -cage in one nervous little
,

hand .
 UN EXPE C TE D NES S OF M R S H IEL D S . 69

Thi s is Lucy Mr Hora ce W illy King said , .

,
”
.
“
W e will
be so much obliged if you will look after her on the
”
“
w ay .

”
T o be su re I will to be sure I will said Mr Hor—
, .

ace ; and the little girl put her hand in his without a

word .

She w as the only other passenger ; and when W ill y had

tu c ked the robe around her and smuggled a bag of candy ,

into her muff the door with its painted landscape w as

, , ,

sl ammed to and the stage pitching and c reaking on its

, ,

sprin gs started up the hill passing the church and then

, ,

the graveyard— at whi c h Mr Horace looked through the .

streaming rain on the coac h w indow His fellow-traveller .

,

however turned her face away

,
.

There was something in the shrinking movement that

touched Mr Hora c e He remembered that W illy h ad
. .

told him the child had h ad some sorrow— ii one c an say

sorrow in connection with youth ; so he made an effort
to dome out of his absorption and talk to her and cheer , ,

her .

She had very little to say only answering him in gentle ,

monosyllables until by some chance he referred to her

,

father
“
.

’
I met him several years ago ma am and my brother '

James had some acquaintance with him .

’
Lucy s eyes suddenly fi lle d .

M r Horace looked at her with instant sympathy in his

.
,

ruddy old face S o youth may grieve after all ?

“
.
,
”
My dear I have recently suff ered a loss myself
,
he ,

“
said gent ly
,

Oh yes said Lucy ; ,

.

I know 1 was very sorry “ .

,

Ah well —
,
”
said Mr Horace with a sigh
. e ,
— “
h was sick
a long time . I ought not to begrudge him his rele as e .
 S HOR T - STORY W RITERS
‘

70 E N GL I S H

Yes he had been an invalid f or many years But he w as

,
.

the bravest of the brave My brother w as a sailor in hi s .

youth He had many interesting adventures He has

. .

told me stories of hi s adventures by the hour But when .

he came to be an i nvalid after such an active life he never , ,

”
flin ch ed The bravest of the brave !
“
.

My father was brave said Lucy ,

.

”
My b rother had been in most foreign lands Mr
“
.
,

Horace went on He was shipwrecked twi ce before he

.

was thi rty I recollect as well as if it was yesterday

.
, ,

how he came home after that first time he was wrecked .

We had given him u p My mother w as u p-st airs cutting .

ou t those little— ah garments that children wear She ,

.

w as cutting out a pair to go in a missionary barrel Well

’
.
,

James j ust walked into the room as casually as if he hadn t ,

been ou t of the house My mother ( I recollec t pe rfectly ) .

she threw up her hands — she h ad the scissors on her

thu mb and fi nger — and she said Wh y James where ,
‘
, ,

on earth did you come from And my brother he said :

‘
From the waters under the earth ; from India s coral’
’
strands he said ( You kno w the hymn .
’
But I haven t ‘
,

— ’
any coral or a ny clothes except what you see he said .

’
,
‘ ’
I h 0 pe you ll give me those things ; meaning the— the
”
small garment ; and he stood six fee t two !
Lu c y smiled vaguely .

It w as a j oke M r Hor ac e explained

”
, . .

Oh yes I see My father was a good deal like that

, .
,
’
saying funny things They re pleasant to live w ith such .
,
”

“
people .

They are indeed — they are indeed Mr Horace

,
’ “
.
, ,

agreed sighing ,
My brother s humor was invincible
.
,

perfectly invincible Wh y I recollect perfectly .

,

Th e story he remembered was not brilliant humor but ,

Lucy w as as poli te as if it were and capped it with some ,

72 E N GL IS H S HORT — S TORY W RITERS

I rec ollec t j ust as if it w ere yesterday when my brothe r

, ,

J ames brought home from one of his voyages a little savage

— a heathen in fact
,
My mother w as exceedingly alarmed
.

about his spiritual state ; but W oolly ( that was what my

brother James called him) was converted immediately .

My brother said it w as because my mother gave him a

cake whenever he named our Saviour And I somet imes .

”
fea re d there w as t ruth in this remark .

Lucy laughed and Mr Hora ce looked pleased and patted

, .
,

her hand kin dl y Miss Sarah and Miss Emily Murray

.
,

w h o were sitting on either side of the fire smi l ed and Miss , ,

Sarah obse rved that mi ssionaries often used such methods

as food and glass heads to attract poor sav ages
“
.

My brother said that j ust before he landed he suddenly

realized that W oolly h ad to have clothes ; you know being ,

a savage and a heathen he had no garments of any k in d

,
.

’
h
In fact e as ah
,
w — —
if I may say so q uite q uite as
— —
,

you may say und ressed ,

My brother knew that such
.
,

being the c ase W oolly would be conspicuous w hen the

,

ship came into port and the poor savage landed at the
wharf . So what did my brother James do but make
W oolly lie down with his arms extended on a piece of
, ,

cloth spread on the deck ; then he took a lump of chalk

and outlined him as it w ere then he doubled the cloth
,

and c ut this ou t like those paper dolls which are made for
infants ou t of newspapers ; and he sewed W oolly into these
two piec es Dear me ! I wi sh you coul d have seen him !
’
.

'
How my mother did laugh ! I wouldn t give a fig for your
’
sew ing James says she But my sewing gives a fig-leaf
‘

’
.
, ,

to W oolly says my brother James had such a read y

,
.

”
tongue .
 UN EXPE C TE D N ES S OF M R . S H IELD S 73
”
The sui t must have fi tted very badly Lucy said , ,

seriously
“ Y es
”
,
.

Mr Horace admitted . but it w as warm you ,

“ ,
”
know ; and ah c us tomary
“
— —
.

”
Oh yes of course said Lucy , , .

It was with tales like this that old Hora ce Shields tried
to cheer his little compani on when he came to see her at
the Misses Murrays ’ He had decided not to continue his
.

j ou rney East to purchase stock but order by mail from ,

Mercer where he thought he would remain f or a few

, , ,

days and see if he could not comfort this poor child who
seemed somehow to be on his hands
,
But he stayed
,
.

nearly three weeks He came to call almost every day .

,

and the estimable Misses Murray welcomed him warmly ,

“
and told him that they were much grieved at the depression
”
of their young friend And indeed said kind old M iss
“
.
,

Sarah I fear I must add that I do not approve of

,

the apparent indi fference dear Lucy displays toward her

’
sister Lucy says that Martha does not like her canary
.

bird — which is really a foolish reason for wishing to reside in

Mercer It almost looks like temper I think however your
. .
, ,

conversation cheers her and when she is less depressed she ,

”
may come to a more prope r mind in regard to her family .

M r Horace certainly did cheer the nervous worried

.
,

girl ; and Sometimes his own burden seemed lighten ed in

his efl ort to lighten hers I n telling her his stories about
'

his brother he led her to talk about her father and then
, ,

about her ow n aff airs ; and the third time he called when ,

“
they chanced to be alone she told him palpitating an d , ,

determined that she would never never ne ver go back

, , ,

and live with her sister because she would not be a bu rden ,

on brother Willy
“
”

“
.

”
But my dear young lady
,
he remonstrated you , ,

c annot live alone here in Mercer you know , .

11 —6
 74 EN GL IS H SH OR T — S TORY W R I TERS

Oh yes said poor little Lucy

, ,
“
I know .
’
But I won t
go bac k to sister Martha
”

“ But what will you do my dear Miss Lucy ? Mr

.

, .

Horac e said anxious ly

“
.
,
’
Oh I don t know ! cried poor Lucy and her big
”
, ,

deer-like eyes h ad a hunted l ook in them that went to the

’
old gentlem an s heart He made a point of seeing the
.

Misse s Mu rray by themselves and they all talked the ,

matter over with anxious seriousness

“
.

”
It is impossible for her to get pupils Miss Sarah said ; ,

she is not the sort of youn g woman w h o can push and

”

“
make her ow n way .

I am not sure that she is not more pleasi ng on that

account M iss Emi ly sa id with dec ision
”
, , .

Mr Hora ce nodded his head and said hi s brother James ,

“
.

had always d isliked excessively capable l adies My

’
brother J ames said he wouldn t want to sit down at table
”
three t imes a day with a horse marine he said chuckling ;
—

“ not but w hat he h a d great respect for intelligen ce

”
he
, ,

added politely,
.

And the Misses Murray said oh yes indeed ; they qui te , ,

understood And then they be gged Mr Hora ce who was

. .
,

re tur ni ng to Old Ches ter in a few days to correspo nd with ,

them on the subject so that they might advise the child

,

wi sely .

Mr Horace promised to do so ; and du ri n g the tires ome

.

’
stage j ourney home he put hi s mind upon Lucy s troubles .

He wondered what Jim woul d say about it all J im had hi s .

O pinion of Mrs W illy ; M r Horace chuckled as he thought

“
. .

of it Estimable woman said M r Horace to hi mself

“
.
.
, ,

very estimable ; but not agreea b le Poor Miss Lucy ! ”

.

He thought of her with an im pulsive pity which brought

out the youth of his ruddy old fac e— that fi ne youth of
the s pirit which cannot be touche d by the body s age ’ .
76 EN GL ISH SH ORT S TOR Y W RIT ERS
—

not to slight wrong-d o ing in servants She has not kept .

regul ar hou rs at all Mrs Ki ng said and it h as been a .

’
, ,

great an noyan ce Won t you come in and take tea with

.

us M r Hora c e ?
’
.

N o ma am I thank you he sai d and hurried into

his hou se
,
“ ,
”
Poor Miss Lucy ! he said to himself ; poor
.
, ,

“
M iss Lu cy !
She w as in h is thoughts when sitt ing all alone in the ,

shop with h is lamp on the desk beside hi m he took ou t

, ,

the le tters whi ch had been put away all these months
“
.

After all these old friends loved James

,
And well they .

might ! he told hi mself proudly He opened one letter

”
,
.

after another and read the friendly apprec iative words

,

nodding and sighing and sayi ng to himse lf : Y es indw d !

,
,
“ ,
,

Yes he w as brave ; he w as patient Wh o knows that as

,
.

”
well as I do ? The comfort of it came warmly to his
heart and the applause braced and c heered him un til for
, ,

very ha ppiness and pride two little h ot tears trickled ,

do w n his cheeks and splashed on the pile of letters .

But when he went u p—stai rs into the silent house into ,

the d re ad fu l emptine ss of t h at room where J ames had

lived for nearly thi rty years— th e old despair of desolation
sei ze d him agai n It w as that whi ch by-and -by made
.
, ,

him say he would go back to Mercer for a few days and ,

see wh at the Misses Murray h ad done for Miss Lucy He .

wanted to ge away from the house anyw here ! He

t —

thought to himself that he woul d take the lette rs to read

to Miss Lucy ; she had been so interes ted in Jim that she
ought to know tha t his praise had not been me rely brother
ly regard .
“
And I am real ly anxious to know what the
”
poor young lady is going to do he said to himse lf when , , ,

to the astonishment of Old Chester he agai n took the ,

st age f or Merc er
“
.

N i ce in tw o months ! sa id Old Cheste r ; bu t Mrs .

 U N EXPE CT E D N E S S OF M R . SH I E L D S 77
’
Todd w h o in spite of Mrs King s warning was again to
.
, , ,

keep the shop open f or his few days of absence said it w as ,

a real good thing and would do the poor old ge ntleman

,

good.

Little Lu cy had not sec u re d a single pupil during the

weeks she had be en in Mer ce r She was well awa re she .

could not prolong her visit to the kind Misse s Murray ih

de fi nite ly but what was she going to do ? Poor child !
,

h ow man y times a day did she as k herself this question !

’
The very afternoon of Mr Horace s return she had gone
.

ou t and walked hopel e ssly about until d u sk in Mercer s

’
dirty busy streets to think it over The wind wh irled u p
, ,
.

the street and caught her black skirts in a twist and flung ,

the dust into her face and into her eyes The lights be~ .

gan to twinkle along the brid ge that spanned the river ,

and then wavered down into its black depths in gol den
zigzags Against the sullen sky the furnaces fl ared with
.

great ton gues of flame and showers of sparks The even .

ing traffi c of the town noisy dirty hideous ; the hurrying

, , ,

crowds in the streets ; the rumble of the teams the j ostling

of workmen — all gave her a se nse of her utter helpl essness ,

so that the tears began to start and she had to wipe them ,

away furt ively W hat was going to become of her ? The

.

child walking alone in the spring dust looked dow n at

, ,

the river and thought that the w ater was very black and
,
’
very cold I don t suppose she formulated any pu rpose
“
.

in her ow n mind ; she only thought shivering The water , ,

”
is very cold .

Mr Horace met her there on the bridge and there w as

.
,

something about her that made the old gentleman s ’

He took her hand and
“
heart come up in his throat .

put it through his arm and said cheerfully ,

Come , ,
78 EN GL IS H S HOR T — S TORY W R I TERS

with me my dear Miss Lucy and let us walk home

, ,
”
together
“
.

As for Lucy she only said feebly

’
I w on t go bac k to
, , ,
”
si ste r M a rtha
“
.

’ ’
Y ou sha n t my dear said Mr Horace comf ortingly
’
.

’
, , , ,
”
you sha n t indeed ,
.

That evening he talked the situation over w ith Miss

Sarah Murray ; but she only shook her head and said she

“
hoped the child would soon l ook at the matter more reason
”
I would gladly keep her here indefi nitely Miss
“
ab ly .
,

Sarah said in a t roubled way but our income is exceed

, ,

ingly l imi ted

Oh certain ly not certainly not M r Horace broke
, , ,
.

in. He h ad come to feel responsible for Lucy somehow ; ,

he cou ld not have her dependent upon Miss Murray .

He got up and said good -night with a very corre c t how ,

h is feet in the fi rst position for dancing his left hand un der ,

hi s coat —tails .

Old Miss Sarah responded in kind and they parted with ,

high opinions of each other .

But Mr Horace had not reached the st re et co rner be

“
.

”
f ore h e heard M r Shields ! Mr Shi elds ! and there w as
,
. .

Lucy running afte r him bareheaded

“
.
,
’ ”
I ve thought of something she sa i d breathl essly as , , ,

“
she stood beside him panting under the gas lamp on the ,
-

corner ’
Can t I come and take care of the shop Mr .
.
,

’
Shields ? Can t I live w ith you and take care of the shop
Mr Horace in his ea gerness t o hurry her b ack to the
“
.
,

house hardly knew what he answ ered :

,
Y es yes my , ,

dear young l ady Anything that you wish Come now . .

,

come ! you must get in-doors What will Miss Murray say
“
.

I am to come and live with you ? Lucy insisted her

”

eyes wide and frightened ’

Y ou won t make me go bac k .
“ ,

”
to sister Martha ?
 80 EN GLI SH S H OR T — S TORY W R I TER S

M r Horac e hunted f or his h andkerc hief , and ble w h is

.

nose violently dear ! he sai d

.
“ ’
Dear
don t say ,
”
,
“
you
so ? W ell well ! I wish my brother James were here
,
.

He would know what to propose Poor chil d ! poor chi ld ! ”

.

Mr Horace got up and stared ou t of the window ; then

.

he blew his nose again .

M iss Sa rah looked at the b ack of his head but was ,

silent Suddenly he turned and came and st ood beside

.
,

her
“
.

M iss Murray you are a fema le of advanced years and

,

of every proper sentiment ; all I have se en of you leads

”
me to feel a deep es teem for you Miss Sa rah bowed
“
. .

Theref ore I ask you i s it impossible ? I could give the ,

c h ild a good home whi le I live I have re cently lost my .

’
brother; ma am and the little income devoted to his use
,

coul d be transferred to Mi ss Lucy I fi nd myself much .

attach ed to her and would be pleased to have her in my

,

home It would be l ess lonely f or me he said his voi ce

“
.
, ,
’
t remulous ; and my age ma am is sixty-fiv e Surely it , , .

”
is not impossible ?
Miss Sarah who was nearly eighty grew red but she
was firm “ ,

My dea r sir you are still young

.
”—
Mr Horace ,
, ,

blinked suddenly and sat up straight ou r friend is

,

twe nty-three and her looks are pleasin g Need I ad d

, .

that this is a wicked world ? I have lived much longe r

than you sir and I am aware that it is both wicked and
, ,

censorious Can you say that Old Chester is exempt from

.

”
gossi p M r Shi elds ?
“
.
,
’
N o ma am I can t
’ ”
he a dmitted with an unhappy
, , , ,

look
“
.

”
You see it is impossible M iss Sarah ended kindly , , .

M r Horac e sigh ed
. .

M iss Mur ray looked at him and coughed ; then she d re w

i n her breath as one who prepares to st rike If you .
“
 UN EXPE CT E D N ES S OF M R S H IELD S . 81

w ere su ffi ciently advan ced in years my dear sir so that , ,

'

matrimony w as ou t of the qu estion it would be di fl e re nt , .

Mr Hora ce gasped
. But under the circumstances con
.
”
,

tinu ed Miss Sarah sighing I see nothing before our young

, ,

friend ( sin ce she is determined not to return to her s ister)

but to work in some factory ” ’
Miss Murray s house was .

in the old fas hioned part of Mercer and there w as a fac

-
,

tory j ust ac ross the street ; she waved her hand toward it ,

gente elly as she spoke

, .

The room w as quite still except f or a coal dropping from

the grate Mr Horace heard a footstep overhead and
. .
,

knew it w as Lucy walkin g restlessly about in her pitiful ,

unreasoning m isery Involun tarily he followed Miss Mur

.

’
ray s gesture and glanced across the street TW O draggled .
,

looking girls were j ust entering the bleak doorway op posite

“
.

”
Little Miss Lucy do that ? No l impossible !
—

I am sixty-fiv e ; I shall not probably live very much

”
longer he thought
,
“
Suppose it were fi v e years even ;
.
, ,

she would still be a young woman .

Poor little girl ! poor little frightened helples s c hild ! ,

And I would be less lonely he said to himself suddenly , , .

Jim w ould call me an old fool but it w ould please ,

him to have me less lonely Mr Hora ce d rew a long . .

“
breath .

M iss Murray he said would I be taking advantage

, ,
’
of our friend s youth and inexperien ce if I— ii I — ii I sug

gested — matrimony
Miss Sarah did not seem startled ; indeed she even ,

smiled
“
.

”
I think she said it would be an admirable arrange
, ,

ment .

Mr Hora ce looked at her ; she l ooked at him

. Then .

“
they began to talk in whispers like two conspirato rs
But would she began M r Horace .
,
“
.
.
82 EN GL I SH S HORT — S TORY W RIT ER S
“’
Im su re of it! ”

But she is so young

She will outlive you .

I would not wish to t ake advantage

You are only doing a kindness .

'

Her relatives
”
Her relatives have driven her to i ti cried Miss Sarah .

W hich w as really rather hard on Martha and on Lucy s ’

kind and affectionate brother-in-law
“
.

’
W ell we ll protect her said Hora ce angrily An d
”

“
,
, , .

then he suddenl y looked blank and said : W ould you ,

ah — be willing to —to suggest it to her ? I feel a se nse of

”
embarras sment
“
.

”
That is qui te unnecessary Miss Murray d e clared for
,

you are doing a great favor and if I know Lucy her grati
, ,

tude wi l l not be l acking But I will gladly tell her of your

.

”
kindness
“
.

’
Oh pray don t say gratitude Mr Horace protested
growing red ;
,
’ “
don t say kindness Let her regard it as
,

.
.
,

a favor to me wh ich it is I assu re you it is

,
. .

Mi ss Murray rose s miling ; and Mr Hora ce went away

,
.

with a new an d extraordi nary sensation There was some .

thing in his thoughts that came between him and his

grief ; a sense of excitement of chi valry of hope — e ven of
, ,

hope l He fou nd hi mself making plans as he walked along

’
the street ; he saw Lucy in his mind s eye at his lonely
su ppe r-table ; he fancied her sitting besi de hi m in the
d readful evenings listening to his stories of Jim— it seemed
to Mr Hor ac e as though hi s fund of anecdote s of M r
. .

J ames w as inexhaustible ; he imagined her read in g Jim s ’

books and laugh ing in her light girlish voi ce as J im
, ,

used to laugh in h is rol licki ng bass His heart grew .

warm and light in his b reast as he walked and th ough t ; and

then su ddenly it sank : perhaps she would not consent .
 84 E N GL IS H S HORT — S TORY W RIT ERS
’
Oh no Lucy sai d shr inking don t te ll them ! ”
,

But Miss Murray shook her head “ ,

Mr Shields must
,

. .
,

of course refer to your family f or pe rmission

”
,

’ “ .

“
Lucy looked frightened Martha won t allow it she .
,

said faintly ’
Oh don t tell Martha ! ”

“
.
, ,

l My dear I could not allow you to elope Miss Sarah

, ,

remonstrated
“
.

And Mr Shields said N o no that wouldn t do !

.
’ ”
, , ,

“
Th en the tw o elders talked it over Lucy l istening and ,

shivering and saying sometimes

,
Oh Martha will say , ,
’
I ll be a burden to you Mr Shi elds . .
,

I am prepared Mr Horace said to Miss Murray to

,
.
,

have them say I am far too old ; and even that I am

taking advantage of ou r young friend But I am sus
“
.

”
tained ,
said Mr Horace by the knowled ge of the ih
.
,

te grity of my motives Miss Lucy is of age and if she

.
,

’
chooses my home it is not the affair of Wil liam s wife or ,

even of W illiam for whom I have a sin ce re regard But I .

’
,

am inclined to think ma am that it will perhaps be w ise

, ,

to bring th i s matte r to a head — if I may so e x press

to —
it ,

before they have a chan ce to interfere I w ill comm uni .

cate with William and his wife ; but before they can te
monst rate we will take steps we will take steps ! What ,

’
“
do you think of that ma am
“ ”
Adm irable ! said Miss Murray
,

Admi rable ! ”
.

”
How ever said Mr Horace blinking h is eyes suddenly
“
.
, , ,

as though something cold had been thrown in his face it

”
will be very unexpe cted in Old Cheste r !

I t was unex pe cted Old Chester too gasped and blinked

.
, ,

as though it had a cold douch .

W illy King was angr y ; but Martha very sensibly said

that it w as foolis h to be angry But I am mortified “ . ,

“
.
,

’
she said and I don t understand it .
,
 UN EXPE CTE DN ES S OF M R SH IELD S . 85

“
Old Chester when it heard the news nearly went out
, ,
”
of its mind wi th agitation and disapproval
“
— and sorrow ,
”
Mrs Drayton said
. that the dead were soon forgotten !
,

Mrs Dale said that M r Hora ce had t aken advantage of

. .

’
that poor poor child s youth Mrs W right on the contrary . .
’
, , ,

felt that it w as really dis gusting to see a girl so mer cenary

as to marry an old man for a home Mrs Ezra Barkl ey . .

sai d gently tha t he had been so lonely poor Mr Horace !

, ,
.

’
,

no doubt he j ust couldn t st and the desolation of his life

“
.

’ ”
But that does n t explain the other tool her sister-i n ,

law interrupted with a snort

“ . .

Do you know what Dr Lavendar said when he heard

“
.

”
it? Rose Knight asked suddenly He said Hooray .
,
‘

’
,

for Hora ce !
“ Dr Lavendar is getting very old said Mrs Dale
.
,
.
,

sternly .

After the fi rst excitement of it was over it came to ,

’
Martha King s ears that Lucy h ad marri ed to escape living
w ith her ( Those things always leak out ; some friend
’
.
,

“
with a frankn ess as conscientious probably as Martha s
ow n
’
thought Lucy s sister should be told .
,

When poor Martha heard why Lucy had comm itted this
extraordinary folly she turned white smi tten into silence
“
.
, ,
”
I tried to do my duty she said painfully and made no , , ,

reproaches But she suff ered

. I did everything I could
”
for her best good she said to herself as she sat alone
, ,

w orking ; then she wiped her eyes furtively on the u n

bleached cotton shirt she w as hemm ing for the missionary

barrel .
“ ’
Lucy doesn t love me ”
she thought sadly ; ,
’
,

nobody does but W illiam But I ve always tried to do .

my duty Once blunderingly looki ng down at her fi nge rs

.
, ,

trembling in her lap she said something like this to Dr ,

.

“
Lavendar
“
.

Martha my dear he said gravely love more and do

, .
, , ,
86 EN GL IS H SH O RT - S TORY W RITERS

less Do remember Isaiah ( and he w as a pre tty ener

you
’
.

getic old fellow too) says Their strength is to sit still ?

. ,
‘

Our Heavenly Father is j ust as an xious to irnprove things

’
as we are ; but if you ll noti ce He lets us mak e our blun .

ders and learn ou r l ess on And He works by lov e oftener

.

than by the thunders of Sinai But come come ! We all .

,

love you and Lu c y will know that she does too one of
, , ,
”
these days .

But h ow happily it did t u rn ou t! Mr Horac e lived .

more t h an the h y e years he had allowed himself ; and no

wonder with the affection h is little girl gave him and the
, ,

need there was to t ake ca re of her and keep her happy ; ,

’
a man really can t die no matter h ow good his inte ntions
’
,

are when he is needed And bes ides that Lucy s eager

,
.
, , ,

child -like sympathy w as l ike some pure and heal ing touch .

Gradually he took up old interests and liked to meet old ,

friends His grief for his brother passed down through

.

the ruined habits of living in to the depths of life and ,

after a while settled into a habit of its ow n Then the old .

inte res ts closed in upon him — just as a ru tfled pool smooths

and closes over the crash that has shattered its even silver ;
though all the wh ile the weight is buried in its heart .

I t was a su nny pl ac id happy old house in those days

’
, , ,

though nobody could say it w as sensible Dick s cage .

hu ng i n a south window and the l ittle yel l ow creat ure

,

splashed about in h is chi na bath and scattered millet seeds , ,

and shouted h is little songs all day long Lu cy used to .

come and sit in the shop while she shelled the peas f or
dinner or did her h it of worsted -work An d she kept
,
.

things dusted ; perhaps not quite as Martha would have

done the backs of the pictures may have left something to
be d es ired But so long as nobody knew it what differ
.
,

en ce did it make ? This l ack of principle must make the

T HE AD V E N TU RE OF TH E SP E C KL E D
B AND
92 EN GL I S H S H ORT — S T ORY W RI TERS

morning to fi nd Sherlock Holmes standing fully d ressed , ,

by the si de of my bed He w as a late riser as a rule and.

,

as the clock on the mantel -piece showed me that it was

only a quarter past seven I blink ed u p at him in some ,

surprise and perhaps just a little resentment for I w as

, ,

“ “
myself regular i n my habits .

Very sorry to knock you u p W atson said he but , , ,

’
it s the common lot this morning Mrs Hud son has been . .

“
knocked u p she retorted upon me and I on you
, , .

What is it then a fi re ?
— ”
,

N o ; a c lient It seems that a young lady has arri ved

.

in a considerable state of excitement who insists u pon ,

seeing me She is waiting now in the sitting—room

. .

N ow when young ladies wander about the met ropol is at

,

t h is hour of the morning and knock slee py pe ople up ou t ,

of their beds I presume tha t it is something very pressing

,

which they have to communi cate Should it prove to be .

an interesting case you would I am sure wish to follow

, , ,

it from the outset I thought at any rate that I should

.
, ,

ca ll you and give you the chan ce .

My dear fellow I would not miss it for anything, .

I had no keener pleasure th an in following Holmes in

his professional investigations and in admi ring the rapid ,

deductions as swift as intuitions and yet always fo unded

, ,

on a l ogi cal basis with whi ch he unravelled the problems

,

w hi ch w ere submitted to him I rapidly threw on my .

clothes and was re ady in a f ew minutes to accompany

,

my friend dow n to the sitting-room A lady dressed in .

black and heavil y v eiled who h ad been sitting in the ,

window rose as we entered

“ ,
“
.

”
Good morning mad am said Holmes cheerily
-
, My , , .

n ame is Sherlock Holmes This ismy intimate friend and .

associate Dr W atson before whom you can speak as

,
.
,

freely as before m y self Ha l I am glad to see that Mrs . .

 TH E SP E C KL E D BAND 93

Hudson has had the good sense to light the fi re Pray .

draw up to it and I shall order you a cup of h ot co ff ee

, ,
"

“
for I observe that you are shivering
It is not cold which makes me shiver said the woman
.

, ,

“
in a low voi ce changing her seat as requested
, .

Wh at then ? ”
,

It is fear M r Holmes It is terror

, . She raise d her . .

veil as she spoke and we could see that she w as indeed

,

in a pitiable state of agitation her fa ce all drawn and gray , ,

w ith restless frightened eyes like those of some hunted

, ,

animal Her features and figu re were those of a w oman

.

of thirty but her hair w as shot with premature gray and

, ,

her expression was weary and haggard Sherlock Holmes .

ran her over with one of his quick all -comprehensive ,

glan ces
“
.

Y ou must not fear

ward and patting her forearm
said he soothingly bending f or
,

We shall soon set mat

,

“ ,

ters right I have no doubt You have come in by train

, .

“
this morning I see , .

Y ou know me then ? ,

No but I observe the se cond half of a return t icket in

,

the palm of your left glove Y ou must have started early .

,

and yet you had a good drive in a dog-cart along heavy ,

”
road s before you reached the station
,
.

The l ady gave a violent start and stared in be w ilder ,

ment at my companion
“
.

There is no mystery my dear madam said h e smil

ing
.
“
The left arm of your j acket is spattered with mud
, , ,

in no less than seven pla ces The marks are perfectly .

fresh There is no vehi cle save a dog-cart which throws

.

up mud in that w ay and then only when you sit on the ,

left -h and side of the driver .

Whatever your reaso ns may be you are perfectly cor

,
”
rect said she “
I started from home befo re six reached
.
,

,
94 EN GL I SH SH ORT — S TORY W RITERS

Leatherhead at t w enty p as t and c ame in by the first ,

t rain to W aterloo Sir I can stand this strain no longer ;

.
,

I shall go m ad if it continues I have no one to turn to .

none save o nly one who cares for me and h e poor fellow
, , , , ,

can be of little aid I have heard of you Mr Holmes ; I

.
, .

have heard of you from Mrs F e rintosh whom you helped .

,

in the hour of her sore need It was from her that I had .

you r add ress Oh sir do you not think that you could
.
, ,

help me too and at least throw a little light thr ough the
, ,

dense darkness whi ch surrounds me ? At present it is ou t

of my power to reward you for your servi ces but in a ,

month or six weeks I shall be married with the control ,

of my ow n in come an d then at least you shall not fi nd

,
”
me ungrateful .

Holmes turned to his desk and unl ocking it drew ou t a , ,

small c as e-book whi ch he consulted

“ “
.
,

F ari ntosh
”
said he ,
Ah yes I recall the c as e ; it ,

w as co n cerned with an opal tiara I think it w as before .

your t ime W atson I can only say m adam that I shall

, .
, ,

be happy to devote the same care to your case as I did to

that of your f ri end As to reward my profession is its
.
,

ow n reward ; but you are at liberty to defray whatever

expe nses I may be put to at the time which suits you ,

best And now I beg that you will lay before us every
.

thing that may help us in forming an O pinion upon the

mat ter
“ “
.

Al as ! replied our vi sitor the very horror of my situa ,

tion lies in the fact that my fears are so vague and my ,

suspicions depend so entirely upon sm all points which ,

might seem trivial to another that even he to whom of ,

all others I have a right to look for help and advi ce looks
upo n all that I tell him about it as the fancies of a nervous
woman He does not say so but I can read it from his
.
,

soot h ing answers and averted ey es But I have heard .

,
96 EN GL I SH SH ORT — S TORY W RI TERS

and w e w e re only tw o years old at the time of my mother s

’
remarri age She had a considerable sum of money— not
.

less than £ 1 000 a year— and th is she bequeathed to Dr .

Roylott entirely while we resided with him with a pro ,

~

vision that a certain annual su m should be allowed to each

of u s in the event of our marriage Shortly after our re
.

turn to England my mother died — she w as killed eight

year ago in a railway accident near Crewe Dr Roylott
s . .

then abandoned his attempts to establish himself in prac

tice in London and took us to l ive with him in the old
,

ancestral house at Stoke Moran The money which my

.

mother h ad left was enough f or all ou r wants and there ,

seemed to be no obstacle to ou r happiness

“
.

But a terrible change cam e over ou r s tep-father about

this time Inste ad of mak ing friends and exchanging visits
.

with our neighbors w h o h ad at fi rst been overj oyed to see

,

a Roy lott of Stoke Moran b ack in the old family seat he ,

shut hi mself up in his house and seldom came ou t save

,

to indulge in ferocious quarrels with whoever might cross

his path Violence of te mper a pproaching to mania has
.

been hered itary in the men of the family and in my step ,

’
father s case it had I believe been inte nsified by his long
, ,

residence in the t ropi cs A series of disgraceful brawls took

.

pla ce tw o of which ended in the police-court until at l as t

, ,

he became the terror of the village and the folks would

,

fly at his approach for he is a man of immense strength

, ,

and absolutely uncontrollable in his anger .

Last week he hurled the local blacksmith over a para

pet into a stream and it was only b y paying ove r all the
,

money which I could gather together that I w as able to

avert another public exposure He had no friends at all save
.

the wandering gypsies and he would give these vagabonds

,

leave to encamp upon the few acres of bramble—cove red

land which re pres ent the fam ily est ate and would ac cept
,
 TH E SP E CKL ED B A N D 97

in return the hospitality of their tents wandering away ,

with them sometimes for weeks on end He has a passion .

al so f or I ndian animals which are sent over to him by a

,

correspo ndent and he has at this moment a cheetah and

,

a baboon which wander freely over his grounds and are

, ,

feare d by the villagers almost as much as their maste r

“
.

Y ou ca n imagine from what I say that m y poor sister

J ulia and I had no great pleasure in our lives No servant .

would st ay with u s and for a long time we did all the

,

work of the house She was but thirty at the time of her
.

death and yet her hair had already begun to whiten even
, ,
”
as mi ne has
“
.

”
Your sister is dead then ?
“ ,

She died just tw o years ago and it is of her death that ,

I wi sh to speak to you You can un derstand that li v ing

.
,

the life which I have described we were little likely to see ,

any one of ou r ow n age and position We had how ever .

, ,

’
an aunt my mother s maiden sister Miss Honoria West
, ,

phail w h o lives near Harrow and w e were oc c as ionally ,

’
,

allow ed to pay short visits at this lady s house Julia .

went there at Christmas two years ago and met there a ,

half-pay maj or of marines to whom she became engaged

, .

My step-father learned of the engagement when my sister

’
returned and ofl ered no objecti on to the marriage ; but
,

within a fortnight of the day which had been fix ed for the

wedding the terrible event oc curred which has deprived
,

me of my only companion .

Sherlock Holmes had bee n leaning back in his chair w ith

his eyes cl osed and his head su nk in a cushion but he h alf ,

o pened his lids now and glanced across at his visitor .

”
Pray be precise as to details said h e , .

It is easy for me to be so for every event of that dread

,

ful time is seared into my memory The manor-house is .

,

as I have alre ady said very old and only one wi ng is now
, ,
98 EN GL IS H SH ORT — S TORY W RI TERS

inhabited The bedrooms in this wi ng are on the ground

.

floor the sitti ng—rooms being in the central block of the

,

buildi ngs Oi these bed rooms the fi rst is Dr Roy lott s

.
’ .
,
’
the second my sister s and the third my ow n There is , .

no communi cation between them but they all open ou t ,

”
into the same corridor Do I make myself plain ?
“
.

”
Perfectly so .

The windows of the th ree rooms O pen out upon the

lawn Th at fatal night Dr Roylott had gone to his room
. .

early though w e k new that he had not retired to rest f or

, ,

my sister was troubled by the smell of the st rong I ndian

cigars which it was his custom to smoke She left her .

room therefore and came in to mine where she sat for

, , ,

some time chatting about her approaching wedding At

’
.
,

eleven o cloc k she rose to leave me but she paused at the ,

door and looked back

“Tell m e Helen ’said she have you ever heard any
.

‘ ‘
, , ,

one whistle in the dead of the night

said I .

I su ppose that you could not possibly whi stle your ,

se lf in your sleep
Ce rtainly not But why .

Because during the last few ni ghts I have always ,

about three in the morning heard a low clear w histle I , ,

.

am a light sleeper and it has a w akened me I cannot tel l

,
.

where it came from— perhaps from the next room perhaps ,

from the lawn I thought that I would j ust ask you

’
.

“
whether you had heard it .

‘
No I have not I t must be those wretche d gypsies
,
.

in the plantation ’
“
.

‘
Very likely And yet if it were on the lawn I wonder
.
,

that you did not hear it also ’

’
.

Ah but I sleep more heavily than you .

’
,

Well it is of no great consequence at any rate

, ,
.
1 00 EN GL I S H S HORT - S TORY WR ITERS

bent over her she suddenly shrieked out in a voi ce which ,

I shall never forget: Oh my God ! Helen ! I t was the

‘
,
’
b and ! The speckl ed band ! There was some thing else
whi ch she w ould fain have said and she stabbed with her ,
’
finge r into the air in the dire c tion of the doctor s room ,

but a fresh convulsion seized her and choked her wo rds .

I rushed ou t cal ling loudly f or my ste p—father and I met

, ,

him h as teni ng from his room in his d ressing—gown When .

’
he reac hed my sister s side she w as unco nscious and ,

thou gh he po u red brandy down her throat and sent for

me di cal aid from the vill age all eff or ts we re in vain for
, ,

she slowly sank and died without having recove red her
consc iousn ess Such was the dreadful end of my be loved
.

“
sister .

One moment said Holmes ; are you sure about thi s

,

“
w hi stle and metallic sound ? Could you swear to it
That w as w hat the county coroner asked me at the
inqui ry It is my st rong impression that I heard it and
.
,

yet amo ng the crash of the gale and the creak i ng of an

,

old house I may pomibly have been dec ei v ed

”
.
,

Was your sister dressed ? ”

N o she w as in her night-d ress

,
In her right hand w as .

found the ch arred stump of a match and in her left a ,

”
match box
“
- .

Show i ng that she had struck a light and looked about

her when the alarm took place That is important And . .

what c onclus ions did the coroner come to ? ”

“ He investigated the ew e with great care for Dr Roy ,

.

’
lott s conduct had long been notorious in the county but ,

he w as unable to fi nd any sat isfactory c ause of death .

My eviden ce show ed that the door had been fastened upo n

the inner side and the windows w ere bloc ked by old
,

fas hioned shu tte rs w ith broad iron bars w hich were ,

secured every night The walls were carefu lly sounded

.
,
 TH E SP E C KL E D BAND 1 01

and were show n to be quite solid all round and the floor ,

ing w as also thoroughly examined with the same result , .

The chimn ey is wide but is barred up by four large staples

, .

It is certain therefore that my sister was quite alone

, ,

when she met her end Besides there were no marks of .

,

any violen ce upon her .

How about poison ?

The doc tors examined her for it but without suc cess , .

What do you think th at this unfortunate lady died oi ,

“
then
It is my bel ief that she died of pure fear and nervo us
shock though what it was that frightened her I cannot
,

imagine
“
.

W ere there gypsies in the plant ation at the time ? ”

”
Y es there are nearly always some there
,
.

Ah and what did you gather from this allusion t o a

,

“
band— a speckl ed band
Sometimes I have thought that it was merely the wild
t alk of delirium sometimes that it may have refe rred to
,

some band of people perhaps to th ese very gypsi es in the

,

plantation I do not know whether the spotted h andke r

.

chiefs which so many of them wear over their head s might

”
have suggested the strange adjective which she used .

Holmes shook his head like a man w h o is far from be ing

“
satisfied
“
.

These are very deep waters said he ; go on ,

pray
”
w ith your narrative
“
.

Tw o years have pas sed sin ce then and my life h as ,

been until lately lonelier than ever A month ago how .

,

ever a dear friend whom I have known for many years

, , ,

has done me the honor to as k my h and in marri age His .

name is Armi t age — Percy Armitage— the se cond son of

M r Armitage of Crane Water near Re ading
.
,
My ste p ,
.

father h as offered no op position to the match and w e are ,

1 02 EN GLI SH S H ORT — S TORY W R IT ERS

to be married in the course of the S pring Tw o days ago .

some re pairs were started in the we s t wing of the b u ildi ng ,

and my bed room wall has been pierced so that I have had ,

to move into the chamber in which my sister d ied and to ,

sleep in the very bed in whi ch she slept Imagine then .

, ,

my thrill of terror when last night as I lay awake think , ,

ing over her terrible fate 1 suddenly heard i n the silence

,

of the night the low whistle which had been the herald of

her ow n death I sprang up and lit the lamp bu t noth

.
,
'

ing was to be seen in the room I was too shaken to go .

to bed again however so I d ressed and as soon as it w as

’
, , ,

daylight I slipped down got a dog—cart at the Crow n I nn

,
‘
,

whi ch is O pposi te and drove to Leatherhead from whence

, ,

I have come on this morni ng with the one obj e c t of seeing

”
you and as king your advice
“ “
.

”
Y ou have done wisely said my friend But have
, .

"

“
you told me all ?
”
Yes all , .

Miss Roylott you have not Y ou are sc reeni ng your

,
.

”
—
step father
“
.

Why what do you mean ?

,

F or answer Holmes pushed bac k the frill of black l ac e

’
whi ch fri nged the hand that lay upon ou r visitor s knee .

Five little livid spots the marks of four fi ngers and a

,

“
thumb were prin ted upon the whi te wrist
,
.

”
Y ou have been cruelly used said Holm es , .

wrist.
“
The l ady colo red deeply and covered over her i nj ured
He is a hard man she said
”
and perhaps he , ,
“
”
hardly knows h is own st rength .

There was a long silence during whi ch Holmes leaned ,

his chin upon his hands and stared into the crac kling fi re
“
.

Th is is a ve ry deep business , he said at last

”
There , .

are a thousand details whi ch I shoul d desire to know be

fore I de c ide upon our c ou rse of action Yet w e have not .

1 04 EN GL I S H S HORT — S TORY W RITERS

pre sence of a band of gypsies w ho are on in t imate terms

with th is old doctor the fact that we have every reas on
,

to believe that the doctor has an interest in preventing

’
his ste p d aughter s marriage the dying allusion to a b and
-
, ,

and fi nally the fact that Miss Helen Stoner hea rd a

, ,

metallic clang which might have been caused by one of

,

those metal bars which secured the shutters falling back

into its pl ace I thi nk that there is good ground to think
,
”
that the mystery may be cleared along those lines
“
.

But what then did the gy psies d o

, ,

I cannot imagine ”
.

I see many obj e ctions to any such theory .

And so do I It is p re c isely for that reason that we

.

are going to Stoke Moran t his day I want to see whether .

the obj ec tions are fatal or if they may be explained away

,
.

”
But what in the name of the devil !
The ej ac ulation had been drawn from my companion by
the fac t that ou r door had been su ddenly dash ed O pen and ,

that a huge man had framed himself in the aperture His .

costume was a peculiar mixture of the professional and of

the agricultural having a bl ack top—hat a long froc k—c oat
, , ,

and a pair of high gaiters with a hunting-crop swi ngi ng in ,

his hand So tall was he that h is hat actually brushed the

.

cross -bar of the doorway and his breadth seemed to span ,

it across from side to side A large face seared w ith a .

,

thousand wrinkles burned yellow with the sun and

, ,

marked with every evi l passion was turned from one t o ,

the other of u s while his deep-set bile—shot eyes and his

, , ,

high thin fl eshless nose gave him somewhat the resem

, , ,

“
blance to a fi e rce old bird of prey .

Which of vou is Holmes ask e d this apparition .

My name sir ; but you have the advantage of me

, ,

said my companion qu ietly

“
.
,

I am Dr Grimesby Roylott of Stoke Moran

.
, .
 TH E SP E C KL E D BAND 1 05

Indeed doctor said Ho lmes blandly

, ,
take ,
.
“
Pray
a seat
“
.

I wi ll do nothing of the kind My step—d aughter has .

been here I have traced her What has she been saying
. .

”
to you ?
“ It is a little cold for the time of the year said Holmes ,
.

What h as she been saying to you screamed the old

man furiously
“
.
,

But I have heard that the crocus es promise well con ,

tinu ed my companion imperturbably

“
.
,

Ha l Y ou put me 0 11 do you
“
said ou r new visitor
, ,

taking a s tep forward and shaking his hunting-crop I .

know you you scoundrel ! I have heard of you before

,
.

You are Holmes the meddler , .

My friend smiled
“
.

”
Holmes the busybody ! ,

His smile broadened .

"
Holmes the Scotland yard Jack ih offi ce l ”

“
- - -
,

Holmes chuckl ed heart ily Your conversation is most

“
.

entertaining ”
said h e When you go ou t close the
,
.

”
door for there is a decided draught
“
.

’
,

I w ill go w hen I have said my say Don t you dare to .

'

meddle w ith my afl airs I know that Miss Stoner has been.

here I traced her ! I am a dangerous man to fall foul of

.

See here ”
He stepped swiftly forward sei z ed the poker
.
, ,

and bent it into a curve with his huge brown hands .

”
See that y ou keep yourself ou t of my grip he snarled ,

and hurling the twisted poker into the fireplace he strode ,

ou t of the room .

He seems a very amiable person said Holmes laugh

ing.
“
I am not quite so bulky but if he had remained I ,
, ,

might ha ve shown him that my grip w as not much more

”
feeble than his ow n As he spoke he picked up the steel
.

poker and with a sudden e ffort straightened it out agai n

,
.

11— 8
1 06 E N GL I S H SH ORT — S TOR Y W RITERS
“
Fan c y hi having the insolence to c onfound me with
s

the official detective force ! This incident gives zes t to our

investigation however and I only t rust that ou r little
, ,

friend will not suffer from her imprudence in allow ing this
brute to trace her An d now W atson we shall order
.
, ,

bre akfas t and afte rward I shall walk down to Doc tors ’
,

Commons where I hope to get some data wh ich may help

,

us in this matter .

’
It was nearly one o cl oc k when Sherloc k Holmes returned
from his excursion He held in his hand a sheet of blue
.

paper scrawled over w ith notes and figu res

“
.
,

I have seen the will of the deceas ed wife said he , .

To determine i ts exact meaning I have been obliged to

work ou t the present prices of the investmen ts with which
it is concerned The total income w hich at the time of
.
,
’
the wife s death was little short of £ 1 1 00 is now through , ,

the fall in agricultural prices not more than £ 750 Each

, .

daughte r can claim an income of £ 2 50 in case of marriage , .

It is evident therefore that if both girls had married thi s

, , ,

beauty would have had a mere pittance while even one of ,

them w ould cripple him to a very se rious extent My .

’
morni ng s work has not been wasted since it h as proved ,

tha t he has the very strongest motives for standing in the

w ay of anyt hing of the sort And now W atson this is
.
, ,

too serious f or dawdling espec ially as the old man is aware

,

that we are interesting ourselves in his afi airs ; so if you

'

are ready we shall call a cab and drive to Waterloo I

, .

should be very much obliged if you would slip your ne

’
volver into your pocket Ah E ley s No 2 is an ex cellent
. .

argument with gentlemen who can twist steel pokers into

knots That and a tooth-brush are I think all that we
.
, ,
”
need .

At Waterloo we w ere fortunate in catching a train for

1 08 EN GL I SH SH ORT - S TORY W RI T ERS

stile ,
“
that t h is fellow should think we had come here as

archi tects or on some defin ite busin ess It may stop his .

gossip Good -af ternoon M iss Stoner You see that we

.
, .

have been as good as our word .

Our cli ent of the morning had hurri ed forward to meet

us With a fa c e whi ch spoke her j oy I have been waiting .
“
”
so eagerly f or you ! she cried shaki ng hands with us warm
ly.
“
All has turned ou t splendidly Dr Roylott has
,

. .

gone to to wn and it is unlikely that he will be back before

,

“
eveni n g .

We have had the pleasure of making the doc tor s ao ’

quain tan ce said Holmes and in a few wo rds he sk etc hed
”
, ,

ou t what h ad oc curred Miss Stoner turned white to the

.

lips as she listened

“
.

”
Good heavens ! she cried h e has followed me then , , .

”
So it appears .

He is so cunning that I never know when I am safe

from him Wh at will he say when he returns
“
.

He must guard himself for he may fi nd that there is ,

some one more cunning than himself upon his track You .

must loc k yourself up from him to-night If he is violent .

’
,

w e shall take you away to your aunt s at Harrow N ow .

,

w e must make the best use of our time so kindly ta ke us ,

at once to the rooms which w e are to exami ne .

The building w as of gray lichen -blotched stone with a , ,

high central portion and tw o curving wings l ike the claws

, ,

of a crab thrown out on ea ch side In one of these wings

,
.

the windows w ere broken and bl oc ked with wooden ,

boards while the roof was partly caved in a picture of

, ,

m in The ce ntral portion was in little better repair but

.
,

the right-hand block was com paratively modern and the ,

blinds in the w indows with the blue smoke curling up ,

from the chimneys showed that this was where the family
,

resided Some sc affolding had been erected against the

.
 T HE SP E CKL ED B AND 1 09

end wall and the stone—work h ad been broken into but

, ,

there were no signs of any workm en at the moment of our

visit Holmes walked slowly up and down the ill -trimmed
.

lawn and ex amined with d eep attention the outsides of

,

the windows
“
.

This I take it belongs to the room in which you used

, ,

’
to sleep the centre one to your sister s and the one next
,

’
,

to the main building to Dr Roylott s cham ber .

Exactly so But I am now sleeping in the middle

.

Pending the alterations as I understand B y—the , .

way there does not seem to be any very pressing need for
,

repairs at that end wall

“
.

There were none I believe that it w as an excuse to

.

move me from my room

“
.

Ah ! that is suggestive N ow on the other side of this .

,

narrow wi ng runs the corridor from which these three

rooms O pen There are window s in it of course
“
.
,

Yes but very small ones Too narrow for any one to
,
.

"

“
pass through .

As you both loc ked your doors at night your rooms ,

were unapproac ha b le from that side N ow would you .

,

have the kindness to go into your room and bar your

”
shutters .

Miss Stoner did so and Holmes after a careful examina

,
,
,

tion through the O pen window endeavored i n every way to ,

force the shutter O pen but without s uccess There w as

, .

no slit throug h which a knife could be passed to raise the

bar Then with his lens he tested the hinges but they
.
,

were of solid iron bui lt fi rm ly into the massive masonry

“
.
,
”
Hum ! said he scratching his chin in some perplexity ;
,

my theory ce rtainly presents some diffi cu lties No one .

could pass these shutters if they were bolted Well we .

,
”
shall see if the inside throws any light upon the matte r .
1 10 EN GLI S H S HORT — S TORY W RI TERS

A small side door led into the w hitewashed corridor from

which the three bed rooms O pened Holmes re f umd to ex .

amine the third chamber so we passed at on ce to the

,

second that in which Miss Stoner w as now slee ping and

, ,

in which her siste r had met with her fate It w as a homely .

little room with a low ceiling and a ga ping fi re place after

, ,

the fashion of old country -houses A bro w n chest of .

drawers stood in one corner a narrow w hite cou nte rpaned

,

bed in another and a dressing table on the left-hand side

,
-

of the window These articles with two small wicker

.
,

work chairs made u p all the furniture in the room save

, ,

for a square of W ilton carpet in the centre The boards .

round an d the panelling of the walls w ere of bro w n worm ,

eaten oak so old and dis colored that it may have dated
,

from the ori ginal building of the house Holmes d re w one .

of the chairs into a corner and sat silent whi le his eyes ,

travelled round and round and up and down taking in ,

every detail of the apartment

“
.

Where does that bel l communi cate w ith ? he asked

”
,

at l as t pointing to a thi ck bell -rope which hun g down be

,

side the bed the t assel ac tually lying upon the pillo w
“
.

’
,
”
It goes to the housekeeper s room .

I t looks newer than the other things ?

Yes it was o nly put there a couple of years ago
,
.

Your sister as ked for it I suppose ,

No I never heard of her using it We used always to

,
.

”
get w hat we wan ted for ourselves .

I ndeed it seemed u nne cessary to put so ni ce a bell

,

pull there Y ou will excuse me for a fe w minutes while

.

I sat isfy myself as to this fl oor ”

He threw himself dow n .

upon his fac e with his lens in his hand and crawled s w iftly ,

backward and forward examining minute ly the cracks

,

between the boa rds Then he did the same w ith the wood
.

work with which the c hamber was panelled Finally he .

1 12 EN GL IS H S HORT — S TORY W RI TERS

Oh ! you have seen inside then ? ,

Only on ce some years ago I remember that it was

, .

”
full of papers .

’
Th ere is n t a cat in it for example ? ,

No
. W hat a strange idea ! ”

Well look at this !

,
He took up a small sau cer of
milk which stood on the top of it .

’
No ; we don t keep a cat But there is a cheetah and .

”
a baboon .

Ah yes of course ! Well a cheetah is j ust a big cat

, , , ,

and yet a sau cer of milk does not go very f ar in satisfying

its wants I dare say There is one point w hi ch I should
,
.

w ish to determine
”
He squatted down in front of the
.

wood en chair and exami ned the seat of it wi th the great

,

est attention .

Thank you That is quite settled said he rising and

“
.
, ,

putting his lens in his poc ket Hello ! Here is some .

”
thing interesting !
Th e obj ect whi ch had caught his eye w as a sm all dog
lash hung on one corner of the bed The las h however .
, ,

was curled upon itself and tied so as to make a loop of,

whi p-c ord

“
.

What do you make of that W atson ? ,

’
It s a co mmon enough l ash But I don t know w hy .
‘

”
it should be tied
“
.

That is not quite so common is it? Ah me ! it s a ’

, ,

wicked world and when a clever man turns his brains to

,

crime it is the worst of all I think that I h ave seen .

enough now Mi ss Stoner and with your permission we

, ,

shall wal k ou t upon the law n ”

.

’
I had never seen my friend s fac e so grim or his brow
so dark as it was when w e turned from the scene of this
investigation We had walked se v eral times up and
.

dow n the law n neither Miss Stoner nor myself liking to

,
 THE SP E C KL E D BAND 1 1 8

break in upon his thoughts before he roused hi mself from

his reverie
“ “
.

It is very essential M iss Stoner said h e that you

, , ,

should absolute ly follow my advice in every res pect

“
.

”
I shall most certainly do so .

The matter is too serious for any h esitation Your .

life may depend upon your compliance

“
.

I assure you that I am in your hands .

I n the fi rst place both my friend and I must S pend

,

”
the night in your room .

Both Miss Stoner and I gazed at him in as tonishment

“
.

Y es it must be so
,
Le t me explain
. I believe that .

”
that is the village inn over there ?
“ Y es that is the Crown
‘
.

Very good Your windows would be visible from

.

“
there
Ce rtainly .

You must confine yourself to your room on p reten c e ,

of a head ache w hen your step—father comes back

,
Then .

when you hear him retire f or the night you m ust O pen ,

the shutters of your window undo the hasp put yo u r lamp

, ,

there as a signal to u s and then withdraw quietly with

,

everything which you are likely to want into the room

which you used to occupy I have no doubt that in .
,
”
spite of the repairs you could manage there for one ni ght
“
.
,

Oh yes eas ily

, .

The res t you will leave in ou r hands .

”
But what will you do ?
We shall spe nd the night in your room and we shall ,

investigate the cause of this noise W hich has disturbed

”

“
you .

I believe ,
Mr Holmes , that you have al ready made
up your mi nd said Miss Stoner laying her hand , u pon
’
,

my c ompanion s sleeve .
1 1 4 EN GL IS H S HOR T — S TORY W RI TERS

Perhaps I have .

’
Then f or pity s sake tell me what was the cause of my
,

’
,
”
sister s death
“
.

I should prefer to have clearer proofs before I speak .

You can at least tell me whether my ow n thought is

correc t and if she died from some sudden f ri ght ”

“
.
,

No I do not think ao I think that there w as prob

,
.

ably some more tangible cau se And now Miss Stoner .

, ,

we must leave you for if Dr Roylott returned and saw

. .

u s ou r j ourney would be in vain

. Good -bye and be brave.
, ,

for if you w ill do what I have told you y ou may m t ,

assured that we shall soon dri v e away the dangers that

”
threate n you .

“
Sherlock Holmes and I had no diffi cu lty in engaging a
”
bedroom and sitting room at the Cro w n Inn
- They .

were on the upper floo r and from ou r w indow w e could

,

command a vie w of the avenue gate and of the inhabited ,

wing of Stoke Moran Manor-House At dusk w e saw Dr . .

Grimesb y Roylott d rive past his huge form looming up ,

beside the little fi gu re of the lad who dro v e him The .

boy had some slight d iffi cu lty in undoing the hea vy iron
’
gates and w e heard the hoarse roar of the doctor s voice
, ,

and saw the fury with which he shook his clinched fists
at him The trap drove on and a few minutes later we
.
,
i

saw a su dden l ight spring up among the tress as the lamp

w as lit in one of the sitting rooms
“
-
.

Do you k now W atson said Holmes as we sat to~

,

gether in the gathering darkness

,

I have rea ll y some ,

“ ,

scruples as to t aking you to-night There is a distin c t .

”
element of danger
“
.

Can I be of assistan ce ?
Your presen ce might be inval u able .

Then I shall certainly come ”

.

”
It is very kind of you .
1 1 6 EN GL I SH S HORT — S TORY WR I TERS

Holmes I cried ,
“
I seem t
o see dimly wh at you are
,

hinting at! We are only j ust in time to p re ven t some

subtle an d horrible crime .

Subtle enough and horrible enough When a doc tor .

doe s go wrong he is the fi rst of c ri minals He has nerve

, .

and he has kn owledge Pa lmer and Pritchard were am ong

.

the head s of their profession This man strikes even deep .

e r ; but I think Watson that we shall be able to strike

, ,

deepe r still But we shall have horrors enough before the

.

’
night is over; for goodn ess sake let us have a quiet pipe and ,

turn ou r min ds for a few hours to something more cheerful .

’
About ni ne o cloc k the light among the trees ex w as
tingui sh ed an d all was dark in the di rection of the Manor
,

House Tw o hours passed slowly away and then suddenly

.
, , ,

j ust at the stroke of eleven a single bright li ght shone ou t

,

in front of us .

That is our signal said Holmes spri ngi ng to his feet ;

, ,
”
it comes from the middle window .

As we passed ou t he exchanged a few words with the

l andlord explai ning tha t we were going on a late vi sit to
,

an ac quaintance and that it was possible that we might

,

spend the ni ght there A moment later w e were ou t on

.

the dark road a chill wind blowing in our fac es and one
, ,

yellow light t wi nkling in front of us through the gloom to

guide us on our somb re errand .

There was little di ffi cul ty in entering the grounds for ,

un re paired breaches gaped in the old park wall Making .

ou r way among the trees we reached the lawn cromed it, , ,

and were about to enter through the wi ndow when out ,

from a clump of laurel -bushes there darted w hat seemed

to be a hi deous and distorted chi ld who th re w itse lf upon ,

the grass with w ri thing limbs and then ran swi ftly ac ross ,

the lawn in to the darkn ess .

 T HE SP E CK L ED B A N D 1 17

My God ! I whi spered ;

” “
ou see it?
did y
Hol mes w as for the moment as startled as I His hand .

closed like a vice upon my wrist in his agitation Then he .

broke into a low laugh and put his lips to my ear

“ ,
“
.

It is a ni ce household he murmured
,
That is the .

”
baboon .

I h ad forgotten the strange pets which the doc tor

aff ected Th ere w as a cheetah too ; perhaps we might
.
,

fi nd it upon our shoulders at any moment I confess that .

I felt eas ier in my mind when after following Holmes s ’

,

example and slipping off my shoes I found myse lf ins ide ,

the bed room My compani on noiselessly closed th e

.

shutters mov ed the lamp onto the table and cast his eyes
, ,

round the room All w as as we h ad seen it in the day

.

time The n creeping up to me and making a t rumpet of

.

his hand he whispered into my ear again so gently that

,

“
it w as all that I could do to distingu ish the words :
”
The least sound would be fatal to our plans .

I nodded to show that I had heard .

We must sit without light He would see it thr ough

.

”
the ventilato r .

I nodded ag ain .

Do not go asleep ; your very life may depend upon it .

Have your pistol ready in case we should need it I will .

”
sit on the side of the bed and you in that chair
, .

I took ou t my revolver and laid it on the corner of the

table.

Holmes had brought up a long th in cane and th is he , ,

placed upo n the bed beside hi m B y it he laid the box of

.

matches and the stump of a candle Then he turned down .

the lam g and we were left in darkness .

How sh all I ever forget that dreadful vigil ? I could not

hear a sound not even the drawing of a breath and yet I
, ,

knew that my companion sat open-eyed w ithin a few feet ,

1 1 8 EN GL IS H S H ORT - S TORY W R IT E RS

of me in the same state of nervous tensi on in w hi ch I w as

,

myse lf The shutters cut off the least ray of light and w e
.
,

wai ted in absolute darkn ess From outs i de came the .

occas ional cry of a night-bird and on ce at ou r v ery w i n ,

dow a long—draw n cat-like whi ne whi ch told us that the

, ,

cheetah was indeed at liberty F ar away w e could hear .

the deep tones of the parish cloc k whi ch boomed ou t every ,

quarte r of an hour How long they seemed those quar

.
,

ters ! Twelve struck and one and tw o and three and st i ll

, ,

w e sat waitin g silently for whatever might befall .

Suddenly there was the momentary gleam of a li ght up

in the direction of the ventilator whi ch v anished imm e ,

di ate ly but w as succeeded by a strong sm ell of burni ng

,

oil and heated metal Some one in the next room had l it
.

a dark lan tern I heard a gentle sound of mov ement an d

-
.
,

then all was sil ent once mo re though the smell grew ,

stronger F or half an hour I sat with st rai ning ears Then

. .

suddenly another sound bec ame au dible — a v ery gentle L

,

soothi ng sound li ke that of a small j et of steam esc aping

,

continually from a kettle The instant that w e hea rd it .

,

Ho lmes sprang from the bed struck a matc h and l ashed , ,

furiously With his cane at the bell-pull

“ “
.

You see it W atson ? he yelled

”
,
You see it? .

But I saw nothi ng At the moment w hen Holmes .

struck the light I heard a low cl ear whi stle but the sudden , ,

glare fl ashing i nto my weary eyes made it imm ible f or

me to tell what it w as at whi ch my friend l as hed so sav
age ly I coul d however see that his face w as deadl y
.
, ,

pale and filled with horror and loathi ng

,
.

He had ceased to strike and w as ga z ing up at the venti,

lator when suddenly there broke from the silen ce of the

,

night the most horrible cry to whi ch I ha ve ever listened .

It swelled up louder and louder a hoarse yell of pain and ,

fear an d anger all mingled in the one d re adful sh riek Th ey .

I QO EN GL IS H S H ORT — S TOR Y W RI TERS

snake in Indi a He has di ed withi n ten seconds of being

.

bitten Violence does in t ruth rec oil upon the v iolent

.
, , ,

and the sch emer fal ls i nto the pit which he digs f or another .

Let us thru st this creature back into its den and w e can ,

then remove Miss Stoner to some place of shelter and let ,

”
the county police know what has happened .

As he spoke he d rew the dog-whi p swiftly from the dead

’
man s lap and throwing the noose round the reptile s neck ’
,
’
,

he d rew it from its horrid perch and carrying it at arm s ,

length threw it into the i ron s afe whi ch he closed upo n it

, , .

Such are the true facts of the death of Dr Grimesby Roy .

lott of Stoke Moran I t is not necessary that I should

,
.

prolong a narrative which has already run to too great a

length by tel lin g how we b roke the sad news to the te rri fi ed
,

girl h ow we conveyed her by the morning trai n to the

,

care of her good aunt at Harrow of how the slow proc ess ,

of offi cial inqui ry came to the conclusion that the doctor

met his fate while indiscreetly playing with a dangerous
pet The l ittle which I h ad yet to learn of the case w as
.

told me by Sherlock Holmes as we travell ed back next

day
“ “
.

I h ad said he ,
come to an entirely erroneous con
,

e lusion whi ch shows my dear W atson h ow d angerous it

, , ,

always is to reason from ins uffi cie nt data Th e pres en ce .

of the gypsies and the use of the word

’
band which w as ‘
, ,

u sed by the poor girl no doubt to explain the appearan ce

,

which she had caught a hurried glimpse of by the light of

her match w ere su ffi cient to put me u pon an entirely
,

wrong sm ut I can only claim the merit that I instantly

.

rec onsi dere d my position when however it became clear , .

to me th at whatever danger threate ned an occupant of

the room c ould not come either from the window or the
door My attention w as speedily drawn as I have al
.
,
 T HE SP E CKL ED B A N D 1 21

ready re marked to you to this ventilator and to the bell

, ,

rope which hung down to the bed The discovery that .

this was a d u mmy and that the bed was clam ped to the
,

floo r instantly gave rise to the suspicion that the rope

,

w as there as bridge for something p assing through the hole

and coming to the bed The idea of a snake instantly .

occur red to me and when I coupled it with my knowledge

,

that the doc tor was furnished with a supply of creature s

from India I felt that I was probably on the right track
, .

The idea of us ing a form of poison which could not poss ibly
be di scovered by any chemical test w as j ust such a one as
would oc cur to a clever and ruthless man w h o had had an
Eas tern trai ning Th e rapidity with which such a po ison
.

would take e ffect would also from his point of view be , ,

an advant age It would be a sharp—eyed coroner indeed

.
, ,

w h o could dist inguish the two little dark punctures which

would show w here the poison fangs had done their work .

Then I thought of the whistle Of course he must rec al l .

the snake before the morning light revealed it to the vic

tim He h ad trained it probably by the use of the milk
.
,

which w e saw to retur n to him when summoned He

,
.

would put it through thi s ventilator at the hour that he

thought best wi th the certainty that it would crawl down
,

the mm and land on the bed It might or might not bite .

the oc cupant perhaps she might escape every night for

,

a week but sooner or later she must fall a v ictim

“
.
,

I had come to these conclusions before ever I had e n

tered h is room An inspection of his chair showed me
.

that he had been in the habit of standing on it which of ,

course would be necessary in order that he should reac h

the ventilato r The sight of the safe the saucer of milk
.
, ,

and the loop of whip-cord were enough to fi nally dispel

any doubts which may have remained The metallic clang .

heard by Miss Stoner was obviously caused by her step

1 22 EN GL IS H SH O RT — S TORY W RITERS

father hastily closing the door of his saf e upon its te rrible
oc cu pant Having on ce made up my mind you kn ow
.
,

the ste ps whi ch I took in order to put the matte r to the

proo f I heard the creature hiss as I have no doubt that
.
,
”

“
you did also and I instantly lit the light and attacked it
, .

W ith the result of d riving it through the vent ilator .

And also w ith the result of causing it to turn upon its

mas ter at the other side Some of the blows of my cane
.

came home and roused its snaki sh temper so that it flew

, ,

upon the first person it saw In this w ay I am no doubt

.

’
indi re c tly responsible for Dr Grimesby Roylott s death
.
,

and I cannot say that it is likely to weigh v ery

upon my conscien ce ”
.
 T HE R U I N O U S FA C E

M au ri ce Hew lett

HEN the siege of Troy had been ten years doing ,

and most of the chieftains were dead bo th of those ,

afie ld and those who held the walls ; and some had

departed in their ships and all w h o remained were leaden

,

hearted ; there was one who felt the rage of war insatiate
in his bowels : Menelaus yellow—haired King of the Argives
,

He indeed rested not day or night but knew the fever

, , ,

fretting at his members and the burning in h is hea rt

, .

And when be scanned the windy plain about the city ,

and the desolation of it; and when he saw the huts of the
Ac haeans and the furro ws where the chariots ploughed
,

along the l ines and the char red places of c am p—fi res smoke
, .

blackened trees and puddled wate rs of Sc amander and

, ,

corn-lands and pastu res which for ten years had known
neither plough nor deep -breathed cattle nor querulous ,

sheep ; eve n then in the heart of Menelau s was no pity for

Dardan nor Greek but only for himself and what he had
,

l ost — whi te -bosomed Helen darling of Gods and men, ,

and golden treasu re of the house .

The vis ion of her glowing face and v eiled eyes came to
him in the night -season to make him mad and in dreams ,

he saw her as once and m any times he had see n her l ie

, ,

Copyright 1 909 b y Harpe r

, . B rothe rs .
1 26 EN GLI S H SHORT S TORY W RI TE RS —

su p ine There as she lay in h is d reams all whi te and gold

. , ,

thinner than the mist -wreath upon a mountain he would ,

cry aloud f or his loss and th row his arms ou t over the ,

empty be d and feel his eyes ockets smart for l ac k of tears ;

,

f or tears came not to him but his fever made his skin qui te ,

dry and so we re his eyes dry Therefore when the chi efs
,
.
,

of the A c h aea ns in Council seeing h ow their strength w as ,

wea ring down l ike a snowbank u nder the sun looked re ,

oa hf u lly upon him and thought of Hector slai n an d

p r c , ,

of dead A chillw w h o slew him of Priam and of Diomede , , ,

and of tal l Patroc lus h e Menelaus took no heed at all

,

but sat in his place and said : Th ere is n o merc y f or rob

,
,

“ , ,

bers of the house Starve whom w e c annot put to the

.

sw o rd Lay closer leaguer 80 shall I w in my w ife again

. .

an d have honor am ong the Kin gs

”
my fellow s So he , .

spake f or it w as so he thought day and ni ght ; and Aga

,

memnon King of Men bore with him and carried the

, , ,

voi ces of all the Achaeans F or s in ce the death of Achill es .

there w as no man stout enough to gainsay him or deny .

him anything .

In those days there w as little war sin ce e very man ou t ,

side the walls w as sick of strife and consu med w ith long ,

ing f or his home and wife and children the re And one
“
.
,

My son will be a grown man in his fi rst

“
told another ,
” ”
beard and one My daughter will be a w ife
, ,
As for .

the men of Troy it was well f or them that their foes were
,

spent ; f or Hec tor w as dead and Agenor and Troil us ; and , ,

King Priam the old w as fallen in to dotage w hi ch deprived

, , ,

him of c ou nsel He loved Alexandros onl y w hom men

.
,

called Paris On whi ch ac cou nt E neas the w ise prin ce

.
, ,

stood apart an d kept hi mse lf within the walls of his house

, .

There re mained only that beauteous Paris the ra v isher , .

Him Helen held fast enchained by her wh ite arms and

sl ow sw eet smile and by the shafts of light from her kind
, ,
1 28 EN GLIS H SH ORT — S TORY W RITERS

thinking in their minds : “ ’

God s pity must restrain me
If .

so fair a thi ng can thrive in pla c e so foul who am I to ,

mar it But upon Menelaus the King the seas on , .

worked like a ferment so that he could never stay long

,

in one pla ce All night long he turned and stretched him

.

self out; but in the gray of the morning he would ri se and ,

wa lk abroad by himse lf over the silent land and about the ,

sleeping walls of the city So fou nd he balm f or h is ac he

.
,

and so he did every day .

The ho use of Paris stood by the wall and the garden ,

’
u pon the roof of the women s side was there upon it and ,

st re tched far along the ramparts of Troy Kin g Mene .

laus knew it very well for he had often se en Helen the re

,

with her maids when with a veil to cover her face up to

,

the eyes she h ad stood there to watc h the figh ting or

, ,

the games about the pyre of some chieftain dead or the ,

'

man ege of the ships lying ofl Tenedos Indeed when he .

,

h ad been the re in h is chariot urging an attac k upon the

,

gate he had seen Paris come ou t of the house to Helen

,

where she stood in the garden ; and he saw th at de ceiver

take the lovely woman in h is arm and w ith his hand w ith ,

draw the veil from her mouth that he might look at it .

The maids w e re all about her an d below raged a battle

,

among men ; but he cared nothing f or these N o but he .

,

lifted up her fa ce by the chin and stooped h is head and

, ,

kissed her twi ce ; and would have kissed her a third time ,

but that by c h ance he saw King Menelaus below h im who ,

stood up in h is chariot and watched Then he turned .

lightly and left her and w ent in and so pres ently she too
, , ,

with her veil in her hand not yet over her mouth looked
, ,

down from the wall and saw the King her husband Long ,
.

and deeply looked she ; and he looked up at her ; and so

they stood ga z ing eac h at the other Then came women
,
.
 THE R U I NOUS FA C E 1 29

from the house and veiled her mouth and took her away , .

Other times too he had seen her there but she not him:
, , ,

and now at this turn of the year the memory of her came
, ,

bright and hard before him ; and he walked un der the

wall of the house in the gray of the morning And as he .

walked there fiercely on a day behold she stood above ,

hi m on the wal l veiled and in a brown robe looking down

, , ,

at him And they looked at each other for a space of time

. .

“
And nobod y was by .

Shaki ng he said ,
O Ruinous Face art thou so early
, ,

“
from the wicked bed ?
She said low Yea my lord I am so early
, , ,
“
.

”
These ten long years he said then I have w alked
, ,

here at this hour but never yet saw I thee

“
.
,

She an swered : But I have seen my lord f or at this hour ,

my lord Al exandros is ac customed to sleep and I to wake .

”
And so I take the air and am by myse lf
“ “
.
,
”
0 God ! he said would that I could c ome at thee
, ,
”

“
lady . She replied him nothing So after a l ittle while .
,

of l ooking he S poke to her again saying : Is this true

, ,

which thou makest me to think that thou walkest here in ,

order that thou mayst be by thyself ? Is it true 0 thou ,

God-begotten
She sai d smiling a little Is it so wonderful a thing that
, ,

“
I should desire to be alone ?
“ B y my fathers
”
he said I think it wonderful And
, , .

more wonderful is it to me that it should be allowed thee .

“
And then he looked earnestly at her and asked her t h is : ,
”

“ “
Dost thou therefore des ire that I should leave thee ?
, ,
” ”
Nay said she slowly I said not ao
, , .

”
As k me to stay and I stay he said But she made
, , .

“ “
no answer to that but looked dow n to the earth at her
”
feet. Behold said the King presently te n years and
, ,

more sin ce I have known my wi fe N ow if I were to c as t .

1 30 E N GLI S H SH OR T — S TORY W R I TERS
my pear at thee and rive open thy golden side wh at
s ,

w onder were it? Answ er me that .

She looked long at hi m that he saw the deep gray of her

eyes And he heard the low voice answer him
.
,

I know ,
“
”
that my lord would never do it And he kne w it better .

than sh e and the re ason as well as she

, .

A little while more they talked together , alone in the

sunless light ; and she was in a gentle mood as indeed she ,

always w as and calmed the fret in him so that he could

, ,

keep still and t ake long breaths and look at her without ,

burnin g in his heart She asked him of their child and

.
,

“
when he told her it w as well stood thoughtful and silent
“ , .

” ”
Here said she presently
,
I have no child ; and it
, ,

seemed to him that she sighed

“ “
.

”
0 Lady he said ,
dost thou regret nothi ng of all these
,
”
ten long years ?
Her ans w er was to look long at hi m without speec h .

And then again she veiled her eyes with her eyelids and
hung her head He dared say nothi ng
. .

Paris c ame ou t of the house fresh from the bath rosy , ,

and beautiful and whistled a low clear note like the call
, ,

of a bird at evening Then he called u pon Helen

. .

Where is my love ? Where is the Desire of the W orld

She looked up qui ckly at King Menelaus and smiied ,

half and moved her hand ; and she w ent to Paris Then
,
.

the King groaned and rent hi mself But he would not

,
.

stay nor look u p lest he shoul d see wha t he da red not

, ,

Next day very early and every day after those tw o

, , , ,

long-severed kept a tryst : so in time she came to be there

,

fi rst and a st ri fe grew between them which sh ould watch

,

for the other And after a little sh e would sit u pon the
.
1 32 EN GL I S H S HOR T — S TORY W RITERS .

wha t face have women for her w h o is more sought th an

them ? And what of such a woman 0 lord Menelaus , ,

what of her in her mi sery ? Is it true t h ink est thou be , ,

cause she is good to look upon and is des ired by men that ,

she shoul d have no desi re s of her ow n ? And must she

have pleasu re only in that whi ch men seek of her and none ,

in her house and child overseas ? Is my fa ce then and , ,

are th me my breas ts all that I have ? And is my mind

nothing at all nor the kindn ess in my hea rt nor the j oy
, ,

I have in the busy world ? My face h as been ruin unto

many and many have sought my breas ts ; but to me
,

it has been misery and shame and my milk a bitte r ,

”
gall
.

Thus spake Helen of the fai r girdle ; and he saw her

eyes filled with tears and pure sorrow upon her face ; and
“ ,

he held up his arms to her crying O my dear one wilt , , ,

thou not come back to me ? ”

She could not speak f or
crying ; but nodded her head often between her cove ring
hands .

Then h e seeing h ow her thoughts lay gently toward

, ,

home and desiring to pleas e her now more than anything

,

in the world spake of the child swearing by the Gods of

,

L aw dwmon that she w as not forgotten

”
,
“
“
Nay he said .
, ,

but still she talks of her mother an d every day would ,

know of her re turn And those about her in our house

.
,

faithful ones say The King thy father h as gone to bring

‘

’
, ,
”
our lady back ; and all wi ll be happy again
“
And so .
,

said he it shall be beloved if thou wilt but come

, , ,
.

Then Helen lifte d up her fa ce from her covering h ands

and sh owed him her eyes And he sai d O Wonder of .
,
“ ,

th e W orld shall I come f or thee ?

,

An d her words w ere sped down the wall soft as dropping

rose leaves : Come soon
- ” “
And King Menelaus returned .
,

to his quarters glorying in his st re ngth

,
.
 THE R U INO U S FA C E 1 83

This day he took counsel with King Agamemn on his

brother and with Odysseus w isest of the Ach aeans and
, , ,

told them all And while they pondered what the news
.

might mean he declared his purpose whi ch w as to have ,

Helen again by all means and to enter Troy di sguised by ,

night and in the morning to drop with her in his arms over
’
,

the wall from the garden of Paris house But Odyssem

,
.

dissuad ed him and so did the King his brother ; for they
,

kn ew very well that Troy must be sac ked and the Ach ,

aaans satisfi ed with pl u nder and death and women For , ,

.

after ten years of strife men raven for such things and ,

will not give over until they have them Also it w as .

written in the heart of Hera that the walls of Troy must

be cast down and the pride thereof made a byw ord So
,
.

it was that the counsel of King Menelaus w as overp assed ,

and that of Odysseus prevailed And with him lay th e .

word that he should make his plan and tell it over to ,

Menelaus that he might tell it again to Helen when he

,

saw her on the wall .

At thi s time a great heart was in Helen and strong pur ,

pose And it w as so that while Paris marvelled to see

.

her beauty w ax ever the clearer and w hile he loved her ,

more than ever he had and found her compliance the ,

sweeter he guessed not hi ng of what spirit it w as that

,

osseas e d her nor of what she did when she w as by he r

p ,

self Nor c ould he guess sin ce she refused hi m never

.
,

what he asked of her how she weighed hi m lightly beside

,

Menelaus her husband ; nor while she let herself be loved , ,

what soft desires were astir in her heart to be cherished as

’
a w ife sharer of a man s hearth partaker of his counsels
, , ,

c omforter in his troubl es and mother of his sons But it , .

c ame to p ass t hat the o nly j oy of her life was in the seeing
Ki ng Menelaus in the morning and in the rea ding in his ,
1 34: EN GL IS H SH ORT — S TORY W RITERS

gaze the ass uran ce of that pea ce whi ch she longed for .

An d again her pride lay in fi tting herself for it w hen it

, ,

should come N ow therefore she forsook the religion of

.
, ,

Aphrodite to whom all her duty had been befo re and

, ,

in a grove of olive—trees in the garden of the house h ad

bui lt an al tar to Arte mis Aristobou lé There ofi e red she
'

in cense daily and paid tribute of wheate n cakes knead ed

,

with ho ney and little figures of bears such as virgins off er

,

to the Pure in Heart in Athens And she would have .

whipped herself as they do in Spa rta had she not feared

discovery by hi m w ho still had her So ev ery day afte r .

spee ch with Menelaus the King about compani onshi p and

“
the sanctities of the wedded hearth she prayed to the
Goddess saying : 0 Chas te and Fair by that pu re face of
,
,

thine and by thy untouched zone ; by thy proud eyes and

c u rving lip and thy bow and scornful bitter arrows aid
, ,

thou me unhap py L o now Maid and Huntress I make

.
, , ,

a vow I will lay up in thy temple a fai r wreath of box

.

lea ves made of beaten gold on that day when my lord

b rin gs me home to my hearth and child to be his friend ,

and faithful companion sharer of his j oys and sorrows , ,

and when he loves my proved and constant mi nd better

than the bounty of my body Hear me and fail me not .
,

Lady of G race So prayed Helen an d then went back

.
,

to the house and suff ered her lot and cherished in he r

, ,

heart her h igh hope .

When all w as in order in the plans of the Achaea ns King ,

Menelaus told everything to Helen his wife ; and h ow

Od ysseus w as to come di sgui sed into the city and seek
spe ec h w ith her To the whi ch she listened marki ng every
.
,

word ; and bow ed her head in sign of agreement ; and at

the end w as silent looking down at her lap and deeply
,

blushi ng And at last she lifte d her eves and show ed them
.
1 36 EN GL I S H SH OR T — S TORY W R ITERS

She kept her face hidden from him bending to his feet ; ,

“
but he saw that she trembled and moved her shoulders .

So then he said again : I know tha t thou art pitiful I .

know that thou wilt was h his woun ds

“
.

She answe red hi m whi spe ri ng Y es ; oh yes

“
.
, ,

He said Le t me have speec h with thee lady when

, , ,
”
may be .

“
And she : It shall be when my lord sleepeth toward
morning W atch thou f or me here before the su n rise
.
, .

And he w as satisfied with what she said .

N ow , it w as toward morning ; an d Od ysseus watched

in the h all of Paris Then came Helen in and ste pped
.
,

li ghtly over the bodi es of sleepin g men and touched hi m ,

on the shoul der where he sat by the wall with his chin

upon his k nees Over her head w as the hood of a dark

.

blue cloak ; and the cloak fell to her feet Her face was .

cove red not so but that he could see the good intention
,

of her eyes And he arose and stood beside her and she
.
,

beckoned him to follow afte r Then she took him to the .

grove of olive—trees in the garden and burned in cense upon ,

the altar she had set u p and laid her hand upon the altar
of Artemis the Bright So do that quick Avenger to
,

“
“
.

” ’
me she said as she di d to Amphion s w ife whenas her
, , ,

nost ri ls w ere fil led wi th the wind of her rage if I play ,

false to thee Odysseus An d Odysseus pra ised her

, . .

Th en stooping with her fi nger she traced the lines of Troy

,

in the sand and all the gates of it and told over the
,

number of the guard at eac h ; and revea led the houses of

the chiefs where they stood and the watches set
“
.
, ,

Odyme us ma rked all in hi s heart But he as ked An d .

,

“
whi ch is the golden house of King Priam
She s aid : Nay but that I will not tell thee For he
,
.

h as been always kind to me from the very first ; and even

 THE RUINOUS FA C E 1 37

when Hec tor his beloved was slain he had no ill words
m
, , ,

for me though all Troy hissed e in the shrines of the

’
,

God s and women spat upon the doors of Paris house as

,

they passed by Him an old man thou shalt spare for

.
, ,

”
my sake who am about to betray him
“
.

Odysseus said : B e it so One marvel I have lady and

.
, ,

it is this : If now in these last da y s thou w ilt help thy

, ,

people w hy didst thou not before

,

She w as silent for a while Then she said I knew not .

,

then what now I know that my lord the King loves me ”

“ “
.
, , ,

Odysseus marvelled Why said h e. when all the , ,

hosts of the Achaeans were gathered at his need and out ,

of all the nations of Hellas arose the cry of women be

reaved and children fatherless so that he might have thee ,

again ! And thou sayest He loved thee not ‘

“ ”
Nay said she quickly
,
,

not so But I knew very ,

“ .

well that he des ired me for his solace and delight as other ,

men have done and still do : but to be craved is one thing

and to be loved is another thing I am not all fair flesh .
,

Od yss eus : I am wife and mother and I would be com ,

panion and comforter of a man N ow I know of a truth .

that my husband loveth me dea rly ; and I sicken of Paris ,

who maketh me his delight Hateful to me are the ways .

of men with women Have I not cause enough to hate

.

them these long years a plaything for his arms and a

, ,

fruit to allay the drouth of his eyes ? Am I les s a woman

in that I am fair or less woman grown because I can never
,

be old ? N ow I loathe the sweet lore of Aphrodite which ,

she taught me too well ; and all my hope is in that Blessed

One whom men call Oi Good Counsel For behold love .
, ,

is a cruel thing of unending strife and wasting thought ;

but the ways of Artemis are ways of pea ce and they shall ,
”
be my ways .

A little longer he re asoned wi th her and appointed a ,

n— l o
1 38 EN G L IS H SHORT — S TORY W RI TERS

day when the entry should be made ; but then afte rw ard ,

when light filled the earth and the coming of the sun w as
be aconed upon the tops of the mountains she arose and ,

My husban d awaits me I must go to him and lef t .

,

Odysseus and went to the wal l to talk with Menelaus be

,

low it In her hand w as a yellow crocus sacred to Ar

.
,

tam is the B right An d Helen put it to her li ps and

.
,

touched her eyes with it and d ropped it dow n the wall,

to Menelaus her husband .

Th en the Greeks fashioned a great horse ou t of wood ,

and se t the images of two young kings upon it w ith -spears ,

of gold and stars upon the ir forehe ads ma de of gold

, .

And they caused it to be drawn to the S kaean Gate in the

night~time and left it there for the Troj ans to see Dolon
, .

mad e it; but Odysseus devised the images of the two

kings And his craft w as j u stified of i tself F or the
. .

Troj ans hai led in the images the twin brothers of Helen -
,

even Cas tor an d Polydeu ces come to save the state for ,

’
their sister s sake ; and opened wide their gates and d re w ,

in the horse and set it upon the porch of the temple of

,

Ze us the Thunder There it stood for all to see And

. .

King Priam w as carried down in his litte r to behold it

and w i th h im came Hecabe the Qu een and Paris an d , ,
’
E neas and Helen w ith Cassandra the King s daughte r .
, ,

Then Ki ng Priam lifted up his hands and blessed the

horse and the riders thereof And he said : Hail to ye .
,

great p air of brothers ! B e favorable to us now and speedy ,

”
in your mercy .

But Cassandra wailed and tore at the covering of her

breas t and cried ou t: Ah and they shall be speedy !
,
“ ,

He re is a w oe come upon us which shall be merc y indee d

”
to some of you But for me the re is no mercy
. .

N ow w as Helen with softly shining eyes c lose to the

, ,
1 40 EN GL IS H S HOR T — S T O RY W RITERS
put her arms about hi s body and urged herself toward him
till her fa ce touched his fl ank And she cl u ng to him and
.
,

looked up at him and he stayed , .

N ow di d rumor b re ak out all at on ce about the house

and i n the city afar 0 6 Men cried The fire the fi re ! ” “ ,

“ “
.
, ,
” ”
and Save yourse lves ! and Oh the Achaeans ! and ,

Paris tore himself away and made has te to arm hi mself

,

by the light of the fire in the city which made the room ,

as bright as day And he put on all his harnes s

.
,

and took his sword and buckler and ran ou t of the

chamber and down the stairs crying Arm ye arm ye ,
,

,
“ , ,
”
and follow me ! Then Helen arose and swiftly withdrew
the arms from below the bed and called E u tyches to ,

her from the gallery and made him fasten the breastplate
,

about her and gird the thongs of the shield to her whi te
,

arm and fi x the helm et of bronze upon her head So he

, .

did a nd t rembled as he touched her ; for he loved her ou t

,

“
of measure and without hope Then said she to E u tych es
.
,
”
Arm thyself and follow me And together armed they
.
, ,

went down the stair .

There w as a great press of men figh ting about the doors

’
of Paris house and loud rum or But beyond in the city .
,

the Ach mans in a multitude carried fi re and sword from

house to house And there was the noise of women cr y ing
.

’
mercy and calling their children s names And the flames
, .

leaped roaring to heaven ; and the Gods turned away

their faces ; and Troy was down .

N ow Paris fighting came backward into the hall where

, ,

Helen was and Menelaus came fie rce ly afte r him and in ,

the doorway d rove a spear at him that went through the

lea ther of his sh ield through all the folds of it and ran
,

dee p into the flesh of his throat where it fastens to the

shoulder Then Paris groaned and bent his knees and
.
,
 THE RUINOUS FA C E 1 41

fell calling Helen by her name Then came she in her

,
.

bright harness with a burning fa ce and stood over the

, ,

body of Paris and held ou t her arms to the King sayin g

“ ,

”
Husband lord behold here am I by your side ! E utych es
, , , ,
, ,

came after her armed also ,

.

Then Menelaus with the bloody spea r in his hand newly

,

plucked from the neck of Paris ga z ed at his wife not

knowing her So presently he said weak -voiced What
.
,

, ,
“ ,

is this 0 love liest in the world

,
But he knew E u tyches
again who had been with him and her in Sparta and s ai d
to him
,
“
Disarm her but with care lest the bronze br uise
, , ,
,

”
her fai r flesh So E u ty ch es trembling disarmed her
.
, , ,

that she stood a lovely woman before the King And .

Menelaus w ith a shout took her in his arms and cried out
,

above the fi re and dust and shrieking in the street Come

,

,
“ ,

come my t reasure and desire ! Love me now or I die ! ”

,

But she clung to him imploring “ ”

Not here she said ,
.
, ,

not here Menelaus Take me hence ; let me fare by

, .

”
thy side this night .

But be pressed her the closer saying Come thou must , , ,

”
love me now and lifted her in his arms and ran u p the
,

stair and through the gallery of the house to the great

chamber where of late she h ad lain And he called her '

women to disrobe her ; and Helen fell to crying bitterly

,
“
and said Oh I am a slave I am a slave : I am bought
, ,
,

”
and sold and handed about An d she could not be co m .

forted or stayed from weeping But nothi ng ree ked King .

Menelaus for that .

When the walls of w ide—w ayed Troy were cas t down ,

and of the towers and houses of the chief s nothing s tood

but staring walls and rafters charred by fir e ; and when
the temples of the Dardan Gods h ad been sacked and ,

scorn done to the body of Pri am the Old ; and Cassandr a

1 42 ENGL I SH S HORT — S TORY W RI TERS

in the tent of King Agamemnon shuddere d and rocked her

self about ; and when dogs had eaten the fair body of
Paris then the A ch aaans turned their eyes with longing to
,

their homesteads So there w as a great ship-building and

.

launching of keels ; and at las t King Menelaus embarked

for peo pled Lace d aamon and took his lovely wife with him ,

in the ship and stayed his course at Rh odes for certai n

,

days resting there with Helen There he se t a close guard

,
.

about her all day ; and as Paris had loved her so loved h e , .

But she w as wretched and spent her days in weeping ; and ,

grew pale and thi n and w as fore ver scheming shifts h ow

,

she might be delivered from such a life as she led Ever .

by the d oor of the chamber stood E u tych es and watched ,

her closely marking her d ist ress And she knew that he
, .

knew it; for what woman does not know the sec ret mind
of a man with regard to her ?

So ,
on a day sat Helen by the window with her needle
,

work in her lap and looked ou t over the sea E utyches

,
.

came into the room where she was silently through the , ,

“
hangings of the door and kneeling to her kissed her knee
, ,
.

She turned to him her sad face saying What wouldst , ,

thou of me E u tyches
“L ady
”
,

he sa id thy pardon fi rst of all “

“ “
.
, ,
”
She smiled upon him Thou hast it she said ; wh at .
,
”
then ?

“
He said to her : Lad y I have served thee these many ,

years and no man know s thy mind bette r than I do w ho

, ,

know it only from thy face For I have be en but a house .

dog in thy sight But I have never read it wrongly ; and

.

now I know that thou art unhappy

“ “
.

”
Yes she said it is true I am very unha ppy and
, ,
.
,
”
w ith reason .

E u tyches drew from his bosom a sharp sword and laid

1 44 ‘ EN GL IS H S HORT — S TORY W RI TERS

and took ea c h of her wrists in a hand and held her down ,

on the bed The sw ord dropped out and fell to the floor ;
.

but he let it lie Now his love waxed the greater for the
.

danger she h ad been in And in the morning when as .

,

she lay as one dead he picked up the sword and brake it, ,

and thre w it out of the windo w Also before he left her he .

gave strai ght order that she should be watched through

out the day But he gave the order to E u tyches believing
.
,

him to be faithful for his former and latter servi ce .

By and by came E utyches and spoke again with her say ,

ing Lad y I fear me thou di dst not use my remedy aright

, ,
"
.

S he heard him in a stare and answered in a d ry voice , ,

”
I fear so too .

Then said E u tyches : There is but one way to use it “ .

So shalt thou be free from pai n and sorrow of heart .

She would not look at hi m but he knew that she under

If thou wilt swear to me by Artemis “ ,

“
stood his thought .

”
the Bri ght he said that thou wilt never use it against
, ,
”
thyself I will put another remedy on thy knees lady
, , .

She swore it and he fetched her a sword and put it ,

on her knees That night in the d ark she slew her hus
.
, ,

band Menelaus as he lay asl eep by her side ; and she knew
,

that he was dea d because after groani ng on ce he neither , ,

moved nor stirred and because his foot whi ch w as upon

,

her ankle was heavy as lead .

Then came E u tych es in with a torch and asked her if ,

all w as well She told hi m what she had done ; and

.

E u ty ch es came close with the torch and saw that the

King was dead Then he said Before daw n w e must de
.
,
“
“
part thou and I
,
.

She said : Where can I go ? What will become of me ?

He gazed upon her saying I will love thee fore ver , ,
“ ,

as I have these twelve years and more .

 TH E RUI NOUS F ACE 1 45

She said to hi m,
“
I will g o no wif thou wilt help me ,

E u tych es .

He said I will help thee When I can

, .

Then Helen looked at him and saw his eyes and w as

h orrib ly af raid
'

She said “
,

I know not whether I can

.
,
,

“
trust thee ; but he a nswered her :
Have I not proved that to thee ? Did I not give thee

“
the sword with which to free thyself ?
“ Yea she said but have I freed myself indeed ?
”
, ,

He stret c hed ou t his arms to her saying : Free ? Yes ,

thou art free most glorious one And now I too am free
,
.

“
to love thee .

But she used craft in her fear saying : I am soiled with ,

wicked blood Stay thou here E u tych es and I will purify

.
, ,

“
myself and be as thou wouldst have me
,
.

And he let her go with a kiss saying : B e quick Have , .

I not waited twelve years

Then Helen arose and went ou t of the chamber and ,

out of the house into the garden A nd she stood before .

the altar of Artemis Eileithyia and prayed before it say

“
ing 0 Holy One I give thee thanks indeed that now I
, ,
, ,

”
know the w ay of peace .

And th en sh e went farther into the grove of ilex-trees

where the altar and the image stood and took off her girdle ,

and bound it straightly round her neck And she clomb .

the t ree and tied the end of the gi rdle about the branch
,

thereof ; and afterward cast herself down and hung there ,

quite still And the cord which she used was of silk and
.
,

had gi rt her raiment about he r below her fair breasts ,

.
 w
a
e “
‘
A N E W EN GL A N D N U N

M ary E . t hi ns

T w as la te in the aftern oon and the light w as waning

,
.

There was a di ff eren c e in the look of the tree shadows

ou t in the yard Somewhere in the distance cows
.

were lowing and a little bell was tinkling ; now and then
a farm -wagon tilted by and the dust flew ; some blue
,

shirted laborers with shovels over thei r shoulders plodded

past ; little swarms of fl ies were dancing up and down be
’
fore the people s faces in the soft air There seemed to be.

a gentle stir arising over everything for the mere sake of

su bside nce a very premonition of rest and hush and night
fi
.

This soft diurnal c ommotion was over Louisa Ellis also .

She had been peacefully sewing at her sitting room window -

all the afternoon N ow she quilted her needle carefully

.

into her work which she folded precisely and laid in a

, ,

basket with her thimble and th read and scissors Louisa .

Ellis could not remember that ever in her life she had mis
laid one of th ese little feminine appurtenances which had ,

become from long use and constant association a very

, ,

part of her personality .

Louisa tied a green apron round her waist and got ou t ,

a flat straw hat with a green ribbon Then she went into .

the gard en with a little blue crockery bowl to pick some ,

currants for her tea Af te r the currants were picked she

.

F rom A N ew Engla nd N a n and Ol her S torie s . Copyri ght 1 89 1 , ,

b y Ha rpe r B rothe rs .
1 50 EN GL ISH S HORT — S TORY W R I T ERS

the st ems

beside the step to see if any

Lo uisa was slow and still in her movemen ts ; it took her
a long time to prepa re her tea ; but when ready it w as set

forth with as much gra ce as if she had been a veritable

g uest to her ow n self T he.little square table stood exactly
in the centre of the kitc hen and w as covered with a ,

starched linen cloth whose border pattern of fl ow ers

gliste ned Louisa had a dam as k napkin on her tea-t ray
.
,

where were arranged a c ut—glass tumbler full of teas poons ,

a silver cream-pitcher a china sug ar-bowl an d one pink

, ,

chin a cup and sau cer L ouisa use d china every day
.

something which none of her neighbors did They w h is .

pered about it among themselves Their daily tables .

were l aid with common c rockery their sets of best chin a ,

staved in the parlor closet and Louisa Ellis was no ri cher

,

nor be tter bred than they Still she would use the china
. .

She had for her supper a glass dish full of sugared currants ,

a plate of little cakes and one of light white biscui ts Also

, .

a leaf or two of lettuce which she cut up daintily Louisa

, .

was very fond of lettu ce whi ch she raised to perfection in

,

her little garden She ate quite heartily though in a deli

.
,

cate pe c k ing way ; it se emed almost surprising tha t any

!

considerable bulk of the food should vanish .

Af ter tea she fi lled a plate w ith ni cely baked thin corn
cakes and carried them ou t into the bac k-yard
“ ,

Cae sar ! she called

” “
Ca sar ! Cae sar !
.
”
.

There w as a little rush and the clank of a chain and a

, ,

large yellow-and -w hite dog appeared at the door of his tiny

hut w hi c h w as half hidden among the tall grm es and
,

flow e rs Lo uisa patted hi m and gave him the corn-c akes

. .

Then she returned to the house and was hed the tea-things ,
 1 52 EN GL IS H SHORT — S TOR Y W R ITERS

It must be .

’
s pretty hot work in the sun .

— ”
Is you mother well to d ay ?
’
Yes mother s pretty well
, .

’
I suppose Lily Dyer s w ith her now ? ”

Dagge t colored “ ’
Y es she s with her he answered
A w ly
.
, , ,

o .

He was not very young but the re was a boyish look ,

about h is large face Louisa was not quite as old as he

.
,

her face w as fai rer and smoother but she gave people the ,

impression of being older

“
.

’
I suppose she s a good deal of help to your mother ,

she said further

“
.
,
’ ’
I guess she is I don t know how mother d ge t along
’
w ithout her s
“ Hai d D agge t w ith a sort of embarras sed warmth
,
’
.

She looks like a real capable girl She s pretty-looking .

remarked Loui sa
J
too .

Yes she 1 8 pretty f a ooking

,
.

Presently D agge t began fi nge ring the books on the

table There was a square red au tograph album and a
.
,
’
Young Lady s Gift Book which had belonged to Louisa s
-
’
mother He t ook them up one after the other and O pened
.

them ; then laid them dow n again the album on the Gift ,

Book .

Louisa kept eying them with mild uneasiness Finally .

she row and c h anged the position of the books putting ,

the album underneath That w as the way they h ad been

.

arranged in the first pla ce

D agget gave an aw kiward l ittle laugh
.

Now what dif .

“
ference did it make whi ch book w as on top said he
Louisa looked at him with a depre c ating smile I
.

.
“
hat w ay murm ured she ,
.

”
Y ou do beat everythi ng said D agget t ryi ng to laugh
, ,
 A NEW E N GL A N D NUN 1 53

He re mai ned about an hour longer then rose to take ,

leave Going ou t he stumbled over a rug and t ryi ng to

.
, , ,
’
recover himself hit Louisa s work-basket on the table
, ,

and knoc ked it on the floor .

He looked at Louisa then at the rolling spools ; he ,

“
ducked himself awkwardly to w ard them but she stopped ,

hi m
” ’
Never mind said she ; I ll pi c k them up after
.
,
’
you re gone ”
.

She spoke with a mild sti ff ness Either she w as a little .

disturbed or his nervousness aff ected her and made her

, ,

see n cons trained in her effort to reassure him

A
.

hen Joe D agget w as outside he dre w in the s w eet

evening ai r with a sigh and felt much as an innocent and
,

perfectly well -intentioned bear mi ght after his exi t from

a china shop .

Louisa on her part felt much as the kind he arted long

, ,
-
,
s

su ff ering owner of the c hina shop might have done after

the exit of the bear .

She tied on the pink then the green apron picked up , ,

all the scattered t reasures and re pl aced them in her work

basket and st raightened the rug Then she set the l amp
,
.

on the fl oor and began sharply examining the carpe t

, .

“
She even rubbed her fi ngers over it and looked at them , .

’ ”
He s tracked in a good deal of dust she murmured , .

”
I thought he must have .

Louisa got a dust -pan and brush and swept J oe Dag ,

’
get s trac k carefully .
'

If he coul d have known it it would have increased his ,

perplexity and uneasiness although it would not have d is ,

tu rbed h is loyalty in the least He came twi c e a week to .

see Louisa Ellis and every time sitting there in her deli
, ,

cate ly s w ee t room he felt as if surrounded by a hedge of

,

lac e He was afraid to stir lest he Sh ould put a cl u msy

.

foot or hand through the fairy web and he had always the ,

IL — I I
 E N GL I S H S HOR T — S T O RY W RIT ERS

con sciousness that Louisa w as watching fearfully lest he

should .

Still the l ace and Lo uisa commanded perforce his per

fe ct res pec t and patience and loyalty They were to be .

married in a month after a singular courtshi p which h ad

,

lasted for a matte r of fif te en years For fourte en ou t of .

the tw o had not once seen each otfier and

‘

exchan ged lette rs Joe had been all those .

years in Australia where he had gone to make his fortune

, ,

and where he had stayed until he made it He would h ave .

st ayed fif ty years if it had taken so long and come home ,

feeble and tottering or ne ver come home at all to marry

, ,

Loui sa .

But the fortune had been made in the fou rteen years and ,

he had come home now to marry the woman who had been
patiently and unquestioningly waiting for him all that time .

Shortly afte r they wege efl gaged he had announced to

l
l

Louisa his determination to strike out into new fie lds and ,

sec ure a competency before they should be married She .

had l i stened and assented w ith the sw ee t serenity whi ch

/
never failed her not even when her lover set forth on that
,

long and un certain j ourney Joe buoyed up as he w as by

.
,

his sturdy determination broke down a little at the last

, ,

but Louisa kissed him with a mild blush and said good -bye
“
.
,
’
It won t be for\ long poor Joe had sa id huskily ; but
, ,

/
it was for fourteen years
’
I n that length of time much had happened Lo uisa s .

mother and brother had died and she was all alone in the ,

world But greate st happening of all a subtle happening

.
—

which b oth were too simple to understand Louisa s feet ’ —

h ad turned into a path smooth ,

a ca lm ,

serene sky but so st rai ht and ving that it could

,
g
onl y meet a chec k at her grave narrow that the re
,

w as no room for any

1 56 EN GLI S H S H O RT — S TORY W RITERS

roman ce whistled as loud and sweet as ever th rough his

ears All the song which he h ad been wont to hear in
.

them w as Lo uisa ; he had for a long tim e a loyal belief

that he heard i t still but fi n ally it see med to him that
, ,

although the winds sang always that one song it had ah ,

other name But for Louisa the wind h ad nev w

. e

th anhnu rm ured ; now it had gone down and every thing ,

w as still She l istened f or

. while with half-w istful
attention ; then she turned away and went to work
on her wedding-clothes . _

Joe h ad mad e some extensive and quite magnifice nt

al terations in his house It was the old homestead ; the
.

newly mar ri ed couple would live there for J oe could not ,

dese rt his mother who refused to leave her old home

, .

So Louisa m ust leave hers Every morning ri sing and

.
,

going about among her neat maidenly possess ions she felt ,

as one looking her last upon the faces of dear friends I t .

w as true that in a measure she could take them with her ,

but robbed of their old environ ments they would a ppear

, ,

in such new gu ises that they would almost c ease to be

themselves Then there were some peculi ar features of
.

her happy solitary life which she woul d probably be

obl iged to relinquish altogether Sterner tasks than these.

graceful but half-needless ones would probably devolve

upon her The re would be a large house to care f or ; there
.

would be company to entertain ; there would be Joe s ’

rigorous and feeble old mother to wait upon ; and it would
be contrary to all thrifty vill age traditions for her to keep
more than one servan t Louisa had a little still and she
.
,

used to occupy herself pleasantly in summ er w eather w ith

distilling the sweet and aromatic essences from rw es and
peppermint and S pearmint B y-and -by her still must be
.

lai d away Her store of essen ces w as alreadw xfl derable

.
,

and there woul d be no time for her to distil f or the mere

 A NEW E N GL A N D NUN 1 57

’
pleasure of it Then Joe s mother would think it fool ish
.

ness ; she had already hi nted h er Q QiE m in the matter .

Louisa dearly loved to sew a lmemse am not always f or ,

use but f or the simple mild pleasure which she took in

, ,

it
. She would have been loath to confess h ow more than
once she had ripped a seam for the mere delight of sewing
it together again Sitting at her w indow during long
.

sweet afternoons drawing her needle gently through the

,

dainty fabric she w w

, p itself But there w
. as small
’
c hance of such foo lish comfort in the future J oe s mother .
,

domineering shrewd old matron that she was even in her

,

old age an d very likely even Joe himself with his honest
, ,

mas c u line rudeness would laugh and frown down all these
,

pretty but senseless old maiden ways -

.

Loui sa had alm ost the enthusiasm of an artist over the

m der and cleanl iness of her sol itary home She had
w .

throbs of genuine tri ui fi h at the sight of the w indow—panes

‘

which she had polished until they shone like j ewels She .

gloated gently over her orderly bureau drawers w ith their -

,

exqui sitely folded contents redolent with lavender and

sweet clover and very purity Could she be sure of the
.

endurance of even this ? She had visions so startling that ,

she half repudiated them as indelicate of coarse mas culine ,

belongings strewn about in endless litter ; of dust and dis

order arising ne cessarily from a coarse masculine presen ce
in the midst of all thi s delicate harmony .

Among her forebodings of d isturbance n ot the leas t was ,

with regard to Czesar Caesar was a veritable hermit of a

.

dog F or the greater part of his life he h ad dwelt in his

.

secluded hut shut out from the society of his kind and all
,

inno cent canine j oys Never had Caesar since his early
.

youth w atched at a hole ; never had he known

'

’
the del ights of a stray b one a t a neighbor s kitchen door .

And it w as all on accoufi f of a sin committed when hardly

1 58 EN GL IS H S HOR T — S TORY W RI TERS

ou t of his puppyhood N o one knew the possible depth .

of r m rs
e o e wh ch thi s mild
of i -visaged altogether innocent
,

l ooking old dog might be capable ; but whether or not he

h ad encounte red re mors e he had encountered a full meas ,

ure of righ teous retribution Old Cae sar seldom lifted up .

his voice in a growl or a bark ; he w as fat and slee py ;

the re were yellow ri ngs w hich looked like speca les around
his d i mm c eyes ; but there w as a neighbor w h o bo re on
his hand the imprint of several of Ca
’
e sar s sharp white , ,

youthful te eth and f or that he h ad lived at the end of a

,

chai n all alone in a l ittle hut f or m

,
years The
an d smarting w ith the pai n of
, m .

neighbor who w as choleric

’
,
—
his wound h ad demanded ei the r Ca sar s death or complete
’
,

ostrac ism So Louisa s brother to whom the dog had he

.
,

longed had built him hi s little kennel and tied him u p

,
.

I t w as now fou rtee n years since i n a fl ood d youthful ,

spiri ts he had inflicted that memorable bite and w ith the

, ,

ex ception of short excursions al w ays at the end of the ,

ch ain un der the strict guardianship of his master or Lo uisa

, ,

the old dog had rem ained a close prisoner It is doubtful .

ii w ith hi s l imi ted ambition he took much pride in the

, ,

fact but it is cert ain that he w as possessed of consi derable

,

cheap fame He w as regarded by all the children in the

.

vill age and by many adults as a very monster of ferocity

m
.

.
’
St George s dragon could ha rdl y have su in evil
’
re pute Loui sa Ellis s old yellow dog Mothers cha rged .

their chi ldren wi th solemn emphas is not to go too near

to him and the children l istened and be lieved gneed ily
, ,

with a fascinated appetite for terror and ran by Lo uisa s ’

,

house stealthi ly with man y sidelong and backward glan ces

,

at the te rrible dog If pe rcha n ce he sounded a hoarse

.

bark the re w as a pa nic W ayfare rs chanci ng into Lo uisa s .

’
,

y ard eyed him with respect and inquire d if the chain were ,

stou t Caesar at l arge mi ght have seemed a very ordinary

.
 1 60 EN GL I S H SH ORT — S TORY W RITERS

weddi ng-d ay It w as a Tuesday evening and the weddi ng

. ,

w as to be a wee k from Wednesday .

’
There was a full moon that night About nine o cloc k .

Lo ui sa st rolled down the road a little way There were .

harvest—fields on either hand bordered by low stone wal ls , .

Luxuriant clumm of bushes grew beside the wall and ,

t 1 e es wild cherry and old apple t rees at intervals Pres

— —
.

ently Loui sa sat down on the wal l and l ooked about h er

with mildly sorrowful re flectiv enes s Tal l shrubs of blue .

berry and meadow—sweet all woven together and tangled ,

with blackberry vines and horsebriers shut her in on either ,

side She had a little clear space be tw ee n the m Oppo

. ‘ .

site her on the other side of the road was a spreading tree ;
, ,

the moon shone between its boughs and the leaves twinkled ,

like silver The road was bespread with a beautiful shift

.

ing dap ple of silver and shadow ; the air w as full of a mys
te rious sweetn ess
’
I wonder if it s wild grapes
.
“ mur
mured Louisa She sat there some time She w as j ust
. .

thinking of rising when she heard footste ps and low voices

, ,

and remained quiet I t was a lonely pl ace and she felt a

.
,

little ti mid She thought she woul d keep still in the shadow
.

and let th e pe rso ns whoever they might be pas s her

, ,
.

But j ust before they reached her the voices ceas ed and ,

the foo tsteps She understood that their owners had al so

.

found seats upon the stone wall She was wonderi ng if .

sh e could not steal away unobse rved when the voice b roke ,

.
’
the stillness I t w as Joe D agge t s She sat still and .

l istened .

The voice w as announced by a loud sigh which was as

familiar as itself ”
.
“ “ ’
Well sai d D agge t you ve made up
, ,
,

“
your mind then I suppose ?
Yes
,
”
,

returned another voi ce ;

,
’
I m going day after
“
"

“
—
to morrow .

’
That s Lily Dyer thought Louisa to herself The .
,
 A NEW EN GL AN D NUN 1 61

voi ce embodied itself in her mind She saw a g irl tall and .

full figu red with a fi rm fair face looking fairer and fi rmer
-
, , ,

in the moonlight her strong yellow hair braided in a close

,

kn ot A girl full of a calm rustic strength and bloom w ith

'

.
,

a m as terful way which might have beseemed a princes s .

Lily Dyer w as a favori te with the village fo lk ; she had j ust

the qual ities to arouse the admi ration She was good and .

han dsome and smart Louisa had often heard her praises
.

sounded
“ “
.

’
Well s aid Joe D agget I ain t got a word to say
,
’
, .

”
I don t kn ow what you could say returned Lily ,

Dyer
“
.

N ot a word to say repeated Joe draw ing out the

words heavily Then there was a silence
,

“ ’
I ain t sorry ”
,

“
. .
,

he began at last that that happened yesterday— that w e

’
,

kind of let on h ow we felt to each other I gu ess it s j ust .

’
,

as well w e knew Oi course I can t do anything any dif

’
.

’
,

f e re nt I m going right on an get married next week

. I .

’ ’
ain t going bac k on a woman that s waited for me fourteen
’
years an break her heart ”

“ ’
.
,

If you should j ilt her t o morrow I wouldn t have you

—
, ,

spoke up the girl with sudden vehemence

“ ’
.
,

Well I ain t going to give you the chance said he

, ,
’
but I don t believe you would either ”

“ ’ ’
.

’
,
’ ’
You d see I wouldn t Honor s honor an right s .
,
’ ’
right An I d never think anything of any man that
’
.

’
went against em for me or any other girl ; you d fin d that
J oe D agget
“
ou t, .

Well ’ ’
you ll fi n d out fast enough that I ain t going
,

’ ”
against em for you or any other girl returned h e Their .
,

voi ces sounded almost as if they were angry with each

“
other Lou isa W as listening eagerly
. .

’ said J oe
“ I m sorry you feel as if you must go away
’ ’
but I don t know but it s best ”
.
, ,
1 62 EN GLI SH S H O R T — S T O RY \
VR T E R SI

Of
’
course it s best . I h 0 pe you and I have got co mmon
”
sense
“
.

’
Well I su ppose you re right ’
Suddenly Joe s voi ce
,

got an undertone of tenderness Say Lily said he I ll

” ’ .
, ,

’
,

get along well enough myself but I can t bear to think ,

’ ’
Y ou don t suppose you re going to fret much over it
“ ’ ’ ’
I guess you ll fi nd ou t I sha n t fret much over a mar
”
ried man .

’ ’
W ell I h ope you won t I hope you won t Lily God
—
, , .

knows I do And I ho pe o ne of these days you ll

— —
’ -
.

come across some b ody else

“ ’
I don t see any reason why I shouldn t ’ ”
S uddenly .

her tone changed She s poke in a sweet clear voice so

.
, ,

loud that she could have been heard across the st reet
“ “
.

’
No Joe D agget said she I ll never marry any other
”

’
,
’
, ,

man as long as I live I ve got good sense an I ain t ’

.
,

going to break my heart nor make a fool of myse lf ; but

’
I m never going to be married you can be sure of that I .
,
’
ain t that sort of a girl to feel this w ay twice ”
.

Louisa heard an exclamation and a soft commot ion be

hind the b ushes then Lily spoke again — the voice sounded
”
as if she had risen This must be put a stop to said
“ ’
.
,

she.
’
We ve stayed here long enough I m going home . .

L ouisa sat there in a da z e listening to their ret reating

,

ste ps After a while she got up and slunk softly home

.

herself The next day she did her housework me thod i

.

cally ; that was as much a matter of course as breathing ;

b ut she ( l id not sew on her wed ding clothes She sat at -
.

her window and medit ated In the evening Joe came . .

Louisa Ell is had never k now n that she had any di plo macy
in her but when she came to look for it that night she
,

found it although meek of its kind among her little

, ,

feminine weapons Even now she could hardly believe

.

that she h ad heard aright and th at she would not do Joe

,
1 64i EN GL I S H S H ORT - S TORY W RITERS

might turn itself into a peaceful y ellow bal l night after

night and have no need to wake and fl u tte r w ith wild
,

terror against its bars Louisa c oul d sew linen seams and
.
,

distil roses and dus t and polish an d fold away in lavender

, ,

as long as she listed That afte rnoon she sat with her
.

needle-work at the window and felt fairly steeped in pe ace

, .

Lily Dyer tall and erect and blooming went past but she
, ,

felt no qualm If Louisa Ellis had sold her bi rthright she

.

did not know it the taste of the pott age was so delicious
, ,

and h ad been her sole satisfaction for so long Serenity .

and pl ac id narrowness h ad become t o her as the bi rt hright

itse lf She gazed ahead through a long reach of future
.

days st rung together like pearls in a rosary every one like ,

the others and all smooth and fl aw less and innocent and
, ,

her heart went up in thankfulness Outside w as the fervid .

su mmer af tern oon ; the air was fille d with the sounds of
the b usy harvest of men and bi rds and bees ; the re we re
halloos metallic clatte ri ngs sweet calls and long h um
, , ,

min gs Louisa sat prayerful ly numbering her days like

.
, ,

an uncl oistered nun .

A PR AIRIE V A GAB ON D
1 68 E N GL IS H S H ORT — S TORY W RITERS
rac ks Then he walked away with great hum ility There
. .

w as no swagger about Little Hammer He w as simply .

un quenc hable and continuous He sometimes got d runk ; .

but on such oc casions he sat down or lay down in the , ,

most convenient place and like Caesar beside Pompey s ’

, ,

statue wrapped his mantle about his fa ce and forgot the

,

world He w as a vagabond Indian abandoned yet self

.
,

contained outc ast y et gre garious No soci al ostracism

,
.

unnerved him no threats of the H B C officials moved

,
. . .

him ; and when in the winte r of 1 876 he w as d riven from

one pla ce to another starving and homel ess and came at
, ,

l ast emaciated and nearly dead to the Post at Yellow

Quill he asked for food and shelte r as if it were h is right
, ,

and not as a mendicant .

One night sho rtly after hi s re ception and restoration

, ,

he w as sitting in the store silently smoking the Co mpany s ’

,

tabac Sergeant Gellatly entered Little Hammer rose

“
. .

o ffered his hand and muttered How !

,
”
,

The Sergeant t h rust his hand aside and said sharply : ,

’ ’
Whin I take y r hand L ittle Hammer it ll be to put a .

’
,
’
grip on y r wrists that ll stay there till y are in quarters
’
ou t of which y ll come nayth er winter nor summer Put .

’ ’
that in y r pipe and smoke it y sc amp ! ”

Little Hamm
,

er had a bad time at the Post that night .

Lounging half-b re eds reviled him ; the H B C offi cials . . .

rebuked him ; and travellers who were coming and going

shared in the derision as foolish people do where one is
,
'

brow beaten by many A t l ast a trapper entered whom

-
.
,

seeing Little Hammer drew his blanket up about his head

,
.

The t rapper sat down very near Little Hammer and be ,

gan to smoke He laid his plug tabac and his kn ife on the
.
-

counter bes ide him Little Hammer reached over and

.

took the knife putting it swiftl y wi thin his bla nket Th e

,
.

t rapper saw the act and turnin g s h ar ply on the I n d ian

, , ,
 A PRA IR IE VAGAB ON D 1 69

called h im a thief Little Hammer chuckled strangely and

.

said nothing ; but his eyes peered sharply above the

blanket A laugh went round the store In an instant
. .

the trapper with a loud oath caught at the I ndian s ’

, ,

throat ; but as the blanket dropped back he gave a startled

cry There was the fl ash of a knife and he fell back dead
.
,
.

Little Hammer stood above him smiling for a moment , , ,

and then turning to Sergeant Gellatly held out his arms

, ,

silently f or the handcuff s .

The next day two men were lost on the prairies One
was Sergeant Gellatl y ; the other was Little Hammer .

Th e horses they rode travelled so close that the leg of the

Indian cro w ded the leg of the white man ; and the w ilder
the storm g rew the closer still they rod e A pou dre day
, .
,

with its steely air and fatal frost was an ill thing in the ,

world ; but these entangling blasts these wild curtains of ,

snow were desolating even unto death

,
The sun above .

was sm othered ; the earth beneath w as trackless ; the

c omp ass stood for loss all round .

What could Sergeant Gellatly expec t riding with a ,

murderer on his left hand : a heathen that had sent a kn ife

through the heart of one of the lords of the N orth ? What
should the gods do but frown or the elements be at but
, ,

howling on their path ? What should one hope for but

that ve ngeance should be taken ou t of the hands of mortals ,

and be delivered to the angry spirits ?

But if the gods w ere angry at the Indian why should ,

Sergeant Gellatly only sway to and fro and n ow laugh ,

recklessly and now fall sleepily forward on the neck of

,

his horse ; while the I ndian rode straight and neither ,

wavered n or wandered in mind but at l as t slipped from

,

his horse and walked beside the other ? It was at this

moment that the soldier heard Sergeant Gellatly Ser
, ,

geant Gellatly called through the blast ; and he thought

,

II —
. 1 2
1 70 EN GL I SH S H ORT — S TORY W RI TE RS

it came from the ski es or from some other world “

Me
“
.

’
,

”
he said have y come to me ?
,
But the voice
called again : Sergeant Gellatly keep awake ! keep awake ! ,

’
You slee p you die ; that s it Holy Yes How ! ”
Then . . .
,

he knew that it was Little Hamm er calling in his ear ,

and shak ing him ; that the Indian w as dragging h im

from his horse h is revolver where w as it? he h ad for ,

gotte n he nodded nodded But little Hammer said

“
.

Walk hell ! you w alk yes ; and Little Hammer struck

,
”
,

him again and again ; but one arm of the I ndian was under
his shoulder and around him and the voice was anxious ,

and kind Slowly it came to him that Little Hammer w as

.

kee ping him alive agains t the will of the spirits — but why
shoul d they strike him instead of the I ndian ? W as there
any sun in th e world ? Had there ever been ? or fi re or
heat anywhere or anything but wi nd and snow in all God s ’
,

universe ? Yes there were bells rin ging— s oft bel ls of

,

a vill age church ; and there was incense b urning — mos t

sweet it was ! and the coals in the censer how beautiful !
— ~

how comfo rting ! He laughed with j oy again and he for ,

got how cold how malicious ly co ld he h ad been ; he for

, ,

got how d re ad ful that hour was before he bec ame warm ;
when he w as pierced by myriad needles through the bod y ,

and there was an incredible aching at his heart .

And yet something kept thunderi ng on his bod y and ,

a harsh voice shrieked at him and there w ere many lights

d ancing over his shut eyes ; and then curt ains of darkness
were d ropped and centuries of oblivion c ame and hi s eyes
, ,

opened to a comforting silence and some one w as putting ,

brandy between his teeth and afte r a time he heard a

“
voi ce sav : B ien you see he w as a mu rderer but he save
,
,

his ca ptor Voi la such a heathen ! But you will all the
.
, ,

same br i ng him to j ustice you call it that But we shall

,
—
.

”
see.
1 72 ENGLI S H S HORT — S TOR Y W RIT ERS

the man— h aythen or no h aythen— that pulled me ou t of

me tomb and put me betu me the barr ac k quil ts ? Here s ’
’
the stripes afi me arm and to j ail I ll go ; but for what
'

w int before I clapt the i ron on h is wrists good or avil d iv il ,

’
,

’
a word will I say An here s me left hand and there s '

. .

’
me right fut and an eye of me too that I d part with
, , ,
’
f or the cause of him that s done a trick tha t your honor
’ ’ ’
wouldn t d o an no shame to v aither an y d been
— — ’ ’
”
whe re Little Hamm er was with me .

His honor did not reply immediately but he looked ,

meditatively at Little Hammer before he said qui etly

“ Perhaps not perhaps not
.
”
.
,

And Li ttle Hammer thinking he w as expected to speak

,

d rew hi s b lanket up closely about him and gru nted How ! ”

,
“ ,

Pretty Pierre the notorious ha lf -b reed w as then called

, , .

He kiw ed the Book making the sign oi the Cross swiftly

,

as he did so and unheed ing the i roni cal if hesitating

,

laugh ter in the c ourt Th en he said : B rien I will tell you

.
“ ,

,
,

the story : the whole t ruth I w as in the Stony Plains . .

Little Hammer w as good In j i n then ’ ‘

Yes sacré ! it .
,

is a fool w h o smil es at that I have kissed the Book . .

Dam ! He would be chief soon when old Tw o Tai ls die .

He was proud then Little Hammer He go not to the

, ,
.

’
Post f or d rink ; he sell not next year s furs for this year s’
"
rations ; he shoot straight
“
.

He re Little Hammer stood up and said : There is too

much talk Let me be It is all done The sun is set — I
. . .

care no t -
I have killed him and then he drew his blanket
about his fa ce and sat dow n
“
.

But Pierre c ontinued Yes you killed him — q uick

'

, ,

afte r fi v e years — that is so ; but you will not speak to say

w hy . Then I will speak The Inj ins say Little Hamm er
,
.

will be great man ; he will bring the tribes together ; and

all the time Little Hammer was strong and silent and wise .
 A PRA IRIE VA GA B ON D 1 73

Then B rigley the t rapper— well he was a thief and cowa rd

, .

He come to Little Hammer and say : I am hungry and ‘

ti red ’ Little Hammer give him food and sleep He go

. .

away B ien he come back and say — It is far to go ; I ‘

’
.
, ,

have no horse So Little Hammer give him a ho rse too

. .

Then he come back once again in the night when Little

Hammer w as away and before morning he go ; but when
,

Little Hammer return there lay his bride — o nly an I nj in

,

girl but his bride— dead ! You see ? Eh ? No ? Well

, ,

the Captain at the Post he says it was the same as Lucrece .

—
I say it w as like hell It is not much to kill or to die
.

that is in the game but that other mon D i eu ! Little Ham ,

mer you see how he hide his head : not because he kill the
,

Tarquin that B rigley but because he is a poor m uri en

, ,

now and he on ce was happy and had a wife

,
What .

would you do j udge honorable ? ,

Little Hamm er I ,

— How ”
shake your hand so ! — !
But Little Hammer made no reply .

The j udge se ntenc ed Little Hammer to one month in

j ail He might have made it one thousand months — it
.

would hav e been the same ; for when on the las t morning ,

of that month they O pened the door to set him f ree he w as

, ,

gone ! That is the Little Hammer whom the high gods

,

knew w as gone ; though an ill-nourished self-strangled ,

body w as upright by the wall The vagabond had paid h is.

penalty bu t dmi ted no more of earth

, .

Upon the door was scratched the one word

How !
 THE HO U S E O P P O S I T E

A nthony Hope

E w ere talking over the sad c ase of young Algy

Groom ; I w as explaining to Mrs Hilary exa c tly .

“
w hat had happened .

”
His father gave him said I a hundred pounds to , , ,
”
keep him for three mo mths in Paris while he learnt French
“
.

”
And v ery liberal too said Mrs Hilary
”
It depends where you dine said I
,

Ho w ever that ,
.

.
“ .

question did not arise for Algy went to the Grand Prix
,

“
the day after he arrived
”
A horse m ce ? asked Mrs Hilary with great conte mpt
- .
,
.

”
Ce rtainly the competitors are horses I rej oined ,
.

And there h e most unfortunately l ost the whole sum

, , ,

without learning any French to speak oi

“
.

How disgusting ! exclaimed Mrs Hila ry and little

”
.
,

“
Miss Phyllis gasped in horror .

Oh well said Hilary with much bravery ( as it stru c k

”

“ ,
’
,
”
,

“
me) his father s very well off
,
.

’
That doesn t make it a bit better declared h is wi fe .
,
’
There s no mortal sin in a little betting my dear .
,

Boys wi ll be boys
“ ’
And even that I interposed wouldn t matter if we
, ,

c ould only prevent girls from being girls ”

.

Mrs Hil ary taking no notice whatever of me pro

.
, ,

‘
F rom The D olly D i a logu es Copyri gh t 1 901
.
. , \
by Ro b rte

How a rd Ru sse ll . Harpe r B roth e rs , pu li she rs b .

1 78 EN GL IS H S HOR T — S TORY W RITERS

nou nced senten ce .

“
H
e grossly d e ceived h is father she ,

“
said and took up her embroidery
, .

Most of us have grossl y deceived ou r parents before

now
”
said I
,
“
We should all have to confess to some
thing of the sort
“
.

’
I hope you re speaking for your ow n sex observed ,

“
Mrs Hilary
“
. .

N ot more than you rs said I You u sed to meet , .

’
Hilary on the pier when your father was n t the re — you
told me ao .

Father h ad authori zed my acquaintan ce with Hilary .

I hate quibbles said I , .

There w as a pause Mrs Hilary stitched : Hilary oh . .

served that the day w as fin e

“ ”
Now I pursued carel essly
, even Miss Phyllis he re
.

,
“
has be en known to deceive her parents
“
.

Oh let the poor child alone anyhow sai d Mrs Hilary

, , ,
. .

’
Haven t you said I to Miss Phyllis .

I expec ted an indign ant denial So did Mrs Hilary f or . .

,

she remarked with a sympathetic air :

“ Never mind h is folly Phyllis dear .

’
,

”
Haven t you Miss t llis ? sai d I , .

Miss Phyll is grew very red Fearing that I w as causing .

her pain I was about to obse rve on the prospects of a

,

’
D issolution when a shy smil e sp read over Miss Phyllis s
face.

Yes once said she with a timid glance at Mrs Hilary

, , ,
.
,

w h o imm ed iate ly laid down her embroidery

“ Ou t with it!
”
I cried tri umphantly Come along .
,

’
Miss Ph yllis We won t te ll honor bright !
.
,

Miss Ph yllis l ooked again at Mrs Hilary Mrs H i lary . . .

is hum an
,
.

Well Phyllis dear said she after all this ti me I

, ,
“
’
shouldn t think it my duty
1 80 EN GL I SH SHORT — S TORY W R I T ERS

Ou the way the re it bec ame rather— rather foggy .

’
Blessings onit 1 I cried f or little Miss Phyll is s demu re
”

but roguish exp ression delighted me

“
.

And h e— h e found me in the f og .

What are you doing Mr Carter ? c ried Mrs Hilary

” ‘

.
, .
,

angri ly
“
.

Nothing nothing said I I believe I had w inked at

, , .

Hilary
“ ’
.

An d an d we couldn t fi nd the Town Hall

— .

”
Oh Phyll is ! groaned Mrs Hilary
,
. .

Little Miss Phyllis looked alarmed for a moment Then .

she smiled
“ ’
.

”
But w e found the confect ioner s said she ,
.

”
The Grand Pri s said I pointing my f ore finger at
, ,

Hilary
“
.

He had no money at all said Miss Phyllis

’
.
,
”
It s ideal ! said I .

An d— and we h ad tea ou — on
”

“
The shilling ? I cried in rapture .

”
Y es said little M iss Phyllis
,
on the shi lli ng And , .

”
he saw me home
“
.

Details pleas e said I

, , .

Little Miss Phyll is shook her head .

”
And left me at the door .

Was it still foggy ? I asked

”
.

Yes Or he wouldn t have

.
’
N ow what did h e
Come to the door Mr Carter said Miss Phyllis with
“ , ,
.
,

obvious wari ness Oh it was su c h f u n ! ”

“
.
,
’
I m su re it w as .

N o I mean when w e w ere examined in the lect u res

,
.

I bought the loc al paper you know and read it u p an d I

, , ,

got top marks easily and Miss Green wrote to mother to

,
”
say how well I had done .
 TH E H O U SE OPPOSITE 1 81

It all ends most satisfac tori ly I observed

’
.
,

Y es didn t it,
said little Miss Phyllis .

Mrs Hilary w as grave again

“
. .

”
And you never told your mother Phyllis ! she asked ,
.

N -no Cousin Mary ,

said Miss Phyllis , .

I rose and stood with my back to the fi re Little Miss .

Phyllis took up her sock agai n but a smile still played ,

about the corners of her mouth .

I wonder said I looking up at the ceiling

”
,
what ,

happened at the door Then as no one spoke I added :

“
.
, ,

Pooh ! I know what happened at the door

“
.

’
I m not going to tel l you anything more
”
said Miss ,

Phyllis
“
.

But I should like to hear it in your ow n

Miss Phyllis was gone ! She had suddenly rise n and

“
run from the room .

It did happen at the door said I , .

“
F ancy Phyll is ! mused Mrs Hilary .

I h Ope said I that it will be a lesson to you

, , .

”
I shall have to keep my eye on her said Mrs Hilary , . .

’ ”
You can t do it said I in easy confi de n ce I h ad .
, ,

no fear of little Miss Phyllis being done ou t of her rec re a

tions .
“ ”
Meanwhile I pursued the important thing is
, ,
“
”
this : my parallel is obvious and complete
“
.

’
There s not the least likeness sai d Mrs Hilary sharply . .
, ,

As a hund red poun ds are to a shilling so is the Grand ,

”
Prix to the youn g man opposite I observed taking my , ,

“
hat and holding out my hand to Mrs Hilary
“
. .
,
”
I am very angry with you she said ’
You ve made .
,
”
the child thi nk there was nothing wrong in it
“
.

”
Oh ! nonsense said I Look h ow she en j oyed tell
,
.

”
ing it .

Then not heeding Mrs Hilary I launched into an

,
.
,

apostrophe .
1 82 EN GL IS H SHORT - S TORY W RITER S

O divine House Opposite ! I cried ng House

“
Charmi
’
.

Opposite ! What is a man s ow n dull uneventful home

c ompared with that Glorious House Opposite ! If only I
”
might dwell forever in the House Opposite !
’
I haven t the least notion what you mean remarked
Mrs Hil ary stitfl y
.
,
“
’
I suppose it s something silly or
.
,

worse .

I looked at her in some puzzle .

Have you no longing f or the Ho use Opposi te ? I ”

asked .

Mrs Hilary l ooked at me Her eyes ceas ed to be abeo

.

’
.

lu te ly blank She put her arm through Hilary s and an

.

sw e red gently :
“ ’
“
I don t want the House Opposite .

Ah
”
said I giving my hat a brush but maybe you
, , ,

remember the House— when it w as Opposite

’
Mrs Hilary one arm still in Hilary s gave m her hand e
.
.
, ,

She blushed and smi led

“ ’
.

Well said she it w as your fault : so I won t scold

,

Phyllis
“ ’
.

No don t my dear said Hilary with a laugh

, , , , .

As f or me I went down s tairs and in absence of mind

, , , ,

bade my cabman drive to the House Opposi te B ut I have .

never got there .

 T HE DRA W N B LI N D ‘

A . T .
Q u i lle -
r m h

t rum pe ts sounded a fl ourish and the j avelin

IL VE R ,

men c ame pacing down Tregarrick Fore St ree t

’
,

with the sheriff s coach sw mging behind them its ,

panels splendid with fres h blue paint and florid blazonry .

Its wheels were picked out w ith yellow and this scheme ,

of color extended to the coachman and the tw o lackeys ,

w h o held on at the bac k by leathern straps Each wore a .

coat and b reeches of elec tri c blue with a c anary waistcoat , ,

and w as toned off with powder and fiesh -colored stockings

at the extremiti es Within the coach and fac ing the
.
,

horses sat the two j udges of the Crown Court and N i et

'

Pri us both in scarlet with ful l wigs and little round

, ,

patches of black plaster like ventilators on top; fac ing

, ,

their lordshi ps sat Sir Felix Felix Williams the she rifl in
- ‘
, ,

a tightish uniform of the yeomanry wi th a great shako

nodding on his knees and a chaplain bolt upright by his
,

side Behind trooped a rabble of loafers and small boys

“
.

who shoute d Wh o bleeds bran ’

ti ll the la c keys calves
,

itched with indignation .

I was standing in the archway of the Packho rse I nn ,

among the maids and stable -boys gathe red to see the
p ageant pass on i ts w ay to hear the Assize sermon And .

standing there I was witness of a little incident that

,

seemed to escape the res t .

F rom The De le cta ble Du chy Copy righ t , 1 898 . b y C harles Sc rib
’
,

ne r s S ons B y pe rmi ssi on of th e pu lishe rs

. b .

u — . r3
1 86 EN GL IS H SH ORT — S TORY W RITERS

At the moment when the t ru mpets rang ou t a very old ,

woman in a blue camlet cloak came hobbling ou t of a

, ,
’
grocer s shop some twenty yards up the pavement and ,

tottered down ahead of the proc ession as fast as her de

cre pit legs would move There was no occasion f or hurry
.

ing to avoid the crowd ; for the j avelin -men h ad barely

rounded the corner of the long st reet and we re taking the ,

goose step very seriously and deliberately But she went by .

the Packhorse doorway as if swift ho rsemen were after her ,

clutc h ing the camlet cloak across her bosom glancing o ver ,

her shoulder and working her lips inaudibly I could not

, .

help rema rking the position of her right arm She held it .

bent ex ac tly as though she held an infant to her old breast ,

and shielded it while she ran .

A few pac es beyond the inn -door she halted on the edge
of the kerb fl u ng another l ook up the street and darted
, ,

across the roadway The re stood a little shop— a wat ch

.

’
maker s — j ust opposite and next to the shop a small ope
,

with one dingy window over it She vanished up the pas .

sage at the entrance of which I w as still staring idly

, ,

when half a minute later a skinny trembling han d ap

, ,

pe ared at the wi ndow and d rew down the b lind .

I l ooked round at the men and mai ds ; but their eyes

’
were all for the pageant now not a stone s-t h row away
“ ,

Wh o is that old woman ? I asked touching Caleb

”
,
.

the head ostler on the shoulder , .

Caleb a small bandy-legged man with a chin fu ll of

—
,

furrows and the furrows full of gray stubble— w ithdre w

,
’
his gaze grudgingly from the sheri ff s coac h
“
.

What woman ? ”

She that went by a mome nt sin ce .

’
She in the blue c loak d ee mean ? —an old anc ient
,
’
, ,
”

“
wisht-l ookin body ?
”
Y es .
1 88 EN GL IS H S H ORT — S TORY W RITE RS

I saw her pull it down .

’ ’
Ah you w ould if you w as lookin that way I v e z —seed
’
, .

’
her do t a sc ore 0 tim es Well when the gout reached
.
,
’
Key Pinse nt s stomach and he went off like the S M of a
candle at the age of forty-two she was left unprovided
’
, ,

with a son of thi rteen to maintain or go pon the pa ri sh .

’ ’ ’
She was a Me nhe nni ck tho from t other side 0 the Duchy
, ,

-
a very p roud family — ’
and di dn t mean to d p the knee
’
t o nobody and all the l ess because she d demeaned hersel ’
, ,

to st art with by w edding a tailor

,
But Key Pinsent by .

all allowan ce w as handsome as bl aze s and v el l-informed ,

up to a poin t that he read Shak espeare f or the me re pleas

me o t
’
“
.

- - ’
Well she sold up the stock in trade an hi red a couple
,

0
’ rooms — the sel f-same rooms you see : and then she ate
’ ’ ’
les s n a mouse an took in needle work pl ain a n fancy :
—
,
’ ’
f or a lot 0 the gent ry s w ives roun d the neighborhood be
’
f riended her though they had to be sly ah hi de that they
—

’ ’
meant it for a favor or she d h a snapped their heads 0 3 .
,
’ ’ ’ ’
An al l the while she w as te ach in her boy and te llin e n ,
’
,

whatever happened to re member he w as a gentleman an

’ ’
, ,

lovi n e n w ith all the st rength of a d esolate woman

“
.

Th is W illie PM was a comely boy too : hand some

nt ,
’ ’
as old Key an qui ck at his books He d a bold maste rful .

’
,
’ ’
way be in p roud as ever his mother w as an well k now in
’
, ,

the re was n his match in Tregarrick for head-work Such .

a beaut ifu l hand he wrote ! Wh en he w as barely turned

’
si xteen they gav e e a plac e
n in r
’
G egory s bank W il kins
—

’
an Gregory it w as in those aged tim es He still lived home
’
.

’
w i h is mother re utin a room extra ou t of his earni n s
’
’
, ,
’
and turnin one of the bedrooms into a parlor Th at s the .

’ ’
very room you re lookin at And when any father in .

’
Tregarrick had a bone to pi ck with his sons he d advise
’
,

em to take example by young Pinse nt — ao cle ver and ‘

 TH E D RA W N B L IN D 1 89

ood too the re w as

’ ’
no tellin what he migh tn t come to
g ,,

in time ’
“ .

Well-a-we ll to cut it short the lad w as too clever

’
.
, ,
’
It came ou t afte r that he d took to bett in his employers ’
, ,

money agen the rich men up at the Royal Ex ch ange Ah ’

’
.

the upshot w as that one eve ni n while he w as drinkin te a ’

’
,

with his mother in his lovin light-hearted w ay in w alks , ,

’ ’
a brace o cons tabl es an says W illiam Pinsent young ‘
,
’
, ,

chap I arres t thee upon a charge 0 cou nte rf eitin old ’

’ ’
,
’
G rego ry s h andw ritin which is a ha ngin matter ! ’
“ ’ ’ ’
An now sir com es the cur ous part 0 the tal e ; f or
,

’
, ,
’
,

if you ll believe me this poor woman wouldn listen to it

’
,

’
wouldn hear a word o t ’
What ! my son W il lie she .
‘
,

flames h ot as Luc ifer my son W il li e a forger ! My boy

’
,
’ ’ ’
,

that I ve unseed an reared u p an studi ed mark in all ,

’ ’
, ,

his pretty takin ways sin ce he learn d to crawl ! Gentle

’ ’ ’ ’
men she says standin up an fac ia em dow n what’ ‘
, , ,

mother knows her son if not I ? I gi ve you my word it s ’

’
,

“
all a mistake .

’
Ay an she would have it no other Whi le her son
,
’
.

was w aitin his tri al in j ail she wa lked the streets w i th her
’
,

head hi gh scornin the folk as she p assed N ot a soul

,
.

’
dared to speak pity ; an one afte rnoon when old Gregory
’ ’
,
’
hissel met her and began to mumble tha t he trusted an ‘

’
,
‘ ’
he had little doubt an nobody would be gladder tha n ‘

’ ’
,

he if it proved to be a mistake she held her ski rt as ide an ,

’
went by with a l ook that t u rned en to dirt as he said .
,
‘ ’ ’ ’
Gad ! said he she couldn h a looked at me worse if I d
‘ ’
’
,
’ ’
been a tab ! meani n to say instead 0 the ri c hest man in ‘

’
“
Tregarrick
’
.

But her greatest freak w as seen when th Assizes c ame .

’
Sir she wouldn even go to the t rial She disdained it . .

’
,
’
An when that mornin the j udges had driven by her w in
’
, ,

dow same as they d rove to-day what d ee think she did ?

, ,
1 90 EN GL IS H S HOR T — S TORY W RIT ERS
“
She b gan to lay the c loth up in the parlor yonder
e , an
’
the re set ou t the rarest meal ready f or her boy There
’
, .

’
was meats roas ted chickens an a tong ue an a great h am
, , , .

There w as c heese-cakes that she made after a little sec ret

’ ’
of her ow n ; an a bowl 0 j un ket an inch deep in cream
’ ’
,
’
that bein his pet dish ; an all kind 0 kni ck-kn ac ks w i
’ ’ ’
,

grapes an pea c h es an apricots an de c anters 0 wine ’

, ,
’
,

white an red Ay sir there w as even crackers f or mother

, ,
’
.

’
an son to pull together w ith scraps 0 poet ry inside Ah
’
’
.
,

fl ow ers the table w as b loomin with fl ow e rs

—
For weeks .

’ ’ ’
she d been plannin it: an all the foren oon she moved
’ ’
about an around that table givin it a tou c h here an a ’
’
,
’
touch there ah takin a step bac k to see h ow beautiful it
’
,

looked Ah then as the day wore on she pulled a c hai r

’
.
,
’
,

“
over by the w indow an sat down an waited , , .

In those day s a capital trial w as kept up till late into

’
the night if need were B y an -by she called up her little
-

’ ’ ’
.

’
,

servin gal that w as then ( she s a gran moth er now ) an ,

sends her down to the c ourt-house to learn how far the

’
“
trial had got an ru n back with the news
, .

’
Do w n runs Selina Mary ah bac k with word
“ ‘ ’ ’ ’
They re a summin u p says she
— -
,
,

’
Then Mrs Pinsent went an lit eight candles Four
’
. .

’ ’
she set pon the table an four pon the mantel -shelf Y ou
’
.
,

could see the blaze out in the street an the room 1h: u p , ,

’ ’ ’ ’
w i the fl ow e rs an fruit an shini n gl asses —
red and yel !

,
’ ’
,

low d ahl ias the fl ow ers were that bein the t ime 0 year ,
.

’
A n over ea ch candle she put a little red silk shad e Y ou .

never saw a pl ace look cosier Then she went bac k ah ’ .

waited : but in half an hour calls to Selina Mary agen :

“ Selina Mary run you bac k to the cou rt -house an ’
,
’ ’
,

bring word h ow far they ve got

“
.

So the little slip of a maid ran bac k and this time ,

’twas
THE E X IL E S

D avis
1 96 EN GL IS H S H ORT — S TOR Y W R IT ERS

Am erican coast-line wherever the law of ext radi tion oh

tains not and where public O pinion which is one of the
, ,

things a colony can do longest without is unknow n These , .

are the u noffi cial Botany Bays and Melillas of the world ,

where the criminal goe s of his ow n accord and not beca use ,

his government h as urged h im to do so and paid his pass age

there .

This is the story of a young man w h o went to such a

place for the be ne fit he hoped it would be to his hea lth ,

and not because he h ad robbed any one or done a young

girl an inj ury He was the only son of Judge Henry How
.

and Holcombe of New York That was all that it w as

, .

generally considered nec es sary to say of him It was not .

,

ho w ever qui te enough for while h is father had had noth

, , ,

ing but the right and the good of his State and count ry to
thi nk about the son was further oc cu pied by t rying to
,
’
live up to his father s name Young Hol combe w as im .

p re ssed by th is f act from his earliest childhood It rested .

upon him while at Harvard and during his years at the

law sc hool and it went with him into so c iety and in to the
,

courts of law W hen he rose to plead a case he did not

.

forget nor did those present forget that his father while
, ,

alive had crowded those same halls with silent earnest ,

listeners ; and when he ad dressed a mass-meeting at

C0 0 pe r Union or spoke from the back of a cart in the
,

Eas t Side some one w as sure to refer to the fact that this
,

las t speaker w as the son of the man who w as mobbed be

cause he had dared to be an abolitionist and w ho later ,

had received the veneration of a great c ity for his bitter

figh t agains t Tw eed and his followers .

You ng Holcombe w as an earnest member of ev ery re

’
form club and citizen s league and his distinguished name ,

gave w eight as a di rec tor to charitable organi z ations and

f ree kindergartens He had inherited his hatred of Tam
.
 THE E X ILE S 1 97

many Hall and w as unrelenting in his w ar upon it and its

,

handiwork and he spoke of it and of its imm ediate down

,

fall with the bated breath of one who though amazed at

,

the wi ckedness of the thing he figh ts is not discouraged

,

nor afraid .An d he would listen to no half—measu res .

Had not his grandfather quarrelled with Henry Clay and ,

so shaken the friendship of a lifetime because of a great

,

compromise whi ch he could not countenance ? And was

his grandson to t ruckle and make deals with this hideous
octopus that was sucking the life-blood from the city s ’ .

veins ? Had he not but yesterday distri buted six hundred

circu lars calling f or hones t government to six hundred
, ,

possible voters all the way up Fourth Avenue

,
and when —

some fli ppant one had sa id that he might have hired a

messenger—boy to have done it for him and so saved h is
energi es for something less mechanical he had rebuked
,

the speaker With a reproachful stare and turned away in

silen ce
.

Life was terribly earnest to young Hol c ombe and he ,

regarded it from the point of view of one w h o looks dow n

’
upon it from the j udge s be n c h and listens with a frow n
,

to those w h o plead its cause He w as not fooled by it:

.

he w as alive to its wickednes s and its ev as ions He would.

tell you that he knew for a fact that the window man in
h is district was a cousin of the Tammany candidate and ,

that the c ontractor who had the cleaning of the st ree ts to

- —
’
do w as a brother in law of one of the Hall s sachems and ,

that the policem an on his beat had not bee n in the country
eight months He spoke of these damni ng facts with the
.

air of one who simply tells you that much that you should
,

see h ow terrible the whole thing really w as an d wh at he

,

could te ll if he wished .

In his ow n profes sion he rec ognized the trials of law .

breakers only as experiments which w ent to establish and

,
1 98 ENG L I S H S HORT - S TORY W RITERS

explai n a general principle And prisoners were not men .

to hi m but merely the exceptions that proved the excel

,

lence of a rule Holcombe would defend the lowest creature

.

or the most outrageous of murderers not because the man ,

w as a hu man being fi gh ting for his liberty o r life but be ,

cause he wished to see if certain eviden ce would be ad

m itted in the trial of such a case Oi one of h is clients the .

j udge who h ad a daughter of h is ow n said when he sen

,

te nce d him
“
Were there many more such men as you in
,
, ,

the world the women of this land would pray to God to

,
”
be left childl ess And when so me one asked Holcombe
.
,

with ill-con ce aled d isgust h ow he came to defend the

man he replied :
,
“ ,

I wished to show the unrel iability of

expert te stimony from medical men Yes ; they tell me .

”
the man w as a very bad lot .

It was measures not men to Holcombe and law and

,

order were his twin goddesses and no compro mise his ”

,

,
“ ,

watchword
“ ’
.

Y ou can elect your man if you ll give me tw o thousand

dollars to re fi t our club—room with one of his political
acquaintances on ce said to him ’
W e ve fi v e hundred .

voters on the rolls now and the members vote as one man
,
.

’
You d be saving the city t w enty times that much if you
’
keep Croke r s man ou t of the j ob Y ou know tha t as well .

”
as I do
“
.

The city can bette r afford to lose twenty thous an d

”
doll ars Holcombe ans w ered than we can afi ord to give
, ,
“
a tw o-cent stamp for corruption
“
.

”
Al l right said the heeler ; all right Mr Holcombe
’
.
,
’
.
,

Go ou .F ight em your ow n way If they d agree to figh t .

’
you with pamphlets and circulars you d stand a chance ,

sir ; but as lo ng as they give ou t money and you give out

’ ’
re ading matter to people that can t read they ll w in and
-
, ,

I naturally want to be on the winning side .

2 00 EN GL IS H S H OR T — S TORY W RI TERS

A dumpy fat little steamer rolled itself along like a

,

sailor on shore from Gibralt ar to Tangier and Hol combe , ,

leaning over the rail of its quarter-deck smiled dow n at ,

the chattering group of Arabs and Moors stretched on their

rugs beneath him A half naked negro pulling at the
.
-
,

dates in the basket between his bare legs held up a hand ,

f ul to hi m with a laugh and Holcombe laughed back and

,

emptied the cigarettes in his case on top of him and ,

’
l aughed again as the ship s cre w and the deck pass engers
scrambled over one another and shook ou t their voluminous
robes in search of them He felt at ease with the world
.

and with himself and turned his eyes to the white walls of
,

Tangier with a pleasure so com plete that it shut out even

the thought tha t it was a pleasure .

The town seemed one continuous mass of whi te stucco ,

with e ach fl at low—lying roof so close to the other that the

narrow st reets left no trace To the left of it the yellow
.

co as t -line and the green olive—trees and palms st retched

up against the sky and beneath h im scores of sh ri eking
,

bl acks fought in their boats for a place beside the steam

’
er s com panionway He j umped into one of these O pen
.

wherries and f ell sprawling am ong h is bagg age and laughed ,

lightly as a boy as the boatman set him on his feet again ,

and then threw them from under him with a quick stroke
of the o ars The high narrow pier was crowded with ex
.
,

cited customs offi ce rs in ragged uniforms and dirty tur

bans and with a few foreign residents looking for arriv ing
,

p assengers Holcombe had his feet on the U pper ste ps of

.

the ladder and w as as cending slowly There w as a fat

, .
,

heavily built man in blue serge lea ni ng ac ross the railing

of the pier He was looking down and as his eyes met
.
,
’
Holcombe s face his own straightened into lines of amaze
ment and most evident terror Holcombe stopped at the .

sight and stared back wonderi ng And then the lapping

,
.
 THE E X IL ES 2 01

wate rs be neath him and the white town at his side faded
away and he w as back in the hot crowded court room -

’
, ,

with this man s f ace before him Meak im the fourth of .

,

the Police Co mmissioners confronted him and saw in his , ,

presen ce nothing but a menace to himself .

Holcombe came up the last steps of the stairs and

’
,

stopped at their top His instinct and life s tradition

.

made h im despise the man and to this was added the ,

se lfish disgust that his holiday should have been so soon

robbed of its character by this reminder of all that he had

been told to put behind him .

Me akim sw ept off his hat as though it we re hurting him ,

and showed the great dro ps of sweat on his forehead

“ ’ ”
F or God s sake ! the man panted
’
you can t touch “ .

’
,

me here Mr Holcombe I m safe here ; they told me I d

. .
’
’ ’
,
”
be. Y ou can t take me Y ou can t touch me . .

Holcombe stared at the man coldly and with a touch

“
That is quite right M r Meak im
,

“
of pity and contempt .
,
.
,

he sai d Th e law cannot reach you here

“
. .

Then what do you want with me the man demanded ,

“
forgetful in his terror of anything but his own safety .

Holcombe turned upon him sharply I am not here .

”
on your account Mr M eak im he said
,
. You need not , .

“
feel the least uneasines s and he added dropping his , , ,

voi ce as he notice d that oth ers were drawing near ii you ,

keep ou t of my w ay I shall certainly keep ou t of yours

,
”
.

The Police Commissioner gave a short laugh partly of

bravado and partly at his ow n sudden terror “I didn t’
,

“ ’
.

”
know he said breathing with relief I thought you d .

’
, ,

come after me You don t wonder you give me a turn

.
,
”
He fanned himself with his
“
do you ? I w as scared . ,

straw hat and ran his tongue over his lips

,
Going to be .

”
here some time Mr District Attorney ? he added with
,
.
,

grave politeness .

-
lI . I 4
202 EN GL ISH SH ORT S TORY W RI TERS —

Holcombe could not help but smile at the absu rdity of

it It w as so like what he woul d have expec ted of Meakim
.

and his cl ass to give every off ice-holder hi s full title N0 .

“ ,

M r Poli ce Commissioner
”
. he answered grim ly and nod , , , ,

ding to his boatmen pushed his way af te r them and h is ,

t runk s along the pier .

Meaki m was waiting for him as he left the custom-house .

He touched his hat and bent the whole upper part of his
fat body in an awkward bow
,

Ex c use me Mr District .
“ , .

“
Attorney he began
Oh d rop that w ill you
,
,

snapped Hol combe ,

Now
.

.
“ ,

what is it you want Meakim ? ”

“ ”
,

“
I was only going to say answered the fugitive with
’
, ,
'

some ofi ended digni ty that as I ve been here longer than ,

you I could perhaps give y ou pointers about the hote ls

’
.

’ ’
,

’
I ve tri ed em all and they re no good but the Albion s the
, ,

best
“
.

’
Thank you I m sure said Hol c ombe ,
But I have , .
“
been told to go to the Isabella
“ ’
Well that s pretty good too Meakim answered ii “
’
, , , ,

you don t mind the tables They keep you awake most .

of the night though and , ,

The tables ? I beg your pardon said Hol combe , ,

stit
“
fly .

N
’
ot the e atin tables ; the roulette tables corre c ted
Meak im “Of course
.
”
he continued grinning ii you re ’
,
,
“
’
, ,

fond of the game Mr Holcombe it s handy having them , .

,

in the same house but I can ste er you against a better one
,

back of the French Consulate Those at the Hotel Isa

’
.

”
bella s crooked
’ “
.

Holcombe stopped un certainly I don t know j ust

”
what to do he said I th ink I sh al l wait until I c an see
, .
“
our c onsul here
”

“ ’
,
”
.

Oh he ll send you to the Isabella said Meakim c heer , ,

2 04 EN GL IS H SH OR T — S TOR Y W RI TERS
‘

with a look in which there w as a mixture of curiosity and

of amusement .
’ “
You don t mean to say M r Holcombe , .
,

he began slowly wi th the pat ronage of the older man and

, ,

with a touch of remonstrance in h is tone ’

that you re ,

sti ll wit h the husband in that c as e

Holcombe looked coldly over Mr Me aki m s head ’ I . .

“
have only a purely professional interest in any one of
”
them he said
,
.
“
They stru c k me as a part icularly nasty
”
lot Good morn ing sir
-
, .

Well ”
Me aki m called after him ’
you needn t see
’
, ,

nothing of them if you don t want to You can get rooms .

to you rself .

Hol c ombe did get rooms to himself with a balcony over ,

looking the bay and arranged w ith the proprietor of the

,

Albion to have his dinner served at a separa te table As .

others h ad done th is before no one regarded it as an affront

,

upon his society and several people in the hotel made ad

,

van ces to him which he rec eived poli tely but coldly For
, .

the first week of 1 1 1 8 Visit the town inte rested him greatly ,

increas ing its hold upon him un c onsciously to himself .

He w as re stl ess and curious to see it all and rus hed h is ,

gui de from one of the few show pla ces to the next wit h -

an energy which left that fat Oriental panting .

But after three days Holcombe climbed the streets more

leisu rely stopping f or half-hours at a time before a ba z aar
. ,

or sent away his guide altogether and st retched himself ,

luxuriously on the broad wall of the f ortifi cations The .

su n beat down u pon him and wrapped him into d row si

,

n ess From far afie ld came the un ceasing murm ur of the

.

market -place and the ba z aars and the oc cas ional cries of
,

the priests from the minarets ; the dark-blue sea danced

and flashed beyond th e white margin of the tow n and its
protecting reef of rocks where the seaweed rose and fell ,

and above his head the buzzards swept heavily and c alle d ,
 THE EXILES 2 05

to one another with harsh frightened cri es At h is side

,
.

lay the dus ty ro ad hemmed in by walls of c ac tus and along

, ,

its narrow length cam e lines of patient little donkeys with

j angling necklaces led by wild looking men from the farm
,
-

lands and the desert and women mu ffled and shapeless

, ,

with only their bare feet showing who looked at him c uri
,

ou sly or meaningly from over the protecting cloth and ,

passed on leaving him startled and wondering He be

, .

gan to fi nd that the books he had brought weari ed him .

The sight of the type alone was enough to make him close
the cove rs and start up restlessly to look for something less
absorbing He found thi s on every hand in the lazy
.
,

patience of the ba z aars and of the markets where the ,

chief servi ce of all was that of only standing and waiting ,

and in the farm-lands behind Tangier where half naked ,

-

slaves drove great horned bu ff alo and turned back the ,

soft,
chocolate-colored sod with a wooden plough But .

it was a solitary se lfish holiday and Holcombe found him

, ,

self wanting certain ones at home to bear him company ,

and w as surprised to fi nd that of these none were the men

nor the women with whom his interests in the city of New
York were the m ost closely connected They were rather .

foolish people men at whom he had laughed and whom he

,

h ad rather pitied f or having made him do so and women ,

he had looked at distantly as of a kind he might under

stand when his work w as over and he wished to be amused .

Th e young girls to whom he w as in the habit of pouring

ou t his denunciations of evil and from whom he was ao
,

customed to receive advice and moral support he could ,

not place in this landscape He felt uneasily that they

.

would not allow him to enj oy it his ow n w ay ; they would

consider the Moor h istorically as the invader of Catholic
Europe and would be shocked at the lack of proper sanita
,

tion and would see the mud As for himself he h ad risen

,
.
,
2 06 EN GL IS H S H OR T — S TORY W RI TERS

above seeing the mud He looked up now at the broken

.

line of the roof-tops against the blue sk y and when a ,

hood ed figu re drew back from his gl an ce he found himself

murmurin g the words of an Eastern song he had read in
a book of Indian stories

Al one upon the housetops to the north

,

I turn and watch the lightning in the sky ,

The glamour of thy footste ps in the north .

Come b ac k to me B eloved or I d ie !
, ,

Below my feet th e sti ll b a zaar is laid .

F ar f ar below the weary camels lie

, ,

Holcombe laughed and shrugged hi s shoulde rs He had .

stopped half-w ay down the hi ll on wh ich stan ds the B a

’
shaw s pala ce an d the whole of Tangier lay below him
,

like a great cemete ry of white marble The moon w as .

shini ng clearly over the town and the sea an d a soft wind ,

from the sandy farm -lands c ame to h im and played about

him l ike the fragran ce of a garden Something moved in
.

him tha t he did not rec ogni ze but which was st rangely
,

pleasant an d which ran to his brain l ike the taste of a

,

st rong l iqueur It came to him that he w as alone among

.

stran ge rs and that what he did now would be known

,

but to himself an d to these strangers W hat it was that .

he wish ed to do he did not know but he felt a sudden l ift:

,

ing up and freedom from restraint The spirit of advent

.

ure awoke in him and tugged at his sleeve and he was ,

conscious of a desire to grat ify it and to put it to the te st

“ ’
.

‘
Alone upon the housetops he began Then he
,
.

laughed and cl ambered hurriedly dow n the steep hills ide

“
.

’ ”

“
It s the moonlight he explained to the blank wal ls and
,

overhanging lattices and the place and the music of the

,

so ng I t might be one of the Ar abian nights and I Haroun

.
,
2 08 EN GL IS H SH ORT - S TORY W RITERS

And yet sai d Hol combe after the fi rs t half—hour had

“ ,

passed there must be a few agreeable people here I am

,
,

su re I saw some very nice~looking women to—d ay coming

in from the fox hun t And very w ell gotten u p too in
-
.
, ,

Karki habits And the men were handsome de cent

.
,

looki ng chaps Englishmen I think ”

“
—
.
,

Wh o does he mean ? Were you at the meet to—day

asked Carroll .

The Tammany chieftain said no that he did not ride

not after foxes in any event But I saw Mrs Hornby “ ,

“
.
, .

”
and her s ister coming back he said They had on those ,
.

”
linen habits
“ ’
.

Well now there s a woman who ill ustrates j ust what

,
”
I have been saying continued Carroll
,

You picked her , .

“
ou t as a self-res pecting ni ce—looking girl — and so she is
’
,

but she wouldn t l ike to have to tell all she k nows N o .

,

they are all pretty much alike They wear low-neck .

froc ks and the men put on even ing dress for dinner and
’
, ,

they ride after foxes and they drop in to fi v e o cl ock tea

—
,
’
,

and they all play that they re a lot of gilded saints and ,
’
it s one of the rules of the game that you must believe in
’
the next man so that he will believe in you I m breaking
’
.
,

the rules myse lf now because I say they when I ought ‘

’
,

to say w e
‘’
W e re none of us here for ou r health Hol
’
.
,

combe but it pleases us to pretend we are It s a so rt of

,
.

give and take We all sit around at d inner-parties and

.

smile and chatter and those English talk about the latest ,

’
news from town and h ow they mean to run ba c k for the,

season or the hunting

’
But they know they don t da re .

go bac k and they know that everybody at the table

,

knows it and that the se rvants behind them know i t .

’
,
’
But it s more easy that way There s only a few
’ ’
.

of as here and w e ve got to hang together or w e d go

,

c razy .
 TH E EX I L ES 2 09

’
That s so said Meakim approvingly It makes it .
, ,

more soc iable

“
.

’ .

It s a funny plac e continued Carroll The wine had .

,

l oosened his tongue and it w as something to him to be ,

able to talk to one of his ow n people again and to speak ,

from their point of view so that the man who had gone ,
’
through S t Paul s and Harvard with him would see it as
.

such a man should ’

It s a f unnv place because in spite , ,

’
of the fact that it s a prison you grow to like it for its ,
’
f reed om Y ou can do things here you can t do in N ew
.

York and pretty much everything goes there or it used ,

’
,

to where I hung ou t But here you re j ust your ow n

, .

’
master and there s no l aw and no religion and no relations
,
‘

nor ne w spapers to poke into what you do nor how you

live Y ou can understand what I mean if you ve ever

.
’
tried living in the W est I used to feel the same way the .

year I was ranching in Texas My family sent me out .

there to put me ou t of temptation ; but I concluded I d ’

’
rather drink myself to death on good whiskey at Del s
than on the stuff we got on the range so I pulled my freight ,

and came East again But while I was there I w as a little .

king I w as j ust as good as the next man and he w as no

.
,
'

bet ter than me And though the life was rough and it
.
,

was cold and lonely there was something in being your ,

ow n boss that made you sti ck it ou t there longer than any

thi ng else did I t was like this Holcombe

.
”
Carroll half , .

rose from his chair and marked what he said with his
fi nge r “ Every time I took a s tep and my gun bumped
.

’
agai nst my hip I d straighten up and feel good and look
,

for trouble There was nobody to appeal to it was j ust

.

between me and him and no one else had any say about
’
,

’
it: Well that s what it s like here Y ou see men come .
,

to Tangier on the run flying from detectives or husbands ,

or bank dire c tors men w h o have lived perfe c tly decent

, ,
21 0 EN GL IS H S HORT — S TORY W R ITERS

commonpl ace lives up to the time they made their one bad
”
break which Carroll added in polite parenthes is With
—
, , ,

a deprec atory wave of his hand toward Meakim an d him

“
self w e are all likely to d o some time aren t w e ?
,
’ ”
,
”
Jus t so said Meak im
,
.

Oi course
”
assented the Dist ri c t Attorney
, .

But as soon as he reaches th is pl ac e Hol combe con ”

“
tinned Carroll he begins to show j us t h ow bad he is It
,
, ,

all comes out all his viciousness and rottenness and black
—

gu ardism . The re is nothing to shame it and there is no ,

one to blame him and no one is in a position to throw the

,
”
fi rst stone .Carroll dropped h is voice and pulled his chai r
fo rward with a glance over his shoulder One of those men .

o u sa w riding in from the meet to day - ’

N ow he s a Ge r
y
’
.
,

man offi ce r and he s he re f or forging a no te or cheating at

,

cards or something quiet and gentlemanly nothing that

, ,

shows him to be a brute or a beast But las t week he .

bad old Mulley Waz z am buy him a slave gi rl in F e z and ,

bring her ou t to his house in the suburbs It seems that .

the girl w as in love with a soldier in the Sul tan s body’

gu ard at Fez and t ried to run away to j oin him and th is
, ,

man met her qui te by ac cident as she was making her w ay

south ac ross the sand -hills He was whi p that day and
.
,

w as hurrying ou t to the meet alone He had some words .

with the girl fi rst and then took his whi p— it w as one of
,

those with the long lash to it you know what I mean

and cut her to pieces with it riding her down on his pony
,

when she tried to run and heading her off and l as hing he r
,

aroun d the legs and body until she fell ; then he rod e on
’
in his damn pink coat to j oin the ladies at Mango s Drif t ,

whe re the meet was and some Rifi s found her bleeding
'

to de ath behind the sand -hills That man hel d a com .

’
miss ion in the Emperor s ow n body-gu ard and that s ’
,

”
what Tangier did for hi m .
21 2 E NGLI S H SH ORT — S TORY W RITERS
’
bottles on ice It will be like Del s — hey ? A small hot
.

bird and a large cold bottle They sent me ou t to ask .

’
you to j oin u s They re in our rooms . Me akim rose .

leisurely and lit a f resh cigar but Holcombe moved u n

easily in his chair ’ ’ ”
You ll come won t you ? Carroll “ ,

“
.
,

asked ’
I d like you to meet my wife
"
. .

“
Holcombe rose irresolutely and l ooked at his watch .

’ ’ ”
I m afraid it s too late for me he said without ra ising
’
, ,

his face Y ou see I m here f or my health

“
. I , .

”
I beg your pardon said Car roll sharply
“
.
, ,

”
Nonsense Carroll ! said Hol combe ’
I didn t mean .
,

’
that. I meant it literally I can t risk midnight suppers .

’
yet My doctor s orders are to go to bed at nine and it s
.
’
,

’
past twelve now Some other time if you ll be so good ;
.
,
’
but it s long after my bedtime and
“ ”
,

“
Oh , certainly said Carroll quietly as he t u rn ed
, ,

”
away . Are you coming Meak i m ? ,

Meakim lifted his half-empty glass from the table and

taste d it slowly until Carroll had left them then he put ,

the glass down and glanced aside to where Holcombe sat

,

looking ou t over the silent city Holcombe ra ised his eyes .

and stared at him steadily .

Mr Holcombe
. the fugitive began .

“
Y es replied the lawyer
“
.
,

Meakim shook his head Nothing he said Good .

, .

”
night sir
, .

’ ’
Holcombe s rooms were on the floor above Car roll s and ,

’
the l aughter of the Iatte r s guests and the tinkling of glass es
and silver came to him as he stepped out upon his balcony .

But for this the night was ve ry still The sea beat leis .

uraly on the rocks and the waves ran up the sandy c oast
.

with a so u nd as of some one sweeping The music of .

wome n s laughter came up to him suddenly and he w on

'

d ered hotly if they were laughing at him He assured .

 THE EX ILE S 21 3

himself tha t it was a matter of indi ff eren ce to him if they

w ere And with this he had a w ish that they would not
.

think of him as holding himself aloof One of the women .

began to sing to a guitar and to the a c companiment of

,

this a man and a young girl came ou t upon the balcony

below and spoke to eac h other in low earnest tones which
, , ,

seemed to carry with them the feeling of a caress Hol .

combe could not hear what they said but he could see the ,

’
curve of the woman s white shoulders and the light of her
’
companion s cigar as he leaned upon the rail with his ba c k
to the moonlight and looked into her face Holcombe felt .

a sudden touch of loneliness and of being very far from

home He shivered slightly as though from the c old and
.
,

stepping inside closed the window gently behind him .

Although Holcombe met Carroll several times during

the follow ing day the latter obvious ly avoided him and
, ,

it w as not until late in the afternoon that Holcombe was

given a chance to S peak to him again Carroll w as coming .

down the only street on a run j umping from one rough ,

stone to another and with his face lighted up w ith excite

,

ment He hailed Holcombe from a distance with a wave

“
.

’
of the h and There s an American man-oi -war in the
.

bay he c ried ; one of the new ones We saw her flag

,
”
.

”
from the ho tel Come on !
. Holcombe followed as a
matter of course as Carroll evidently expected that he
,

would and they reached the end of the landing pier to

,
-

gether j ust as the ship of w ar ran up and broke the square

,

red fl ag of Morocco from her mainmast and fi red her

salute
“ ’
.

They ll be sending a boat in by-and -by said Carroll , ,

’
and we ll have a talk with the men His enthusiasm .

touched his companion also and the sight of the fl oati ng

,

atom of the great country that was his moved him strongly ,

as though it w ere a personal message from home It came .

21 4 E N GL I S H S H ORT — S TORY W R IT E RS
to him l ike the familiar stamp and a familiar hand w riting
,

on a letter in a far -away land and made him fee l h o w ,

dear his ow n count ry was to him and h ow much he need ed

it They were leaning side by side u pon the rail watching
’
.

the ship s screws turn ing the blue waters white and the ‘
,

men running about the deck and the blue-coated fig ures
,

o n the bridge Holcombe turned to point ou t the vessel s

.
’
’
name to Carroll and found that h is companion s eyes were
,

half closed and filled with tears

“
.

Carroll laughed consciously and coughed We kept

“ ’
.

”
it up a bit too late last night he said and I m feeling , ,

nervous this morning and the sight of the flag and those
,

boys from home knocked me out ”

He paused for a mo .

ment fro w ning through his tears and with his brow d rawn
,
’
up into manv w rinkles It s a terrible thing Holcombe
.
"
, ,

he began again fie rcely to be shut off fro m all of that

, ,
.

He threw out his hand w ith a sudden gesture toward the

man -of -w ar Holcombe looked down at the water and
.

’
laid his hand lightly on his companion s shoulder Carroll
“
.

d rew away and shook h is head ’

I don t want any sym
“
.

”
pathy he said kindly ’
I m not crying the baby act .
, .

’
,

’
But you don t know and I don t believe anybod y else
’
,

knows what I ve gone through and what I ve su ffered’ .

,

’ ’
Y ou don t like me Holcombe and you don t like my class
, , ,

but I want to tell you something about my coming here .

I want you to set them right a bout it at home And I .

’
don t care whether it interests you o r not he said with
quick o ff ence ; “ ’
I want you to listen It s about mv .
, ,

wife .

Holcombe bowed h is head gravely

“
.

You got Thatcher his d i v orce Carroll c ontinued ,

.

And you know that he would never have got it but for
me and that everybody expe c ted that I would marry Mrs .

’
,

Thatcher when the thi ng w as over And I didn t and . .

2 1 6 EN GL IS H S HORT — S TOR Y W R ITERS
’
and so I h ad t o break bail and run Well you ve seen the .
,

’
place Y ou ve been here long enough to know what it s ’
’
.

like and what I ve had to go through Nobody wrote

, .

me and nobody came to see me ; not one of my ow n sisters

,

’
even though they ve been in the Ri v iera all th is spring
’
,

not a day s j ourn ey away Sometimes a man turned up .

that I knew but it w as alm ost worse than not seeing any
,

one It only mad e me more homesick when he d gone

.
’ .

And for weeks I used to wa lk up and down that beac h the re

alone late in the ni ght until I got to thinking that the ,

waves were talking to me and I got queer in my head I , .

h ad to figh t it j ust as I used to have to fight against w his

'

’
key and to talk fas t so that I wouldn t t h ink And I tried .
,

to kill myse lf hunting and only got a broken collar-bone ,

for my pains Well all this time Ali ce w as living in Paris

.
,

and New York I heard that some English captain was

.

going to marry her and then I read in the Paris Herald ,

that she w as settled in the Am eri ca n colony there and one ,

’
day it gave a list of the people who d been to a reception
she gave She could go whe re she pleased and she had
.
,

money in her ow n right you k now ; and she w as being ,

revenged on me every day And I w as here knowing it .

,

and lovi ng her worse than I ever loved anything on earth ,

an d having l ost the right to tell her ao and not able to go ,

to her Then one day some chap turned up from here and
.

told her about me and about h ow miserable I w as and h ow

, ,

well I w as being pun ished He thought it would please .

’
her I suppose I don t know w ho he was but I guess he
.
, ,

w as in love with her himself And then the papers had it .

that I w as do w n wi th the fever he re and she read about ,

it I w as ill for a time and I hoped it was going to carry

.
,

me 0 6 de cen tly but I got up in a week or two and one day

, ,
’
I crawled down here where w e re standing now to wat c h
the boat come i n I was p re tty weak from my illness and
.
,
 T HE EXILE S 21 7

’
I w as bluer than I had ever been and I didn t see any ,

t h ing but blackn ess and bitterness for me anywhere I .

turned around when the passengers rea c hed the pier and ,

I saw a woman coming up those stairs Her figure and

’
.

her shoulders were so like Alice s that my heart went right

’
up into my throat and I couldn t breathe for it I j ust .
,

stood still staring and when she reached the top of the,

ste ps she looked u p breathi ng with the cl imb and laugh , ,

.

‘ ’
ing ; and she says Lloyd I ve come to see you ’ And I .
, ,

I w as that lonely an d weak that I grabbed her hand and ,

leaned back agai nst the railing and cried there before the
’
,

whole of them I don t think she expec ted it exactly be

’
.
,

cause she didn t know what to do and j ust patted me on

’
,
‘
the shoulder and said I thought I d run down to cheer
’
, ,

’
you up a bit and I ve brought Mrs Scott with me to .

chaperone us An d I said without stopping to think :

.

’
,
‘
Y ou wouldn t have needed any chaperone Ali ce if I
’
, ,

hadn t been a our and a fool If I had onl y asked what I

’
.

’
can t ask of you now ; and Holcombe she fl ush ed j ust like , ,
‘
a little girl and laughed and said Oh will you Lloyd
, , , , ,

And you see that ugly iron chapel up there with the c or ,

rugated zin c roof and the wooden cross on it, next to the
’
mosque ? Well that s where w e went fi rst right from this
, ,

wharf before I let her go to a hotel and old Ridley the , ,

English rector he marri ed us and w e h ad a c ivil marriage ,

’
,

too . That s what she did for me She had the whole .

wide globe to live ih and she gave it up to come to Tangier, ,

’
because I had no other place but Tangier and she s mad e
’
,

my l ife f or me and I m happier here than I ever was be

,

fore anywhere and somet imes I think — I h Ope— that she

,

is too ’
Carroll s lips moved slightly and his h ands ,
.
,

trembled on the rai l He coughed and hi s voice was

gentler when he spoke again ”
And so he added that s ’
.

.
“ ,

, ,
“
w h y I felt it last night when you refused to meet her .

1 1 —
. 1 5
21 8 E N GL IS H SH ORT — S TOR Y W RI TERS
Y ou were right I know from your w ay of thinking but
, ,
’
,

we ve grown c are l ess down here and we look at t hings ,

”
di fferently .

Holcombe di d not speak but put his arm across the ,

’
other s shoulder and this time Carroll did not shake it off
, .

Holcombe pointed with his hand to a tall h andsome ,

woman with heavy yellow hair w h o was co ming toward

them with her hands in the po c kets of her reefer “
“
There
’
, .

is Mrs Carroll now

.
”
he said Won t you present me
, ,

and then w e c an row out and see the man oi war ?

- - ”

The offi ce rs ret urned their visit during the day and the ,

Ameri can Co nsul-Ge neral asked them all to a rece ption

the followin g afternoon The entire colony c ame to this
.
,

and Hol c ombe met many people and drank tea with sev ,
’
eral l adi es in riding—habits an d iced drinks with all of the
,

men He foun d it v ery amusing and the situation ap

.
,

pealed strongly to h is somewhat latent sense of hum or .

That evening in wri ting to his s ister he told of h is rapid

re covery in health an d of the possibility of his returning
,

“
to civilization .

The re was a re ception this af ternoon at the Co nsul

’ “
Ge neral s he wrote ; given to the offi ce rs of ou r man
”
,

oi -war an d I found myse lf in so me rather re markable

,

c ompany The consu l himself h as become rich by selling

.

his protection for tw o hund re d dollars to eve ry wealthy

Moor who wishes to escape the fo rced loans which the
Sult an is in the habit of imposing on the faithful F or fi ve .

hu ndmd doll ars he will furni sh any one of them w ith a

piece of st amped paper acc redi t ing h im as mini ster pleni
’
potentiary from the United State s to the Sultan s co u rt .

Oi course the Sultan never receives them and whate v er ,

220 EN GL I SH SH OR T — S TORY W RI TERS

fas t established h im as a man of means and one who could

entertai n properly and after that his so c iety was counted
,

upon for every hour of the day He offered money as

’
.

prizes f or the ship s c rew to row and swi m af ter he gave a ,

pu rse f or a cross-country pony-race open to members of

,

the Cal pe and Tangier hunts and organized picni cs and

,

ridin g parti es innum erable He was forced at last to

.

hi re a sol d ier to drive away the beggars when he walked

ab road He found it easy to be rich in a place where he
.

w as givi ng over tw o h u ndred copper coins for an English

shill in g and he distribute d h is largesses re ckl essly and
,

with a l ac k of discrimination enti re ly opposed to the pre

ce pts of his organized charities at home He found it so .

much more amusing to throw a handful of coppers to a

crowd of fat naked children than to write a check for the
Soc iety of Suppression of Cruelty to the same be nefi ciaries .

’
Y ou shouldn t give those fellows money
”
the Consul ,

General once remonstrated with him ’

the fac t that they re
blind is only a proof that they have been thieves W hen .

they catch a man steal ing here they hold h is head back
'

,
’
and p as s a h ot iron in front of his eyes That s why the .

’
lids are drawn taut that way Y ou shouldn t en co u rage
.

“
them .

’
Perhaps they re not all thieves said the D istrict
,

Attorney cheerfu lly as he hi t the circle around him with

, ,

“
a handf ul of coppers ; but there is no doubt about it that
’
they re al l b lind W hi ch is the more to be pitied he ”

“ ,
.

asked the Consul -General the man w h o h as still to be

,

found ou t and w h o can see or the one who has been ex

,

“
posed and w h o is blind
How should he know said Carroll laughi ng He s’
,
.
“
”
never been blind and he still holds his j ob
’
.
,
" ’
I don t think that s very funny ”
sai d the Co nsul,

Gene ral .
 THE EX I LES 22 1

A week of pig-sticking came to end Holcombe s stay ’

in Tangier and he threw himself into it and into the free
,

dom of its life with a z est that made even the Englishman
speak of him as a good fellow He chanced to overhear .

this and stopped to consider what it meant No one had

,
.

ever call ed him a good fellow at home but then his life ,

had not o ff ered him the chan ce to show what sort of a

’
good fellow he might be and as Judge Holcombe s son cer ,

tain things had been debarred him Here he was only the .

richest tourist since Farw ell the diamond smuggler from ,

Amsterdam had touched there in his yacht

,
.

The week of boar-hunting was spent ou t—of—doors on ,

horseback and in tents ; the women in two wide circular

,

ones and the men in another with a mess tent which they
, , ,

shared in common pitched between them They had only ,

.

one change of clothes each one wet and one dry and they , ,

were in the saddle from nine in the morning until late at

night when they gathered in a wide circle around the
,

wood -fi re and played banj oes and listened to stories Hol .

combe grew as red as a sailor and j umped his horse over ,

gaping crevasses in the hard sun -baked earth as recklessly

as though there were nothi ng in this world so well worth
’
sacrifi cing one s life for as to be the fi rst in at a dum b
’
bru te s death He was on friendly terms with them all
.

now— with Miss Terrill the young girl who had been ,

awakened by night and told to leave Monte Carlo before

daybreak and with Mrs D arh ah who would answer to
,
.
,

Lady Taunton if so addressed and with Andrews the

, , ,

S cotch b ank clerk and Ollid the b oy offi ce r from Gibraltar

'

, , ,

w h o had found some d iffi cu lty in making the mess account

balance They were all his very good friends and he was
.
,
’
especially cou rteous and attentive to Miss Terrill s w ants
and interests and fix ed her stirrup and on ce let her pass
,

hi m to charge the boar in his place She was a silently .

2 22 EN GL I SH S HORT — S TORY W RIT E RS

distant young woman and strangely gentle for one w ho

,

had had to leave a pl ace and such a pl ace between days ;

, ,

and her hai r whi ch w as very fine and light ran away from
, ,

under her whi te helmet in disconnec ted curls At night .

,

Hol combe used to watch her from ou t of the sh adow when

the fi rel ight li t up the circle and the tips of the palms
’
above them and when the story teller s voi ce w as ae com
-
,

panied by bu rsts of occas ional laughte r from the dragomen

in the grove beyond and the stamping and neighing of
,

the horses at their pickets and the unceasing chorus of,

the i nse c t life about them She used to sit on one of the
.

rugs with her hands clasped about her knees and with her
’
,

head rest ing on Mrs Hornby s broad shoulder looking

.
,

down into the embers of the fire and with the story of her ,
’
life written on her girl s fac e as irrevoc ably as though old
age had set its seal there Holcombe w as ki nd to them all
.

now even to Me akim when that gentlem an rode leisurely

, ,

ou t to the camp with the mail and the latest Paris Herald ,

whi ch w as thei r one bond of union with the great outside

world .

Carroll sat sm oki ng his pipe one ni ght and bending f or ,

ward over the fi re to get its li ght on the pages of the latest
c opy of this pa per Suddenly he d ropped it betwee n his
knees .
“ ,
.

” ’
I say Holcombe he cried here s news ! Win
, ,
“
throp Alle n has absconded with three hundred thousand
dollars and no one kn ows where
,
.

Holcombe w as sitting on the other side of the fire pry ,

He
ing at the rowel of his spur with a hunting-knife
“
.

raise d hi s head and laughed Another good man gone .

wrong hey ,
he said .

Carroll lowered the paper slowly to his knee an d stared

curiously th rough the smoky light to where Holcombe sat
intent on the rowel of his spur It appare ntly absorbed .

his entire attention and his last re mark had been an u n

,
22 4 EN GL I S H S HOR T — S TORY W R ITERS

boar broke ou t of it some h u ndred feet ahead of Hol combe .

He w ent after it at a gallop headed it off and ran it fairly

, ,

on his spear point as it c ame toward him ; but as he d r ew

his lan ce clear his horse came down falling acrm him and , ,

f or the instant k noc king hi m breathless It was all over .

in a moment He raised h is head to see the boar turn

.

and charge him ; he saw where his spear poin t had to m

the lower lip from the long tusks and that the blood was ,

pouring down its flanks He tried to draw ou t h is legs

.
,

but the pony lay fairly ac ross him kicking and struggling , ,

and held him in a vise So be closed his eyes and co v e red

.

his head wi th his arms and crouched in a heap wait ing

, .

’
There was the qui ck beat of a pony s hoofs on the hard
soil and the rush of the boar with in a foot of his head
, ,

and when he looked up he saw Miss Terrill twisting her

’
pony s head aroun d to charge the boar again and heard
“ ”
her shout Le t me have him ! to Mrs Carroll .
,

Mrs Carroll c ame toward Holcombe with her spear

.

“
pointed dangerously high ; she sto pped at h is side and
d re w in her rein sharply ’
W hy don t you get u p? are
“
.

you hurt she said W ait ; lie still she commanded

.
, ,

’
or he ll tramp on you
’
I ll get him off ”
She slipped
’
. .

from her saddle an d dragged Holcombe s pony to his

feet Holcombe stood up uns tead ily pale through h is
.
,

tan from the pain of the fall and the moment of fear
“
.

”
That w as nas ty said Mrs Carroll with a quick breath
,
.
,
.

She w as quite as pale as h e .

Hol combe wiped the di rt from his hai r and the side of
his fa ce and looked pas t her to where Miss Terril l w as sur
,

y eying the dead bo ar from her sad dle while her pony ,

“
reared and shi ed quivering with exci tement beneath her
,
.

Holcombe mounted sti ff ly and rode toward her I am

“
.

”
If you hadn t
’
very much obliged to you he said ,
.

come
 THE E X IL E S 2 25

“
The girl laughed shortly and shook her head without ,

looking at him Why nota t all she interrupted quick

”

“ ’
.
, , ,

ly. I would have come j ust as fast if you hadn t been

“
there She turned in her saddle and looked at him frank
“
.

”
ly I was glad to see you go dow n she said for it
’
.
, ,

gave me the fi rst good chance I ve had Are you hurt .

“
Holcombe drew himself up stitfly regardless of the pain ,
’
N0 I m all right thank you ”

“
in his neck and shoulder .
, , ,
”

“
he answered At the same t ime
. he called after her as ,

she moved away to meet the others you di d save me ,

from being torn u p whether you like it or not, .

Mrs Carroll was looking after the girl with observant

.
,

comprehending eyes She turned to Holcombe with a

“
.

smile .There are a few things you have still to learn ,

”
M r Holcombe
. she said bowing in her saddle mockingly
, , ,

and dropping the point of her spear to him as an adv er

sary does in salute ”
And perhaps she added it is j ust , ,
“
“
as well that there are .

Holcombe trotted af ter her in some concern I won

“
.

der what she means he said I wonder if I was .

ru de

The pig—sticking ended with a long luncheon before the

ride back to town at which everything that could be eaten
,

or d ri mk was put on the table in order as M eak im ex , ,

plained that there would be less to carry back He met

,
.

Holc ombe that same evening after the caval c ade had
reac hed Tangier as the latter came down the stairs of the
Albion Holcombe was in fresh raiment and clean ly
.

shaven and with the radiant air of one who had had his
,

fi rst comfortable bath in a week .

Me ak im confronted him with a smiling countenan ce .

Wh o do you think come t o night on the mail boat ? he

— - ”

“
asked .

’
I don t know Wh o ? ”
.
22 6 E N GL ISH SH ORT — S TORY W RI TERS
“ W inthrop Allen with six t runks said Meakim with
, , ,

the triumphant air of one w h o brings important news

“ “
.

”
N oreally n ow said Holcombe laughing
, The old
’
, ,

hypocrite ! I wonder what he ll say when he sees me I .

wish I could stay over another boat j ust to remind h im ,

of the las t time we met W hat a fraud he is ! It was at

.

the club and he was congratulat ing me on my noble e fi orts

,

in the cause of j usti ce and all that so rt of thing He said

, .

I w as a public benefactor And at that time h e must .

have al ready speculated away about half of what he had

’ ’
stolen of other people s money I d like to te ase him .

about it .

W hat t rial w as that ? asked Meakim .

“
Holcombe laughed and shook his head as he moved on
’
“
down the stairs Don t ask embarrassing questions
.

’
,

Meakim ”
he said
,
It w as one you won t forget in a
.

“
hur ry
“
.

Oh ! said Meakim with a grin All right There s’ . .

,

some m ail for you in the o th ee

“
.

”
Th ank you said Hol combe ,
.

A few hours later Carroll was watching the roulette

wheel in the gambling-hall of the Isabella when he saw
Meakim come in out of the darkn ess and stand staring ,

in the doorway blinking at the lights and mopping hi s fa ce

,
.

He had been runn ing and was visibly excited Carroll

,
.

crossed over to him and pushed him out into the quiet of
the terrace W hat is it “he asked
“
. .

Have you seen Holcombe Meak im deman ded in reply .

N ot sin ce thi s afternoon W hy .

Meakim breathed heavily and fanned himse lf with hi s

hat “ ’ ’
Well he s after W inthrop Al len that s all he
,

“
.
, ,
’
,

panted And when he fi nds him there s going to be a

.

.
’ ’
muss Th e boy s gone crazy He s not safe ”
. .
228 EN GLI SH SH ORT - S TORY W RITERS

Sixty thousand .
’
She d been saving for over forty
”
y ears
“
.

’
Carroll s mind took a sudden turn ”

“
And Holcombe ? .

he demanded eagerly What is he going to do ? Noth

, .

ing silly I hope ”

,
.

’ ’
Well that s j ust it That s why I come to fin d you
“
.
, ,

Me ak im answered uneas ily ’

I don t want hi m to qualify
,

for no Criminal Stakes I got no reas on to love him .

either But y ou know he ended impote ntly

“
.
,

Y es I understand
”
said Carroll ’
That s what I .
, ,
’
meant Confound the boy why didn t he stay in his law
.
,

courts ! Wh at did he say ? ”

“ ’
Oh he j ust raged around He said he d tell Allen
,
.

there w as an extradition treaty that Allen didn t know’

’
about and that if Al len didn t give him the sixty thousand
,
’
he d put it in for ce and make him go back and stand
t ri al
“
.

(b mpou nd ing a felony is he ,

”
N o nothing of the sort
,
said Meak im indignantly , , .

’
There isn t any extradition treaty so he wouldn t be '
,
”

“
doing anything wrong except lying a bit .

’
Well it s blackmail anyw ay .
, ,
’
W hat blac kmail a man like Allen ? Huh ! He s fai r
,
’
game if the re ever was any But it won t work w ith him .
,
’ ’ ’
,

that s what I m afraid of He s too cunning to be taken .

in by it he is He had good legal advice before he came

,
.

’
here or he wouldn t have come ”
.
,

Carroll was pacing up and down the terrace He sto pped

“
.

and spoke over his shoulder Does Holcombe think .

Allen has the money with hi m ? he asked

“
.

’ ’
Yes he s sure of it Th at s what mak es hi m so keen . .
,
’
He says Allen wouldn t dare b ank it at Gibraltar because ,

if he ever went over there to draw on it he would get

caught so he must have brought it with him here And
,
.
 TH E EXILES 229

’ ’
he got he re so late that Hol c ombe believes it s in Allen s
’
rooms now and he s like a dog that smells a rat after it .

’
, ,

Allen was nt in when he went u p to his room and he s ’

,
’
started out hunting for him and if he don t find him I
’
,

shouldn t be a bit surprised if he broke into the room and

”
j ust took it
“
.

’ ”
For God s sake ! cried Carroll ’
He wouldn t do .

that
M e ak im pulled and fi nge red at his heavy watch chain -

a n d laughed doubtfully .
’
I don t know he said
”
He .
,

’ ’
wouldn t have done it three mont hs ago but he s picked ,

up a great deal since then - si nce he has been with us .

’
He s asking for Captain Reese too
“
.

’
,

W hat s he want with that blackguard

’ ’
I don t know ; he didn t tell me ”

“
.

Come said Carroll qu ick lv

, ,
We must stop h im
. .

He ran lightly do w n the steps of the terrace to the beach

with Meakim waddling heavily after him “ ’
He s got too .
,

”
much at stake Meak im he said in half apol ogy as they
,

tramped through the sand

“ ,

.
’
,

He mustn t spoil it We
,

’
won t let him ”
.

’
Hol combe had searched the circuit of Tangier s small
extent with fruitless effort his anger increasing momen
.

tari ly and feed ing on each fresh disappointment When .

he had failed to fi nd the man he sought in any place he ,

returned to the hotel and pushed open the door of the

smoking—room as fi erce ly as though he meant to take those

“
within by surprise
“
.

”
Has Mr Allen returned ? he demanded
. Or Cap .
s

tain Re ese ?
“
Th e attendant thought not but he would ,

”
go and see . No Holcombe said I will l ook for my
, ,

self
.
”
He S prang up the stairs to the third fl oor and ,

turned down a passage to a door at its farthest end Here

“
.

”
he stop ped and knocked gently
, Reese l he called ;.
23 0 EN GL IS H SHORT - S T ORY W R ITERS
“
R ee se ! ”
Th e re w as no response to his summons and ,

be kn ocked again with more impatien ce and then cau

, ,

tiously turned the handle of the door and pushi ng it f or , ,

”
ward ste pped into the room Reese he said softly
“
.
,

’
, , ,
”
it s Holcombe Are you here ? . The room was dark
ex cept for the light from the hall which shone dimly past ,

h im and fell upon a gun -rac k hanging on the wall opposite .

Hol c ombe hurried toward this and ran his hands over
it and passed on quickly from that to the mantel and
,

the tables stumbling over chairs and riding-boots as he

,

groped about and t ripping on the sk in of some anim al

,

that l ay st retched upon the floor He felt his w ay around .

the enti re circ u it of the room and hal ted nea r the door
,

w ith an ex c l amation of disappointment B y this time h is .

eyes h ad become accustomed to the darkn ess and he ,

noted the whi te surface of the be d in a far co rner and

ran quickly t ow ard it groping with his hands about the

,

pos ts at its head He closed his fi nge rs with a quick gasp

.

of satisf action on a leather belt that hun g from it hea vy ,

with cartridges and a revolver that swung from its holder .

Hol combe pulled th is ou t and j erked back the lever spi n ,

ning the cylinder around under the ed ge of his thumb .

He felt the grease of each c art ridge as it passed under h is

nail The revolver w as load ed in each chamber and Hol
.
,

combe Sl ipped it into the po c ket of his coat and c re pt ou t

of the room closing the door softly behind him
,
He met .

no one in the hal l or on the stai rs and pas sed on quickly ,

to a room on the se cond floor There was a light in this

.

room which showed through the t ransom and under the

c rack at the fl oor and there was a sound of some one
,

moving about within Hol c ombe knoc ked gently and

.

waited .

The movement on the other side of the door ce ased ,

and after a pause a voi ce asked w h o was there Hol combe .

23 2 EN GL I SH SH ORT — S TORY W RI TERS

made no explanation and gave h im no greeting ,

.
“
I
”
heard in the hotel that you w ere here the other con ,

t inned still striving to cover up the diffi culty of the situa

,

tion and I am sorry to hear that you are going so soon

,
”
.

He stopped and as Holcombe still continued smil ing

, ,

d rew himself up stiffl y The look on his f ace hard ened

.

into one of ofl ended dignity

'

“ ”
Re ally Mr Holcombe
,

strong annoyance in his tone

. he said sharply and with
if you have forced your
,

,
“ , ,

self into this room for no other pur pose t han to stand
there and laugh I must as k you to leave it Y ou may
, .

not be co ns c ious of it but your manner is o ffensive

,
”
He .

turned M patiently to the table and began rearrangi ng ,

the papers upo n it Holcombe shif ted the weight of his

.

body a s it rested against the door from one shoulder-blade

to the other and closed his hands over the door-knob be
hi nd h im
“
.

I had a letter to-night from home about you Allen

he be gan comfortably
,
The person w h o wro te it was
.
“ , ,

anxi ous that I should ret u rn to New York and set things ,
’
working in the Dist rict Attorney s offi ce in order to bring
’
you back It isn t y ou they want so much as
“
.

How dare you cried the embezzler sternly in the , ,

voice with which one might interrupt another in words of

sh ock ing bl asphemy
“
.

How dare I what ? as ked Holcombe .

How dare you refer to my misfortune ? You of all

others He stopped and looked at his visitor with
flashi ng eyes
“
I thought you a gentleman ”
,

he said
“
.
, ,

reproachfully ; I thought you a man of the world a ma n ,

who in spite of your offi ce offi cial position or rather on , , , ,

account of it could feel and understand the— a— terrible

,

position in which I am placed and that you would show ,

consideration Instead of which he c ri ed his voi ce r ising

.
”
, ,
 TH E EXIL ES 233

in indignation you have come apparently to mock at

,

me If the instinct of a gentleman does not teach you

.

to be silent I shall have to force you to res pect my feelings

, .

You can leave the room sir N ow at once ”

He pointed ,
.
,
.

with his arm at the door against which Hol combe w as

leaning the fi nge rs of his outstretched hand t rembling
,

“
visibly .

Nonsense Your misfortune ! What rot !

.
”
Holcombe
growled resentfully His eyes wandered around the room .

as though looking for some one who might enj oy the situa
tion with him and then returned to Allen s face ’ You “
’
, .

” ’

“
mustn t talk like that to me he said in seriou s remon , ,

strance A man who has robbed people who t rusted

.

’
him for t h ree years as you have done can t afford to talk , ,

of his misfortune Y ou were too long about it Allen

.

’
, .

You h ad too many chances to put it b ack You ve no .

’
fee lings to be hurt Bes ides if you have I m in a hurry .
, , ,
’
and I ve not the time to consider them N ow what I want .
,

of you is
“ M r Holcombe . interrupted the other earn estly, , .

”
Sir replied the visitor
,
.

”
Mr Holcombe . began Allen slowly and with im
pressive gravity I do not want any words with you about
,
“ , , ,

this or with any one else I am here o w ing to a combina

,
.

ti on of circumstances which have led me through hopeless ,

endless trouble What I have gone through with nobody

.

’
knows That is something no one but I can ever under
.

stand But that is now at an end I have taken refuge

. .

in fl igh t and safety where another might have remained ,

and compromi sed and su ffered ; but I am a weaker brother ,

and— as for puni shm ent my ow n c onscience which has , ,

puni shed me so terri bly in the p as t w ill continue to do so ,

in the future I am greatly to be pitied Mr Holcombe

.
, .
,

g reatly to be pitied And no o ne know s that better than.

u — . 1 6
23 4! E N GL IS H SHORT S T OR Y W RI T E RS —

y ourself Y ou know the value of the position I held in

.

New York Ci ty , and h ow well I w as sui ted to it, and it to

me And now I am robbed of it all
. I am an exile in th is .

w ilderness Sure ly , M r Holcombe , this is not the plac e

. .

the time when you should insult me by recal ling the

“
nor

Y ou contemptible hypo c rite

”
said Holcombe slowly , ,
.

What an ass you m ust think I am i Now listen to me ”

“ N 0 you listen to me
,
”
thundered the other He ,
,

.
.

stepped menac ingly forward his chest heaving under his ,

O pen shirt and his fingers O peni ng and closing at h is side

“ ,

Leave the room I tell you he cried or I shall call the

, , ,
“ .

”
He pause d with a short mocking
servan ts and make you 1

laugh “
Who do you thi nk I am ? he asked ; a child
.
”
,
“
’
that you can ins ult and j ibe at? I m not a prisoner in the
box f or you to browbeat and bu lly M r Dis trict Attorney ,
. .

You seem to forget that I am ou t of your j urisdiction now .

He wai ted and his manner seemed to invite Holcombe

,

to make some angry ans wer to his tone but the yo ung man ,

re mai ned g ri mly silent

“
.

Y ou are a very im port ant young person at home

Harry ”
Allen went on moc ki ngly
,
But N ew York , .
“ ,

State laws do not reac h as far as Africa

“
.

’
Q ui te right ; that s it exactly s aid Hol combe wi th
”

cheerful al ac rity ’ “
I m glad you ha ve gras ped the situa
.
, ,

tion so soon That makes it easier for me N ow what I

. .
,

have be en tryi ng to tell you is this I received a letter .

about you to-night It seems that before leaving N ew .

York you converted bonds and mortgages belonging to

Miss Martha Field whi c h she had intruste d to you into
, ,

ready money And that you took this money with you
. .

N ow as th is is the first pla c e you have stopped since lea v

,

ing N ew York ex cept Gibraltar whe re you could not have

, ,

bank ed it you must hav e it w ith you now here in this

, ,

tom i in this hote l possibly in this room What else you

, , .
23 6 EN GLIS H SH ORT — S TORY W RI T ERS

mean ? Holcombe reac hed quickl y across the table tow

”

ard the box but the other d rew it back snapping the lid
, ,

down and hugging it close against his b reast

,
If you .

”
move Hol combe he cried in a voice of terror and warn
ing,
’ “
, , ,

I ll call the people of the house and — and expose

you
“
.

Expose me you idiot ,

return ed Holcombe fi erce ly
, ,
.

”
How dare you talk to me like that !
Allen dragged the table more evenly between them as a ,

general works on his defences even while he parleys with

the enemy ’
I t s you w h o are the idiot ! he cried Sup
.
”
.
“
pose you could overcome me which would be ha rder than ,

you think what are you going to do with the mone y ?

,
’
Do vou suppose I d let vou leave this count ry with it?
Do you imagine for a moment that I would give it up with
’
out raising my hand ? I d have y ou dragged to prison
’
from your bed this very night or I d have you seized as ,

you set your foot upon the wharf I would appeal to ou r .

Consul -Ge neral As far as he knows I am as worthy of

.
,

’
protection as you are yourself and failing him I d appeal , , ,

to the law of the land ”

He stopped for want of breath
.
,

and then began again with the ai r of one who fi nds e n

“
~

cou rage me nt in the sound of his own voice They m ay

“
.

”
not understand ext radit ion here Holcombe he said but , , ,

a thief is a thief all the world over W hat you may be in .

’
N ew York isn t going to hel p you here ; neither is your
’
father s name To these peo ple y ou would be only a hotel
.

’
thief who forc es his w ay into other men s rooms at night

“
and
Y ou poor thing interrupted Holcombe Do you
“
.
,

”
know where you are ? he demanded You talk Allen .
, ,

as though we were within sound of the cable—ca rs on

Broadway This hotel is not the Brunswick and this
.
,

Co nsul -General you speak of is another blackguard who

 THE EXILE S 23 7

knows that a word from me at W as hi ngton on my re turn , ,

or a lette r from here would lose him his place and his
’
liberty He 8 as much of a rasc a l as any of them and he
.
,

knows that I know it and that I may use that knowledge .

’
He w on t help you And as for the law of the land
.
”

’
“
Holcombe s voice rose and broke in a mocking laugh
’ ’
there is no law of the land That s w hy you re here ! You .

are in a pl ace populated by exiles and outlaws like your

self w h o have preyed upon society until society has turned
,

and frighte ned each of them off lik e a dog with his tail
’
between his legs Don t give yourself confide nce Allen
’
. .
,
’
That s all you are that s all we are— two dogs figh ting
,

for a stolen bone Th e man who rules you here is an igno

.

rant negro deb au ched and vicious and a fanatic He is

,
f
.

shut off from every one even to the approach of a British

,

ambass ador And what do you suppose he cares for a dog

.

of a Christian like you w h o has been robbed in a hotel by

,

another Chris tian ? And th ese others Do you sup pose .

they care ? Call u o t—

cry for help and tel l them that you
have half a million dollars i n this room and they will fall ,

on you and strip you of every cent of it and leave you to ,

walk the beac h for work Now what are you going to .
,

do ? W ill you give me the money I want to take back

”
where it belongs or will you call f or help and lose it all
,
?

Th e two men confronted each other across the narrow

length of the table The blood had run to Holcombe s
.
’
face but the face of the other w as drawn and pale with
,

“
fear.

’ ”

“
Y ou can t frighten me he gasped rallying his courage
.
,

with an eff ort of the will You are talking nonsense .

’
.

This is a respectable hotel ; it isn t a den of thieves You .

are trying to frighten me ou t of the money with your lies

’
and your law yer s tricks but you will h nd that I e m not
,

so easily fooled You are dealing with a man Holcombe

.
, ,
23 8 EN GL ISH SHORT - S TORY W RI TERS
'
’
w h o sufl ered to get what he has and w h o does n t mean to ,

let it go without a figh t for it Come near me I warn you .

, ,
”
and I shall call for help .

Holcombe bac ked slowly away from the table and tossed
up his hands with the gestu re of one who gives up h is argu
ment “ ”
You will have it will you ? he mutte red grimly
“
.
, , .

Very well you sha ll figh t for it

,
”
He turned quickly and .

“
d rove in the bolt of the door and pl aced his shoulders over
”
the electric button in the wall I have warned you he
“
.
,

said softly
,
I have told you where you are ; and that
.

you have nothing to expect from the outsi de Y ou are .

absolutely in my power to do with as I please ”

He .

stopped and without moving his eyes from Allen s face ’

, , ,

d rew the revolver from the poc ket of his coat His man .

ner w as so terrible that Al len gazed at him b re athing ,

faintly and with his eyes h a ed in horrible fasc ination

“ ,
“
.

”
The re is no law Holcombe repeated softly ,
There is , .

no help f or you now or later I t is a question of two men

m
.

lo
s iihi ai sm is
i tb 3 table ap
ss ix t w nd dolla rs
i m
between them That is the situations ( Twm men and sixty
.

thousand dollars We have ret u rned to fi rst principles

.
,

Allen It is a man against a man and there is no Cou rt

.
,
”
of Appeal .

’
Allen s breath came b ac k to him wi th a gas p as though ,

“
he had been shocked with a sudden downpour of icy water
“
.

”
There is ! he cried There i s a Court of Appeal .

’
F or God s sake wait I appeal to Henry Holcombe to
, .
,
’
Judge Holcombe s son I appeal to your good name .
,

Harry to your fam e in the world Think what you are .

’
,

’
doing ; f or the love of God don t murd er me I m a crimi .
,

nal I know but not what you would be Holcombe ; not

’
,
’
, ,

that Y ou are mad or drunk Y ou wouldn t you couldn t

. .
,
”
do it Think of it! You Henry Holcombe l . .

’
.
,

Th e fi ngers of Holcombe s hand moved and t ighte ned

2 40 EN GL I SH SHORT — S T ORY W RIT ERS

and sharper lines as the amou nt grew under hi s hu gers to , ,

the sum Holcombe had demanded

“
.

”
Sixty thous and ! he said in a voice of d esperate calm
“ , .

Good ! whispered Holcombe Pass it over to me . .

I h Ope I have taken the most of what you have be s aid

”

“
as he shoved the notes into hi s po cket ; but this is some
, ,

”
thing N ow I warn you he added as he lowered the , ,
“
.

trigger of the revolver and put it out of sight that any ,

attempt to regain this will be futile I am surrounded by .

friends ; no one know s you or cares about you I shall .

sleep in my room to—night without preca ution f or I know ,

that the money is now mine Nothing you can do will re .

call it Your cue is silence and secrecy as to what you

.

”
have lost and as to what you still have wi th you .

He stopped in some confusion interrupted by a sharp ,

knock at the door and two voices calling his name Allen .

shrank back in terror

“
.

”
You coward ! he hissed Y ou promised me you d
’ ‘

be conte nt with what you have Holcombe looked at hi m

“
.

in amazement And now your accomplices a re to have

.

their share too are they the embe zz ler whispered h erce
ly.
“ , ,

Y ou lied to me ; you mean to take it all

”
.
,

Holcombe for an answer drew back the bolt but so

, , ,

softl y that the sound of his voice drowned the noise it

,

made
“
.

”
N o not to night
“
,
— he said briskly so that the sound
, , ,

I mustn t’
of his voice penetrated into the hall beyond .

’
st0 p any lon ger I m keeping you u p It has been very .
,

pleasa nt to have heard all that news from home It was .

such a chance my seeing you before I sailed ; Good night ”

“
- .
,

He paused and pretended to listen No Allen I don t ’

.
, ,
’ ”
think it s a servant he said ’
I t s some of my friends .
,
”
looking f or me This is my las t ni ght on shore you see
.
,
.

He threw O pen the door and confronted Meakim and Car

 T HE EXILES 21 1

roll as they stood in some confusion in the dark hall “Yes

“
.
,

it is ome of my friends Holcom be continued

s
’
I ll be
”
,
”
with you in a minute he said to them Then he turned
, .
,

and crossing the room in their sight shook Allen by the

, ,

hand and bade him go od -night and good bye -

.

’
,

The embe zz ler s revu lsion of feeling was so keen and the
relief so great that he was able to smile as Holcombe turned
and left him “I wish you a pleasant voyage he said
.
”
, ,

faintly .

Then Holcombe shut the door on him closing him ou t ,

from their sight He placed his hands on a shoulder of

.

each of the two men and j umped step by step down the
,

stairs like a boy as they d escended silently in front of

him At the foot of the stairs Carroll turned and con
.

fronted him sternly staring him in the face Meak im at

, .

one side eyed him curiously

“
.

Well ? said Carroll with one hand upon Holcombe s

” ’
,

wrist
“
.

Hol combe shook his hand free laughing Well he , .

,

answered I persuaded him to make restitution ”

“ , .

”
You persuaded him ! exclaimed Carroll impatiently , .

”
How ?
’
Holcombe s eyes avoided those of the two inquisitors .

He drew a long breath and then burst into a loud fit of

,

hysterical laughter Th e two men surveyed him grimly

. .

I argued with him of course said Holcombe gayly

, , .

That is my business man ; you forget that I am a Dis

,

trict Attorney
’
We didn t forget it said Carroll fiercely ,
Did you ? , .
“
What did you do ? ”

Holcombe backed away up the stairs shaking his hea d

and laughing .
“
I shall never te ll you he said He
,

, .

pointed with his hand down the second fligh t of stairs

“ “
.

Meet me in the smoking room he c ontinued

”
I will-
, .
 EN GL ISH SH OR T — S TORY W RITERS

be there in a mi nute and w e will have a banquet Ask

, .

the others to come I h ave something to do fi rst

. .

The two men turned reluctantly away and continued ,

on down the stai rs without S peaking and with their faces

fi lled with doubt .

’
Holcombe ran fi rs t to Re ese s room
and replaced the pistol in its holder He w as t rembling as .

he threw the thing from h im and had bare ly reached his

,

ow n room and closed the door when a sudden faintn ess

overcame him The weight he had laid on his nerves

.

w as gone and the laughter had departe d fro m his face .

He stood looking back at what he h ad es caped as a man

reprieved at the steps of the gallows turns his head to
glance at the rope he has cheated Holcombe tossed the .

bundle of notes upon the table and took an unsteady step

across the room Then he turned suddenly an d threw hi m
.

self upon h is knees and buried his fa ce in the pillow .

The sun rose the next morning on a cool beautifu l day

’
, ,

and the consul s boat with the American h ag trailing from

,

the ste rn rose and fell on the bluest wate rs as it carried

,
’
Holcombe and hi s friends to the ste amer s side
“
.

We are going to miss you very much Mrs Carroll said

”

’
.
, .

”
I hope you won t forget to send us word of yours elf .

Miss Terrill said nothing She was leanin g over the side
.

trailing her hand in the wate r and watchi ng it run between

,

her sl im pink fi ngers She rawed her eyes to fi nd Holcombe

.

looking at her intently with a strange expressi on of wist

fulness and pity at whi ch sh e smi led brightly back at him
, ,

and began to plan vivaciously with Captai n Reese f or a

ride that same afternoon
’
.

They separated over the steamer s dec k and Meak im , ,

for the hundredth time and in the l ack of conversation

,

whi ch comes at su c h momen ts ofi ered Holcombe a fre sh

'

Ci gar

ut I have got eight of yours now said Hol c ombe

U
.
,
2 44 EN GL IS H SHORT — S TORY W R IT ERS
”
Carroll said Holcombe d rawing the former to one
“ ,

side suppose I see this cabman when I reach home and

,
,

get him to withdraw the charge or agree not to turn up ,

when it comes to trial

’
.

Carroll s face clouded in an instant Now l iste n to

“
.
,

”
me Holcombe he said You let my dirty work alone .

’
, , .

There s lots of my friends who have nothing better to

d o than j ust that You have something better to do
.
,

and you leave me and my rows to others I like you for .

what you are and not for what you can do for me I
,
.

’ ’
don t mean that I don t appreciate your offer but it ,

’
shouldn t have come from an Assistant D istrict Attorney
”
to a fugitive criminal
“
.

What nonsense ! said Holcombe

”

’
.

’ ”
Don t say that ; don t say that ! said Carroll quickly
as though it hurt him ’
Y ou wouldn t have said it a .
“ , ,

”
month ago .

Holcombe eyed the other with an alert confident smile

“
.
,

N o Carroll
,
”
he answered
,
I would not ”
He put his ,
.

’
hand on the other s shoulder with a sugges tion in his man
ner of his former self and with a touch of patronage I “
“
.
,

have learned a great deal in a month he said Seven ,

.

battles were w on in seven days once All my life I have .

been fighting causes Carroll and principles I have been

, ,
.

working with laws against law-breakers I have never .

yet fought a man It was not poor old Meak im the i n

.
,

dividual I prosecuted but the corru pt politician Now

, , .
,

here I have been thrown with men and women on as eq ual

te rms as a crew of sailors cast away upon a desert island .

We w ere each a law unto himself And I have been b rought .

face to fac e and for the fi rst time in my life not with prin
, ,

ciples of conduct not with causes and not with laws but
, , ,

W i th my fellow-men .
MAN W HO W OUL D BE KIN G
21 8 EN GL I SH SHORT — S TORY W RI T ERS

and in all weathers are most properly looked do w n

upon .

My particular Inte rmed iate happened to be empty t ill I

reached N asirab ad when a huge gentleman in shirt—s leeves
,

en tered and following the custom of I ntermedi ates passed

, , ,

the time of day He was a Wande rer and a vagabond like

.

myself but with an educated tas te f or whisky He told

, .

tales of things he h ad seen and done of out -oi -the -w ay ,

corners of the Empire into which he had penet rate d and

’
,

of adventures in which he risked his life for a few days

food .
“ If India was fi lled with men like you and me ,
’
not k no wi ng more than the crows where they d get their
’ ’
next day s rations it isn t seventy millions of revenue the
’
,
”
land would be paying it s seven hundred mi ll ions said
—
,

he and as I looked at his mouth and ch in I w as d isposed

to agree with him We talked politics— the pol itics of
.

Loaferdom that sees things from the underside where the

lath and pl as ter is not smoothed off and we talked postal
—

arrangements because my friend wanted to send a tele

gram back from the next station to Aj mir which is the
’
,

turning off place from the Bombay to the Mhow line as

-

you travel westward My friend had no money beyond

.

eight annas which he wanted for dinner and I h ad no ,

money at all owing to the hitch in the Budget befo re men

,

tioned Further I was going into a w ilderness whe re

.
, ,

though I should resume touch with the Tre as ury there ,

we re no telegraph offi ces I w as therefore unable to help .

, ,

him in any way

“
.

We might threate n a Station—master and make him

“ ’
send a wire on tick sa id my friend b ut that d mean i h
”
,
,

qui ri sa for you and for me and I v e got my h ands full ,

these days Did you say you were travelling bac k alo ng
.

”
this line within any days ?
“ Wit h in te n I said
”
, .
 "
HE M AN W HO W O U L D BE KING 2l 9

’
Can t you make it eight ? said h e Mine is rather .

”
urgent business
“
.

I can send your telegram withi n te n days if that will

”

“
serve you I said , .

’
I couldn t trust the wi re to fetch him now I think of
it
.
’
It s this way He leaves Delhi on the 2 3rd for Bom
.

’
b ay That means he ll be running through Aj mi r about
.

the night of the 2 3rd

’
.

But I m going into the Ind ian Desert I ex ,

“ “
plained .

Well and good ”

said he ’
You ll be changing at .
,

Marwar Junction to get into J odhpore territory- you must

’
do that and he ll be coming through Marwar Junction
—

in the early morning of the 2 4th by the Bombay Mail .

Can you be at Marwar Junction on that time ? Tw on t ’ ’

be inconveniencing you bec ause I know that there s pre’
,

cions fe w pick ings to be got ou t of those Central India

States — e ven though you pretend to be correspondent of
”
the B ackw oodsma n
“
.

”
Have you ever tried that trick ? I asked .

Agai n and again but the Residents h nd you ou t and , ,

’
then you get esc orted to the Border before you ve ti me
to ge t your knife into them But about my friend here . .

’ ’
I mus t give h im word 0 mouth to tell him what s come to
’
me or else he won t know where to go I would take it .

more tha n kind of you if you was to come ou t of Ce ntral

India in time to catch him at Marwar Junction and say ,

to him : He h as gone South for the week

‘ ’ ’
He ll kno w .

’
what that means He s a big man with a red beard and
’
.
,

a great swell he is You ll fi nd him slee ping like a gentle

.

man wi th all his luggage round him in a Second-c l as s com

’
partme nt But don t you be afraid Slip down the win
’
. .

dow and say : He has gone South f or the week and he ll

‘ ’
’
,

t u mble It s only c utting y our time of stay in those parts

.

l x—. r7
2 50 EN GL IS H S HORT — S TORY W RITERS

by tw o days I as k you as a stranger— going to the West

.
,

“
he said with emphasis .

Wh ere have you come from ? said I

“
.

”
From the Eas t said h e and I am ho ping that you
, ,

will give hi m the mess age on the squa re — f or the sake of

”
my Mother as well as your ow n .

Englishmen are not usuall y softened by appeals to the

memory of their mothers but for certain reasons which
, ,

will be fully apparent I saw fit to agre e

,
“
.

’ ”
It s more than a little matter said h e ’
and that s , ,

why I ask y ou to do it— and now I know that I can depend

on you do ing it A Second-class carriage at Marwar
.

J unction and a red haired man asleep in it You ll be

- ’ .
,

sure to remember I get ou t at the next station and I

.
,

must hold on there till he comes or sends me what I want

“
.

’
I ll give the mes sage if I catch him I said and f or
”
, ,
’
the sake of your Mother as well as mine I ll give you a
’
word of advi ce Don t try to run the Central I ndia States
.

j u st now as the corres pondent of the B ackw oodsma n .

’
There s a real one knocking about here and it might lead ,
”

“
to t rouble .

Th ank you said he simply and when will the sw ine ,

“
’
,
’
be gone ? I can t starve because he s m ining my work ;

I wanted to ge t hold of the Degu mbe r Ra j ah down here

’
about his father s widow and give him a j ump ”
.
,

’
W ha t did he do to his father s widow then ? ,

Filled her up with red pepper and slippe red her to

death as she hu ng from a beam I found that ou t myse lf .

’
and I m the onl y man that would dare going into the State
to get hush money f or it
- ’
They ll try to poiso n me same
.
,

as they did in Chortu mna when I went on the loot there .

’
But you l l give the man at Marwar Junction my message ? ”

He got ou t at a little roadside station and I re flecte d ,

.

I h ad heard mo re than on ce of men pemonati ng co rre

, ,
2 52 EN GL I SH S HORT - S TORY W RITERS

looked down upon a flaming red beard half-covered by a ,

railway rug That was my man fast asleep and I dug

.
, ,

him gently in the ri bs He woke w ith a grunt and I saw

.

hi s face in the light of the lamps It w as a great and .

“
shini ng face .

”
Tickets again ? said be
“
.

”
No said I
,
I am to tell you that he is gone South
.

f or the week He is gone South for the week !

.

The train h ad begun to move ou t The red man rubbed

“
.

his eyes . He has gone South for the week he repeated

”
.

’
,

Now that s j ust like his impide nce Did he say that I .

w as to give y ou anything ?
’Cause I won t ’ ”

“
.

’
He didn t I said and d ropped away and watched the
”
, ,

red lights die ou t in the dark It was horri bly cold be.

ca use the wind was blow ing off the sands I climbed into .

my ow n train— not an Intermediate Car riage this time

and went to sleep .

If the man with the beard h ad gi v en me a rupee I should

’
have kept it as a memento of a rather curious afi a ir But .

the consciousness of having done my duty w as my only

reward .

La ter on I reflected that two gentlemen like my friends

could not do any good if they foregathered and personated
correspondents of newspapers and might if they stuck , ,
“
”
up one of the l ittle rat trap States of Central India or
-

Southern Raj putana get themselves in to serious d iffi cu l

,

t ies I therefore took some trouble to desc ribe them as

.

accurately as I coul d remember to people who woul d be

interested in deporting them : and suc ceeded so I w as ,

later informed in having them headed back from the

,

Degumber borders .

Then I became respec table and returned to an Offi ce ,

where there were no Kings and no in cidents ex cept the

daily manufac tu re of a newspaper A newspaper o th ee .
 T HE M A N W HO W OUL D B E KIN G 2 153

seems to attrac t every conceivable sort of person to the

prej udi ce of discipline Zenana-mission ladies arrive and
.
,

beg that the Editor will instantly abandon all his duties
to describe a Christian prize—giving in a back slum of a
perfectly inaccessible village ; Colonels who have been
overpas sed for commands sit dow n and sketch the outline
of a series of ten twelve or twenty-four leading articles on
,

Seniority versu s Selection ; missionaries wish to know why

they have not been permitted to escape from their regular
vehi c les of abuse and swear at a brother missionary under
spec ial patronage of the editorial We stranded theat rical
companies troop up to explain that they cannot pay for
their advertisements but on their return from New Zea
,

land or Tahiti will do so with interest ; inventors of patent

punkah-pulling machines carriage coupl ings and unbreak
,

able swords and axletrees call with spe cifications in their

poc kets and hours at their disposal ; tea companies enter
and elaborate their prospectuses with the offi ce pens ;
sec retaries of ball co mmittees clamor to have the glories

“
of their last dance more fully expounded ; st range ladies
’
rustle in and say : I want a hundred lady s ca rds p ri nte d
at onc e please which is manifes tly part of an editor s ’
, ,

duty ; and every dissolute ru ffi an that ever tramped the

Grand Trunk Road makes it his business to ask f or employ
ment as a proof-reader And all the time the te lephone
.
, ,

“
bell is ri nging madly and Kings are being killed on the
’
,
”
Continent and Empires are saying :
,
You re another ,

and Mister Gladstone is calling down brimstone upon the

British Dominions and the little bl ac k copy boys are
“ ,

whini ng kaa —pi cha y-ha —yeh ( copy wanted ) l iked tired
'

’
bees and most of the paper is as blank as Modred s shield .
,

But that is the am us ing part of the year There are .

other six months wherein none ever come to c all and the ,

thermometer walks i nch by in c h up to the top of the glass ,

254 EN GL IS H S HOR T - S TOR Y W RIT E RS

and the othee is darkened to j ust above reading l ight and ,

the p re ss machines are red-h ot of touch and nobody writes ,

anyt hing but a cc ounts of amusements in the Hill —stat ions ,

or obituary noti c es Then the te lephone be comes a tink

.

l ing te rror because it tells v ou of the sudden deaths of men

,

and w omen that you knew intimately and the prickly ,

heat covers you as w ith a garment and you sit down and
w rite :
“ ,

A sl ight increase of si c kness is reporte d from the

Khuda J anta Khan Dist ri c t The outb re ak is purely
.

sporadic in its nature and thanks to the energeti c e fforts

,

of the Dist rict authorities is now almost at an end It is

'

, ,
.

however with deep regret w e re cord the death e tc

, ,
.

Then the si c kn ess really breaks ou t and the l ess rec ord ,

ing and reporting the better f or the peace of the su bmribe rs .

But the Empi re s and Kings continue to di vert themselves

as se lfishly as before and the Fo reman thi nks that a daily
.

paper really ought to come ou t once in twenty-four hours ,

“
and all the people at the Hill -stations in the middle of
their amusements say : Good g rac ious ! Wh y can t the ’
’ ’
paper he spa rk ling ? I m su re there s plenty going on up
”
here .

That is the dark half of the moon and as the adverti se

ments say ,
“
must be experien ced to be app rec iate d ”
,

It w as in that season and a remarkably evil seas on

, ,

that the paper began running the l as t issue of the week

on Saturday night which is to say Sunday morning afte r
, ,

the custom of a London paper This was a great con .

v e nience f or immediately after the paper was put to bed

,

°
the daw n would lower the thermomete r from 96 to almost
°
84 f or half an hour and in that chill — you have no idea
,

h ow co ld is 84 on th e grass until you be gin to pray for it

°

a very tired man c oul d set 0 3 to sleep ere the heat

‘

One Saturday night it w as my pleas ant duty to put the

2 56 EN GL IS H S HORT — S TORY W R IT E RS

ing ac ross the road and we were sleeping in that ditch .

there f or c oolness and I said to my friend here : The ‘

’
,

oth ee is open Le t s come along and speak to him as

.

turned us bac k from the De gu mber said the

smaller of the two He w as the man I ha d met in the .

Mhow train and his fellow was the red -bearded man of
,

Marwar Ju nction There was no mistaking the eyebrows

.

of the one or the heard of the other .

I w as not pleas ed because I wished to go to sleep not

to squabble with loafers Wh at do you want I as ked
,

“ ,

“
.

’
.

“
Half an hour s talk with you cool and comfortable in ,

the off i ce said the red bearded man

” - ’
We d like some
,
’
.

d rink the Contrack doesn t begin yet Peachey so you

—

’
, ,

needn t look — but what w e really want is advi ce We

’
.

don t want money We ask vou as a favor becau se you.

,
”
did us a bad turn about Degu mber .

I led from the press room to the stifling office with the -

“
maps on the walls and the red -haired man rubbed his
hands .
’ ”
That s somethi ng l ike said h e “ ,

This was the ,

.

proper shop to come t o Now sir let me introduce to you .

,
’
Brother Peac hey Carn ehan that s him an d Brother Daniel , ,

Dravot th at is me and th e l ess said about our professions

, ,

the bette r for we have been most things in ou r time

,
.

Soldier sailor compositor photographer proof-reader

, , , , ,

street preacher and correspondents of the B ackwoodsma n

,

when w e thought the paper wanted one Carnehan is .

’
sober and so am I Look at na first and see that s sure . .
,
’
It will save you cutting into my talk W e ll take one of .

”
your cigars apiece and you shall see us light i t
,
.

I w atched the test The men were absolu tely sobe r so .

,

“
I gave them each a tepid peg .

Well a nd good said Carnehan of the eyebrows w ip

”

ing the froth from his mustache

,

Let me talk now .

“ ,

Dan We ha ve been all over India mostly on foot We

.
,
.
 T HE M AN W HO W OULD BE KIN G 2 57

have been boiler-fitters engine—d rivers petty contractors

, , ,

and all that and we have decided that India isn t big ’
,

enough for such as as .

They certainly were too big for the offi ce ’

D rav ot s .

’
beard see med to fi ll half the room and Carneh an s shoulders
the other half as they sat on the big table Carnehan con
“ ,
’
.

tinu e d : The country isn t half worked out because they

’
that governs it won t let you touch it They spend all .

’
their blessed t i me i n governing it and you can t lift a ,

s pade nor chip a rock nor look for oil nor anything like
, , ,

that without all the Government saying : Leave it alone ‘

and let u s govern ’ Therefore such as rt is w e will let it

.
, ,

alone and go away to some other plac e where a man isn t ’

,

crowded and can come to his ow n We are not little men .

,

and there is nothing that w e are af raid of except Drink ,

and we have signed a Contrack on that Therefore w e are .

”
going away to be Kings
“
.

Kings in ou r own right muttered Dravot

“
.
,

Y es of course
”
I said ’
You ve been tramping in .
,

’
,
’
the sun and it s a very warm night and hadn t you better
, ,

sleep over the notion ? Come to—morrow

“
.

Neither drunk nor sunstruck ”

said Dravot We , .

have slept over the notion half a year and require to see ,

Books and Atlases and we have decided that there is only

,

o ne place now in the world that two strong men can Sar-a

w hack . They call it Kafi ristan ’

B y my reckoning it s the .

top ri ght hand corner of Afghanistan not more than three

-
,

hundred mi l es from Peshawar They have two-and-thirty .

’ ’
heathen idols there and we ll be the thirty third I t s a
,
-
.

mountainous coun try and the women of those parts are

,
”
very beautiful
“
.

”
But that is provided against in the Contrack said
Carnehan “
Neither Women nor Liquor Daniel ”
,

“
.
,
’
.

And that s all we know except that no one has gone ,

2 58 E N GL IS H SH ORT - S TORY W R I T E RS
there and they figh t and in any place whe re they fight
, ,

a man w h o kn ows how to drill men can always be a Ki ng .

We sha ll go to those parts and say to any King w e find

‘ ’ ’
D you want to vanquish your foes ? and we will show
him h ow to drill men ; f or that we know better than any
thi ng else Then we will subve rt that King and seize his
.

Throne and establish a Dy-nasty

“
.

’ ’
You ll be cut to pieces before you re fi f ty miles across
”
the Border I said Y ou have to travel through Afghan
,
’
istan to get to that country It s one mass of mountains .

and peaks and glaciers and no Englishm an h as been ,

through it Th e people are utter brut es and even if you

.
,
’
reached them you couldn t do anything ”

“ “
.

’
Th at s more like said Carnehan If you could .
,

think us a little more mad we would be more pleas ed We .

have come to you to know about this co u ntry to read a ,

book about it and to be show n maps We want you

,
.

to tell us that we are foo ls and to show us you r

books .

He turned to the bookcases

“
.

Are you at all in earnest I said

“
.

”
A little said Dravot sweetly As big a map as you .

’
,

have got even if it s all blank whe re Kafi ristan is and any
’
, ,
’
books you ve got We c an read though we a ren t very
.
,
”
educated .

I unc ased the big thirty-two—miles—to—the-inch map of

India and two sma ller Frontier maps haul ed do w n vol
, ,

ume I NF-KAN of the E ncyclopaedia B ritannica and the ,

“
men consulted them
“
.

”
See here ! said Dravot h is thumb on the map Up,
.

to J agdallak Peachey and me know the road

, We w as .

’ ’
there with Roberts Ar my We ll have to turn oh to the .
'

right at J agdallak through L agh mann territory Then

,
.

w e get among the hills— fourteen thou sand feet — fif teen

2 60 EN GLI SH S HORT — S TORY W RI TERS

Carnehan with subdued pride showing me a g reasy half

, ,

sheet of nbte—paper on whi ch w as written the following .

I copied it then and there as a curiosity

, ,

b
Thi s Contract etween m e and you pe rsuing witnesseth in
th e nam e of God — Am en and so forth .

(One ) That m e and you will se ttl e this matte r togethe r

i e , to be Kings of Kafi ri stan
. . .

( N o) That you and m e wi ll not , while this matte r

b
is eing settled , look at any L iquor, nor any
b
Woman l ac k , whi te or rown , so as to ge t b
mixed u p wi th one or the other harmful .

(Thre e ) That w e conduct ourse lves wi th di gnity and

di screti on and if one of us gets into troub le
,

th e other wi ll stay by him .

S igned b y you and me thi s day .

P eac hey Taliaferro C arnehan .

D aniel D ravot .

B oth Gentlem en at L a rge .

There was no need for the last article said Carnehan

“
blushing modestly ; but it l ooks regular N ow you know .
, ,

the so rt of men that loafers are— w e are loafe rs Dan until , ,

w e get ou t of I ndia — and do you thi nk that w e would sign

a Contrack like that unless w e was in earn est ? We have
kept away from the tw o things that make life worth
”
hav ing
“
.

’
Y ou won t enj oy your lives much longer if you are
’
going to try this idiotic adventure Don t set the o th ee
“
.

on fi re I said and go away before nine o clock ’ ”

.
, ,

I left them still poring over the maps and making notes
on th e back of the
“
Contrack
“B e sure to come down
.

”
to the Serai to—morrow were their part ing words
, .

The Kumh arse n Serai is the great four-square sink of

humani ty where the strings of camels and horses f rom the
North load and u nload Al l the nationalities of Ce ntral
.
 TH E M A N W HO W OULD BE KIN G 261

Asia may be foun d there and most of the folk of India ,

proper Balkh and Bokhara there m eet Bengal and Bom

.

bay and try to draw eye teeth You can buy poni es tur
,
-
.
,

q u oises Persian
,
pussy -ca ts saddle—bags fat -tailed sheep
, ,

and musk in the Ku mh arse n Serai and get many strange ,

things f or nothing In the afternoon I went down there

.

to see whether my friends intended to keep their word or

were lying about d runk .

A p ri est attired in f ragments of ribbons and rags stalked

’
up to me gravely twisting a child s paper Whirligig B e~ .
,

hind him was h is servant bending under the load of a

crate of mud toys Th e two were loading up two camels
.
,

and the inhabitants of the Serai watched them with shrieks

“
of lau ghter .

The priest is mad said a horse-dealer to me

,
He .

is going up to Kabul to sell toys to the Amir He will .

either be raised to honor or have his head cut off He .

cam e in here this morning and has been behaving madly

”
ever since
“
.

Th e witless are under the protection of God stam

me re d a fi at—cheeked Usbeg in broken Hindi They fore .
“ ,

”
tell future events .

Would they could have foretold tha t my caravan

would have been cut up by the Shi nwaris almost within
”
shad ow of the Pass ! grunted the E usuf z ai agent of a
Ra j putana trading house whose goods had been felonious ly
-

diverte d into the hands of other robbers j ust across the

Border and whose misfortunes were the laughing-stoc k of
the bazar
,

.
“
Oh é priest whence come you and whither
, ,

“
do you go
From Roum have I come shouted the pri est waving
his Whirligig ; “
from Roum blow n by the brea th of a
,

,
,

hundred devils across the sea ! 0 thieves robbers liars , , ,

the bl essing of F it Khan on pigs dogs and perj urers ! Wh o ,

2 62 E N GL IS H SHOR T — S T OR Y W RI TE RS
w ill t ake the Protected of God to the North to se ll c harm s
that are never still to the Ami r ? The camels shall not gall ,

the sons shal l not fall sick and the wives shal l re main
,

fai thful while they are away of the men w ho give me place
,

in their caravan Wh o will assist me to slippe r the King

.

of the Roos with a golden slipper with a silver heel ? The

p rotection of Pir Kh an be upon his labors ! ”
He spread
ou t the s k i rts of his gaberd ine and pirouetted between the

“
li n es of te the red horses .

The re starts a caravan from Pes hawar to Kabul in

twenty days Huz rut said the E u suf z ai trader
,
”
,
My .
“
came ls go therewith D o thou also go and bring na good
.

“
luck
“
.

I wi ll go even now ! shouted the pri est I w ill de .

part u pon my winged camels and be at Pesh awar in a ,

day ! Ho ! Ha z ar Mir Khan he yelled to his se rvant

”
,

dri ve ou t the camels but let me fi rst mou nt my ow n

,
.

He leaped on the bac k of his be ast as it kn elt and

turning round to me cried : Come thou also Sahib a lit
,
“ ,
,

,
,

tle along the road and I will sell thee a cha rm— an amulet
,

that shall ma ke thee King of Kafi ristan .

Then the light broke upon me and I followed the tw o ,

camels ou t of the Serai till w e reac hed open ro ad and the

“ “
pri es t hal ted .

’ ’
What d you thi nk 0 that said he i n Engl ish Carne .

’ ’
han can t tal k their patter so I ve made hi m my se rvant .

’
,

He makes a handsome servant ’

Tis h t for nothi ng that .

’
I v e been knoc king about the country f or fourte en years .

’ ’
Didn t I do that talk neat ? We ll hi tch on to a caravan
’
at Pes hawar till we get to J agdallak and then we ll see if ,

w e c an get donkeys for ou r camels and strike into Ka fi ris ,

tan . Wh irligigs f or the Ami r O Lor ! Put your hand ,

und e r the c amel bags and tell me what you feel

-
”
.

I felt the butt of a Martini and another and another ,

.
26 4 EN GL ISH SH ORT — S TOR Y W RITERS

gauds and insigni fi cant trinkets which he asc ribes as g reat

charms to H H the Ami r of Bokhara He p assed through
. . .

Peshawar and associated himself to the Second Su mmer

caravan that goes to Kabul The merchants are pleased .

because through superstition they i magine that such mad

”
fellows bring good fortune .

The tw o then were beyond the Bo rder I would have

, , .

prayed for them but that night a real King died in Europe
, ,

and demanded an obituary notice .

The wheel of the world swi ngs through the same phases
again and ag ain Su mmer passed and win ter thereafter
.
,

and came and passed again The d aily paper continued .

and I with it and upon the third summer there fell a h ot

,

night a night -issue and a strained waiting for somethi ng

, ,

to be telegraphed from the other side of the world exac tly ,

as had happened before A few great men h ad died in .

the past tw o years the m ac hines worked with more cl at ter

, ,

and some of the t rees in the O th ee garden were a few feet

taller But that w as all the di fference
. .

I passed over to the press-room and went through j us t ,

such a scene as I have al ready described The nervous .

tension w as stronger than it had been two years before

’
,

and I felt the heat more acutely A t th ree o clock I cried

“
.

”
Print off and turned to go when there cre pt to my
, , .

chair what w as left of a man He w as bent into a circle .

,

his head was sunk between his shoulders and he moved ,

his feet one over the other like a bea r I could hardly see .

whether he walked or crawled — th is rag-wrapped whining ,

cripple w ho addressed me by name crying that he was

co me back “ ”
,

“
Can you give me a drink ? he whimpered
. .

’
For the Lord s sake give me a drink ! ”
,

I went back to the offi ce the ma n following with g roans

,

of pain and I turned up the lamp

, .
 TH E M A N W HO W OUL D BE KIN G 2 65

’ ”
Don t you know me ? he gasped dropping into a ,

chair and he turned his drawn face surmounted by a

, ,

shock of gray hair to the light , .

I looked at h i m intently Once before h ad I seen eye .

brows that met over the n ose in an inch bro ad black band -
,

but for the life of me I could not tell where

“
.

’
I don t know you I sa id handing him the whisky , , .

What can I do for you ? ”

He took a gulp of the spirit raw and shivered in spite ,

of the su ffocat ing heat

“ “
.

’ ”
I ve come back he repeated ; and I was the King
,

of Ka stan me and Dravot — crowned Kings we w as !

fi ri —

I n this office we settled it— you setting there and giving us

the books I a Peachey Pe ac hey Taliaferro Carnehan
m
.
—
,

’
and you ve bee n setting here ever since O Lord !
— ”

I was more than a little astonished and expressed my

feelings accordingly
“
.

’
It s true said Carnehan with a dry ca ckle nursing
”
,

his feet which were wrapped in rags

,
True as gospel
,

.
“ ,

Kings we were with crowns upon our heads — me and

,

Dravot — poor Dan oh poo r poor Dan that would never

—
, , ,

take advice not though I begged of h im !

“ Take the whisky
”
,

I said and take your ow n time

, ,
“ .

Tell me all you can recollect of everything from beginning

to end You got across the Border on your camels Dravot
. ,

d ressed as a mad priest and you his serv ant Do you , .

remember that
“ ’
I ain t mad yet but I shall be that way soon Of
—
. .

course I remember Keep looking at me or maybe my

.
,

words will go all to pieces Keep looking at me in my

'

’
eyes and don t say anything .

I leaned forward and looked into his face as steadily as

I could He dropped one hand upon the table an d l
.

’
gras ped it by the wrist I t was twisted like a bird s cla w
.
,

-1 8
2 66 EN GL I S H SH ORT — S TORY W RI TERS

and u pon the back w as a ragged red diamond-shaped

, ,

’
N o don t look there Look at me said Carnehan
.
, , .

’
That comes afterwards but for the Lord s sake don t ’
,

distrack me We left with that caravan me and Dravot

.
,

play ing all sorts of antics to amuse the people w e w ere

with Dravot used to make us laugh in the evening when
.

all the people w as cooking their dinners — cooking their

dinners and what did they do then ? They l i t little
’
,

fi res with sparks that went into D rav ot s beard and we ,

all laughed — fit to die Little red fi res they w as going

.

’
,

into D ra v ot s big red beard — so funny His eyes left .

mi ne and he smiled fool ishly

“
.

Y ou went as far as J agdallak with that c aravan

“
I ,

said at a ve nture after you had lit those fires To Jag

, .

dallak where you turned off to try to get into Kah

ristan
“
.

N
’
o w e didn t neit her What are you talking about ?
.
,

We turned off before J agd allak because w e heard the roads

’
,

w as good But they w as n t good enough f or ou r two

.

— ’
camels mine and Drav ot s When w e left the caravan .

Dravot took 0 6 all h is clothes and mine too and said we

’
,

would be heathen because the Kah rs didn t allow Mo

,

hammed ans to t alk to them So w e dressed betwixt and .

betw een and such a sight as Daniel D ravot I never saw

,

yet nor expec t t o see again He burned half his beard .

,

and slung a sheepskin over h is shoulder and shaved his ,

head into patterns He shaved mine too and made me

.
, ,

wear outrageous things to look l ike a heathen That was .

in a most mountainous country and ou r came ls coul dn t ’

,

go al ong any more because of the mountains They w ere .

tall and blac k and coming home I saw them fight like
,

w ild goats — there are lots of goats in Kafi ristan And .

these mountains they never keep still no more than the

, ,
2 68 EN GL IS H SHOR T — STOR Y W RI T E RS

w as mountainous and the mul es were most contrary and ,

the inhabitants was dispersed and solitary They went .

h p and u p and do w n and down and that other party

, , ,

Carnehan was imploring of Dravot not to sing and whistle

,

so loud f or fea r of bringing down the tre menj us ava

,
’
lan ch es But Dravot says that if a King couldn t sing it
.

’
wasn t worth being King and whac ked the m u l es over the
,

ru mp an d never took no heed for ten cold days We

,
.

came to a big level valley all among the mountains and ,

the mul es were near dead so we killed them not hav ing , ,

anything in special for them or us to eat We sat u pon .

the boxes and played od d and even with the c artridges

,

that was j olted out

“
.

Then ten men w ith bows and arrows ran down that
valley chasi ng twenty men w ith bows and arrows and the ,

row w as tre me nj us They w as fair

. men —
fairer than you
o r me— with yellow hair and remarka ble well built Says .

‘
Dravot unpacking the guns : This is the beginning of
’
,
’
the business We ll fight for the ten men and with that
.
,

he fi res tw o rifles at the t w enty men and d rops one of

'

them at tw o hun dred yards from the roc k where w e was

sitting The other men began to run but Carnehan and
.
,

Dravot sits on the boxes picking them off at all ranges ,

u p and down the valley Then w e goes up to the ten

.

men that h ad run across the snow too and they fi res a , ,

footy little arrow at us Dravot he shoots above their

.

head s and they all falls down fl at Then he walks over .

them and kicks them and then he lifts them up and

,

shakes hands all round to m ake them friendly like He .

cal ls them and gives them the boxes to carry and waves ,

his hand for all the world as though he was King alre ady .

They take the boxes and him across the valley and up the
hill into a pine w ood on the top whe re there was half a ,

doze n big stone idols Dravot he goes to the biggest — a

.
 TH E M A N W HO W O U L D BE K I NG 2 69

fellow they cal l Imbra —and lays a ri fle and a cartridge at

his feet rubbing his nose respectful with his ow n nose
, ,

patting him on the head and sa l uting in front of it He , .

’
turns round to the men and nods his he ad and says That s ,
‘

’
all right I m in the know too and all these old j im
.
, ,

j ams are my friends ’ Then he opens his mouth and poin ts

.

down it and when the first man brings him food he sa vs

, ,

‘
No and when the second man brings him food he says
’
,

‘
No ; but when one of the old p ri ests and the boss of the
village brings him food he says very haughty and , ,

eats it slow That was h ow we came to our fi rst village

. .

without any trouble j ust as though we had tumbled from ,

the skies But we tumb led from one of those damned ro pe

.

’
bridges you see and you couldn t expect a man to laugh
, ,

”
much after that
“
.

Take some more whisky and go on I said That , .

was the fi rst village you came into How did y ou get to .

“
be King ?
’
I wasn t Ki ng said Carnehan Dravot he w as the
, .

King and a handsome man he looked with the gold crown

,

on his head and all Him and the other party stayed i n
.

that village and every morn ing Dravot sat by the side of
,

old Imb ra and the people came and worshipped That .

’
,

was D rav ot s order Then a lot of men came into the val
.

ley and Carnehan and Dravot picks them off with the
,

rifles before they knew where they was and r uns down into ,

the valley and up again the other side and h uds another ,

vill age same as the fi rst one and the people all falls down
, ,

fl at on their faces and Dravot says Now what is the ‘

,

trouble bet w een you two villages and the people points
to a woman as fair as you or me that was carried off and
, , ,

Dravot t akes her back to the fi rst vill age and counts up
the dea d — e ight there was For each dead man Dravot .

pours a little milk on the ground and waves his arms l ike
2 70 EN GL IS H S HORT - S TORY W RITERS
’ ’
a Whirligi g and That s all right says he Then he and
‘
.
,

Carnehan takes the big boss of each village by the arm and
walks them down into the valley and shows them how to ,

scratch a line wi th a spear right down the valley and gives

’
,

e ach a sod of turf from both sides 0 the l ine Then all the .

people comes down and shouts l ike the Devil and all and ,

Dravot says Go and dig the land and be fruitful and

‘
,

’
,

’
multiply which they did though they didn t understand .
, ,

Then we asks the names of things in their lingo— bread and

water and fi re and idols and such and Dravot leads the ,

pri est of each village u p to the idol and says he must sit ,

the re and j udge the people and if anything goes w rong he

,

is to be shot .

Next week they was al l turn ing up the l and in the valley
as quiet as bees and much prettier and the pries ts hea rd,

all the complaints and told Dravot in dumb show what it

was about ’ ’
That s j ust the begi nning says Dravot
‘
,

’
. .

’
‘
They think we re Gods He and Carnehan picks ou t
.

twenty good men and shows them h ow to click off a rifle

and form fours and advance in line and they was very
, ,

pleased to do so and clever to see the hang of i t Then

, .

he tak es out his pipe and h is bac cy - pouch and leaves

one at one village and one at the other and off we tw o ,

goes to see what w as to be done in the next valley That .

was all rock and there w as a little village there and Carne
’
,

han says ’
Send em to the old valley to plant and takes
,
’
,

’ ’
em there and gives em some land that wasn t took befo re .

’
They were a poor lot and we blood ed em with a kid be
,

’
fore letting em into the new Kingdom That was to im .

pres s the people and then they settled do w n quiet and

, ,

Carnehan went back to Dravot who had got into another

,

valley all snow and ice and most mount ainous Th ere was .

no peo ple the re and the Army got afraid so D ravot shoots ,

one of them and goes on till he finds some people i n a v i l

,
2 72 EN GL I SH SH ORT - S TORY W RIT ERS
’
w e d lea rned the w ay of it from a blind beggar in the
Pun j ab ”
.

I re membered that the re had once come to the offi ce a

blind man wi th a knotted twig and a piece of string which
he wound round the twig ac cording to some cipher of his
ow n . He could after the lapse of days or hours repeat
, ,

the sentence which he h ad reeled u p He had redu ced the .

alphabet to eleven primitive sou nds ; and tried to teach

me his method but failed
“
.
,

I sent that lette r to Dravot said Carnehan ; and ,

told him to come back because thi s Kingdom w as growing

too big for me to handle and then I struck f or the fi rst
,

valley to see how the p ri ests were working They called

, .

the vill age w e took along w ith the Chi ef B as hk ai and the , ,

fi rst village w e t ook E r-Heb The pries ts at E r-Heb was .

doing all right but they had a lot of pending cases about
,

land to show me and some me n from another village had

,

been fi ri ng a rrows at night I went ou t and looked f or .

that village and fi red four rounds at it from a thousand

yards That used all the cart ridges I cared to spend and
.
,

I waited for Dravot w h o had been away tw o or three

,

months and I kept my people quiet

,
.

’
One morning I heard the devil s ow n noise of drums
and horns and Dan Dravot marches down the hill w ith his
,

Army and a tail of hundreds of men and which w as the , ,

most ama z ing— a great gold crown on his head My .

‘

’
Gord Carnehan says Daniel this is a tre me nj us business ‘
, , , ,
’ ’
and we ve got the whole country as far as it s worth having
’
.

I am the son of Alexander by Q ueen Semiramis and you re ,

’
my younge r brother and a God too ! It s the biggest thi ng
’ ’
we ve ever seen I ve been ma rching and fighting f or six
.

weeks with the Army and e very footy little village f or

,

fif ty miles has come in rej oiceful and mo re than that I ve

’
’
,

’
got the key of the whole show as you ll see and I v e got , ,
 TH E M AN W HO W OUL D B E K IN G 27 3
’ ’
a c row n f or you ! I told em to make tw o of em at a pl ac e
called Shu where the gold lies in the rock like suet in
,
’ ’
mutton Go ld I ve seen and turquoise I ve kicked out
.
,
’
of the cli ff s and there s garnet s in the sands of the river
,
’
,

and here s a chunk of amber that a man brought me Call

’
.

up all the pri es ts and here take you r crown , , .

One of the men O pens a black hair bag and I slips the
crown ou It was too s mall and too heavy but I wore it
- .
,

f or the glory Hammered gold it w as - fiv e-pound weight

.
v
,

like a h 00 p of a barrel .

’
says Dravot w e don t want to figh t no ‘
,
’ ’
more The Craft s the trick so help me l and he brings ,
.

forward that s ame Chief that I left at B ash kai— Billy Ifis h
'

w e called hi m afterwards because he was so like Billy ,

Fish that d rove the big tank-e ngine at M ac h on the Bolan

in the old days ’
Shake hands with him says Dravot
.
‘
, ,

and I shook hands and nearly dropped f or Billy Fish gave ,

me the Grip I said nothing but tried him with the F e llow
.
,

Craf t Grip He answers all right and I tried the Mas ter s ’
’
.
,

Grip but that w as a slip A Fellow Craft he is ! I says ‘

’
.
,

to Dan
‘
Does he know the word He does says Dan ‘

’
.
, ,

‘
and all the priests kno w It s a mi racle ! Th e Ch iefs and .

the pries ts can work a Fellow Craft Lod ge in a w ay t hat s ’

’
very like ou rs and they ve cut the marks on the rocks but
’ ’
, ,

they don t know the Thi rd Degree and they ve come to

’
,

’ .
’
h n d ou t It s Gord s Truth I ve known these long years .

that the Afghans kn ew up to the Fellow Craft Degree but ,

this is a miracle A God and a Grand-Master of the Craft

.

am I and a Lodge in the Third Degree I will open and

’
, ,

’
w e ll raise the head p ri ests and the Chiefs of the v illages
’
.

‘ ’
It s against all the law I says holdi ng a Lodge with ‘
, ,

ou t w arrant from any one and w e never held oth ee in

any Lodge ’
’
.

’
It s a master stroke of policy says Dravot
- It .
‘
,
2 74 EN GL IS H S HORT — S TORY W R IT ERS

mea ns running the country as easy as a four-wheel ed bogy

on a down grade
’
We can t stop to inquire now or they ll
.
’
,
’
turn against us I v e forty Chiefs at my heel and p as se d
.
,

and rai sed according to their merit they shall be Billet .

thw e men on the villages and see that w e run up a Lodge

,

of some kind The temple of Imb ra will do for the Lodge

.

room The women must make aprons as you show them

. .

’
I ll hold a levee of Chiefs to night and Lodge to morrow
- — ’ .

’
I w as fair run off my legs but I w asn t such a f ool as
,

not to see what a pull this Craft business gave us I

’
.

showed the priests families h ow to make aprons of the

’
degree s but for D rav ot s apron the blue border and marks
,

w as m ad e of turquoise lumps on white hide not cloth , .

’
We took a great square stone in the te mple for the Mas ter s
’
chair and little stones f or the offi ce rs chairs and pain ted
, ,

the bl ack pavement with white squares and did what we ,

could to make things regular

“
.

At the levee which was held that night on the hillside

with big bonfi res Dravot gives ou t tha t him and me w e re
,

Gods and sons of Alexander and Past Grand-Mas ters in ,

the Craft and was come to make Kafiristan a co u ntry whe re

,

every man should eat in peace and drink in quiet and ,

S pec ially obey u s Then the Chief s come round to shake

.

hands and they was so hairy and white and rair it was j ust
,

shaki ng hands with old friends We gave them names .

according as they were like men w e had known in I ndia

Billy Fish Holly Dilwo rth Pikk y Kergan that was Bazar
, ,

m as te r when I was at Mhow and so on and so on

“ , .

The most ama z ing mirac le w as at Lodge next night .

One of the old priests w as watching na continuous and I ,

’
felt u n easy for I knew w e d h av e to fud ge the Ritu al and
’
, ,

I didn t know what the men knew The old pries t w as a .

stranger come in from beyond the village of B ash kai The .

’
minute Dravot puts on the M as te r s apron that the girls
2 76 EN GLI S H S HORT - S TORY W RIT ERS

he asks them about their vi llages and learns that they w as

,

figh ting one against the other and we re fair sick an d ti re d

of it .
’
And when they wasn t doing that they was fighting
Y ou can figh t those when they
‘
with the Mohammed ans .

’
come into ou r country says Dravot Tell off every tenth
.
‘
,

man of your t ribes f or a Frontier guard and send tw o hun ,

d red at a time to this valley to be d rilled Nobody is goi ng .

to be shot or speared any more so long as he doe s well and

’
,

I kn ow that you w on t cheat me because you re whi te ’

people— sons of Alexander— and not like common black
’
,

Mohammedans You are my people and by God says

.
, ,

h e run n ing off into English at the end

’
I ll make a damned
’
,
’
fi ne Nation of you or I ll die in the makingl
“ ’
,

I can t tell all we did f or the next six months because

’
,

Dravot did a lot I couldn t see the hang of and he learned

their lingo in a w ay I never could My work w as to help.

the people plough and now and again go ou t with some

,

of the Army and see what the other village s w ere doi ng
’
,

and make em throw rope bridges ae rom the ravines which

cut u p the country horrid Dravot w as very kind to me
.
,

but when he walked up and down in the pine w ood pu ll ing

that bl oody red beard of his with both fists I knew he w as
thinking plans I could not ad v ise him about and I j ust
waited for orders
“
.

But Dravot never showed me disrespect before the

people They were afraid of me and the Army but they
.
,

loved Dan He w as the bes t of friends with the priests

.

and the Chiefs ; but any one could come ac ross the hi lls
with a complaint and D ravot would hear him ou t fair ,

and call f ou r priests together an d say what w as to be done .

He used to call in Billy Fish from B ashk ai and Pikky

I( a rgan from Shu and an old Chief w e called Kef u z e lum
,

it was like enough to his real name— and held coun cils
’
with em when there was any figh ting to be done in small
 TH E M A N W HO W O U L D B E KIN G 2 7 7

vill ages That was his Council of War and the fou r
.
,

priests of B ashk ai Shu Khawak an d Madora was his Pri vy

’
, ,

Council Between the lot of em they sent me with forty

.
,

men and twen ty rifles and sixty men carryin g turquoises

, ,

into the Ghorband country to buy those hand-made Mar

’
tini rifles t h at come ou t of the Ami r s workshops at Kabul
’
,

from one of the Am ir s Herati regiments that w ould ha ve

sold the very teeth ou t of their mouths for turquoises
“ I stayed in Ghorban d a month and gave the Governor ,
.

there the pick of my baskets for hush money and bribed -

,

the Colonel of the regiment some more and between the ,

two and the t ri bes people w e got more than a hundred

’
,

hand made Martinis a hundred good Kohat Jezails that 1 1

-
,

throw to six hundred yards and forty man-loads of very ,

bad a mmunition for th e rifles I came back with w hat I

’
.

had and distributed em am ong the men that the Chiefs

,

sent in to me to drill Dravot was too busy to attend to

.

those things but the old Army that w e fi rst m ade h elped
,

me and w e turned ou t fi v e hund red men that coul d drill

, ,

and tw o hundred that knew h ow to hold arms pretty

straight Even those cork-screwed hand made guns was
.
,
-

a miracle to them Dravot talked big about powder-shops

.

and fac to ri es walking up and down in the pine wood when

,

“
the winter was coming ou
’ ’
.

I won t make a Nation says h e

‘ ’
I ll make an Em .
,
’ ’
pire ! Th ese men aren t niggers ; they re En glish ! Look
at their eyes — look at their mouths Look at the way .

they stand u p They sit on chairs in their ow n houses

. .

’
They re the Lost Tribes or something like it, and they ve ’
’
,

grown to be English I ll t ake a census in the spring if

.

’
the priests don t get frightened There must be fair two .

’ ’
million of em in these hills Th e villages are full 0 little.

children The million people— tw o hun dred and fi f ty

.

thousan d fighting men —and all Engl ish ! They only want
2 7 8 EN GL IS H S HORT - S TORY W R I TERS

the ri fles and a little drilli ng Tw o hundred and fi f ty .

’
thousand men ready to cut in on Russia s right flank
,
’
when she tries f or India ! Peachey man he says chewing , , ,

his be ard in great hunks w e shal l be Emperors — Em ,

‘

pe rors of the Earth ! Raj ah Brooke will be a suckling to

us.
’ ’
I ll treat with the Viceroy on equal terms I ll ask .

him to send me twelve picked En glish— twelve that I

— ’
know of to help us govern a bit There s M ack ray Ser .

’ ’
,

geant pensioner at Segow li many s the good dinner he s

- —

’
given me and his wife a pair of trousers There s Donkin .

’
, ,

the W arder of Tou ngh oo J ail ; there s hu ndreds that I

could lay my hands on if I was in India The Viceroy .

’
shall do it f or me I ll send a man through in the spring
.

’
for those men and I ll w rite f or a dispensation from the
’
,

Gran d Lodge f or what I ve done as Grand-Master That

’
.

and all the Sniders that ll be throw n out when the native
’
tr0 0 ps in India take u p the Mart ini They ll be worn .

’
smooth but they ll do f or figh ting in thw e hills N e lve .
,

English a hund re d thousand Sn iders run through the

’
,
’
Ai nir s count ry in d riblets — I d be content with twenty
— ’
thousand in one year and w e d be an E mri ire When
’
.

everything was shi pshape I d h and over the crow n— thi s

,

crown I
’m wear ng now to Queen Victori a on my knees
i
“
—
,
’
and she d say : Rise u p Sir Daniel Dravot ” ’
Oh it s
’
.
, ,
’
big ! I t s big I tell you ! But there s so much to be done
,

in every place — B ashk ai Khawak Shu and ev erywhere

, , ,
’
“
else .

‘
W hat is it I says ‘
There are no more men comi ng
.

in to be drilled this autumn Look at those fat black

’ ’
.
,

clouds They re bringing the snow

“It isn ’t that ’says Daniel putting his han d very hard
. .

‘
, ,
’
on my shoulder ; and I don t wish to say an ything that s
‘ ’
again st you for no other living man would have followed
’
,

me and made me what I am as you have done You re a .

2 80 E N GL I S H S HORT — S TORY W R I TE RS
’
twi ce in h ot water and they ll come as fai r as chi cken an d
’
,

ham
“
.

‘ ’ ’
Don t tempt me ! I says ‘
I will not have any deal .

’
ings with a woman not till w e are a dam side more settled
,
’
than we are n ow I ve been doing the work 0 tw o men ’
’
.

’ ’
,

and you ve been doing the work 0 three Let s lie off a .

bit and see if w e can get some bette r tobacco f rom Afghan
’
,

count ry and run in some good liquor ; but no women

“ ’
.

‘ ’ ’
Wh o s talk ing 0 w omen ? says Dravot I said w i fe .
‘

’
a Queen to b reed a King s son f or the King A Qu een ou t .

of the st rongest tribe

’
that ll make them your blood
,
’
brothers and that ll lie by your side and tell you all the
,

people thinks about you and their ow n affairs That s ’ .

what I want ’
“
.

Do you remember that Bengali woman I kept at

‘

’
Mogul Serai when I w as a plate layer ? says I A fat lot .
‘

’
0 good she w as to me She t aught me the lingo and one
.

or tw o other things ; but what happened ? She ran away

’
with the Station Mas ter s servant and half my month s ’
pay Then she tur ned up at B ad ur Junction in tow of a
.

half -caste and had the impidence to say I was he r hus

’
,

—
band al l among the d rivers in the running shed l
—
“We ’ve done w ith that ’says D ravot These women
‘
,
.
‘

are whi ter than you or me and a Qu een I will ha ve for the
,

winter months ’ .

’ ’
F or the last t ime 0 asking Dan do no t I says ’
It ll .
‘
, , ,

only bring us h arm The Bible says that Kings ain t to ’

’
.

’
w as te their st rength on women specially when they ve
’
,

got a new raw Kingdom to work over

“ ’
.

F or the last time of answering I will says D ravot

‘
, ,

and he went away through the pine—trees looking like a

big red devil The low sun hi t his crow n and bea rd on
.

one side and the tw o blazed like hot c oals

“
.
,

But getti ng a wife w as not as easy as Dan thought .

 T HE M A N W HO W OUL D BE K ING 2 81

He put it before the Council and there was no answ er till ,

’
Billy Fish said that he d better ask the girls Dravot .

damned them all roun d ’

What s wrong with me he .
‘

shouts standing by the idol Imbra

,
Am I a dog or am .
‘

I not enough of a man f or your wenches ? Haven t I put’

the sh adow of my hand over this country ? Wh o stopped
the l as t Afghan raid It w as me really but Dravot was ,

too angry to remember Wh o bought your guns ? Wh o

.
‘

’
mpai red the bridges ? Who s the Grand -Master of the
sign cut in th e stone and he thumped his hand on the
block that he used to sit on in Lodge and at Council , ,

which opened l ike Lodge always Billy Fish said nothing

’
.

and no more did the others Keep your hair ou Dan said
’
.
, ,

I and ask the girls

’
That s how it s done at Home and
’
.
, ,

“
these people are quite English .

‘
The marriage of the King is a matter of State says’
,

Dan in a whi te-hot rage for he could feel I hope that he

, , , ,

w as going against his better mind He walked ou t of the .

Coun c il room and the others sat still looking at the

, ,

“
ground
’ ’
.

‘
Billy Fish says I to the Chief of the B ash k ai what s ,
‘

’
,

the d iffi cul ty here ? A st raight answer to a true friend .

’
You know says B illy Fish How should a man tel l you .
‘
, ,

w h o k now s everything ? How can daughters of men marry

’ ’
“
Gods or Devi ls ? It s not pro per
I remembered something like that in the Bible ; but if
.

after seeing us as long as they had they still believed we ,

’
were Gods it wasn t for me to undeceive them
“A God can do anything ’says I Ii the King is fond
.
,
‘ ‘

’
.

’ ’
,
’
of a girl he l l not let her die She ll have to said Billy ‘
,
.

Fish . There are all sorts of God s and Devils in these

‘

mou nt ai ns and now and again a girl marries one of them

,
’
and isn t seen any more B esides you two know the .
,

Mark cut in the stone Only the Gods know that W e . .

u -1
.
9
2 82 EN GL I S H SHORT — S TORY W RI TERS

thought you were men till you show ed the sign of the
’
“
M as ter .

I Wished then that we h ad explained about the loss of

the genuine secrets of a Maste r—Mason at the fi rst go—off ;
but I said nothing All that night there w as a blow ing
.

of horns in a little dark temple ha lf-w ay down the hill and ,

I heard a girl cryi ng fit to die One of the pri ests told us .

that she w as being prepared to marry the King

“I l l have no nonsense of that kind ’says Dan I
.

‘ ' ‘
,
’
.

don t want to interfere with your customs but I ll take ’

’
,

my ow n wife .
’ ‘ ’
The girl s a little bit af rai d says the ,

priest .
’
She thinks she s going to die and they are a-heart ~
,
’
“
ening her up down in the temple
’
Hearten her very tender then says Dravot or I ll
‘
,
’
.

hearten you with the butt of a gun so that you ll never

'

w ant to be heartened again

’ He licked his l ips did Dan
.
, ,

and stayed up walk ing about more than half the night ,

think in g of the wife that he w as going to get in the mom

’
ing I wasn t any means comfortable f or I knew tha t
.
,

dealings with a woman in foreign parts thou gh you w as ,

a crowned King t w enty times ove r could not but be risky , .

I got up very early in the morning while Dravot was as leep ,

and I saw the priests t alki ng together in whispers and the ,

Chiefs ta lki ng together too and they looked at me ou t of

, ,

the corners of their eyes

“What is u p Fish ? ’I says to the B ashkai man w ho
.

‘
, ,

w as wrapped up in his furs and looking splendid to

“I can ’t rightly say ’says he but if you can induce

behold .

‘
,

the King to d rop all this nonsense about marriage you ll ’

be doing him and me and yourself a great serv i ce ’
’
.

That I do believe sa ys I But sure you know

, .
‘
, ,

Billy as w ell as me having fought against and f or na that

, , ,

the King and me are nothing more than tw o of the finest

284 EN GLI SH SHORT - S TORY W RI TERS

round her She shu ts her eyes gives a bit of a squeak

.
, ,
’
and down goes her fa ce in the side of Dan s h am ing re d

“
h eard
’
.

‘ ’
The slut s bitten me l says he clapping his hand to ,

his neck ; and sure enough his hand w as red with blood .

Billy F ish and tw o of h is matchloc k men catches hold of -

Dan by the shoulders and dr ags him into the B ash kai lot ,

w hile the priests howls in their lingo Neither God nor ‘

,

’
Devi l but a man ! I w as all taken abac k for a priest cut ,

at me in front and the Army began firing into the B as hkai

,

“
men .

‘ -
’
God A migh ty l says Dan Wh at is the mea ni ng 0 ‘

’
.

this ?
“ ‘ ’
Come back ! Come away ! says Billy Fish Ruin ‘

’
.

and Mutiny is the matter We ll break f or B as hkai if w e

.

I tried to give some sort of ord ers to my men— the

’
men 0 the regular Army— but it w as no use so I h ie d into ,
’
the brown of em with an English Mart ini and d rilled th ree
beggars in a line The valley w as full of shouting howling
.
,

c reatures and every soul was shrieking Not a God nor a

, ,
‘

’
Devi l but only a man l The Bas hk ai t roops stuck to Billy
’
Fish all they were worth but their matc hloc ks wasn t h alf
,

as good as the Kabul breech -load ers and four of them ,

dropped Dan w as bellowing like a bull for he was very

.
,

wrathy ; and Billy F ish had a hard j ob to prevent him

running ou t at the crowd
“ ’
.

’
‘
We can t stand says Billy Fish Make a ru n f or it ‘

’
.
,

down the valley ! The whole pl ace is agains t us The .

matchloc k-men ran and w e w ent down the valley in spi te

,
’ He w as s w earing horribly and
of D rav ot s prote stations .

crying ou t t h at he was a King The pri es ts rolled grea t .

stones on us and the regu lar Army fired hard and there
, ,
’
wasn t more than six men not counting Dan Billy Fish , ,
 T HE M AN W HO W O U L D BE KIN G 28 5
and Me that came dow n to the bottom
, of the valley
alive
“
.

Then they stopped fi ring and the horns in the temple

blew again ’
‘
Come away for Gord s sake come away !
.
— ’
says Bil ly F ish ’ ‘
They ll send runners out to all the vil
,

l ages before ever we get to B ashk ai I can protect you

’
.

’
“
there but I can t do anythi ng now
, .

My ow n notion is that Dan began to go mad in h is

head from that hour He stared up and down like a stuck .

pig Then he was all for walking back alone and killing
.

the priests with his bare hands which he could have done
’
, .

An Emperor am I says Daniel and next year I shall be

‘ ‘
, ,

a Knight of the Queen ’

“
.

‘ ’
All right Dan says I ; but come along now while ‘

’
, ,
’
the re s time
“ ’
.

‘ ’
I t s your fault says he for not looking after your ‘
, ,

Army better There was mutiny in the mids t and you

.
,

’
didn t know— you damned engine—driving plate laying -

’ ’
, ,

missionaries pass hunting hound ! He sat u pon a roc k

-

and called me every foul name he could lay tongue to I .

was too heartsick to care though it was all his foolishness ,

that brought the smash

“ ’ ’
.

‘ ’
I m sorry Dan says I but there s no acco u nting for
‘
, , ,

- ’
natives This business is our F if ty Seven Maybe w e ll make .
.

’
somethi ng out of it yet when we ve got back to Rashkai ’
“
.
,

’ ’
Let s get to B ashk ai then says Dan and by God
‘ ‘
, , , ,

’
when I come back here again I ll sweep the valley so there
’
isn t a bug in a blanket left ! ’
“ We walked all that day and all that night Dan was ,

stumping up and down on the snow chewing his beard and ,

“
mut tering to himself
’
.

’ ’
There s no hope 0 getting clear says Billy Fish
‘
, .

‘
The priests will have sent runners to the villages to say
’
that you are only men Why didn t you stick on as Gods .
2 86 EN GL IS H S HOR T — S TORY W RI TER S
’ ’
till things w as more settled ? I m a de ad man says Billy ,

Fish and he thro w s himself down on the snow and begins

,

to pray to his Gods

“
.

Next morning w e w as in a cruel bad count ry — all up

and down no level ground at al l and no food either
,
The , .

six Rashkai men l ooked at Billy F ish hungry -w ise as if

they wanted to ask something but they said never a word , .

At noon w e came to the top of a fl at mountain all covered

w ith snow and when we cl imbed up into it behold the re
, , ,

w as an Army in position waiting in the m iddle !

“ ’
The runners have been very q u i ck says Billy Fish
‘

’
, ,

with a little bit of a laugh They are waiting f or us ‘

“
. .

’
Three or four men began to h rs from the enem y s side ,

and a chan ce shot took Daniel in the calf of the leg That .

brought him to his senses He looks across the snow at

‘

the A rmy and sees the rifles that we had brought into the
,

“
country
’
.

’
We re done f or says h e They are Englishmen ‘

’
.
, ,

these people and it s my blasted nonsense that has

—

brought y ou to this Get back Billy Fish and take your

.
,

’
,

men away ; you ve done what you could and now cut for ,

it
.
’
Carnehan says h e shake hands w ith me and go along ‘
, ,

’ ’
with Billy Maybe they won t kill you I ll go and meet
. .

’ ’
em alone I t s me that d id it Me the King !
.
’
.
,

’
I m with yo u here
says I Go to Hell Dan.
‘
, . .

Billy Fish you clear out and we tw o will meet those folk ’
“
.
,
’
‘ ’
I m a Chief says Billy F ish quite quiet I stay with ‘

’
.
,

“
you My men can go .

’
.

The Ras hkai fellows didn t wait for a sec ond word
but ran off and Dan and Me and Billy Fish walked acm
,

to where the d rums were drumming an d the horns w e re

.
— ’
ho m ing It was cold awful cold I ve got th at cold in
’
.

”
the back of my head now There s a lump of it there . .

The punkah-coolies had gone to sleep Tw o ke rosene .

28 8 EN GL IS H S HORT — S TORY W RITERS

he goes l ookin g neither right nor left and when he w as

, ,

plumb in the middle of those dizzy d ancing ropes Cut ,

‘
,
’
you beggars he shouts ; and they cut and old Dan fell
, , ,

turning round and round and round twenty thousand ,

miles for he took half an hour to fall till he struck the

,

water and I could see his body caught on a rock with the
,

gold crow n cl ose beside

“
.

But do you know what they did to Peac hey between

’
tw o pine - trees ? They cru cifi ed him Sir as Peachey s, ,

hands will show They used wooden pegs for h is h an ds

.

’
and hi s feet ; and he didn t die He hung there and .

sc reamed ; and they took him down next day and sa id it

’
was a miracle that he w asn t d e ad They took hi m dow n
.
'

— poor old Peachey that h adn ’ t done them any harm

’
tha t hadn t done them any
He rocked to and f ro and we pt bitterly wiping his eyes ,

with the back of his scarred hands and moanin g like a

child for some ten minutes
“
.

They w as cruel enough to feed him u p in the te mple ,

because they said he was more of a God than old Daniel

that was a ma n Then they turne d him out on the snow
.
,

and told him to go home ; and Peachey c ame h ome in ‘

about a year begging along the ro ads quite safe ; for

,

Daniel Dravot he walked before and said : Come along ‘

’ ’
,

Peachey I t s a big thi ng we re doing

.
’ The moun tains .

they dan ced at night and the mountains they t ried to

,
’
fall on Peache y s head but Dan he held up his hand and
,

Peachey came along bent double He never let go of .

’ ’
Dan s hand and he never let go of Dan s head They
, .

gave it to him as a present in the tem ple to remind him ,

not to come again and though the crown w as pure gold

, ,

and Peachey was starving never would Pe achey sell the

,

same You knew Dravot Sir ! You kne w Right Wor

.
,
”
shipful Brother Dravot ! Look at him now !
 TH E M A N W HO W OUL D B E KIN G 2 89

He fumbled in the mass of rags round his bent waist ;

brought ou t a black horsehair bag embroide red with silver
thread ; and shook therefrom onto my table— the d ried ,

withered head of Daniel Dravot ! The morning sun that

h ad long been paling the lamps struck the red beard and
blind sunken eyes ; struck too a heavy circlet of gold
, , ,

studded with raw turquoises that Carnehan placed tender ,

ly on the battered temples

“
.

”
You behold now said Carnehan
, the Emperor in ,

his habit as he lived — the King of Kafiristan with his

crown u pon his he ad Poor old Daniel that w as a mon
.

”
arch once !
I shuddered f or in spite of defacements manifold I
, , ,

recogni z ed the head of the man of Marwar J unction Carne .

han rose to go I attempted to stop hi m He was not fit

“
. .

to walk abroad
”
Let me take away the whisky and give
me a little money he gasped
.

,
I was a King once I ll ’ .
“ .

g o to the Deputy Commi ssioner and ask to set in the Poor

house till I ge t my health No thank you I c an t wait ’
’
.
, ,

t ill you get a carriage for me I ve urgent priva te aff airs .

—i h the south ”
at Marwar
—
.

He shambled out of the offi ce and departed in the dirco

’
tion of the Deputy Commissioner s house That day at .

noon I had occasion to go down the blinding hot Mall and ,

I saw a crooked man crawl i ng along the white dust of the

roadside his hat in his hand quavering dolorously after
, ,

the fas hion of street -singers at Home There was not a .

soul in sight and he was out of all possible earshot of the

,

houses And he sang through his nose tur ning his head
.
,

from right to left :

Th e Son of M an goe s forth to war,
A golden crown to gain
b b
His lood-red anner streams afar
Wh o follows in his train ? "
2 90 E N GL IS H S HOR T — S TOR Y W RI TERS
I wai ted to hear no more but put the poor wretch into
,

my carriage and drove h im off to the neares t missionary

f or eventual transfer to the Asylum . He repeated the
hymn twi ce while he w as with me whom he did not in the
,

leas t re c ogni ze and I left him singing it to the miss ionary

, .

N o days later I inquired af ter his welfare of the Su

pe rinte ndent of the Asylum
“
.

He was admitted su ffering from sunstroke He died

“
.

”
earl y yesterday morning said the Supe ri nte ndent
, . Is
it true that he was half an hour bareheaded in the sun at
midday
“ ”
Yes said I ; but do you happen to know if he h a d
,

anything upon him by any c han ce when he died ?

“ N ot to my knowl edge ,
said the Superinte ndent .

And there the matter rests?

 T HE H A P P I E S T D A Y or H rs L I F E ‘

L loyd Osbou rne

IS thi rtieth birthday ! His first youth w as be h ind

him with all its heartburnings its failures its
, , ,

manifold humiliations What had he done these .

years pas t but d ri ft forlorn penni less and unattached

, , , ,

over those shallows where others had stuck and prospered

—
a gentle decline all the way from college in h Ope and ful

filment ? The army and civil service had alike refused

him In the colonies he had toiled un remittingly in half
.

a hundred characters — groom cook boundary rider

, , , ,

steamer roustabout —always sinking always failing Then

, , .

those l ast four years in the Islands and his tumble—down ,

store in Vaiala ! Had life nothing more for him than an

endles s succession of hot empty days on the farthest beach
,

of Upolu with scarcely more to eat than the commonest

,

Kanaka and no other outlet for his energies than the bar
,

te ring of salt beef f or 00 prah and an occasional night s ’

fis h ing on the reef ? On the other hand he was well in ,

bod y and had times of even thinking himself happy in

,

this fag-end of the world Th e old store rotten and leaky

.
,

though it w as gave him a dryer bed th an he had often

,

found in his wandering life and the food if monotonous

, ,

and poor w as better than the empty belly with whi c h he

,

had often begun an arduous day in Australia And the .

‘
From The Qu een versu s B i ll y Copy ri ght 1 900 b y Cha rles
’
.
, ,

b
S cri ne r s S ons B y pe rmi ssion of th e pu li she rs
. b .
29 4; EN GL I S H S HORT - S TORY W R IT ERS

pl ace was extraordinarily beautiful Yes he had always .

,

admitted that even in his bl ackest days of depression

, ,

though the beauty of it seemed almost to oppress him at

times But beautiful or not this was a strange pl ace f or
.
,
’
his father s son a strange th irtieth birthday for one w
, ho
had begun the world with every prospect of faring w ell
and ri s ing high in its esteem and the se nse of his failure
,

again seized him by the throat .

The noise of an incoming boat d rew him to the door and

’
,

he l ooked out to see the pas tor s old whaler heading th rough
the reef They had made a night trip to avoid the heat
.
,

and all looked ti red and weary with their long pull from
Apia and the song wi th which they timed their paddl es
,

sounded mournf ull y ac ross the lagoon A half -grown girl .

leaped into the water and has tened up to the sto re with
something fas tened in a banana—leaf .

It w as a letter which she shyly handed the t rader

, .

Walter Kinross l ooked at it with surprise f or it w as the ,

fi rst he had re c eived in four years and the sight of its ,

English stamp and familiar hand w riting fi lled him with

“
something like aw e .

The whi te man said you would give us a tin of salm on

”
and six mast said the little girl in native
, ,
.

Kinross unlocked the dingy trade-room still in a maze ,

of wonder and impatien ce and gave the little gi rl a box

,

of match es in ex cess of postage Then he O pe ned the .

letter .

MY DE AR NE PHE W [it ran] : You r letter asking me to send

you a book or tw o or any old pape rs I mi ght happen to have
’
about me has j ust come to ha nd and fin d s me at Long s Hote l
, ,

pretty mise rab le and ill Yours w as a stran ge note afte r a

.
,

sil ence of ei ght years te lling me nothing on earth a bout your

,

self save tha t you are trad ing in some i slands and seldom see
’
,

a white face from one year s e nd to another When a m an is .

2 96 E N GL IS H SH ORT — S TORY W RI TER S

felt lik e singing Lo ndon the far distan t the inaccess ib le

.
, , ,

now hummed in his ears He saw the eddyi ng crow ded .

,

st reets the emptying play houses the gray river sparkling

,
-
,

with lights The smoke of a native oven thrilled him with

.

memories of the underground and he had but to close his ,

eyes and the surf thundered with the noise of arri v ing

The house cou ld not contain him and his eager thoughts ;
he must n ee ds feel the sky overhead and the trades against
hi s cheek an d take all nature into h is puny confi de nce
, .

Be sides Vaiala had now a new charm for him one he had
, ,

never c ounted on to fi nd Soon now it wou ld begin to .

, ,

melt into the irrevocable past ; its mist -s wept mountai ns ,

its forests and roaring wate rfal ls would fade into nothing
ness and bec ome no more than an impalpable ph antom of
his mind the stuff that d ream s are made of He wandered
,

along the path from one settlement to another roun d the ,

great half -moon of the bay absorbin g every imp re ssion ,

with a new and tender interest .

The re were a dozen l ittle villages to be passed befo re he

could attain the roc ky promontory that barred the wes te rn
shore pretty h amlets in groves of coc oanuts and bread
,

f ruit in each perhaps a doze n beehive houses and as many

,

sheds and boat—shelters Between village and village the

.

path led him under rustling palms and beside the sha llow
waters of the lagoon and across a river where he surprised
so me laughing gi rls at their bath In the deep shade old .

men we re mending nets and children were playi ng tag ,

and c ri cket with boisterous shouts or marbles in sandy ,

place s F rom one house he heard the clapping hands t h at

.

’
announced the ava ; in another the song and stamp of
p ractisi ng dan cers Hard and lonely though his li fe had
.

been thi s Samoan bay w as endeared to h im by a thousand

,

pleasan t memori es and e v en by the re c ollec tion of his past

 TH E HA PPIES T D A Y OF H IS L I F E 2 97

unhappiness Here he h ad foun d peace and love freedom

.
,

from taskmasters scenes more beautiful than any picture

, ,

and not least a su ffi ciency to eat A little money and his

, , .

life mi ght have been tolerable even happy— enough money ,

for a good—si z ed boat a cow or tw o and those six acres of

, ,

the Pascoe estate he had so often longed to buy Only the .

month before the American consul had o ffered them for

tw o hundred dollars Chile money and here he was with ,

two h u ndred and fi f ty pounds in his pocket seventeen hun ,

d red and fi f ty dollars currency ! Cruel fate that had made ,

him in one turn of her w rist far too rich to care He would .

buy them f or L eata he supposed ; he must leave the girl

,

some land to live on But where now were all the day .

dreams of the laying out of his little estate — the damming

of the noisy stream the fencing terracing and path-making
, , ,

he had had in mind ; the mangoes oranges and avocados , ,

he had meant to plant in that teeming soil with coff ee ,

enou gh for a modest reserve ? What a snug c osy garden ,

a man could make of it! W hat a satisfaction it might

have been ! How often had he talked of it with Leat s w ho ,

h ad been no less eager th an himself to harness their quar

ter-ac re to the six and make of them all a little paradise .

Poor L eata l whom he had taken so lightly from her

’
father s house and paid for in gunpowder and kegs of beef
—
his smiling soft -eyed Le ata w h o w ould have died for
, ,

him ! What was to become of her in this new arrangement

of things ? The six acres would provide f or her of course ; ,

in b re adfruit coc oanuts and bananas she would not be

, ,

badly off : but where was the solace f or the ache in her
heart for her desolation and abandonment ? He sighed
,

as he thought of her the truest friend he had found in all

,

his wanderings He would get her some j ewellery from

.

Apia and a chest of new d ress es and a big musical box if

, , ,

she fancied it What would it matter if he did go home

.

ll — . 20
2 98 EN GL I S H S H ORT — S T OR Y W RITERS

in the steerage ? It would be no ha rdshi p to a man like

him She would soon forget hi m no doubt and take up
.
, ,

w ith somebody e lse and live happily ever afterwards in

,

’
the six ac res Ah well ! he mustn t thin k too much about
.
,

her or it would take the edge off his high spirits and spoil
,

the happiest day of his life .

B y thi s time he had worked quite round the bay and ,

alm ost without knowi ng it he found himself in f ront of

’
Paul Engelbert s store Engelbe rt w as the other trader
.

in Vaiala — a passionate middle—aged Prussian who had , ,

been a good friend of his before those seven breadfruit

trees h ad come betwee n them In his new-found affl u e nce .

and consequent good humor the bit terness of that old feud
-

suddenly pas sed away He recalled Engelbert s rough ’ .

,

j ovi al kindness remembe red how Paul had cared f or h im

—

thro u gh the fever and helped him afterwards with money

,

and t rade How could he have been so petty as to make

.

a quarre l of those bre adfru it -trees ? He rec ollec ted with ,

indesc ribable wonder at himself that he had on ce d rawn ,

a p istol on the old fellow and all thi s over six feet of ,

boundary and seven gnawed b readf ru its l B y Jove ! he

could aff ord to be generous and hold ou t the right hand
of friendship Poor old Paul i it w as a s h ame they h ad
.

not spoken th ese tw o years .

O n the verandah barefoot and in striped pyj amas was

, ,

Engelbert prete nding not to see him Kinross though t

, .

he l ooked old and sick and not a little cha nged .

How do you do Engelbert he said

, .

The Ge rman looked at him with smouldering eyes .

’ ’
C an t you see I m busy he said
“
.

Y ou might o ffer a man a chair said Ki nrom seating , ,

himself on the tool -chest

“
.

’
De re iss no j are f or dem dat issn t w elgome said the ,
3 00 EN GL IS H S H OR T — S TOR Y W RI TERS

His st rapping nati ve wife appeared with bottles and

mugs ; at the sight of their guest she c ould sc ar cely con ceal
her surp rise
“
.

”
Prosit ! said Engelbert touching glasses , .

”
Y ou know dem six agers of de Pasgoe estate he said , ,

lookin g very hard at his companion Very nice leetle .

”
place very sheap yoost behind your store ?
, ,

Ki nross nodded but his face fell in spite of himself

“ ,

I from the Am erican gonsu l bought him went on the

”
.

,
“
Ge rman very sheap: tw o hundred dollars Chile money ”
,

Kinross looked black E ngelbert patted his hand and .

smil ed ambiguously
“ ”
Dey are yours he said ,
.

Pay me b ac k when you .

“
have de money I buy dem only to spite you M y fri end
. .
,

“
take dem
“
.

Paul Paul ”
cried Kinross ’
I don t know what to
'

, , ,

say— how to thank you Only th is morning I got money .

from home and the fi rs t thing I meant to do w as to buy

,
”
them
“
.

All de better said Engelbert ; and my boy you

, ,
’
,

blant gofi ee Cob rah poof l Gotton poof

'

. It s de goffee
, ,

dat bays and I will get you b le nty leetle d re es f rom my

,

friend de gaptain in U tumabu B lantation You must

,
.

go ? So ? Y oost one glass beer Nein ? I will be rou nd .

l ad er .

Kinross tore himself a w ay with d iffi cu lty and sta rted

home w ard his heart swell ing w ith kindn ess f or the old
,

Prussian He exu lted in the six ac re s he had so nearly

.

lost and they now seemed to him more prec ious than ever
, .

It w as no empty promise that of the coffee-t rees from ,

U tu mapu ; th ese would save him all manner of p re parato ry

labor and put his little plantation six months ahead Then .

he rem embered he was leaving Va iala and again he heard ,

the hum of London in his ears Well he woul d e x plain .

,
 TH E HAPPIES T D AY OF H I S L I FE 3 01

about the trees to Lee ta and would beg old Engelbert to

,

help and advise her a bit Poor Le ata ! she had lots of
.

good sense and was very quick to learn He could trust .

Le ata .

He was crossing the malae or common of Polapola

, ,
’
,

when the sight of the chief s house put a new thought

’
into his head It was Tangaloa s house and he c ould see
.
,

the chief hi mself bulking dimly in the shadow of a sia po

’
.

Tangaloa ! He h adn t spoken with him in a year The .

old fellow h ad been good to him and in the beginning had

,

overwhelmed him with kindness But that was befo re he

.

’
had shot the chief s dog and brought about the feud that
had ex isted between them for so long I t w as annoying .

to have that everlasting dog on his verandah at night ,

frigh tening Le ata to death and S pilling the improvised

larder all about the fl oor not to speak of the chickens it
,

h ad eaten and the eggs it had sucked No he could not .

,

blame himself for having shot that beast of a dog ! But

it had made bad blood between him and Tangaloa and ,

had cost him in one way or another through the loss of

, ,

’
the old chief s custom and influ e nce the value of a thou
,

sand chickens But he would make it up with Tangaloa

’
.
,

f or he meant to leave no m an s ill -will behind him So .

he walked deliberately towards the house and slipped ,

under the eaves near the place where the old chief was

“
sitting alone .

”
Talaia Tangaloa
,
he cried ou t cordially sh aking
, ,

hands .

The chief res ponded somewhat dryly to the sal utation

and assumed a vacant expression .

”
That dog ! began the trader .

”
That dog ! re peated the chief with counterfeit surprise
, .

Thy dog the one I shot near my house said Kinross

, , ,

fi ring up with the memory of its misdeeds the dog th at ,

3 02 EN GL IS H S HORT — S TORY W R I TERS

chased my chi ckens and ate my eggs and plagued me all

, ,

night like a fore st devil — I want to take counsel with your

High ness about it
“
.

But it is dead said Tangaloa

, .

- ”
But thy high c hief anger is not de ad said Kinross , .

Behold I used to be like your son and the day was no

, ,

longer than thy love f or me I am overcome with sorrow

.

to remember the years that are gone and now to live to ,

"
gether as we do in enm ity ; W hat is the value of thy dog
‘

that I may pay the e for it and what present can I make
,

besides that will turn thy heart towards me again

“ “
.

Ce ase sa id the chief ; there was no worth to thedog

, ,

and I have no anger against thee Kinilosi

“
.
,

Y ou moc k at me Tangaloa
”
said Kinr oss
,
There is
, .

“
anger in thin e eyes even as thou speakest to me
“
.

”
Great was my love f or that dog said the chief It , .

licked my face when I lay wounded on the battle—ground .

If I w histled it came to me so wise was it and lo v ing ; and

,

”
if I were sick it would not eat .

Weighty is my shame and pain sai d the t rader , .

W ould that I had never lifted my gun agai nst it! But
”
I will pay thee its worth and make thee a present besides
“ “
.

”
Impossible said Tangaloa
,
When the coc oanut is
.

”
S plit w ho can make it whole ?
“ ,

One can always get a new cocoanut said Kinross , .

I will buy thee the best dog in Apia a high chief of a ,

dog clever l ike a c onsul and with a bark melod ious as a

, ,

musical box
“
.

At this Tangaloa laughed for the fi rst time And

“
.

what about thy chickens he demanded and thy things ,

“
to eat hung ou t at night
It can eat all the chickens it likes returned Kinross , ,

and I will feed it daily also wi th salt beef and sardin es

, , ,

if th at will make us friends again your Highness ”

,
.
30 4 EN GL IS H S HORT — S TOR Y W RI T E RS

He strod e OHwith a l ight step in a glow of enthus iasm ,

and high spirits It would be hard to leave the old vil lage
.
,

after all He might travel far and n ot fi nd hearts more

.

generous or kindly and he vowed he would never forget

,

his Samoans— no if he l ived a thousand yea rs And if

, .
,

after all the new order of things shoul d fa il to please and

, ,

he should fi nd himself stifled by the civilization to which

he h ad been so long a st ranger could he not always re turn ,
‘

to this little paradi se and li v e o u t the num ber of his days

,

in perenn ial conten t? He would sear ch for some savings

bank in Lo ndon and pla ce there to his credi t a sum large
,

enough to ship him b ack to the Isl ands Whatever the .

pinch it sh oul d lie there u ntouched and sa c red ; and as he

'

toiled in the stern gray land of h is b irth the thought of

, ,

that sec ret hoard would alw ays be a c omfort to him But .

what if the bank shou ld break as banks do in those centres ,

of the high civili zation and he should fin d himself stran ded

,

h alf the w orld away from the place he loved so dearly ?

He shivered at the thought The re should be two hoards . .

in tw o ba nks or else he would feel continually uneasy

, .

Th e line to the rear must be kept O pen at any cost

“
.

He found Lee ta sitting on the floor spelling ou t The ,

”
Good Ne ws from N ew Guinea in the missionary maga
zine She w as fre sh from her bath and her blac k damp
.
, ,

hair w as outspread to the sunshine to dry She rippled

with smiles at his approac h and it seemed to h imsh e had
.

never looked more radian t and engaging He sat down .

beside her and pressed her curly hair against his lips and
,

kissed it How was it that su ch a little savage could ap

.

pear to hi m more alluring than any white woman he had

ever seen ? Was he bewi tched ? He looked at her c riti c ally ,

dispassionately and marvelled at the perfection of her wild

,

young beauty marvelled too at her elegan ce an d delicacy

, , ,
.

And for heart and tenderness where w as her match in all ,

 T H E H APPIES T D AY OF H I S L I FE 3 05

the seas ? He threw h is arm ro u nd her and ki ssed her on

“
the lips .

Of all things in the w orld w h at wouldst thou lik e the ,

”

“
most Leata ? he asked
, .

To have thee always near me Kinilosi she answered , , .

Before I had no understanding and w as like the black

,

people in the missionary book but now my heart is pained , ,

“
so full it is with love .

But there are other things than love persis ted Kin ,
”
ross Ear rings musical boxes print f or dresses
“ “
-
.
, , .

”
Y es many things
, she said But I trouble not my
, .

self about them Kinilosi But sometimes I think of the

, .

land behind ou r house and the h u e plantation w e will make

there some day
“
.

But if I gave you a little bag of gold shillings he said , ,

and took thee to Apia my pigeon what wouldst thou , ,

”
buy ?
“ ”

“
First I would give ten dollars to the new church she ,

began Then f or my father I would buy an umb re lla

.
,

and a shiny bag in which he could carry his c art ridges and
tobacco when he goes to war For my mother also an .
, ,

umbrella and a picture book like that of the missionary s

— ’
,

with photographs of Queen Victoria and captains of men

of -war F or my sister a Bible and a hymn-book and f or
.
,
”
my brother a little pigeon gun .

”
O thou foolish L e ata said Kinross and nothing for
, ,

“
thyself
”
There is still more in my bag she ans we re d enough , ,
“
f or a golden locket and a golden chain And in the locket .

there will be your picture a nd a lock of your hair— like

’
the one the naval offi ce r gave Titi s s ister ; and when I d ie .

lo no one shall tou ch it for it shall lie on my breast in the

,
l
,
”

“
grave l
To-morrow we shall go to Apia an d buy them , said
3 06 EN GL IS H S HORT — S TOR Y W RI TERS

Kinross .
“
Th is
morning the pastor brought me a letter
from B ritain with a present of many dollars The six ac res .

I have ahe ady purchased and in Apia I shall get prickly

,

wi re for fencing and many thi ngs we need f or the c learing

,

“
”
and planting of the land
“
.

Leata clapped her hands for j oy Oh Kinilbsi sh e

.
, ,

cried it was breaking my heart I fea red the letter would

,
.

make thee return to the Whi te Country ! ”

Kinross looked at her with great gentleness His reso .

lu tion w as taken be it f or good or evil

“
.
,
”
I shall never go back he said
,
.

Then in a m usi ng voice he cried so loudly th at the

,

natives in the neighboring hou ses started at the so und :

“ Ia Vai ala shall I live , and in Vai ala die !
”
 THE W HITE S I LE N C E

J ack L ondon

’
AR MEN won t last more than a couple of days .

M ason s pat ou t a chunk of i ce and surveyed the

poor animal ruefully then put her foot in his ,

mouth and proceeded to bite out the ice wh i c h c luste red

cruelly between the toes
“
.

’
I never saw a dog with a highfalutin name that ever
”
w as worth a rap he said as he concluded h is t as k and
shoved her as ide “ , ,

They j ust fade away and die under

.

the responsibility Did ye ever see one go wrong with a

.

sensible n ame like Cassiar Siwash or Husky ? No sir ! , , ,

Take a look at S h ooku m here ; he s ’

Snap ! The lean brute fl ash ed u p the white teeth j ust ,
’
missing M as on s throat
“
.

Y e w ill will ye
,
A shre w d clout behind the ear w ith
the butt of the d ogw h ip stretched the animal in the snow ,

quiverin g softly a yello w slaver dripping from its fangs

“ , .

As I was saying j ust look at Shooku m here he s got ’ —

, ,

the S pirit Bet ye he eats Carmen before the week s out ’ ”

“
. .

’
I ll bank another proposition against that re plied
”
,

Malemute Kid reversing the froze n bread placed before

the fi re to thaw
,
“ ’
We ll eat S h ooku m before the trip
’
.

is over What d ye say Ruth

.
,

Th e Indian woman settled the c offee with a pie ce of ice ,

1
F rom The S on of the Wolf Copyrigh t 1 900 by J ack Lo ndon
.
, , .

Hough ton Miiflin Co .

31 0 EN GLI S H S HORT — S TOR Y W RIT E RS

glanced from Malemute Ki d to her husband th en at the ,

dogs but vouchsafed no reply It w as such a palpable

, .

truism that none w as nec essary Two hundred miles of .

’
unbroken trail in prospect with a s cant six days g rub for,
‘

themselves and none f or the dogs could admit no other ,

alternative The tw o men and the woman grouped about

‘

the h ra and beg an their meagre meal The dogs lay in .

their harn esses for it w as a midday halt and watched

, ,

each mouthful enviously

“
.

No more lunches af ter to—day said Malemute Kid

’ ’
.
,

And we ve got to keep a close eye on the dogs they re

—

’
,

getting vicious They d just as soon pull a fellow down

.

as not if they get a chance

“ , .

And I was pres ident of an Epworth on ce and taught ,

in the Su nday sc hool

”
- Hav ing irrelevantly delivered
.

himself of th is Mason fell into a dreamy contemplation of

,

h is steaming moc casins but was aroused by Ruth filling

his cup “ ’
,

Thank God we ve got slathers of tea ! I ve

.
,
’
’
seen it gro w ing down in Tennessee What wouldn t I give .
,

f or a h ot corn -pone j ust now ! Never min d Ruth ; you ,

’
won t starve much longer nor wear moc cas in s either ”
.
,

The woman threw off her gloom at thi s and in her eyes ,

w elled up a great love for her whi te lord —the fi rst whi te ,

man she had ever seen — the first man she h ad known to
,

treat a woman as someth ing better than a mere animal or

beast of burden
“
.

”
Y es Ruth ,
continued her husband having recourse
, ,

to the mac aronic j argon in whi ch it w as al one poss ible for

them to understand each other ; wait till w e clean up
’
and pul l for the Outside W e ll take the W hite Man s .
’
canoe and go to the Salt Water Y es bad w ater rough .
, ,

water great mountains dance up and down all the t ime

,
-
.

And so big so far so far away — you travel ten sleep

, , , ,

”
twenty sleep forty sleep ( he graphically enumerated the
,
312 EN GL ISH SHORT — S T OR Y W R ITERS

d river rare ly does —nay almost wept with them in their

, ,

misery
“
.

Come mush on there you poor sore footed b ru tes ! —

, ,

he mu rmured after several ineffectual attempts to start

,

the load But his patien ce w as at l ast rewarded and

.
,

though whi mpering with pai n they has tened to j oin the i r ,

fellows .

N o more convers ation ; the toil of the trail wi ll not per

mit su ch ext ravagan ce And of all deadening labo rs that
.
,

of the Northl and t rail is the worst Happy is the man .

’
w h o can weather a day s travel at the pri ce of silen ce and ,

that on a beaten track .

An d of all heart-b reaking labors that of breaking trail is ,

the worst At every step the great w ebbed sh oe s inks till

.

the sn ow is level with the knee Then u p st raight u p the .

, ,

deviation of a frac tion of an inch be ing a ce rtain p rec ursor

of dis as ter the snowshoe must be l ifted till the surfa c e is
,

cleared ; then fo rward down and the other foot is raised

, ,

perpendi cula rly f or the matter of ha lf a yard He w ho .

tries thi s f or the fi rst time if haply he avoids bringing his

,

shoes in dangerous propinqu ity and meas ures not his

length on the treac herous footing w ill give up exhausted ,

at the end of a hundred yards ; he w h o can keep out of

the w ay of the dogs f or a whole day may well crawl into
his sleeping-bag with a clear consc ien ce and a pride w hich
passeth all understanding ; and he w h o travels twenty
sleeps on the Long Trail is a man whom the gods may
envy .

The afternoon wore on and with the awe born of the , ,

White Silen ce the voi cel ess travellers bent to their w ork
, .

Nature has many tricks wherewith she convin ces man of

his fi ni ty — the ceaseless fl ow of the tid es the fury of the
, ,

storm the shoc k of the earthquake the long roll of heaven s ’

, ,

artillery but the most tremendous the most stupef ying

—
, ,
 TH E W H I TE S ILEN CE 31 3

of all is the p assive ph ase of the White Silence Al l move

,
.

ment ceases the sky clears the heavens are as brass ; the
, ,

slightest w hisper seems sacrilege and man becomes t imid , ,

afl righ te d at the sound of his ow n voi ce Sole speck of .

life j ourneying ac ross the ghostly wastes of a dead world ,

he trembles at his audacity realizes that his is a maggot s ’

,

l ife noth ing more Strange thoughts arise unsummon ed

,
.
,

and the mystery of all things st ri ves for utteran ce And .

the fear of death of God of the universe comes over him

, , , ,

— the hope of the

Re surrec tion and the Life the yearning ,

for immortality the vain striving of the imprisoned es

,

sen ce —it is then if ever man walks alone w ith God

, , ,
.

S o w e re the day away The river took a great bend and

.
,

Mason headed his team for the cut—ofl across the narrow
neck of land But the dogs balked at the high bank
. .

Again and again ; though Ruth and Malemute Kid were

shoving on the sled they sli pped back Then came the ,
.

concerte d eff ort The miserable creatures weak from

.
,

hunger exerted their last strength U p— u p— the sled

,
.

po m ed on the top of the bank ; but the leader swung the

string of dogs behind him to the right fou ling M ason s ’
,

snowshoes The result was grievous Mason w as whi pped

. .

off his feet ; one of the dogs fell in the trac es ; and the sled

toppled ba ck dragging everything to the bottom again

,
.

Slash ! the whi p fell among the dogs savagely espec ially ,

“
upon the one which had fallen
’
.

Don t Mason entreated Malemute Kid ;

,
”
,
the poor
’ ’
devil s on its last legs Wait and we ll put my team ou .
”
, .

Mason deliberately withh eld the whip till the l as t word

had fallen then ou t flash ed the long las h completely curl
’
, ,

ing about the ofi e nding creature s body Carmen -for it .

was Carmen— cowered in the snow c ri ed piteously then , ,

roll ed over on her side .

It af e tragic moment a pitiful incident of the t rail

w
l fl I E , ,
31 4 EN GL I S H S HOR T — S’
I ORY
‘
W R I TER S
a dying dog tw o comrades in anger Ruth gl ance d solicit
, .

ou sly from man to man But Malemute Kid“ res trained

.

himself though there w as a world of reproach m hrs e yes

, ,

and bending over the dog ou t the traces N o word w as , .

S poken The teams were double-spanned and the diffi culty

.

overcome ; the sleds were un der way again the dyi ng dog ,

d ragging herse lf along in the rear As long as an animal .

can travel it is not shot and this las t chan ce is ac corded

, ,

it — the crawling into camp if it can in the hope of a

, , ,

moose bei ng ki lled .

Already peni tent for his angry ac tion but too stubborn ,

to make amends Mason toiled on at the head of the caval

’

cade little dreami ng that danger hovered in the air The

, .

timbe r c lustere d thick in the shelte red bottom and th rough ,

this they threaded their way Fi fty feet or more from .

the trai l towered a lofty pine For generations it had .

stood there and for generations destiny had h ad this one

,

end in view — pe rhaps the same had been dec reed of

,

Mason .

He stooped to fas ten the loosened thong of his moc casin .

The sl ed s c ame to a halt and the dogs lay down in the ,

snow without a whimper The stilln ess w as weird ; not .

a breath rustled the frost-e ncrusted fo re st ; the cold and

silence of outer space had chilled the heart and smote the
t rembling lips of nat ure A sigh pulsed through the air
.
,

they did not seem to ac tually hear it but rather felt it , ,

like the p re monition of movement in a motionl ess void .

Then the grea t t ree burdened with its w eight of years and
,

snow played its last part in the tragedy of life He heard

,
.

the warni ng cras h and attempted to spri ng u p but almost , ,

e rect caught the blow square ly on the shoulder

,
.

The su dden d anger the quick death — h ow often had

, ,

Malemute Kid fa c ed iti The pine-needles were st ill q uiv

ering as he gave his commands and sprang into action .
31 6 EN GLI S H SH OR T — S T ORY VVR ITE RS

tains living over the scen es of h is childh ood: And most

,

pathetic was the melody of his long-forgotten Southe rn

vern ac ular as he raved of swimmin g-holes and coon-hunts
,

and watermelon raids It w as as Greek to Ruth but the .

,

Kid un derstood and felt — felt as onl y one can feel who ,

has bee n shut ou t f or years from all that civili z ation means .

Morning brought c onsciousness to the st ricken man and ,

Malemute Kid bent closer to catch his wh ispers .

You remember when we foregathered on the Tanana

’
,

four ye ars come next i ce run ? I didn t care so much for

-

her then It w as more like she w as pretty and there was

.
,

a smack of excite ment about it I thi nk But d ye know ’

’ ’
.
, ,

I ve c ome to think a heap of her She s been a good wi fe .

to me al w ays at my shoulder in the pinch An d when it .

’
,

comes to trad ing you kn ow there isn t her equal

’
D ye .
,

re c ollec t the time she shot the Moosehorn Ra pids to pull

you and me off that ro c k the bullets whi pping the water ,

like hailstones ?— and the time of the famine at N uk lu k

yeto ?— o r when she raced the ice—ru n to bring the news ?
’ ’
Yes she s been a good wi fe to me better n that other one .
,

’
,

’
Didn t know I d been there ? Never told you eh ? Well
’ ’
, ,

I tri ed it on ce down in the States That s why I m here

, . .

Be en raised together too I came away to give her a , .

chan ce f or divorce She got it

“
. .

’
But that s got nothi ng to do with Ruth I had thought .

of cleaning up and pulling f or the Outside next year — her ,

’ ’
and I but it s too late Don t send her back to her
- .
,
’
pe ople Ki d It s beastly hard f or a woman to go bac k
e .
,

Think of itl -nearly four years on our bacon and beans

and fl ou r and dried fruit and then to go bac k to her fish ,

and cariboo
’
It s not good for her to have tried our ways
’
.

’
,
’
to c ome to know they re better n her people s and then
’
,

re turn to them Take care of her Kid w hy don t you

.
—
, , ,

but no you al w ays fought shy of them -and you nev er

, ,
 TH E W H IT E S ILEN CE 31 7

told me why you c ame to this c ountry B e kind to her .

,

and send her back to the States as soon as you c an But .

fix it so as she c an come back —liable to get homesick you , ,

know
“
.

— ’
And the youngster it s drawn us cl oser Kid I only .
,

hope it is a boy Think of it l— fiesh of my fl esh Kid

.
, .

’ ’
He mustn t stop in this country An d if it s a girl why .

’ ’
,

she can t Sell my furs ; they ll fetch at least fi v e thou

.

’
sand and I v e got as much more with the company An d .
,

handle my interests with yours I think that bench claim .

will show u p See that he gets a good schooling ; and

’
.

Kid above all don t let him come back This country
, , .

“
was not made for white men
’
.

I m a gone man Kid Three or four sleeps at the best

,
.

’
.

You ve got to go on Y ou must go oh ! Remember it s .

’
’ ’
,

my wife it s my boy O God ! I hope it s a b oy ! You

—
, ,

’
can t stay by me — and I charge you a dying man to, , ,
”
pull on
“
.

”
Give me thre e days pleaded Malemute Kid You . .
“
may change f or the better ; somethi ng may turn u p .

”
No
N
.

Just three days .

Y ou must pull on .

Two days .

’
It s my wife and my boy Kid Y ou would not ask it .
, .

"
One day .

N o no ! I charge
,

Only one day We can shave it through on the grub

.
,

and I might knoc k over a moose ”

.

N o —all right ; one day but not a minute mo re , .

’
,

’
And Kid don t don t leave me to face it alone Just a
—
, .

shot one pull on the trigger Y ou understand Think

,
. .

of i t!
’
Think of iti Flas h of my flesh and I ll never li ve ,

to see him !
81 8 EN GL IS H SH ORT — S TORY W R I T E RS
“
Se Ruth here I want to say good-by and té lf her
nd .
‘

’
that she must think of the boy and not wait till I m dead .

’
She might refuse to go with you if I didn t Good -by old . .

Ki d ! I say— a—
sink a hole above the pup next to ,

“
the slide I panned ou t forty cents on my shovel there
. .

"
An d Kid ! he stooped lower to catch the l as t faint
’
w ords the d y ing man s surre nder of his pride
,
’
I m sorry .
“
”
you k now C armen
~ f or— — .

Lea v ing the girl c rying softly over her man Malemute ,

Kid slipped into his pa rka and snowshoes tucked his rifl e ,

under his arm and crept away into the forest He was
, .

no tyro in the stern sorrows of the Northland but never ,

had he faced so stifl a problem as this In th e abst rac t

'

.
,

it was a plain mathematical proposition — three poss ible

, ,

l ives as aga inst one doomed one But now he hes itated . .

F or fi ve years shoulder to shoulder on the rivers and

, ,

trails in the camps and mines facing death by fie ld and

, ,

fl ood and fami ne had they k nitted the bonds of their

,

comradeship So close was the tie t h at he had often been

.

conscious of a vague j ealousy of Ruth from the firs t time

she had come between And now it must be severed by .

h is ow n hand .

Though he prayed for a moose j ust one moose all game , ,

seem ed to have deserted the land and nightfall found the ,

exhausted man crawling into camp light-handed heavy , ,

hearted Ah uproar f rom the dogs and shril l cries from

.

Ruth haste ned him .

Burst ing into the c amp he saw the girl in the mids t of ,

the snarling pack laying about her w ith an axe The

,
.

dogs had broken the iron ru le of their ma sters and w ere

rush ing the grub He j oined the issue with his rifle re
.

versed and the hoary game of natural selec tion w as played

,

ou t with all the ruthlessness of its primev al envi ro nment .

3 20 EN GL IS H SHOR T — S TOR Y W RI T ERS
’
h un ting-knife would release them and se nd the body high
in the air .

’
Ruth had received her husband s last wishes and made
no stru ggle Poor gi rl she had learned the les son of
.
,

obedience well F ro rn a child she h ad bowed and seen

.
, ,

all women bow to the lords of creation and it did not

, ,

se em in the nature of things f or woman to res ist The Kid .

permitte d her one outburst of grief as she kissed her hus ,

band -her ow n people h ad no such custom — then led her

, ,

to the foremost sled and helped her into her snowshoes .

Blindly instinctively she took the gee-pole and whip

, , ,

an d mushed the dogs ou t on the trail Then he returned .

to Maso n who ha d fallen in to a co ma ; and long afte r she

,

w as ou t of sight crouched by the fi re waiting hoping

, , , ,

praying for his comrade to die .

It is not pleasan t to be alone with painf ul thoughts in

the White Silen ce The silen ce of gloom is merciful.
,

sh rouding one as with protection and breath ing a thousand

i ntangible sympathies ; but the bright White Silen ce clear ,

and cold under steely skies

,
is pitil ess , .

An hour passed — tw o hours — but the man would not

, ,

die At high noon the sun without raising its rim a bove
.
, ,

the southern horizon threw a suggestion of fi re athwart ,

the heavens then quickly drew it back Malemute Kid

’
.
,

roused and d ragged himself to his comrade s side He cast .

one glance about him The White Silen ce seemed to .

sneer and a great fear came upon him There w as a sharp

, .

re port ; Mason swung into his ae rial sepul chre ; and Male

mute Kid las hed the dogs in to a wild gallop as he fled

ac ross the sn ow .
H I D ING OF B LA C K B IL L

0 . Henry
324 EN GL I SH SHORT — S TORY W RITERS

But I must have walked tw enty miles before I c ame in

7
sight of a ranch house It w as a little one about as big
— .
,

“
as an elevate d -railroad station .

The re w as a little man in a white shi rt and brown

overal ls and a p ink handkerc h ief aroun d his neck rolling
cigt un der a tree in front of the door .

says 1 Any refreshment w elcome emol .

‘
, ,

m ents or even work f or a comparative stranger ? ’

“ ,
’
Oh come ia says he in a refi ned tone
‘
,

Sit down ‘

’
, , , .

’
please I didn t hear you r horse co ming
“
on that s tool .

’ ’
, .

He isn t near enough yet says I

‘
I walked I , .
‘

’
.

don t w ant to be a burden but I wonder if you have t hre e

’
,

or four gallons of wate r handy

“ ’
.

Y ou do look p re tty dusty says he

‘
but our bathi ng ,
‘

arrangem ents
“ ‘ ’ ’
It s a drin k I want says I Never mind the dust , .
‘

’ ’
“
that s on the outside .

He gets me a dipper of water ou t of a red j ar hanging

“
u p and then goes on
,

D o you want work

‘

’
F or a time says I This is a rather quiet se c tion .
‘

’ ’
,

“
of the country i sn t it?
’
,

‘
It is says he Sometimes so I have been told
— ‘
.
,

one sees no human being pass f or w eeks at a time I ve

'
.

been here only a month I bought the ranch from an old

’
.

settler w h o wanted to move farther west

“
.

’
It suits me says I Quiet and reti re ment are good
‘ ‘
.
,

f or a man sometimes And I need a j ob I can tend bar

. .
,

salt mi nes lec tu re float stoc k d o a little middle—w ei ght

’
, , ,

sl uggi ng and play the pi ano

“
.
,

Can you herd sheep

‘
asks the little ranc h man
’
.

Do you mean have I heard sheep ? says I .

Can y u herd ’em — take char e of a fl ock of em

'
o g
says he .
 THE H ID ING OF BL A C K B IL L 3 25
’
Oh says I now I understand ‘ ’
You mean chase em
, ,

’
.

around and bark at em like c ollie dogs Well I might ’

’
.
, ,

says 1 . I v e never exactly done any sheep-herdi ng but

‘

’ ’
,

I ve often seen em from car window s masticating daisies

’
and they don t look dangerous ’
,

’ ’
.

I m short a herder says the ranchman Y ou never ‘

’
, .

can depend on the Mexicans I ve only got two flocks . .

Y ou may t ake ou t my bunch of muttons — there are only

’
eight hundred of em— ln the morning if you like The .
,

pay is twelve dollars a month and you r rations furnished .

Y ou cara p in a tent on the prairie with your sheep Y ou .

do your ow n cooking but wood and water are brought to

’ ’
,

“
your cam p It s an easy j ob
. .

‘ ’ ’
I m on says I
’
I ll take the j ob even if I have to
.
‘
,

garland my brow and hold on to a crook and wear a l oose

eff ect and play on a pipe like the shepherds do in pictures ’
“
.

80 the next morning the little ranchm an helps me drive

the fl ock of muttons from the corral to about tw o miles
’
ou t and let em graze on a little hillside on the prairie He .

gives me a lot of i nstructions about not letting bunches of

’
them stray off from the herd and driving em down to a ,

water-hole to d ri i k at noon
“I ’
’
.

‘
ll bring out your tent and camping ou tfit and rations
’
in the buckboard before night says he .

’
,

says I ‘
An d don t forget the rations Nor
. .

the cam ping ou tfit An d be sure to bring the tent Your .

’
.

’
name s Z ollicofi e r ain t it? ’
’ ’
,

My name says h e is Henry Ogden

‘ ‘
.
,

’
,

All right M r Ogden says I

,
Mine is Mr Percival
.
, .
‘
.

Saint Clair ’
“
.

I herded sheep f or fi ve days on the Ran cho Chiqui to ;

and then the wool entered my soul That getting next to .

Nature ce rtainly got next to me I was lonesomer than .

’ ’
Crusoe s goat I ve seen a lot of persons more enterta in
.
s
3 26 E N GL IS H S HOR T — S TOR Y WR I T E RS
ing as com panions tha n those shee p we re
’ ’
I d d rive em
’
to the corral and pe n em every e v eni ng and then cook ,

my corn b rea d and mutton and co h ee and l ie down in a

'

tent the size of a table-cloth and listen to the coyot es and ,

wh ippoorw ills singing a rou nd the c amp .

The fif th even ing afte r I had corral le d my cost ly but

,

un co nge nial muttons I walked over to the ran c h-b ouse

,

an d s tepped in the door

“Mr Ogden ’says I you and me have got to get
.

‘ ‘
.
, ,

sociable Sheep are all very well to dot the landscape and
.

furni sh e ight-d ollar cotto n su iti ngs f or man but for table ,

talk and fi res ide companions they rank along wit h fi v e

’ ’
o cloc k teaz e rs If you ve got a dec k of cards or a parcheesi ,
’
.

ou tfit or a game of authors get em ou t and let s get on

’
, , ,

’
a mental basis I ve got to do so methi ng in an intellec tual
.

’ ’
line if it s o nly to k noc k someb od y s brai ns ou t ’
“
.
,

This Henry Ogden w as a peculi ar kin d of ranchman .

He wo re fi nge r-ri ngs and a big gold watc h and careful

nec kties And his face w as c alm and his nose-s pec t ac les
.
,

w as kept very shiny I saw once in M us c ogee an outla w

.
, ,

hung for murderi ng si x men w ho w as a dead ringer for him , .

But I knew a p reac her in Arkansas that you would have

’
taken to be his brother I didn t c are mu c h f or him .

either w ay ; wha t I wante d w as some fellowshi p and com

muni on with holy saints or lost sinn ers— anything shee p
less would do .

’
Well Saint Clair says he layi ng dow n the book he
, , ,

w as re adi ng I guess it must be p re tty lonesome for you

,
‘

’ ’
at first And I don t deny that it s monotonous for me
. .

’
Are you sure you c orral led your sheep so the y w o n t st ray

“They ’e
ou t
‘
hut u p as tigh t as the j ury of a millio naire
r s
’
murde rer says I ’
An d I ll be back with them lo ng be
‘

’
.
,

’
fom they ll need the ir traine d nurse .
ass EN GL IS H SH OR T —S TORY WRITE RS
one idea f or a train -
robber to run dow h into this part of
the coun try to hide f or a spell
’
A sheep ranch now says
— .
'

, ,

I would be the fin est kind of a ve r expect

‘
,

to fin d such a d esperate charac song-birds

and muttons and wild fl ow ers ?
’
And by the way says I , , ,

kind of looking H Ogden over was there any des cription

.
,
‘

mentioned of this single-handed terror ? Was his linea

ments or height and t h ickness or te eth fil lings or style of

“
habilimen ts set forth in print
‘ ’
Wh y no says Ogden ; they say nobody got a good ‘
, ,

sight of him because he wore a mas k But they know it .

w as a t rain -robber called Black Bill because he always ,

works alone and bec ause he dro pped a handkerchief in

’
“
the express car that had his n ame on it
- .

‘ ’
Al l right says I ’
I approve of Black Bill s re t re at
.
‘
,
’ ’
“
to the sheep ranges I guess they won t find him
- .

’
.

’
There s one thousand dollars reward for his capture
‘ ’
,

’ ’
I don t need that kind of money says I looking Mr , , .

Sheepman straight in the eye The twelve dollars a .

‘

month you pay me is enough I need a rest and I can .

,

save up until I get enough to pay my fare to Texarkana ,

’
whe re my wi do w ed mother lives I f Bl ac k Bill I goes on .
, ,

looking signifi cantly at Ogden was to have come down ,

‘

this way — say a month ago— and bought a little shee p

,

ranch and
says Ogden getting ou t of his chair and looking
,

pretty vicious Do you mean to insinuate

.
‘

’
says I ; no insinuations I m stating a
‘
.

hypode rm ical case I say if Blac k Bill had come down

.
,

he re and boug ht a sheep-ran ch and hi red me to Little

’
Boy Blue em and treated me square and friendly as you v e
—
’
,

’
done he d never have anything to fear from me A man .
,

is a man re ga rd les s of any c omplications he may have

,
 T HE H I D ING OF B LA C K B IL L 3 29

with sh eep or railroad trains Now you know where I .

st and ’
“
.

Ogden looks black as camp-c offee f or nine seconds ,

and then he laughs amused , .

’ ’
You ll do Saint Clair says h e If I was Black Bill .
‘
, ,
’ ’
I would n t be afraid to trust you Let s have a game or .

two of seven u p to night ; that is if you don t mind

- - ’
’
,

playing with a train robber

-

’
.

‘ ’
I ve told you says I my oral sentiments and the re s ’ ‘
, ,
’ ’
,

no strings to em
“
.

While I was sh uffli ng after the first hand I asks Ogden , ,

as if the idea was a kind of a casualty where he w as from

’
, .

says he from the Mississippi Valley ,

‘

’ ’
.

’
That s a nice little place says I I ve often stopped .
‘
,
’
over there But didn t you fi nd the sheets a little damp
’
.

and the food poor ? N ow I hail says I from the Pacifi c , , ,

‘

Slope Ever put up there

’ ’
.

‘
‘
Too draughty says Ogden But if you re ever i n
,
.

the Middle West just mention my name and you ll get ’

’
,
'

foo s w armers and dripped co h ee

- .

‘ ’ ’
Well says I I wasn t exac tly fish ing for your private
,

telephone number and the middle name of your aunt that

carried off the Cu mberland Presbyterian ministe r It don t ’ .

matter I j ust want you to kn ow you are safe in the

’
.

hands of your shepherd Now don t play hearts on spades ,

’
.
,

’
and don t get nervous
’
.

Still harping says Ogden laughi ng again ’

Don t ‘
, , .

you su ppose that if I was Black Bill and thought you sus
’
pec ted me I d put a W inch ester bullet into you and stop
,

my nervousnes s if I had any

“N ot any ’says I A man who ’
‘
,

s got the nerve to

.
‘

’
,

hold up a train singl e handed wouldn t do a t rick like

—
’
that I ve knoc ked about enough to know that them are
.

the kind of men who put a value on a friend N ot that .

-2
11 . 2
3 30 EN GL I S H S HORTr-S TORY W RI T E RS
I can claim be ing a fri end of yours Mr Ogden says I ’ .
, , ,
‘
being only your sheep-herder ; but under mo re '

tious ci rcumstances w e might h av e been ’

“Forget the sheep temmrarily I beg ’says Ogden
.

’
, , ,

and cut f or deal

“
‘
.

About four days afte rw ard whi le my muttons w as ,

nooning on the water-hole an d I deep in the inte rsti ce s

of making a pot of coff ee up rides softly on the grass a
,

mysterious person in the garb of the being he wished to rep

resent . He w as dress ed somewhere betw een a Kansas City
detective Buff alo B il l and the town dog—catcher of Baton
’
, ,

Rouge His ch in and eye wasn t molded on fighting lines

.
,

so I knew he w as o nly a sc out .

’
He rdin sheep he asks me .

’
Well says I to a man of your eviden t gumptional
,

’
,

endowments I wouldn t have the nerve to state that I am

’
,

engaged in decorat ing old bronzes or oiling bicycle sproc kets

“You don ’t talk or look like a sheep-herder to me ’
.

‘
,

says h e
’
.

But you talk l ike wha t you look like to me say I ,

s .

And then he asks me w h o I w as working for an d I ,

shows him Rancho Chi quito tw o miles away in the shadow ,

’
,

“
'

of a low hill and he tells me he s a deputy she rifi

, .

‘ ’
There s a trai n-robber called Blac k Bill su ppose d to
’
be somewhere in these parts says the scout
’
He s been .
‘
,

traced as far as San Antonio and maybe farther Have , .

y ou seen or heard of any strangers around here d u ri ng the

past month ? ’
‘ ’
I have not says 1 except a report of one over at the
‘

’ ’
, ,

Mexi can quarters of Loomis ranch on the Frio

“What do you know about him asks the deputy
.
,

‘
.

’ ’
He s three days old says I .
,

Wh at kind of a looking man is the man you w ork

’
f or ? he asks Does old Geo rge Ramey ow n this pl ace
.
‘
332 E N GL I S H S H OR T— S T OR Y WR I T E RS
ac ross the dell dow n by the windi ng brook and up to ,
’
,

the ranch house where I pe nned em in a corral and bade

-
,
’em my nightly adieus
“
.

I w ent from there to the ranch-house I fin d H Ogden . .

,

q uire ly
,
i ng as leep on his little cot bed I guess he had .

been overcome by anti-insomn ia or disw akef ulness or some

of the disease s pec uliar to the sheep bus in ess His mouth .

and vest were O pen an d he b re athed like a second hand

,
-

bicycle pump I looked at him and gave vent to j ust a

’
.

few musings .Imperial Caasar says I asleep in such a

‘
, ,
‘

way might shut his mouth and keep the wind away ’
“
.
,

A man asleep is certai nly a sight to make angels we ep .

What good is all his brai n muscle bac king nerve infl u ence , , , , ,
’
and family connec tions ? He s at the mercy of his enemies
’
,

and more so of his friends And he s about as beautiful .

as a cab-ho rse lea ning against the Met ropoli tan Opera
Ho use at A M dre ami ng of the plai ns of Arabia
. . .

N ow a woman as leep you regard as di ff erent N o matter .

’
,

how she looks you know it s better for all hands for her
,

“
to be that way .

Well I took a d rink of Bourbon and one for Ogden

, ,

and started in to be c omfortable while he w as tak ing his

nap . He had some books on his table on indigenous su b

j ects su ch as Japan and d rai nage and physical cultu re
,

“
and some tobacco which seemed more to the point
, .

’
After I d smoked a few and listened to the sartorial ,

bre athi ng of H O I happened to look ou t the window

. .
,

toward the shearing-pens where there w as a kind of a ,

road comin g u p f rom a kind of a road across a kind of a

“
creek farther away .

’
I saw fi v e men rid ing up to the house All of em c ar .

’
ri ed guns across their saddl es and among em w as the ,

d eputy that had talked to me at my camp .

They rode up c areful in open formation with their , ,

 TH E H ID ING OF BL A C K B IL L 3 33

guns ready I set apart with my eye the one I opinionated

.

“
to be the boss muck-raker of t hi s law-and-order cavalry
’ ’
.

‘
Good evening gents says I
- ’
Won t you light and ‘
, , .
,

“
tie your horses
The boss rides up close and swings his gun over till ,

“
the opening in it seems to cover my whole front elevation
‘ ’ ’
Don t you move your han ds none says h e till you , ,
‘
.

and me indul ge in a adequate amount of necessary con

’
“
versation .

‘ ’
I will not says I I am no deaf-mu te and therefore
.
‘

’
, ,

will not have to disobey your injunctions in replyi ng

’
.

We are on the lookout says h e for Blac k Bill the , ,

‘
,

man that held up the Katy for in May We are

’
.

searching the ranches and everybody on em What is .

your name and what do you do on this ran ch

,

says I Percival Saint Clair is my occupa

,
‘

- ’
tion and my name is sheep herder I ve got my flock of .
,

veals no muttons penned here to-ni ght Th e shearers

—
,
—
.

are coming to-morrow to give them a hair-cut— w ith

baa—a ru m I suppose ’
“
— .

’ ’
,
‘
Where s the boss of this ran c h ? the captain of the
’ ’
Wait j ust a minute c ap n says I ’
Wasn t there a ‘
, , .

kind of reward off ered for the capture of this desperate

charac ter you have referre d to in your preamble
“ ‘ ’ ’
There s a thousand dollars reward ofl ered says t he
'

’
,

captain but it s for his capture and conviction There

‘
.

’
,

’
don t seem to be no provision made for an informer
“ ’
.

I t looks like it might rain in a day or so says I in a

‘
, ,

tired way looking up at the cerulean blue sky

,
.

If you know anything about the loc ality disposition ,

’
,

or secretiven ess of thi s here Black Bill says h e in a severe

’
, ,

dialec t you are amiable to the law in not reporting it

“
.

’
,
‘
I heard a f ence rider say says I in a desultory kind , ,
3 34 E N GLI SH S HORT — STORY W RI TERS ,

of voi ce that a Mexi can to ld a cowboy named J ake over

‘

’
,

at Pidgin s store on the Nueces that he hea rd that Blac k

'

’
Bill h ad been seen in Matamoras by a sheepman s c ous in
’
“
tw o weeks ago
’
.

‘ ’
Tell you wha t I ll do Tight Mouth says the captain , , ,

after looki ng me over for bargains If you put us on so .

‘

’
we can scoop Blac k Bill I ll pay you a hun dred dollars out ,

of my ow n — o
u t of ou r ow n — ’
poc kets Th at s liberal ’ .
,

says h e
’
You ain t entitled to anyth ing Now what do
‘
. .
,

you say
“
‘ ’
Cash dow n now ? I asks .

The captai n has a sort of disc ussion with his help

ma tes and they all produ ce the contents of their poc kets
,

f or analysis Out of the general results they figure d up

.

81 02 30 in c as h and $3 1 worth of plug tobacc o

’
.

Come nea re r c apitan meeo says I and l isten ’ ‘

.
, , ,

He so did
“
‘
.

I am mi ghty poor and low down in the world says

’
,

I.
‘
I am working f or twelve dollars a month trying to
keep a lot of a nimals together whose only thought seems
to be to get asunder
’
Although says I I re gard myse lf
.
‘
, ,
’
as some better than the State of South Dakota it s a come ,

down to a man who h as heretofo re regarded sheep only

in the form of chops
’
I m pretty far reduced in the world
.

on ac count of foiled ambitions and rum and a kind of cock

tail they make along the P R R all the way from Scran . . .

ton to Cincinn ati — d ry gin Fre nch vermouth one squeeze ,

’
,

of a lime an d a good dash of orange bitters If you re .

’
,

’
ev er up that way don t fai l to let one t ry you And again
’
.
, , ,

says I I have never yet went bac k on a friend I ve

‘
.

’
,

’
stayed by em when they had plenty and when ad versity s ,
’
ov ertaken me I ve never forsook em ’ .

I goes on this is not exac tly the c ase of a

,
‘

friend Tw elve dollars a month is only bowing-acq uaint

.
336 EN GL IS H SHORT — fiT ORY W RIT E RS
’ ’
I ll make you perspi re for thi s says Ogden perspiring
‘
‘

’
, ,
‘

some himself I can prov e who I am

‘

“ ’
. .

So can I says the ca ptain as he d raws from H

‘
, ,
’
.

Ogden s inside coat—poc ket a handful of new bills of the

Second Natio nal Bank of Es pi nosa City Your regular .

- - - ’
engraved Tuesdays and Fridays visit ing c ard wouldn t have
a louder voice in proc lai ming you r indemnity than thi s here
currency You can get up now and prepare to go w ith us
’
.

“
and expatriate your sins .

H Ogden gets up and fix es his necktie He says no

. .

“
more after they have taken the money oh of him
’
.

A well greased idea says the sheriff captain admir

‘
-
, ,

ing to slip off down here and buy a little sheep—ranch

,
‘

where the hand of man is seldom heard It w as the slick

’
.

est hide ou t I ever see

— says the c aptain , .

So on e of the men go es to the shearing -pen and h nts

u

up the other herder a Mexi can they call John Salli es and
,
’
,

he saddles Ogden s horse and the sherif fs al l ride up close ,

aroun d him with their guns in hand ready to take their ,

pri soner to town

“
.

Before starting Ogden puts the ran c h in J ohn Sallies ’

,

hands and gives hi m orders about the sheari ng and whe re

to graze the sheep j ust as if he intended to be back in a
,

f ew days And a couple of hours afterwa rd one Percival

.

Saint Clair an ex-sheep—herder of the Rancho Chiquito

, ,

mi ght have been seen with a hundred and ni ne dollars ,

wages and blood-money— in his po c ket ri ding south on ,

”
another horse belonging to said ranch .

The red-fac ed man paused and listened The whistle of a .

coming f re ight trai n sounded far away among the low hills
~
.

The fat seed y man at his side sniffed and shook h is

, ,

“ “
frowzy head slowly and disparagingly .

What is it S nipy asked the other

, Got the blues .

”
again ?
 TH E H ID ING OF B LA C K B I LL 3 3 71
’
N o I a in t
,
”
said the seedy one sniffi ng agai n
,
But .
“
’
,

I don t like your talk You and me have been friends off
.
,

and on for fif teen year and I never yet knew or heard

, ,

of you giving anybod y up to the law —not no one And .

here w as a man whose saleratus you had et and at whose

table you had played games of cards— ii cas ino can be so
called And yet you inform him to the law and take money
.

“
for it It never was like you I say
.

This H Ogden resumed the red-faced man through

”
.
,
, .

,
“
a lawyer proved hi mself free by alibis and other legal
,

terminalities as I so he ard afterward

,
He never sufi ered .

no harm He did me favors and I hated to hand him

.
,
”

“
over .

How about the b ills they found in his poc ket asked

“
the seed y
’
I put em there said the red-faced man whi le he
, ,

w as as leep when I saw the posse riding up I w as Blac k .

’
,

Bill Look out Snipy here she comes ! We ll board her

.
, ,
”
on the bumpers when she takes water at the tank .
34-
0 EN GLISH SH ORT — S T OR Y W R IT E RS
AL R
M O Y , M arie
’
B A rthu r 19
, .

Matthe w s Professo r
,
B rande r , T 1 1 °
borrow e r 1 1 , 1 2 , 23
fl
.

1 6, 1 7 . ow s , D 01 1 Qu i x ote ,
Mo rris ,
W illiam , Defence f
o
Gu i nevere , 1 9 . S h ort-S to ry , E v olu ti on of th e ,
1 —3 1 .

N am m m H W H O
’
. A T RN
E , Ra p S mi th , H b t H , 8 er er . .

pacci ni s D a ughter , 6 Ste rne , L a ure n ce , 28

. .

N orth , S ir Thomas , P lutarch s S te v e nso n , Rob t Lo uis ( 1 850

'
er
Di ves , 23 . A L odgi ng [or the N ight,
27 , 28 7 — 3 1 3 .

Oi Temporal Trib u la ti on , 1 1 S toc kto n , F rank R ( 1 834 . .

Oi the Transgressi ons and Wou nds

’
1 8 1 0 1 311 of S even DemLs 1 63
of th e S ou l , 1 1 . 75 1
F arm s ,
W I LLI A M ,
The Palace TE NNYS O N The I Ila
, o f the
of P leasu re 23 , . Ki 1 9 . 20 ; T
tt, 20 .

Poe , Ed gar Allan ( 1 809

law s of sh ort-sto ry , 1 5 20 ; Tro llope , An thony , 8
,
.

’
essa y on Haw thorne , 1 61 1 ; Tw ai n , Mark A Dog s

a ged M ou nl ai ns , T l 7 7
1 —1 91
Tale oi tl g a e ,
.

2 1 ; The Pu rlome d L etter , 1 03

1 25 U N D E RDO W N E , I B om
' ‘

, Heliod
Pow ell , Pro f J W , 8 . .orus , 23 . .

P ractic al Treati se on the A rt 0/

the S hort-S tory, 4 .

Redgau ntle t 25 W ALTO N Isa ax , 24

m
.
, . ,

Roderic k Ra ndom 25 , . W i lson ,

w sor, on J ames
Rosse tti , While Shi p, 4 . Hogg , 30 .
 INDE ! TO VOLUM E TWO

A PU L E I U S , E ros a nd P syche 3 , . Henr O The Hidi ng of B lack

.
,

Bi 32 1 — 337 .

A
B A RB I E , J M ES M ATT
HE W , Wi n He w l ett , M au ri ce , The Ru i nou s
dow i n Thru ms, 1 5 F ace , 1 23 — 1 45
b
. .

B i e rce , Am rose , 2 4 ; A n Oc HO pe , A nthony , The House 0 1)

c urre rwe at Ow l Creek B ri dge , p o e tte , 1 7 5— 1
82 .

2 7 —41
’
.

B lackw ood s M a gaz i ne , 5 . IR V I NG , W A S H I NGTO N , an d the

r
B o nte, Ann e , A gnes Grey , 5 . short-story , 17 .

r t
B ou é , E mily , Wutheri ng
Heights , 5 . J A M E S , HE NRY , 24 .

J e rom e , Passi ng of the Thi rd

Conte , Fre n ch , infl u ence , 7 . F loor B ac k, 1 5 .

Cornhi ll M agaz i ne , Th e , 5 .

KI PL I NG RU D Y ARD fame 7 ,

ARD
, ,

D A V IS R I C H
, HA RD ING , The , ,
M atter of F act 9 1 2 ; pow e r o f
Ex i les , 1 93— 244 . d escri pti on , 1 0 ; The F i ne st
D e f oe , D a ni e l , m ethod 4 S tory i n the World , 1 3 , 1 6 ;
, .

D e l and , M arga re t, 2 4 ; The U n I nca rna ti on of K hri sna M u l

ex pecte dne ss of Mr Horace vaney ,
. 1 6 ; me thod , 20 ; The
S hi elds , 43—87 . Retu rn of Imray , 2 1 ; The M a n
D i c k e ns , Charle s, m ethod , 4 ; Who Wou ld B e Ki ng , 2 1 , 2 6 ,
l ength of nove ls, 4 , 1 0 ; B oots 245 —290 .

at the Hk -Tree I nn
, 8, 1 2 ;
D avi d Copperfie ld , 2 6 L o oms, W I I M J 24 , 2 5
. LL A .

D oy le , A . Cona n , She rlock L on don , J a ck , 2 4, 2 5 ; The Whi te

Holmes, 1 9 ; The A dventu re of S i lence , 307-320 .

the S peckled B and , 89— 1 2 2 .

M A CL A REN , IAN , B onnie B ri er

Ea rthly Paradise The , 1 4 , B ush , 1 5 . .

E liot , George , meth od , 4 Ma ga z in e , B ri tish , 5 1 6 , 24

.
,

A m eri can , 24 .

N
F RE CH li te ratu re , 7 . Mason , E W , The F ou r F eathers, . .

15 .

HAL L AM A RTHU R , 1 8
,
Mered ith , George , method , 4
. .

Hard y ,
Th omas , The Wi thered
A rm , 1 0, 1 1 , 1 2 ; Tess of the N O V E L , ea rli er E nglish , 3 , 1 7
’
D U rbermllle s , 1 0 .le ngth , 4 ; three -volume , 5,
Ha w thorne , N atha ni el , and the 16 .

sh ort- story , 1 7 , 1 8 N ove list , B ritish 1 7

. , .
342 E N GL I SH SHORT S TOR Y W RI TERS
—

O SBO U RN E L L O Y D 24 ; The
, , H
Sho rt—story , th e m od e m , 3—26
ap '

p i e st D a y of Hi s I/ i/e , 29 1 -306 B ri t
. ish , 6 ; d is ti nc t form of
a rt , 8 ; co m pl e t e ness , 9 ; ca n
AR R L RT
P KE , GI B E , A Prai ri e not be lo ng 1 0 ; o ne incide nt ,
,

V abond , 1 65 - 1 7 3 1 2; chara cte ri stic 1 3; di f

fg
.
,

Poe l d gar A llan , crea to r of th e fi c ul t to w rite , 1 4 ; mo n} 1 5 ; es

o
,

short-sto ry , 1 7 , 1 9 ; The M ar se n ti al facto r , 1 5 ; sl w

grow th
de rs i n the Rue M orgue , 1 9 , 20 ; 1 6 ; crea to r o f th e , 1 8 ; la w s , 24 ,
The P u rloi ned Letter , 1 9 ; The ad van ce , 25 .

Gold -B ug 1 9 , 20 ; D esce nt i nto S te ve nso n , Ro e rt Lo u is M ark

, b ,

the M ae lstrom , 1 9 ; The A d he i m , 20 ; Th row n J anet 2 1 ; ,

ve ntu re of Hank Pj aa l, 1 9 ; A Lodgi ng for the N i ght, 26 .

Te ll-Tale Heart, 20 .

TH CK E A RA
Y , me thod , 4 ; Vanity
Q U I L L E R-CO U CB , A .T, The . F ai r , 4 .

D raw n B li nd , 1 1 , 1 83 - 1 9 1 .

V E RN E , J U L ES , Voyage to the
R EAD E , CHA RL ES The C loi ster
,
M oon , 1 9 .

a nd the Hea rth , 4 .

Ri cha rd son , m e th od , 4 . W I L D E OS C AR , on Ki ling, 1 3 .

ry
,

W ilki ns , Ma E , A cw E ng
.

la nd N u n , 1 47— 1 64 .
THE M AN F ROM OM E
“
H
B Y B oom TA RKI N G I ON H RY LE O WI S O
' ‘
AND AR N L N
The sce ne ta k es place in Ital y , and th e Am erican
b
hum or shows up rill iantly against the foreign ack b

M ON N A VA N N A BY M AU RICE Mm m cx
’
One of th e B e lgi an pow e rful dramas
t s most .

Th e sce nes are l a i d at isa, Italy , at the en d of th e

fif te enth ce nt ury Portrai t
. .

’
L AIGDON BY E DM OND ROS TAND
Thi s, th e onl y Engl ish edi ti on pu lish ed
’
b of
of th e grea t N apol eon s u
b y L ou is N Parke r It is illustrate d
m of m
.

M i ss M aude Ad am s in the (q D uk e of
Re i chstad t . I llu strated .

P AR TIN G FRIE N D S
BY WI LLI AM DE AN How nu s
A farcical scene on an o utgoing ste amer ,

s w ee th ea rts can fi n d nei ther ti me nor pl ace f or te nde r

farew ells Read ers w h o lik e b rilliant conversati on uh
.
,

restrained f u n and am using characte r portrayal w ill

,

fi nd in these farces a ri ch trea t I ll ustrated

. .

T HE M OU S E— TRA P
BY WILLI AM DE AN How nu s
This volume contai ns in com pac t form four of
’
How ells s most popu l ar farces, w hi ch have ee n oth b b
read and a cted w i th complete enj oyment and 81 1
Th e farces i n thi s vol ume are : Th e Garrote rs,
’
o Cl ock Tea, Th e M ouse f h ap, A Li k el y S tory
'
I ll us .

HARPER B ROTHE RS
FR ANKLIN SQ U ARE N E W Y onx